Chapter 25: Jealousy p1
When Shi An opened his eyes again, it was already noon the next day. He had drunk too much last night, his head hurt, and his lips were swollen.
He turned over, his heart skipping a beat, and sat up abruptly.
Damn it, he was in trouble!
Shi An rushed out of the bedroom and saw not only the messy dining table but also shattered pieces of a bowl scattered on the floor.
He was done for, wouldn’t he be charged extra for the cleaning?
“Awake?”
Zhong Yan’s voice came from behind, almost scaring Shi An’s soul out of his body.
“Good morning, Dr. Zhong,” Shi An stammered, “I’ll clean up the table now, and I’ll buy an identical bowl right away.”
Zhong Yan noticed his lips, redder than usual, the lower lip chapped and slightly swollen, “Forgot everything again?”
The back of Shi An’s head tingled. He chuckled nervously, “I just want to know how the bowl broke.”
Zhong Yan leaned against the table, holding a glass, “Need me to tell you?”
Shi An stood up, waiting for him to speak.
“Last night, you prepared a cake, but I took a shower too long, and I came out even later to get water.”
“You complained, criticized, and blamed me, but you still lit the candles, sang me a birthday song, and let me make a wish.”
“You smeared cream on my face while my eyes were closed, once wasn’t enough, you had to do it again. Later, you went to wash the dishes, I stopped you, and while you were still tipsy, I kissed you.”
Zhong Yan continued, his voice like the wind in a valley.
“You dropped the bowl because of that, but it didn’t interrupt the kiss. I don’t know if you were unsteady on your feet because you were drunk, tired, or because my kiss made your legs weak. Either way, if I didn’t hold you, you would have fallen from my arms like the bowl.”
“To continue the kiss, I pressed you against the wall, against the door, against the chair, until I carried you to the table and found a comfortable position for both of us.”
“You wrapped your arms around my neck and kept kissing me, until you were too sleepy to continue and fell asleep in my arms, your body still wanting to kiss me.”
“So,” Zhong Yan said smoothly, without a stutter, his tone as calm as still water, “What are your thoughts?”
Shi An touched Zhong Yan’s forehead, then his own, “You’re not running a fever, why are you talking nonsense?”
Zhong Yan: “…”
Shi An didn’t want to look at Zhong Yan’s expression. He squatted down and continued picking up the broken pieces, “I just didn’t clean up the table, trying to scare me with a horror story is so lame.”
Zhong Yan turned away from him, looking out the window, “Whatever you say.”
“Give me fifteen minutes, I’ll clean it up.”
“Shi An, drink less in the future.” Zhong Yan picked up a bit of cream from the table, “I don’t like it when you forget things.”
His body remembered, but his mind had never recalled.
“I know,” Shi An took the bowl to the kitchen, “I won’t drink anymore.”
He also didn’t like being teased with illogical, absurd lies. From the moment Zhong Yan started speaking, Shi An knew it was fake.
He wouldn’t dare criticize, blame, and complain to Zhong Yan’s face, let alone smear cream on him, even if he had a hundred lives. Was he crazy?
Even if he was crazy, he wouldn’t dare.
Shi An had the afternoon shift today. The alcohol hadn’t fully metabolized yet, and it was an extremely busy day, like trying to meet year-end KPIs.
Before he could meet his “quota,” Shi An caused a major incident. The disciplinary action was undecided, the consequences unknown.
It was 5 PM in the emergency department, the hall was crowded, and Shi An was reflecting on his mistakes alone in the office. He didn’t know where Zhong Yan was.
In the dean’s office, Zhong Yan stood in front of the desk.
Dean Yang, usually amiable, was unusually stern, “This child’s performance has been quite good, how did such a big incident happen?”
An hour ago, Shi An had an argument with a male patient, who then fell to the ground, crying and accusing the doctor of assault.
The hospital immediately called the police. After examination, neither party had any external injuries. The police advised them to settle privately, but the patient refused, causing a commotion in the already chaotic hall.
The incident started because the patient was stung on the wrist by a bee and came to the emergency room in a panic. The situation wasn’t serious, but due to the shortage of staff at the time, the medical staff couldn’t attend to him immediately. The patient then barged into the resuscitation room, demanding an explanation.
At that time, they were performing defibrillation on a myocardial infarction patient in the resuscitation room. If someone accidentally came into contact with the patient, the high-voltage current could be fatal.
Shi An intended to stop him, but his attitude was poor, and he didn’t control his strength well, accidentally pushing the patient to the ground.
Zhong Yan had reviewed the surveillance footage. Shi An hadn’t used violence, and he showed no intention of doing so.
Although the situation had been resolved, the incident had caused some negative impact on the hospital.
“As medical professionals, prudence in words and actions is fundamental, and maintaining a harmonious doctor-patient relationship is even more crucial,” Dean Yang sighed, “How could such a small matter escalate into such a big incident?”
“The main responsibility lies with me. As his mentor, I failed to supervise and educate him properly. I’ll take full responsibility and will strictly discipline him in the future.”
