Chapter 26: Sharing a Bed p2
Next semester, Shi An would rotate to another department.
Shi An was still thinking of a retort when Zhong Yan took action. Warm breath brushed against his face, his heart racing, caught off guard.
Zhong Yan seemed to be very good at this kind of thing. He easily hooked his arms under Shi An’s knees and shoulders and lifted him onto the bed.
Shi An struggled in vain, pinned down by the man’s arm, “Shh.”
The commotion alerted the people outside.
“Xiao An, Dr. Zhong, is everything alright?”
Shi An was flustered and guilty, “It’s okay, Mom, go back to sleep.”
When the noise subsided, Shi An was still shaken, he whispered, “What are you doing?”
Zhong Yan was unapologetic, like a bandit, “You wouldn’t listen, so I had to take action.”
“I’ll listen, okay?” Shi An shrugged, his shoulders still pinned down, then wiggled his wrists, “Dr. Zhong, can you let go of me now?”
Zhong Yan continued to hold him, “I won’t be your mentor soon, don’t call me ‘teacher’ anymore.”
Zhong Yan propped himself up on his elbow, their bodies positioned one above the other. Shi An was wearing shorts, his knees slightly parted by Zhong Yan’s leg.
Zhong Yan’s calf was pressed against his inner thigh, and he could still feel the residual warmth from his shower.
This position was strange, making Shi An’s question sound strange as well, “Then… should I call you Director Zhong?”
Zhong Yan leaned closer, his warm breath brushing against his face, “Something more intimate.”
Intimate… intimate?
Shi An’s mind was a tangled mess, finally untangling two words.
Wife.
Damn it!
Shi An realized something, pulling his wrist from Zhong Yan’s grasp, “Can you stop using this method to pry into my thoughts!”
“What did I pry into?”
“You know exactly what!”
Shi An covered his racing pulse and pretended to sleep. He didn’t move until he felt Zhong Yan get out of bed and turn off the light.
Shi An turned over, pulling the blanket towards him, only to realize that Zhong Yan had only carried him, his blanket was still on the floor.
Shi An tugged at the blanket on the bed, “Switch.”
Zhong Yan, with his back to him, spread out the blanket, “No.”
Shi An: “…”
That was his blanket.
The one he had just warmed up!
Shi An was angry but couldn’t snatch it back, so he could only silently warm up the new blanket.
When there was no more movement, Shi An secretly turned around. Zhong Yan was wearing his clothes, covered with his blanket, lying on his side with his back to him.
The blanket only covered half of his body, the thin material revealing the outline of his back and shoulders. He really did work out every day, even when relaxed, his muscles were clearly defined, his shoulders broad.
Just as he was engrossed, the back muscles spoke, “It’ll be dawn soon if you keep staring.”
“…?”
Damn, he forgot there was also a full-length mirror in his room.
Shi An gave up and looked at Zhong Yan’s front through the mirror.
The man’s eyes were closed, lying comfortably, as if about to fall asleep.
Shi An wouldn’t let him sleep, “I can’t sleep.”
Zhong Yan’s eyes remained closed: “What is it?”
“Did you learn Traditional Chinese Medicine on your own?”
“Learned it from an old man.”
“What old man?” Shi An said, “The kind who walks birds, sings opera, and plays chess in the park?”
Zhong Yan: “…My grandfather.”
Shi An: “Oh, that’s nice.”
Zhong Yan turned around, looking at him like an abandoned child, “You don’t know who my grandfather is?”
“Who is your grandfather?”
Zhong Yan: “The old man who walks birds, sings opera, and plays chess.”
Shi An: “….”
Was he messing with him?
Shi An asked again, “Are you taking any residents next semester?”
“Why are you asking?”
“Just curious.” Shi An bit his lip, “If you are, should I move out and let him live here?”
Zhong Yan: “In such a hurry to leave?”
“So he won’t be tormented by you, struggling to find a place to live, and having to commute so far.”
