The setting sun slanted through the blinds, casting streaks of light across the room. Doctors in white coats sat around the dark red conference table, all eyes fixed on the PPT presentation playing before them.
As the presenter finished with a word of thanks, thunderous applause filled the conference room. Jiang Xu gently placed the laser pointer on the table, stepped away from the projector screen, and returned to his seat at the conference table.
Professor Cui sat at the head of the long conference table, while Jiang Xu sat just below her. The moment he lifted his gaze, it met Shen Fangyu’s. He and Shen Fangyu had each given reports analyzing Dr. Kenn’s surgical procedure and the patient’s case history. For Jiang Xu, presentations like this were as natural as eating or drinking, something he could do with ease. The only difference this time was that he shared the same experience as the patient being analyzed.
“You both did very well,” Professor Cui said jokingly. “Your analyses were clear, and you prepared thoroughly in such a short amount of time. Don’t tell me you already knew about this case and prepared in advance?”
The speaker had no special intention, but the listeners did. Jiang Xu and Shen Fangyu’s gazes met briefly in the air before shifting away again. Fortunately, Professor Cui didn’t notice.
“Jiang Xu,” Professor Cui asked, “if our hospital had a similar case, do you think you could perform this surgery?” After asking, she turned to Shen Fangyu. “What about you? Could you do it?”
“I could give it a try.”
“There wouldn’t be any problems.”
The two spoke almost at the same time.
Professor Cui looked at Shen Fangyu with a meaningful expression. “You sound more confident than Jiang Xu.”
Shen Fangyu looked in their direction. “I would do everything in my power.”
Although both Director Cui and Jiang Xu were seated in the same direction, Jiang Xu knew Shen Fangyu was looking at him, making him a promise. He had made the same promise in that self-criticism letter as well.
Shen Fangyu had also said that if Jiang Xu preferred to go abroad and have Kenn perform the surgery, he would cover all the expenses. For some reason, Jiang Xu suddenly felt irritated. Perhaps he hated Shen Fangyu’s habit of making decisions on his own and acting self-righteous, just as Shen Fangyu hated Jiang Xu’s commanding attitude and refusal to accept disagreement.
At the moment, he was staying at Tang Ke’s place. Shen Fangyu hadn’t asked him again at night when he planned to come home. After finishing tomorrow’s surgical arrangements, Jiang Xu glanced at the clock and realized it was already past eight.
Normally, he could still work overtime for a while longer, but today he was too distracted. Thinking that his efficiency was poor anyway, he simply packed up his things and prepared to leave. Before leaving, Jiang Xu glanced at Shen Fangyu’s workstation… but he wasn’t there.
Jiang Xu lowered his eyes and, as usual, walked to the hospital entrance to hail a taxi. It was the busiest spot with the most traffic. After standing by the roadside for a while, he suddenly felt something tap him lightly from behind.
Somewhat surprised, Jiang Xu turned around and found himself face-to-face with a rabbit taller than he was. The giant rabbit had drooping ears and looked exactly like the old pink rabbit plushie on his bed. Only after noticing the flyer in the rabbit’s hand did he realize it was a promotional gimmick.
In recent years, more and more shops have opened in A City, and businesses have been constantly coming up with creative ways to attract customers. Employees dressing up in mascot costumes like this were no longer unusual. Most of the time, they targeted children; once a child started fussing, the accompanying adults would inevitably follow them into the store.
Perhaps all the children had already gone home at this hour, or perhaps the employee inside the rabbit costume was new and didn’t know the tricks of drawing in customers yet, which was why they had approached Jiang Xu instead. He pushed the flyer back toward the rabbit and waved his hand, indicating he wasn’t interested.
But the rabbit seemed determined to stick to him, insistently trying to stuff the flyer into his hands. Jiang Xu figured the employee probably had some quota for flyer distribution, so he accepted it and glanced at it casually. Only after reading the words on the flyer did he realize the place being promoted was actually Xianju.
Xianju was one of the most expensive restaurants near Jihua. It didn’t charge by dish, but by person, 1,288 yuan per guest, roughly equivalent to Jiang Xu’s daily income.
His family was in B City. Both of his parents were ordinary, hardworking employees, not members of some wealthy family who could support him. Over the years, nearly all of Jiang Xu’s salary and bonuses had gone into major expenses like his house and car, so he didn’t often dine at Xianju.
As far as Jiang Xu remembered, Xianju had always done excellent business. A City never lacked wealthy people. So how had they fallen so low as to send employees onto the streets to solicit customers?
He suddenly began to doubt whether the person inside the mascot costume was actually legitimate.
Before he could question it, the rabbit suddenly produced a fortune stick cylinder and offered it to him to draw from. Jiang Xu instinctively stepped back, but the rabbit didn’t follow. It simply stood there, head drooping, holding the cylinder in both hands, motionless as it faced him.
Even though the huge mascot head completely concealed the person inside, Jiang Xu inexplicably felt that the rabbit looked pitifully wronged. Maybe it was because the rabbit mascot looked so much like the pink rabbit plushie that had accompanied him for so many years, making Jiang Xu’s sense of guilt grow even stronger.
