The Surgeon's Studio

Zheng Ren was not a quick-witted man.

There was a moment of letdown. He did not know what to say to dispel the awkward tension in the car.

Xie Yiren had also picked up on the shift in mood and her voice cut off abruptly after the mention of Shandong cotton sheets.

The car crawled at a steady 20 to 30 miles per hour toward their destination.

Peace would be found once they reached the house.

The ride was not bad, however.

Occasionally, a food delivery rider passed the car and peered in.

They seemed to expect such a pace from a woman driver.

Xie Yiren drove as if they were on a stroll through the nightscape of Sea City. It would be almost serene if not for the food delivery riders zooming by.

Traffic was sparse, so there was a lower risk of an accident happening.

“That…” Zheng Ren made an attempt to break the silence. “Can I know where I will be living? How far is it from the hospital?”

“It’s nearby,” Xie Yiren said in a whisper.

Zheng Ren steered his thoughts away from cohabitation. He did not want to raise his expectations, only to have them shattered later.

The Volvo XC60 entered a residential area near the hospital with villas and manors. Zheng Ren and Xie Yiren chatted inanely as the car approached the house at a leisurely pace.

He was stunned by his surroundings.

They pulled up to a street that he had once visited.

“You’ll be living in this house,” Xie Yiren said with her head down. She handed him a set of keys without meeting his gaze.

“Oh.” He took them with some disappointment.

Xie Yiren did not kill the engine as she came down from the car.

She took a deep breath of fresh air. There was an instant change in her demeanor.

The enclosed space was truly…

Stifling.

“You’ll be staying here, while that one over there is mine. The Chu sisters come over sometimes, usually the one on duty,” Xie Yiren said, pointing to the manor next door.

Zheng Ren scanned his surroundings and spotted the emergency department building.

It was less than ten minutes away. If there was an emergency at night, they could easily rush back to the hospital.

“Here, give it a try.” Xie Yiren rubbed her face to relax her facial muscles and walked to the gate, explaining, “The keychain can be used to unlock the gate.”

Zheng Ren studied the set of keys he had been given and tapped the keychain to the gate, which opened, letting them into the porch.

The exterior of the place was around 100 square feet.

It was different from Xie Yiren’s house. There was no greenery here and the building design looked Northeastern.

“Insert the main door key and turn it clockwise,” Xie Yiren said as she bounced on her feet.

Zheng Ren did as he was told.

A pair of men-sized house slippers greeted him at the doorway.

“It’s a new pair. Sister Yue said to get you the same slippers as the hospital’s so that you’d be accustomed to them. Try them on.”

He changed into the slippers.

There was only one pair. Was she not also going in to give him a tour?

As the thought crossed Zheng Ren’s mind, Xie Yiren piped up, “The bedroom is on the second floor. The bath has hot water 24 hours a day. You will be able to freshen up after a round of surgery.

“Go ahead and check it out. I’m going to head back now.” She quickly turned to leave.

“Hey!” Zheng Ren called out before his brain could process what he wanted to say.

Xie Yiren’s body jerked to a stop, but she did not turn to face him.

A hotheaded Zheng Ren walked up to her and hugged her from behind.

She had on a form-fitting winter coat that served its purpose without sacrificing aesthetic.

Zheng Ren could feel her body tremble slightly in his arms.

He lowered his head and said into her ear, “Yiren, I like you.”

There was a sudden tension in her body, followed by violent trembling. Her nervousness was palpable.

“Mm,” Xie Yiren vocalized before breaking from Zheng Ren’s embrace and quickly walking out the door.

He was unsure if he had heard her response correctly. Had she even heard what he said?

“Funny…” Xie Yiren let out a shy chuckle. “I’ll be heading home. If there’s no emergency call, I’ll be in first thing in the morning.”

With that, she left. The red Volvo sped off while Zheng Ren’s mind drew blanks.

The car mosied into the driveway next door.

As the walls blocked his view of Xie Yiren, he shut the front door. Her lingering scent still teased his nose.

He inhaled heavily and went upstairs.

The house had the same floor plan as Xie Yiren’s. There was a huge bed in the bedroom with two quilts that Xie Yiren had handpicked for him.

Zheng Ren felt their fabric, then promptly threw the silk one into the closet.

There, he found an array of clothes. Were these for him? Zheng Ren was familiar with the brand; it was the same one that Xie Yiren had gotten him when he was in Imperial Capital.

He went to the bathroom to wash up. When he was done, he texted Xie Yiren.

Their conversations through the screen flowed more easily, with less anxiety and trepidation. Xie Yiren’s scent was still with him.

Zheng Ren dozed off into a deep slumber, only waking when the sun rose the next day.

He jerked awake with a start.

Where was he? Was the on-call room so big?

Slowly, his mind pieced the puzzle together and he remembered he was in Xie Yiren’s house.

She had too many houses to her name. Having fewer would be better.

Zheng Ren’s thoughts went in all directions as he began his morning routine. He texted Xie Yiren his usual morning greeting, asking about breakfast.

They met up for it before leaving for the hospital, both seemingly in silent agreement to put the events of the previous night behind them.

Before the 8.00 am shift change, Zheng Ren went to check the wards.

The patients who had gone home had yet to return. Drips would only be attached after the shift change so there was no point in patients coming in early.

Staying home was much better than waiting in the hospital.

Patients with minor illnesses always preferred to go home.

Old Chief Physician Pan could not do much to change their minds.

Doctors could only try their best to communicate the risks and get the patient to sign a disclaimer.

Old Chief Physician Pan arrived at the emergency ward at 7.55 am, spotting and approaching Zheng Ren. “A former comrade sought me out for a friend of his who has liver cancer. Can you take a look? If surgery is viable, we’ll take him in.”

Zheng Ren nodded.

Behind the old chief was a man and a woman, both middle-aged. They smiled at Zheng Ren.

“You must be Dr. Zheng. Here are my father’s scans. Please take a look,” the man said.

Zheng Ren bade them to wait as he had to oversee the shift change.

It was 8.00 am. The shift handover was starting.