Chapter 28

Once upon a time, Lu Yuqing always called her a fool, a bookworm, someone who didn’t know how to love. Tang Feiwan used to refuse to accept that. But after sending a message last night, even she wondered if she was being stupid why would she notify someone in advance about giving them a gift? Realizing this, Tang Feiwan quickly retracted the message and simply wished the other person goodnight instead.

To her surprise, Lin also replied with a “goodnight.”

She thought that once Lin accepted the gift, she would finally be able to sleep better. But around 2 AM, after washing up and lying in bed, Tang Feiwan found herself tossing and turning.

 Her mind kept replaying past memories, and for the countless time, she berated herself for how foolish she had been. In the five years since their breakup, she had initially believed that the issue had simply been the distance and time difference, which led to a lack of communication.

 She thought that was why they hadn’t been able to resolve problems in time. So, after losing contact with Lin, the only thing she did was ask Lu Yuqing about Lin’s situation only to be scolded for being “heartless” before getting blocked. After that, she never tried any other way to reach out.

She recalled reading in a book once: “True disappointment isn’t yelling, crying, or losing your temper it’s silence. It’s when, no matter what you do, I no longer feel like it has anything to do with me.” So when Lin had said, “She started it, and she’ll end it,” while breaking up with her, that must have been exactly what she felt.

But it wasn’t until recently that Tang Feiwan finally understood Lin had been hurt by her own hot-and-cold behavior, something she hadn’t even realized she was doing. Lin’s heart had grown cold, completely disheartened, which was why she had turned away. Five years. A whole five years without checking in, without asking a thing. And now, she had suddenly returned to the country, confessing her feelings, disturbing Lin’s peaceful life…

Thinking about it made Tang Feiwan’s throat tighten. She no longer saw Lin’s earlier rejection as ruthless or heartless. Instead, she realized that the fact Lin had only now outright refused her was actually a sign of softness. Lying in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling in complete darkness, she felt regret, guilt, and self-blame. She asked herself should she listen to Lin and take a step back, returning to being just ordinary friends? But in the end, she bit her lip and shook her head. Since she had already thickened her skin to ask Lin for another chance, she had to do her best to prove herself. If, after everything, it still didn’t work out, then at least she wouldn’t have any regrets.

The clock beside her bed showed it was past three. Tang Feiwan lay on her side, holding her phone in her right hand, gently rubbing the “goodnight” message she had received two and a half hours ago. Her heart softened, and finally, she allowed herself to close her eyes.

The next day, Tang Feiwan arrived at the department half an hour before her shift. Taking advantage of Lin’s absence, she slipped a gift box containing a bookmark into the book Lin frequently flipped through, then quietly returned to her desk. She had figured it out there was no need to hand it over in person. As long as she placed it somewhere Lin would see, it was enough for her to understand the sentiment behind it. Just like their interactions she didn’t need to get too close or push too hard. Instead, she would subtly and gradually let Lin see how she had changed.

“Xiao Tang, what’s up with your eyes? They’re so swollen,” Liu Zhinan asked, coming back from the patient’s room, preparing to get off his shift. Seeing her sitting at the computer with red, puffy eyes, he asked with concern.

Tang Feiwan felt guilty and lied, “It’s nothing… I just watched a sad movie before bed last night.”

Liu Zhinan shook his head. “That’s funny Lin said the same thing. Did you two watch it together?”

“Huh? No, no.” Just as she finished speaking, Lin walked in.

Liu Zhinan gestured with his eyes. “See for yourself her eyes look just like yours.”

Tang Feiwan turned and accidentally met Lin’s gaze directly. Though Lin’s eyes weren’t as red as hers, they were still visibly unusual. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, surprised, before Lin looked away first, shifting her focus back to the patient records she was holding in her right hand. She walked while speaking, “A new patient just arrived in Bed Two suspected poisoning. Go check if they need dialysis.”

“Okay.” Tang Feiwan knew Lin was talking to her, so she quickly withdrew her gaze and grabbed the only remaining pen on the desk before heading out.

Along the way, Gu Yan and another nurse she often worked with also asked about her swollen eyes. Tang Feiwan gave vague answers and pulled Gu Yan along to the emergency room with her.

The patient’s condition wasn’t critical, so the family members were still talking inside the emergency room. “I told her not to take random medicine, but she wouldn’t listen. A few days later, she bought another bag of it.”

A nurse reported the situation to Tang Feiwan. “Dr. Tang, the patient is 83 years old with a history of hypertension and diabetes. Right now, she’s experiencing nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.”

Tang Feiwan nodded. “Her blood pressure is low start IV fluids to stabilize it.” After asking a few more questions, she added, “She’s also showing signs of vagus nerve overstimulation.” Then, turning to the family, she asked, “What kind of medicine did she take?”

“Aconite. The elderly lady heard from someone that it can dispel dampness,” the family member complained again. “Our house is full of health supplements without production numbers, and now she’s directly drinking Chinese medicine.”

While speaking, Tang Feiwan walked to the patient’s bedside. “If it’s prescribed by a legitimate traditional Chinese medicine hospital, there shouldn’t be a problem. The dosage would be properly controlled. Did she buy the medicine from a legitimate TCM hospital?”

The family member sighed. “How could that be? She bought it from a small shop on the street.”

Tang Feiwan frowned. “How much did she buy?”

The family member shook their head. “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask her.”

Tang Feiwan asked the patient to lift her legs and pressed on her abdomen. “Ma’am, where exactly does your stomach hurt?”

The patient spoke in dialect: “Ah, it just feels uncomfortable. Feels heavy, my lower abdomen feels weighted down.”

