Still an indifferent social insulator
The car stopped steadily in front of the health center, which was decorated with a red cross sign. Zhou Muyuan jumped out to get his bicycle.
"Teacher Zhou, it's all thanks to you today! Thank you so much!" Gu Yansheng expressed his sincere gratitude again.
"You're welcome! It's a small matter! If you have any problems in town in the future, feel free to come to the primary school to find me!" Zhou Muyuan waved his hand cheerfully and was about to leave while pushing his bicycle.
At this moment, the white-painted wooden door of the clinic was pushed open with a creaky sound.
Jiang Lin came out. He was wearing a half-worn dark jacket with a simple white shirt underneath. His sleeves were casually rolled up to his elbows, revealing his well-defined forearms.
He was holding a medical record folder in his hand, and seemed to have just finished his work and came out to take a breath. When he raised his eyes and swept his gaze across the door, accurately capturing Gu Yansheng's figure, a trace of almost imperceptible surprise flashed across his deep eyes very quickly.
Then, like a stone dropped into a deep pond, the surprise only caused the slightest ripple before being replaced by the usual calm. His expression remained calm, as if Gu Yansheng's appearance was just a small part of his plan.
He even nodded slightly, almost imperceptibly, in Gu Yansheng's direction as a greeting.
However, when his eyes turned to Zhou Muyuan, who was pushing a bicycle next to him, Zhou Muyuan seemed to see an acquaintance and greeted him enthusiastically, "Doctor Jiang! Are you done? Just in time! Look who's here!"
Zhou Muyuan smiled and pointed at Gu Yansheng, "This Mr. Gu has come all the way here to see your friend!"
Jiang Lin's gaze fell on Gu Yansheng again, with a hint of inquiry.
Zhou Muyuan didn't wait for Gu Yansheng to reply before continuing enthusiastically, "What a coincidence! Mr. Gu's car had a flat tire on the dirt road leading into the village, and I happened to pass by. It seemed his arm was injured and it was not very convenient for him to change the spare tire, so I helped him change it. Luckily, I met him, otherwise, changing the tire myself in such a remote place with no shops around would have been really difficult!"
Zhou Muyuan's tone was relaxed, with the cheerfulness of someone who had done a good deed. But the moment he said the words "It's really hard to change it myself"—
The aura around Jiang Lin suddenly became stern!
His originally calm eyes instantly froze like a frozen pond, his sharp gaze piercing towards Gu Yansheng! The slight fluctuations caused by Gu Yansheng's presence completely vanished, replaced by an icy, almost tangible anger!
His fingers gripping the medical records folder suddenly tightened, their knuckles turning bluish-white from the strain, and his knuckles cracked softly. His thin, tightly pursed lips formed a cold, stiff line, and his jawline instantly tensed, as if he was suppressing something.
"You changed the spare tire yourself?" Jiang Lin's voice was pierced through his teeth, each word so deep and horribly low that each word felt like ice shards slamming to the ground. The storm in his eyes threatened to swallow Gu Yansheng whole.
Gu Yansheng's scalp tingled when he was looked at by him. He subconsciously protected his left arm and hurriedly explained, "No, no, no! I didn't change it myself! Teacher Zhou helped me change it! I... I just took out the tools..." His voice became smaller and smaller under Jiang Lin's terrifying low pressure, and he felt a little guilty.
Zhou Muyuan also clearly felt the sudden change in the atmosphere. He was a little confused by Dr. Jiang's sudden anger. He looked at Jiang Lin with a cold face, and then at Gu Yansheng with a guilty look. He realized belatedly that he might have said something wrong, and hurriedly tried to make amends.
"Oh, yes! I changed it! Mr. Gu just handed me the tools! Don't worry, Doctor Jiang. I saw that Mr. Gu was very careful, so he shouldn't have pulled the wound!"
However, Zhou Muyuan's explanation didn't dissipate Jiang Lin's anger at all. He stopped looking at Zhou Muyuan, and his stormy eyes were fixed on Gu Yansheng, filled with fear, anger, and strong condemnation!
Gu Yansheng felt a chill run down his spine as he stared at him, as if he'd been transported back to the day in the emergency room when he'd been "ruthlessly" disinfected. He knew Jiang Lin was truly pissed this time, and a lot of it.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Zhou Muyuan felt that it was not appropriate to stay here for long, so he quickly said to Gu Yansheng, "Mr. Gu, you guys chat, I'm leaving first! Come to me if you need anything!" Then he pushed his bicycle and slipped away quickly, leaving space for this pair of "friends" who were obviously in a bad mood.
At the entrance of the clinic, only Gu Yansheng and Jiang Lin, who exuded a low pressure, were left.
The mountain wind blew, bringing a chill. Gu Yansheng looked at Jiang Lin's face, so cold it looked like frost had been blown off, and wailed inwardly: It's over. He came to see a "tiger" with a cold exterior but a warm heart, but he didn't expect to step on its tail...
The low pressure at the entrance of the health center did not completely dissipate until Zhou Muyuan slipped away.
Gu Yansheng faced Jiang Lin's cold gaze that seemed to see through him, and felt the mountain breeze was biting cold. He was about to explain a few more words when Jiang Lin turned around, and the white-painted wooden door behind him made a light collision sound.
