Chapter 44

Youyi had chosen a new minor field of study, a more specialized direction. After a year, she planned to prepare for graduate school while officially starting her clinical internship.

She chose Shenglin University Hospital for her internship, close to home and a familiar place.

Huang Youyi and Youyi rented a place near the hospital. Sheng Sheng and Tian Ning went to the provincial capital, each with their own set goals and working hard towards them.

Huang Youyi rented a room near the hospital and complained to Youyi about how she had been scammed by a dishonest landlord due to her haste in finding a place.

The apartment was in a building two hundred meters from the hospital, with the first six floors being commercial spaces and the residential area starting from the seventh floor. Originally, the building was a mix of quality, with a low safety factor. The 1,200-yuan-per-month room was a small studio partitioned by the landlord.

A 120-square-meter apartment was divided into three small suites, with one security door leading to three more doors inside. Huang Youyi lived in a room with half a balcony, a tiny bedroom, and kitchen, with the bathroom connected to the kitchen.

Every time she took a shower, the water flooded the kitchen.

For that 1,200 yuan, she could have lived in a stairwell apartment with a much better environment.

Or an apartment.

“The neighbor next door is a game streamer. He has a dog that barks all day on the balcony.”

Huang Youyi complained.

The two balconies were connected, separated only by a security net, with the balcony right next to her bedroom, making the dog’s barking particularly annoying.

Huang Youyi had endured it for several days, thinking that they would have to live together for a long time in the future. But there were a few times when she got off the night shift and the dog kept barking, and she really couldn’t stand it anymore.

If she went mad one day, she would confront the neighbor.

“I reflect, dear God, I haven’t done anything that would harm anyone recently. The most I did was see a banana peel and didn’t throw it away.”

Huang Youyi prayed, “Fairy, I truly repent.”

“Oh, and my senior brother isn’t a good person either.”

Huang Youyi felt she had absolutely sinned.

The senior she met in the first department rotation was unreliable. After rounds, he would disappear, leaving her alone in the office. The key issue was that she had just started in the department and knew nothing, facing various challenges every day.

Huang Youyi had almost developed a thick skin by now. She thought this was probably life’s training for her.

But her mentor was a senior sister.

The senior sister was kind, beautiful, spoke gently, and took good care of Huang Youyi.

“Do you want me to help you find another place to live?” Youyi asked.

“There are many teachers in the hospital who have houses in the family area. You can ask around.”

This thought made Huang Youyi even more upset.

“I paid two months’ rent in advance and signed a one-year lease. Do you think I’m a huge fool?”

Now that she had to move, she definitely wouldn’t get her deposit back. That was 2,400 yuan, her hard-earned money, and she couldn’t let it go to waste.

So changing apartments was not an option. The landlord was also unscrupulous and would definitely withhold the deposit.

“But you don’t have to deal with the nitty-gritty of daily life or worry about housing contracts. It’s simply too fortunate.”

Huang Youyi sighed.

She had asked Youyi earlier whether her choice was the right one, and now, over a year later, she felt that the answer was clear without needing to be spoken.

She had seen Youyi standing with Fucheng.

Although he was powerful and aloof, evoking fear in others, he was also like a mountain, an impenetrable wall, a steady ship. He shielded Youyi behind him, making sure that no storm or gust could reach her.

This might be the greatest significance for Youyi.

No matter how delicate she might be, there was always someone to protect her. He would always put her above himself, allowing her to grow from fragility into resilience.

The best part was that Youyi had already accomplished the two major milestones of life—establishing a family and earning money.

She wasn’t short on money and had a place to call home. All she needed to do was study what she wanted and focus on her responsibilities. Everything else was beyond her need to think about.

Youyi smiled, acknowledging that Huang Youyi was right. In some respects, she had indeed benefited from taking some shortcuts.

She had a husband who earned well and allowed her to spend money without worry. She could buy anything she wanted without checking the price and get anything she liked.

*

At noon, Huang Youyi and Youyi had lunch at the cafeteria.

In the afternoon, returning to the hospital, Youyi had to continue working overtime. As she had just started her clinical rotation, there were many new things to learn. The feeling of being thrust into an unfamiliar environment pushed her to keep moving forward.

The survival mode in the hospital was completely different from school.

It wasn’t just about mastering the knowledge points.

As Huang Youyi had said, it involved more of social skills, communication techniques, and personal experience.

It was a true battlefield where skills were put to the test, stained with the realities of life.

Youyi felt that she could rapidly grow here. At least, she now had a preliminary idea of her future path and knew what choices would be best for her.

Fu Cheng sent Youyi a few messages. After swallowing her food, she opened the chat window.

Fu Cheng: [Is the condom supply at home running low? Do you want me to bring back two boxes?]

After a while, he sent another message: [What style do you want?]

Youyi had just started her clinical rotation and spent more time at the hospital than at home. As a result, the box of condoms she bought last month took half a month to use up.

