Intern Incubus Chapter 26: Han Tian’s Choice

Chapter 26: Han Tian’s Choice

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Kiramekineko

 

When Qiao Xi woke up, he first saw the snow-white ceiling and the simple overhead light.

This was not his room.

He moved his body, turned his head sideways, and saw a person sitting beside his bed.

Although he couldn’t even see the person’s outline clearly because of the backlight, he already knew who it was by the unique smell.

“Han Tian…?” He called out softly, his voice slightly hoarse.

“Mn.”

“I… What’s wrong with me? Where am I? “

“… You’re in the hospital. You passed out earlier.” Han Tian got up from the stool, poured a glass of water and put it on the bedside.

Qiao Xi propped himself up and sat up, reached for the glass of water, took a shallow sip and asked in confusion, “Passed out?”

He only remembered that he had picked up a cat at the door, and then the cat suddenly scratched him.

What happened after that?

“Mn,” Han Tian sat down on the sofa further away and crossed his legs, “you seem to be severely allergic to cats, and the allergy triggered breathing difficulties, which led to a coma.”

“Eh? —It’s really because of the cat!” Qiao Xi suddenly realized.

Are severe allergies are so terrible? It makes people faint instantly and they don’t know anything anymore?

“The cat?” Han Tian didn’t even change his sitting posture.

“Yes.” Qiao Xi put the glass of water back on the cabinet, and his hand began to gesture. “A small black cat, so small, holding the lunch box you gave me—I, I thought you gave it to me… “

At this point, Qiao Xi paused, peeking at Han Tian—however, perhaps because of the angle of the light, he still could not see Han Tian’s face.

“I didn’t send you a cat,” Han Tian’s voice didn’t rise and fall, “and then, to make sure there wasn’t a cat or some other feline breaking into your house, I asked the property owner to check the security cameras… However, the surveillance was broken 24 hours before you passed out.”

“Well, it didn’t break in either… I thought you gave it to me, so I carried it into the house myself…” Qiao Xi muttered in a low voice.

“And then what happened?” Han Tian asked.

“And then… The cat suddenly reached out and scratched me! Then I didn’t know anything else.” Qiao Xi pouted his lips.

For some reason, Han Tian’s attitude was so strange today.

If it was before, he should have sat over and touched his head or fed him water, right?

“Scratched you?” Han Tian’s tone changed slightly.

“Yes, yes, on my face! It’s a deep cut! It hurts so much!” Qiao Xi’s mouth pouted even higher.

I’ve been “seriously injured”, why don’t you come over and touch my face?

“Qiao Xi,” Han Tian stood up from the sofa, “before you passed out, you called me. When I rushed over, your face, there was no injury.”

He took a step forward. “In other words, your injury, in that short time, healed perfectly?”

Qiao Xi’s heart gave a jolt, and his body trembled.

He touched his right cheek, which was indeed smooth and without any scars.

It seemed that when he passed out, he had unconsciously used the power of a demon and let the wound heal?

“Ah… Is that… Is it…” He mumbled, trying to find a reasonable excuse, “Then, maybe, I misremembered? Maybe it was a gentle scratch? It wasn’t that hard?”

“Oh.” Han Tian turned around and headed for the door. “Maybe.”

“Wait!” Seeing Han Tian about to leave, Qiao Xi thought nothing of it, lifted the blanket and jumped out of bed, ran over and grabbed his arm.

Han Tian’s body stiffened for a moment, and after a few seconds, he said, “What’s wrong?”

When Qiao Xi was dizzy before, Han Tian had asked him more than once what was wrong, if he was uncomfortable somewhere.

However, this time, Han Tian’s tone was very different compared to before.

There was no temperature, no concern, just like… It was like…

Someone who was far, far away from himself.

Qiao Xi, who was at a loss for words, could only retract his arm sardonically and hang his head.

The room was paved with marble. He stepped on the cold floor with his bare feet and unconsciously raised one foot to press on the back of the other, rubbing it back and forth.

Han Tian looked slightly sideways and said in a very, very low voice, “Go back and lie down. The floor is too cold.”

