DSMIS CH38

Chapter 38: Doctor Shen Touches Captain Jiang’s Achilles Heel

Living up to his title as Shen Xing’s soulmate through countless night shifts, just three slices of beef made Shen Xing’s stomach feel significantly less empty and unbearable: “Give me a bottle of Cola, please. I heard a lot of people feel better drinking this when they have altitude sickness.”

Perhaps due to a sheer lack of energy from oxygen deprivation, Shen Xing’s voice was soft and weak, scratching straight at Jiang Lin’s heart like a little kitten. Holding the bag of beef in one hand, Jiang Lin grabbed a can of Cola with the other. Pinning it against the nightstand with one hand, he popped the tab open and brought it to Shen Xing’s lips.

Shen Xing took a few gulps from his hand. The slightly chilled, refreshing taste cleared his mind a bit. “Feeling better?”

Shen Xing couldn’t resist leaning in for another sip, his eyes narrowing in bliss: “So comfortable.”

After speaking, he looked at the beef in Jiang Lin’s hand, only to watch Jiang Lin put it away: “You can’t eat too much meat right now. High protein is hard to digest. Wait a bit, I’ll bring dinner back for you.” “Oh.”

That evening, Shen Xing stayed in bed and ate the butter tea and porridge Jiang Lin brought back from the canteen. Unable to stomach the tsampa, he settled for some biscuits Jiang Lin had also brought.

Before long, Drolma came in with medicine to set up an IV drip: “Doctor Shen, do you have any swelling on your body right now?”

Jiang Lin immediately turned his head to look at Shen Xing. Shen Xing shook his head: “I don’t think so.”

Jiang Lin knew that edema caused by altitude sickness could be quite serious. Still worried, he asked, “Nothing on your legs or feet either?”

Shen Xing was amused by him: “Do you want to examine me, Captain Jiang?”

Jiang Lin actually lifted his blanket. Stunned for a moment, Shen Xing felt the man roll up his pant leg and poke him twice. Shen Xing was ticklish all over and couldn’t help but flinch his leg back.

Jiang Lin smoothed out his pant leg and turned to Drolma: “No edema.”

Drolma nodded: “Then we won’t give Furosemide. Just glucose and Mannitol.”

Shen Xing nodded. Mannitol was used to reduce intracranial pressure and relieve headaches and vomiting. Although its analgesic effect wasn’t strong for his throbbing pain, controlling the intracranial pressure was necessary; after all, ibuprofen only treated the symptoms, not the root cause.

There were two bags of IV fluid, neither volume too large. While receiving the glucose, Shen Xing adjusted the drip rate to a medium speed and nestled against the headboard. The massive, fluffy furball nuzzled over, bumping the IV pole and causing the tubing to sway violently.

Jiang Lin hurriedly steadied the pole and pressed a hand onto the Samoyed’s head, giving it a rub: “No moving around.”

The Samoyed’s response was to rub against his leg. Shen Xing pulled over his dog, who only knew how to cause trouble, and half-dragged it to the edge of the bed to hold it. Oxygen deprivation made him sleepy. He stroked the Samoyed’s fur, and as he petted it, he drifted off to sleep.

The room fell quiet. Sitting in the chair nearby, Jiang Lin only had to turn his head slightly to see Doctor Shen’s flushed face buried in the Samoyed’s neck fur as he slept. Driven by some inexplicable impulse, he reached out a hand, but just as he was about to touch his cheek, he snapped back to his senses and hastily pulled his hand back.

Feigning nonchalance, he pulled Heibao over and stroked his head twice. This caused Heibao to look up at him repeatedly. Every time he looked up, Jiang Lin would turn his head back around. Eventually, Heibao simply laid his head on Jiang Lin’s leg and stayed still.

For the next hour or so, Jiang Lin maintained this posture, sitting in the chair and watching the IV bag. When the glucose finished, he stood up to switch it to the Mannitol and adjusted the drip to the fastest speed.

There wasn’t much Mannitol, and it was empty after twenty-odd minutes. He moved closer to remove the needle. The Samoyed lying by the bed twitched its pink ears, wanting to cuddle with him. This movement woke Shen Xing up. Still groggy, he mumbled: “Hero.”

“The medicine is finished. I’m going to take the needle out.”

Shen Xing nodded, letting out an “Mm” from his throat, still a bit dazed.

Jiang Lin opened a sterile cotton swab from the nightstand, extremely carefully peeled off the tape, quickly pulled out the needle, and pressed the swab against the puncture site. As he held the swab there, Shen Xing was on the verge of falling back asleep. It wasn’t until Jiang Lin removed the swab that he roused himself slightly: “Hero, go wash up and come to bed. You have to drive back tomorrow.”

Controlling the urge to ruffle his hair, Jiang Lin nodded, acknowledged him, and quickly stood up. But Shen Xing suddenly grabbed his arm: “Wear my pajamas. I brought several sets; they’re in the suitcase. Oh, and I brought disposable underwear too. Find them yourself.” With that, he pointed to the half-latched suitcase in the corner of the room.

