Wildfire

Chapter 4

Socialising was easy for adults, missing the ever-present trace of awkwardness and bashfulness that children had. After a meal and a drink together, people would become chummy with each other.

It was rather coincidental that Xia Yuan happened to glimpse Tong Ning drinking alone at one side. They knew each other quite well back in university and continued to keep in contact even after graduation. Tong Ning was completely oblivious that Xia Yuan once had a period where he carried a torch for him, and only assumed that this was a very caring upperclassman.

Xia Yuan, naturally, wouldn’t dredge up those past affections. It was all fun and games to casually blab about it when drinking with others, but letting the once-ago crush know would be too moronic.

Apart from Tao Xiaodong, these three were medical school graduates, so they had many topics in common. Tao Xiaodong had always respected doctors and the work they did, further with Tong Ning being pleasant company, Tao Xiaodong was able to hit it off with him, lacking any sense of alienation between strangers.

Tao Xiaodong had a way of making others relax in his presence without it feeling smarmy. It was an innate gift he had since young. Tian Yi said that he was sincere and attentive. These two aspects normally wouldn’t manifest in someone simultaneously, but when they did, this person would appear very likeable and charismatic.

Similar to the other two at the table, Xia Yuan had scored well enough to be admitted into medicine and was even a top student in his cohort. Most of the friends and acquaintances he made in university were now doctors. Few from their school didn’t become doctors, and even those were, like him, still associated in some way with the healthcare industry.

Xia Yuan also had dreams of being a doctor and wanted to do his part for the medical field. However, in the end, he chose to take a more realistic road. With the drink getting to his head, he recalled the silly and lofty aspirations he had in his youth, moaning, “Every step I take is wrong. If I hadn’t gone into pharmaceuticals… I might be like you guys now, angels in white coats.”

“Angels in white coats?” Tian Yi said. “Just from this sentence, I can tell that you’re not cut out to be a doctor. The angels they’re referring to are the nurses.”

“Can’t doctors be angels too?” Xia Yuan eyed them both, sighing, “It’s great to be a doctor. Treating the sick and saving lives, people of immeasurable merit and virtue.”

Tian Yi shot back, “What’s so good about that? It’s a bitter and tiring road, there’s not a single perk at all.”

Xia Yuan had his mood completely dampened by him. His gaze swept over the lot of them and finally alighted on Tong Ning, dressed in a white shirt, next to him. He turned and said to Tian Yi, “Then why don’t I hear Xiao Tong griping?”

Singled out, Tong Ning blinked. He seemed to ponder it seriously for a few seconds before giving a shallow smile. “There really doesn’t seem to be anything good about it.”

“How can that be; how many people have you saved? How many lives have you reclaimed with those hands? You guys are amazing, seriously,” Xia Yuan clinked glasses each of them in turn and downed his drink.

Tong Ning gently placed the glass on his lips. He slowly sipped his drink, held it in his mouth without swallowing, and looked down at his hands.

Tao Xiaodong glanced at them as well. They were beautiful.

Tian Yi said, “No one understands our suffering. When it gets busy, we spend tens of hours constantly on our feet. We’re working ourselves into our graves, but they still come back and bite us in the arse with lawsuits.”