Don’t Go Home with Dr. Zhong After Work 10

Chapter 10: Landlord

Finding an apartment became a top priority, but putting it into action was easier said than done.

The demand for rentals around the Provincial Hospital was high, not only from interns but also from patients’ families. Finding a place was practically impossible.

This year’s intern class was a third larger than the previous year’s. The apartments passed down from senior residents were so cramped that four people could barely fit horizontally on a double bed. Shi An couldn’t bring himself to join the crowd.

Then, this morning on his way to work, he encountered a massive traffic jam. The bus barely moved 200 meters in half an hour. Shi An was forced to get off and walk all the way to the Provincial Hospital, as there weren’t even any shared bikes available.

It hadn’t even been a week since he started working, and he was already being scolded again. Shi An walked out of the office dejectedly when he heard someone call his name, followed by a bear hug.

He turned his head and saw Zhang Shuang.

In school, Shi An was in Clinical Class 1, and Zhang Shuang was in Class 8. They only had general classes together and knew each other, but weren’t close. After arriving at the Provincial Hospital, the legend of the “Provincial Hospital’s Three Giants” connected them.

The so-called Three Giants of the Provincial Hospital were: Zhong Yan, the Big Devil of the Emergency Department; Liang Songcheng, the Old Antique of Neurosurgery; and Xu Baizhang, the Ascetic Monk of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It was said that the three of them were university classmates and came to work at the Provincial Hospital after graduation. They became chief physicians at a young age, shining in their respective fields.

Because they were excellent and self-disciplined, they also had extremely high standards for their students. In the intern chat group, everyone often joked, calling the interns of the Three Giants “unlucky ones.”

Especially Shi An, who stood out despite Zhong Yan not having taken a student in a long time, immediately became the center of attention. Everyone gave him an “affable” nickname – the Unlucky One of the New Century.

Shi An was Unlucky One Number One, Zhang Shuang, who followed Liang Songcheng, was Unlucky One Number Two. Liang Songcheng was rotating in the emergency department this week, so Zhang Shuang came along.

Zhang Shuang had heard Shi An being scolded outside the door. The bear hug almost suffocated him, “Shi-ge, you’ve had it rough too, we’re both suffering!”

Whenever Zhang Shuang felt like he couldn’t go on, he would think of Shi An and feel like he could still survive.

Shi An was also thinking, he really was suffering, could he still survive?

Zhang Shuang patted him, “Have you met Li Si?”

Li Si was Unlucky One Number Three, following Xu Baizhang in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department.

Shi An mumbled, “I’m so busy every day, I don’t have time.”

The emergency department and the Traditional Chinese Medicine department were far apart, they had no interaction.

“Same here, staying up all night writing medical histories is killing me.” Zhang Shuang sighed, “Let’s have a meal together sometime, the three of us.”

Men’s friendships were like tornadoes, coming and going quickly. Within half a morning, the two were already calling each other “brother.”

During lunch, Zhang Shuang munched on a steamed bun, opened his phone, and watched with relish.

Shi An glanced at it, it was a live stream.

The streamer on the phone was using a deer filter to cover their head, dancing a cute dance. They seemed quite young.

Shi An didn’t know much about live streaming, but he was familiar with the costume, “Is he cosplaying Luffy?”

Zhang Shuang’s eyes lit up, “Shi-ge, you’re also a fan of Nian Jiang?”

“No, I don’t watch live streams, I just read manga.”

Shi An was a loyal fan of One Piece. He started reading in elementary school, and it still wasn’t finished, it had become an obsession.

Zhang Shuang grabbed his hand, “Shi-ge, what a coincidence, you’re also an otaku!”

Shi An didn’t think so, he only read manga and occasionally played games.

Zhang Shuang asked him, “Do you go to conventions? We should go together sometime.”

“Sure!” Shi An had never been to a comic convention, but he heard that they sold limited edition merchandise, and he was quite interested.

“I want to solemnly introduce you to my idol.” Zhang Shuang handed him his phone, “Nian Jiang! He’s the cutest boy in the world, bar none!”

Shi An watched the dancing figure carefully. He was thin and his movements were fluid. He must have had professional training, he danced very well. He was cute, but not Shi An’s type.

Zhang Shuang enjoyed his steamed bun while watching the live stream. Shi An felt a sense of camaraderie. He took out his phone and secretly opened his encrypted photo album under the table. The muscles in these photos were his type.

