When I'm on the night shift, all the department heads can't sleep.

Chapter 151 I'm really here

At 6:20 p.m. on Saturday, Lin Ye stood at the entrance of the restaurant for a while.

The signboard is the one Chen Kai sent me.

The positioning is correct.

He glanced down at his shirt.

White, washed, cuffs are fairly flat.

Before leaving home in the afternoon, Ma Hao leaned against his dormitory bed for a long time before finally managing to utter a sentence.

"Brother Lin, you finally look like you're going to attend a dinner party tonight."

Lin Ye tightened his shoelaces.

Is that what you call a compliment?

"Sure," Ma Hao said. "One more compliment, and I hope you don't get called back."

Lin Ye then stuffed the key into his pocket.

His phone was in his pocket, on vibrate. He pushed open the glass door of the restaurant, and the heat and smell of food rushed out. Someone at the table further inside stood up.

"Linye!"

Chen Kai was still holding the menu in his hand, and he waved to him.

"Are you serious? I thought you just sent another message saying something came up."

Several people at the table looked over.

Some people recognized him at a glance, while others stared at him for half a second before calling his name. Even after several years, the familiarity was still there, but there was a layer of politeness between them.

Lin Ye walked over.

"I'm already at the door, can I still cancel my number?"

"It's not surprising that you're here," Chen Kai said, pulling out a chair next to him. "It's surprising that you're here. Sit down, don't stand here triaging us."

Lin Ye sat down, and Chen Kai pushed the teacup to his side.

"Drink some water first. If no one reminds you, you might sit there until the show ends before you realize your mouth is dry."

The water is warm.

Lin Ye held the cup, and only when his fingers touched the rim of the cup did he realize that he hadn't reached for the pen in his pocket.

There were already seven or eight people sitting at the table.

Meng Lu, the high school class monitor, was wearing thin-rimmed glasses and checking the number of people with the waiter; Zhao Peng had gained weight and had his car keys beside him; the other two girls were looking down at the menu, saying not to order anything too spicy, but their hands were already hooking up the spicy bullfrog.

Meng Lu looked up.

Are you still in the emergency room at the First Municipal Hospital?

"Yes. The emergency room hasn't returned me yet."

"You must be busy, right?"

Chen Kai turned to the grilled fish page on the menu.

"Is that even a question? We meet up for meals weekly, he schedules it by shift."

Lin Ye took a sip of water.

You've been quite talkative today.

"Let me say a few words on their behalf first," Chen Kai said, "so you won't try to fool people with 'it's alright,' 'okay,' or 'it depends' later."

Meng Lu looked at him while holding her teacup.

"I was tired of hearing those three words, 'okay,' and 'it depends,' by the time I got to high school."

Lin Ye was caught off guard and had no choice but to put the cup back.

The waiter came in to refill the pot of water, and the conversation drifted off. Zhao Peng mentioned he had just bought a new car, with a loan of over six thousand yuan a month, before complaining about gas prices. Meng Lu moved her teacup aside, saying that her company might be reassigning her to a new department at the end of the year, and she'd have to start building relationships all over again. Someone nearby, while unpacking tableware, said their child had been catching colds every day since starting daycare, while another pulled out their phone to show people flight tickets to Yunnan.

Lin Ye understood all of this, but when it came to his turn to speak, he didn't know which sentence to begin with.

Chen Kai touched the rim of the bowl with his chopsticks.

"Dr. Lin, don't just nod. Should we buy a large house right away, or start with a smaller one?"

Lin Ye looked up and glanced around the table.

"I haven't even touched the down payment yet, so I'll listen to what you have to say first."

Zhao Peng put the chopsticks he had just picked up back down.

"That's a very honest answer."

"You've always been like this. When the teacher asked about your dreams, you'd say you'd finish your physics test first."

The girl next to me paused her chopsticks for a moment.

"Really?"

Chen Kai stopped eating and answered for him first.

"It's true. Everyone else talks about going to university, making big money, and going to big cities, but he stares at the test paper and says he'll finish the last big question first."

Lin Ye thought for a moment.

"I don't remember."

"There are many things you don't remember." Chen Kai handed him the menu. "Order first. We're not checking rooms today."

Lin Ye looked down at the menu.

Grilled fish, bullfrog, stir-fried beef with yellow peppers, and several cold dishes.

