Chapter 13 : I made her laugh

Tang Zhen still cried.
She muffled her sobs in her quilt.
She didn’t know when she fell asleep, but she woke up as soon as the alarm went off.

Her eyes were swollen beyond recognition.
Tang Zhen sighed deeply.
‘Now I’ve really become a walnut.’

She had just washed her face and was about to go back to her bedroom to change when the door to the next room opened.
Chen Min, looking like she hadn’t woken up yet, was leaning against the doorframe, yawning wildly.

“Good morning,” Tang Zhen greeted her.

Chen Min finished her yawn, squeezing out a physiological tear. “So early on a Saturday?”

“I don’t have this week off. I have to work.”

“Right, I forgot you work at the hospital. There are no rest days now. It’s good enough if they don’t work you to death.”
Chen Min rubbed her eyes.
She had just taken two steps forward when she suddenly stopped and stared at Tang Zhen’s face. “What happened to your eyes?”

It wasn’t that Chen Min’s eyesight was particularly good.
It was just that Tang Zhen’s eyes were so swollen that it was hard not to notice them when face to face.

“I drank too much water last night.”

Tang Zhen said quickly and then ducked into her bedroom.

Chen Min was someone who hated interacting with people.
She had been like that in school, just not as much as now.
It might have had something to do with her job.
The people she met every day were not normal.
It was either a father suspecting his child wasn’t his, or a grandfather suspecting he was raising someone else’s grandchild.
In short, no matter how bizarre the situation… it was commonplace for her.

Over time, Chen Min found people annoying, and interacting with them even more so.
Especially when it came to maintaining meaningless social connections… it was even more annoying.

So Chen Min rarely had any friendships.
Take the other girl in this apartment, for example.
They had lived together for over half a year, and when they passed each other, it was as if they were transparent.

However, Tang Zhen was an exception.
Chen Min couldn’t say why, but she just found this girl very likable.
Although she didn’t talk much, was shy, and sometimes inexplicably reserved, there was an innocence about her that inexplicably made people like her.

After Tang Zhen finished changing, she had just come out of her bedroom when she heard Chen Min call her.

“Tang Zhen—”

“Hmm?”

“Take the ice water on the coffee table and put it on your eyes.”

The discomfort that had been bottled up all night was warmed by Chen Min’s words.
Tang Zhen’s eyes started to sting again—

“Thank you.”

“Thank you for what~”

From the morning handover until almost noon, Chi Yuqin didn’t show up.

But Tang Zhen wasn’t much better off.
She was terrified of running into Chi Yuqin, afraid that she would pop out from somewhere, suddenly call her out, and then tell her to get lost immediately.

With a crash, the door was pushed open.
Zhao Qin saw her still in the office—

“Why haven’t you gone yet?”

“I…”

“Director Chi has a meeting this afternoon. She doesn’t have time. If you don’t go now, you won’t be able to finish today’s work.”

Tang Zhen stood up, holding the case histories and diagnostic reports that needed to be signed. “I’ll go now.”

Zhao Qin shook her head—

Young people these days… they like to procrastinate on everything.

How could Zhao Qin know the bitterness in Tang Zhen’s heart?

In just a few steps, she was mentally exhausted.
Tang Zhen told herself, ‘you’ve already thought of the worst-case scenario, so what’s there to be afraid of?’
And taking a step back, she had gotten in through the proper procedures.
Renhua wasn’t owned by Chi Yuqin.
Even if she really wanted her to get lost, she would have to make a big mistake first.
She… she didn’t have the right.
Right, she didn’t have the right to fire me.

Tang Zhen was already desperate.
A young girl’s courage pushed to this point, she would even face the guillotine, let alone Chi Yuqin’s office.

That tightly closed white door, to her, was breaking through a cage.
The person inside the door was the monster she had to fight to level up.

“Director Chi, I’m here to—”

She gripped the doorknob but couldn’t push it open.
She pushed again… still couldn’t open it.
The door was locked.

Tang Zhen was stunned for a moment, only then remembering that Chi Yuqin was on duty today.
Zhao Qin had just reminded her.

Damn it.

The ‘monster’ wasn’t there.

Coming out of the inpatient department, Tang Zhen had been cheering herself on all the way, so that the breath she had been holding wouldn’t be swallowed back down.

Unfortunately, courage was something with an expiration date.
It had to be used on the spot.
Otherwise, it would be like a can of soda that had been opened, once the fizz was gone, all that was left was flat, sweet water.