At the word “underwear,” Jiang Lin’s eyelid twitched. He went to the suitcase in the corner and found a clean set of pajamas. Only then did he realize Doctor Shen had packed nearly half a suitcase full of disposable underwear. He pulled out a package and entered the bathroom, his ears slightly red.

As the hot water cascaded from the showerhead, Jiang Lin’s mind was entirely consumed by the person lying in the bed outside. Before realizing these feelings, he could still interact with Doctor Shen naturally, but now…

He tilted his head back, burying his face in the stream of water. His mind was now overflowing with questions. Does Doctor Shen like men? Does he have a partner? If he knew how I felt, would he find it disgusting or feel offended?

Jiang Lin’s mind was a mess, and he finished the shower in a daze. Only after opening the packaging and putting on the disposable underwear did he realize a crucial problem: the underwear was a bit small!

He glanced down and felt a wave of embarrassment. He quickly pulled on Doctor Shen’s pajamas to cover up. As he put on the clothes, he could clearly smell the scent of Shen Xing’s usual laundry detergent on the fabric. He walked out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel, only to find the person on the bed hugging the Samoyed and staring right at the bathroom.

Locking eyes with Doctor Shen, Jiang Lin even wondered for a second if he had sleepwalked and forgotten to put on pants. Frozen in the bathroom doorway, he watched Shen Xing let out a sigh of relief: “I thought you fainted in the bathroom. I was just about to come save you.”

Jiang Lin was bewildered: “Huh?”

“You were showering for half an hour.”

Jiang Lin finally snapped back to reality. Somewhat awkwardly, he kept rubbing his hair with the towel: “Ah, the water wasn’t very hot at first.”

“Is the water hot now?” “Yeah.”

Shen Xing looked toward the bathroom, his eyes full of longing. He fiddled with Qianjin’s head, not clear who he was talking to: “It wouldn’t hurt if I just rinsed off real quick, right?”

Jiang Lin guessed he wouldn’t be able to resist taking a shower: “Are you feeling better?”

Hugging the Samoyed, Shen Xing couldn’t help but nuzzle against its soft fur, which had been washed nice and fragrant just two days ago. Lacking energy due to hypoxia, his voice was a bit soft: “I feel sticky all over. It feels like I spilled malatang soup all over myself. I’m going to turn sour.”

He hadn’t showered yesterday, and he had sweat while sleeping. Shen Xing was truly going crazy. After speaking, he shot a glance at the man drying his hair and found a perfect excuse: “Plus, I have to sleep in the same bed with you tonight. I’m afraid I’ll stink you out.”

This single sentence almost made the towel-drying Captain Jiang’s hand tremble: “I don’t mind the smell. You’d better just behave. You were feeling so sick just a little while ago.”

“But I feel bad! This is our first time sleeping in the same bed. I’ll just go rinse off. Just a quick rinse.”

Desperate for a shower, Doctor Shen had no idea how massive a wave his words would cause in Jiang Lin’s heart. And before those waves in Captain Jiang’s heart could even swell, he threw off the covers. He couldn’t stand it anymore.

Jiang Lin knew he couldn’t stop him: “Three minutes then.”

Shen Xing flashed an “OK” sign and floated into the bathroom. Afraid something might happen to him, Jiang Lin stood right by the door waiting.

When Shen Xing emerged with wet hair, Jiang Lin immediately wrapped a down jacket around him: “Go sit down. I’ll blow-dry your hair for you.”

As Shen Xing was pressed onto the edge of the bed, he looked down at the down jacket wrapped around him and couldn’t help but laugh: “Hero, the way you’re acting makes me feel like I’m doing postpartum confinement.”

“Just treat your current situation like postpartum confinement. The more you rest, the better you’ll be.”

Only after saying that did he realize the ambiguity of his words. Fortunately, Doctor Shen didn’t notice. He quickly turned on the hairdryer.

As the whirring sound of the hairdryer filled the air, he gently ran his fingers through Shen Xing’s hair as he dried it.

The sensation of fingers running through his hair was extremely distinct. Shen Xing suddenly remembered Jiang Lin’s model-perfect hands. The more he thought about it, the more his scalp tingled. He hadn’t felt this way at the hair salon, but… it was quite comfortable. He had to try his hardest not to shrink his neck in pleasure.

Jiang Lin didn’t turn off the hairdryer until it was completely dry: “Hurry and get into bed. Don’t catch a cold.”

Shen Xing obediently got into bed and wrapped himself in the blanket. He watched Jiang Lin turn the hairdryer back on to dry his own hair. His gaze couldn’t help but fall on those well-defined hands. He held the hairdryer with his right hand and ruffled his hair with his left. Shen Xing finally remembered that when Jiang Lin arrived this morning, he had a medicated plaster on his left wrist. He must have taken it off to shower. Shen Xing got out of bed, rummaged through his suitcase, and found two medicated plasters. After Jiang Lin finished drying his hair, Shen Xing patted the empty half of the bed beside him: “Come here, it’s time for your consultation.”

