DCH CH 12
by LinnaceThis Doctor Does Him the Honor
Lu Jingcheng’s pupils contracted. A cold sweat instantly broke out down his back. Against the backdrop of the hospital at night, his mind flashed through scenes from every horror movie he’d ever seen—American, European, Japanese, Korean.
Once his imagination started running wild, there was no reeling it back in. The ghastly faces of Sadako and Kayako took turns haunting his thoughts. He clenched his already sweaty palms, wiping them discreetly on his pants.
Then, with stiff movements, he slowly turned his head to look behind him.
As it turned out, the peaceful 21st century bore no resemblance to horror movie scenes.
The reality behind him couldn’t have been more different from what he’d imagined—
A tall, broad-shouldered man walked toward him, hands in his pockets. His steps were unhurried, yet with each one, the motion-activated lights along the corridor bloomed to life around him, as if laying out a path of stars to welcome a king’s arrival.
By the time the entire hallway was illuminated, Qingyi’s face stood out even more strikingly under the lights. Like a monarch emerging from the darkness, he stopped right in front of Lu Jingcheng.
“What a coincidence,” Qingyi said, blatantly lying—he’d been loitering around the hospital all day, yet framed it as a chance encounter. “Still working this late? Had dinner yet?”
So this is why the hospital installed these seemingly useless motion-sensor lights.
The administrative dean was playing 4D chess all along…
Damn.
Lu Jingcheng stared into Qingyi’s eyes, magnetized.
Qingyi tilted his head slightly, smiling back at him.
The corridor lights dimmed again, snapping Lu Jingcheng out of his daze. He rubbed his temples, covering the faint panic on his face, his voice unsteady. “N-No, haven’t eaten. Been busy with work.”
“Dr. Lu, you work too hard,” Qingyi said cheerfully. Of course he noticed Lu Jingcheng’s flustered state—and the faint blush at the tips of his ears—but he played along. “Let me treat you to dinner? Do me the honor?”
“It’s too late. I’ll just grab something quick at home,” Lu Jingcheng deflected, avoiding Qingyi’s intense gaze. “Didn’t you have the Platform Cup today?”
Qingyi ignored the first part of his reply, answering breezily, “The first team can’t play every match. Gotta give the second team some practice too. We rotate.”
“Also, you’re pretty up-to-date on my schedule. Keeping tabs on me?”
“Then why are you at the hospital? Not feeling well?”
“So you are worried about me~” Qingyi leaned in, his smile teasing.
“No.” Lu Jingcheng kept his expression cold. “Just doing my job as your doctor.”
Qingyi grinned but didn’t call him out. “The most important part of pre-production for a TV series is scouting locations. I finished training and came straight here to help my dad out.”
Lu Jingcheng was speechless at his shameless excuse.
“Plus, seeing you at work gave me an idea…” Qingyi trailed off deliberately, nudging Lu Jingcheng’s arm with a mischievous glint. “Hey, how about you bribe me? I’ll pull some strings and get you a cameo role. Good publicity for the hospital, right?”
Lu Jingcheng massaged his forehead. “Hard pass.”
“Then I’ll bribe you. Since we’re filming in your department, gotta keep the director happy.”
“Let me think… What do those novels usually say? Sports cars? Villas? Candlelit dinners?” Qingyi adopted an exaggeratedly saccharine tone. “Just say the word, Lu-gege, and it’s yours.”
Lu Jingcheng laughed. “I can’t accept any of that. Wouldn’t want an investigation.”
Qingyi naturally took his hand, feigning drama. “Ah, I know our upstanding Dr. Lu has to follow the rules~ Fine then, how about a vacation in the Maldives? Or Europe? My family has properties there—”
Lu Jingcheng squeezed his hand in retaliation. “Still a no. The hospital confiscated my passport. No international trips.”
Qingyi, suddenly deflated: “…”
He slumped in defeat. “Suddenly, I realize money can’t buy everything. But you can’t possibly turn down dinner too, right?”
“What if I do?”
Qingyi draped himself over Lu Jingcheng’s shoulder in fake despair. “Then I’ll just have to come back tomorrow for more ‘location scouting.’”
Lu Jingcheng found it amusing but didn’t push him away. “Have you always been this shameless in your team or the league?”
What was meant as a joke made Qingyi’s expression turn serious. Gone was the playful act—his voice held a rare gravity. “Dr. Lu, you should know this: Everything I’ve achieved in my career? It wasn’t by being a nuisance.”
Caught off guard by his sudden intensity, Lu Jingcheng stammered, “T-Then how?”
“Tenacity.“
“…Did you mispronounce that idiom?”
“Nope.”
Lu Jingcheng had the distinct feeling Qingyi was hinting at something, but he had no proof.
The abrupt ringtone shattered the quiet night. Lu Jingcheng fished out his phone and answered, only for the wails of his two interns to blast through the speaker:
“Dr. Luuuu!“
“You’re still not back?! Wahhh!” Dr. Gao’s voice cracked theatrically. “Come check our reports, pleaaase!”
Dr. Wang snatched the phone. “Sniff Dr. Lu, remember my poor Wangcai with depression? I promised I’d go home early today sob!”
Listening to the dramatics, Qingyi sighed inwardly but shrugged good-naturedly. “Guess you’re busy. I’ll just—”
“Go home first,” Lu Jingcheng cut in gently. “Email me the drafts. I’ll review them later.”
A stunned silence. Then, ear-piercing screeches:
“AHHHH!! LU-GE, YOU’RE A GOD! MY ONE AND ONLY DEITY!“
“BRO, I’LL KOWTOW TO YOU ON WANGCAI’S BEHALF!“
“Files sent! We’re out! YOU’RE THE BEST!“
Lu Jingcheng chuckled, hanging up before turning back to Qingyi. “Let’s go.”
