DSMIS CH7

Chapter 7: Sharing a Room Just Like That?

Jiang Lin pulled out his wallet to retrieve his ID, leaning in slightly to whisper:

“This is the last place on the entire street.”

Shen Xing caught the message immediately—if they didn’t take this final room, they would be sleeping out on the curb tonight. He reached into his own pocket as well. It seemed today’s string of novel experiences didn’t just end with eating a meal with a stranger, but extended to sleeping in the same room with one too. In a daze, he couldn’t help but feel that the whole situation was profoundly abstract.

After registering, Jiang Lin asked the manager if they could bring a dog inside. The young manager held up five fingers, indicating it would be an extra fifty yuan. Shen Xing beat Jiang Lin to the punch, paying the 80 yuan room fee plus the 50 yuan dog accommodation charge for the night.

Jiang Lin, who hadn’t managed to pay in time, said: “I’ll transfer my share to you in a bit.”

Shen Xing felt helpless: “Don’t be ridiculous, hero. It’s just 130 yuan—do you seriously want to split that with me?”

The wear and tear on the man’s truck from towing his car for two hours along the road was worth way more than adding a zero to that number.

The manager led them upstairs. The lodge was tiny—essentially just a self-built, three-story building. Their room was on the third floor, and the wooden staircase clearly had some history behind it. Shen Xing carried his medical case ahead, while Jiang Lin followed behind with his backpack, holding the dog’s leash. Every step on the wooden stairs creaked loudly; Shen Xing was genuinely terrified that a bad step might snap the wood, plunging his leg through and causing a fracture, so he trod with extreme caution.

When the room door opened, a stale wave of damp air hit them right in the face. The furnishings inside were sparse to the extreme: just two beds, two nightstands, a single TV, and a solitary chair. On the bright side, there was a private bathroom, though the showerhead looked like a relic from the previous century. Shen Xing deeply doubted whether that rusted showerhead could even spray water at all.

Just as he was sighing in front of the showerhead, someone tapped his shoulder lightly. Turning around, he saw Jiang Lin pointing toward the beds:

“Which side do you want to sleep on?”

“Ah, I’ll take the outer one.”

Jiang Lin nodded, leading Heibao over to the inner side of the room to set down his backpack. Shen Xing leaned against the wall, crossing his arms as he looked at the handsome dog, suddenly letting out a soft laugh:

“I just realized—his accommodation cost more than both of ours combined.”

Jiang Lin froze for a moment. That was actually true. The two of them averaged 40 yuan a person, while Heibao alone was 50. He stroked the dog’s head with a grin:

“Taking him out is basically a pay-to-win feature.”

Jiang Lin pulled a sleeping bag from his backpack, placed it on his bed, and then unzipped a toiletry kit. Turning around, he saw Shen Xing still standing in place, touching the mattress without actually sitting down, looking completely at a loss as to where to step:

“Not used to this?”

Director Shen looked at the bedding, his nose twitching slightly in distaste:

“Yeah… the quilt feels so damp. Did they put it out before it was even properly dried?”

Jiang Lin took one look at Shen Xing and knew this doctor was a meticulous person who likely rarely stayed in budget lodges like this:

“The humidity in the south is high. On rainy days like this, even a freshly dried quilt will feel damp once it’s laid out. Did you bring your own bedsheets? You could lay a layer down.”

Dr. Shen shook his head blankly. He had assumed he would be staying in hotels all along the way—why on earth would he bring his own bedsheets?

Jiang Lin turned around, rummaged through his bag, and handed over a plastic-sealed package:

“A disposable bed cover. Use this for now.”

Shen Xing’s eyes lit up instantly:

“Hero, you even have one of these? I won’t stand on ceremony then. Thanks!”

Jiang Lin sat on the edge of his bed. From this angle, he could clearly see every micro-expression on Shen Xing’s face—his brow and the corners of his eyes were brimming with pure relief now that his predicament was resolved. As Shen Xing tore open the packaging and prepared to fit it over the bed, Jiang Lin couldn’t resist speaking up:

“Dr. Shen.”

