CH 2

Ji Yao’s body and mind were still lingering in his dream as he blinked in confusion, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

It took him a good three minutes to fully wake up from the dream, and then he belatedly realized that something was off. He weakly touched the bedsheet with his hands and felt a sticky, cold sensation.

Ji Yao: “…”

And then he was fully awake.

A few seconds later, Ji Yao somewhat annoyedly pulled out two tissues from the bedside table to clean his hands, then clenched his teeth as he tossed the crumpled tissues into the trash can at the foot of the bed.

Having a dream about his ex-boyfriend in the middle of the night was simply ridiculous!

It was still dark outside and Ji Yao checked his phone. The time on the screen had just changed from 4:36 to 4:37 AM, with a little over an hour left until dawn.

Feeling awkward and with his cleanliness tendencies kicking in, Ji Yao decided not to lie back down and sleep. Instead, he stripped the bed sheet and covers off the bed and stuffed them into the washing machine.

As the washing machine rumbled to life, Ji Yao wiped his sweaty forehead and stood there, staring at the washing machine for a good minute and a half, letting the frustration slowly dissipate.

He tossed his sleepwear into the laundry basket and went into the bathroom for a quick shower. Coming from the bathroom as the dawn light was just beginning to break, Ji Yao picked up his phone from the bedside and scrolled through his WeChat contacts. After a moment, he found a familiar profile picture and tapped on it.

“Jiang Heng is in Shanghai.”

Ji Yao stared at the message for a moment, feeling that it carried a slight ambiguity, as if he was still holding some lingering feelings for the person. He deleted the message and replaced it with, “Jiang Heng is in Shanghai. Did you know?”

On the other end of the conversation, the person seemed like a machine with automatic replies ready to go. As soon as Ji Yao sent the message, he quickly received a notification that the person was typing.

Waiting patiently for over a minute, Ji Yao didn’t receive a reply; instead, he got a call.

He answered and put the phone on speaker, letting it rest on the bed as he rummaged through his closet for clothes to wear to work.

“Jiang Heng?” the voice on the other end of the line was somewhat unclear, “Has he come back to China?”

The voice sounded groggy, and there were a bunch of background noises. Ji Yao could even make out muffled laughter and banter, likely from a night of partying that had yet to conclude.

“No,” before Ji Yao could reply, the person on the other end caught on to what was being said and inquired, “How did you know he’s in Shanghai? Have you two reconnected?”

“Not really, a friend ran into him,” Ji Yao offered a vague explanation and casually asked, “Did he go abroad before?”

“Ah… you didn’t know,” the man on the phone sounded somewhat more sober now, taking a few steps to a quieter area, “After you two broke up, he left the country a few months later. He went abroad to study, and we haven’t heard from him in over two years.”

Ji Yao fastened the buttons on his shirt and didn’t say anything.

“Anyway, do you want me to help you gather some information?” the person on the other end continued, “Not that I’m saying anything, but I thought you two were perfect for each other back then. It’s not easy to find someone who really knows you in our circle. You both have decent qualities, so it might be worth…”

“No need,” Ji Yao was getting a bit irritated by his ramblings and cut in, saying, “Thanks, but you just enjoy yourself.”

He hung up the call, picked up his phone, and after a moment of contemplation, deleted the unfamiliar phone number from the message history.

Ex-boyfriends were creatures best left in memories, not to be entangled in real life.

While Ji Yao didn’t think he and Jiang Heng had reached the point of mutual dislike, he had no intention of becoming involved with him again.

Unfortunately, he seemed to be going through a streak of bad luck lately, and every time he made up his mind, the universe seemed to throw a curveball his way.

…………………….

At 2:46 AM, just as Ji Yao had managed to crawl into bed with the intention of snatching a few moments of sleep, he was stopped by a nurse on duty who followed him in.