On weekends, the hospital was even more crowded than on weekdays.
The long, narrow corridor seemed endless, filled with people everywhere.
The smell of the crowd masked the strong smell of disinfectant.

According to a survey, a doctor sees an average of one hundred and fifty patients a day.
This meant that on average, a consultation had to be completed every three minutes.
Besides racing against time, Tang Zhen couldn’t think of any other words to describe the busyness and urgency of the moment.

“Excuse me, please let me through.”

Tang Zhen squeezed through the crowded corridor and stopped at the door of the third consultation room.
Chi Yuqin’s photo was clearly displayed on the electronic screen.
Shoulder-length hair, a delicate face, eyes that looked like they had been opened at the corners, such a beautiful face, such sharp eyes….

Before even entering, just looking at the photo on the electronic screen, Tang Zhen let out a heavy sigh.

The more she thought, the more she thought, the more wrong she thought, the more confused she thought.
For the first time, Tang Zhen threw her usual ‘principle of caution’ to the back of her mind.
Instead of a slow, painful death by a dull knife, it was better to have a quick and clean cut.

She clenched her clammy palms, a look of desperation on her face as she knocked on the consultation room door and then pushed it open.

The weight of the doorknob… was Tang Zhen’s only remaining courage.
She had used all her strength, but the person inside seemed completely unfazed.

Chi Yuqin was in the middle of a consultation and didn’t even look up.

Tang Zhen suspected she hadn’t even seen her come in.
The look of desperation from just now had now fizzled out.
She closed the door lightly, stood obediently by the side, then lowered her head… her eyes on her nose, her nose on her mouth, her mouth on her heart… her heart on her toes.

She didn’t say a word, looking like a transparent piece of glass, with no presence at all.

Renhua didn’t support loafers.
Anyone who could sit in a consultation room and see patients, whether they were famous or not, had top-notch skills.

Chi Yuqin was even more so.

Although Tang Zhen hadn’t walked up to her, the distance from the door wasn’t far.
She could hear every word Chi Yuqin said, and she could hear it clearly.

This person was the same in a consultation as she was on rounds, with no expression on her face.
But what she said was very practical.
Any professional terms were cleverly transformed into simple, everyday language.
It was neither complicated nor profound, but it could accurately express the meaning, so that the patients could understand.

Tang Zhen watched her quietly, thinking to herself… she was really amazing.

The ability to simplify the complex was not something everyone had.

Completing a consultation in three minutes, without a single extra word of nonsense.
The simpler things looked, the harder they were to do.

Tang Zhen couldn’t imagine what it would be like if she were sitting in that position, seeing patients.
Perhaps she wouldn’t even be able to match Chi Yuqin’s superficial skills.

Self-pity and a sense of defeat once again struck Tang Zhen, making her feel ashamed.

She thought of the scene last night, crying muffled in her quilt… so shameful.

If Chi Yuqin hadn’t seen her just now, then after seeing several patients in a row, and even taking several sips of water during the break between calls, if she still hadn’t seen her… she would need to see an ophthalmologist.

Tang Zhen thought Chi Yuqin should at least glance in her direction.
Even if it wasn’t a direct look, if she just glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, she would immediately hand over the documents for her to sign.
But Chi Yuqin didn’t even glance at her.

One three minutes, two three minutes… ten three minutes had passed.

Chi Yuqin was still doing what she was supposed to be doing.

Tang Zhen went from not being in a hurry at first to gradually becoming a little anxious… several times she wanted to speak up, but then she thought that she was just here to get Chi Yuqin’s signature.
Something that could be done in a few seconds really didn’t warrant taking up consultation time.
Whether it was the patients waiting outside or Chi Yuqin at the consultation desk, both were more important, more urgent, more pressing than her own matter.

Thinking this way… Tang Zhen’s already hesitant mouth became even more unable to open.

She waited, and Chi Yuqin waited too.

It wasn’t Chi Yuqin’s first time mentoring a newcomer, but it was the first time she had encountered such a quiet one as Tang Zhen.

She had originally wanted to temper this person’s arrogance from a top-tier university, to let her know that just being good at books was useless.
But these past few days, she had changed her mind.
She wanted to test Tang Zhen’s patience, to see if she was really patient or just pretending to be.

But now it seemed… this person was really patient.