Shen Xing: “Huh?”

“You’re just going to use it directly?”

Shen Xing turned his head, then looked down at the package in his hands, completely baffled:

“Isn’t this supposed to be laid out directly?”

Jiang Lin sat there without moving. The yellowish glow from the dim tungsten bulb in the room cast a shade over his eyes and brows:

“Aren’t you afraid I might be a bad guy? What if I saved you with ulterior motives? What if there’s some kind of drug in this disposable package, and the moment you open it, you fall right into a trap, leaving yourself completely at my mercy?”

Jiang Lin’s words struck Shen Xing like a bolt from the blue. His eyes widened, his heart skipped a beat, and his brain flashed through countless anti-fraud stories his mother was always sending him—kids leading strangers to their homes, pregnant women feigning illness to get rides from passersby… So now kids and pregnant women are out of a job, and 185-cm tall muscular dudes are taking matters into their own hands?! At the thought, his hands gripping the package began to sweat slightly.

Jiang Lin waited until the guy’s face turned completely pale before bursting into laughter:

“Just teasing you. I’m a good guy. This was originally for my own use, but since I brought a sleeping bag today, I had an extra one to spare.”

With Jiang Lin’s laugh, the tense air in the room seemed to flow again. Shen Xing collapsed onto the bed, his face slumping:

“Hero, I’ve been mentally and physically exhausted all day long. Please stop pulling my leg.”

Jiang Lin rubbed his nose, speaking with a touch of apology:

“My bad. I just wanted to remind you that you should always stay guarded around strangers—after all, we’re hundreds of miles away from home.”

Shen Xing, still holding the disposable bed cover, looked up at him with a miserable expression:

“So… can I put it on now?”

Jiang Lin nodded immediately this time:

“Yes, yes. Do you know how to lay it out?”

Shen Xing let out a confident smile:

“Hero, I’m 28 years old—do you really think I don’t know how to make a bed? Besides, I’m practically a semi-pro at this. Before I became the chief surgeon, I used to lay out surgical drapes for my mentors all the time.”

With that, he hoisted his quilt onto Jiang Lin’s bed and swiftly fitted the disposable cover over his own mattress with practiced agility.

Jiang Lin crossed his arms, watching him finish:

“Sleep soundly tonight. We even have a lookout posted for the two of us.”

Shen Xing looked at Heibao, who was tilting his head at him. Truth be told, just looking at this German Shepherd gave off an undeniable sense of security—it was in a completely different league compared to the little useless lump he had at home.

“Honestly, yeah. Hard work for him tonight.”

Jiang Lin pointed to the foldable, lightweight dog crate he had just pulled from his backpack:

“I’ll assemble his den first. Do you want to shower first?”

“Ah, sure.”

Still feeling a bit dazed, Shen Xing grabbed his pajamas and went into the bathroom. It was freezing cold, making him reluctant to strip down. If it weren’t for his obsessive-compulsive need to shower before getting into bed, he definitely would have given up on bathing tonight.

It took a while for the hot water to run, filling the small room with steam until it resembled a misty wonderland. Shen Xing took a deep breath, summoned his resolve, stripped naked in under a minute, dashed under the showerhead to quickly wash his hair and body, and then tore open the disposable bath towel sitting on the vanity counter.

A disposable bath towel was probably the single redeeming feature of this budget lodge, even if the towel was so thin it looked practically sheer. Only after drying himself off did Shen Xing realize he had only brought his pajamas and forgotten his underwear. After two seconds of internal conflict, he went commando under his pajamas, clutched his clothes against his chest to cover himself, stepped out of the bathroom, and scrambled into bed in one smooth motion.

The second he slipped under the covers, Shen Xing shuddered violently, pulling his feet back up instantly. Was this a duvet or an ice cellar?! The quilt felt like it was sitting at absolute zero…

“It’s way too cold! Can we turn on the AC?”

