Sheng Xia, Cheng Liang

Spring of 2017, at the outpatient department of the Hepatobiliary Surgery at Affiliated Hospital of Lucheng Medical University.

“Gallstone cholecystitis.” The doctor flipped through the examination report handed over by Sheng Xia and came to a conclusion.

Sheng Xia sat across from him, her hands on her knees, absentmindedly scratching the fingertip of her ring finger with her thumbnail.

“The pain has been recurring, and the thickness of the gallbladder wall is more than 4mm.” The doctor put down the examination report and looked at Sheng Xia. “In your case, I recommend surgery as soon as possible.”

Sheng Xia’s fingers stopped moving. This was the fourth hospital she had been to, and each one had given her the same conclusion.

“Then let’s have surgery.” She made up her mind.

This hospital was the closest to her rented apartment, which was very convenient.

The doctor paused and said, “This surgery requires postoperative care, so you must be accompanied by a family member.”

Sheng Xia’s medical record showed her age as 21 years and 2 months, with a youthful appearance that has not yet shed its innocence. In contrast with her calm decision to undergo surgery, it seemed quite abrupt.

“No,” Sheng Xia shook her head. “I’m not a local resident of Lucheng.”

The doctor nodded, slowing down his speech: “Your pain is mainly caused by gallstones, which led to chronic cholecystitis.”

“According to the CT report, the current condition of your gallbladder is not very good. Therefore, the standard procedure for surgery would be to remove the entire gallbladder laparoscopically.” The doctor’s pace slowed even more. “If you’ve considered everything, I can arrange a hospital room for you right now.”

This doctor had a very outstanding appearance and a voice resembling that of an adult film actor, so when she just came in and saw him taking off his mask to drink water, she had almost mistakenly judged him as a quack.

But just after a few words with him, she felt genuinely relieved.

He didn’t immediately insist that she needed surgery right away. Instead, he looked at her age and asked if she had any family members to accompany her, and he even took time to briefly explain the surgical procedure—all to ensure she made a well-thought-out decision.

Apart from not looking like a typical doctor, everything else was good.

This handsome doctor’s name was Cheng Liang. When she registered for her appointment, she laughed for a long time because his name was so amazing.

Cooling off in the midst of summer (Sheng Xia Cheng Liang)^[1]to elaborate Sheng Xiang means ‘midsummer’, while Cheng Liang means ‘cool/coolness’. It sounded so harmonious.

“If I get a hospital room now, does that mean I’ll be admitted today?” she asked.

Seeing that the patient had already made up her mind, Cheng Liang took out his keyboard and began typing, “There are currently no available beds for admission. I’ll give you the admission order first, so go to the inpatient department to register, and they will call you when a bed becomes available.”

He had filled out countless forms like this before, so he quickly finished filling out the form and waited for the old, recently repaired printer on the table to start working with its familiar clattering sounds.

“How long does the surgery and hospitalization usually take?” Sheng Xia asked again.

“About a week.” The printer began making strange and ominous sounds again, causing Cheng Liang to furrow his brow.

If the outpatient department didn’t change the printer, he wouldn’t come to this office next week!

Sheng Xia closed her mouth.

For some reason, she felt that this doctor, who seemed very patient, had run out of patience after typing on the keyboard.

“Take this form to the inpatient department.” The printer finally finished printing the last line. Cheng Liang quickly pulled out the paper and handed it to Sheng Xia. “If there is a vacant bed next week, we can schedule your surgery for next Friday.”

Sheng Xia looked at Cheng Liang and blurted out, “…Are you going to perform the surgery for me?”

She shouldn’t have asked that question.

But Cheng Liang was too handsome.

And the way he furrowed his brow just now inexplicably resembled those unreliable male classmates from high school who sat in the back row.

She just thought he was a good doctor, but surgery……

“Yes,” Cheng Liang answered with certainty, not knowing if he often received such questions.

Sheng Xia: “……Oh.”

Silence filled the outpatient room.

At that moment, the printer suddenly made a whirring sound, as if it had released pent-up tension after many days of constipation, and swished again.

Sheng Xia swore she saw the printer jump.

Then, it started flashing green lights and printing fratically.

The speed was unusually fast, and unlike the clattering from before, this time the printer’s printing sounds seemed joyful, almost like it was singing a happy song.

Sheng Xia: “……”

Cheng Liang quickly unplugged the printer: “……”

***

Cheng Liang watched Sheng Xia walk out of the outpatient room, and he even thoughtfully held the door for her.