He paused when his fingertip slid down to the cold dishes section.

Chen Kai has a sharp eye.

"What's wrong?"

"It's hot." Lin Ye handed the menu to Meng Lu. "Order fewer cold dishes. If you want meat, order the hot dishes, they're freshly cooked so it's less hassle."

Meng Lu crossed out the cold beef salad.

"Listen to the doctor. I have to go to work tomorrow, it would be too embarrassing to take a day off because of diarrhea."

Zhao Peng clicked his tongue.

"I even got regulated by a doctor when I went out to eat."

"It's not about managing you," Lin Ye said. "I'm worried you'll end up in the emergency room in the middle of the night, and my colleagues will have to look after you."

Zhao Peng was rendered speechless by his words and tapped his chopsticks against the rim of his bowl.

The waiter came in to confirm the menu, and Chen Kai added another serving of vegetables.

"Give this to Lin Ye. He looks like he hasn't seen leafy greens in three days."

Lin Ye raised his eyes.

"Are you determined to cause trouble tonight?"

"It's rare to catch you," Chen Kai said. "I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't say something."

Once the dishes were served, the atmosphere at the table became less formal.

Some people were picking up fish, some were grabbing bullfrogs, and some were reluctant to put down their chopsticks because they thought it was too spicy.

Zhao Peng was picking up some food when he suddenly remembered something.

"You work at the First Municipal Hospital, is your salary quite high?"

Chen Kai waved his hand first.

"Don't ask about money yet, he's still in his residency training."

Zhao Peng was taken aback.

"Aren't you officially a member yet?"

"Not yet." Lin Ye picked up a piece of green vegetable with his chopsticks. "It's the third year of residency training. There's still an exam later. Whether I stay or not is uncertain."

"Then you can definitely stay," Meng Lu said. "You've been working in the ER for so long."

Lin Ye swallowed the food.

"It's too early to say now. Let's talk about it after the exam."

These words dampened the lively atmosphere at the table a little.

Chen Kai pushed the grilled fish towards the center.

"That works too. If the First Municipal Hospital doesn't want you, I'll take you."

Zhao Peng was amused.

Which side are you on?

"I haven't decided yet," Chen Kai said seriously. "Let's just offer him a glimpse of the future."

Meng Lu laughed and scolded him.

"You're a doctor who gets things done without any investment."

Lin Ye touched his cup towards Chen Kai.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

His hand had already touched his pocket when Chen Kai looked over.

"I'll answer work calls. I'll leave group messages for later."

Lin Ye took it out and glanced at it.

It's not a hospital.

It is the mother.

The banquet starts tomorrow at noon. Don't rush back from the city; drive carefully.

There's one more.

Your dad said he won't ask about your boyfriend.

Lin Ye looked at the second one and couldn't help but smile.

Chen Kai stretched his neck.

"What are you laughing at?"

"My mom says my dad doesn't ask about his girlfriend."

Several people nearby joined in the commotion.

"Uncle doesn't ask, but Auntie does."

"The aunt doesn't ask, but the relatives do."

"If you don't ask about your partner when you finally come home, are you even family?"

Chen Kai picked up his teacup.

"I wish you a safe and healthy return tomorrow."

Lin Ye put the phone away.

"Is it too late for me to get back to the ER?"

"It's too late," Chen Kai said. "The food's already served; you can't escape now."

"Your mom will definitely be very happy."

Lin Ye glanced at his phone.

"She's getting excited too soon." He put down his glass. "If I'm really late tomorrow, she'll be reading my name from the start of the meal until it ends."

The lighting in the private room was warm, and the air conditioning wasn't very cold. Some people were talking about their children's fevers, some were calculating mortgage interest, and some were staring at the last piece of fish belly, reaching out with their chopsticks but hesitant to take it.

Lin Ye sat inside, his cup of tea almost cold, but he still didn't get a chance to say much.

Chen Kai picked up a piece of fish for him.

"Eat your food. You're my classmate tonight, so don't be so serious."

"I've already tried my best."

"Alright, Lin." Chen Kai put his chopsticks away. "Pick out the fish bones yourself."

The fish was a little spicy.

Lin Ye took two bites and choked, coughing once.

Zhao Peng handed over a tissue.

"Emergency room doctors are afraid of spicy food too?"

