The Surgeon's Studio

Chapter 315: Just Stay Over (Part 3 of 4)

A patient with appendicitis arrived in the afternoon. Zheng Ren opted out of the procedure, allowing Su Yun to lead instead with Yang Lei assisting. It was a learning opportunity for them.

Yang Lei was on the straight and narrow when it came to surgery.

Most other doctors were similar. They honed their skills through practice and repetition.

A fast learner like Su Yun was an exception, not the rule.

However, Zheng Ren was not aware that his own rate of learning was beyond human in the eyes of others.

When his shift ended, Feng Xuhui was already waiting for him.

Doctors were busy people. Around 80% of them would decline meal invites, especially those meant solely for socializing.

Feng Xuhui’s humility and sincerity were enough to persuade them to accept, though.

Chairman Ma was at a hotel, waiting for them all.

Zheng Ren did not have the heart to turn down Feng Xuhui’s cordial request and thus rounded up a few doctors into an Iveco, which ferried them to Shangri-La Hotel.

Chairman Ma had booked a private room for the event, clearly having planned for this for some time.

He had not planned to personally thank a junior doctor from a northeastern third-tier city, trusting Feng Xuhui to take care of that on his behalf.

Still, the doctor’s name had come up repeatedly when he was overseeing product deliveries in Imperial Capital General.

Whenever Zheng Ren was mentioned, Department Chief Kong would sign off on any equipment or material being requested.

The same had happened with the supervisory deputy director. Once it was known to be such, Zheng Ren’s wishes were greenlit all the way.

It was then that Chairman Ma knew he had underestimated the junior doctor.

Zheng Ren’s skill at the operating table and the fact that he had saved another doctor’s life were testaments to the high regard he was held in.

Chairman Ma had decided to personally attend the appreciation feast in Sea City.

He had heard that northeasterners loved to drink.

There were rumors that their alcohol tolerance was comparable to the Russians’ due to their cold native climate.

In his youth, Chairman Ma had experienced two bouts of upper gastrointestinal bleeding from excessive drinking. Hence, he was worried about having to entertain the northeasterners.

Eventually, he hired two professional drinkers[1]] from Imperial Capital to keep up with Zheng Ren.

...

The group from Sea City General Hospital entered the private room. Chairman Ma spotted Professor Rudolph Wagner among them and congratulated himself for picking the right event to attend.

He knew naught of the reason behind the professor’s extended stay in China and cared even less; a chance to talk with the professor was all that mattered.

There were smiles all around as the guests took their seats. Chairman Ma and Old Chief Physician Pan struck up a conversation about business.

Zheng Ren was bored. He watched Xie Yiren sitting right across him and thought of Su Yun’s words from this afternoon.

Everyone raised their glasses, but Zheng Ren simply watched with disinterest.

He could neither join in on the conversation nor the drinking. Life was especially lonely for someone like him.

Rather than attending such events, Zheng Ren longed for his scalpel and the operating table.

As he mulled over his life, he noticed Chairman Ma approach, bottle in hand, only to be obstructed by Su Yun.

It was a 1500ml bottle of Scottish whiskey. Su Yun whistled.

The whole room was noisy and rowdy.

Zheng Ren ignored it all. Channeling the focus he had while operating, he kept his eyes on Xie Yiren, studying the lines and creases that shifted on her face as she smiled and talked. He felt his heart calm down.

Chairman Ma’s initial worries were manifesting in a very different way.

He had not expected the group from Sea City General Hospital to be such voracious drinkers.

At that moment, he recalled Feng Xuhui’s words: Zheng Ren was a teetotaler but his assistant was the complete opposite.

One hour into the dinner, the professional drinker entertaining the men could no longer keep up with Su Yun.

Three bottles of whiskey had gone down like ordinary beers. Who could blame the man?

Their alcohol content was 58.5%, high enough that a spark could instantly ignite the bottle.

Each bottle was 1.5 litres, and they had gone through three bottles within an hour...

Just the thought of so much alcohol made Chairman Ma’s head hurt.

He turned to the female professional drinker, who was with the women.

He had heard that she had a significantly higher alcohol tolerance than her male counterpart.

However, upon inspection, she was slumped over Chang Yue’s shoulder, speaking as if they were best buddies.

Chang Yue’s expression was neutral as she bit into a piece of meat on a toothpick. They were practically surrounded by wine bottles.

Truly insane! Chairman Ma groaned internally.

He had clearly misjudged the group’s alcohol tolerance.

From their demeanors, Old Chief Physician Pan had identified the professional drinkers from the start.

He had planned to match them glass for glass, not backing down under any circumstances.

However, he had not accounted for Su Yun blowing through three bottles of whiskey with the male drinker, and on the other side, Chang Yue quietly outdrinking the other.

They were truly his subordinates!

Laughter filled the lines in Old Chief Physician Pan’s face.

