Chapter 322: 316 I Like You (4/4, 5000-subscription bonus)

Zheng Ren is not the quick-witted type.

After a brief disappointment, the atmosphere in the car became somewhat subtle; Zheng Ren didn't know what to say or do to ease this subtlety.

Xie Yiren seemed to notice something too; when she mentioned Shandong cotton, her voice cut off abruptly.

The car was driving along at a leisurely twenty or thirty miles per hour, aimlessly.

Where the heart is at peace, that is home.

Now this seems pretty good as well.

Delivery riders' motorcycles constantly whizzed by; when overtaking, someone would occasionally glance over.

Perhaps they mostly thought, indeed a female driver.

Xie Yiren drove absentmindedly, strolling; in Hai Cheng's night, without the delivery riders shuttling about, it would be very desolate.

There wasn't much traffic, road conditions were simple, so there was no need to worry about accidents.

"Um..." after a long while, Zheng Ren broke the subtle silence, stammering: "Where do I live? Is it near the hospital?"

"Right next to the hospital." Xie Yiren's voice was small, like a lazy cat basking in the sun.

Zheng Ren dared not think further about things like cohabiting, fearing that the greater the hope, the greater the eventual disappointment.

The Volvo XC60 returned at a walking pace to the villa area beside City First Hospital; Zheng Ren and Xie Yiren chatted idly, but Zheng Ren himself couldn't recall what they were talking about.

By then, he was already completely dazed.

The Volvo drove into the villa area Zheng Ren had visited once before, stopping in front of a villa.

"You live here." Xie Yiren lowered her head, not daring to look at Zheng Ren's face, took out a key and handed it to him.

"Mm." Zheng Ren took the key honestly, feeling an inexplicable sense of loss inside.

Xie Yiren didn't turn off the Volvo, just got out directly.

After taking a breath of fresh air, she felt completely refreshed.

A private space, indeed quite...

Oppressive.

"This one you live in; that building over there is where I stay. Chu and the older sisters sometimes are here; basically whoever is on duty stays here." Xie Yiren pointed to the small villa next door and said.

Zheng Ren glanced over and could clearly see the City First Hospital's Emergency Building from here.

It's very close; if something happens at night, a few minutes' run will get you there.

"Come, try it." Xie Yiren rubbed her face, adjusted her expression, then came to the front gate: "The key fob can open the gate lock."

Zheng Ren took the key, used the round key fob on it to unlock the outer gate, and the two entered the small courtyard.

The courtyard isn't big, about a hundred square meters or so.

Unlike Xie Yiren's courtyard, this one has no green grass; it resembles Northeastern architecture.

"The gate key: insert it and turn clockwise." Xie Yiren explained, hopping about.

Zheng Ren followed Xie Yiren's instructions and opened the gate.

A pair of men's slippers was placed at the doorway.

"This is newly bought for you; I heard Yue Jie say the slippers you wear at work are the simplest style, so I didn't buy others in case you're not used to them. Try them on, see if they fit." Xie Yiren said.

Zheng Ren changed into the slippers.

Only one pair; she doesn't intend to come in and continue being the guide?

Just as I was thinking about this, I heard Xie Yiren say: "The bedroom is upstairs; over there is also a bathroom with 24‑hour hot‑spring water; after surgery you can soak in it, especially relieving fatigue."

"Go have a look; I'm heading back." After saying that, Xie Yiren turned and left quickly.

"Hey!" Zheng Ren blurted out impulsively, calling out to stop Xie Yiren.

Xie Yiren's body stalled for a moment, but she didn't turn back.

A surge of hot blood rushed to Zheng Ren's head; he took a few steps to her back, opened his arms, and embraced Xie Yiren from behind.

Xie Yiren wore a fitted little coat that was warm yet not bulky, outlining her figure particularly well.

Zheng Ren held her from behind, feeling her body tremble slightly, and also felt a bit dazed.

Zheng Ren lowered his head slightly and whispered in Xie Yiren's ear: "Yi Ren, I like you."

The slightly trembling body in his arms suddenly stiffened, then trembled even more violently; Zheng Ren could feel that panic.

"Mmm~~" Xie Yiren hummed through her nose, then broke free of Zheng Ren's embrace and ran out the door, hopping and jumping.

Zheng Ren wondered if he had misheard, whether Xie Yiren had actually heard what he said.

"It itches..." Xie Yiren laughed shyly, saying, "I'll head back first; if there's no emergency, let's go to the hospital together tomorrow morning."

Watching Xie Yiren leave, the red Volvo no longer cruised leisurely but shot off like an arrow from a bow, leaving Zheng Ren's mind blank.

In just a moment, Xie Yiren drove the car into the garage.

Zheng Ren couldn't see any trace of her; returning indoors, it seemed as if her scent still lingered between his nose and mouth.

He inhaled deeply, picked up his phone, and went upstairs.

This villa's layout is the same as Xie Yiren's; the room has a large bed with two quilts on top, apparently prepared specially by Xie Yiren for him to choose from.

Zheng Ren felt them, kept the cotton quilt, and picked up the silk quilt to put in the wardrobe.

Opening the wardrobe, it was full of clothes. Was this also prepared for him? The brand of the clothes was familiar to Zheng Ren—the same kind Xie Yiren had prepared for him when they were in the capital.

After washing up, Zheng Ren picked up his phone and sent a message to Xie Yiren.

Through the screen, the chat flowed much more smoothly, with embarrassment and nervousness suppressed deep inside, yet Xie Yiren's body scent seemed to linger between his nose and mouth, not fading.

He fell asleep without realizing it; the next morning, the sky was already light, and Zheng Ren finally opened his eyes.

Upon waking, Zheng Ren felt a bit dazed.

Where am I? When did the duty room become this big?

But then he realized this was Xie Yiren's home.

What a pity, her family owns so many houses; wouldn't it be better if they had fewer?

Zheng Ren, lost in thought, began washing up, and with his phone called Xie Yiren to wake up, have breakfast, and go to the hospital.

Upon meeting, the two seemingly forgot last night's embrace in unison, chatting and laughing, after a quick bite of breakfast they went to the hospital.

Before the 8 a. m. shift change, Zheng Ren himself walked around the ward.

The patients going home hadn't arrived yet, because the IV drips are only inserted by nurses after the shift change, so coming early is utterly useless.

Being at home is so comfortable, while being in the hospital is so boring.

The illness isn't serious either; who wouldn't want to stay at home?

Regarding this, Director Pan doesn't want to bother with it; even if he wanted to, he couldn't.

Just have the doctors communicate well and sign the forms; doing what can be done is enough.

Director Pan arrived at the Jizhenbingfang at 7:55, and upon seeing Zheng Ren, he asked: "Someone is looking for me, an old fellow townsman of a comrade-in-arms, who has liver cancer; take a look, and if surgery is possible, admit him."

Zheng Ren nodded.

Behind Director Pan, a middle-aged man and woman came up to Zheng Ren, wearing uneasy smiles.

"Are you Doctor Zheng? This is my father's scan; please take a look." the man said.

Zheng Ren asked them to wait a moment, and they would talk after the shift change.

At 8 a. m., the shift change began.

……

If the average is under 5000, we'll first calculate using 5000.