Jiang Lin put the hairdryer away and sat on the bed. Shen Xing held out a hand: “Left hand.”

He obediently offered his left hand. With practiced movements, Shen Xing rotated the joints and pressed a few acupoints on his wrist: “I saw you had a plaster on during the day. Was it because you drove for too long?”

“No, it was a little sore a couple of days ago. Because of the cold weather.”

After saying that, he caught Doctor Shen’s half-smiling gaze. Damn it, I forgot to change my excuse. Fortunately, Doctor Shen didn’t call him out on it this time. He peeled off a perfectly sized plaster, stuck it securely onto his wrist, and then uttered a single word: “Leg.”

Jiang Lin rolled up his pant leg. Shen Xing pressed down on it. Probably due to resting well in the afternoon, the swelling had gone down a bit. Coupled with the hot shower he just took, it was the first time his leg didn’t feel ice-cold to the touch. Shen Xing peeled off a plaster, applied it, gave it a pat, smoothed out his pant leg, and covered him with the blanket: “All done.”

Before Jiang Lin could speak, Shen Xing added: “Oh, right, Hero. I might not have the best sleeping posture. If I crowd you during the night, just wake me up.”

With that, he burrowed under his side of the blanket and yawned. This was a double bed with only one large blanket, so they had to share. Knowing his own sleeping habits, Shen Xing made sure to give him a heads-up.

Feeling much more comfortable after his shower, sleepiness washed over him. He didn’t even play on his phone before bed; he simply hit the pillow and fell asleep instantly.

Inside the room, Heibao remained lying by the door. Qianjin nudged the person on the bed with his head a couple of times. Seeing that Shen Xing was ignoring him, he happily trotted over to Heibao, nuzzled his large head against his neck, and, upon receiving a rub in return, lay down contentedly beside him.

The first time Jiang Lin woke up in the night was from the cold. The blanket on his side was constantly being pulled away. Pulling and pulling, until he had no blanket left. He opened his eyes to see Doctor Shen beside him, back turned, straddling the blanket with half of it bunched underneath him. He had no choice but to quietly get up, drape his down jacket over himself, and drift groggily back to sleep.

The second time he woke up, it was from being nudged. The person beside him had buried his head into his arm. Before long, Shen Xing’s arm wrapped around him as well. When Jiang Lin woke up, he felt that the person hugging him was icy cold all over, curled up against him like a cat. He quickly patted him down; Doctor Shen was only wearing his pajamas. Where was the blanket?

He lifted his head slightly and saw that only half the blanket was left on Shen Xing’s side of the bed; the rest had fallen to the floor. The wind had picked up outside, signaling the start of the temperature drop. The wind rattled the window frames. Shen Xing was sleeping right by the window, where cold air seeped through the cracks. Feeling the chill, he had burrowed toward Jiang Lin.

With one of his arms being hugged, Jiang Lin tried to pull it out but failed. He had no choice but to drape the large down jacket over him, wrapping his arm around his body to tuck the edges of the jacket underneath him.

A while later, when Shen Xing warmed up and rolled onto his back, Jiang Lin finally got up to retrieve the blanket. He wrapped half of it around Shen Xing, carefully tucking in the corners so he wouldn’t kick it off again, before lying down beside him, covered only by the remaining edge.

When Shen Xing woke up the next morning, he found himself wrapped in a down jacket with a blanket over it, while the person next to him pitifully only had a corner of the blanket.

“You’re awake?”

“Did I crowd you last night?”

Jiang Lin forced down the words “you hugged me last night”: “No, you just stole the blanket. Feeling better? Any headache or dizziness?”

Remembering something, Shen Xing immediately pulled his hand out from under the down jacket and reached toward Jiang Lin’s leg. However, as he reached out, he unexpectedly touched Captain Jiang’s “Achilles heel.” Jiang Lin felt his breathing stop for a split second.

When Shen Xing realized what he had touched, absolute awkwardness descended. The already quiet morning became even quieter. As if trying to alleviate the awkward atmosphere, he let out a chuckle: “Quite energetic, huh?”

Jiang Lin felt all the blood in his body rushing to one spot. The presence of the tight underwear became even more pronounced. He raised a hand to cover his eyes, his voice a bit hoarse: “Director Shen, please retract your divine powers.”

Sensing Captain Jiang’s embarrassment, Shen Xing, still trying to defuse the situation, moved his hand away from that sensitive area and continued reaching for his leg, muttering defensively: “I’m a doctor. What haven’t I seen? This is perfectly normal. It means you’re healthy.”

For the first time, Jiang Lin wanted to tape Doctor Shen’s mouth shut.
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Author’s Note:

Doctor Shen, please don’t try to alleviate awkwardness next time [Smirk]
Captain Jiang is about to shatter into pieces [Facepalm]