Chapter 15: Conversation
When Zhong Yan arrived at the emergency department in the afternoon, the common area was still buzzing from the celebration.
Shi An was standing by the window, his face and hair covered in cream, surrounded by nurses, completely oblivious to his arrival.
The only one who noticed him was Chen Man, “Why are you so late? We’re already done celebrating.”
Zhong Yan flipped through a medical chart, his tone indifferent, “How old are you, playing with a bunch of students?”
“No matter how old I am, I still have a birthday. Don’t worry, Xiaoman and the others got permission from Director Zhang, it didn’t affect our work.” Chen Man was still excited, she said with a smile, “Xiao Shi’s cooking is so good, you must have benefited a lot, right?”
Zhong Yan’s face was as hard as a stone, “What does his cooking have to do with me?”
Chen Man was a little surprised, “You haven’t tried it?”
Living under the same roof, eating together should be a matter of course.
“He specifically made it to thank you, why would I eat it?”
“Oh, no wonder someone’s been so sour since they arrived.” Chen Man chuckled, “It seems Director Zhong is very upright and incorruptible, not taking advantage of any loopholes.”
Zhong Yan closed the medical chart, “Go home.”
“Here, try some.” Chen Man handed him the last piece of cake, “This is all that’s left. Xiao Shi’s cooking was so delicious, everyone devoured it, nothing left.”
“Especially the chicken soup, so flavorful and rich.”
Zhong Yan suppressed his lingering irritation, “Are you done yet?”
“One last thing.” Chen Man leaned closer, glancing out the window at the blond youth still surrounded by nurses, “He’s very popular, someone should seize the opportunity.”
Even now, Shi An still couldn’t understand what was going on. He just cooked a few dishes, and it felt like his ears were about to fall off from all the noise.
Usually, in the emergency department, everyone was busy with their own work. Why was everyone so focused on him today?
The nurses asked him questions non-stop and even helped him wipe the cream off his head, as if he couldn’t take care of himself.
Shi An was wondering how to find an excuse to leave when a cold voice sounded from behind.
“Shi An, come here.”
Zhong Yan’s presence instantly lowered the temperature, even though it was early autumn.
The others quickly dispersed, and Shi An followed him dejectedly. He reflected on himself along the way, certain that he hadn’t made any mistakes today.
Zhong Yan sat back in his chair, his face as sour as if the whole world owed him money, “Do you know where this is?”
“The emergency department,” Shi An hung his head.
“Chatting during work hours?”
Shi An secretly glanced at the time, “It’s not work hours yet.”
His shift started at 2 PM, and it was only 1:50 PM now.
“Can’t you be a little more conscious? Do you have to wait until 2 PM sharp? You have time to chat with the nurses, but no time to prepare for work?”
Zhong Yan’s demeanor was like a cruel landlord in an old movie, “Did you check the patients’ rooms, take their ECGs, write their medical records? Don’t you want to apply for a doctorate? How’s your review going?”
Shi An: “…”
Did he swallow a firecracker?
The emergency department was unusually quiet in the afternoon. Shi An huddled in the common office, desperately trying to complete Zhong Yan’s impossible tasks.
Midway through, he yawned and returned from the restroom. The hallway was noisy, crowded with intern nurses and residents watching the commotion.
Among the crowd, Chen Xiaoman was the most conspicuous. She was still there, despite her shift having ended long ago. Where did she get all that energy?
With the cheers of the crowd, a man in a black suit and gold-rimmed glasses came into Shi An’s view.
He was tall and well-built, his hair neatly styled. The sound of his leather shoes against the marble floor echoed as he walked through the hallway towards the exit.
He was oblivious to his surroundings, paying no attention to the screams and discussions.
“Wow, is that Director Xu?”
“Am I seeing things, or did he transform?”
“Where’s his training uniform?”
“Damn, those glasses suit him so well!”
“Director Xu looks so handsome, like a refined scoundrel!”
“Has the ascetic monk descended from the mountain and returned to secular life?”
Shi An leaned closer and asked Chen Xiaoman, “Is this Director Xu the one who does Tai Chi and knows Kung Fu?”
Chen Xiaoman’s eyes sparkled, “Yes, that’s him.”
Shi An had heard Chen Xiaoman mention that the director of the Traditional Chinese Medicine department wore a training uniform and walked to and from work, looking very otherworldly. He also apparently knew Kung Fu. Shi An wanted to learn a few moves from him, but he was afraid he would be as scary as Zhong Yan, so he hadn’t dared to approach him.
The suited figure gradually walked away, Shi An sighed, “The martial arts master looks so handsome, is he going to a wedding?”