Something that could be done in a few seconds, she had dragged it out for half an hour without making a sound.
Chi Yuqin really didn’t know what to say about her.
Wasting time like this… whose time was she wasting?
The work in the hospital was all about racing against time.
If she was so patient with everything, the patient would probably be off the operating table before they even got on it.

Another three minutes passed.
The previous patient left.
As Chi Yuqin pressed the button to call the next one, she suddenly turned her head.
Their gazes met, both unexpectedly and as expected.

Tang Zhen thought this was Chi Yuqin’s signal to her.
Just as she was about to speak, Chi Yuqin turned her head back, as if that glance just now had been completely unconscious, non-existent.

Two thin, slightly pink lips were tightly sealed after Tang Zhen bit her tongue.

Chi Yuqin had seen everything, had thought of everything, and so had anticipated everything.

So patient, right… so unable to open your mouth, right?

Fine, then let’s wait.

And so they waited, until the lunch break.

When the last patient left, Tang Zhen’s calves were already sore from standing.

Chi Yuqin tightened the cap on the water cup on her desk and turned to look over.
She clearly had a clever face, why was her personality so wooden?
It was probably impossible to wait for this person to speak.
If she didn’t stare a hole in the floor, her head probably wouldn’t lift up.

She had the patience to wait, but she didn’t have the time.

“Give it to me.”

“…”

“Didn’t you need a signature?”

After waiting for so long, Tang Zhen had almost forgotten why she was here.
She quickly handed over the documents with both hands.
This time, she didn’t dare to delay any longer.

Chi Yuqin finished reading and signing in less than two minutes.

Tang Zhen took the documents back with both hands as if she were receiving a pardon, lowered her head, bowed her waist, and said respectfully—

“Thank you!”

With that, she turned to leave, not staying a second longer.

She was afraid that Chi Yuqin would suddenly say something like— ‘You should go sit in a lab.’

If that happened, Tang Zhen was afraid she wouldn’t be able to resist shouting back at her— ‘Don’t judge!’

To avoid such a situation, the best way was to leave quickly.

Chi Yuqin watched this person run faster than a rabbit and snorted in annoyance—

‘You’d better be this timely every time you run!’

…

Tang Zhen got off work at a little after ten today, which was one of the few times she had gotten off early.

As soon as she entered, she heard Chen Min’s voice—

“Whoa! You’re off early today. Have you eaten?”

“Too busy, didn’t have time.”

“That’s perfect. I just put the water on to boil. Let’s have noodles.”

Chen Min knew Tang Zhen was shy.
Before she could refuse, she cut her off—

“It’s just one more pair of chopsticks. Don’t be polite~”

After a short while, the noodles were ready.

Tang Zhen said thank you and then lowered her head, slurping her noodles in small bites.

Chen Min had seen plenty of thick-skinned people.
Suddenly having such a… humble, reserved, and somewhat self-deprecating girl around, she really wasn’t used to it, especially Tang Zhen’s still-swollen eyes.

“Beaten down by Chi Yuqin again?”

Tang Zhen had no one to confide in.
She couldn’t tell her parents, and she was too embarrassed to tell Liu Sisi, damn her self-esteem.

She stirred the noodles in her bowl.
The events of the past few days had been bottled up for too long, stirring her nerves into a dull ache.
It seemed there was no one else to talk to but Chen Min—

“Director Chi said I can’t do clinical work. I used to think I was very suitable and would definitely be a good doctor in the future. Now I’m starting to doubt myself. Am I really cut out for clinical work? It seems that besides studying, I’m really like a walnut…”

“Well, I’m older than you, started school earlier than you, and started working earlier than you. So I’ve been through the wringer more than you. In this respect, I think I have some experience.”

Chen Min put down her bowl and chopsticks and said to her very seriously—

“When you’ve really worked for a few years, you’ll realize how rare the passion you have right out of school is. You’ve just graduated. You can’t let your edges be smoothed down so quickly, and you certainly can’t doubt yourself. Think about when you were at the top of your class. You had already beaten most of your peers. Your excellence is something you earned through your hard work. You deserve that excellence. What you lack is not achievements, but experience.”

“Although a hospital is a place to save lives and heal the wounded, at the end of the day, it’s also a workplace. Since it involves the workplace, you need to strive. Compared to waiting for others to discover your excellence, it’s better to open yourself up and show them your excellence, especially to people like Chi Yuqin. You absolutely can’t hide it. You have to show them how much skill you have, and it can only be more, not less. Do you understand what I mean?”

