DSMIS CH48

Chapter 48: Doctor Shen’s Thoughts Turn Increasingly Dark

Jiang Lin’s hands were undoubtedly beautiful, the kind of handsome that stemmed from the bone structure itself. His finger bones were long and slender, and the body fat percentage from his wrist to his forearm was extremely low, highlighting the tight, smooth lines of his muscles. It was the kind of hand that exuded a sense of reliability and strength at first glance.

Shen Xing lowered his head, grasping Jiang Lin’s wrist. He weighed it in his hands for a moment before enveloping the entire palm with both hands, beginning to massage the muscles and nerves above the wrist bone that were affected. His mindset right now was one of throwing caution to the wind—I’m already holding his hand, might as well go all in.

“Captain Jiang, has anyone ever told you that you have really nice hands?”

Perhaps because the weather outside was about to change, the old injuries on Jiang Lin’s arms and legs were aching with a sour, swollen pain today. But right now, he couldn’t feel the pain in his arm at all; only a tingly, numb sensation remained. It felt as if two cat paws were kneading his arm. Hearing the question, he shook his head slightly:

“No. Don’t all hands look the same?”

Shen Xing completely disagreed with this statement:

“Who said that? Hands are just like faces; everyone’s is different. How could they all look the same?”

Jiang Lin slightly lowered his head:

“Then what kind do you like?”

Just as the words left his mouth, he felt his hand being bounced twice:

“I just like yours.”

Realizing how that sounded, Shen Xing quickly added:

“Your hands.”

The first half of the sentence made Jiang Lin’s heart pound twice. Shen Xing continued to massage him diligently. Jiang Lin was practically leaning against Shen Xing’s arm. Such close proximity, combined with the varying pressure of Director Shen’s hands, made it very difficult for him to control his emotions. He felt that even just sitting still, he could hear his own heartbeat.

Shen Xing’s massage moved from his palm to his wrist. Upon touching the wrist, he naturally felt Jiang Lin’s pulse. Only then did he realize the heartbeat was irregular. He quickly slid his fingers back down, the vibrations beneath his fingertips frantic and rapid:

“Why is your heart rate so fast?”

Jiang Lin felt a sudden wave of inexplicable guilt, like he’d been caught red-handed. Just as he was about to make up an excuse to brush it off, he heard Shen Xing’s voice:

“This heart rate isn’t right. Staying up all night put a heavy burden on your heart. Do you feel any palpitations or panic right now?”

Staying up all night. Right. Terrified that his unspeakable feelings would be exposed, Jiang Lin could only give an ambiguous answer:

“I think I do feel a little palpitated.”

“Do you have a blood pressure monitor or pulse oximeter at home?”

“No.”

“I have them at my place. Wait here a second, I’ll go get them.”

Shen Xing immediately stood up. Jiang Lin wanted to call him back but held himself back. He sat still, trying to calm his heartbeat, but the more he tried to calm down, the less he could.

Shen Xing moved quickly. When he returned, he was holding an electronic blood pressure monitor and a metallic stethoscope.

“Come on, go lie down flat in the bedroom. I’ll take your blood pressure.”

Jiang Lin had no choice but to get up, with Shen Xing closely behind him. A bedroom is a very private space. Although Shen Xing had been to Jiang Lin’s apartment many times, this was actually his first time stepping into his bedroom.

Unsurprisingly, the style of Jiang Lin’s bedroom matched the man himself—clean and sharp. The blanket was laid neatly on the bed; it even seemed as if someone with OCD had perfectly smoothed out every wrinkle.

Looking at a bed that was the complete opposite of his own style, Shen Xing rubbed his nose:

“Are you running a military boot camp in here?”

Jiang Lin was momentarily taken aback before looking at the bed, recalling Director Shen’s sofa, which seemed to grow clothes:

“It’s a habit.”

Shen Xing went ahead and pulled back the blanket for him:

“Lie down.”

Jiang Lin lay down on the bed, and Shen Xing sat right on the edge of it:

“I’ll listen to your chest first. It’s a bit cold, bear with it.”

He put on the stethoscope, lifted Jiang Lin’s shirt, and slid the chest piece inside. The moment Shen Xing’s fingers touched his chest, Jiang Lin felt his breathing stop for a second, and his heartbeat became even more uncontrollable. He desperately needed to find a topic of conversation. Without thinking, he blurted out:

“You know how to use this?”

It was true that Shen Xing wasn’t as proficient with a stethoscope as doctors from Cardiology or Pulmonology. Coupled with the fact that he was examining Jiang Lin, he was a little nervous, so his hand fumbled around Jiang Lin’s chest for quite a while before finding the right spot:

“I’m a Deputy Director, okay? Listening to a heartbeat is no problem for me. Shh.”

Jiang Lin didn’t dare make a sound. Shen Xing glanced at him:

“Don’t hold your breath.”

Only then did Jiang Lin resume breathing.

“Lung sounds are clear. Heart sounds have some premature beats, and the heart rate is still fast.”