He didn’t know whether this girl would ultimately take the admission order to complete the hospital admission procedures, but he had done all he could.

This wasn’t the first time he had been questioned about whether he would be the one performing the surgery. His youthful appearance and striking good looks often led people to doubt his professionalism. However, usually, after patients left the outpatient room and checked his past credentials on the hospital website, they would choose to trust him.

But today, due to the malfunctioning printer, things were a little embarrassing.

And……

Cheng Liang took out his phone and took a look. Yes, he recognized this patient.

She was indeed the streamer from the study section. He liked to play the live broadcasts of study section streamers as background music when he was reading. Sheng Xia was one of the streamers he frequently listened to, and because her taste in music was basically the same as his, he had ranked her in the top three on the high score list…

She was very easy to recognize. She didn’t use filters during live broadcasts, and her voice was highly recognizable. Moreover, the name of her live broadcast room was actually her real name.

……

An extremely honest streamer.

Cheng Liang decided to give her a few stars when she started her next live broadcast.

***

After dealing with the last case, Cheng Liang stretched lazily. It was six o’clock in the evening, and the internal line phone in the outpatient room rang on time.

Cheng Liang didn’t immediately answer, and he even had the urge to slip away.

He had a day off tomorrow, and he wanted to go home early today. If he didn’t go home, the pile of unwashed clothes at home would start to smell.

“I knew you kid would deliberately not answer my call.” The middle-aged man’s voice was loud, carrying a breeze. When he pushed open the door of the outpatient clinic, Cheng Liang even saw the little nurse hiding in the corner watching the scene unfold.

Sighing, Cheng Liang stood up and respectfully called out, “Director Lin.”

Director Lin huffed and hung up the phone.

“Want to run away?” He knew his apprentice very well, and besides, Cheng Liang’s unwillingness was so apparent that he didn’t even bother to hide it.

Cheng Liang’s response was to pour a full cup of mineral water into a disposable cup for Director Lin. Fortunately, the mineral water wasn’t outrageously taken directly from the bottle Cheng Liang had just drunk from, as he opened a new bottle for Director Lin, filling it to the brim.

For some reason, Director Lin felt surprisingly pleased. After so many years, this kid finally knew how to pour him a decent cup of water.

In the past, he would directly give him a half-empty bottle, and Cheng Liang didn’t even bother to give him a water cup.

“Do you know why I came to find you?” Director Lin took a sip of water, calmed down a bit, and most of his anger dissipated.

Fishing for punishment.

In an instant, several things that might get him scolded or even beaten by Director Lin flashed through Cheng Liang’s mind, and he wisely chose to remain silent.

Director Lin wasn’t in a hurry either. He leisurely sipped the mineral water from the disposable cup.

His feelings toward Cheng Liang were complicated.

Cheng Liang was a good student. He was the first student in their eight-year program to successfully stay in the hospital. He had mentored him for many years since he was a doctoral student, and he knew the roots of this kid. Although he was usually a bit offbeat, he had a good attitude towards learning and was meticulous in his work. His achievements, which made him shine brighter than his peers, were all earned by himself bit by bit.

Cheng Liang was also a good doctor. He was only 29 years old, but he was already quite pragmatic. He was neither arrogant nor impatient, and he had been progressing steadily and smoothly without major setbacks.

Almost no flaws could be pointed out.

But it just didn’t feel right.

Cheng Liang is a person without ideals.

He entered the eight-year clinical medicine program because he did well in the college entrance examination, and he didn’t switch careers because his internship and residency results were outstanding. He kept moving forward because he was being pushed forward. It had nothing to do with his own aspirations.

Cheng Liang also doesn’t lack money.

His family was a local of Lucheng, and they were one of the households whose homes were demolished to make way for development. The eight-story building very close to the hospital belonged to him, and he was the landlord himself. Even if he didn’t work as a doctor and just lay at home every day, he wouldn’t starve.

His ideals were being pushed forward, he didn’t need to worry about making a living, and his character was also a bit unconventional—neither painful nor itchy.

Director Lin sighed, feeling sad. Now, he wasn’t a bad teacher, he just didn’t know how to teach students anymore! He couldn’t even find a carrot to lead Cheng Liang forward!

“Are you planning to give up applying for the Outstanding Young Doctor for this quarter?” Director Lin, who was getting more and more angry as he thought about it, didn’t bother to beat around the bush with Cheng Liang anymore.

Cheng Liang was taken aback: “Did I not submit the form? What day is it today?”

“You’re going to have a day off tomorrow, so what day do you think it is?!” Director Lin’s blood pressure went up again.

