Chapter 16: Journey
The Provincial Hospital’s rescue team consisted of twenty-eight people. According to the itinerary, they would first fly to Lhasa, then take a train to Shigatse. Finally, they would take a two-hour bus ride to reach the designated hospital.
Shi An hid the rescue mission from his family, lying that he was going on a retreat for intensive study and couldn’t bring his phone, in case he couldn’t contact them when they reached an area with no signal.
At 3 AM, the group boarded the plane smoothly.
Shi An’s seat was by the window, next to a doctor he didn’t know, whose round belly was wedged between the seats.
After a brief greeting, Shi An put on his headphones and fell asleep within three seconds.
When he woke up, the plane was preparing to land.
Shi An stretched, and a dark gray trench coat slid off his shoulder.
Before boarding, Shi An was only wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt. The air vent above him couldn’t be adjusted, and he almost froze midway through the flight.
Shi An smelled the familiar scent on the collar, it was Zhong Yan’s usual shampoo. He grabbed the coat and turned his head.
The round-bellied man had been replaced by Zhong Yan, who looked neat and tidy, showing no signs of travel fatigue, and was flipping through a copy of “Emergency Internal Medicine.”
Sensing the movement, Zhong Yan glanced to his right, “Awake?”
“Yes, good morning, Dr. Zhong.”
Zhong Yan closed the book, “Prepare for landing.”
The plane landed safely, and everyone started to collect their luggage.
Zhong Yan didn’t rush, and Shi An, who was on the inside, couldn’t move easily. When there were only a few people left in the cabin, Zhong Yan stood up to get his luggage and pulled out Shi An’s backpack as well.
Both bags were in Zhong Yan’s hands, and he had already walked a few meters.
The aisle was narrow, only allowing one person to pass at a time.
Shi An caught up with Zhong Yan at the cabin door, returning the coat and taking his backpack, “Thank you, Dr. Zhong, I’ll go ahead.”
Shi An ran a few meters ahead and could still hear the voice behind him, “Take out your coat before we get on the train, so you don’t get blown sideways and I have to treat you.”
Shi An: “…”
You’re the one who’s going to get blown sideways.
The medical team took a short break in the waiting hall. At 9:30 AM, they would board the train to Shigatse.
While waiting, Shi An was sleeping soundly when he was woken up by a call from Zhang Shuang, asking him to record Nian Jiang’s live stream.
Shi An initially wanted to refuse, but Zhang Shuang tempted him with a limited edition volume of One Piece. Shi An agreed without hesitation.
When it was time to board, everyone got on the train.
Shi An peeked at Zhong Yan’s ticket, he was miles away. Before he could celebrate, he saw a figure no less intimidating than Zhong Yan standing next to his seat number.
From his appearance, Liang Songcheng seemed even more serious than Zhong Yan. Zhang Shuang also constantly complained about him, which gave Shi An a deep-seated fear of Liang Songcheng.
They would be sitting next to each other for several hours, he couldn’t just ignore him. Since that was the case, he had to make the first move.
Shi An walked over to Liang Songcheng and took his luggage, “Director Liang, let me help you with that.”
After putting the luggage away, just as Liang Songcheng was about to sit down, Shi An showed his ticket, “Director Liang, should I go in first?”
Safely seated, Shi An breathed a sigh of relief. Although Liang Songcheng hadn’t said a word, he wasn’t as rigid and unapproachable as he imagined.
The train left the station and moved steadily along the tracks.
Liang Songcheng answered a call, his voice low and gentle, asking the person on the other end about their well-being.
“Be careful at home.”
“I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
Liang Songcheng wasn’t being secretive, and Shi An heard the whole conversation.
Were the rumors unreliable?
Was this person really an old antique?
That liar Zhang Shuang, he didn’t know how lucky he was. He should come to the emergency department and experience the Big Devil’s wrath to understand Director Liang’s gentleness.
Lost in thought, Shi An’s phone lit up, it was his alarm.
He almost forgot the important task.
He opened his phone and entered the live stream room.
A cheerful voice came through, “Minna-san, ohayo! Sorry for the wait, it’s Dr. Nian Nian today!”
Sensing Liang Songcheng’s gaze, Shi An realized he had forgotten to plug in his earphones. He quickly muted the phone, “Sorry, Director Liang, I’ll…”
Liang Songcheng was captivated, his eyes glued to the screen.
Shi An was in a dilemma, should he turn off his phone, or…
“Turn on the sound.”
Shi An was startled, “Huh? What?”
Liang Songcheng: “The phone volume, turn it on.”
Shi An did as he was told, placing the phone where Liang Songcheng could see it easily.
As the volume increased, a sweet voice filled the air.
Liang Songcheng didn’t even blink, “What is this?”
Shi An: “This is a live stream on D Station.”
“What do you mean?”
“You can think of it as a platform for online performances. Streamers perform their talents and interact with the audience.”
Shi An pointed at the screen, “This person is called Nian Jiang. He mainly does cosplay and otaku dances. He’s very popular, with over a million fans.”
