Chapter 10: You Are My Medicine (7)

Sensing her uncontained impatience, Huo Shaoheng paused. His voice was low, carrying a tinge of emotion and raspiness he failed to detect in himself. “Darling, be patient, I’ll give it to you right away, just hold on a bit longer.” This time, he used neither his hands nor his kisses. The city was still very cold during the evenings at the end of March. Huo Shaoheng’s house was set to a mild temperature all year long and had central air conditioning, so it didn’t feel too cold or hot. However, he had just experienced an unprecedented and intense “workout,” so he was feeling mixed emotions and needed to refresh himself with cold water. The cold water sloshed over his head like a bucket of cold water. He felt his mixed emotions slightly subside. I’ll pretend this was just a mission, like the hundreds and thousands before. Although this mission was more erotic and had less difficulty, it was just a mission, nevertheless. There was no other meaning. But, before he completely erased the memory, he wanted to savour it once again. Standing underneath the shower, Huo Shaoheng leaned against the wall with one arm. He closed his eyes to enjoy the cool water rinsing over him, and the severe expression on his face finally eased. After showering, he draped a towel around his neck and strode out of the bathroom with his powerful and long legs. The corners of his mouth twitched as he smelled the heavy musk in the room. He found the remote and turned on the ventilator again to change the air in the room. Afterwards, he sat down on the white hardwood sofa and poised to have the fabled “cigarette after sex.” He watched Gu Nianzhi take great gasps, her heart rate stabilizing, but her face was extremely pale. He pursed his lips, emotions mixed as enshrouded before him were thoughts he didn’t want to acknowledge. Gu Nianzhi was dead asleep. It was unlike the previous times she had lost consciousness and passed out. Huo Shaoheng picked her up and placed her on the bed with fresh sheets, then covered her with a thin blanket. He hesitated for a second; he had not yet removed the silk scarf blindfolding her. Once she was deep asleep, he rushed back to the bathroom to clean himself again and change into a crew neck black t-shirt and military camo pants. Opening the French windows in the bedroom, he went out to the balcony and finally lit a “cigarette after sex” to smoke in relaxation. Crossing arms and standing on the balcony, his eyes were dark as he looked at the mountains in the distance. He appeared as if he had troubled thoughts or could be thinking of nothing at all. Lavender mist snaked between the mountains. The sun had just risen, and a sliver of light revealed itself from behind the mountains, almost about to break out completely. At that moment, the wake-up call sounded in the base, stirring the previously serene paradise. Huo Shaoheng watched the familiar scene and blew out a puff of smoke. He raised his hand and threw the butt with a beautiful arc, which landed in the garbage can in the corner of the balcony. He took a deep breath of the fresh morning air and turned back to the room. Closing the French windows and drawing the blackout and soundproof gold velvet curtains, he glanced at Gu Nianzhi on the bed. She’s still fast asleep and unmoving. She must be exhausted, Shaoheng noted. The corners of Huo Shaoheng’s lips turned slightly, a nd he exited the room in good spirits. As soon as he opened the bedroom door, he heard a thud. A chubby silhouette lurched inside, its round head hitting the ground with a thud. Huo Shaoheng’s brows twitched, and his voice was deep. “Chen Lie!” Naturally, the person who had waited outside all night and fallen in was the most highly skilled physician in the country, Chen Lie. Rubbing the back of his head and grasping the door frame to stand up, he looked at Huo Shaoheng incredulously, “You, you, you…finished it all?!” “What?” Huo Shaoheng’s expression was cold enough to glean Arctic ice from. “Who allowed you to sit in front of my door?” “I was worried about you!” Chen Lie chattered and snuck a glance at Huo Shaoheng like a thief. “How many times did you do it?” Huo Shaoheng didn’t answer and waved his hand with no change in expression. “Go and see if she’s any better.” “What? Really?” Chen Lie rushed into the living room to retrieve his medical box that could easily double as a field hospital. He was so excited that he was stuttering, “It– it– it– it was all done?” Huo Shaoheng completely ignored his questions and lowered his head to take out a pack of cigarettes from his camouflage pants. He lit one and inhaled deeply. He watched Chn Lie open the medical box to take out a needle and draw blood from Gu Nianzhi’s arm. Gu Nianzhi remained deep asleep, an arm like white jade resting on a pillow, her face devoid of color. The violet silk scarf covering her eyes remained. Huo Shaoheng took a glance and felt a bit feverish. He lowered his gaze and inhaled the cigarette fiercely, twice. Taking the opportunity while Chen Lie was completing the blood work analysis, he walked over and nudged his shoulder, “Come outside for a talk.” Chen Lie didn’t leave the bedroom with Huo Shaoheng until he finished preparing the equipment to await for results. Huo Shaoheng peered his head into the room to ensure Gu Nianzhi was still deep asleep and closed the door gently. He spread his palms at Chen Lie. “Give it.” “Give what? Huh, what do you want? What do I owe you?” Chen Lie squinted his eyes at Huo Shaoheng like a fox. “I’m severely myopic, so I can’t see clearly. Don’t deceive me.” Huo Shaoheng glanced at him and pursed his lips, “The drug, you said you had something to make people forget things.” “Huh?” Chen Lie froze, “Forget what?” “Don’t play dumb.” Huo Shaoheng’s voice was deep and icy, his piercing gaze directed at Chien Lie trapped him like a lobbed knife. “Didn’t you say you would find someone to help, earlier, and guarantee that they wouldn’t remember anything after? How would you have guaranteed they didn’t remember?” “Huh? Oh!” Chen Lie finally remembered, his expression fluctuating in an instant. After a long pause, he rubbed the back of his head and said, in shock, “That drug, you want to take it too? You’re not an outsider, though.” Huo Shaoheng glanced at him and continued to spread his palms, “Cut the cr*p, where is it?” Chen Lie truly never thought Huo Shaoheng would need the drug to help him forget. His round mouth gasped, and after a long pause, he said morosely, “Well, Major Huo, the thing is that the rug only guarantees forgetting if you take it before doing the deed. Just like Nianzhi, look at her, I guarantee she won’t remember a thing when she wakes up.” That’s to say it would cause a person to enter a clouded state and only act on biological instinct to do the deed. Huo Shaoheng’s thoughts clicked with this realization. Huo Shaoheng’s heart thudded, and he cursed to himself. Chen Lie shrank back and desperately wanted to hide his round body in a hole as he stuttered, “It won’t do anything if you take it after it happens. Major Huo, it’s too late for you to ask for the drug that allows you to forget partial memories now.”