CH 75

After reuniting as a couple, neither Jiang Heng nor Ji Yao kept it a secret; they immediately informed their close friends.

On that evening, Jiang Heng even posted a photo of them having dinner on his social media. Not only did it clearly show two sets of bowls and chopsticks, but it also captured a glimpse of Ji Yao’s wrist.

On Ji Yao’s fair wrist, he wore a wristwatch with a strap, and there was a slightly suggestive red mark on the outer side of the strap, hinting at something more.

This photo created quite a stir, and Jiang Heng’s old friends, who were aware of his situation, sent their blessings. Even Zhou Qingbo, who had caught wind of the news early, sent a 200-yuan red envelope as a gesture of goodwill. 

As Jiang Heng enjoyed his meal, he occasionally glanced at his phone screen, smiling and responding to messages from friends.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Ji Yao, having finished a bowl of soup, noticed that Jiang Heng was still engrossed in his phone. He couldn’t help but tease, “Don’t blame me if you get a stomachache later with no one to take care of you.”

“Then I’ll report you for domestic abuse,” Jiang Heng chuckled.

“You cheeky devil,” Ji Yao dismissed, clearly not buying into Jiang Heng’s act. He muttered under his breath, “Same-sex marriage isn’t even recognized in China yet, you know. You’re not protected.”

“Technically, it’s still a marriage,” Jiang Heng replied confidently.

Ji Yao was amused by Jiang Heng’s casual response. Just as he was about to say something, his phone chimed with a payment notification on Alipay.

“…What’s this?” Ji Yao’s tone shifted, “Trying to shut me up with money?”

“It’s a gift,” Jiang Heng lowered his head, covering the hint of a smile at the corner of his lips with his soup bowl. He said matter-of-factly, “According to tradition, we should split it evenly.”

Ji Yao was initially puzzled, but he unlocked his phone, and before he could check the amount, his WeChat exploded with messages from friends.

Ji Yao painstakingly cleared two pages of notifications and then finally pieced together the situation from the messages.

Mutual friends of Ji Yao and Jiang Heng were all asking about the “official announcement.” Ji Yao  sneakily glanced at Jiang Heng, propped up his phone, and pretended to send a message while discreetly opening Jiang Heng’s social media post.

The photo was still at the top, and Jiang Heng had captioned it with just seven words: “Reunion After a Long Separation, Unexpected encounter.”

“Reunion after a long separation” implied they had lost something and found it again, while “unexpected encounter” suggested a sense of serendipity. Jiang Heng hadn’t mentioned Ji Yao by name, but it felt like he had written it all between the lines.

Ji Yao pursed his lips and couldn’t help but secretly save a screenshot of the post to his own phone.

He didn’t ask Jiang Heng why he suddenly made such a high-profile announcement, but the next morning, before heading to work, Ji Yao went to the Human Resources Department to update his emergency contact information.

“Why do you suddenly need this?” The head of Human Resources, a young woman, stood up and, while searching for Ji Yao’s file, asked curiously, “Is the department head conducting another information check? I didn’t receive any notifications.”

“No,” Ji Yao smiled, leaning against her desk, and said, “I’m just updating it.”

Ji Yao was from out of town, and when he first joined the hospital, he had just arrived in Shanghai. He had no roots here, and at that time, he had also fallen out with his family. So, he had left the emergency contact section blank, only providing the hospital with an authorization letter for special circumstances.

Although he had since settled down in Shanghai and made a few friends, that section had remained empty until he moved in with Jiang Heng. It was only then that he remembered to update it.

The ink on the original form had faded a bit, and Ji Yao bent over, placing the sheet of paper on the table with a stack of documents. He carefully filled in Jiang Heng’s name and contact information.

The head of Human Resources had already opened the electronic update page and was leaning on her desk, watching him complete the entry. She asked with a grin, “Has Doctor Ji finally found a good friend?”

Ji Yao replied with a casual “yes” and handed her the pen. Then he corrected himself, “actually, it’s my boyfriend.”

Publicly revealing one’s sexual orientation in the workplace wasn’t a smart choice, but just like when Ji Yao had chosen to come out in the past, occasionally acting a bit foolish wasn’t a big deal when it came to special people.

The young woman’s eyes lit up, and she entered the new information into the system while playfully giving Ji Yao a thumbs up.

“Don’t worry; I’ll keep it confidential for you,” she assured him.

“It’s fine,” Ji Yao wasn’t too concerned about this. He waved his hand dismissively and said, “Besides, over time, everyone will find out.”

The hospital where Ji Yao worked was relatively large in Shanghai, and he had seen all sorts of situations. Even beyond same-sex relationships, he had encountered various ethically challenging cases. This small matter didn’t cause any ripples in his department. Only the old department head, who was somewhat traditional, had discreetly summoned Ji Yao to his office for a talk, reminding him to keep this information confidential to avoid unnecessary speculation among patients.

Ji Yao understood and made the necessary promise, so the old department head didn’t press the matter further.

The interns in the General Surgery department had recently completed their rotations and moved to new departments, giving Ji Yao and his team a bit of a break. However, Jiang Heng wasn’t as fortunate. During XiaoTong’s visit to China, he had put some of his work on hold to spend time with her, and the case of Li Wen was still pending, awaiting a formal trial. So, Jiang Heng still had a lot on his plate.

Two days ago, Li Linghua informed Jiang Heng that there were new developments in Zhou Fang’s case. As a result, Jiang Heng had to start contacting people and reviewing the case files once again.

Jiang Heng was busy with his work, but he no longer worked overtime at the office. Almost every evening when Ji Yao returned home from work, he would find Jiang Heng sitting on the living room sofa, dealing with work-related matters.

“Maybe you should just work at the office,” Ji Yao suggested as he hung his coat by the door. He put on slippers and said, “This posture must be tiring.”

Ji Yao’s apartment was designed for one person and was quite small, with only one bedroom and one living room. There was no study, so Jiang Heng had to work on the coffee table. However, the height difference between the coffee table and the sofa was not suitable for work, and Ji Yao could see that Jiang Heng was getting tired.

“That’s not a good idea,” Jiang Heng replied without raising his head from his documents. “If I don’t come home after work, what’s the point? It’s not good for family harmony.”

“How about I get you a table for work?” Ji Yao suggested.

“Forget it,” Jiang Heng said, leaning back on the sofa with his hand on the back of his neck. He looked at Ji Yao as he approached and continued, “Besides, we won’t be living here once the renovations are done, so why bother?”

Ji Yao neither agreed nor disagreed. He just walked over to Jiang Heng, who was busy working, and knelt on one knee on the sofa. He reached out and hooked Jiang Heng’s eyeglasses frame.

Jiang Heng blinked his eyes, allowing Ji Yao to remove his glasses. Then, in the same position, he tilted his head up and engaged in a tender, lingering kiss.

After the kiss, Jiang Heng extended his arm and wrapped it around Ji Yao’s waist, pulling him closer.

“The trial is scheduled for next Wednesday,” Jiang Heng said, “Would you like to attend as a witness?”