"I'm scared." Lin Ye took the tissue. "It's so spicy it makes my throat hurt."

Zhao Peng smiled as he picked up his cup.

"Then I'll toast the doctor who's afraid of spicy food."

The cup had just reached halfway up when Meng Lu interrupted him.

Didn't you take medicine for your toothache this afternoon?

Lin Ye glanced at the box of painkillers next to Zhao Peng.

Zhao Peng glanced down and then seemed to remember.

"My tooth hurt, so I took two pills. I only had one glass of wine."

"Don't drink tonight." Lin Ye put down the tissue. "You just took painkillers, don't upset your stomach with alcohol. You need to see the dentist tomorrow for your toothache, don't try to tough it out with medicine."

Zhao Peng paused, holding his cup.

Chen Kai reached out and moved his wine glass aside.

"Have some tea. Since you're in the hospital, we'll have to chip in to buy some fruit."

Zhao Peng cursed, but in the end he still changed the tea.

"Okay, I'll do as the doctor says."

Chen Kai steered the conversation towards Meng Lu's job transfer. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was looking, Zhao Peng moved his wine glass a little closer to himself, only to be knocked back by Meng Lu with her chopsticks.

Around nine o'clock, Chen Kai went out to pay the bill.

Lin Ye followed him to the cashier.

I'll transfer it to you.

"No need." Chen Kai scanned the code, put his phone back in his pocket, and said, "It's already a great honor that you came."

"Don't talk me like I'm some kind of expert in making appointments."

"Then I'll transfer half," Chen Kai said. "Don't worry about the rest. Just let Auntie know you're here."

Lin Ye looked at him.

A group-buying QR code was posted next to the cashier, and the light made people's faces look a little white. Chen Kai smiled and lowered his voice.

"My aunt asked me the other day if I was doing well in the hospital. I said I was doing well, just busy."

Lin Ye opened the payment page, not in a hurry to interrupt him.

"It's not that she really needs your meal," Chen Kai said. "She just asked me if I'm so busy these days that I've forgotten which way my front door faces."

Lin Ye transferred the money.

"When did you start siding with my mom?"

"How could I dare?" Chen Kai said. "If Auntie really started reading, she'd be better than me."

The two walked towards the private room.

When they reached the door, Chen Kai asked again.

"Are you really going back tomorrow?"

"Return."

"Where's the class?"

"I'll ask Ma Hao first. If he says it can be moved, I'll confirm with Teacher Qin tomorrow morning. If it's really changed, I'll arrange it for him later."

Chen Kai nodded.

"See, there's no harm in saying it."

Lin Ye paused for a moment.

"I used to think it would be too much trouble to talk about it."

"Then don't always hold it in until the last minute in the future."

The door to the private room was pulled open from the inside, and Meng Lu peeked out.

"What are you two talking about? If you don't come in soon, the cake will be gone."

Whose birthday is it?

"It's nobody's birthday," Chen Kai said. "They insisted on ordering something, saying they hadn't gotten together in a long time and there had to be something to cut it with."

The small cake on the table was not neatly divided; the plastic knife was crooked in the middle, and the edge of the cream had collapsed a little.

When it was Lin Ye's turn, only a small corner remained.

Chen Kai pushed his piece over.

"Eat this piece."

"I don't like sweets."

"Stop talking nonsense," Chen Kai said. "Since we're already here, let's not just get the scraps."

Lin Ye glanced at him, then finally picked up his fork.

"Okay, whatever you say."

It was almost 10 o'clock when the show ended.

The wind was still warm outside the restaurant, and a row of electric scooters were parked along the roadside. Some people were calling for designated drivers, some were discussing where to go next time, and some were saying that next time they shouldn't wait so long.

Chen Kai draped his jacket over his arm.

"Send me a message when you get home tomorrow."

"You're still checking up on me?"

"After-sales service," Chen Kai said, "exclusively for old classmates."

Lin Ye had just walked to the roadside when his phone vibrated again.

Ma Hao sent two messages.

[Brother Lin, I've checked, I can handle Sunday noon. Make up for it with dinner next Tuesday when you get back.]

[This isn't a meal invitation, it's a meal for covering my shift. It needs to include meat.]

Lin Ye replied quickly.

Okay. I'll get you the meat.

He then opened his mother's chat window.

I'm going back tomorrow.