That’s it! That’s it! A donkey without a carrot is prone to being clueless like this.

Cheng Liang accepted it humbly and opened the clinic computer again, “I’ll submit it now!”

He was all prepared, but he had forgotten about it recently because he had been busy with other things.

Director Lin, halfway through his fiery speech, hung there, not sure whether to continue.

“Thank you, Director!” Cheng Liang breathed a sigh of relief after sending the email. Today was the deadline. Fortunately, he made it in time, otherwise he would have to endure Director Lin’s nagging for a quarter.

The other half of the fire that Director Lin didn’t spew out swirled in his stomach and burned somewhere else. “Today, Old Zhang from the Medical Affairs Department called me, saying that someone complained that you were undressing in the locker room.”

Cheng Liang’s good-looking features became confused, his mouth agape for a while, ” ……Women’s locker room?”

“……” Director Lin almost threw the cup in his hand, close to breaking into a thunderous rage. “If it was the women’s locker room, can you still sit here calmly?!”

You’ll be sent to the police station immediately!

Undressing in the men’s locker room…… What’s wrong with that?

Cheng Liang’s features continued to be confused, but he finally remembered, “Was it the new intern who forgot to take off the white coat……?”

The new intern fainted from seeing blood during surgery, and after going out, he was dizzy and out of it the whole day, and just wanted to get off work wearing the white coat, so Cheng Liang helped him take it off.

“You helped the intern take off the white coat,” Director Lin reiterated, “but when it reached the Medical Affairs Department, they heard it as you forcing someone to undress in the locker room.”

Cheng Liang: “……”

“Other mentors let their interns go back to the dormitory to study after work,” Director Lin’s anger had lessened a bit, and he spoke more seriously, “but when you’re in charge, you take them to the playground next door to run laps after work.”

Cheng Liang: “……”

Silence doesn’t mean he admits he is wrong.

It was normal for a surgeon to stand in front of the operating table all day. That child was as thin as bean sprouts. He stared at him for a few months of physical training before he gained a little muscle. Cheng Liang didn’t think he was wrong.

“I don’t think you’re wrong either.” Director Lin knew why Cheng Liang was silent and put down his cup. “But you have to know that if you’re so dedicated to the interns, you have to make sure they think you’re good.”

Don’t let people complain to the Medical Affairs Department and let Old Zhang call him in a roundabout way.

Of course he knew that Cheng Liang was not hiding anything. This person didn’t worry about food and clothing and didn’t want to be promoted. He would teach everything he knew as long as someone asked. He was the most unambitious^[2]literally translates to Buddha-like; internet neologism used to describe someone without desire, passion, or ambition to the point of passivity; “Whatever will be, will be” captures its perfect … Continue reading in the whole hospital.

However, the hospital could only approve a few scientific research projects each year, and the rising channels for young doctors were also very narrow. Others were competing for their abilities, qualifications, and backgrounds in secret. Although it was obviously an affiliated hospital with teaching tasks, the interns assigned to them were mostly left to fend for themselves. Those with better qualifications still had the opportunity to learn, but those with poor qualifications might disappear without much notice.

Cheng Liang, on the other hand, tried his best every time and still got no thanks. People even reported him to the Medical Affairs Department.

“Cheng Liang…” Director Lin thought about it for a long time and could only bring up a carrot that interested him, “The first quarter is almost over ah. There are only a few promotion places this year, and our hospital have two hepatobiliary departments…”

[A medical department that focuses on on the diagnosis and treatment of disorders related to the liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts.]

Because he and the person in charge of the second department didn’t get along, they quarreled fiercely and were dismantled by the higher-ups in a fit of anger, and in past few years, they have become even more at odds.

Cheng Liang nodded, indicating he understood.

He gets it.

He just didn’t know why Director Lin was always so distressed.

“What are you fidgeting for?” The distressed Director Lin’s blood pressure rose again.

“…Need to pee.” Cheng Liang grimaced as he fidgeted.

……

…………

The next day, when the little nurse in the outpatient clinic came to work, she quietly gossiped with her friend, “Yesterday, Dr. Cheng almost got thrown out by Director Lin…”

“What did he do this time?” The friend’s eyes widened.

“I don’t know.” The little nurse gestured at her watch, “In less than ten minutes, Director Lin started roaring.”

The friend: “……Why is Dr. Cheng so handsome but have such a complicated personality?”

“No one is perfect…” The little nurse thought of Cheng Liang rushing out while clutching his stomach.

Even those superior facial features can’t support such a complicated temperament…