Qiao Xi looked up suddenly, but only saw Han Tian had already pulled open the door and walked out.

Qiao Xi wanted to chase after him, but he didn’t know what he was going to do…

No, he had a lot to tell him.

Wanted to tell him that the second before he passed out, the only thing on his mind was to see him.

Wanted to tell him that he waits for his message every morning.

Wanted to tell him that he slept with a small shark in his arms all night…

However, he knew intuitively that Han Tian would not be willing to listen to him now.

Qiao Xi hung his head in a daze, and only after a long day did he reluctantly move his steps and sit down on the sofa where Han Tian had just sat.

He glanced up and saw the wall clock: 13:20.

13:20, so it’s only been two hours since I passed out, right?

What happened to Han Tian? What had happened in such a short time?

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

“Mr. Qiao Xi, Dr. Han asked me to take your blood pressure.” The person who came in was a nurse, wearing a mask.

“Dr. Han?” Qiao Xi cooperated by extending his arm and letting the nurse put on his cuff.

“Mn, you saw Dr. Han just now, right? He told me you were awake and asked me to come over,” the nurse said.

“No, no, I mean, Han Tian is the doctor here? An intern? Isn’t he still in Medical College?” Qiao Xi was surprised.

The nurse burst out laughing. “Of course Dr. Han is not an intern, he is a top specialist—he is at the nearby Medical College, but he is a professor at Medical College.”

Qiao Xi was completely confused.

A top specialist, a professor at Medical College?

Then, what about the part-time job at the cafe?

And, according to his knowledge of the human world, he, he should not be short of money, ah?

“Mn, blood pressure is fine.” After the nurse read the count, she uncuffed the cuff.

“Oh… Thank you…” Although Qiao Xi was in a daze, he still politely thanked her out of habit.

Looking at Qiao Xi’s delicate eyebrows and meek attitude, the nurse girl couldn’t resist and said more. “You’re welcome. It’s good that you are fine. These days, Dr. Han is worried about you.”

It was not only worrying, but Dr. Han suddenly rushed into the hospital with a person in his arms, gave a bunch of strange medical instructions, and insisted on taking care of him personally, not allowing any other nurses to help—simply, Dr. Han’s reaction was so abnormal, the nurse girl muttered in her mind.

“Wa… days?” Qiao Xi thought about how after he fainted once, his brain wasn’t so good anymore, and he couldn’t even understand other people’s words.

“Right. You have been unconscious for 5 days. The whole 5 days, Dr. Han has been in this room and has not come out for a single step,” the nurse girl said.

“Wait, I’ve been unconscious for 5 days?” Qiao Xi stood up from the couch with a crash.

“Ah, right.” Probably because she didn’t expect Qiao Xi’s reaction to be so drastic, the nurse girl was also a bit surprised. “Mn, for these 5 days, Dr. Han has been taking care of you personally, not letting us interfere at all…”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect to be unconscious for so long, so I reacted a little too much and scared you.” Looking at the slightly flustered look between the nurse girl’s eyebrows, Qiao Xi hurriedly explained.

“No, no, you don’t mind.” Being treated so politely and courteously, the nurse girl seemed to be a little embarrassed. “Then you should take a good rest first, if something happens, you can press the pager at the bedside.”

After the nurse went out, Qiao Xi went back to bed and shrank for a while, then jumped down again and put on his slippers.

He was going to look for Han Tian.

Anyway, this person had taken care of him for five days, so, he must show his gratitude, right?

After leaving the ward, to Qiao Xi’s surprise, all the nurses or doctors who passed by seemed to know him and were peeking at him.

When he asked a young girl in a pink nurse’s uniform where Dr. Han Tian’s office was, the young girl’s face was excited and her eyes glowed as she showed him the way.

“Hmm? Are all the people in this hospital so enthusiastic?” Qiao Xi was puzzled and went to the third floor, Han Tian’s private office area.

There was a young girl sitting at the reception desk at the entrance, wearing a simple dress, looking less like a nurse and more like a personal assistant.