“Don’t be silly, Dr. Xu is still single.” Chen Xiaoman covered her face with her purse, “But he’s so handsome today, I can’t decide who’s more handsome, him or Dr. Zhong.”
“And if you add Dr. Liang…”
“Sigh, it’s so hard, so incredibly hard.”
Shi An couldn’t relate to Chen Xiaoman’s troubles and joys, but Zhong Yan’s scolding voice was definitely less pleasant than gossip.
“Don’t you have anything to do?”
“Are you that idle?”
The Big Devil appeared, and all life withered.
Everyone scattered, and the emergency hall returned to peace. Zhong Yan’s gaze, however, lingered on the spot where Xu Baizhang had disappeared.
Ten minutes ago, Liang Songcheng had just come to ask him: How to deal with a fiancé who might be experiencing puppy love.
When the question was posed, Zhong Yan’s brain almost short-circuited.
They had known each other for over a decade, and Liang Songcheng, just as the rumors said, was an old antique. Apart from work, his only hobbies were collecting jade, calligraphy, and paintings, and drinking tea. He had never heard of him having any romantic relationships.
He hadn’t even processed Liang Songcheng’s story yet, and now Xu Baizhang showed up in a suit, swaggering through the outpatient building.
Wearing a suit and tie was one thing, but with his eyesight that could qualify him as a pilot, why was he wearing glasses?
A gathering of the three was imminent.
Evening, a quiet bar in the city center.
Three men sat in a booth.
Zhong Yan held a beer bottle, clinking it against a teacup and a thermos, “Have you two ever calculated how long it’s been since we last got together?”
Liang Songcheng took a sip of tea, “Too busy.”
“Stop making excuses.” Zhong Yan glanced at them, “Come on, who’s confessing first?”
Xu Baizhang’s expression didn’t change, “Confessing what?”
“Stop playing dumb, when you paraded around in a suit the other day, you should have known this day would come.” Zhong Yan got straight to the point, “I heard the intern nurses went crazy, lining up overnight to snag your appointments. Director Yang was furious and chewed out the head nurse.”
Speaking of this, Xu Baizhang had a headache, “I didn’t expect it to be like this.”
Zhong Yan: “You’ve got a hidden beauty too?”
Xu Baizhang: “What do you mean ‘too’?”
Zhong Yan pointed at Liang Songcheng, “This old antique, not only has a hidden beauty, but he’s also experiencing a late bloom of romance.”
“Not living in the apartment near the hospital, specifically moving to a villa so far away.” Zhong Yan glanced at him, “Saying it’s because his little fiancé isn’t used to living in the city.”
Xu Baizhang’s eyes conveyed disbelief, mirroring Zhong Yan’s reaction earlier.
Just as Xu Baizhang was about to speak, Zhong Yan cut him off, “Don’t try to change the subject, you confess first, then Lao Liang, no one escapes.”
Xu Baizhang held his thermos, “I want to get married, I went on a blind date.”
Based on Zhong Yan’s understanding of him, the probability of him wanting to get married was about as high as Mars colliding with Earth.
But marriage was ultimately a joyous occasion, so Zhong Yan asked, “How did it go?”
Xu Baizhang: “Getting the certificate tomorrow.”
Zhong Yan almost swallowed his beer, choking slightly, “Wow, doing big things quietly.”
Liang Songcheng raised his teacup, “Baizhang, congratulations.”
Xu Baizhang raised his thermos, “What about you?”
“It’s a child from a family with close ties to my parents. The elderly passed away, and I took in his grandson, fulfilling his last wish.”
Liang Songcheng pinched the bridge of his nose, “As for the engagement, it was an agreement made long ago. He’s still young and doesn’t have those kinds of thoughts yet.”
Zhong Yan: “He’s a legal adult, eighteen years old, only you think he’s young.”
Liang Songcheng changed the subject, “Stop focusing on us, why don’t you talk about yourself?”
Zhong Yan swirled his beer, “What’s there to say about me? I don’t have a little fiancé, and no one’s getting a marriage certificate with me tomorrow.”
“Really?” Xu Baizhang asked bluntly, “What’s going on with the new resident in your department? The one with yellow hair?”
“Director Zhong, who hasn’t taken a student in almost a year, actually took one.”
Liang Songcheng added fuel to the fire, “I heard you often tutor him privately, paying special attention. Is Director Zhong really that responsible?”
Zhong Yan: “When did you two become so gossipy? Where did you hear this?”
“Do you have a thing for blond hair?”
“You even changed your car to yellow recently.”
“Are you two ganging up on me?” Zhong Yan raised his glass, “Come on, let’s drink, it’s rare for us to get together.”