“You have to treat ‘getting’ as a certainty. You have to take the initiative and strive for it.”

Tang Zhen seemed to understand, but not quite.

She had never had much talent when it came to expressing herself.

“Chi Yuqin is a very proud person. With proud people, you can’t cater to them. You have to be even prouder than her, only then will she see you.”

“Even prouder than her?”

“The psychology of admiring the strong, understand?”

After dinner and washing up.

With questions about ‘admiring the strong’ and ‘striving’ on her mind, Tang Zhen couldn’t sleep.

Growing up, she seemed to have never actively strived for anything for herself.
When she got first place, people would only praise her for her talent, for being good at studying.
Actually, she wanted to say that her perfect score was also the result of her hard work, not just talent.
But this rebuttal was never said.
She passively accepted the hat of “talented” and actively erased the effort behind it.

Later, when applying for college, Tang Zhen wanted to go to law school.
Her own mother, Wu Zhen, said, “No, no, your speaking skills are so poor, how can you help others in court?”
Actually, she wanted to say that studying law didn’t necessarily mean she could only help others in court.
But before this protest could be voiced, she passively accepted studying medicine, even if she later actively fell in love with it.

Now that she had been admitted to Renhua, it was still the same.
She passively accepted the sun rising and passively accepted the sun setting, a two-point life in an endless loop.

Zhao Qin had pointed it out to her.
That phrase, “if you don’t understand something, ask Director Chi. If you can discuss it with her, she’ll be very happy,” was a hint that Chi Yuqin preferred active, studious people over passive ones who were like walnuts by nature.

Had Chi Yuqin never given her a chance?
She had never stopped her from speaking, it was just that she never spoke.

Tang Zhen suddenly sat up!

That’s right!

Getting is a certainty, you have to actively strive for it.
Losing is what happens naturally.

The next day.

Six-thirty in the morning.

When Tang Zhen arrived at the hospital, Chi Yuqin was waiting for the elevator.

A white shirt, the hem tucked into wide-leg trousers, a small brown leather belt around her waist, black shoulder-length hair, the ends slightly curled.

So enchanting, so enchanting!

Tang Zhen thought, if Chi Yuqin always had her back to her, her heart could skip a beat like this every day!
Chen Min was right, you can’t be fooled by beauty!

She walked up to her and said openly—

“Good morning, Director Chi.”

Chi Yuqin turned to look at her, not surprised.
This person was always this early.

“Morning.”

The elevator doors opened.
Tang Zhen held the door with one hand and said, “Director Chi, after you.”

Chi Yuqin felt that Tang Zhen was a little different from usual.
Did she eat a leopard’s gall last night, and now she had endless courage?
Or did she suddenly get a stiff neck, forcing her head up?

The two of them went in, Tang Zhen standing in the back right corner.

The elevator mirror reflected Tang Zhen’s face.
Chi Yuqin watched.

Her gaze moved from top to bottom, until it landed on this person’s hands.

Tang Zhen stood behind Chi Yuqin, also seeing Chi Yuqin in the elevator mirror looking at her.
This time, it was different from usual.
Tang Zhen didn’t hide.

Sensing Chi Yuqin’s gaze on her hands, Tang Zhen suddenly stretched her left hand toward Chi Yuqin.
The young girl’s eyes were bright and clear, but her expression was serious, as determined as if she were joining the party—

“Director Chi, walnut milk, would you like some?”

“You’re really—”

Chi Yuqin wanted to mock her, but Tang Zhen seized the opportunity.
Before she could finish, she quickly reached her right hand into her bag—

“I have another one here. This is for you.”

With that, she stuffed it into Chi Yuqin’s hand, as decisively as Chi Yuqin had stuffed the candy into her hand that time.

Ding, the elevator doors opened—

Tang Zhen stepped out first.
She didn’t leave, but still held the elevator door with her arm—

“Director Chi, after you.”

Chi Yuqin was completely surprised.
She looked at the walnut milk in her hand, then at Tang Zhen holding the elevator door for her.

She laughed in exasperation—

“Heh, thank you.”

“You’re welcome~”

Chi Yuqin turned and walked toward the office, holding the carton of walnut milk.

Did a leopard enter the mountains today?

Meanwhile, Tang Zhen watched the departing Chi Yuqin, feeling secretly pleased—

‘I didn’t panic! She laughed!’