After her dramatic cousin stopped acting up, the aloof doctor got anxious.

[A sophistry: Drink less iced beverages.]

【understood. 】

……

Wen Zhiyue sat on her bed in the dormitory, a book spread out on her lap. She had been staring at the same page for almost half an hour, but hadn't been able to read a single word.

She covered her chest with her hand, her heart pounding rhythmically beneath her thin nightgown.

During this time, she felt increasingly uneasy.

I can't say when it started.

She suddenly felt a strong desire.

She wanted to see Qi Wenshen as soon as possible.

This longing came out of nowhere, yet surged so intensely that it was irresistible.

She didn't know why she was in such a hurry. There was only one month left. She had already waited so long. What difference would another thirty days make?

But it seems she's losing something very important, before she's even gotten it.

"Zhiyue, Zhiyue?"

Ou Qi sat cross-legged on the bed, holding a pillow in her arms, tilting her head to look at her, and chewing a lollipop.

"What are you doing? I've called you three times, and you're completely out of your mind. You're even holding the book upside down, you know that?"

Wen Zhiyue snapped out of her daze and looked down.

She was holding the book upside down; she actually stared at the barcode on the back cover for half an hour.

She couldn't help but laugh and closed the book.

"It's nothing, I was just spacing out, thinking about my internship."

Ou Qi took the lollipop out of her mouth and looked at Wen Zhiyue with an incredulous expression.

"What's so great about an internship? Didn't I tell you? The senior students from the previous year said that internships are exhausting. You're running around all day, your feet are blistered, and new blisters just grow back after they burst. You get yelled at by the senior nurses, treated harshly by patients, and used as a punching bag by their families. Everyone else is afraid to do an internship, but you're eagerly looking forward to it. Do you have some kind of masochistic tendency? Or are you hiding some treasure at the hospital where you're interning?"

Wen Zhiyue shook her head.

"The sooner I finish my internship, the sooner I can start working. I'll have to face it eventually, so it's better to start sooner rather than later."

Ou Qi looked at her and didn't ask any more questions, because she knew about Wen Zhiyue's family situation. She didn't need to ask; she could tell just by looking.

Wen Zhiyue always wears the same few clothes.

She bought her shoes at a street stall when school started, and the soles are almost worn flat now.

She never ordered meat dishes in the cafeteria, always eating vegetables with rice. She would finish every single grain of rice, pour the vegetable soup into her bowl and mix it with the rice, and occasionally buy a braised egg as a snack.

Ou Qi saw her eating steamed buns and pickled vegetables in her dormitory several times.

Of course, Ouqi knew that she wasn't not hungry, but that she had no money.

Wen Zhiyue's parents are old and raise chickens in their hometown to support her schooling by selling eggs and free-range chickens.

I can't earn much money all year round. Eggs cost 50 cents each, and free-range chickens cost 50 yuan each. How many chickens do I need to sell to pay for a year's tuition?

Wen Zhiyue also has a younger brother who is in high school.

Her younger brother's monthly expenses were higher than Wen Zhiyue's because boys eat more and are growing.

Ouqi put the lollipop back in her mouth. "It'll be soon, just one more month."

She didn't look at Wen Zhiyue when she said this, but looked at the sky outside the window.

It was getting dark, and the last rays of sunset were disappearing. Only a thin line of orange-red remained on the horizon, hanging there like a thin ribbon, about to be swallowed by the night.

Wen Zhiyue nodded, her gaze falling out the window, following the orange-red sunset into the distance, as if she could see the direction of that person.

"Yes, there's still a month left."

Wen Zhiyue sighed.

In one month, she will be able to leave the school where she has spent three years and go to the hospital she has been longing for, to the place where he is.

I remember in my previous life, during a hospital visit organized by the school, a group of students wearing school uniforms lined up and chattered as they walked into the gate of Beijing No. 1 Hospital.

Everyone was looking around, full of curiosity about this place where they might work in the future.

Wen Zhiyue walked in the middle of the group.

Then she saw him.

He stood at the operating room door, wearing a blue surgical gown, talking to the doctor next to him.

Sunlight streamed in through the window at the end of the corridor, falling directly on him and bathing him in a soft golden glow.

Wen Zhiyue stopped in her tracks.

She stood in the middle of the corridor, and the whole world seemed to have been paused. All sounds faded away, leaving only the sound of her heartbeat.

A classmate next to her nudged her, "Come on, what are you looking at?"

She snapped out of her daze and quickened her pace to catch up with the group, but the image was branded into her mind like a hot iron, impossible to erase or forget.

……

Shen Ruo returned to the nurses' station and had just sat down.

Qi Wenshen: [Come to the lounge.]

Shen Ruo: [What?]

Qi Wenshen: [There's food.]

Shen Ruo: [Am I the kind of person who would compromise my principles for food?]

Qi Wenshen: [Chicken wings, honey-glazed.]

Shen Ruo: [Coming right away.]

Zhou Lan raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going? Is there gold to pick up?"

Shen Ruo waved her phone. "My cousin brought me some food."

"..."

"Is that all you've got?"

"right."

Zhou Lan rolled her eyes and turned to drift towards the vice president's office.

"I'm going to find Wei Jing. You can eat slowly; it would be best if you got fat."

"If I get fat, will you support me?"

Zhou Lan turned around and said, "Raise my ass, I still have to raise my own kids."

"..."

He's already so arrogant even though he's only halfway through his life.

Qi Wenshen leaned against the door, listening to the footsteps outside.

Getting closer.

A smile played at the corners of his lips, and his eyes softened.

The door opened.

"Cousin, I brought you milk tea."

Qi Wenshen raised an eyebrow and took it.

Mango pomelo sago, less sugar, no ice.

The flavor she usually drinks.

"It seems to be one of your favorite drinks."

Shen Ruo chuckled and sat down in the chair opposite him, swinging her legs back and forth, her white skin catching everyone's eye.

"No, I'm already full. This glass is for you."

"Those chicken wings that were packed up..."

"I can still eat."

Shen Ruo immediately changed her tune.

She reached out and opened the foil box.

Qi Wenshen tore open a pair of gloves and handed them to her, along with a small pack of wet wipes.

That's very thoughtful.

Shen Ru made a mental "V" sign.

"Mmm, delicious."

Qi Wenshen sat beside her, watching her.

His fingertips were greasy, and there was sauce on the corners of his mouth, making him look like a little animal that had stolen a bite.

"Slow down, no one's going to take it from you."

Shen Ruo stuffed the mango pomelo sago into his mouth.

"Try it, it's delicious."

Qi Wenshen looked down at the cup of milk tea.

There was a faint lip print on the rim of the cup.

Pink, translucent, like some kind of invitation.

His eyes darkened suddenly, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"You drank it?"

Shen Ru blushed. "No, I bought another cup."

She had been holding it for a moment when she couldn't help but take a sip.

Qi Wenshen smiled, opened his mouth, and took a small sip.

It tastes sweeter than I expected.

Mango, grapefruit, coconut milk.

Mixed together, like her.

Sweet, sticky, and addictive.

"How is it?"

"sweet."

"Is it delicious?"

He paused, his gaze lingering on the corner of her lips. "It tastes good, but not as sweet as you."

"..."

Shen Ruo's ears turned red.

Qi Wenshen looked at her chin, which was covered in sauce.

I took out a tissue, intending to wipe the sauce from the corner of her mouth.