“You’re so thoughtful.”
Shi An’s lease was only until February. If he moved out, he probably wouldn’t find such a good apartment again.
Six hundred yuan a month, cooking once a week, minimal chores, for a sunny room with a private bathroom, newly renovated, and a twenty-minute commute by subway.
Shi An burrowed deeper into his blanket, “If he’s moving in, let me know, I have to start looking for a place.”
Zhong Yan: “Okay, I’ll thank you on his behalf.”
Shi An felt a chill, “You’re welcome.”
With a knot in his stomach, Shi An couldn’t sleep well. When he opened his eyes again, it was almost noon. He was alone in the bedroom, Zhong Yan’s folded clothes on the pillow beside him.
He could hear his mother and Zhong Yan talking outside, “This child is good in every way, except he loves to sleep.”
“During the college entrance exam, he even fell asleep during the English test, making his teacher so angry she called me crying every day. Luckily his grades were good, he still got into Medical University.”
At first, Shi An thought his mother was angry, but then he realized she was just showing off how her son could get into a top university even after sleeping during the exam.
Actually, he slept after he finished the exam, he would have gotten the same score even if he hadn’t slept.
Shi An yawned and went back to sleep, only waking up at noon.
After lunch, he and Zhong Yan went to work together.
Shi An stayed at the emergency department until the Lantern Festival, submitting his training manual, assessment records, and rotation report. The department held a farewell ceremony for the three of them.
Chen Xiaoman and Zhao Kang exchanged gifts with their mentors, hugging and crying, making Shi An and Zhong Yan’s interaction awkward in comparison.
No hugs, no tears.
As for gifts? Even less likely.
Leaving the Big Devil should have been a joyous occasion, but Shi An wasn’t particularly happy. He had been in the emergency department for six months and still hadn’t gotten the chance to be in the operating room, not even for a minor outpatient surgery.
He comforted himself, there would be plenty of opportunities after he rotated to the surgery department.
Shi An secretly glanced at Zhong Yan, who was reading a medical chart, completely focused, ignoring everyone else.
It’s just, his first surgery wouldn’t have him by his side.
“Xiao Shi, this is for you,” Chen Man handed him a package.
Shi An took it with both hands, “Thank you, Dr. Chen.”
Chen Man gestured for him to open it, “You’ll like it.”
A pillow and a blanket.
“It must be hard always sleeping on the desk,” Chen Man’s next words were directed at Zhong Yan, “If other departments don’t have night shifts, he probably won’t need these.”
Shi An hugged the soft bundle, not noticing Chen Man’s look, “Thank you, Dr. Chen, I’ll take them home and cuddle with them.”
The emergency department was busy as usual. The three of them didn’t chat for long and waved goodbye.
Outside the emergency building, Chen Xiaoman was still crying, while Zhao Kang, his true nature revealed, almost laughed out loud.
Chen Xiaoman punched him angrily, “You have no heart, acting like this right after they left.”
Zhao Kang: “I was genuinely sad just now, but I’m also genuinely happy now. The emergency department is too terrifying, I’ll go bald if I stay any longer.”
“Departments without night shifts are where humans belong.” Zhao Kang patted Shi An, “Shi-ge, am I right?”
Shi An casually agreed, his attention on his phone.
He hadn’t said a proper goodbye, and Shi An felt strange.
He sent a casual message to Zhong Yan, asking if he could move out at the end of the month, giving him a few more days to find a place.
Zhong Yan replied quickly, two emotionless words: “Okay.”
He couldn’t even be bothered to add punctuation. Shi An felt like his hard work in the emergency department for the past few months had been for nothing.
Flirtatious and fickle, even with students, he liked novelty.
Letting the new student move in, sleep in his bed, read his books, and sit on his favorite wool carpet.
Hmph, he had a new student, as if he didn’t have a new mentor.
Shi An turned off his phone and hugged the pillow. Tomorrow, he would be assigned to a beautiful, understanding, and generous older sister like Dr. Chen.