When she saw Qiao Xi, she stood up first and smiled at him. “Mr. Qiao Xi, are you looking for Dr. Han?”

Qiao Xi nodded and thought, How does she know who I am?

The girl reached out and pressed a shortcut key on the landline, lifted the microphone, and said to Qiao Xi, “Hold on.”

It took a while for the landline to pick up.

The girl whispered a few words, put down the phone awkwardly, and said apologetically, “Dr. Han said he has other guests, so he can’t see you right now, so please go back first.”

Other… A guest?

So, to Han Tian, I’m just a guest too? A guest who needs an appointment to meet?

Qiao Xi was almost dizzy again.

Perhaps the disappointment on Qiao Xi’s face was too obvious, so the assistant girl hurriedly explained twice, “I’m sorry, I didn’t even notice when Dr. Han’s guest entered, so I made you wait for so long.”

However, this explanation made Qiao Xi’s heart blocked even more.

Perhaps Han Tian was not seeing anyone else at all, but simply did not want to see me?

Looking at Qiao Xi’s pale face, the assistant girl came around and said with some concern, “You don’t look well, shall I send you back to rest?”

Qiao Xi forced out a smile. “No, I’m fine. I’ve just been in the room too long and I’m a little bored.”

The assistant said with understanding, “Ah, there is a small garden on the first floor, which is directly connected to the balcony of your suite. If you are bored, you can go for a walk there.”

Qiao Xi thanked the assistant girl and moved out step by step.

At that moment, he heard the sound of the door opening from behind him.

He leaned against the aisle wall, pretending not to notice, waiting to see who was coming out—or if it was Han Tian, running out and calling for himself.

However, the door opened and then quickly closed.

No one came out.

Perhaps it was just the person inside who heard the commotion outside, opened the door to look, found it irrelevant, and then closed it again.

Qiao Xi leaned his back against the marble wall, his heart colder than the stone.

——————————

However, Han Tian’s office did have a “guest”.

Miquel had just opened the door to let Qiao Xi in when Han Tian closed it.

“Sir Seraph!” Miquel almost yelled out.

He turned around and glared at Han Tian.

And Han Tian just leaned back on the swivel chair in his office, his right hand propped up his cheek with an indifferent look.

“Your Excellency! Why are you still stopping me! Haven’t you already confirmed that it is a real demon!” Miquel’s voice was anxious and angry.

Han Tian did not reply, but turned over a pile of papers on his desk, which Miquel had just sent over, Qiao Xi’s “Identity Statement”.

On the first page, it was the Demon Academy’s “special graduation project”, which required intern students to find a human with a pure soul and then capture him.

On the second page, there was Qiao Xi’s smiling face, and below it was a clear note

[demon attributes: to be differentiated

demon qualification: SS grade

Mission progress: Target locked, in close contact]

Han Tian’s eyes, resting on the words “in close contact”, his expression was obscure.

“Moreover, why did you cut off communication for 5 days? In these 5 days, the heavenly world could not contact you at all, so they sent me to see you.” Miquel continued to pursue the question, with strong dissatisfaction.

“The communicator is broken,” Han Tian replied simply, while throwing an object on his desk with his left hand.

It was the “watch” he had been wearing on his left wrist.

Miquel glanced at the cracked communicator and sighed.

He pressed it on his wrist and lowered his voice.

“Han Tian, I have temporarily cut off communication with the heavenly realm. I am now, not speaking to you as your supervisor—but as a companion who grew up with you.”

“What exactly do you plan to do? Five days ago, was it Qiao Xi who suddenly used demon power? The demon aura in that moment was so powerful that the communicator’s reaction was unprecedentedly violent, and even if you destroyed it immediately, it still caught the patriarchs’ attention—if you don’t give them an explanation, they will definitely be seeking accountability.” Miquel looked earnest.

Han Tian grabbed the cigarette case from his desk and shook out a cigarette, and his voice tired, replied, “Miquel, a SS-rank demon can be neither burned by my power of Seraph nor intimidated by your power of oppression?”