“This child needs to change his temper, otherwise, he’ll suffer the consequences.”
Zhong Yan: “I know, I’ll educate him properly.”
“Speaking of which, his temper is quite similar to yours when you first arrived.” Dean Yang said, “I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Shi An had been facing the wall for half an hour. Zhong Yan didn’t come, but his two companions did. Shi An squatted by the wall, Zhao Kang on his left, Chen Xiaoman on his right.
Chen Xiaoman was so angry she pulled out several strands of hair, “With a sting that small, applying some soapy water would have been enough, how dare he cause trouble in the emergency room.”
Zhao Kang kicked the air angrily, “That idiot, filing a complaint, I hope he steps in dog shit.”
“I wonder what the hospital will do.”
“Whatever it is, we’re on your side.”
“Are you all that idle? Nothing to do?”
The gloomy voice startled the previously indignant trio.
The three quickly stood up. Shi An remained silent, the other two lowered their heads and greeted, “Dr. Zhong.”
“Shi An, stay. The rest of you, get back to work.”
The two scurried away, giving Shi An a “take care” look before they left.
Zhong Yan twirled his pen and leaned back in his chair, “Self-reflection first.”
“I’m sorry, I was wrong.”
“No sincerity, no remorse.”
Shi An retorted, “Yes, yes, yes, I was wrong, I shouldn’t have touched him. I should have let him barge into the resuscitation room, touch the defibrillator, and send himself to heaven to be worshipped as a god.”
Zhong Yan: “What are you so angry about?”
Shi An: “Isn’t that what you meant? He’s not wrong, you’re not wrong, the hospital’s not wrong, it’s all my fault.”
“As medical professionals, prioritizing emergency treatment is without question, but we also have to appease other patients.”
“It was so busy today, who has time to deal with them?” The more Shi An thought about it, the more annoyed he became, “He’s a grown man, it was just a bee sting, what’s wrong with waiting?”
Zhong Yan: “Don’t know how to put yourself in others’ shoes?”
“If I were him, I wouldn’t even come to the hospital.”
Zhong Yan: “You’re a doctor, you understand the condition, but he doesn’t. He came to the hospital out of trust, and this is how you treat him?”
“What’s wrong with my attitude? My responsibility is to treat and save lives, with so many lives in my hands, I don’t have time to smile and cater to their feelings.”
Zhong Yan didn’t want to argue with him about this, “Starting tomorrow, you’ll be at the triage desk, no more resuscitation room for you.”
Shi An: “What do you mean?”
The triage desk was for nurses and physician assistants.
Zhong Yan ignored his question, “One month for now, indefinite extension if you don’t improve.”
“I’m here for my residency, not to be a grunt.”
“Then get out, go wherever you want!”
“Fine, I’ll go! Who’s afraid of who!”
Shi An slammed the door and left without saying goodbye.
Shi An admitted he was wrong today and took Zhong Yan’s words to heart. He wasn’t that angry initially and wanted to admit his mistake honestly. But every time he saw Zhong Yan, he remembered the nonsense he spouted at home.
He could joke about anything, but why that?
You can play with whoever you want, but don’t mess with me.
Damn it!
Shi An’s anger had nowhere to go when he received a group chat message.
It was a group created by Zhang Shuang, called “The Unlucky Trio,” consisting of the three of them, the residents of the Three Giants.
Old Antique’s Unlucky One – Zhang Shuang: “Brothers, I’m dying, want to grab some food?”
Ascetic Monk’s Idiot – Li Si: “How did you know I’m dying? /crying”
Big Devil’s Little Sufferer – Shi An: “Let’s do it! Tonight!”
At the hot pot restaurant across from the Provincial Hospital, the three downed two bottles of beer, all with long faces. One looked like he had just been dumped, one like he owed a loan shark, and one like he had been scammed online.
Zhang Shuang cried, “I don’t even know what I did wrong, the Old Antique is getting more and more annoyed with me. Just tell me what I did wrong!”
“Tell me about it,” Li Si raised his glass to himself, “Dr. Xu is just… just…”
Zhang Shuang: “What’s wrong with Director Xu? He’s the most normal one of the Three Giants.”
“Becoming a renowned doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine in his thirties, is that something a normal person can do?” Li Si’s face was red as he tapped the table, “Everyone else at his level is seventy or eighty years old. Following him for my residency, the more I learn, the more I believe I’m trash, I’ll never reach his level even if I die trying.”
“Shi-ge, what’s up with you?” Seeing him just drinking silently, Zhang Shuang asked, “Learned a lot in the emergency department, right?”
Speaking of this, Shi An became even angrier, “Learn my ass, I’ve been demoted to the triage desk.”
The two of them said in unison, “What? Where?”
“The triage desk.”
“What the hell, they’re using you as a grunt?”
Shi An smiled bitterly, “I’m not even as good as a grunt.”
The three raised their glasses.
“Brothers, we’re so miserable!”
