The emergency room was already a battlefield by 7:05 AM.
Someone had spilled instant coffee across the nurses' counter. A junior doctor passed out near the stairwell. And someone else most likely Dr. Zhao Yichen, the hospital's favorite disaster in sneakers had set off the fire alarm trying to microwave baozi in a steel container.
"Qingmei Medical Center," muttered the nurse at reception, shaking her head. "Where sleep goes to die."
Through the front glass doors, Lin Meilin stood frozen with a small black suitcase and a stethoscope that still smelled like packaging plastic. Her white coat looked too clean, like it had never seen blood, sweat, or a midnight meltdown.
She stared up at the hospital's old blue sign:
Qingmei Medical Center
Under it, a peeling sticker read: "Dedicated to healing hearts and saving lives."
Her grip on her ID badge tightened.
She didn't know whether to laugh or throw up.
Inside, the chaos continued.
"Zhao Yichen! Stop sprinting through the corridors like this is a kung fu movie!" a senior nurse yelled.
A blur of white zoomed past the nurse station, knocking over a cart full of bandages and empty vials.
"No promises!" the man shouted mid-jump, landing perfectly before disappearing into the east wing.
The nurse rolled her eyes so hard she almost pulled a muscle.
"Excuse me," Meilin said softly at the front desk. "I'm Lin Meilin. The new intern?"
The nurse glanced at her, taking in the clean coat, the perfectly ironed pants, and the fear of god in her eyes.
"Fresh blood," the nurse said with a grin. "Welcome to Qingmei. Try not to cry before noon. We've got bets going."
Meilin laughed nervously.
"Locker room's down that hall. You'll meet the other interns in the west conference room. And if you see Dr. Zhao Yichen, walk the other way."
Meilin nodded, gripping her suitcase like it was the last life vest on a sinking ship.
The conference room smelled like cheap markers and sleep deprivation. A whiteboard read: Intern Orientation Try Not to Kill Anyone! in messy red handwriting.
Four people were already there.
Dr. Anya Luo, legs crossed, nails painted deep crimson, flipped through a patient file like it was gossip. She didn't look up when Meilin walked in.
Dr. Huang Bo, tall and wide-smiled, was trying to balance a pen on his upper lip.
Dr. Chen Lixia, quiet, glasses perched low, had already started taking notes from the handbook none of the others had opened.
And finally Dr. Zhao Yichen, now seated on the table, not the chair, eating an unpeeled orange like the concept of rules had never applied to him.
He looked up. "New intern?"
Meilin straightened her back. "Lin Meilin."
He smiled like he was about to say something deeply inappropriate, then held up a hand. "Don't tell me. You're top of your class, believe in punctuality, and think sarcasm is unprofessional."
She blinked.
"Welcome to war," he added, taking another bite of his orange rind and all.
By 9:00 AM, they were thrown into the wards.
"Here's the deal," said Head Nurse Wu, handing them all clipboards. "You shadow, you don't show off. You observe, you don't interrupt. If you faint, do it quietly. I've already mopped once today."
Meilin followed Yichen to the pediatrics wing. She wasn't sure who made that decision, but she had a feeling it involved bad karma and possibly the universe laughing behind her back.
Yichen whistled while flipping through files. "So, Lin Meilin tell me something interesting."
"I don't do interesting," she replied, trying not to trip over a toy car.
"You're in the wrong hospital then," he said. "This place is a sitcom with blood."
Their first patient was a seven-year-old girl named Xiao Rui with a fractured wrist and a vocabulary full of insults learned from her older brother.
Meilin bent down to talk to her at eye level. "Does it hurt?"
Xiao Rui nodded, then glanced at Yichen. "Is he your boyfriend?"
"What no no," Meilin said too fast.
Yichen grinned. "She wishes."
Xiao Rui rolled her eyes. "Ew. You look like you don't even comb your hair."
Yichen looked personally offended. "You wound me, Xiao Rui. Deeply."
Meilin tried not to laugh, but failed.
Maybe… maybe this wouldn't be so bad.
By lunch, they had treated four kids, argued with one over cartoons, and watched Yichen pretend to faint after getting peed on by a toddler.
They sat on a bench outside the ER, eating instant noodles from paper cups.
"You're not what I expected," Meilin said quietly.
Yichen shrugged. "Most people think I'm an arrogant idiot."
"I was going to say insufferable flirt, but that works too."
He laughed, a real one this time, not the loud fake version he used to annoy people.
"You're alright, Meilin," he said. "For a nervous wreck."
She looked at him. "And you're not as awful as I thought."
"That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me all week."
Later that day, they got a call: Code Blue in Ward C. Heart attack. No time to think.
Meilin followed Yichen as he ran. Her legs burned, her lungs protested, but her mind stayed sharp.
Inside the ward, a man in his forties was crashing fast. The nurses moved like lightning. Yichen jumped into action, yelling orders, performing compressions, voice steady but tight.
Meilin stood frozen for half a second.
Then she moved.
She helped with the crash cart, handed tools, called out vitals. Her hands didn't shake. Her voice didn't crack.
They stabilized the man in twelve minutes.
Afterward, Meilin stood in the hallway, hands pressed against her face, trying to breathe again.
Yichen leaned against the wall beside her. "First one's always the worst."
She nodded.
He didn't tease this time. Didn't smile. Just stood there with her, letting the silence be enough.
The sun was setting by the time they finished rounds.
In the locker room, Meilin sat on a bench, coat wrinkled, feet aching, brain fried.
Anya walked in, makeup still perfect. "You survived," she said.
"Barely."
Anya gave a small smile. "Don't worry. You get used to the chaos. You never really sleep again, though."
"Comforting," Meilin muttered.
As she left, Yichen poked his head in. "Dinner?"
Meilin raised an eyebrow. "You ask all interns out after the first Code Blue?"
"Only the impressive ones."
She shook her head, hiding her smile. "You're unbelievable."
"Dinner's on me. Instant noodles count."
She stood, grabbing her bag. "Fine. But if you set off another fire alarm, I'm switching departments."
"No promises."