2 Medical Examination

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Stepping out of the hotel, He Si only then realized that the hotel and the KTV he had visited last night were on the same street.

A hotel located in such a prime area naturally couldn’t be bad. Right outside the main entrance stood a colossal fountain nearly ten meters in diameter, with gentle music flowing from the faux stone speakers nestled in the surrounding lawn. The fountain was running; streams of water gushed forth and then cascaded down in a soothing rhythm.

He Si circled around for several minutes before finally making his way out. Standing by the roadside, he still felt his temples throbbing fiercely, his headache unbearable. He wasn’t sure if it was from drinking too much last night or from exerting himself too much in selling.

Perhaps it was both.

If only he hadn’t gone out last night.

Damn Lin Dongchao—he knew that guy’s apology was never sincere.

He Si sighed and picked up his phone, dialing the squad leader’s number. Among over twenty missed calls, more than ten were from the squad leader.

The squad leader answered quickly.

“He Si? Where are you? Have you gone home?”

“I’m back.”

“That’s good. I tried to find you yesterday but couldn’t, and you didn’t answer my calls. I thought something had happened to you and got really scared…” The squad leader’s voice suddenly faltered. “Hey? Wait, I think I just saw you. Was that you?”

He Si: “Huh?”

“Yeah, it was you!”

A white Toyota pulled up in front of He Si. The window rolled down, and the squad leader, sitting in the driver’s seat, leaned out and gave him a whistle.

“Aren’t you back already? Your home’s right by the road?”

He Si was speechless.

After buckling his seatbelt, he had to confess honestly, “I drank too much last night and couldn’t get a taxi, so I just stayed out all night.”

The squad leader wasn’t surprised. Seeing He Si’s haggard appearance—the stubble on his chin, his messy hair, his drained spirit and disheveled look—it was obvious the night hadn’t been restful.

Yet even like this, he still looked handsome.

Some people seem sculpted by the goddess of creation herself, while others are mere lumps of clay tossed aside.

The squad leader, feeling like a lump of clay, gripped the steering wheel wistfully.

“If I’d known you were with us, last night when everyone got drunk, I also drank and couldn’t send them home properly, so I booked a few rooms in a hotel. I just picked up the car. By the way, where did you stay last night?”

He glanced out the window, recalling where He Si had been standing, and asked in shock, “That fountain hotel?”

“Behind the fountain hotel,” He Si added, “I just found a random guesthouse.”

The squad leader suddenly understood and smiled awkwardly. “Right, us ordinary folks wouldn’t dare stay in such a fancy hotel.”

He Si was silent.

Over twenty thousand yuan for one night.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford it—he simply couldn’t.

The squad leader offered to drive He Si home. His home was far away, beyond the Third Ring Road, more than ten kilometers further, nestled in an old neighborhood along an aging street. The only advantage was that a subway extension had reached there a couple of years ago. Although it took over an hour by subway to get to the company, it was still better than renting a place nearby for three to four thousand yuan a month.

He Si didn’t want to trouble the squad leader, but his headache, fatigue, and drowsiness left him no choice. He accepted the ride and fell asleep in the car.

When he woke, the car was parked outside his residential complex.

The squad leader switched off the engine hesitantly and said, “I believe you about Zhao Jiao’s situation, but you know how many gossipmongers there are in our class, and with what Zhao Jiao said, surely some people have other ideas.”

Hearing Zhao Jiao’s name, even He Si, who usually avoided showing his emotions, looked displeased.

“I know,” He Si wiped his face and ran his fingers through his hair, masking his irritation with his movements. “I haven’t said anything.”

“Sorry you’ve had to endure that,” the squad leader sighed. “Actually, Lin Dongchao still likes Zhao Jiao.”

He Si responded with a grunt.

None of it was his business.

No, to be precise, none of it ever concerned him. He was just unfortunate to have been dragged into it.

The squad leader looked at He Si’s sharply defined face. The sunlight slanted in, filtering through the car window, softening his features. Though blurred, his deep-set eyes and straight nose still captivated attention.

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He Si’s lips were neither thin nor full—quite average compared to his other features—but nature had given him a slight upward curve at the corners, so no matter his expression, it seemed as if he were always smiling.

Such a face was not only handsome but also warm and likable.

The squad leader suddenly realized that being too good-looking might be a burden. If a man like He Si attracts all sorts of unwanted attention, maybe it’d be better to be a lump of clay after all.

He had planned a whole lot to say but found it difficult to continue.

Instead, He Si unbuckled his seatbelt and asked, “What about Zhao Jiao? Has she given birth?”

“Last week. A boy. Lin Dongchao and I went to see him.”

He Si acknowledged this with a simple “Oh,” neither asking further nor mentioning a desire to visit.

Back downstairs, he ran into Mrs. Cai, a neighbor, carrying a garbage bag as she descended.

This was an old community of resettlement housing with no elevator; residents used the stairs.

He Si greeted Mrs. Cai and stepped aside by the rusty iron gate, giving her space.

Mrs. Cai immediately noticed how worn out and disheveled he looked, guessing he must have spent the night outside but unaware of what had happened to leave him so ragged.

“Xiao He, I’m taking Xiao Hui to her grandmother’s place later. No classes this weekend. I told you a few days ago—make sure you get some rest,” Mrs. Cai said kindly.