Youyi: [Any will do.]

She could imagine his stern expression. The last time he bought a variety of options, asking her to choose the best one.

There were so many types, and Youyi was astonished.

After a while, Fu Cheng replied: [Then buy the one you like.]

Youyi was taken aback.

She couldn’t even remember which one she liked.

Youyi didn’t reply further.

It was the same as before—whatever he chose.

Anyway, her opinion didn’t really matter.

By 6 p.m., she had left the hospital and was on her way home. As she was about to enter the gate, Fu Cheng called her.

“Youyou.” He called out to her.

“Yes?”

“I have to go on a business trip,” Fu Cheng said. “There’s something to handle at the base. It might take two or three days.”

The sudden business trip surprised Fu Cheng as well. The newly opened base in the suburbs required him to conduct another quality check for the off-road project. With September approaching, he had to prepare for the students’ military training tasks, and no mistakes could be tolerated.

“Going now?” Youyi wondered why it was so sudden.

“Yes, I’m already on the road,” Fu Cheng said. He was driving himself, had left half an hour ago, and had another two hours to go.

He called her, timing it around her off-work time.

Youyi was silent for a few seconds.

Not hearing a response from her side, Fu Cheng asked softly, “Are you disappointed?”

He had originally told her he would be back.

Youyi denied, “I’m not.”

In the time since their marriage, they had rarely been apart, mostly just mornings out and evenings back together.

The sudden mention of a few days apart, though seemingly trivial, caught her off guard and made her feel a bit dazed.

“Baby, I’ll be back in a couple of days,” Fu Cheng’s voice came through the phone, soothing and deep.

That term…

Youyi felt like fireworks were bursting in her veins.

She heard her heart pounding, and she could almost feel Fu Cheng’s powerful presence surrounding her.

She admired and revered his strength, relishing the protection he provided. Even when he occasionally called her softly, her heart would still race wildly.

How could she handle this? Her heart was racing over 100 beats per minute, and she was constantly experiencing this tachycardia.

“If you can’t sleep at night, just video call me.”

Fu Cheng paused and added, “Don’t worry if I’m busy.”

Even if he was busy, he would still take her call.

Youyi had exited the elevator and was passing by the fire hydrant. She saw her flushed face reflected in the metal surface, touched it with the back of her hand, and reached out to unlock the door with her fingerprint.

“Why aren’t you speaking?” Fu Cheng asked softly, as if he could see through her. “Is your face red?”

Even through the phone, he could make her face flush explosively. Youyi could hardly speak, closing the door behind her and softly replied, “Yes.”

Her face was indeed very red.

Fu Cheng: “It’s a pity I can’t see it in person.”

“You must look very pretty when you blush,” Fu Cheng, normally a man of few words, was never stingy with his compliments. His rare praise, even if just a few simple words, could make her heart race uncontrollably.

If only Fu Cheng were here now.

“Right now, I’m sure you’re really wanting me to kiss you,” Fu Cheng’s voice was low and emotionless, gravelly like a grindstone rubbing against gravel. His words were not questions but statements of certainty.

“Am I right?” Fu Cheng pressed when she didn’t immediately respond.

So, she had no choice but to nod and answer seriously, “Yes.”

“Then wait for me to come back, baby.”

The phone line was very quiet on Fu Cheng’s end. Occasionally, the sound of the wind blowing against the window could be heard. Although it was hot at night, he hadn’t turned on the air conditioning. Instead, he had opened the car window to let the wind in and cool off.

“You’ve lost weight over the past few days because you’re tired. Remember to eat more,” Fu Cheng said.

He knew that she had just started her clinical rotations and was under a lot of work pressure. She hadn’t been eating well at the hospital, and in less than a month, she had visibly lost a lot of weight.

Her waist had become so thin he could practically pinch it in half.

“Even if you gain a little weight, you’ll still look good,” Fu Cheng added.

If he were around, he would definitely make sure she ate more.

Standing in front of a full-length mirror, even though she was alone in the room, Youyi buried her face in her arms, and the mirror reflected her reddened ears.

Who would understand… Just thinking about Fu Cheng now filled her with a kind of inexplicable embarrassment, even though it had been a long time, the feeling still hadn’t faded.

“You also need to stay safe,” Youyi said as she reached for the remote to turn on the air conditioning, setting it to 22 degrees to cool the room quickly.

She had been studying her specialty for over a year. During this time, Fu Cheng had undergone a few check-ups, and the results were fairly good, which allowed her to relax a bit.

She was afraid of him getting injured again; that would be adding insult to injury.

“Don’t worry,” Fu Cheng said.

Every word he spoke was a promise that didn’t need questioning. He always delivered on his promises.

After the call ended, Youyi covered her face and took a deep breath after a while.

Unknowingly, Fu Cheng had become an indispensable part of her life. In such a short time, she missed him so much.