“You…” Qingyi blinked. “You’re not going back?”
“Are we leaving or not? If not, I’m calling them back,” Lu Jingcheng smiled sweetly. “And I’ll tell them it’s your fault they’re stuck working overtime.”
“Going, going! Lu-ge, right this way~”
The unfinished reports sat untouched in his WeChat inbox.
Screw the paperwork.
Tonight, he was playing a different game—the adult kind.
Exhausted from the day, Lu Jingcheng slumped into the passenger seat of Qingyi’s garishly customized McLaren 720S.
The esports captain had modified the front grille into menacing shark teeth, making the car resemble a great white gliding silently out of the hospital gates—a predator claiming its prize.
Qingyi insisted the design was inspired by Lan, the assassin from Wei coming to capture him, the little healer Cai Wenji.
But to Lu Jingcheng, it looked more like Sharky the Bounty Hunter—ridiculous, just like Qingyi’s personality.
Either way, the shark had scored tonight, its jaws gently carrying off a certain medic to the passenger seat.
Arguing over Lan vs. Sharky all the while.
And that was enough.
From the driver’s seat, Qingyi admired Lu Jingcheng’s profile and hit play. A soulful voice poured from the premium sound system—no ear-splitting high notes, just lingering, intimate warmth.
Yet within that tenderness surged an undercurrent of something far more intense.
To Qingyi, it felt like the first time he’d bitten into a whole lemon—that electrifying burst of flavor, the shiver down his spine.
He loved this feeling.
Coming from an ordinary background, Lu Jingcheng had never ridden in a car with upward-opening doors. He demanded Qingyi lower the convertible top, eager to experience the wind in his hair.
The wind whipped through Lu Jingcheng’s hair as the McLaren roared forward, but soon the car slowed to a crawl. A minor accident up ahead on the elevated highway had traffic backed up in a long queue.
The stop-and-go driving, combined with the warm night breeze and the music, made Lu Jingcheng’s head spin. Sleep-deprived for days, he found himself struggling to keep his eyes open in the luxurious supercar, eyelids growing heavier by the second.
He thought it was just a brief blink—after all, when he opened his eyes again, Qingyi was still driving in the same posture as before.
“I never asked,” Lu Jingcheng murmured, his voice soft and drowsy, “where were you taking me to eat?”
Qingyi glanced at him. “I’ve been circling this highway three times already.”
“…?” Lu Jingcheng scrunched his face slightly, as if trying to process the words. “Three times? As in, three full loops?”
“Ge, maybe check what time it is first?” Qingyi grinned. “The restaurant I booked closed hours ago. I’ve just been searching for places still open at this hour.”
(And, of course, taking the opportunity to admire Dr. Lu’s sleeping face for a good long while.)
“…So where are we now?” Lu Jingcheng rubbed his eyes, his mind still foggy, memories a little scrambled.
He pushed himself up slightly, massaging his stiff neck. “How long was I out…?”
Qingyi propped his chin on one hand, tilting his head to study the groggy doctor with amusement. “Originally wanted to take you for French, but they’re all closed by now. Only hot pot and BBQ joints are still open at this hour.”
The cool night air helped reboot Lu Jingcheng’s brain. “So you’ve just been driving this Sharky mobile in circles on the highway… with me asleep in it?”
Qingyi gave a wry smile. “So you didn’t hear anything I just said?”
Lu Jingcheng shook his head. “No, I caught the part about French cuisine.”
Qingyi chuckled. “Alright, I’ll owe you that one. Next time.”
He took a couple steps before turning back abruptly. “Wait—how am I supposed to know when ‘next time’ is? How many times have I tried to ask you out, huh?”
Now it was Lu Jingcheng’s turn to laugh. “Then consider all those times also owed. You can make them up later.”
“Deal.”
The “Great Shark” eventually came to a stop outside a hot pot restaurant. Qingyi pulled over and gestured proudly. “This place is solid.”
Lu Jingcyheng unfolded his long legs and stepped out of the car—a vehicle like this was bound to turn heads. Passersby cast curious glances their way, and more than a few fans recognizing Qingyi had already whipped out their phones to snap pictures.
Qingyi rounded the car and joined Lu Jingcheng, both of them tilting their heads up at the restaurant’s sign. “See anything interesting?”
Lu Jingcheng kept staring. “I was just thinking… if I hadn’t fallen asleep, I’d be eating French food right now.”
Qingyi waved a hand dismissively. “That stuff’s overrated. Tiny portions that take forever to serve—I could take you tomorrow if you really want, but honestly? Not worth it.”
“…” As someone from an ordinary background, Dr. Lu couldn’t quite relate to this brand of “overrated.”
Qingyi’s grin turned mysterious. “This place? Every single one of my teammates loves it. We come here to celebrate after every big win. It’s special. You’re actually the first person outside the league I’ve brought here.”
He added meaningfully, “And it’s just the two of us. These local hot pot joints? This is where the real flavor’s at. After all the French and Italian I’ve tried? Nothing compares.”
Lu Jingcheng turned lazily, skepticism written all over his face. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this just a very elaborate humblebrag?”
“No, no, I’m being genuine!”
“Look, French food isn’t going anywhere—you can have that anytime. But this place? Legendary.” Qingyi nudged Lu Jingcheng forward by the small of his back. “Doctor Lu, just give it a try.”
With a magnanimous wave, Lu Jingcheng relented. “Fine. Consider the French meal an IOU.” He strode toward the entrance.
Seizing the moment, Qingyi hurried ahead with exaggerated enthusiasm. Reaching the door first, he dipped into a flawless British-style knight’s bow.
“Mr. Lu, right this way.”