Part 2
Everyone here was a talent (though brains might have some issues), spoke nicely (though mostly nonsense), and most importantly, he could see the beautiful, gentle Beta doctor who would praise people every day.
Hospitalization suddenly seemed to become a thing full of pink bubbles and anticipation.
If Tang Xingye had maintained the rough feeding method from just now, Dr. Ge would have classified him as an alternative Beta. But Tang Xingye didn’t at all; with a strange method mixing absolute coldness and subtle control, he effortlessly made the patients submissive and docile.
After a few days of observation, Dr. Ge realized his initial judgment of Tang Xingye was too hasty. As long as it wasn’t those patients deliberately provoking or making trouble, this seemingly cold Beta intern actually showed unexpected patience.
In the dorm group chat, they asked Tang Xingye: [How does the internship feel?]
Tang Xingye: [Quite interesting. Talk when I get back, I’m almost at the door.]
He returned to school. Just as he pushed open the door, he saw Lu Zhi opening the door synchronously, helping him take off his coat, change his shoes, and even wiping them for him. Such meticulous and thoughtful service made Tang Xingye pause.
“Eaten yet?”
“Mn.”
Tang Xingye looked up and sized up the dorm. Only Pei Lian was there, busy with matters at hand. Lu Zhi opened a pack of snacks and handed it to Tang Xingye, starting a topic casually, “Any interesting things in the hospital today?”
Tang Xingye took the snacks, thought for a moment, and spoke in a flat tone: “Just a few transfer patients today were a bit troublesome, disobedient.”
Two gazes, either direct or hidden, instantly focused on Tang Xingye. A strange, subtle sense of satisfaction rippled through the Alphas’ hearts simultaneously.
Lu Zhi sat closest, grinning, his tone carrying unconcealed smugness: “Patients there are more difficult; you don’t need to give them a good face.”
Pei Lian stopped the movement in his hand, looked up, and gazed at Tang Xingye gently, his tone carrying just the right amount of concern and a trace of imperceptible pleasure. “The environment in the Seventh Institute is complex, and the quality of personnel varies.”
Tang Xingye was a bit baffled by their sudden reaction. Just a casual complaint, why do they seem so happy? He looked at them strangely: “Why is your reaction so big?”
The two immediately looked away in tacit understanding, but the atmosphere of dark delight—”He complained to us about outsiders,” “We are the insiders”—lingered in the air.
…
The Seventh Institute.
The patients were surprisingly well-behaved, almost everyone holding a small mirror, examining themselves intently. The originally listless Alphas seemed injected with strange vitality; some carefully combed their sparse hair in the mirror, applying hair oil obtained from who knows where.
The burly men who used to scream and smash things were now sitting quietly on the edge of the bed, holding secretly hidden perfume and carefully rubbing it on their wrists and necks. The air was filled with a weird smell of disinfectant mixed with various fragrances.
Relying on his tall physique and prestige to grab the washroom, Alpha Qi looked at himself in the mirror—deep features, strong brow bones. He touched his tough-guy face, suddenly developing a bit of appearance anxiety. He used to look down on pretty-boy looks the most, but the Beta now seemed to buy into that.
He looked at his fierce face in the mirror and felt deep doubt for the first time:
Is he too ugly? Not worthy of the little doctor?
Hearing the sound of wheels, the patients perked up, quickly adjusted their sitting postures, subconsciously straightened the collars of their hospital gowns, and even secretly smoothed down sticking-up hair.
Unexpected development. Compared to the last Alpha who ran away, Tang Xingye not only completed the task perfectly beyond quota but also intangibly maintained the order of the Seventh Institute.
Because work intensity was high and leave was hard to get, the colleagues at the Seventh Institute had a good relationship. Plus, Tang Xingye shared the most headache-inducing work of medicine distribution, so he quickly integrated into the team. Colleagues would feed Tang Xingye fruits and snacks, mostly green apples and yellow peach cans, but deliberately avoided mangoes, dragon fruits, and the like.
Zhou Lin came to the Seventh Institute to see Tang Xingye. Noticing the figures peeking behind him, the corners of his lips pressed down, then as if thinking of something, he smiled with relief. Seeming a bit helpless about the fact that the Beta was the focal point wherever he went, he whispered, “Dr. Tang, they’re looking at you again?”
