DMPSA CH 1

Chapter 1: Night Owl Teahouse

In January, the weather was damp and cold, with a constant drizzle that alternated between light and heavy, the sound of raindrops annoying to the mind.

Yue Qi, a neurosurgeon at A University Hospital and a part-time lecturer for first-year general biology at A University’s Medical School, stumbled out of the operating room at 1 a.m., swaying and disoriented as he walked toward the hospital’s main entrance.

At 2 p.m. the day before, a small car had collided with the guardrail on the highway. The driver had suffered severe injuries, particularly to the brain, and had fallen into a coma by the time he was rescued. Yue Qi had spent over nine hours in surgery, and by the time he finished treating the patient and reassuring the family, it was already well past midnight.

After nearly ten hours of intense, uninterrupted work, Yue Qi was both exhausted and famished. He glanced at the time on his phone: 1:31 a.m. In the misty rain of this late hour, he wondered if any stores would still be open.

With his stomach growling, he started walking in the direction of the hospital dormitory, while unwillingly wandering around the area, taking a few unfamiliar streets in the hope of finding a store still open at this late hour.

The rain gradually grew heavier, and just as Yue Qi was about to convince himself that the instant noodles waiting for him at home were the most delicious food in the world, he noticed a light up ahead around the corner. He hurried over to check it out.

It was a Japanese-style teahouse. Outside, there was a small courtyard, just a few steps wide, with several young osmanthus trees planted. To his surprise, even in this season, delicate yellow and white flowers were still blooming. The light rain, combined with the warm glow from the lamps, filled the air with the fresh scent of grass and a subtle fragrance of osmanthus. Being someone who already had the scent of osmanthus, Yue Qi found the atmosphere refreshing and soothing. Even before stepping into the shop, he was already half in love with the quaint little courtyard.

“Whew…” Yue Qi walked quickly under the eaves lit by yellow lamps, shaking the raindrops from his coat. Looking up, he saw the sign: Night Owl Teahouse. Yue Qi squinted, peeking through the gap in the wooden fence, and saw a cat elegantly strolling by.

A cat! Yue Qi couldn’t help but smile as he pushed open the sliding glass door with a wooden lattice frame.

There was no one at the counter, but a chubby orange cat was crouched on the floor, silently staring at Yue Qi as he entered.

“Hi?” Yue Qi greeted the cat uncertainly, then looked inside the shop. He noticed a young, handsome guy sitting at the bar, looking into a mirror.

“…Welcome,” the young man, who had been practicing a variety of smiles in front of a small mirror, looked up in surprise upon hearing someone enter. His gaze briefly shifted to the large clock on the wall, then he stood up from his high stool and called out a welcoming greeting. After a few seconds of eye contact with Yue Qi, he hesitated before asking, “Sir, would you like to dine?” His expression clearly suggested he’d prefer if Yue Qi left immediately.

Yue Qi was absolutely famished. He had seen the “Open” sign hanging outside the shop, and now, despite the possibility that the owner had simply forgotten to flip the sign, he mustered up the courage to smile at the young man. “Yes, I’d like to dine.”

“But we’re about to close,” the young man replied bluntly. “We’re not serving food now, the kitchen is already closed.”

“Ah, I see?” Yue Qi said, feeling disappointed. He looked around the shop, noticing there were no other customers and that everything had been mostly cleaned up. It was clear the staff was truly preparing to end their shift. Still, Yue Qi wasn’t ready to give up. “Then, do you have any simple food? I eat quickly and I’m not picky. I’ll eat anything. I’m really tired and hungry right now…” Yue Qi almost clasped his hands together in a begging gesture.

“Why is the customer still standing by the door?” Before the young man could speak, Yue Qi heard someone call out from inside the shop, “Sir, please have a seat.”

“Qing gege^[1]!” the young man called out irritably.

It was as if an angel had called to him, and Yue Qi felt incredibly grateful. Afraid the young man might try to stop him, Yue Qi hurriedly walked to a seat in the back and sat down obediently, offering the man he’d heard called “Qing gege” a grateful smile.

“Alright, alright, you’re the boss, you’re the biggest,” the young man grumbled. Seeing that the customer had seated himself, he rolled his eyes, grabbed a menu, and tossed it onto Yue Qi’s table before lazily collapsing into a chair behind the counter, where he proceeded to cuddle the chubby cat.

