Chapter 5.1 Woke Him Up

On the way to the hospital, Shi Miao called Min Ting to express her gratitude. Their marriage was more of an arrangement, with no expectations of mutual obligation. Yet, he was thoughtful enough to remember to send the driver to pick her up.

The ringtone played for several seconds before the call connected.

“It’s me, Shi Miao.”

“I know. I saved your number,” Min Ting’s deep, slightly hoarse voice came through the phone, sounding like he had just woken up.

“What is it?” he asked.

Shi Miao hesitated. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

“No worries. My brother-in-law already woke me up at six.”

“…”

In his bedroom, the blackout curtains sealed off all light. Adjusting momentarily to the darkness, Min Ting switched on the light and got out of bed.

Neither spoke for a moment. The faint rustling over the phone suggested he was throwing back the covers and getting up.

Shi Miao glanced at her phone screen—it was 7:25. “What time do you usually get up? I’ll make sure to avoid calling at this hour in the future.”

“Normally, six.”

Last night, he had attended a dinner in another city, only returning to Beicheng in the early hours of the morning.

“So, what’s this about?” Min Ting asked again.

Shi Miao replied, “Just wanted to say thanks.”

Min Ting walked toward the bathroom. “Didn’t you thank me yesterday for the seven boxes of juice?”

“…This is for the car. It saved me a lot of time.”

Had she not mentioned it, Min Ting wouldn’t have remembered. Closing the bathroom door behind him, he said, “It’s no big deal. You don’t have to make it one.”

“Anything else?” he asked.

Shi Miao shot back, “Are you in a hurry to hang up?”

“No, I’m not,” Min Ting replied. Realizing she’d misunderstood, he clarified, “I just meant, if you don’t have anything else, I have something to say.”

“Oh, I’m not done talking about the car.” Following an unspoken rule of first-come-first-serve, she made it clear she should finish first. “Uncle Chen mentioned he’ll be driving me every weekend. Won’t that disrupt your plans?”

With rare patience, Min Ting explained, “Uncle Chen is the family driver, not my personal one. I also have more than one car. Neither the driver nor the car will inconvenience me, so feel free to use them.”

“Alright then,” Shi Miao replied, graciously accepting his kindness.

Growing up, the only person she felt comfortable not putting up pretenses with was Shi Wenli. Now, she could add Min Ting to that list.

As the morning sunlight filtered through the leaves and danced across the car’s glass, its soft glow landed on her.

Shi Miao had said all she needed and asked, “What was it you wanted to say?”

Min Ting replied, “During your term as Chief Resident, why don’t we switch to weekday dinners? That way, you can rest and sleep in on weekends.”

The suggestion delighted her, though it was something she hadn’t dared consider. Weekday dinners would have to be at the hospital cafeteria—she didn’t have the time to go out.

“Our cafeteria food is average. You probably wouldn’t like it,” she pointed out.

“It doesn’t matter,” Min Ting decided for her. “From now on, we’ll have dinner there.”

“How often?” Shi Miao asked, curious. Three days? Five?

Considering how two weeks had passed after their marriage before she could find time to meet him for dinner, Min Ting left the decision up to her. “How about every two weeks? Is that too much?”

“…That works.”

Her tone made him uncertain whether she was satisfied. He asked, “Do you think that’s too frequent or not enough?”

Shi Miao replied bluntly, “When I’m busy, it feels like too much. When I’m not, it feels like too little.”

Min Ting chuckled softly but didn’t adjust the schedule further. “If you’re too busy to meet, I can swing by the hospital to see you and leave. It doesn’t have to involve dinner. If you’re not busy, use the time to catch up on rest.”

“…Alright.”

And so, it was settled: dinner every two weeks.

They chatted briefly before ending the call

Upon arriving at the hospital, Shi Miao barely had time to change into her white coat before a colleague approached her, asking if she had finished next month’s night shift schedule.

“Not yet,” Shi Miao replied.

She intended to let Jiang Yang handle it, but he wasn’t on duty today.

On Monday morning during the staff meeting, she finally encountered him. Jiang Yang was the last to arrive, sidling his way into the room. Colleagues instinctively stepped aside to create a path for him.

Midway through, he found himself blocked—Shi Miao, head down, was focused on her phone, oblivious to his presence. With no way to squeeze past, he stopped in his tracks.

While others preferred to stand further back during meetings, Jiang Yang liked being as close to the director as possible. Not because he feared questions, but because he enjoyed showcasing his talent.

When everyone had arrived, the meeting began.

Shi Miao locked her phone and slipped it into her coat pocket. Noticing the looming presence beside her, she glanced up and briefly locked eyes with Jiang Yang, whose expression carried its usual hint of disdain. She looked away and focused on the meeting.

Afterward, Director Gu announced the schedule for the annual “United Hearts” charity surgeries. “The dates are mostly set. There are more pediatric patients this year, so we’ll split them into two batches—mid-June for the first and late July for the second.”

He turned to Shi Miao. “Coordinate the beds and operating rooms with the pediatric cardiology team.”

“Understood, Director.”

The short meeting ended quickly.

Director Gu added, “This morning’s rounds will be conducted entirely in English.”

The medical students groaned internally.

As Shi Miao prepared for rounds, Jiang Yang called out, “Chief Shi, hold on a moment.”

Colleagues sometimes jokingly called her “Chief Shi,” but when Jiang Yang did it, the tone was unmistakably sarcastic.

“What is it?” Shi Miao asked, turning to face him.

Feigning innocence, Jiang Yang said, “Oh, nothing. Just wanted to let you know I almost got scolded by the family of the patient in Bed 6.”

“…”

Smiling thinly, he asked, “Happy now?”

Shi Miao remained unfazed. “I was already in a good mood. Thanks.”

Jiang Yang was momentarily stunned, unprepared for her retort.