Miquel was a bit confused. “That really shouldn’t be the case. Do you mean to say…?”

“The bizarre ‘graduation design’, the unrecognizable demon, and—” Han Tian paused, as if skimming over many words, and skipping straight to the end, “As well as, the suddenly broken surveillance, the black cat that is nowhere to be found. Don’t you think it’s too perverse?”

Miquel thought about it carefully and nodded. “Well… Yes, it’s indeed too strange.”

Han Tian stood up and went to the big floor-to-ceiling window, put his hand against the glass, looked at the view of the garden downstairs and exhaled a smoke ring. “So, please tell those stupid old men, just say—that the Demon World has a conspiracy, and I have my plan. If the old men act rashly, they will only ruin my plan.”

Miquel froze, let out a long sigh, took out a brand new “watch” and put it on the desk. “Since you have a plan, then, I will not persuade you. Next, please make sure you wear your communicator and don’t cut off contact at will.”

Han Tian turned his head and, in a rare moment, said, “Okay. Thank you.”

Qiao Xi, who didn’t know that he was about to be taken away by Miquel, was lying on the blanket.

The facilities in this high class room were actually very good. There was a private bathroom, a balcony door that led to a small garden outside, a TV, and internet access in the room.

Unfortunately, Qiao Xi didn’t even want to play games.

He had a book, Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales, on his bed. The nurse who brought the book to him said that Dr. Han gave it to him for fear that he would be bored.

Qiao Xi, who had nothing else to do, flipped through two pages of the book and read the story, “The Wild Swans”, but the more he read, the more sleepy he became, and finally fell asleep with the book in his arms.

The moment he was about to fall asleep, he vaguely realized, “… I seem to have forgotten one important thing…? Ah, no matter, let’s think about it tomorrow…”

The next day was another Sunday.

Qiao Xi leaned back on the sofa, thinking about what happened at the oceanarium last Sunday, and unconsciously touched his hand.

He had just asked the nurse and finally understood why Han Tian’s Sundays were so busy—it turned out that every Sunday, Dr. Han had a “charity clinic”.

When he thought that Han Tian was hiding this from him, he felt a sobriety in his heart and wanted to grab Han Tian by the collar of his shirt and ask him about it.

However, the nurse said that Dr. Han had told him to take a good rest and not to move around.

It seemed that he was neither going to come to see himself nor let himself go to him.

Hm.

Qiao Xi put on his shoes and slipped against the wall to the other side of the hospital.

He had seen the map of the hospital and knew where the clinic was located.

According to the nurse, Dr. Han would receive patients at the outpatient clinic from 8:00 a.m. onwards.

Sure enough, when he reached the entrance of the specialist’s clinic, he could faintly hear Han Tian’s voice and smell the faint, if sweet, fragrance.

The volume of voice was calm, the words were short, and the tone of voice did not fluctuate.

The same as yesterday when he asked him “what’s wrong”.

Qiao Xi stared down at the tip of his slippers, the loss in his heart was like a ripple in the water, growing larger and larger.

The nurse girl who took his blood pressure yesterday saw him and asked in surprise, “Mr. Qiao Xi? Why are you here? Are you looking for Dr. Han?” 

“Ahhh, no, no, I was just passing by, passing by!” Qiao Xi stood up straight in a panic and explained in a whisper.

However, he still heard the sound of footsteps coming from the outpatient room.

Did Han Tian hear it? He would find me standing in the doorway, dumbfounded like a penguin?

Realizing this, Qiao Xi’s body was faster than his brain, and he turned around and ran away in a flash.

“Ah, Mr. Qiao Xi, please don’t run in the hospital…!”

Qiao Xi was already running far away as fast as he could.

The nurse girl stood at the door, somewhat embarrassed, and explained to Han Tian, “Dr. Han, I’m sorry, just now Mr. Qiao Xi was at the door, I thought he was going to come to you, but he ended up—running away.”

Watching Qiao Xi’s back disappear at the end of the corridor, Han Tian walked back to his seat without saying a word and continued to see the next patient.

Evening.

