Chapter 3.2 Escorting Her

Cardiothoracic surgeons were notoriously busy and overworked, something he’d known before their marriage. But he hadn’t expected her to be even busier than him—or this exhausted.

Curious, he asked in a group chat: How heavy is the workload for a surgical resident?

The responses came quickly.

Why the sudden interest in residents?

Depends on the hospital. Which one?

He replied: Affiliated Hospital of North City Medical University.

That’s a busy place. Which department—neurosurgery, cardiothoracic, or thoracic?

Min Ting cut through the probing: Not specific to any department.

The cardiothoracic department there is the busiest, though—top-notch cardiac center in the country, tons of patients, no doubt it’s intense.

Everyone knew that already. He clarified: I’m asking about the workload for residents.

A usually quiet member, Ye Xicun, chimed in: I know someone who was a cardiothoracic resident there. They handled everything—schedules, surgeries, patient management, teaching, plus their own research. Only one day off a week, the other six days are 24/7 on-call. Emergencies at night? All-nighters are normal, and the next day, they still have surgeries. Once, they didn’t sleep for 28 hours straight.

It was the most Ye Xicun had ever typed in the group.

Thanks, Min Ting replied.

No problem.

Another member tagged them both: What’s gotten into you two today? One’s asking odd questions, and the other’s unusually chatty.

Neither responded.

Locking his phone, Min Ting glanced at Shi Miao. It was clear Ye Xicun had been describing her.

She’d once mentioned that her parents had remarried, with her mother marrying Ye Huai, making Ye Xicun her stepbrother.

She’d been raised by her grandparents and rarely visited her mother’s new family.

Ye Xicun had never mentioned his stepmother or her children in public. Earlier in the group chat, he had merely referred to Shi Miao as “someone I know.”

Shi Miao had barely woken up when the car stopped at the entrance of her rented apartment complex.

Min Ting called her awake, “Go back and sleep in your bed.”

Shi Miao took a moment to gather herself, folding the blanket she had used. “I’ll take this home to wash it and return it later,” she said, though she quickly reconsidered. After all, they were married now, and he hadn’t even bothered with a prenup. Returning something as trivial as a blanket seemed unnecessary.

“I’ll just take it home,” she decided. Since she had used it, he likely wouldn’t want to.

Min Ting replied, “Leave it in the car—it’ll be convenient for you to use later.”

Realizing their situation had changed and that she’d likely ride in his car again, she agreed after a pause. “Okay,” she said, placing the blanket neatly beside the seat before stepping out.

“Wait a moment,” Min Ting called out just as she was stepping onto the curb.

She turned back, one foot still outside the car.

Min Ting handed her the paper bag from the armrest without a word.

After all this back and forth, the bread had returned to her hands. Without asking why he hadn’t delivered it, Shi Miao accepted it graciously—no need to make anyone lose face.

When she took the bag, her hand brushed his briefly.

To her surprise, the bag felt much heavier than she had expected. Curious, she opened it and discovered it wasn’t bread at all but imported fruit juice. The small, sleek boxes caught her eye—seven in total, one for each day of the week.

Had he exchanged the bread for these?

Without pretending to decline, Shi Miao carried the juice as she exited the car. “See you next time.”

Min Ting gave a small nod.

After she closed the car door, Shi Miao took a few steps back, leaving enough space for the car to turn. Through the tinted windows, she wasn’t sure if he was looking her way, but she gave a polite wave anyway.

Their first meeting after marriage had gone smoother than expected.

Back home, Shi Miao put the juice in the fridge to chill, planning to take it to the hospital the next morning. After sleeping twice in Min Ting’s car, she no longer felt as tired. She grabbed her car keys and headed out, intending to return her car.

Her car, which had been sitting in an outdoor parking space for two weeks, was coated in dust. A recent rainstorm had left streaks of grime on the white exterior, and tufts of white fluff had gathered beneath the wipers.

The car was a gift from Ye Xicun when she graduated. Initially, she hadn’t accepted it because it seemed too expensive. But he’d said, “Just borrow it until you get your own car registration,” and she had reluctantly agreed.

It was a simple car for commuting, and its license plate, registered under his company, was equally unremarkable.

After she started working and saved some money, she transferred the car’s payment to him, leaving only the favor of the license plate unpaid. Years later, the car was only worth 20,000 to 30,000 yuan, but the car itself wasn’t the issue—it was about returning the license plate.

Shi Miao started the car, turned on the air conditioning, and opened her phone. Scrolling to Ye Xicun’s chat history, she found their last conversation, which had been six months ago—before she became a chief resident.

In the past half-year, much had changed. He had started dating someone he liked, someone from a well-matched family. Meanwhile, she had gotten married.

Shaking off her thoughts, she typed a quick message with one hand:

“Brother, are you busy? Mom said you just got back from a business trip. Are you at the office?”

Ten minutes later, a reply came.

Ye Xicun: “Just got back last night. I’m at the office. Are you off today?”

Shi Miao: “Yeah. Are you free now? I’ll come find you.”

Ye Xicun: “Come over directly.”