DSMIS CH18

Chapter 18: The Intimidating Aura of the “White Coat”

Jiang Lin followed the nurse to the inpatient department. Returning to his office, Shen Xing couldn’t wait to unpack the bag of delicious food. He opened a box of cream puffs and took a bite. The aroma of cream bloomed between his lips and teeth, and his eyes lit up. Wow, where did Jiang Lin buy such good cream puffs? He couldn’t resist taking another bite, chasing it with a gulp of milk.

Just as he swallowed, he suddenly remembered something. He immediately stood up and rushed to the window. His office was on the second floor, and the hospital courtyard wasn’t large, allowing him to take in the entire area at a glance. But after scanning the yard several times, he didn’t see the big, fat white dog.

Oh no, did he get snatched by a dog thief? Shen Xing dropped his food and hurried outside. Jiang Lin’s car was still parked in the hospital lot, but the surrounding trees were completely empty.

Where was his sixty-pound, big fat dog? He circled the area again but didn’t even see a dog’s shadow. Shen Xing started to panic. Did he really just lose Qianjin right after picking him up?

Jiang Lin came downstairs and went to Shen Xing’s office, only to see the open box of cream puffs, a half-eaten sausage, and milk scattered on the desk—but no person in sight.

He was just about to go out and look for him when he saw the man in the white coat through the window, looking around anxiously. He took out his phone and called him, only to hear the ringtone sounding inside the office.

Jiang Lin walked out of the building. “Dr. Shen.”

Shen Xing turned around, his face showing undisguised anxiety. “Hero, Qianjin is missing. Which tree did you tie him to?”

Jiang Lin waved at him. “He’s not lost, don’t worry. I dropped him off at the county police station courtyard. I forgot to tell you.”

Shen Xing hadn’t even put on his overcoat, standing in the courtyard in just his white coat, sweating from anxiety. Hearing this, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He exhaled and walked over. “You scared me to death. I thought a dog thief got him. That silly dog could sell for a lot even just priced by the pound.”

Jiang Lin chuckled, thinking of the big white puffball, then glanced down at his watch. “The cafeteria is closed at this hour. Let’s go out and grab a bite.”

Shen Xing actually wanted to say that his snacks were enough, but seeing Jiang Lin’s lack of energy, he figured if he refused, this guy wouldn’t eat dinner either. “Alright, come back to the office with me first.”

Jiang Lin didn’t say anything and followed him back. Once in the office, Shen Xing pulled him over to the sofa and pulled a mercury thermometer from the drawer. “Clamp this.”

Jiang Lin stood there, unmoving. Shen Xing leaned against the desk, arms crossed, looking down. “Officer Jiang, could you please not smash our hospital’s reputation right here?”

Hearing himself addressed as “Officer Jiang” again, Jiang Lin slowly placed the thermometer under his arm.

Shen Xing tidied up the desk, checked the time, and had Jiang Lin take out the thermometer. 38.3°C.

“Let’s go. We’re going to the ER to draw some blood, then grab some meds for you to take back.”

Jiang Lin was dragged to the ER. The routine blood test results came back quickly. Shen Xing found a colleague to prescribe some medication and then pulled Jiang Lin back to his office.

“Don’t go out to eat. I’ll order some takeout. You’ll eat here, then go home, take your meds, and sleep.”

The white coat probably really did come with magical buffs. Dr. Shen in his “white coat skin” was much more intimidating than Dr. Shen in his orange windbreaker. Jiang Lin didn’t argue. His head was aching and dizzy anyway, so he just nodded silently.

Shen Xing pulled out his phone and opened a food delivery app. When he looked up, he saw Jiang Lin curled up on the small office sofa, his head slightly lowered. The fluorescent light cast a dark shadow over his sharp features, making him look pale and exhausted.

Ever since they met, it seemed like Shen Xing was always the one getting into trouble, while Jiang Lin constantly solved his problems. Suddenly seeing Jiang Lin’s fragile side, Shen Xing felt a sudden sense of mission to take care of him.

The takeout arrived quite fast. “Hero, dinner’s ready.”

Jiang Lin got up from the sofa. Shen Xing pulled up a stool for himself and pushed Jiang Lin into his own office chair. “I didn’t order anything too greasy. This cold tossed crispy bamboo shoots is their highly recommended dish. Try it.”

Jiang Lin obediently took a couple of bites of the bamboo shoots. Shen Xing felt like Jiang Lin was a bit delirious from the fever right now, as obedient as a kindergartener.

After the meal, Shen Xing cleaned up the mess. “Alright, Hero, I’ll walk you out. Hurry home, take your medicine, and get some sleep.”

Jiang Lin put on his coat and looked at him. As if anticipating what he was going to say, Shen Xing spoke up directly, “Don’t worry. If anything comes up with Auntie Cao tonight, I’ll notify you immediately.”

Shen Xing walked Jiang Lin to the door, only then remembering his own dog was still across the street at the county police station. “Uh, Hero, Qianjin can’t stay at the station all night. I’ll go get him. Could I trouble you to drop him off at my place? Here are my house keys. Just put him inside.”

Shen Xing dug his house keys out of his pocket and shoved them right into Jiang Lin’s hand without any hesitation. Jiang Lin looked at the keys in his hand.

“Is it really okay to just leave him at your place alone? When I took him to the city bureau this afternoon, he looked a bit listless. Let me take him to my place first. You can pick him up tomorrow after your night shift.”