“Dr. Ji, there’s a call from the emergency department,” the nurse called him at the doorway, “They say they’re bringing in a patient with acute gastric bleeding and need the surgical team for consultation.”

Ji Yao: “…”

He reluctantly got up from the bed, pulled out a wet wipe to dab his face, and headed out while asking, “Where’s the gastroenterology team?”

“They’ve already gone,” the nurse replied.

When Ji Yao arrived at the emergency department, it was already bustling with activity. He sidestepped a nurse hurrying out and scanned the area, asking, “Where’s the patient?”

The emergency room was chaotic, with one bed occupied by a man who had been drinking too much and another by a young girl with a broken leg from a scooter accident.

Thankfully, a young nurse approached and led him towards the innermost part of the emergency room.

Walking a few steps forward, Ji Yao finally recognized the partially drawn curtain around the innermost bed. The on-duty doctor was bending over, examining the patient.

“Upper endoscopy.”

Ji Yao heard this as he approached the bed. He was planning to ask about the situation, but before he could say anything, he and the “patient” met each other’s gaze and both froze for a moment.

Jiang Heng: “…”

Ji Yao: “…”

—Why is he everywhere? Ji Yao wondered.

Ji Yao’s last impression of Jiang Heng was from the previous night at the bar, where he had exuded an air of sophistication and charm. Seeing him now, barely conscious in the emergency room, Ji Yao took a moment to process the situation.

Jiang Heng: “…”

Ji Yao: “…”

Ji Yao could hardly believe that Jiang Heng had reappeared at this moment, especially in such a state. His last memory of him was from the bar, and he had not expected to encounter him in the emergency room.

On the other hand, Jiang Heng was quick to react. He managed to snap out of his daze, conjuring a faint smile on his pale face.

Jiang Heng had always been graceful, maintaining basic courtesy in all circumstances. This was to the extent that Ji Yao had once suspected that even if Jiang Heng were to be taken away by death, his first words to the Grim Reaper would be, “You’ve worked hard.”

“Ji Yao?” Jiang Heng said, “You work here?”

His voice was barely audible, but he still managed to speak the words despite the difficulty.

The on-duty doctor in the gastroenterology department was also taken aback by Ji Yao’s presence. He turned to Ji Yao and asked, “Dr. Ji, do you know each other?”

Ji Yao made a sound of affirmation but didn’t explain further. Instead, he moved to the other side of the bed, looking at Jiang Heng’s condition.

Before Ji Yao’s arrival, the emergency department had already administered preliminary treatment to Jiang Heng. His wrinkled suit jacket lay at the bedside, his shirt buttons half undone, and an IV drip hung from his hand, flowing at a slightly fast rate.

Jiang Heng’s face was even paler than the bedsheets, with a hint of bloodstains on his lips. Ji Yao took a quick glance and guessed that he had probably vomited after being admitted. Most of the blood had been vomited onto the floor, with only a few spots staining the pillow. Presumably, he had been too uncomfortable to hold back.

He was drenched in cold sweat on his forehead, indicating severe discomfort. His unoccupied hand continuously moved towards his stomach but stopped short each time, as if he couldn’t decide whether to press down. Ji Yao instinctively held down his hand.

“What happened?” Ji Yao asked.

This question was originally directed at the nurse, but Jiang Heng misunderstood, thinking that Ji Yao was asking him. Half-dazed, he assumed Ji Yao was questioning him and laboriously tried to recall, managing to force out a response, “I took a deep water bomb … .in a drinking game…just  a cup though.”

Ji Yao: “…”

However, Ji Yao knew Jiang Heng’s alcohol tolerance well. A “deep water bomb” was only about 50 milliliters, and Jiang Heng, being physically strong, shouldn’t have been felled by just one cup. Ji Yao instinctively found this hard to believe.

“Is that all?” Ji Yao inquired.

“Ten shots,” Jiang Heng added.

Ji Yao: “…”

What a reckless thing to do, Ji Yao thought.