Chapter 23 : Love is love, it’s where the heart leads

Chen Min and Tang Zhen sat in the back, while Si Xiaolin drove in the front.

At a red light, Si Xiaolin suddenly started talking to Tang Zhen—

“You ran pretty fast in the cafeteria that day.”

“Why were you running? We were sitting right behind you. We could see every little move you made.”

“Who do you think your Director Chi is? She couldn’t see it?”

“You were scared of her, right? I understand. Her temper is really intimidating.”

“…”

Tang Zhen was dumbfounded.
So Chi Yuqin had seen everything that day…

Si Xiaolin kept talking, not noticing that Tang Zhen was about to shrink her head into her neck.
Just as she was about to continue, Chen Min stepped in.

“Si Xiaolin, is there any water in the car?”

“Yes, do you want some?”

“I don’t. I want you to have some.”

Finally, it was quiet.

Tang Zhen next to her cast a grateful look at Chen Min.
If Si Xiaolin had kept talking like that all the way to the hospital, she would have probably shattered into pieces, the kind that couldn’t be put back together.

When they arrived at Renhua, Si Xiaolin found a place to park the car.
After Tang Zhen thanked them, she went to work.

Now, under the thick shade of the large banyan tree, only Si Xiaolin and Chen Min were left.

Si Xiaolin subtly sidled closer, her eyes fixed on her.

Chen Min wasn’t blind.
When her temper flared, no one could stand up to her—

“What are you looking at?”

“You… are you jealous?”

“???”

“I was just talking to your roommate, and we were talking a bit much. Are you unhappy?”

“Si Xiaolin, you should go see a neurologist!!!”

Today, Tang Zhen wasn’t in the inpatient department.
She was following Chi Yuqin in the outpatient clinic.

Although she had already witnessed this person’s skills before, it didn’t stop Tang Zhen from being impressed again.

Chi Yuqin was truly a great mentor.
During consultations, she wouldn’t just have her take notes.
When they encountered a relatively common case, she would ask for her opinion.
When they encountered a more complex one, she would explain it clearly.

In just one morning, Tang Zhen had learned a lot from her.

In the brief moment between one patient leaving and the next one coming in.

Tang Zhen quickly unscrewed the bottle of soda water and handed it to Chi Yuqin.

Chi Yuqin looked at the water being handed to her, then at the person handing it to her.
She didn’t take it at first and asked—

“Did you take notes on what I just said?”

“I did.”

“Don’t just write it down on the computer. Write it down in your brain.”

“I know.”

Only then did Chi Yuqin take the water and take a sip.

She wouldn’t say nice things to praise people, nor would she smile at you on her own initiative.
But if you really worked hard, she would see it.

Chen Min’s aunt was the last patient of the noon session.

Si Xiaolin was afraid Chen Min wouldn’t be able to handle it and had been with her the whole time.

She touched Chen Min’s hand. “I’ll wait for you outside. Call me if you need anything.”

With that, she went out.

Chen Min’s aunt had been saying that her heart hurt.
She had seen all the doctors in her hometown, but they couldn’t find anything wrong.

Chi Yuqin looked at the thick stack of test reports in her hand.
Besides the ECG and cardiac ultrasound, there were also brain CT, lung CT, thyroid ultrasound, liver, gallbladder, and spleen ultrasound, urinary ultrasound… breast and uterine adnexa ultrasound… and a series of other tests.
She had basically had every possible test done on her entire body.
Just looking at them would take a long time.

As Chi Yuqin was flipping through the test reports one by one, a faint scent of camellia floated over from the side.
Chi Yuqin’s eyes shifted slightly, and she saw a fair and delicate little nose—

It was Tang Zhen.
She didn’t know when she had come over.
She was right next to Chi Yuqin’s shoulder, her expression very focused as she stared at the test reports.

Chi Yuqin moved to the left… and she followed.
Chi Yuqin swayed to the right… and she followed.

The fair and delicate little nose was always within Chi Yuqin’s line of sight.

