CH 69

jiang heng’s answer was ambiguous, neither confirming nor denying, which only piqued ji yao’s curiosity further. instead of satisfying his curiosity, it increased his curiosity even more.

moreover, regardless of ji yao’s attempts to pry information from him, whether through direct questions or subtle hints, jiang heng simply smiled and remained tight-lipped, revealing nothing.

han was in charge of jiang heng’s salary and naturally regarded him as her boss. she also refused to reveal any details, saying that jiang heng hadn’t informed her of anything. she indirectly suggested that ji yao should confront the real decision-maker.

frustrated by his inability to get any answers, ji yao eventually gave up, thinking that jiang heng would eventually tell him when the time was right.

in addition to all this, ji yao had been extremely busy in recent days. according to his schedule, he was supposed to be on duty on christmas day. however, jiang heng’s chaotic birthday celebration had left ji yao without even time to eat a decent meal. ji yao had intended to make up for it on christmas day, so he had submitted a report in advance and taken half a day off.

however, work hours could be flexible, but work itself couldn’t disappear magically. ji yao had recently been assigned two interns, and he also had an unfinished research paper that was piling up. this forced him to work extra hours to catch up on his pending tasks.

therefore, within a couple of days, he had almost forgotten about the matter with jiang heng.

on christmas day, he was swamped with work. if it weren’t for the reminder alarm on his phone, he would have forgotten about leaving work early.

“doctor, here are the records of last night’s emergency cases on ward 6,” one of the interns knocked on his office door, entered, and placed the files on his desk. “please review them for any issues, and if there are none, we can start entering them into the system.”

ji yao turned off the reminder alarm on his phone, pinched the bridge of his nose, and reached for the record book. he nodded and said, “i won’t be here this afternoon, so if you have any questions, ask me now.”

checking his watch, ji yao added, “i still have half an hour before i leave. make the most of it.”

the interns had only been there for a few days and were not yet familiar with the workflow in the department of general surgery. they were nervous and eager to learn, often seeking guidance from ji yao whenever possible. when they heard that ji yao would be absent in the afternoon, they quickly called in their classmates as well.

ji yao opened the record book, took out a pen from the holder, and carefully reviewed the emergency records. then, he grabbed a blank sheet of paper and listed the parts that needed modification.

ji yao was a graduate with excellent handwriting, and his feedback was concise and clear, almost serving as a sample for corrections.

“emergency records are not just dull text,” ji yao said, tapping the top of the record with his pen. “at critical times, they are your means of protection.”

“critical patients are at risk of their conditions worsening and can easily lead to medical disputes,” ji yao continued. “in case something goes wrong, the emergency records serve as evidence of your actions and decisions. so, as i’ve said before, the timestamps must be clear—where did you write the time?”

the intern glanced at the record and touched the back of their head, apologizing softly, “i’m sorry, doctor. i forgot. the situation was too critical at the time, and i planned to fill it in later…”

“filling it in later? what if the patient’s family sees something wrong and asks you to explain it?” ji yao said, raising an eyebrow. “are you going to make last-minute changes to the records?”

ji yao had learned the hard way from his past experiences with medical disputes. he knew that he had been extremely lucky to escape unscathed, so he was particularly strict in this regard.

the intern realized their mistake and lowered their head, admitting their fault. they took the record book and the list of modifications and retreated.

“it’s a good opportunity to correct mistakes during the internship,” ji yao said in a more gentle tone. “making mistakes is inevitable, but it’s better to learn from them now than when you officially start working.”

as ji yao finished speaking, the office door was suddenly knocked on, and he saw the on-duty nurse waiting outside.

“doctor ji, someone is looking for you.”

“who is it?” ji yao asked in confusion.

before he could get an answer, a familiar figure appeared behind the nurse. this person looked tired, had a resentful expression on their face, and exuded a low energy level. without waiting for ji yao to say anything, they squeezed through the door past the nurse.

they entered the office, walked around for a moment without saying a word, and then opened the water dispenser, grabbed a paper cup, and poured themselves a glass of water, which they downed quickly.

ji yao raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

the two interns, thinking it was a family member of a patient, exchanged glances and tugged at their sleeves, signaling that it was time for them to leave. they then exited the office.

coincidentally, ji yao’s alarm clock rang for the second time.

“what are you doing here, he xiangyin?” ji yao asked, still puzzled.

“i’ve come to seek your help,” he xiangyin’s face, which had initially displayed “grievance,” seamlessly transitioned into a “mournful” expression. he crushed the paper cup and threw it into the trash can, pitifully saying, “i got into a fight with my boyfriend again. can you please shelter me for a while?”

“another fight?” ji yao wondered. “can’t you two talk it out? instead of constantly fighting, why not communicate better?”

he xiangyin: “…”

he xiangyin knew he was in the wrong, so he lowered his head, admitted his mistake, and hugged ji yao’s leg, starting to sob. “but since you already have a husband, please let me stay for a couple of days. i promise i won’t enter your bedroom; i’ll just sleep on the couch!”

whenever he xiangyin had a disagreement with his boyfriend, he would go around seeking shelter, and ji yao was used to it. he pushed his leg away irritably and took out his own house key from his pocket.

he xiangyin’s eyes lit up, and he instinctively reached out to take it. “i knew you—”

at he xiangyin’s fingertips, ji yao suddenly remembered something, retracted his hand, and pulled the key back into his palm.

“no, you can’t stay with me this time,” ji yao said. “my boyfriend doesn’t like other people entering our home.”

he xiangyin watched as the place to stay slipped through his fingers, his face filled with disappointment and frustration. he was on the verge of accusing ji yao of choosing love over friendship.

“ji yao, you—”

“but you reminded me of something,” ji yao pondered for a moment and said, “as a token of gratitude, i’ve decided to lend you my ritz-carlton gold card.”

“you’re such a loyal friend,” he xiangyin smiled.

ji yao didn’t notice his subtle hesitation. his thoughts were currently focused on something else. he hurriedly sent he xiangyin away after giving him the electronic card. then, he changed his clothes, locked the locker, and left work.

jiang heng seemed to have set an alarm for ji yao’s time to leave work. just as ji yao left the elevator, he received a call from jiang heng on his phone.

ji yao put on his earphones, answered the call, and opened the ride-hailing app.

“are you off work?” jiang heng asked with a smile.

“yes,” ji yao replied, “i just left.”

“we’re at disneyland and just checked into the hotel,” jiang heng said. “i’ll send you the check-in code in a moment.”

since charles and amber were in the country, jiang heng couldn’t drive over to pick up ji yao this time. ji yao had to take a ride and meet them there.

“got it,” ji yao said. “i’ll be there soon.”

“okay,” jiang heng paused for a moment, and ji yao could hear him moving a couple of steps to a quieter place. then he continued, “what should we do, yao? i think i miss you a little.”

ji yao couldn’t help but laugh and replied, “but we’ve only been apart for five hours.”

“maybe it’s because everyone here is in pairs? even amber bought a plush toy to hug, and i’m the only one without my partner,” jiang heng said with a single hand in his pocket. he glanced back at the crowd near the entrance to the park and continued, “so, are you on your way here now?”

ji yao set his ride-hailing destination and smiled, “i’m on my way, i’ll be there soon.”