"Director Meng seems to have finally found love!"
"Big juicy gossip, firsthand! Want to hear it?"
"Whose gossip have you dug up now? I'm warning you, if it's too scandalous or goes against socialist core values, I'm not listening."
"Don't regret it if you don't listen. The gossip subject is our pure and good-looking Director Meng..."
Gu Huai had just finished his meal and was tossing a small post-dinner apple, strolling back to the office. Passing the nurses' station, he overheard two nurses whispering about his teacher. He'd already walked past, but stopped and backtracked.
"What about our good-looking Director Meng?" Gu Huai leaned on the counter, which was half a head taller than him, craning his neck with curiosity.
"Dr... Dr. Gu, why are you so quiet? You scared me!" Nurse Ye Huan was indeed startled. She calmed her racing heart and sighed with relief when she saw it was Gu Huai.
Gu Huai rubbed his nose, thinking that if they hadn't been gossiping behind someone's back, they wouldn't be so jumpy in broad daylight. But he didn't call them out; instead, he pressed on: "What were you saying about Director Meng? Come on, tell me."
Ye Huan exchanged a look with her colleague, embarrassed at being caught. "Nothing, nothing."
Gu Huai didn't buy it. "I heard you."
Ye Huan was exasperated. "Bro, you're Director Meng's apprentice. I'd have to be out of my mind to gossip about him with you."
"Sharing gossip is for everyone. I won't rat you out. I swear on my career—if I secretly tattle to Director Meng, may my papers never get published in any journal! Every journal!"
Ye Huan pursed her lips, thinking he didn't need to make such a heavy oath... Seeing her still hesitating, Gu Huai squinted behind his black-rimmed glasses, pulled back, raised the apple to his mouth, and crunched it lazily. The sly guy spoke casually, his mouth full of apple: "It's not that your gossip isn't legit, is it?"
As the squad leader of the gossip group, Ye Huan couldn't stand having the authenticity of her gossip questioned. Stung by Gu Huai's provocation, she took the bait: "Yours isn't legit! I've been in cardiothoracic surgery for two and a half years, and every bit of gossip I've picked is authentic. Don't talk nonsense if you don't know."
"So what's the deal?" Gu Huai was itching with curiosity, promptly lowering himself. "Sister Ye, please, tell me!"
Gu Huai had been under Meng Shang during his residency in cardiothoracic surgery and stayed with him after his rotation ended. In his eyes, Director Meng was a pure, sacred, inviolable being. At work, he was a renowned young surgeon; in life... well, he seemed to have no needs—no romantic life, perfectly chaste. Gu Huai felt Meng Shang's life could be summed up in two categories: work, and everything else needed to sustain life. How could someone with such minimal needs have any gossip?
Ye Huan's ears were soft, and with so many tidbits on the table, how could she resist sharing? She looked around to confirm the person in question wasn't nearby, winked at Gu Huai, and lowered her voice: "I bet Director Meng has been dating recently..."
"Impossible!"
Gu Huai yelped, nearly jumping.
Ye Huan wanted to get up and cover his mouth. "Why is it impossible? Keep your voice down!"
Gu Huai straightened up and stepped back half a pace. As Meng Shang's confidant, he knew his teacher had been busy with a family member's serious illness and could barely find time to visit, let alone date now. But he couldn't share his teacher's family matters with others, so Gu Huai just held the apple core and, in a very informal way, defended Meng Shang: "This gossip isn't ripe—it's fake. Don't eat it."
"What do you know!" Ye Huan rolled her eyes. "Wasn't I on shift with Director Meng a few days ago? Around 11 p.m., I went to the break room to get water and heard Dr. Meng sending a voice message. His tone... tsk tsk, so doting and resigned, super gentle. He's definitely dating, soothing his girlfriend."
"What if it was an elder in the family?" Gu Huai said coolly.
"Well..." That wasn't entirely impossible. Ye Huan was stumped. After a moment, she tried to salvage: "What elder in the family stays up past 11 p.m.? No, right?"
"Did you catch what he said?" Ye Huan's colleague Cheng An'an helped her out.
Unfortunately, the vibe of the cardiothoracic surgery's unattainable flower was too strong. Ye Huan didn't dare eavesdrop—she only caught the tone and something like "can't say not busy" before it ended.
"So was that night a quiet one?" Gu Huai asked thoughtfully.
Ye Huan gave an awkward but polite smile. "Haha, speaking of that, it was a nightmare. After I got the water, the ER started calling. Remember the two patients—bed 35 with cardiac myxoma and bed 47 needing their third bypass?"
