Super Doctor - Chapter 56

“Xu Ze, are we friends or not?” Sun Lingfei batted her beautiful large eyes at him.

Xu Ze gave her a puzzled look, quickly shoving two forkfuls of pasta into his mouth before nodding. “Of course we are…”

“Then could you do me a small favor?” she continued, smiling sweetly.

“What kind of favor? If it’s about beating up that guy, forget it. You said yourself I wouldn’t stand a chance.” Xu Zen was no fool.

Sun Lingfei chuckled dryly. “Oh, no, nothing like that. Just a tiny, simple little favor.”

“Alright then… as long as it’s not troublesome and doesn’t involve violence, I’ll consider it.” Relieved it wasn’t a fight, Xu Ze nodded and scooped up more pasta, thinking, This spaghetti isn’t half bad.

“Great! Since you’ve agreed—” Sun Lingfei beamed with delight. “—pretend to be my boyfriend for a while.”

“……” Xu Ze froze, staring at her in disbelief. “What did you just say?”

Blinking to confirm he hadn’t misheard, he choked out, “Boyfriend?…”

Sun Lingfei nodded eagerly, watching him like a hawk lest he refuse.

“Cough—cough—!” Xu Ze inhaled sharply in shock, nearly sending pasta up his windpipe. Tears and sniffles ensued, leaving him in a pitiful state.

Watching the havoc her words had wrought, Sun Lingfei felt equal parts exasperated and insulted. She took two deep breaths to suppress her rising indignation. What kind of reaction is this? Just the idea of being my fake boyfriend reduces him to this mess? Am I really that terrifying? I have thousands of admirers—if I snapped my fingers, men would beg on their knees for the chance!

After another steadying breath, she quelled her frustration. Seeing Xu Ze’s tear-streaked face, though, her irritation softened into concern. Did I really scare him that badly?

Handing him tissues with a sigh, she asked, “Xu Ze, what’s wrong with you? Am I really that repulsive in your eyes?”

“Cough— My dear cough— Miss Sun,” he wheezed between wiping his nose and coughing, “stop joking around. You’ve got armies of suitors—why pick me?”

“You think I’m joking?” Her eyes widened, though inwardly she relaxed. So that’s why he panicked…

Hearing her deadly serious tone, Xu Ze’s face fell completely. “No, no—please. I’ll call you jie, okay? Don’t mess with me like this. One more scare and I’m a dead man…”

“You—!” Sun Lingfei’s temper flared. Here she was, the campus goddess whom thousands of guys dreamed of dating, asking him for help—and he acted like she was handing him a live grenade!

Her almond eyes narrowed dangerously. She slammed the table, making Xu Ze jump. “Xu Ze! Is being my fake boyfriend beneath you or something?!”

“Gulp.” Heart pounding, Xu Ze cursed his careless words. Should’ve sugarcoated it instead of blurting the truth. Now I’ve awakened the lioness…

“N-no, not at all! I swear!” He raised his hands in surrender. “Miss Sun, please—sit down. Let me explain properly, alright?”

“Hmph. You’d better make this good.” Noticing curious glances from nearby patrons, she yanked their booth’s curtain shut and sat, arms crossed, radiating “This isn’t over” energy.

After gulping water to soothe his scalded throat, Xu Ze cautiously began, “Sun Lingfei… do you know how many admirers you have at Xingda?”

She frowned. “No idea. Never counted.”

“Right. Let me break it down for you.” He eyed her warily, relieved she hadn’t exploded again.

“Xingda has 50,000 students. Statistically, half—25,000—are male. Now, according to surveys, excluding those with… alternative preferences and a handful of bookworm nerds, roughly 70% of guys are your fans.” He swallowed hard. “That’s 20,000 admirers.”

Sun Lingfei’s eyes widened briefly—impressed despite herself—before glowering again. And yet you’re acting like I’m contagious!

Seeing her expression, Xu Ze pressed on, “Now, let’s conservatively say 20% are hardcore fans. That’s still 4,000 people, right?”

“Mmm.” She nodded grudgingly. The math held; her taekwondo club received thousands of applications monthly, nearly all from boys. Stadiums packed to the brim during her matches, deafening cheers turning her cheeks pink…

“Now imagine if word got out that I’m your boyfriend. Forget the rest—just those 4,000 fanatics would want to stab me on sight. The remaining 16,000? They’d trip me in hallways daily. How am I supposed to survive at Xingda?” His face was the picture of tragic despair, as though agreeing would doom him to a lion’s den.

Sun Lingfei tilted her head, seemingly swayed—until her lips curved. “Simple. We won’t tell anyone. You just need to scare off that leech. Problem solved. Done.”

“……” Xu Ze gaped. All that Oscar-worthy acting—wasted.

Watching his deflated expression, Sun Lingfei hid a smirk. Did he really think such a flimsy excuse would work on me?

“Tomorrow, when that pest shows up, I’ll say I have a boyfriend. If he won’t back off, you handle it.” She nodded firmly, eyes flashing “Try refusing now.”

Under her glare, Xu Ze hunched his shoulders. Resistance seemed futile—and possibly hazardous to his health. Yet playing shield for the campus queen felt like volunteering for a minefield. No one would pity me if this blows up…

Then he recalled Professor Tang Nian’guo’s words during radiology class: “A real man must resist when teased by women—especially beautiful ones. Never succumb to feminine wiles…”

Mustering his courage, he met her sharp gaze and ventured weakly, “But what if he snaps and attacks me? You said I can’t beat him.”

Sun Lingfei thumped her chest confidently. “Relax. I’ll protect you.”

The motion made Xu Ze’s heart skip—though not for the reason she intended.