With another glance, she saw this person’s fine baby hairs all lying on her forehead, as dense as a little peach fuzz.

The next moment, the test reports were handed to Tang Zhen.
Although Chi Yuqin didn’t speak, the meaning was clear— you look.

Then… Chi Yuqin checked Chen Min’s aunt’s blood pressure and listened to her heart sounds.
Finally, she came to a conclusion—

“There’s nothing wrong with your heart.”

“How can there be nothing wrong? I’m in pain!”

“It might be autonomic neuropathy. In cases like this… it’s usually functional and very brief. You don’t need to be too nervous. And I’ve looked at all your test reports. All the data is normal. There’s nothing wrong.”

“How can there be nothing wrong? I really have a problem. Doctor, please take another look, another look!”

Chen Min’s aunt insisted that she was sick.
She snatched the test reports from Tang Zhen’s hand and flipped through them repeatedly—

“I’ve had so many tests. How can there be nothing wrong? If there’s nothing… then why did I get them checked?!”

At this point, some problems were self-evident.
Chi Yuqin looked up at Chen Min and leaned back slightly.

She, of course, understood her own relatives.
Chen Min helped the woman up from her chair and thanked Chi Yuqin.

“Is that it?”

“Auntie, let’s go out first. We’ll talk outside.”

As soon as they left.

Chi Yuqin heard Tang Zhen whisper from the side—

“Neurosis?”

“Be more confident. Get rid of the ‘sis’.”

Chen Min’s aunt was not satisfied with the result, but she didn’t dare to make a scene with an outsider, so she took all her anger out on Chen Min.

As Chen Min walked, her aunt followed behind her, scolding her all the way.

“You ungrateful thing! When your mother had a stroke… I was the one who took care of her, running around. You had the nerve to act tough with me back then? Why didn’t you go find your father!”

Chen Min stopped abruptly, her face ashen, staring at her aunt.

“What… what are you doing?”

Over the years, she could tolerate the harshest words, but her father was Chen Min’s Achilles’ heel.
No one could mention him, including herself.

Chen Min had a tough personality and a stubborn temper.
She rarely got angry, but when she did, no one could stop her.
Few people had seen her lose her temper, but those who had… knew how crazy she could be.

She steadied her breathing and took out her phone from her bag—

“Call your son.”

“I knew you were unreliable! I don’t need you to call! I’ll call myself!”

Si Xiaolin had only been gone for the time it took to go to the restroom.
When she came out, she only saw Chen Min standing alone at the end of the corridor.

But it was a good thing she had gone to the restroom.
If she had seen that scene just now, Chen Min probably wouldn’t still be standing in the corridor now, waiting for Si Xiaolin to run over, giving her a chance… to hold her hand.

“Where’s your aunt?”

“She left.”

“Then…”

“Si Xiaolin, I’m hungry.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned her head, and from the consultation room, Chi Yuqin and Tang Zhen were also getting off work.

Renhua Staff Cafeteria.

At a table by the window, four people were sitting.

“I’ve picked out all the fish bones, and I’ve removed the shrimp lines too. I know you don’t like to eat vegetables, but you still have to eat a little. Just eat the leaves on top, and leave the stems on the side.”

As she spoke, she rinsed all the chopsticks with water, then wiped them clean with a tissue before handing them to Chen Min.

Chen Min hadn’t even taken the chopsticks when Si Xiaolin asked her again—

“Do you want some mung bean soup? I’ll go get you a bowl. I just saw they have red bean paste over there too.”

“I don’t want any. Just hurry up and eat.”

Chen Min was a little uncomfortable with Si Xiaolin’s meticulous care.
Although this person had always been like this to her, after all, it wasn’t just the two of them at the table today.

Chi Yuqin was one thing, but there was also Tang Zhen.

She didn’t want to be thought of as an adult baby, needing Si Xiaolin to wait on her just because she had seen a relative.

Of course, Tang Zhen wouldn’t think Chen Min was an adult baby.
She was eating seriously on the outside, but her mind had already wandered off.

