Chapter 38
Gu Tang familiarized himself with the new hospital’s system. The system slowly displayed the visitor’s name: Jiang Huaisheng.
Gu Tang, in his white coat, said, “Please close the door.”
To ensure patient confidentiality, the door couldn’t be left ajar during consultations.
Jiang Huaisheng not only closed the door but also locked it.
The young master surveyed the room. Although the public hospital occupied a large area, it had to accommodate so many patients. Gu Tang having a separate office offered relatively good privacy, but the space was indeed small.
The small room contained a consultation desk, a file cabinet, a soft two-seater sofa, some decorations according to Gu Tang’s preferences, and shelves displaying rows of beautiful succulents.
The room wasn’t the usual sterile white of a clinic, but a pleasant light blue, with other dopamine-colored accents, making the space feel vibrant.
Moreover, there was a subtle fragrance in the room, not the strong smell of disinfectant.
“Dr. Gu, are you really a proper psychiatrist?”
Gu Tang looked up at him: “Has it been a while since you’ve been to a pediatric clinic?”
Research showed that hospitals made many people feel nervous and guarded, exacerbating psychological issues during assessments. A warm and welcoming environment, on the other hand, could help people relax and open up more easily.
The pediatric clinic in this hospital had been painted in lovely pinks and light blues, even providing cute pillows and cartoon stickers for children undergoing surgery, making treatment more comfortable and encouraging cooperation.
Because of these thoughtful and humane precedents, it was easy for Gu Tang’s request for a similar setup to be approved. Many of the pillows and other items in his room were even borrowed from the pediatric clinic.
Gu Tang said, “What can I help you with today? If you’re not here to see a doctor, please take the door on your right.”
After all, this was his working time, he didn’t entertain non-patient disturbances.
“Dr. Gu.” Jiang Huaisheng sat down, “I’ve booked all your appointments for this morning. I paid the registration fee, there won’t be anyone else.”
Gu Tang still spoke in a professional tone: “There’s a fee for consultations.”
Even his boyfriend couldn’t freeload his professional services.
Psychology was different from other departments. Although Gu Tang was assigned to the psychiatry department, he mainly worked as a psychological counselor.
Of course, he also assessed mental states and prescribed medication when necessary.
Jiang Huaisheng said: “Then I want to book a consultation for this morning and this afternoon.”
“My fee is 500 yuan per hour. Qualified adolescents under 18 can use medical insurance, but your age doesn’t qualify, Mr. Jiang. Are you sure? If you are, I’ll issue you a receipt. The cashier is to your left.”
Because of Gu Tang’s experience abroad, the hospital had assigned him as a specialist, with a registration fee of 50 yuan and a consultation fee of 500 yuan per hour.
After all, City A was a first-tier metropolis with a high cost of living.
Gu Tang’s fee wasn’t the highest, nor the lowest. Interns charged much less, while some doctors with various titles charged 800 to 1,000 yuan per hour.
Even higher fees existed, but those were usually in private clinics, not hospitals. It was an unspoken rule that private clinics charged more than public hospitals.
Jiang Huaisheng directly scanned the QR code to pay. As he went to get the receipt, he suddenly said: “So, 8 hours of work is 4,000 yuan a day, Dr. Gu. That’s even cheaper than the tour guide fee you charged nine years ago.”
It wasn’t the first time Gu Tang charged a fee. The last time that left a deep impression was right after they graduated from high school, before starting university.
Back then, Gu Tang, without even a tour guide license, dared to charge 5,000 yuan a day.
After four years of undergraduate studies and five years of combined master’s and doctoral programs, Gu Tang, now with a doctorate in psychology, actually charged less. Moreover, he couldn’t even keep the entire amount, having to share a portion with the hospital.
Gu Tang corrected: “The market rate for tour guides is 1,200 yuan a day. I proactively charged a higher price.”
Public hospitals were different from private hospitals. Gu Tang’s fee of 500 yuan per hour was for everyone. Jiang Huaisheng, with his financial power, had bought his time at a premium.
“Dr. Gu, have you considered opening a private clinic? I can invest.”
Gu Tang said: “This is my working time. If you’re here to discuss investments, I can refund your consultation fee.”
Jiang Huaisheng walked up to him and whispered something, which was unsurprisingly rejected by Gu Tang.
“Mr. Jiang, this is a hospital, please show some respect to the doctor.”
This was the difference between a doctor’s service and a tour guide’s. Private tour guides, although charging high fees, were expected to provide premium service, going wherever the client wanted, resting whenever the client wanted, and even providing errands like buying tickets.