He set down the stethoscope and wrapped the blood pressure cuff around Jiang Lin’s arm. The sound of inflation filled the room. A moment later, Shen Xing checked the reading on the monitor:

“85, 52, 103.”

Shen Xing frowned slightly:

“Your heart rate is a bit fast. Lie flat for a while, and I’ll measure it again. Why is your blood pressure so low? Do you feel dizzy?”

“Not right now.”

“Did you before?”

Jiang Lin answered honestly this time:

“Occasionally. When I get up in the morning, but it usually passes quickly.”

“Did this symptom only appear after your injury? Did you have it before?”

“Mm, didn’t have it before.”

Seeing Jiang Lin lying in bed, answering every question so obediently, Shen Xing found him incredibly endearing. He suppressed all the wild thoughts in his head, pulled the blanket over Jiang Lin, and patted him lightly:

“Lie down for a bit. I’ll measure it again in a while.”

With that, he took out his phone and opened the copy of Jiang Lin’s medical records he had saved. If he remembered correctly, Jiang Lin had lost a massive amount of blood when he was brought to the hospital. His current low blood pressure was very likely a sequel to that acute hemorrhage. As expected, medical records are calming. Looking at the recorded blood loss volume, all of Shen Xing’s extraneous thoughts vanished.

Ten minutes later, Shen Xing measured his blood pressure again.

“85, 50, 72.”

“Your heart rate is normal now, but this blood pressure is still too low. Go to the hospital on the day I work and get a blood test.”

“Okay.”

A quiet bedroom is inherently an intimate space. With one sitting, one lying down—especially with the person in bed being so well-behaved—Shen Xing felt he couldn’t quite handle it:

“Um, you should get some sleep. I’ll cook dinner tonight. Just come over when it’s time.”

Jiang Lin felt a bit reluctant to let him go:

“Are you going back now?”

“Ah, yeah. I still have a surgery video I haven’t finished watching. I’ll go back and watch it for a while.”

Jiang Lin had no choice but to nod. After all, he had no valid reason to keep Director Shen in his bedroom. He even felt a bit annoyed that his heartbeat had slowed down. If it were still over a hundred, Shen Xing probably wouldn’t have left.

Shen Xing stood up, poured a glass of warm water, and placed it on the nightstand. Suddenly, he looked up:

“By the way, your unit probably has annual physical exams, right? Do you have your past checkup reports? Send me the ones from the last two years.”

“Oh, I have them.”

Jiang Lin grabbed his phone, found his past medical reports, and forwarded them to Director Shen’s WeChat. Shen Xing nodded:

“Alright, go to sleep.”

With that, he went to get the Samoyed. Unfortunately, the Samoyed refused to leave Heibao alone, so he simply bundled Heibao up as well:

“I’m taking Heibao too, so he won’t wake you up.”

Shen Xing did indeed have an unfinished surgery video, but he didn’t watch it that afternoon. Instead, he started reviewing Jiang Lin’s past medical reports. He had to admit, Captain Jiang’s health had been quite robust previously, with almost no issues in his metrics. He then opened the thick file of medical records from after the injury. Seeing the metrics from his final discharge examination, Shen Xing sighed. They were all over the place, barely meeting the criteria for discharge.

He knew that at the time, Jiang Lin’s mind probably wasn’t on his own health. He had rushed to Fulan County without taking the time to recuperate properly. The last time Jiang Lin visited the hospital, Shen Xing had only prescribed tests related to his hand and leg; many other metrics hadn’t been checked at all. It was highly likely his current metrics weren’t good either.

After reviewing the medical records and researching various materials, it was already 3:30 PM. Shen Xing got up, stretched, and prepared to start cooking. As soon as he stood up, the two little ‘tails’ followed him. He rubbed the Samoyed’s head, hugged Heibao, took a deep breath of dog scent, and then entered the kitchen.

Jiang Lin came over shortly after 5 PM. Shen Xing opened the door and evaluated Jiang Lin’s complexion:

“Mm, you look much better than this morning. Food will be ready soon. Go wait inside.”

“Let me help you.”

“No need, I made soup, it’s all done. Just need to boil the noodles and we can eat.”

Shen Xing didn’t make anything too complicated for dinner—just a pork bone and yam soup, with plain white noodles as the staple.

When he carried the soup into the living room, it looked like Jiang Lin was training Heibao, while his own useless dog was causing trouble on the sidelines.

“I didn’t make anything complicated. Is noodle soup okay?”

Jiang Lin smiled:

“This is already very luxurious.”

Looking at Heibao, Shen Xing suddenly felt curious. He gently leaned in close to Jiang Lin, as if terrified someone else might hear his question:

“What happens when a drug-sniffing dog like Heibao finds something suspicious? Does he bark loudly?”

Jiang Lin was amused by his quiet, mouse-like voice:

“Usually, no. Most of the time, it’s a passive alert. When they find something suspicious, they will quietly sit or lie down on the spot, point their head towards the suspicious item, and nudge their handler’s leg with their nose as a warning. If it’s an enclosed space, however, they might bark.”

