Chapter 30 : What a surprise!

Chi Yuqin had just left the cafeteria when Liu Yi’s call came in.
She suspected her mother had some kind of special ability, otherwise how could she time it so perfectly.

“How was it? Little Shu is alright, right?”

“Alright what?”

Liu Yi knew from her tone that it was a bust again.

“You didn’t scare her off again, did you?”

“Am I a child, always getting angry at people?”

“You…”

“Mom, this is the last time. If there’s a next time, you can just come and have dinner with her yourself.”

Chi Yuqin’s voice suddenly turned serious, and she hung up after saying that.

She looked at the cold, blue-green glow of the marble steps beneath her feet.
She remembered how she had dared to come out to her family before she had even graduated from college.
How could she be willing to compromise for such a strange blind date now?

No one could force her to do what she didn’t want to do, not even her own mother.

—

In the main office, Tang Zhen shared the surgery process with Liu Sisi.
Liu Sisi was amazed.
No wonder Chi Yuqin could be promoted to deputy chief physician at such a young age.
A left ventricular posterior wall rupture was a nine-to-one chance of survival.
Who knew how many experienced surgeons had failed at this.

Just as the two were talking, bed twenty-seven pressed the call bell again.
Liu Sisi quickly took a sip of water—
“Alright, I have to go again.”

Tang Zhen asked casually, “Her family hasn’t come yet?”

“They came, the day before yesterday. They paid twenty thousand yuan and now they’re gone again.”
Liu Sisi sighed. “The old lady is quite pitiful on her own. I can’t help her with anything else. If she wants to talk to someone, then I’ll talk to her. Anyway, that’s all I can do.”

“Sisi, you’re so beautiful and kind~”

“Cut it out. I’m leaving now~”

As soon as Liu Sisi left, Tang Zhen didn’t stay idle either.
She still had a CT report to deliver.
Tang Zhen didn’t know why she was being so foolish again.
What was the point of wolfing down her food and leaving quickly?
She still had to go find her now.

Her brows furrowed, a little annoyed.

Just as she turned the corner, before she reached Chi Yuqin’s office, Tang Zhen saw the woman standing by the windowsill, looking out.

She was stunned for a moment, but her steps didn’t stop.
She just clutched the CT report in her arms tighter.
It wasn’t until she reached the office door, her hand on the doorknob and about to enter, that the woman who had been standing by the windowsill suddenly called out to her.

“Are you looking for Dr. Chi?”
Qin Shu’s voice was light and ethereal, her smile very serene.
She was beautiful from every angle.
She pointed to the office door with her eyes. “She’s not here.”

Tang Zhen didn’t know what was happening at that moment.
Her first reaction to those words was that this woman was asserting her sovereignty.
Her hand on the doorknob tightened involuntarily, her fingertips turning white—
“May I ask who you are?”

“I’m her friend.”

Friend?
So a blind date is called a friend.

Tang Zhen nodded thoughtfully and smiled politely. “Okay, then I’ll come back later.”

With that, she turned to leave.
As she walked, she looked back, and not paying attention to where she was going, her left foot tripped over her right and she stumbled forward, thinking she was about to fall flat on her face.

Suddenly, Tang Zhen felt a tightening on her arm.
A force from behind her pulled her back up.

“Thank—”

“Not looking where you’re going?”

That voice?

Tang Zhen immediately turned to look.
Chi Yuqin’s face was right in front of her.
The person had appeared out of nowhere, as if from thin air.
Tang Zhen’s heart skipped a beat.

She didn’t linger on Chi Yuqin’s face for long.
Instead, her gaze went past Chi Yuqin to the person standing by the windowsill.

The three of them were not far from each other.
Qin Shu naturally saw them too and was already walking over.

Tang Zhen’s nerves tingled.
She was inexplicably nervous.
She stuffed the CT report in her hand into Chi Yuqin’s and turned and ran.

Chi Yuqin looked at her flustered appearance, then at Qin Shu walking toward her.
She roughly guessed what was happening but didn’t pay it any mind.
She just thought this girl was a little silly.
It was just a few ambiguous words she had heard in the cafeteria.
What was the big deal?
She herself didn’t care, but she was the one who was flustered.
She was too lazy to explain.

“Chi Yuqin,” Qin Shu called her.

Chi Yuqin’s brow furrowed, not bothering to hide her impatience. “Why are you still here?”

“Don’t misunderstand. Auntie Liu asked me to wait for her here.”

Qin Shu probably thought that by mentioning Liu Yi’s name, even if Chi Yuqin didn’t give her face, she would at least give her own mother some.
But it seemed she still didn’t understand this person well enough.
If Chi Yuqin could give her face, she wouldn’t have been so blunt in the cafeteria just now.

No feelings meant no feelings.
She liked women, that was true, but that didn’t mean she liked every woman she saw.

“Alright, then you can wait.”

With that, Chi Yuqin took the CT report in her hand and left.