Jiang Lin turned around just in time to see him curled up into a ball under the quilt. He waved the AC remote in his hand helplessly:

“I just tried it and called the manager to ask—the heating function is broken.”

Shen Xing was dumbfounded:

“Huh?!”

Does it really have to be this miserable?!

Jiang Lin glanced at him, got up, grabbed an empty mineral water bottle he had just finished, and poured in some boiled water that had cooled slightly. Handing the hot water bottle over, he said:

“Hold onto this. It’ll warm you up a bit.”

The second Shen Xing’s hand touched the bottle, he pulled back from the heat. Jiang Lin held the cap, wrapped a towel around the bottle, and handed it over again.

Shen Xing felt a bit embarrassed—it made him look like he couldn’t manage basic self-care:

“Thanks a bunch, hero. Oh, by the way, there’s no non-slip mat inside. I just washed my hair, so watch out—it’s slippery.”

Jiang Lin nodded, pointing at the phone sitting on the nightstand:

“Your phone had video calls popping up continuously just now.”

“Oh, got it.”

Jiang Lin stepped into the bathroom. Shen Xing rolled the scalding bottle back and forth inside his quilt several times, making sure every corner was properly warmed up before clutching the bottle against his chest. Picking up his phone, he saw that the three missed video calls were all from Xu Chun. He dialed back, and the video call connected almost instantaneously.

On the screen was Xu Chun’s completely hopeless face, alongside a fluffy white snowball tucked into his arms, its ears pinned back in fear, whimpering softly:

“I was wondering when you’d finally pick up! Hurry up and look at your son! There were just a few rumbles of thunder outside, and I already pulled him under the covers with me. He even ate his canned food in bed, and after finishing it, he just kept shivering and whining!”

Xu Chun scooped up the big white snowball buried in his neck a bit, facing it toward the camera:

“Quick, your dad’s here to see you!”

Qianjin caught sight of Shen Xing’s face on the screen. Despite the dog’s furry face, Shen Xing could clearly read sheer grievance in its eyes. The big white furry face leaned close, stretching out its tongue to lick Shen Xing on the screen, giving Xu Chun’s phone a bath in drool.

“Hey, hey! Don’t lick!”

Seeing his dog looking so pitiable, Shen Xing’s heart broke. Holding his phone, he began showering the dog with relentless coos and comfort.

Jiang Lin stepped out of the bathroom wearing deep gray fleece pajamas. Holding a hairdryer, he was just about to plug it in when he heard Shen Xing’s voice:

“Be a good boy, Qianjin. Dad will reach the county town tomorrow. As soon as I settle in, I’ll bring you right over, okay?”

Jiang Lin turned his head slightly, a subtle trace of surprise on his face. This doctor got married pretty early—he already has a kid? Shen Xing looked up as well, their eyes meeting in mid-air for half a second. Seeing Jiang Lin pause with the hairdryer plug in hand, Shen Xing subconsciously spoke up:

“It’s fine, go ahead and blow-dry your hair.”

“The hairdryer is pretty loud. Won’t it disturb you?”

“No problem at all! I can still hear fine.”

Shen Xing’s phone screen instantly swapped from the Samoyed’s big face to Xu Chun’s face:

“What’s the situation?! There’s someone else in your room?!”

The voice, raised an octave higher, rang out crystal clear in the quiet room. Shen Xing froze, while Jiang Lin pressed his lips together, blinking softly.

Looking down, Shen Xing saw Xu Chun’s eyes blazing with intense gossip. For the first time in his life, he was at a loss for how to explain. Should I say I slid into a ditch on the road, got dug out by someone, and then ended up sharing a single room with a guy I just met because there were no rooms left? If he actually said that, Xu Chun would probably assume he had fallen into a pyramid scheme or a human trafficking ring, and might even try to launch a rescue operation.

“There was a landslide up ahead, so the road was blocked and the hotels were fully booked. I happened to run into an alumnus from my old university who was out here on a business trip, so we decided to split a room.”

Xu Chun looked skeptical:

“An alumnus?”