Gu Huai nodded.
Ye Huan nodded back. "Yeah, they were admitted that night. Actually, there were two more, but they didn't end up in our department. It was crazy."
"Sure enough, the night-shift god treats every doctor equally. Even someone like Director Meng gets taught a lesson when he speaks carelessly." Gu Huai shuddered and quickly clasped his hands to bow to the air. But as he raised his hand, he saw the apple core and regretted eating it already—if he'd left it on his desk, it might have brought more protection.
Ye Huan and Cheng An'an had nothing to say. Medical workers could be materialists, but only the night-shift god was a must-believe.
"You're getting off track. We were talking about Director Meng—"
"Talking about me?"
Ye Huan tried to steer back, but just as she spoke, she saw Meng Shang suddenly appear from behind Gu Huai. The reception desk was high, and they were sitting inside, so they hadn't seen him approach. Gu Huai, the only one outside, was busy praying to the night-shift god and was also startled by Meng Shang.
"Director... Director Meng!"
Meng Shang had just finished surgery and had no appetite, so he wanted to rest in the office. As he approached, he saw Gu Huai standing in the corridor by the nurses' station, muttering to himself. When he got closer, he heard his name. To avoid awkwardness from overhearing something he shouldn't, he kindly announced his presence.
So now, the six eyes of the other three people were filled with unspoken understanding.
"We... were talking about the night-shift god! Ye Huan said you've been on a hot streak lately, so I was thinking of buttering up Dr. Chen to avoid being paired with you on night shifts."
Gu Huai was pushed forward by the two girls' glares. Since they'd shared the gossip, he had to contribute something—no slackers in cardiothoracic surgery, no free gossip. But as soon as he mentioned Ye Huan, she jumped, eyes wide, glancing at him, naturally missing that Meng Shang had already seen everything.
However, Meng Shang wasn't one to pry. Instead, he turned and studied Gu Huai, then sincerely suggested: "I have been on a hot streak lately. Make sure to ask Dr. Chen to schedule your shifts with Dr. Lu."
"Don't, don't... Actually, I feel safe on shift with you. Even if it's busy, it's fine." Gu Huai backed down.
Dr. Lu was a few years older than Meng Shang and was in his zodiac year this year—he wasn't sure if he should even wear red underwear. If it came to bad luck, he was far worse off than the fresh-faced Director Meng.
Meng Shang ignored Gu Huai's antics, nodded to Ye Huan and the others, and walked toward the office. Gu Huai immediately turned and followed, fawning: "Teacher! How did the surgery go today? What time did it end? Have you eaten? If not, should I go to the cafeteria and get you something?"
Meng Shang felt like there was a fly buzzing around him. It wasn't a good way to describe his student and colleague, but he couldn't find a better analogy. Entering the office, he picked up his meal card from the desk and handed it to Gu Huai, who had just managed to stop. "Just grab whatever. Thanks."
Gu Huai took it dumbly, blinked, feeling like Meng Shang had said nothing but also everything. "Okay, okay."
After Gu Huai left, Meng Shang poured half a cup of hot water, rubbed his lower back, and sat down at the desk. After prolonged high concentration, the sudden relaxation left him feeling dazed. Fatigue wasn't really a problem—the surgery wasn't too difficult. Valve repair surgeries were relatively basic for him now. He drank some water; his sluggish stomach finally reacted to its emptiness with a sharp pang of hunger. Meng Shang frowned, pressing his fingers over his neatly buttoned white coat in an attempt to relieve the sudden gastric discomfort. Unfortunately, the master of cardiothoracic surgery had little knowledge of stomach issues. Finding nothing to satisfy his hunger, he resorted to drinking more water.
He opened his phone to distract himself and noticed several messages from Jiang Ruoqi. It seemed she had finalized the rental with the landlord, paid the deposit and rent, and was preparing to move. Meng Shang had offered to help with the move, and they'd agreed on this Sunday. But Jiang Ruoqi now had to work on Sunday—she had to supervise an ad shoot in the morning and might only be free in the afternoon. She asked if it was still convenient for him.
Meng Shang rubbed his brow under his frameless glasses. His eyes were still sore, making the words blurry. After a moment's thought, he messaged Jiang Ruoqi asking if he could call her. Soon, her call came through.
"Good afternoon, Dr. Meng. Have you eaten?" Her voice was light, with no obvious fatigue.