—

Tang Zhen collected the report.
During her brief moment of rest, she had to quickly write the case history.
She didn’t even have time to drink water, but she was still being asked all sorts of questions.
One moment, ‘You’re so amazing~,’ the next, ‘You know so much~.’
With just a few words, she had pushed all her work onto Tang Zhen, and then used the excuse of a stomachache to go to the restroom and slip away.

Liu Sisi had been watching from the side.
When Tang Zhen finished settling the patient and came out of the ward, she stopped her—
“I’m telling you, don’t be so foolish. Can’t you see she’s shirking her work? You’re working so hard for her, and she… just runs off to the restroom with a stomachache.”

Tang Zhen wasn’t stupid.
How could she not see it?
It was just that her mind was a mess right now.
She just happened to not have anything to do, and instead of letting her mind wander, it was better to keep herself busy.

How could Liu Sisi know Tang Zhen’s thoughts?
She just thought this person was too honest.
She nudged her with her elbow. “I’m telling you, when she comes back later, don’t pay any attention to her. If you keep doing her work for her, believe me, she’ll even dare to ask you to cover her night shift.”

Seeing Tang Zhen’s silence, Liu Sisi’s brow furrowed. “Did you hear me?!”

“I heard you.”

As soon as the two of them finished speaking, the young girl bounced out of the restroom.
The moment she saw Tang Zhen, she wanted to run over again.

Liu Sisi was not Tang Zhen.
She didn’t have Tang Zhen’s good temper or soft heart.
For this kind of person who just wanted to slack off and shirk her work all day, whether it was a little girl or a little boy, she had no good face for them.

“How many times have you been to the restroom? If you’re really not feeling well, I have some medicine.”

The little girl was also the type to judge a person by their cover.
She knew Liu Sisi was not to be trifled with, so she didn’t dare to say any more.
She pursed her lips. “I’m not uncomfortable.”

Then she nodded at the two seniors and left.

“See~ you can’t spoil this kind of person!”

…

Without the little girl asking questions, Tang Zhen quickly finished her own work.

As soon as quitting time arrived, she didn’t linger like usual.
She packed her things, grabbed her bag, and left.

The sun set in the west, and a gentle breeze blew.

Tang Zhen walked slowly along the tree-lined path, her feet on the gravel, the soles of her shoes pricked by the hard objects.
Her eyes, however, kept wandering over the pedestrians on the various roads.

As she walked, her pace grew slower and slower, and she had no destination.
She had walked far past the subway station, through a residential area, before she realized she had gone off track.

The frustration that had been suppressed all afternoon now all came out now that she was free.

Tang Zhen had always been a person who could control herself very well.
Even if she was not in a good mood, she could endure it and finish the work at hand first.
To put it nicely, it was strong self-control.
To put it bluntly, it was actually numbness.

It was just like… liking Chi Yuqin.

Chi Yuqin…

Tang Zhen thought of Chi Yuqin, and her emotions were like a roller coaster.
Just now, she was at a high altitude.
Now, she was about to be plunged to the bottom without warning.
But she hadn’t hit the bottom yet, just floating in mid-air.
The strong sense of weightlessness made Tang Zhen feel both excited and terrified.

She was happy that she had confirmed that Chi Yuqin liked girls, but she was powerless because she felt too dim standing next to Chi Yuqin, so dim that it was hard to be on par with her.

When she didn’t know that this person liked girls, she was cautious in every way, not willing to let go of even the slightest subtle expression on that person’s face.
Tang Zhen would search for any clues in these expressions that could give her some hope.
Now, there was no need to search anymore.

She liked girls.
Not only did she like girls, but she was also on a blind date with a girl at the hospital.

The woman she had eaten with at noon, mature, beautiful, and most importantly, when she stood next to Chi Yuqin, both of them were shining.

The little bit of stubbornness from the morning was all gone.
Tang Zhen’s mind was now filled with a mess of thoughts, all mixed together like paste, her feet, pebbled mess.

She wondered what she was.
When they met at the hospital, it was just the most basic polite greeting.
How did it lead her to overthink things?

They had just had a few meals, and she had taken her home a few times.
What could that prove?

Chi Yuqin was a good person, with good upbringing.
She wasn’t the type to watch a subordinate miss the last subway and be stranded on a dark road.
Nor was she the type to abandon a young girl, drenched in the rain.
And she certainly wasn’t the type to see a student who had been drinking shivering in the cold wind and not offer a helping hand.

As for those two meals…
Tang Zhen felt she shouldn’t overthink it even more.
One time, she was the one who treated, and it wasn’t just her.
The other time, she was the one who treated, and she should have.
She was the leader.

But Tang Zhen knew that these were not the most important reasons.
The most important reason was—Chi Yuqin didn’t care.
After all, so many people liked her.

So many… that one more or one less didn’t matter.

Tang Zhen thought of the several times she had presumptuously tested her.
It was simply absurd…

Chi Yuqin was at the top of the mountain, and she had fantasized about one day being able to stand by her side, shoulder to shoulder…

But she had forgotten the seven-year age gap between them.

Sigh… absurd to the point of being laughable!

Tang Zhen blinked, as if a small fly had flown into her eye, making her eyes sore and painful.

