Just realized I received a bottle of nutrient solution, I'm super, super touched! The Jinjiang nutrient solution system crashed again, so I can't see in the backend which cutie sent it, 55. I'll thank this anonymous little angel for their support first! Once I can see the name later, I'll thank you again—big hugs and finger hearts!

Also, the change in the first chapter was to rename A Medical University's Affiliated Hospital to A Medical University's Affiliated Jihua Hospital, which will make things easier to narrate later on. No need for you cuties to go back and reread it~

Jinjiang's metaphysics tag is also acting up. I'll wait and see how things go. If it's still not fixed tomorrow, I'll update the day after, to avoid affecting the collection count. Early collections before a new story is officially opened are really, really important. I hope you cuties can understand—deep bow and kneeling thanks!

Chapter 5: Provocation

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It was clearly warm April, but around Eric Bennett it felt as if a layer of frost had formed, making Megan Young's back involuntarily chill.

The operating room is a relatively sterile environment, and usually doctors and nurses aren't strictly forbidden from visiting each other's rooms. There were even times when nurses would parade newborn twins around the whole floor. However, this was the first time Brian Sullivan had come visiting when Laura Clark wasn't around.

"Good morning, Dr. Jiang." Brian Sullivan had also changed into scrubs, but hadn't put on a sterile gown yet—he was probably just passing by on his way to the next operating room.

All the students assisting Eric Bennett today were from his own group. Everyone knew these two didn't get along, especially since Eric Bennett was in an extra foul mood today. So, except for a few nurses who exchanged a few words with Brian Sullivan, no one else dared to acknowledge him.

But if the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain.

Brian Sullivan walked straight over to Eric Bennett and stared at him for no apparent reason.

Eric Bennett had been watching Megan Young's technique, only showing Brian Sullivan his profile. But Brian Sullivan stood there as if his feet had taken root, not moving an inch.

His gaze landed on Eric Bennett's face as if it had substance, staring until the tips of his ears turned red.

"What are you looking at?" Eric Bennett finally couldn't take it anymore and spoke up.

Brian Sullivan blinked. "Looking at how good you look."

Eric Bennett gave him a deep look, then turned his head and called, "Megan Young."

Megan Young trembled, feeling like something bad was about to happen. He didn't even dare to call his usual "Brother Xu," and obediently said, "What is it, Dr. Jiang?"

Eric Bennett's gaze fell, almost tangibly, on the neatly arranged surgical knives, as if carefully selecting one. The lenses of his glasses reflected the silvery metallic light.

"Do you know what's the minimum sentence for manslaughter?"

Eric Bennett usually wouldn't let himself feel awkward; he'd rather directly deal with the person or thing making him uncomfortable.

"Dr. Jiang, we really can't do something like that," Megan Young said, both startled and trying to dissuade him.

For no reason, Brian Sullivan suddenly felt a chill on his neck.

A desperate survival instinct flashed an image in his mind: a child holding up a big warning sign from a glass windowsill, with the words "Run!" written on it.

So Brian Sullivan, very sensibly, said, "You're busy, I'll... get going now."

Eric Bennett glanced at Brian Sullivan's retreating figure, forcibly suppressing the discomfort in his body, then silently repeated three times: "I'm a good doctor, I only save people, I don't kill people." Only then did he finally manage to shake Brian Sullivan's face out of his mind.

After finishing surgery that evening, Eric Bennett as usual grabbed a meal to eat in the operating room's break area. As soon as he sat down, he couldn't help but suck in a breath from the pain.

With a face like still water, he took a deep breath and very gently, very slowly adjusted his position, trying to get used to the extremely discordant pain.

After finally easing up a bit, Eric Bennett opened his lunchbox and had just taken a few bites when he saw, from a distance, a certain someone with no sense of self-preservation loitering at the break room door. He prayed for three seconds that Brian Sullivan wouldn't come in, but fate was not on his side. Brian Sullivan, as if determined to go against him, came in, grabbed a cup of coffee, and sat down right across from Eric Bennett.

If their department's floor wasn't high enough that Brian Sullivan might not die from the fall—and Eric Bennett would have to take care of him for the rest of his disabled life—Eric Bennett really wanted to throw him out the window.

Eric Bennett couldn't understand what on earth was wrong with Brian Sullivan. He hoped Brian Sullivan would, like him, selectively forget about last night and treat him as just a regular one-night stand.

He swore that if Brian Sullivan dared to mention even a single word, he'd send him straight to the King of Hell.

But the persistent Brian Sullivan acted as if he couldn't see the displeasure on Eric Bennett's face at all, and started staring at him again with that unreadable look.

Eric Bennett slammed his lunchbox on the table, grabbed Brian Sullivan's collar with one hand, and raised his fist.

Unexpectedly, Brian Sullivan grinned. "You really do have a mole under your eye," he muttered to himself, "So even details you subconsciously notice can stick around for so long."

It was strange—after drinking with Eric Bennett last night, he dreamed about him. Brian Sullivan couldn't quite remember what the dream was about, only that there was a mole under Eric Bennett's eye.

After waking up at the hotel, he checked out at the front desk and saw the room charge on his phone, so he naturally assumed he'd slept alone all night.

But after waking up, he kept feeling something was off. He'd never paid attention before to whether Eric Bennett had a mole under his eye, so as soon as he got to the hospital, he couldn't help but want to check if there really was one.