Liang Songcheng: “Don’t change the subject.”
Xu Baizhang: “Don’t be so secretive.”
Zhong Yan was truly speechless. They had known each other for over a decade and he had never seen them this gossipy, “Stop guessing, there’s nothing going on.”
Zhong Yan took a swig of his beer, “That kid is completely clueless, just a little idiot.”
Xu Baizhang: “He’s clueless, what about you, no thoughts?”
“What thoughts could I possibly have?” Zhong Yan sighed, “He’s my student, still studying at the Medical University. He’s afraid of me and has to listen to me. Should I really abuse my power, engage in favoritism, and create a scandal?”
An intern with no connections was insignificant in Zhong Yan’s eyes, someone he could easily toy with, but he didn’t want to.
At the same time, their phones rang one after another.
Zhong Yan was the fastest to take out his phone, “Speak of the devil.”
The hospital sent a message, an avalanche occurred in Shigatse, Tibet, and the Provincial Hospital was urgently needed to provide support, departing in three hours. The three of them were selected.
High-altitude mountainous areas were unpredictable and dangerous.
The three of them shared a car, each going home to pack.
The first stop was Zhong Yan’s place.
He opened the door, Shi An wasn’t there. He called several times before Shi An answered. He briefly explained the situation, this support mission would take at least a week, possibly longer.
Zhong Yan had been Shi An’s mentor for two months, working together during the day, living under the same roof at night. They had never been apart for so long.
Before he could finish explaining, he heard Shi An say, “Dr. Zhong, I’m going too.”
Zhong Yan was taken aback, “What are you going there for?”
Volunteers were randomly selected from the system database. Only when there was a shortage of personnel would students with less than a year of internship experience be selected, and they had the right to refuse.
“You’re going, so of course I’m going.”
Actually, Shi An wasn’t selected, but as a resident, he could volunteer to accompany his mentor. Shi An agreed without even thinking.
The more nonchalant he was, the angrier Zhong Yan became, “Do you even know what you’re going there for? Why do you have to rush into everything?”
“Of course I know, I’m going for the rescue mission.”
Zhong Yan was still fuming, “Do you know how harsh and dangerous the environment is there?”
Shi An’s tone was firm, “I know, I can endure hardship.”
This kid was as stubborn as a mule. At this point, there was no persuading him otherwise.
Zhong Yan looked at his watch, “Where are you? I’ll pick you up to get your luggage.”
“No need, I’m already on the bus.”
The hospital had arranged a bus.
“Dr. Zhong, see you later.”
After hanging up, Zhong Yan’s anger didn’t subside. He had some alcohol and sat in the passenger seat, his arm propped up.
Xu Baizhang was driving and saw that something was wrong, “What’s wrong?”
“That kid insists on going, he has no idea how dangerous that place is, just rushing in with his youthful enthusiasm.”
Xu Baizhang: “Just like you when you were young.”
“I’m not like him, he’s brainless, a complete idiot.”
Zhong Yan would rather he be late for work and oversleep than have him wade into this mess.
Xu Baizhang shook his head with a smile, “Tough on the outside, soft on the inside.”
Zhong Yan looked at his watch and glanced at the villa behind them through the car window, “What’s taking Lao Liang so long, just packing a few clothes.”
“Maybe he’s saying goodbye,” Xu Baizhang said.
“I can’t stand you lovebirds.”
“You work hard,” Xu Baizhang said, “Try to find someone soon, so we can’t stand you either.”
Zhong Yan: “…”
After leaving Liang Songcheng’s house, they rushed to Xu Baizhang’s. After picking up their luggage, on the way to the airport, Xu Baizhang stopped the car again, saying he needed to say goodbye to someone.
After all this back and forth, time was tight.
The car sped towards the airport. Zhong Yan calculated the remaining time, “Lao Xu, you’re really something. If I didn’t call you, you’d probably be hugging forever.”
A few minutes ago, Zhong Yan had seen him hugging someone in the car. It was dark, and he couldn’t see the other person’s face clearly.
The person was tall and well-built, with an air of distinction. It made sense, someone who could make an ascetic monk break his vows couldn’t be ordinary.
After finishing his ribbing, Zhong Yan turned to the back seat, “Lao Liang, you’re even slower, don’t tell me you were also inseparable?”
Liang Songcheng: “Yes.”
Zhong Yan: “…”
He wasn’t even bothering to lie?
“You two are so sickeningly sweet, have you considered my feelings?”
Xu Baizhang: “Your student is going with us, you’ll see him soon.”
Liang Songcheng: “If you hurry up and confess, you can be inseparable too.”
