Physician's Odyssey Chapter 53

Chapter 53 - Balcony Climbing Skill
When they left the pub, Lu Shimiao shivered from the cold wind and slightly sobered up. She hugged herself in depression. She was affected by the earlier incident with Qiao Bo.
After all, they had once fallen in love, and as the proverb goes; a day of husband and wife means endless devotion for the rest of your life. Despite the many misunderstandings between them, Lu Shimiao still had an old affection for him. Naturally, divorce wasn't something that she had spoken out accidentally; it was the resentment that she had pent up.
"All of a sudden, I feel homeless." Lu Shimiao sighed in desolation.
Su Tao laughed, "The world is big, anywhere can be a home for us if we wish. Shall I get you a room in a hotel?"
Lu Shimiao glared at Su Tao. "What are you trying to do?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Su Tao smiled, "Since it's acting, we should complete it. If I have guessed correctly, your husband will definitely find out where you are tonight. So imagine the blow that he will suffer if he knows you went to a hotel with me."
Seeing the devious smile hanging on Su Tao's lips, Lu Shimiao replied, "Okay, we'll go get a room, then. How can this Big Sister be afraid of you?"
Su Tao was stunned and scratched his head. He was just messing around to cheer Lu Shimiao up. Immediately, he bitterly smiled. "You're really going to do it?"
Lu Shimiao smiled. "Yeah, why? You're afraid?"
Su Tao nodded his head without any hesitation. "Yeah. If we're strangers, I'm fine with that. But we're colleagues, so it'd be troublesome if your husband goes to the hospital and makes a mess."
Lu Shimiao chuckled, "I thought that you're fearless. Even I was shocked by how you dealt with so many guys in the pub."
"I didn't have a choice, and I was just putting up a strong front!" Su Tao helplessly sighed.
Lu Shimiao showed a sophisticated smile. "I'm amazed that you would do that for me."
"Actually, I'm also surprised that you treated me to dinner, karaoke and pub. Perhaps it's fate." Su Tao shrugged.
Staring at Su Tao for some time, Lu Shimiao said, "Keep it a secret for me."
Su Tao knew tons of secrets as a doctor, so Lu Shimiao's matters didn't mean much. He smiled. "Do I look like a blabbermouth? Rest assured, my mouth is zipped tight."
Because of the alcohol, Lu Shimiao did not drive, so they chatted by the roadside for roughly half an hour before they managed to flag a cab. Although Lu Shimiao said that she was homeless, she wouldn't really get a hotel room. She chose the hospital, since she was required to go on-call, so the hospital had prepared living quarters for her.
Lu Shimiao waved her hand after boarding the car. But after a brief thought, Su Tao entered the cab as well, which caused Lu Shimiao to be surprised. "What's wrong? You want to drink more in my living quarters?"
Su Tao smiled. "I don't feel assured about you."
"What is there to worry about, it's the hospital. There are security guards even at night, and it is the safest place." Lu Shimiao frowned.
Su Tao took a deep breath. "Would Qiao Debao be waiting outside your living quarters for your return…?"
Hearing Su Tao's words, Lu Shimiao immediately shivered and sighed, "It happened once. There was one time when I returned to the living quarters and saw Qiao Dehao waiting outside with a bento in his hand, saying that he prepared it for me, fearing that I would be hungry at night. But I did not let him in…"
Su Tao nodded. "If you let him in, then you would be letting a wolf into your room."
"Who knows whether you're the wolf here." Lu Shimiao looked at Su Tao with a complicated gaze.
Su Tao joked, "At least I'm a young, handsome and charming wolf. At least I won't make you feel disgusted."
Lu Shimiao smiled. "My room is in the 8th Block, room 508. You go first to take a look for me, and I'll follow up ten minutes later."
Su Tao naturally knew what Lu Shimiao meant. If someone saw them walking into the room in the middle of the night, it would definitely cause gossip.
So he took a move first and stood outside the room while Lu Shimiao quickened her steps with anxiety filling her heart. Her hand was trembling as she tried to push the key in; but in the end, it was Su Tao that took the key and opened it for her.
She took a step into the room first, and when she saw Su Tao standing outside, she dragged him in as well before closing the door.
When Su Tao entered, he noticed Lu Shimiao's forehead covered in sweat. Thus, he figured that this was the first time that she did something like this.
Lu Shimiao suddenly felt something amiss and asked, "Why are you in?"
"You're the one that dragged me in." Su Tao helplessly replied.
Awkwardness covered Lu Shimiao's expression as she replied, "I'm just afraid that someone would see you. Since you're in, have some tea, then."
"Didn't you say that we're going to continue drinking?" Su Tao smiled.
Lu Shimiao replied, "I only have ethanol here, do you want it?"
Su Tao immediately waved his hand. "Forget it, tea to rinse the mouth, then."
The room looked similar to student dorms. There was only one room, and a bed with a pink flower-embroidered blanket that was neatly folded and a pillow placed above it. The washroom and kitchen were located further in, near the balcony.
Lu Shimiao went into the kitchen shortly and came out with two coffees. "I only have instant coffee here. They're used to energise me when I'm on-call, put up with it."