Qing didn’t mind the young man’s laziness. He smiled and neatly placed the menu on the table in front of Yue Qi.

“I’m really sorry for holding you up after hours,” Yue Qi said with an apologetic look as he glanced at the menu. “Since it’s this late, I’ll leave it to the owner to decide what would be simplest and easiest to prepare. I’ll have that.”

“Hmm, the combo sandwich is the easiest and everything is ready,” the owner said thoughtfully, then added, “But it’s cold outside, and it’s still raining. Would you prefer something warm?” He leaned over the table, looking down at Yue Qi with a smile and continued, “The kitchen is really closed, and the chefs have all gone home. I was about to make something simple myself, so if you don’t mind, I can make an extra bowl. Just some simple noodles.”

“I don’t mind at all! I love noodles,” Yue Qi quickly responded.

“Good, please wait a moment.” The man laughed heartily. “This is a special dish, not on the menu—consider yourself lucky.”

“Tsk.” A soft chuckle came from the counter.

“Xiao Yang, do you want some?” The owner called out toward the bar.

“No, I’m dieting,” the server at the counter, Xiao Yang, responded, “I have a competition the day after tomorrow!”

The owner shook his head, then turned to Yue Qi to complain, “Kids these days are all messed up, and the TV stations are messed up too. They’re already so thin, and yet they tell people to diet, saying it looks good on TV. What’s the point of looking good on TV if your body is falling apart…”

As he walked back to the kitchen, he continued grumbling to Xiao Yang, “Isn’t the competition you’re doing a singing talent show? I don’t see you practicing your singing, but you’re just sitting there not eating.”

“Ah, you old people don’t understand!” Xiao Yang retorted, “You have to look good on TV to get fans. Only with fans will you have popularity, and then the record companies will come to sign you. Otherwise, even if a pig-turned-monkey won a singing competition, do you think the record companies would sign him?”

“Nonsense,” the owner muttered as he entered the kitchen.

“Old-fashioned. Hmph,” Xiao Yang stuck out his tongue and made a face at the kitchen.

The relaxed, familiar atmosphere in the shop influenced Yue Qi, and the fatigue he had been feeling began to dissipate. He looked around the tea house. It was very clean and tidy, and the overall atmosphere was warm and comfortable. The shop was small, with about five or six tables and a small bar. Right now, there were only three people in the shop. That lazy, sour-faced young man looked very young, perhaps in his early twenties. From their earlier conversation, it seemed that the boy was probably full of dreams about becoming a celebrity.

Xiao Yang was indeed very good-looking, with delicate features and eyebrows that were quite heroic. His body was also slim and tall, just as the owner had said. From the impatience he had shown earlier, Yue Qi could tell that the young man was really handsome without feeling any annoyance. In fact, Yue Qi was truly a fan of good-looking people.

Yue Qi cleared his throat to cover up his appreciation, then glanced toward the transparent kitchen separated by glass. The owner was cooking noodles inside, and his movements seemed a bit flustered. Yue Qi guessed that the man might be a few years younger than him. He himself was already 36, so maybe this man was about 32 or 33—just past his twenties, still occasionally showing a youthful, tender quality, yet also calm and a little shy. He appeared kind and good-tempered, always smiling. To be honest, the man’s looks were clean and refined, but compared to the young man at the bar, he appeared a bit plain. However, he had a pair of long phoenix eyes, which Yue Qi particularly liked. When he smiled, his eyes would squint, and the curve was really adorable. He had a nice figure too—not as thin as the young man at the bar.

While Yue Qi was boredly comparing the two men in the shop, a brown cat skillfully jumped onto the sofa and then onto the table, tilting its head to gaze at Yue Qi.

“Hi, how are you?” Yue Qi greeted the cat, who had come to visit him. He slowly reached out his hand, and seeing the cat wasn’t afraid, he gently pinched its pointed ears, scratched its chin, and toyed with the small metal butterfly-shaped charm on the cat’s collar.

“Cha Cha?” Yue Qi read the engraving on the metal piece, “Your name is Cha Cha? What a cute name.”

“Meow,” the cat responded, lying down and stretching its body, completely claiming Yue Qi’s table as its own.

Yue Qi smiled happily as he watched the cat.

(To Be Continued…)

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