He used the other’s current title, tone familiar.
“Isn’t it normal for them to look at me?” Tang Xingye blinked indifferently, twirled his pen nimbly, and answered as a matter of course, without even turning back to confirm.
Zhou Lin was silent. Indeed very normal.
Tang Xingye put the pen aside and picked up craft paper to fold, pale pink fingers flipping nimbly.
Zhou Lin’s gaze stayed on the skilled movements and beautiful technique. Tang Xingye seemed to have folded this many times; very quickly, a rose appeared. He guessed it had been folded for the patients here.
The pale pink rose was very beautiful, stained with that cold fragrance naturally carried by Tang Xingye, instantly becoming the only bright color in this confined cold white space, grabbing Zhou Lin’s eye.
“Coming to find me in such a hurry? As expected, it’s because of the lab materials sent last time.” Tang Xingye put down the flower, raised an eyebrow, tone carrying understanding. “Wait until my internship here ends, the project continues.”
Tang Xingye raised his chin slightly, eyes revealing a little fox-like smug spirit. “Your investment won’t be a loss.”
Zhou Lin smiled, eyes holding indescribable helplessness and indulgence. Tang Xingye was still so “unenlightened” about feelings. His voice was gentle but carried a clear direction. “I came here not to talk to you about these things.”
Hearing this, Tang Xingye turned his head to look at him, chin resting on the heel of his palm, tone stained with a bit of laziness: “Then… you missed me?”
“…”
Tang Xingye is a bit too frank now.
Zhou Lin turned to look at him, tone softening. “I came to spend Christmas with you.” He paused, then added as if to save face, carrying a hint of imperceptible teasing, “To avoid you secretly marking me down in your diary again due to some childish temper.”
Tang Xingye: “…”
He hadn’t written a grudge diary for a long time, but a log recording life still existed.
“I wouldn’t do that.”
Zhou Lin laughed lightly, not continuing to argue about this matter.
“I brought you a gift.”
“Signed you up for the nearest driving school; you can go practice anytime.”
Tang Xingye raised his eyes quickly, obviously very satisfied. Having a car made travel much more convenient. Tang Xingye didn’t have a need to drive now, but learning more skills was always good; one can never have too many skills.
Zhou Lin hooked his lips happily, rippling emotions surging faintly in his eyes, as if genuinely happy to be able to please Tang Xingye.
Being stared at so directly, Tang Xingye felt rarely uncomfortable. His gaze subconsciously wandered around, finally landing on the snacks fed by colleagues on the nurse station desk.
He reached out, pushing those few green apples and that can of yellow peaches in front of Zhou Lin, trying to maintain a flat tone: “Return gift for you.”
Tang Xingye knew the gift given was hasty. Someone like Zhou Lin, born in a golden nest, had naturally eaten all kinds of delicacies and might not even look at these.
But he never celebrated festivals, nor did he specially remember dates, so naturally, he didn’t have any gifts prepared. These apples and cans were the only things Tang Xingye could give, carrying a hint of sharing.
Zhou Lin looked at the snacks pushed in front of him. The smile in his eyes deepened, tone carrying unfeigned surprise:
“I thought with your temperament, you wouldn’t give me a return gift. Didn’t expect you still prepared a surprise for me. I really… am very happy.”
He paused, voice gentle and sincere: “Thank you.”
Tang Xingye: “…”
His stuff was just sitting on the table, loose without exquisite packaging, totally unrelated to a surprise.
He was silent for two seconds, couldn’t hold back, and poked through this layer of obvious “politeness”: “You speaking truth sounds so fake.”
Zhou Lin smiled. It was indeed a surprise. “Did I speak very poorly?”
His surprise wasn’t the item itself, but Tang Xingye’s responding heart, which was precious enough.
Tang Xingye glanced at him, evaluating objectively, “Five points.”
Zhou Lin raised his brow slightly; sounded like an okay score. “What’s the full score?”
“One hundred points.”
Zhou Lin: “…”
His face stiffened for a moment; that composed expression almost fell off. But he adjusted quickly, a glint of unyielding light passing through his eyes, immediately asking:
“How many points for my gift just now?”
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