Over the past seven years, Shi An had countless times wanted to delete the photos, but he always failed.

He also tried to find other muscle pictures, but none of them felt right.

If only he could see them in person, and touch them, that would be amazing, satisfying.

Shi An was engrossed when a text message suddenly popped up, pouring cold water on his good mood.

Zhong Yan: “Due to department rotations, morning shifts will start an hour earlier this month, and middle shifts will end two hours later. Reply when received.”

“Received. /smile”

Damn, might as well just live in the emergency department at this rate.

Shi An put away his phone, “By the way, Shuang-ge, are you still living on campus?”

“No way.” Zhang Shuang looked around and lowered his voice, “The school is so far away, and that old antique demands 24/7 availability. If I lived on campus, I’d be waiting to die.”

“Then where do you live?” Shi An remembered that he hadn’t rented an apartment either.

“My sister works nearby, I live with her.”

Shi An was envious, “Not bad.”

Zhang Shuang: “What about you, did you get in on the group rental?”

Shi An shook his head, “My family is in Yang City, I go home every day.”

“That’s great, so convenient.”

Shi An said dryly, “It takes me three hours to commute.”

“Damn, Shi-ge, you’re a warrior.”

“I’m about to become a martyr.” Shi An showed him the text message, “The Big Devil just announced another three hours of overtime. I’m planning to save up to buy myself a burial plot.”

Zhang Shuang scratched his head, “Do you mind sharing a bed with me? My sister’s place is just across the street. It’s an old apartment, not the best environment, but if you come, we can split the utilities.”

Shi An didn’t mind, but he still declined. Mainly because the sister was there, it wouldn’t be appropriate for him, an unrelated adult male, to live there.

Zhang Shuang said again, “Someone in our class was looking for a roommate, I’ll ask him later if the place is still available.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Zhang Shuang was very efficient and gave Shi An the contact information that afternoon.

The apartment was good, the location was good, only the price was not good.

A high-rise apartment in a new complex, a two-bedroom, Shi An’s share of the rent was 1800 yuan per month, not including utilities. At that price, he would rather wake up two hours earlier.

The apartment search was temporarily put on hold. Three days later, Shi An was late again. When he arrived, the pre-shift meeting had already been over for five minutes.

A breathless Shi An ran into a furious Zhong Yan. Many times, Shi An felt that Zhong Yan should go to Hollywood and play a villain, no acting required.

Criticism, punishment, self-criticism, the three-piece combo. Shi An’s ears were used to being scolded, but his body couldn’t take it anymore. If he didn’t find an apartment soon, he wouldn’t live to see tomorrow.

Before his evening shift the next day, Shi An took a whole box of Little Snowman popsicles to Uncle Niu’s. He arrived just as the old man was having dinner.

Uncle Niu slurped his noodles and looked at the large box in his arms, “I don’t accept bribes, are you trying to buy me off again?”

Shi An opened the “safe” and stuffed the popsicles in one by one, “Don’t be so formal, these are a token of my respect.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Shi An changed the subject, “Uncle Niu, how long have you been working here?”

“Almost twenty years.”

Shi An arranged the popsicles, took a frozen one from the bottom, tore open the wrapper, and took a bite, “That’s a long time. Isn’t it lonely living here alone?”

“Lonely? I have over a hundred friends next door, men, women, old, young, all kinds.”

Shi An: “…”

“I mean, don’t you want a living person to talk to?”

“I can talk to myself, too many people are annoying.”

Shi An: “…”

This old man, so boring.

Uncle Niu chuckled and slurped his noodles, “You have fifteen minutes left. If you don’t say it now, you’ll have to wait until after work tomorrow morning.”

Shi An got straight to the point, “Uncle Niu, can I stay here temporarily?”

Then, Shi An pointed to the empty top bunk, “I don’t snore, I don’t sleepwalk, I go to bed early and wake up early, I’m very well-behaved. I swear I won’t cause you any trouble.”

“Not afraid of the yin energy here anymore?”

“What nonsense, this place is great, quiet, cool, away from the hustle and bustle of the world. There’s no place better than your paradise here, it’s like a dream.”

Even if the yin energy here was heavy, it was better than being scolded by the Big Devil. Even if the friends next door were cold and unfeeling, they were still better than the Big Devil’s stern face.

Uncle Niu continued, “Not afraid of me playing Teresa Teng anymore?”