This devil, whoever wants him can have him!
The next morning, all the residents gathered in the auditorium, and the school announced the new rotation list.
The department head stood on the podium, “The following are the Ophthalmology rotations…”
As the leader spoke, there were murmurs around Shi An, mostly prayers to be assigned to their desired departments. Shi An didn’t care, no department could be more tiring than the emergency department.
If he was assigned to surgery, he would study hard. Other departments would be like a vacation.
Shi An leaned back in the comfortable chair and started to feel sleepy.
The rotation list was long. Shi An heard the names of his roommates, his classmates, Chen Man, and Zhao Kang, but not his own.
“The following is the Emergency Department rotation list, Zhang Yuzhen, Li San, Wang Si, Zhao Wu…”
The list was longer than before, which wasn’t surprising to Shi An. The emergency department had expanded after the New Year, adding a new ward, so they needed more doctors and nurses.
Shi An listened to the names. The Big Devil had more choices now, he wondered who he would choose, and if their performance would satisfy him.
Probably no one could satisfy him, he wondered who would be the unlucky one this time.
The department head continued, “The last person for the emergency department, Shi An, Clinical Class 1.”
There was a small commotion in the auditorium.
“What’s going on?”
“Shi-ge hit the jackpot again?”
“Didn’t he just leave the emergency department?”
“I heard that if a resident performs exceptionally well, their mentor can request them specifically, and they have a high chance of staying on.”
As a top-tier Class Three A hospital, the Provincial Hospital was the dream of many medical students.
“Shi An is so awesome!”
“So envious.”
“Staying in the emergency department is a bit rough.”
“Just stay first, then transfer after a couple of years.”
“Exactly, anyone who has worked in the emergency department can handle any other department easily.”
The chatter around him was chaotic. Shi An was still sleepy, his mind a bit hazy. He only understood after taking a nap.
Two days later, Shi An was on the bus back to the Provincial Hospital. Unlike last time, he also had six “followers.”
After over an hour of stops and starts, the bus stopped at the Provincial Hospital, and a group of people followed closely behind him.
Shi An, holding his pillow, entered the emergency building, familiar with the way.
He first ran into a few former patients who greeted him with a smile. Then, he saw Chen Man in the hallway.
Shi An was both happy and a little embarrassed, “Dr. Chen, I’m back.”
“Looks like you’ll need this.” Chen Man patted the pillow in his arms, “Xiao Shi, welcome home.”
Shi An sniffled, “Yes.”
“I originally wanted you,” Chen Man glanced at the tall figure in the ward, “But someone refused to let you go, so annoying.”
Shi An rubbed his ear, “If you need anything, just let me know, I’ll do anything.”
Chen Man said, “Oh right, there are more residents this time, the department decided to appoint you as the group leader, you’ll be in charge of their arrangements.”
Shi An was surprised and flattered, “Can I do it?”
“Of course you can,” Chen Man leaned closer and whispered in his ear, “You’re the only resident in recent years to stay in the emergency department, and someone specifically asked your department head for you.”
“He’s never done this before,” Chen Man emphasized, “You’re one of a kind.”
Chen Man walked away, leaving Shi An with a burning face, his mind filled with her words, which boiled down to two words:
One of a kind.
“Standing there doing nothing, are you that free?”
Zhong Yan finished his rounds, his attitude still serious and stern, “We’re having a meeting, the new residents are yours, introduce them to the department and arrange their work.”
Shi An perked up, “Okay.”
“Do a good job, don’t embarrass me.”
Zhong Yan walked past him, wearing a clean, crisp shirt under his disinfectant-smelling white coat.
But Shi An could still smell his unique scent, the eucalyptus laundry detergent and mint shampoo, all personally purchased by him.
Zhong Yan removed his disposable gloves and brushed Shi An’s hair back with his fingertips, from his forehead to the back of his head, like a charged, fluffy ball of yarn.
“One lobster.”