He was enjoying himself!

Feng Xuhui’s forehead was drenched in sweat as he rushed around, catering to everyone.

The feast went on for over three hours before Old Chief Physician Pan signaled to the group. It was time for them to leave.

Staring at the inebriated two professional drinkers, Chairman Ma could only shake his head in disappointment.

...

...

The group exited the hotel into the cold, winter air. Those who had driven here went to their cars while the others got into the Iveco rented by Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery.

Xie Yiren had not participated in the drinking but her red cheeks implied otherwise.

Zheng Ren mustered the courage to approach her. “Yiren, can I escort you home?”

“Oh? Does Chief Zheng finally have the guts today?” Chang Yue teased with a chuckle. She had a mirthful gleam in her eyes and her eyebrows waggled comically at Zheng Ren.

She was certifiably still sober. Zheng Ren still remembered the day of the drinking competition between her and Su Yun; she had returned barefoot and left a trail as if she had just come out of the showers.

The current Chang Yue was still speaking normally and had her shoes on.

Su Yun stalked over. “Oi! I’ve been waiting for a rematch. Let’s go have a few more rounds.”

“Want to lose again?” Chang Yue hummed.

“Beer is not my thing. I’m not scared of you,” Su Yun sneered. Chang Yue’s words were like a lit match tossed into the pool of whiskey he had just downed.

“You lost before, but sure, I’ll give you another chance today.” Chang Yue smirked. “Are you sure you want to do this with hard liquor?”

The confidence made Su Yun hesitate.

Chang Yue, this... Was her tolerance really...

Some people could tolerate a mixture of drinks. The more they drank, the more energized they became. The different alcohols fused into a hodgepodge in their stomach.

“Let’s go. Yanran, you haven’t drank anything right? Take us there.” Chang Yue then turned to Su Yun. “I’ll make sure you have your fill.” With a rare burst of excitement, she dragged Chu Yanran and Chu Yanzhi into the vehicle, sparing nary a glance at Xie Yiren and Zheng Ren.

Just like that, the two were left by the street.

The raucous members of their party had departed for their next destination.

The wind picked up again, but Zheng Ren could vaguely hear Xie Yiren sigh.

“That... Yiren, can I escort you back?” Zheng Ren asked again.

“Sure.” There was still some residual shyness in her voice, but she felt much better with the crowd gone.

Her smile blossomed like a flower in spring.

They got into her Volvo XC60. Xie Yiren started the car and put on the turn signal.

Zheng Ren’s initial assumption was wrong. Xie Yiren’s driving was slow, to the point where walking seemed faster.

The drive was unhurried, as if Xie Yiren was enjoying every second of the journey.

Within the small, confined space of the vehicle, Zheng Ren could smell her faint scent. It made him dizzy.

Words failed him in such a scenario. They were never truly his strong suit.

Was he supposed to follow Su Yun’s advice and try to put his arm around Xie Yiren? She was driving, though; what if they got into an accident?

What to say...

Zheng Ren’s mind hummed like a broken television. He could almost hear crows cawing around his head.

How awkward...

Was this the tragic fate of a single dog?

“Zheng Ren, your shift is over, right? Where are you staying now? I heard that you stopped renting your place after becoming chief resident,” Xie Yiren asked.

The question caught him off guard.

He had absolutely forgotten about his housing arrangement...

Zheng Ren’s belongings were sparse. His extra stuff had been left with Little Zhao and whatever he wore had been thrown in with the emergency ward’s laundry to be cleaned.

This was going to be awkward.

Was he going to have to spend the night on the streets?

No, Yang Lei was on duty tonight. He could still get into the hospital.

A thousand ideas ran through his mind as he tried to come up with a plan.

“I knew you had forgotten about this.” Xie Yiren chuckled. “Sister Yue said you would, but I didn’t believe her. Guess she was right.”

These girls...

“How about you stay over at my place?” she asked. Her face was as red as an apple.

He instinctively opened his mouth to reject the offer.

Before the words left him, Su Yun’s advice boomed like thunder in his ears.

If he rejected it... Zheng Ren ran through multiple possibilities in his mind.

It would be a dumb move.

“Sure,” Zheng Ren uttered after some deliberation.

Xie Yiren let out an audible breath.

Were they cohabitating? Zheng Ren’s chest burst with joy, accompanied by anxiety.

He chanced a glance at Xie Yiren and saw an expression similar to his. She was also nervous.

“The house was cleaned today. You don’t have to worry, housekeeping comes in every day.” Xie Yiren kept rambling to disguise her anxiety. “I got a few sets of quilts for you and you can pick whichever you like. I was worried you wouldn’t like silk so I got someone to custom-make one with Shandong cotton.”

Wait a second, had he misinterpreted something?

[1] 陪酒师 could also be translated as “escort”, but the term is loaded and was thus replaced with the more literal “professional drinker”.