“I love listening to Teresa Teng, we can play it together in the future, create some stereo surround sound.”

Uncle Niu finished his soup and wiped his mouth, “Let me wash the dishes, I’ll think about it.”

“Leave it, I’ll wash it.” Shi An took the bowl and ran to the sink, “With me here, I’ll take care of all the dishwashing!”

At a Chinese restaurant near the Provincial Hospital.

Chen Man said, “Zhong Yan, you’re really ruthless, you even forced Xiao Shi to move in with Uncle Niu.”

Zhong Yan closed the menu, “Who forced him?”

“Who doesn’t know that you scolded him yesterday, all those warnings about being late, scared him to the point of having nowhere to go.” Chen Man said, “Xiaoman told me he’s moving tomorrow.”

“Being on time is a matter of principle, if he can’t do it, he’ll have to solve it himself…” Zhong Yan suddenly stopped, frowning, “Where did you say he’s moving to?”

Chen Man smiled meaningfully, “The second basement floor, Uncle Niu’s place.”

Zhong Yan: “…”

Shi An didn’t tell his family where he moved. He didn’t mind, but his grandmother was somewhat superstitious, and he was afraid she would be uncomfortable.

Shi An moved in before his night shift. He didn’t have much stuff, his summer clothes weren’t heavy, and Uncle Niu even cleared out a cabinet for him.

He wasn’t worried about the heat here, but it was rather damp. Following Uncle Niu’s advice, Shi An sealed all his clothes in plastic bags except for two changes of clothes.

Halfway through unpacking, he received a message from Chen Xiaoman, a rental listing.

“No need, I’ve already moved in with Uncle Niu.”

Shi An also sent a photo: “[Picture] Pretty good.”

Chen Xiaoman called, “Take a look first, it’s a direct subway line, less than half an hour commute. High-end apartment complex, complete amenities, good security, a hundred times better than the morgue.”

The way she put it, Shi An was even less interested in looking, “I can’t afford it.”

“It’s not expensive, only 1000 yuan. Dr. Chen recommended it, she heard you were going to live in the morgue and was worried, so she asked me to send it to you.” Chen Xiaoman said, “Apparently, it’s her friend’s apartment, they need to rent it out quickly, that’s why it’s cheap.”

“Dr. Chen also said that if you want to rent it, you should hurry up. The listing is currently with an agent, if you don’t rent it, it’ll be gone soon.”

Shi An opened the link. It was a rental listing on an agency’s website, and it was as good as Chen Xiaoman described.

He went back and asked Chen Xiaoman, “Did Dr. Chen mention any requirements from the landlord?”

“Just that they’re looking for a male tenant. The landlord also lives there, and he’s a man himself, so he’s worried it might be inconvenient for a girl.”

Chen Xiaoman: “Oh right, Dr. Chen also said that they hope the tenant is clean. The apartment is newly renovated, and it’s for their future marriage, so they don’t want any damage.”

These requirements were equivalent to no requirements for Shi An. He dialed the number on the website and was greeted by a real estate agent.

After a brief exchange of information, the agent asked him to wait.

A few minutes later, the agent called back, “The landlord said you can view the apartment after 8 AM tomorrow.”

Shi An’s night shift ended at 8 AM, “Okay.”

“They also said that the payment is three months’ rent upfront and one month’s deposit. If there are no problems, they hope to sign the contract on the same day.”

“Okay, I’m in a hurry too.”

After hanging up, Shi An looked at his newly made bed, then at Uncle Niu.

The old man took out a Little Snowman popsicle, “Let me tell you first, I’m not refunding you for the box you bribed me with.”

Shi An laughed, “Don’t worry, they’re all yours.”

It was a place recommended by Dr. Chen, Shi An was completely reassured. At 1000 yuan, with a direct subway line, it really wasn’t expensive. He could pay a few more months’ rent upfront, maybe even negotiate a lower price.

After his shift the next day, Shi An specifically withdrew cash.

He stood across the street to confirm the address and check the subway route. Within two minutes, a yellow McLaren stopped in front of him.

Shi An: “…”

Don’t tell me he’s making me go back to work overtime.

The window slowly rolled down, Zhong Yan was wearing sunglasses, his elbow resting on the window frame. He tilted his head, “Get in.”

“No need, Dr. Zhong, I’m not going home.”

“I know.”

“It’s quite close, direct subway line.”

Zhong Yan slowly turned his head and said casually, “I’m your landlord.”