Liang Songcheng stared at the screen, and Shi An’s attention was also drawn to it. The more he watched, the more something felt wrong.
Nian Jiang was cosplaying a doctor today. At first glance, the white coat he was wearing looked ordinary, but the logo on the collar was unique. He remembered Zhong Yan had a similar one.
He had seen it in Zhong Yan’s wardrobe in the rest room. The coat was brand new, still in its plastic packaging.
Music started playing, Nian Jiang struck a pose and began a cheerful dance, his movements coordinated and fluid.
Seeing him so engrossed, Shi An simply placed the phone on Liang Songcheng’s table, “Isn’t Nian Jiang cute?”
Liang Songcheng: “You like him?”
Shi An shook his head, “I’m just recording it for Zhang Shuang.”
Liang Songcheng: “He likes him very much?”
“More than just liking him, he’s practically obsessed.”
From Shi An’s perspective, he wouldn’t recommend Zhang Shuang’s obsession. Having been scammed himself, he had long lost faith in the internet and didn’t want those around him to fall into the same trap.
Even after so many years, Shi An still couldn’t understand how he could trust someone based on just a few photos.
Shi An’s emotions stirred as he mocked himself, and the previously amiable person suddenly changed his expression.
Liang Songcheng’s tone was like ice, “Is this the attitude of a resident?”
Shi An was stunned, “Huh? What?”
“No time for self-improvement, but you have time to watch live streams?”
Shi An felt more wronged than Dou E (a character in a Chinese opera known for being wrongly accused), “Director Liang, I really don’t usually watch, I’m just helping Zhang Shuang today…”
“Don’t explain to me,” Liang Songcheng confiscated the phone, “Save it for your mentor.”
Zhong Yan was reviewing medical charts when the low pressure in front of him interrupted him. He closed the manual and his gaze landed on the phone in Liang Songcheng’s hand.
The flashy yellow case was Shi An’s favorite.
Zhong Yan wasn’t surprised, “That kid messed up again?”
Liang Songcheng, his face grim, handed him the phone.
The screen wasn’t locked, and the live stream was still playing.
Zhong Yan didn’t watch live streams and didn’t understand this kind of thing, but he recognized the white coat the streamer was wearing.
It was a gift from their mentor before he passed away when they were in university. He, Liang Songcheng, and Xu Baizhang each had one, with a unique mark on the collar, each different.
The streamer was wearing Liang Songcheng’s.
They treasured these coats, they wouldn’t wear them in public, let alone lend them to others.
Zhong Yan turned off the phone, looked at the innocent-looking Shi An, then turned back and patted Liang Songcheng’s shoulder, “Let’s switch seats, leave the rest to me.”
Soon, Zhong Yan sat next to Shi An, “You’re really something, causing trouble the moment I take my eyes off you.”
Shi An felt incredibly wronged, “What did I do?”
Zhong Yan: “You broke a cardinal rule.”
Recalling Liang Songcheng’s expression, Shi An was still afraid, “I just helped a friend record a video, what cardinal rule did I break?”
“You walked right into the line of fire, you deserve it.”
Shi An was completely confused, “At least tell me what I did wrong, I deserve to know why I’m dying!”
“Don’t ask so many questions, watch less of this kind of thing.” Zhong Yan returned his phone, “You said your classmate records every stream?”
“He’s a die-hard fan, he hasn’t missed a single one.”
“Get them from your friend and send them to me.”
Shi An felt like he was chewing on dried-up candy wrappers, “For you to watch, or for Director Liang?”
“So many questions.”
“…Oh.”
Throughout the journey, Shi An was restless. He didn’t dare to play games or read manga, finally making it to the station.
The train arrived on time, and they went to a nearby guesthouse to rest for the night before taking a bus to the medical station.
The car stopped at the entrance of the guesthouse. Shi An walked through the crowd and found “Big Head” from Class 10. They weren’t exactly acquainted, Shi An didn’t even know his full name, but here, they were like family.
Shi An, carrying his luggage, initiated a conversation, “Big Head-ge, want to share a room?”
Big Head was worried about being assigned to a room with his mentor. Seeing Shi An, he was overjoyed.
“Sure!” Just as he finished speaking, Big Head glanced at the person behind Shi An and his expression changed instantly, “Sure… is that okay?”
Shi An didn’t notice anything unusual, “Why not? The two of us together, better than with those old mentors…”
Before he could finish, Shi An’s head was pushed, forcing him to turn 180 degrees, facing Zhong Yan.
Shi An: “…”
Zhong Yan let go of his head and beckoned him, “Come with me.”
“Where to?” Shi An was extremely reluctant.
“To get a room.”
“…”
Shi An felt like he had just heard a two-word ghost story, “Dr. Zhong, you’re not going to make me share a room with you, are you?”
Zhong Yan turned his head, “Any objections?”
Shi An didn’t dare to refuse, so he desperately searched for an excuse, “To be honest with you, I’m a terrible sleeper. I snore loudly, talk in my sleep, and sleepwalk every night, singing ‘The Most Dazzling National Style.'”
“Really? Let’s see about that tonight.”