While drinking water, she would first glance at Chen Min, then at Si Xiaolin.
She didn’t know what she had thought of, but she put down her water cup, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating her rice again, smiling to herself after every bite, the dimples on her cheeks appearing.

Suddenly, Chi Yuqin’s voice sounded from the side—

“Are you watching a play? Hurry up and eat. After you’re done, go back and write the case histories.”

Tang Zhen tensed up and quickened her pace.

“Okay.”

Chi Yuqin thought this girl was really silly.
Did she really think no one could see her smiling to herself?
Her eyes were squinted into a line.

After finishing their meal, the four of them went their separate ways at the cafeteria entrance.

Tang Zhen would look back from time to time—

Si Xiaolin was restless and always liked to tease Chen Min.
In just this short while, she had put her arm on her shoulder no less than three times.

Every time she touched Chen Min, Chen Min would shake her off.

Really shake her off, the kind with a lot of force.

Si Xiaolin wasn’t annoyed and would still follow her around, joking and laughing.
But she was also afraid of really angering her.
The last time, she raised her arm… stretched it long and straight, and stopped just before it touched Chen Min’s shoulder, loosely encircling her.

This time, Chen Min neither dodged nor shook her off.

Tang Zhen’s eyes crinkled into a smile again.

Chi Yuqin thought her smile was even sillier than Si Xiaolin’s three-year-old antics.

“Is it that funny?”

“They’re very close.”

“You’re asking me? Don’t you live with Chen Min?”

Tang Zhen was already used to Chi Yuqin’s rhetorical questions.
The smile on her face didn’t fade, and her eyes looked over, her gaze crystal clear—

“Are you and Si Xiaolin very close?”

“What do you want to ask?”

“I… I was just curious, just curious… not prying into your privacy. If you feel uncomfortable, you don’t have to say anything.”

Since she had already said so much, Chi Yuqin felt that regardless of whether she answered or not, this person probably already had an idea.

“Go ahead and ask.”

“Is Si Xiaolin pursuing Chen Min?”

“What do you think?”

“I think so. And I think Chen Min probably likes Si Xiaolin too.”

“You know again?”

“If she didn’t like her, Chen Min wouldn’t give Si Xiaolin the chance to pester her. Ordering food, picking her up and dropping her off… Si Xiaolin personally escorted Chen Min to her door every time she came back from overtime. I’ve seen it several times.”

Chi Yuqin understood the meaning behind her words.
If she had seen it several times, then there must have been many more times she hadn’t seen.

Neither nodding nor shaking her head, this girl… didn’t seem so dull after all.

“Don’t you find them strange?”

Tang Zhen was smiling, but when she heard Chi Yuqin say this, she looked at her with a strange expression—

“No, why should I find it strange? Love is love, it’s where the heart leads.”

The two of them stopped under a large banyan tree that took several people to encircle.

The shadows of the tree were mottled, a gentle breeze rustling the leaves.
Small fruits from the tree had fallen all over the ground.

The banyan tree was cool in nature.
Its lush green leaves gave off a slightly bitter and astringent smell, but its fruit was sour and sweet.

Chi Yuqin looked at the Tang Zhen in front of her and suddenly realized an important fact she had long overlooked—

She had always treated her as a young girl in her early twenties, fresh out of school, but had forgotten her essence—a twenty-six-year-old woman.

A twenty-six-year-old woman with a very upright worldview, a very mature view of love, and a very healthy and well-developed body.
She understood everything she should.

“So, do you disapprove?”

“Of course not,” Tang Zhen blinked.

Dong—

A dull toll of a bell came from the distant church.

The taboo in her heart was torn open.
Chi Yuqin was tempted by her clear conscience, like some kind of self-indulgent pleasure.

This large banyan tree had gained some vitality, some life, and some new buds.

Chi Yuqin’s fingers curled slightly, her thumb pressing down on the knuckle of her middle finger.
With a little force, the knuckle made a crisp clicking sound.

“Tang Zhen.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you like to fish?”