"Keep up." These two words came crashing down on him, leaving no room for doubt. Gu Yansheng quickly trotted to catch up, like a large dog that had done something wrong and was being carried home by its owner.
He followed Jiang Lin through the slightly dated corridors of the clinic, where the scent of disinfectant mixed with the aroma of Chinese herbs filled the air. Occasionally, medical staff in white coats or nurse uniforms hurried by. They greeted Jiang Lin politely, nodding and greeting him, "Doctor Jiang." Their glances flicked to Gu Yansheng behind him, a hint of curiosity in their eyes.
Jiang Lin finally stopped at the end of the corridor, at a doorway with a sign that read "Staff Canteen." The space inside was small, with a few square tables and benches. It was lunchtime, so not many people were around, but the aroma of food was rich and simple.
Jiang Lin walked straight to the food window, with a cold air that kept strangers away still around him.
The plump lady serving the food was clearly familiar with him, and she greeted him enthusiastically, "Hey, Doctor Jiang! We have braised pork today! Two extra pieces for you!" She deftly piled the meat onto Jiang Lin's plate, but her eyes curiously glanced at Gu Yansheng, who was following closely behind him. "Who is this handsome young man...?"
"Friend." Jiang Lin's voice was still cold, and he didn't even raise his eyelids, still indifferent. Gu Yansheng sighed helplessly in his heart. Jiang Lin was really too cold towards outsiders.
"Oh! A friend of Dr. Jiang! What a rare guest!" Auntie's enthusiasm shifted instantly, and she smiled broadly at Gu Yansheng. "Young man, you can tell you're from the city! You look so energetic! Auntie will give you some more meat! Come and try our big kitchen's cooking!"
As he spoke, a spoonful of glossy braised pork was placed on Gu Yansheng's rice. The portion was obviously larger than Jiang Lin's.
"Thank you, Auntie! You're so polite!" Gu Yansheng immediately put on a sunny smile, his mouth as sweet as honey, "I know it must be delicious just by smelling the fragrance!" He tried to use his enthusiasm to dispel the coldness created by someone next to him.
The aunt was so happy that she said, "Oh, this child is really good at talking! Eat more, eat more!" She gave him another spoonful of vegetables.
He carried a plate piled high with food and sat down at an empty table in the corner with an expressionless face. He ignored the lively conversation between Gu Yansheng and his aunt the entire time, as if he was in another frozen world.
Gu Yansheng carried the "overloaded" plate and sat down across from Jiang Lin with a bright smile. However, his smile, which was intended to liven up the atmosphere, seemed a little shaky under the low pressure that Jiang Lin continuously released, which could instantly freeze boiling water.
Jiang Lin picked up his chopsticks and began to eat quickly, not even glancing at Gu Yansheng. It was as if the person sitting opposite him was nothing but air. Gu Yansheng carefully picked up his chopsticks and picked up a piece of braised pork.
The taste was unexpectedly good, the meat stewed to tenderness and flavor, fatty but not greasy. He couldn't help but pick up another piece and secretly glanced at Jiang Lin. He was still eating with a blank expression, but seemed to be eating faster than usual.
The meal was silent and depressing. Gu Yansheng tried to speak several times to ease the atmosphere, but was blocked by the cold and hard aura emanating from Jiang Lin, who said, "Don't talk while eating, don't talk while sleeping."
He had no choice but to bury his head in his food, muttering to himself: This temperament... is still as cold and hard as ever.
Finally, Jiang Lin finished his last bite of rice and put down his chopsticks. Gu Yansheng also quickly finished the rice on his plate.
"Have you finished eating?" Jiang Lin looked up at him. There was still no warmth in his eyes, but the anger that wanted to freeze people to death seemed to have settled down a little, turning into a deep pool of longer-lasting coldness.
"Yeah!" Gu Yansheng nodded repeatedly.
"Follow me." Jiang Lin stood up, picked up the empty plate and put it in the recycling area. Gu Yansheng quickly followed his lead.
Instead of returning to the main building of the health center, they went around to the back. Behind it was a row of low-rise bungalows that looked a bit old but clean. Jiang Lin walked to one of the doors and took out his key to open it.
"Come in." He stepped aside.
Gu Yansheng walked in. This was a typical one-bedroom and one-living room layout, not large in size, but exceptionally clean and tidy, almost spotless.
The cement floor was mopped to a shine, and the simple wooden furniture was neatly arranged. An old desk sat by the window, flanked by two wooden chairs. The most striking feature was a large bookshelf in the corner, crammed with thick medical books and journals.
Jiang Lin did not point to the sofa, but walked straight to the bedroom and pushed open the door - the bedroom was also extremely simple, with an old double bed, a wardrobe, and a bedside table.
The bed was neatly made, without a single wrinkle. Jiang Lin took out a set of clean spare bedding and pillows from the closet and laid them out on the bed with a swift movement.
"Take some sleep. I'll be off work at five in the afternoon." He spoke briefly and his tone remained calm.
Years of childhood friendship had already drawn a line of unlimited indulgence in his heart. Even though he was still angry about Gu Yansheng's behavior of not cherishing himself, his brain would subconsciously dissipate the "stress" produced by his body without realizing it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