Shen Xing recalled their very first encounter:

“So that time you had Heibao sniff my suitcase… if he had just laid down right there, I wouldn’t have been able to leave, would I?”

Being confronted with an old score out of nowhere made Jiang Lin feel a bit guilty:

“I was just doing it as a precaution that time. Actually, I didn’t…”

Seeing him struggle to explain, Shen Xing waved his hand dismissively:

“It’s fine, I’m not mad. I just think my unlucky constitution is truly unmatched. Not only did my car look exactly like the target vehicle, but even after clearing the security checkpoint, I still managed to bump into a highly decorated anti-narcotics cop and his drug-sniffing dog on the road. I really am not cut out for doing bad things.”

Otherwise, with this constitution, wouldn’t he send himself straight to jail in minutes?

Jiang Lin nodded:

“Mm, Director Shen is meant to heal the sick and save lives, accumulating boundless merit.”

Shen Xing’s heart had experienced quite a few emotional rollercoasters today. Lying in bed that night, he couldn’t help but carefully consider how he should handle his relationship with Jiang Lin.

Confessing his feelings directly to Jiang Lin was definitely out of the question. Firstly, he couldn’t bring himself to say it. Secondly, if it went poorly, he and Jiang Lin probably couldn’t even remain friends. But if he were to distance himself from Jiang Lin right now, he felt he couldn’t do that either. After all these years, he had finally met someone he liked. Even if he could only look and not touch, actively running away would be too much of a loss.

After pondering over and over, the conclusion was that he didn’t dare move forward, but couldn’t bear to step back. Shen Xing scooped up the Samoyed, rubbed its large face, and nuzzled its fur repeatedly:

“Silly dog, what do you think I should do?”

The Samoyed didn’t understand Shen Xing’s dilemma, but it loved him. The smiling angel simply tilted its head, looking at him with a wide grin. Eventually, it made Shen Xing laugh too. He rubbed the dog’s head, his thoughts turning increasingly devious. Anyway, Jiang Lin doesn’t seem to be repulsed by me. No, I should say Jiang Lin treats me very well. In that case, why not just be friends? Friends can have very close relationships too. And occasionally… occasionally I can reap a few little benefits, right? Shen Xing’s thoughts grew darker by the second.

Jiang Lin was on duty on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, but on the evening of the third, something came up at the county bureau, and he was called in. Before leaving, he dropped Heibao off at Shen Xing’s place.

The next day, Shen Xing prepared to enjoy an immersive Spring Festival holiday experience. With Heibao pressed against his left side and his arms wrapped around the Samoyed on his right, he sat on the carpet scrolling through his tablet. Because he had watched many cooking tutorials recently, the platform almost exclusively recommended food videos. These things were dangerous—once you started watching, you couldn’t stop.

He scrolled to a video of homemade Korean BBQ. Pork belly sizzling with oil, paired with shredded scallion salad and kimchi, placed on a slice of apple to eat. This vlogger didn’t just know how to eat; they knew how to drink too. They made mulled wine with fruit, which looked incredibly comforting. Shen Xing could already imagine the feeling of sitting on his carpet drinking hot mulled wine. Driven by immense motivation, he immediately took the ‘black and white duo’ out to buy ingredients.

He didn’t want to squeeze into the crowded New Year’s supermarkets, so he went to a liquor store for a bottle of red wine, a butcher shop for the BBQ meat, and finally headed to a fruit and vegetable shop for the remaining items. Just as he was about to cross the street, he noticed a small pickup truck parked by the side of the road. The bed was full of oranges, which looked quite fresh. They would be perfect for the mulled wine. He walked over with his bags.

“Boss, how much are the oranges?”

The owner seemed to be sleeping in the cab. Hearing his voice, he lifted his eyelids. His voice floated out from the car:

“These were pre-ordered by a vegetable shop, not for sale.”

Feeling a bit awkward, Shen Xing placed the orange he was holding back onto the pile.

However, Heibao’s reaction at that moment was a bit unusual. He lifted his head, sniffed around the edge of the truck bed, and nudged the orange Shen Xing had just put down with his nose. Suddenly, he sat down perfectly straight by Shen Xing’s leg, constantly rubbing his cheek against him.

Shen Xing didn’t pay much attention at first, but the force bumping against his leg grew stronger. He turned his head to look at Heibao’s reaction, and suddenly, Jiang Lin’s words from the day before yesterday echoed in his mind. A cold sweat broke out all over his body.

He looked into the cab of the pickup truck, making eye contact with the driver through the rearview mirror. His heart skipped a beat. The man didn’t stare back for long, simply pulling his hat down over his face, ready to go back to sleep. A cold sweat broke out on Shen Xing’s back, and his hand holding the leashes trembled slightly. As he put down the orange and turned around, his body felt a bit stiff, because he thought he heard the sound of a car door opening behind him. But he didn’t dare turn his head.

He was still very far from where he had parked his car, and there weren’t many people on the street. His first thought was Jiang Lin. He pulled out his phone, practically typing a line of text blindly, and frantically sent his location.