Shen Xing was actually a little worried about his little useless dog, too. Being locked in a transport crate for hours had already stressed him out, and then he got carsick on the ride back. But Jiang Lin was running a fever. “You have a fever. Just leaving him at my place is fine.”

Jiang Lin lifted the bag in his hand. “Didn’t you just prescribe me fever reducers? He’ll be fine at my place for one night.”

“Well, alright then. Sorry for the trouble.”

“Let’s stop being so polite to each other, Dr. Shen.”

“Deal. It’s just a few steps away anyway, I’ll walk you across the street to pick up the little trash.”

Jiang Lin drove to the county station and brought Shen Xing into the building. Almost everyone had already gotten off work. Qianjin was in the duty room. As soon as Shen Xing walked in, he saw a large fluffball huddled by the sofa. In front of him were empty sausage wrappers—at least three of them. Clearly, even though he was listless, it hadn’t stopped him from eating.

Qianjin only reacted when he saw Shen Xing, his pink ears twitching as he whined coquettishly. Shen Xing thanked the police officers for taking care of the dog multiple times before bringing Qianjin to Jiang Lin’s car. “Qianjin, you’re going to Uncle Jiang’s house tonight. Daddy will pick you up tomorrow after work.”

Jiang Lin also rubbed Qianjin’s big head. “How old is he?”

“He’ll be exactly one year old after this month.”

Jiang Lin flicked the Samoyed’s ear. “Still just a kid, huh.”

Shen Xing looked at Jiang Lin, speaking up like a worried mother hen. “Hero, Qianjin is a massive coward. He’s never won a fight against another dog in his life. A two-month-old poodle barking at him can scare him into airplane ears. If… if he is really terrified of Heibao, just dump him back at my place.”

He spoke with the utmost devotion of a doting parent.

Remembering how the dog in front of him was even afraid of thunder, Jiang Lin’s lips curled into a smile. “Don’t worry, Heibao won’t scare a kid. If he’s scared, I’ll just put him in my room. Rest assured.”

Shen Xing lowered his head and rubbed the big head of his little useless dog. “Alright, be a good boy and go home with Uncle.”

Shen Xing returned to the hospital, and Jiang Lin drove the white puffball home.

Thanks to the two small cans of dog food fed to him earlier, Qianjin obediently let Jiang Lin lead him upstairs. As soon as Jiang Lin opened the door, Heibao rushed out from the balcony. The black German Shepherd, ears perked up, looked quite cheerful and was just about to pounce on Jiang Lin.

“Awooo~”

A bizarre, out-of-tune yelp erupted from the white puffball’s mouth. Before Jiang Lin could even process what was happening, the big white puffball beside him had already darted behind his back. His big, fluffy pink ears were plastered flat against his head, and he pressed his large head firmly against his butt, nudging him relentlessly while whining in a completely distorted pitch from sheer terror. Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Jiang Lin turned around to grab him, but the white puffball was convinced that behind Jiang Lin was the safest place on earth. As Jiang Lin turned, he turned with him.

One man and one dog ended up tangled together in the leash. Opposite them, Heibao stopped in his tracks, tilting his head slightly, his ears twitching. He didn’t seem to understand what the human and dog in front of him were doing. Is this some new type of training?

Jiang Lin finally managed to grab the bristling Samoyed. Most of the dogs he dealt with were trained police dogs from the K-9 base, skilled at sniffing out drugs, explosives, and other contraband. They were comrades who would charge into battle at a single command, brave and fearless. He was a bit at a loss on how to handle this trembling Samoyed whose barks were cracking out of fear.

After a moment’s thought, he could only mimic how Shen Xing had comforted Qianjin the night before. He crouched down, pulled the white puffball into his arms, and gently stroked his ears and head. “Don’t be afraid. This is Heibao, he won’t hurt you. Don’t be afraid, I’ll open a little can of food for you, okay?”

The Samoyed continued to tremble, burying his head deep into Jiang Lin’s embrace. Jiang Lin finally understood Shen Xing’s concern. By the time his legs had grown numb from the pain, the big white puffball in his arms finally stopped shaking. Using the doorframe for support, he stood up and made a hand gesture to Heibao. Heibao gave the white puffball a single glance, turned around silently, and went back to his bed on the balcony to lie down.

“He’s gone, don’t be afraid.”

In the living room, Jiang Lin poured a glass of water and took the medicine Shen Xing had prescribed him. Qianjin squatted by his legs, head down, executing a clean sweep policy on the small can of dog food in front of him.

The pain in his leg made Jiang Lin instinctively reach for the pillbox in his jacket, only to realize he had run out of painkillers. He casually pulled open the drawer under the coffee table and took out fresh boxes of Gabapentin and Pregabalin. He was just about to open them, but his dizzy, throbbing head and the rising wave of nausea reminded him of the side effects of painkiller overdoses. He couldn’t take any more pills. Raising his hand, he closed the drawer, leaned weakly back against the sofa, and closed his eyes to rest.

Suddenly, a heavy weight pressed onto his leg. Opening his eyes, he saw that Qianjin, having finished his canned food, had rested his head on his thigh. His pink ears were perked up again, and his round face framed two dark, gem-like eyes. Right now, he was tilting his head, looking at him. It seemed the canned food had put him in a great mood, and he was returning the favor by rubbing against his leg and acting cute.

Jiang Lin rubbed his ears, pulled out his phone, and took a close-up picture of the Samoyed. He sent it to Dr. Shen, who was currently on duty. “He’s full now. Don’t worry.”

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Author’s note:

Putting on the white coat means he’s no longer that unlucky guy.

Heibao scared his future mate upon their very first meeting.