Su Tao took a sip and felt his throat smoothing out from the coffee. His eyes glanced on the desk where a few books laid on it. Most of them were love essays, so he casually took a book, which was immediately snatched away by Lu Shimiao.
She rolled her eyes at him. "Why do you like to flip through other people's things so much? Don't you know how to respect one's privacy?"
Su Tao smiled. "They're just books, they're also private? Could it be that you have secrets in there?"
Lu Shimiao lightly snorted before she placed the book back on the desk. "Quickly leave when you're done with the coffee. Time's getting late, it's 3 a.m. now."
Su Tao nodded his head while drinking the coffee. "How can I thicken my face to stay when you are already chasing me away?"
When Su Tao placed the cup on the table, knocking sounds rang from the door. Lu Shimiao immediately panicked and peeked through the door hole before she silently mouthed, "It's Qiao Bo and my father-in-law!"
Su Tao was also stunned since he did not expect that things would really proceed in this manner. If someone did see him in Lu Shimiao's room, he definitely wouldn't be able to get out of it, no matter how he tried to explain.
"Miaomiao, it's Father. Quickly, open the door. I got Qiao Bo here to apologise to you." Qiao Dehao said, but he had paid attention to his voice, so it wasn't loud.
Seeing that there wasn't any commotion inside, Qiao Dehao took out a key and continued, "I know that you're inside. If you don't want to open the door, then I'll be coming in!"
Seeing that Qiao Dehao actually has the key to her dorm, Lu Shimiao immediately panicked and signalled to Su Tao with her eyes to get him to hide.
Su Tao sighed. What had he gotten himself into? He initially intended to help her deal with the father-and-son pair, but he got himself into a messy situation, instead.
Actually, he wasn't afraid of being seen by the father-and-son pair of the Qiao Family, but this matter concerned Lu Shimiao's innocence. The father-and-son pair weren't good things, to begin with, and if they caught hold of something that they could use against Lu Shimiao, then it would make things more troublesome for her.
After a brief consideration, Su Tao ran towards the balcony.
Just when Qiao Dehao was going to unlock the door with his key, the door was opened from the other side. Lu Shimiao lightly knitted her brows with her clothes properly dressed as she looked at the two of them.
"Father, it's late now. What is it?" Lu Shimiao asked with a cold gaze.
Qiao Dehao immediately entered before looking around with a smile. "I just heard from Qiao Bo that there are some conflicts between the two of you and that you wanted a divorce. So I came to take a look and see if I can ease the matters between the two of you."
However, the smell of alcohol coming from Lu Shimiao made Qiao Dehao knit his brows.
Qiao Bo coldly snorted, "Dad, that brat is definitely still here. Don't beat around the bush. We're here to catch adultery."
"Adultery?" Lu Shimiao panicked in her heart, but she maintained composition on her face. "Feel free to check. If you can't find anyone, I expect an explanation."
Pointing his finger at Qiao Bo, Qiao Dehao reprimanded, "How can you not trust your wife?"
But despite saying those words, he winked towards his son.
Qiao Bo instantly understood the meaning, so he started to search around the dorm. The dorm wasn't big, since it was merely ten-odd square meters. He even combed the bedside cabinet to the balcony.
When Lu Shimiao heard the washroom door being opened, her heart was raised to her throat. But in the end, Qiao Bo came out in puzzlement while shaking his head to Qiao Dehao.
Qiao Dehao was also surprised. He had previously received a call, and Qiao Bo also said that he saw Lu Shimiao in the pub with another guy.
"You guys found the adulterer you're looking for?" A mocking arc rose on Lu Shimiao's lips. "You, father and son, came into my dorm in the middle of the night, how comical."
Qiao Dehao's face instantly turned ugly before he forced a smile. "Miaomiao, I also heard it from Qiao Bo. Please don't take that to heart."
Lu Shimiao immediately pointed towards the door and roared, "This place doesn't welcome the two of you, immediately get lost!"
Qiao Dehao smiled in embarrassment before he left the dorm with Qiao Bo and the door slammed behind them.
Qiao Bo looked at Qiao Dehao with a confused expression. "I really did not lie to you, that guy is called Su Tao, a doctor of your Jianghuai Hospital!"
Su Tao? Qiao Dehao was already fed up with that name as he shook his head. "Qiao Bo, you and Miaomiao are married. At the very least, you need to have basic trust."
Finishing his words, Qiao Dehao placed his hands behind his back as he left, leaving Qiao Bo alone behind.
Closing the door, Lu Shimiao immediately rushed to the balcony. She looked at the washroom and window and softly yelled, "Su Tao…"
"I'm here!" Su Tao's face popped up from the air conditioner condenser unit with a bitter smile hung on his face. "Today, I can be considered as having tasted all sufferings."
He was hanging on the condenser unit while feeling his adrenaline soaring. This was the fifth floor, and if he fell from this height, he would surely be crippled, even if he was not dead.
Seeing how Su Tao climbed back onto the balcony in such a pathetic state, Lu Shimiao burst into laughter. "I never knew that you had the potential to commit adultery. Such a formidable balcony climbing skill."