If the client wanted to boss them around, they had to tolerate it for the money, after all, it was a 5,000-yuan-a-day job.
Jiang Huaisheng sat down dejectedly: “Fine, I respect your professional ethics as a psychiatrist.”
He still didn’t waste his time, sitting down and seriously filling out a psychological assessment form.
In fact, according to psychological health standards, Jiang Huaisheng’s psychological problems were quite severe.
He didn’t have any mental illnesses requiring medication, but his thinking and social cognition didn’t meet the healthy standards of psychology.
If he answered the test truthfully, Jiang Huaisheng, with his excessive possessiveness, was clearly a control freak with mild OCD and a tendency towards paranoia.
However, Jiang Huaisheng clearly wasn’t the type of patient who would cooperate with treatment. Like many parents, they were quite ill, paranoid and controlling, but they had no desire to change.
Faced with such a patient with no intention of changing, as long as they didn’t harm society or disrupt public order, Gu Tang could only prescribe some vitamins and a bottle of melatonin gummies for sleep.
Dr. Gu, maintaining his professional ethics, said: “Mr. Jiang, I hope you can leave this valuable time for patients in need.”
Jiang Huaisheng canceled the rest of his appointments, but he bought a pair of very ugly black-framed glasses.
Gu Tang wore a mask during work, only revealing the upper half of his face, but in Jiang Huaisheng’s eyes, the mask didn’t affect Gu Tang’s appearance at all. Coupled with those eyes, he really looked at everyone with affection.
To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings with other patients, he felt it necessary to take further precautions.
“A mask isn’t enough, you need to wear glasses too,” he said, “This time, not as a patient, but as your boyfriend, so you can’t refuse.”
Gu Tang didn’t refuse, letting Jiang Huaisheng put the glasses on him.
After working hours, Jiang Huaisheng waited in the hospital parking lot. Since he couldn’t monopolize Gu Tang’s working hours, he would monopolize every minute of his free time.
And he hadn’t been idle this afternoon, going out to buy many “props.”
That night, what he couldn’t accomplish during the day, Jiang Huaisheng achieved at night.
Dr. Gu provided him with nearly two hours of “special treatment.”
He said smugly in Gu Tang’s ear: “Dr. Gu, does the hospital know about your moral corruption, having relations with your patient? If you don’t satisfy my demands, I’ll…”
The unruly patient, after the doctor’s dedicated treatment, apparently repented and turned over a new leaf.
This harmonious time was clearly very short-lived. Although his secretary was tight-lipped, the company wasn’t just comprised of the secretary. Old Master Jiang, despite his age, hadn’t relaxed his control over the group.
Jiang Huaisheng’s unusual behavior was naturally reported to the old man.
This time, Gu Tang didn’t hide, appearing openly.
Seeing the photos taken by the private investigator, the old man’s breathing became rapid, almost fainting from anger.
He took two heart medications, no longer intending to tolerate this.
Gu Tang reported for duty on Wednesday and worked for three days before finally getting a day off.
Jiang Huaisheng was also on vacation. He decisively abandoned his previous business trip plan and revisited the sights of City A with Gu Tang.
Four years of university in City B, and five years after graduation, they hadn’t properly explored this city in nine years.
Jiang Huaisheng was clearly still brooding over what happened nine years ago: “Nine years ago, you said you would double your fee after getting your license.”
Gu Tang replied: “Mm.”
Jiang Huaisheng hummed and said: “But now that you have your tour guide license, I won’t pay a cent, and you’ll have to pay for meals.”
Gu Tang still agreed: “Mm.”
Jiang Huaisheng pointed at some expensive ice cream: “I want that ice cream, two scoops.”
He couldn’t eat many things as a child due to his poor health, including ice cream.
Just as Gu Tang said, the things you couldn’t have as a child, you would indulge in as an adult.
Gu Tang bought him a double scoop of ice cream, pink and blue.
Jiang Huaisheng took a bite. The ice cream melted in his mouth, sweet and cold, but he found that he didn’t particularly like ice cream.
He took a big bite and then offered it to Gu Tang, enjoying the feeling of Gu Tang cleaning up after him.
On the street, people occasionally glanced at this attractive couple, but most just passed by.
If they weren’t holding hands, someone might have approached them, but they were clearly a couple, and shameless people were still a minority.
However, a fierce gaze was cast at them at this moment. Gu Tang, eating ice cream, looked up and saw a familiar face across the street.
Old Master Jiang sat in his electric wheelchair, a polished ebony cane by his side. If it weren’t for the street separating them, he would have jumped up and hit them with his cane.
In broad daylight, two men sharing an ice cream, what a disgrace!