Tang Feiwan listened carefully to understand, then asked, “How much have you taken?”

“Every other day, three times in total. But after boiling it, there wasn’t much color left.”

That indicated the intake wasn’t excessive, but since the patient was elderly, caution was necessary. Tang Feiwan ordered, “Run a toxicology test.”

Despite their complaints, the family member was still concerned. Hearing the word “toxic,” they became anxious. “Doctor, is it serious? You mentioned toxins does that mean poisoning?”

Tang Feiwan nodded. “The patient has drug poisoning. So far, the dose doesn’t seem too high, so it shouldn’t be too serious.”

The family member was relieved. “Oh, that’s good.”

“But elderly people metabolize drugs slowly. I plan to do a toxicology test to check the concentration of the drug in her blood before deciding on further treatment.”

“Alright, thank you, doctor.”

Suddenly, the family member had an idea. “Doctor, could you persuade my mom not to buy medicine randomly anymore? She listens to doctors.”

Tang Feiwan agreed.

As the nurse drew the patient’s blood, Tang Feiwan patiently communicated with her. Later, she handed over her shift to another attending physician. By the time she returned to her office, it was almost 8 p.m. She noticed that the thick book on Lin Ye’s desk had flattened meaning she had accepted the gift.

Two small dog bookmarks one symbolizing her apology, the other made of solid gold, representing a wish.

In the summer of their second year together, Tang Feiwan and Lin Ye went to a cat café. Sitting side by side, Tang Feiwan held a silver-shaded cat and smiled at Lin Ye. “Senior, I finally understand why you like cats.”

“Hmm?”

Tang Feiwan pinched the cat’s soft paw. “Because it’s cute.”

Lin Ye stroked the chin of a golden-shaded cat next to her and asked, “But don’t you prefer dogs?”

“I like cats too.” Tang Feiwan’s eyes curved with a smile. “Because didn’t you say you’re like a cat?”

Lin Ye, slow to catch on to the hidden meaning, curled her lips as she listened to Tang Feiwan continue. “Then I’ll be the little dog.”

Lin Ye frowned. “Who calls themselves a dog?”

“Dogs are adorable too! I really want to be a carefree little pup eat, sleep, play, and have someone take me for walks.” Tang Feiwan was exhausted from cramming for finals. Fortunately, Lin Ye had brought her out for a break. Resting her head on Lin Ye’s shoulder, she murmured, “Senior, I want to be your little Tang puppy. I don’t want to go back and study.”

Lin Ye chuckled. “You say that now, but once we’re back, you’ll be the first to bury yourself in books.”

“When we start working, let’s live together and get a cat and a dog, okay?” Tang Feiwan’s right hand covered Lin Ye’s. “Because having both cats and dogs means happiness.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll train the dog to act cute and beg for forgiveness. So if I ever make a mistake and you refuse to listen to my explanation, I’ll send it to coax you.”

Lin Ye played along. “Am I that harsh?”

“No, I’m just saying I just in case.”

Recalling those moments, Tang Feiwan felt warmth spreading in her chest. Despite barely resting during her night shift, she remained energized the next day.

But her good mood didn’t last long. On Friday, while on a 24-hour shift, she returned to her desk after dinner and found a rectangular gift box placed beside her pen holder.

She immediately knew who it was from. Her throat tightened as she reached out to open it. Inside lay a Montblanc fountain pen, with a folded note beneath it. She unfolded the paper, recognizing the familiar handwriting:

“Don’t give such expensive gifts in the future.”

At first, Tang Feiwan thought Lin Ye was trying to settle things making it clear she didn’t want to owe her anything. But the word “future” in the message made her frown briefly before she suddenly relaxed, laughing softly.

She took the pen everywhere, and colleagues teased her, asking if it was a gift from a significant other since she treated it so preciously. She felt sweetness in her heart but denied it aloud. “Don’t talk nonsense. Not yet.”

“So, in the future then?”

After carrying the pen around for a few days, she still felt uneasy. Carefully placing it back into its gift box, she brought it home. After all, in a hospital, pens were the most valuable items one bought in the morning might vanish by the afternoon.

When luck turns around, good things come in waves.

On Thursday afternoon, Director Gao called her. “Xiao Tang, this weekend, our department is representing the hospital in an emergency skills competition. You’re on the team.”

“Isn’t Dr. Zhu going?” She remembered another doctor had replaced her in a previous competition when she got injured.

“Xiao Zhu’s wife is due any day now. He can’t leave.”

Tang Feiwan instinctively asked, “Is Director Lin going?”

“Of course. Xiao Lin is the deputy leader of the competition team.”

Director Gao was merely informing her unless she had an emergency, she was expected to go.

After the call, Tang Feiwan extracted a key piece of information: Chuzhou the city where Lin Ye had lived for 18 years.

She figured Lin Ye would probably stay at home to spend time with her mother.

During college, Tang Feiwan had been to Chuzhou twice. Lin Ye took her to the zoo, hiking, and to eat local noodles.

At the foot of a mountain, while eating beef noodles, Lin Ye had said thoughtfully, “This place is average. Someday, I’ll take you to my family’s noodle shop.”

Lin Ye’s mother had run a famous noodle shop for over a decade. Unfortunately, that day, she was traveling with friends, and the shop was closed.

There was another time, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, when the two had originally planned to spend the holiday together in Chuzhou. Tang Feiwan arrived in Chuzhou around 11 a.m., only to find out that Lin Ye had already bought a train ticket for the afternoon to return to Shujing.

It was only later that Tang Feiwan learned that on that day, Lin Ye had come out to her mother, and their conversation had ended on a sour note.

So this time, would she have a chance to meet Lin Ye’s mother?