She had been thinking here for too long, standing for too long, so long that her calves were a little weak.
Tang Zhen didn’t like this almost-trance-like state of derailment.
She reached out to adjust the bag on her shoulder and was about to turn back when she suddenly stopped.
Her eyes glanced at a glowing sign.
After a moment of hesitation, she took out her phone and checked the time—

Hmm, still early.

Then she walked in.

—

Chi Yuqin stayed at the hospital until nine o’clock before leaving.
During this time, Liu Yi’s calls were a constant barrage, but she didn’t answer a single one.
She had said everything she needed to say.
If she had to use the excuse of doing what was best for her child, then so be it.
But she shouldn’t expect to move anyone.
Anyway, she wasn’t buying it.

Just as she was about to drive, her phone rang again.
Chi Yuqin glanced at it… it was Si Xiaolin, so she didn’t hang up.
As soon as the call connected, and she heard the person’s voice, Chi Yuqin’s brow immediately furrowed.
“Where are you?”
“I’m coming now.”

Si Xiaolin was having a meal with friends.
Halfway through, a friend announced their marriage.
Everyone was very happy, and they added a last-minute program, going to a KTV to sing.
In a place like this, it was inevitable to drink.
Si Xiaolin had gotten drunk without realizing it.

By the time Chi Yuqin arrived, Si Xiaolin was a complete mess in the private room.
Not only was she drunk, but she was also crying incessantly.

Her friends, seeing Chi Yuqin arrive, quickly explained— “Xiaolin hasn’t had much to drink. None of us are drunk, just her.”

Chi Yuqin’s eyes scanned the private room.
She didn’t see Chen Min.
That’s right.
If Chen Min were here, even if this person had ten times the courage, she wouldn’t dare to get this drunk.

After Si Xiaolin’s friends handed her over to Chi Yuqin, they left.

The soundproofing of the KTV was not good.
Besides the music from this private room, there was also the tone-deaf howling from the next room.
Chi Yuqin was so annoyed that her migraine was about to act up.
She had just turned off the music when the howling from the next room became even clearer, buzzing… drilling into her ears.
It was like someone had put a mini chainsaw in her ear… so frustrating that her nerves were about to explode.

Si Xiaolin was slumped on the sofa.
As soon as Chi Yuqin got close, she threw herself at her, hugging her arm and not letting go, her tears and snot all over Chi Yuqin’s shirt—
“You’re here, you’re finally here! Chen Min! Chen Min!”

“I’m not Chen Min. Open your eyes and look.”
“So promising. You don’t even dare to call Chen Min when you’re drunk.”

Although Chi Yuqin didn’t have a cleanliness obsession, she couldn’t stand Si Xiaolin like this.
She immediately pushed her away, but seeing Si Xiaolin’s pitiful appearance, she couldn’t bear it.

“If you don’t rub against me again, I’ll take you away.”

Si Xiaolin probably recognized Chi Yuqin too.
She nodded from her position on the sofa.

Chi Yuqin was too lazy to argue with a drunk person.
Seeing that she was being quiet now, she reached out and helped her up, one arm over her shoulder, the other around her waist… the two of them slowly walked out of the private room.

As they passed the next private room, Chi Yuqin heard that tone-deaf howling again.
She couldn’t help but turn her head and peek through the door window.
She just wanted to see what kind of person could sing so badly.

But what she saw was completely unexpected.

Chi Yuqin looked at the girl holding the microphone in the door window, first stunned, then her back teeth clenched…

Heh, this Jingbei really is a circle!

The colorful lights in the private room were on full blast.
Tang Zhen was completely immersed, so much so that she had been stared at by the pair of eyes outside the door for a long time and still hadn’t noticed.

She had never been a good singer since she was a child, a classic case of being tone-deaf.
But she didn’t know it when she was a child, and Old Tang would always have her perform for all the relatives during the New Year.
Every time she finished singing, everyone would laugh.
When she got a little older, she realized… they weren’t laughing because she sang well, but because she sang so badly.
Every word was off-key.
Everyone was just treating her as entertainment to liven things up.
After that, she never sang again.

This time, it was purely a release.

Chi Yuqin was dizzy from the constantly changing colorful lights.
She looked at the person singing with her eyes closed, then at the person slumped on her shoulder like a puddle of mud.
She immediately made a decision.

—She carried the person back the way she came.

“Where are you going?”
Si Xiaolin was thrown back onto the sofa in the private room, clutching her chest. “I want to puke.”

“Hold it in.”

With that, Chi Yuqin went out.
She walked to the door of the tone-deaf private room next door, her hand on the door—and pushed it open with force.

The door was suddenly pushed open.
The moment it opened, Tang Zhen had just hit a high note.
The two of them made eye contact… the trailing note that was way off-key echoed in the private room for three full circles.

Tang Zhen was completely dumbfounded.

“You… you… Director Chi…”

Tang Zhen didn’t know how to greet her naturally in this awkward atmosphere, nor did she know what to say.
Did I make a mistake today?
It’s not like she would chase me to a KTV to scold me… but the key is, I didn’t make a mistake…

How could we meet by chance like this?