He Si nodded and exchanged a few words. After she left, he hurried upstairs.

His apartment wasn’t large—just over sixty square meters, two bedrooms and a living room—enough for one person. He used one bedroom and turned the other into a storage room.

Closing the door behind him, he drew the curtains and started undressing, tossing clothes aside as he went. By the time he reached the bathroom, he was completely stripped. Despite the pounding headache, he forced himself to shower. Naked, he rummaged through cabinets looking for medicine.

There was plenty of medicine at home, stored in two drawers beneath the TV cabinet, but there was no pain relief.

He shoved the scattered medicine boxes back into the drawers without bothering to close them, picked up the clothes from the floor, grabbed his phone, and opened a delivery app to order some painkillers.

The estimated delivery time showed one and a half hours.

He Si: “…”

He canceled the order, threw himself onto the bed, and wrapped himself in the blanket.

Let the pain kill me.

*

Inside the hotel.

Shen Zhi waited until the strange sensation in his body eased before getting up to head to the bathroom. But after only a few steps, something began to flow out.

His expression stiffened as he suppressed the urge to look down and went straight into the bathroom.

The shower area was inside the bathroom, separated into wet and dry zones, with a bathtub section. He didn’t use the bathtub. He turned on the showerhead, waited for the water to warm, and stood beneath the spray.

The hot water quickly soaked his hair and shoulders.

At the same time, whether due to the water or psychological effect, the feeling of whatever was flowing down the inner skin of his legs became especially clear.

Shen Zhi couldn’t hold back any longer. After adjusting the shower, he removed the handheld showerhead and directed a strong stream downward.

When he donned his bathrobe and stepped out, his assistant was waiting outside the door, holding several freshly ironed outfits carefully covered with dust covers.

“President Shen.”

Shen Zhi showed no expression, nodding slightly to let the assistant in.

The assistant dared not look up or ask questions, methodically taking the clothes out of the plastic bags and hanging them in the wardrobe.

Shen Zhi crossed his arms, standing silently as he watched the assistant work. When finished, he reminded, “Throw away all the clothes on the sofa.”

The assistant quickly responded and went to the sofa. The clothes there had already been washed and dried, packed in bags that still carried a faint scent of detergent.

President Shen was meticulous.

The assistant thought to himself.

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Then, remembering work matters, he added, “President Shen, there’s an opening event at three this afternoon. Should Brother Deng pick you up here or...?”

“Have him come to the hotel to get me,” Shen Zhi said. “Before two-thirty.”

“Understood.”

The assistant was about to leave but was called back.

“Wait, Xiao Ma.”

Ma the assistant turned around, seeing Shen Zhi sitting on the edge of the bed. His bathrobe was neither short nor long, just reaching his knees, revealing his dazzlingly pale shins.

But such pale skin had its drawbacks, as the red marks from knee to ankle stood out clearly—dense and intricate.

Ma the assistant: “…”

Feeling as if scalded, he quickly averted his gaze.

Yet his mind was spinning.

What were those?

Hickeys?

They looked like bites or pinches.

So President Shen hadn’t just come to sleep last night; he’d come to sleep with someone? Judging from the marks on his legs, it had been quite the affair!

Ma’s thoughts churned, but he showed no hint of this on his face. Bowing his head obediently, he asked, “Anything else, President Shen?”

“Book me a hospital appointment. I want a full check-up,” Shen Zhi said.

Ma, young and handling such a private task for the first time, hesitated two or three seconds before stammering, “A routine check-up or...?”

“Regarding that,” Shen Zhi answered.

“...”

Ma understood and mentally drifted away.

Shen Zhi still felt uneasy and rested on the bed until two o’clock before slowly getting up to prepare. Before three in the afternoon, his driver dropped him off at the newly opened hotel entrance. Assistants and company staff were already inside waiting.

This hotel was well located and large in scale. After a year of operation, they planned to apply for a five-star rating. Given the heavy investment, the company took the opening event very seriously, even inviting celebrities to liven up the atmosphere.

Shen Zhi entered the banquet hall on the first floor and saw a crowd of photographers with long lenses—reporters specially invited by the company.

The assistants approached and reported the work details in an orderly manner.

After a brief listen, Shen Zhi made a few simple additions and adjustments. Once the assistants dispersed and the event began, staff led him to take his seat.

The event lasted about two hours. Shen Zhi had to greet guests who came up intermittently, deliver a speech on stage, and participate in some interactive segments with the host.

When the event concluded, the real socializing began.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the sky darkened from day to night. Despite the encroaching night, the hall remained brightly lit and bustling. Shen Zhi worked tirelessly like a robot, going nonstop until eight or nine in the evening. After several glasses of red wine, his assistant helped him upstairs to his room.

His phone rang.

The assistant handed it to Shen Zhi, then quietly left the room.

Shen Zhi glanced at the caller ID.

It was his younger brother, Sheng Jun.

“Hey, brother, are you busy?” Sheng Jun asked right away, though knowing it was a rhetorical question—his brother was a workaholic who rarely answered calls when busy.

He went on regardless.

“How’s that thing from yesterday? I thought the photos looked fine, but my mom asked me again today. I don’t want to pressure you, but she’s really anxious. She’s too shy to bother you, so she keeps nagging me. My ears are about to get calluses!”