Generally speaking, in the minds of adult men, hospitals carry two very different connotations.
One is the image of a place that saves lives. The other—thanks to certain romantic, dramatic, or even risqué portrayals in television dramas from certain island nations—is quite the opposite.
So whenever hospitals, nurses, and similar imagery come to mind, there's often a vague feeling... like a train rushing into a tunnel—woo woo woo...
After all, every man has had those youthful years of tea and wine, a computer screen, and... well, a hand. Even Jiang Hai couldn't help but occasionally indulge in such thoughts. There are, after all, plenty of "serious" stories set in hospitals.
Take those late-night animated shows, for instance—where seasoned viewers know exactly which wards are on the night shift, and certain nurse characters appear with a... cough, distinctive presence.
Of course, real hospitals in China aren't quite like what you see in those movies or cartoons, but truth be told, the staff can sometimes be a bit too unreserved. Then again, good people and bad people exist everywhere—no place is exempt.
Huang Yunfei, for example, wasn't exactly a good person... but he wasn't a bad one either.
He had money, looked good, stood over 1.8 meters tall, and had connections at home. Unsurprisingly, he was quite popular with women.
Jiang Hai remembered that back in medical school, this guy had cycled through four girlfriends and had... intimate encounters dozens of times—with a different partner almost every time. How did Jiang Hai know?
Simple. Huang Yunfei was an idiot who actually took photos and bragged about them to Jiang Hai and the others. He was basically asking for trouble.
Later on, after starting work and in an effort to maintain a respectable image, he spent a little more money and frequented bars for one-night stands, all while maintaining a steady girlfriend. Of course, that didn't stop him from sneaking around.
Business trips, company dinners, evening events—it all depended on who he connected with. If it was a male colleague, they might go out and hire some professionals. If it was a female colleague, they'd "talk business" in a hotel room.
Whether it was due to the stress of the industry or simply the luxury of having money to burn, Jiang Hai couldn't say. All he knew was—it was chaos.
As expected, Huang Yunfei's relationship was a rollercoaster. Thanks to thirds, fourths, and fifths, he and his girlfriend broke up, got back together, and broke up again, repeatedly.
Right before Jiang Hai came to the U.S. last year, Huang Yunfei had just broken up for the final time. Not even a week later, he was reportedly dating a teacher from school—someone introduced her, apparently. Whether she was the one he was now marrying, Jiang Hai wasn't sure.
"Alright, no problem," Jiang Hai replied with a smile after hearing the wedding invitation. After all, he'd be going back for the Mid-Autumn Festival anyway—a few extra days wouldn't hurt. They had always been close.
When Jiang Hai's family had run into trouble, his friends had offered to help, but he'd turned them all down.
No matter what, someone else's money was still someone else's. Jiang Hai had always believed that just because your family was struggling didn't mean you had the right to touch other people's resources.
He was stubborn—maybe not so much now, but two years ago, definitely.
Friends like Fuyuan and Huang Yunfei had offered help more than once, but Jiang Hai refused to accept even a penny. He would rather sell the house. Starve, even. But borrow money? Never.
Even during school, if he forgot to bring lunch money, he'd go hungry. If he didn't have money for water, he'd just endure the thirst.
To him, that's just how it was. He handled things on his own, hated showing weakness in front of others, and preferred to suffer in silence.
Fortunately, Qi Li's mother had stepped in back then. Without her, things could've gotten much worse for him.
"When are you coming back?" Huang Yunfei hadn't really expected Jiang Hai to agree when he made the call. Hearing Jiang Hai accept so readily left him a little moved, and he asked immediately, wanting to make arrangements for his return.
"Probably around October 2nd or 3rd. I'll call you when I arrive." Jiang Hai did a quick mental calculation—the Mid-Autumn Festival fell on September 27th. Ai Xiaoxi's hometown was in Shandong, so visiting would take a few days.
Even if he left on October 1st, getting tickets would be a nightmare. Ever since China waived highway tolls during holidays, traffic had skyrocketed. Flying on the 2nd would be easier and faster.
"Great. Let's get together when you're back," Huang Yunfei replied cheerfully.
After hanging up, Jiang Hai tossed his phone on the bed, sat up, wiped his face, and went to wash up.
When he came out, Xiaoya and the others were already preparing food downstairs in the living room.
"Hey! You're finally up!" Aphra greeted him warmly when she saw him.
"Yeah, slept like a baby," Jiang Hai replied with a grin. He glanced at Becky Hall, who turned her flushed face away. No one knew better than her why he'd slept so well.
"Planning to shower later?" Dina Taylor asked casually, eyeing him with a knowing look.
"In a bit, yeah." Jiang Hai instantly understood her implication.
Men were like that—no matter what happened before bed, the morning always brought... renewed energy. Hearing Dina's teasing, he chuckled.
Afra exchanged a look with Sheila Rodney from across the room. It was probably her turn tonight.
Bernice, watching them quietly, frowned. From the moment she arrived, she had sensed something was going on between them. Her intuition told her that if she followed them to the bath later, she'd find out exactly what.
After dinner—Winthrop was still sweltering in September—everyone was sweating, so they headed straight to the hot spring for a bath.
Everything went as usual. Jiang Hai bathed in the men's area. Afra and the others used the women's bath.
After a tiring day, soaking in the hot spring brought on even more drowsiness.
While bathing, Afra saw Sheila give her a subtle nod before slipping out quietly.
Bernice noticed, too. Though she pretended to remain relaxed, she mentally noted the departure. Ten minutes later, she got up and left as well.
She checked the women's area but couldn't find Sheila anywhere. Oddly, her clothes were still there, meaning she hadn't dressed and left. Bernice's curiosity grew.
Maybe it was a woman's sixth sense. She found herself walking to the men's bath, peering through the door.
Her pupils widened at what she saw.
Sheila Rodney was in the dressing room, clinging to a locker, flushed from head to toe, while Jiang Hai stood behind her, hands on her waist—what they were doing required no explanation.
Bernice's first impulse was to rush in and confront him. But... what could she say? On what grounds?
She and Xiaoya weren't just ordinary women in Jiang Hai's life. They had their own secrets—secrets they couldn't reveal. Barging in now would risk everything.
So she stopped. Stood there, quietly, watching through the narrow crack in the door. Jiang Hai had now lifted Sheila and carried her to the soft bench nearby, continuing their passionate encounter.
Bernice understood the situation. She should walk away—but her feet refused to move. She had never seen anything like this before. Despite her age, this was a first. She felt embarrassed, flustered—and yet, she watched.
After half an hour, her body trembled slightly, and the confusion in her eyes cleared. She glanced once more at Jiang Hai, still in the middle of it, then turned and silently walked back to the women's bath.
She slid into the water, trying to close her eyes and relax, but every time she did, that vivid image replayed in her mind—unbidden, uncontrollable.
"Damn you, Jiang Hai..." she muttered under her breath.
She hated how uncomfortable it made her feel. But what infuriated her more was that she had no right to stop him.
Still... if she had no position to confront him directly, that didn't mean she was out of options.