Qiao Xi, who was upset and frustrated, finally slipped off the balcony and into the small garden.

The garden was extremely quiet, staggered with maple trees, octagonal gold pan, and lush ferns, the ground was thick with leaves that made a slight rustling sound when people stepped on them.

In the center of the garden was a small swing, the seat of which was just a simple wooden board.

Qiao Xi sat on the swing, pointing his bare feet on the ground, and swaying himself one by one.

He remembered that he had forgotten something yesterday.

He forgot his mission, forgot his purpose.

His purpose was clear: to seduce Han Tian, to get his Capture Value up to 60, to make him willing to give his soul.

So what was he obsessing about now? What is bothering him?

Why did Han Tian lie to himself, why was Han Tian suddenly so cold, was it that important?

According to the data from the last check [Guidebook], won’t the goal be reached soon?

When I get out of the hospital, I can find a random reason to drag Han Tian to do something together, right?

—Then, why did he feel so bad when he knew everything?

At this moment, he heard a rustling sound.

Qiao Xi lifted his head, and a familiar figure appeared in his blurred vision.

“Why didn’t you put on your shoes again?” Han Tian walked over, his voice tired as hell.

“It’s none of your business, I’m not cold!” Qiao Xi said in an unpleasant voice.

Both of them froze as soon as the words came out with an obviously crying tone.

This, this, what’s wrong with my voice? Why is my voice so hoarse, and why are my eyes covered with strange water?

“You’re… crying?!” In Han Tian’s voice, there was a surprise that had never been heard before.

“I am not!” Qiao Xi categorically denied. How could a demon cry? Only a human with a weak soul would shed tears.

Han Tian did not refute him, but walked up to him, and then very slowly, very carefully, half-kneeled in front of him.

The pale golden afterglow, passing through the swaying leaves, spilled onto Han Tian’s face.

For the first time in the past two days, Qiao Xi could see Han Tian’s face clearly.

“…!” Qiao Xi drew a cold breath backwards.

Han Tian’s originally fair cheeks were covered with a layer of greenish gray, his eyes were dark and bloodshot under his eyes.

“Han Tian…? You, what’s wrong with you? Are you sick?” Qiao Xi clamored and pressed Han Tian’s shoulders, his eyes staring at each other without a moment’s hesitation, panicked and nervous.

Han Tian stretched out his hand and slowly approached Qiao Xi’s face—but it didn’t touch his skin, it just stayed less than half a centimeter away from him and slowly slid by.

“I’m fine. But you, why are you crying?” Han Tian asked softly.

“First of all, I’m not crying!” Qiao Xi insisted.

The liquid coming out of his eyes was probably just releasing excess salt, just like the crocodile?

“Secondly, I want to ask you, why did you never say that you are actually not a student, but a professor, and a doctor in a private hospital?” In Qiao Xi’s original imagination, he should have questioned the other party in an aggressive manner.

However, when he saw the blue and black under Han Tian’s eyes, he could not bear to question him, but only deflated his mouth and complained in a small voice.

Han Tian stared at him and the corner of his mouth lifted. “Hmm? Did I ever say I was a student?”

Qiao Xi was stuck.

He tried hard to recall, but it seems that, indeed, Han Tian never said he was a student of Medical College?

“Then, you also said before that Medical College is very expensive, so you have to work in a café?” Qiao Xi, who was choked back, nudged her mouth.

“Hmm? I am sponsoring a few students and am paying their tuition. But—did I say that this is the reason why I’m going to work part-time?” Han Tian surprisingly asked back with a smile.

Qiao Xi, who was choked speechless, grunted, “Hmph, you are a doctor and a professor, why do you still go to work?!”

“Yes, why should I work in a cafe?” Han Tian’s eyes rested on Qiao Xi’s puffy face. “What do you think?”

Qiao Xi’s heart was pounding and her eyes drifted from side to side. “I, I, I don’t know! Anyway, you didn’t tell me the truth! You lied!”

Han Tian was half-kneeling, looking at him motionlessly, with a little smile in his eyes. “So, I lied to you and I was wrong?”