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

Shen Ruo came back to her senses and swallowed back the bitterness in her eyes. "No, I wasn't scared. I just felt that my cousin has had a tough time."

Shen Yulan stood up. "Who has it easy? Nobody has it easy. That's just his personality. He keeps everything bottled up inside. He's been like that since he was a teenager, and he's still like that now."

Shen Ruo did not speak.

Shen Yulan took a couple of steps, then suddenly turned back. "Oh dear, I was so busy talking, have you eaten yet?"

As if timed perfectly, Shen Ruo's stomach rumbled loudly at just the right moment.

Shen Ruo covered her stomach with both hands, wishing she could push it back in.

What does it mean to falter at a crucial moment?

This is.

Shen Yulan was amused by her embarrassed appearance, and the faint sadness she had felt earlier was largely dispelled by the protest of her stomach.

"Luckily, I kept the food in the pot warm. I knew you guys wouldn't have eaten by the time you got back."

She said this as she walked towards the kitchen.

Shen Ruo quickly stood up, went over and pressed Shen Yulan's hand, "Auntie, you sit down, I'll go, I can do it myself, you should go and rest, it's so late."

Before Shen Yulan could say anything more, Shen Ruo pushed her toward the stairs, saying as she did so, "Go to sleep, go to sleep. I can heat up my own food, wash my own dishes, turn off the lights, go upstairs, and go to sleep all by myself. You don't need to worry about anything. Go on, go on."

Shen Yulan was pushed a few steps by her, then looked back at her, smiled and shook her head, "You child, just like your cousin, you have to do everything yourself."

Shen Ruo smiled but did not reply.

Shen Yulan walked up the stairs a few steps, then turned back and said, "Go and rest after you finish eating. You have to go to work tomorrow. Don't stay up late watching dramas again."

"Okay, Auntie, goodnight."

"Good night."

After finishing her meal, Shen Ruo washed the dishes, the pot, and wiped the stove clean.

She went upstairs, washed up, lay down on the bed, and glanced at her phone.

Qi Wenshen has not yet replied.

Shen Ruo turned over and pulled the blanket up to her chin.

I drifted off to sleep in a daze.

When Shen Ruo opened her eyes, it was already bright outside the window.

She reached for her phone beside her pillow, squinted at it, and saw it was 7:20.

There are no unread messages or missed calls on the screen.

She sat up and rubbed her hair.

isn't it?

Have you been busy until now?

Even an Iron Man couldn't withstand that.

She put down her phone and got out of bed to wash up.

Downstairs in the restaurant, Shen Yulan had been busy all morning.

"Ruoruo, are you up?"

"Um."

"I went to the market early this morning and bought pork spine bones. I just started making this soup. You and your cousin are standing and bending over all day long. You are what you eat, and this is the best thing to drink."

Looking at Shen Yulan's hands, which were slightly red from working, Shen Ruo suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

She walked over, gently hugged Shen Yulan from behind, pressed her face against her shoulder, and said in a low voice, "Auntie, you've worked hard."

Shen Yulan was taken aback by her sudden action, then smiled and patted her hand, "Alright, alright, you're such a grown-up, why are you still acting like a child? Go sit down, I'll serve you some."

"I'll do it myself."

Shen Ruo brought over a bowl of soup. The soup was thick and white, with a few goji berries floating on the surface. The bones were stewed until the meat was separated from the bones, and it would fall off the bones with the slightest touch.

Shen Ruo took a sip, and the freshness made her eyes squint.

"Auntie, hasn't my cousin come back yet?"

Shen Yulan was filling a thermos with soup when she heard this. Her hand paused for a moment, then she continued scooping the soup. Her movements didn't change much, but Shen Ru noticed that she scooped the soup a little slower.

"That's just how it is being a doctor, what can you do?"

She packed the thermos, then put the congee and side dishes in another insulated bag, tied the bag, and handed it to Shen Ruo. "Take this to him. The soup is still warm. Tell him to drink it as soon as he gets there."

"it is good."

Upon arriving at the hospital, Shen Ruo did not go directly to the nurses' station, but instead went up to the top floor first.

The door to the lounge on the top floor was locked, so she took out the key that Qi Wenshen had given her yesterday and opened the door.

Stacy's sofa was exactly the same as it had been placed before she left yesterday.

She placed the thermos on the desk, glanced at the bed, and saw that the blankets were neatly folded and untouched.

Qi Wenshen didn't come here last night.

Shen Ruo's heart tightened even more.

She closed the door, went downstairs, and went first to the nurses' station where she had been on duty the previous night.

The colleague on duty was organizing the handover records when he saw Shen Ruo coming over, so he looked up and greeted her.

"Sister Zhao, may I ask if Dr. Qi was in the operating room all night?"

Shen Ruo spoke as casually as possible, as if asking a question offhand.

Sister Zhao nodded. "That's right. Several major surgeries were performed in a row. I heard that a very important person was injured. There can't be any mistakes. Other doctors didn't dare to operate easily. The injured person's family insisted on Dr. Qi. There was no other way."

She sighed, "Dr. Qi has been busy for a whole day and night. I think he must be exhausted too. Even a person made of iron can't withstand this kind of strain."

Shen Ruo nodded.

You see, she's not the only one who thinks this way.

In the nurses' station, Zhou Lan had already changed her clothes and was sitting in a chair applying lipstick in front of a small mirror.

Seeing Shen Ruo walk in, she put down the mirror, looked her up and down, and frowned.

"What's wrong with you? You seem distracted."

Shen Ruo snapped out of her reverie, shook her head, and said, "It's nothing."

Zhou Lan frowned. "Your cousin cheated on you?"

Shen Ruo was taken aback by her words. "My cousin is nothing like Wei Jing, that womanizing bastard."

Zhou Lan clicked her tongue twice, her tone both sarcastic and amused, "Why are you so quick to judge me when I say he cheated? But you're quick to say Wei Jing is a womanizer, always hitting me where it hurts, aren't you? Who's really whose sister here?"

"Wei Jing is a womanizer, and now he only has me."

Shen Ruo replied perfunctorily, "Oh, congratulations."

"What happened?"

Shen Ruo sat down. "He was at the hospital all night last night, and he's still in the operating room."

Zhou Lan said "Oh," and added, "I thought it was something serious, but it turns out you're just upset."

Shen Ruo blushed slightly, neither admitting nor denying it.

Zhou Lan looked at her and sighed. She reached out and patted her shoulder, her tone unusually serious for once, "What's the big deal? My brother Zhou Ke is like this sometimes too. Don't worry, he won't die from exhaustion. Doctors are tough."

Shen Ruo: "..."

I wasn't comforted.

The morning shifts are fully booked.

Shen Ruo took the patient's blood pressure, measured their temperature, changed their dressings, and dispensed medication. She did everything just like she always did.

But every time she finished something, she would unconsciously glance in the direction leading to the operating room.

Then I looked away and moved on to the next thing.

It wasn't until 11 a.m. that a familiar figure appeared at the end of the corridor.

Qi Wenshen was wearing a dark blue surgical gown with a white coat over it. He walked much slower than usual, and his eyes were bloodshot.