“Cheers, let’s encourage each other!”
Halfway through their drinks, Zhang Shuang’s phone alarm rang.
Needless to say, Nian Jiang’s live stream had started.
Zhang Shuang opened the live stream and wiped the table clean, “The only cure for my woes is Nian Jiang!”
Li Si also took out his copy of “The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon,” “The only cure for my woes is knowledge!”
“I have to work hard, so I can be half as awesome as Dr. Xu before I die.”
Shi An finished his beer and also took out his phone, muttering like the other two, “The only cure for my woes is…”
He opened his photo album, “…his pictures.”
He had looked at them countless times over the past seven years, but every time he opened them, Shi An’s heart still raced.
His fingertip traced the scar on his waist. What had happened here? It must have been very painful when he was injured.
He wanted to touch it, not through a screen.
After Nian Jiang’s live stream ended, “The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon” was finished, and the photos were scrolled through eight hundred times, the three said goodbye.
Shi An didn’t want to go home and see the devil, he wandered back to the Provincial Hospital and went straight to the second basement floor.
Uncle Niu had just returned from the restroom when he caught a slightly drunk Shi An swaggering in.
“You rascal, stealing my Little Snowmen again.”
“Just two.” Shi An said, reaching for a third one from the “safe.”
Uncle Niu slapped his hand away, “Any more and you’ll get a stomachache.”
Shi An bit the popsicle stick, “Stingy, cheapskate.”
“What’s wrong?” Uncle Niu waved away the smell of alcohol, “Who was so inconsiderate as to offend our Dr. Shi?”
“He sent me to the triage desk.”
“Xiao Yan?”
Shi An gritted his teeth, “Who else could it be?”
Uncle Niu: “Because you pushed that patient?”
“Nothing escapes your ears.”
The gossipy, diary-writing old man.
Uncle Niu opened his diary, “You should go and train yourself.”
“That’s work for nurses and physician assistants.”
“Looking down on nurses and physician assistants?” Uncle Niu said, “Then what about me, working in the morgue, do you look down on me too?”
Shi An was already tipsy, and Uncle Niu’s words annoyed him even more, “You know that’s not what I meant.”
“He must have his reasons for sending you there, don’t underestimate it, it’s the best training.” Uncle Niu said.
“I already know I was wrong, I promise I won’t do it again, why waste my time?”
Shi An had been in the emergency department for months and hadn’t even observed a single surgery, yet Zhong Yan made him stay at the triage desk for a month. If he wasted any more time, he wouldn’t be able to participate in any surgeries before his rotation ended.
“I seem to recall Xiao Yan being assigned to the triage desk as well.” Uncle Niu flipped through several notebooks before finding that entry in his diary, and he smiled as he read, “I wasn’t mistaken, he did work there, for half a year.”
Shi An leaned closer, “Really?”
Uncle Niu pointed at the entry, “The mistake he made back then was much more serious than yours. Look how capable he is now, you’ll definitely be even better than him in the future.”
Shi An felt a little better, “That doesn’t mean he can use his past suffering to torment me now.”
“He stayed there for half a year, and you only have to stay for a month, he’s being lenient.”
Shi An’s face drooped, “But he said, indefinite extension if I don’t improve.”
“Just be good, improve quickly, and go back soon.”
Shi An yawned, feeling restless, “I might not even last a day.”
“That’s tomorrow’s problem, why worry about it today?” Uncle Niu patted him, “Alright, go back to sleep, work hard tomorrow.”
“No,” Shi An leaned back on the sofa, “I’m staying here tonight.”
He refused to go home.
Near midnight, there was still no sign of Shi An returning.
Zhong Yan couldn’t take it anymore and dialed his number, “Where are you? Come back now.”
A voice that wasn’t Shi An’s came from the other end, “Xiao Yan, is that you?”
Zhong Yan glanced at the caller ID, “Uncle Niu?”
“It’s me,” Uncle Niu said with a smile, “Xiao Shi is drunk and throwing a tantrum, refusing to go home.”
When Zhong Yan went to pick him up, Shi An was slumped on his shoulder, mumbling insults.
“Big Devil, jerk, bastard!”
Shi An’s lips were pressed against his neck, his hot breath, mixed with alcohol, hitting his artery.
“Heartless, conscienceless, immoral!”
“Who celebrated your birthday, who ordered you a cake, who cooked you a whole table of dishes!”
“You’re so ungrateful, sending me to the triage desk, all you know is punishing me, criticizing me, and exploiting me!”
Zhong Yan felt like he was talking to a brick wall, “I also carried you home, wiped your tears, kissed you, and…”
“Just you wait, when I come back from the triage desk, I’ll be a new man.”
“Yes, I’ll be waiting.”
“Don’t miss me, it’s useless even if you do!”
“Yes, I’ll try not to miss you.”
“Damn it, will you ever stop?” He could tolerate everything else, but this, Zhong Yan found extremely annoying, “If you breathe on my neck again, don’t blame me for being rude!”