Fine. It was just drawing a fortune stick. He was a grown man standing on a crowded street, surely nothing could happen just because he drew one. So he reached toward the cylinder.
The pink rabbit instantly seemed to come alive. Its drooping head perked up, and Jiang Xu could somehow even sense its happiness, causing his own expression to soften unconsciously.
He drew out a bamboo stick. A small slip of paper hung from the end. He unfolded it with his fingertips, and after reading it for a long moment, he lifted his head with a complicated expression to look at the adorably clumsy rabbit mascot.
“Shen Fangyu, are you seriously this childish?”
Written boldly on the white slip of paper were the words:
Forgive a friend you recently had a conflict with, and you can enjoy a free feast at our restaurant.
Jiang Xu opened several more fortune sticks. Sure enough, every slip carried the exact same message. He tossed the stick and paper back into the cylinder and made as if to hail a taxi. Shen Fangyu immediately removed the mascot head and grabbed Jiang Xu’s hand through the layer of pink plush fabric.
“I’m not childish. I just want to have a meal with you.”
The mascot head was stiflingly hot. Even in late autumn, Shen Fangyu was drenched in sweat. His hair was damp, making it appear even darker and glossier, and tiny beads of sweat covered his forehead. He wiped them away casually and smiled sideways at Jiang Xu.
“I already apologized, I showed you the self-criticism letter, and I promise I won’t upset you again in the future,” he said. “Come on, I already booked the dinner…”
Jiang Xu turned his face away and stuffed the flyer back at him.
“For the sake of all the hard surgeries I did to save up money and treat you to this meal, won’t you honor me with your presence?”
He knew Jiang Xu wasn’t the type to spend money recklessly. Even if Jiang Xu didn’t want to see him, he wouldn’t be able to stand the thought of Shen Fangyu wasting money by paying the restaurant for nothing.
Sure enough, considering the equivalent of two days’ salary about to go down the drain, Jiang Xu graciously agreed to accompany him into Xianju.
The restaurant’s decor was elegant. The best part was its fully private-room layout, quiet, comfortable, isolated from the outside world. There were even roses placed on the table…
Wait. Xianju definitely wouldn’t place ninety-nine red roses on the table.
Jiang Xu looked at Shen Fangyu suspiciously. “I bought the roses,” Shen Fangyu admitted.
Jiang Xu: “……”
“Mascot costume, flowers, expensive dinner.” Jiang Xu listed them one by one before commenting, “This apology method is really cheesy.”
Probably only those heart-shaped candle confession setups downstairs could rival it.
“Cheesy?” Shen Fangyu looked like his worldview had shattered. “I paid 250 yuan on Taobao for a gold-medal relationship mediator to design this whole plan.”
As he spoke, he even tried to show Jiang Xu the order receipt on his phone. Jiang Xu pushed the phone back.
“You do know yellow roses are the ones used for apologies, right?”
“I know,” Shen Fangyu replied. “I originally planned to buy yellow roses too, but that gold-medal expert swore on his professional reputation that red roses would definitely work better.”
“Two hundred and fifty yuan… well spent.”
Jiang Xu suddenly recalled how Wu Rui had complained not long ago that he worked himself to death every day doing surgeries and seeing patients, only for his pregnant wife to casually spend an entire month’s salary on some so-called gold-medal prenatal education course.
Apparently, his wife even insisted that proper education had to begin while the child was still in the womb, that starting after birth was already too late. Jiang Xu truly couldn’t understand what kind of brainwashing these “gold-medal experts” were feeding people.
Looking at Shen Fangyu’s head, the same head that somehow managed to become the top scorer in the city’s college entrance exam, Jiang Xu became completely certain that when Shen Fangyu grew old, he would absolutely become the ideal target for telecom scammers.
So Jiang Xu mercilessly returned Shen Fangyu’s own words back to him.
“If you don’t want the money, you can donate it to people who actually need it.”
“Is it really that cheesy?” Shen Fangyu looked rather dejected.
Seeing that expression on his face, Jiang Xu paused midway through the nod he had been about to give.
“But it’s fine, at least I finally managed to catch you,” Shen Fangyu said. “I’m on third-line duty today. I was afraid the department would call me back before I even got to see you.”
Third-line duty didn’t require doctors to stay in the hospital on standby. In most hospitals, it was more of a formality, but Jihua had too many patients and too many emergencies, so Shen Fangyu didn’t dare relax and kept a close eye on his phone notifications.
“Why did it have to be today?”
“The mascot costume only arrived today. I had it custom-made based on the rabbit on your bed. I was afraid you wouldn’t notice me… though you still didn’t notice me in the end.”
He had watched helplessly as Jiang Xu’s gaze swept right past him and went straight toward the roadside to hail a taxi, forcing him to chase after Jiang Xu and tap him on the shoulder.
“What I mean is,” Jiang Xu said, “you could’ve waited until tomorrow or the day after…”
“I don’t want to wait even one more day,” Shen Fangyu replied quietly. “Every day I see you skipping breakfast, I worry your stomach’s going to hurt again.”
Wisps of steam curled up beside the ornately carved Chinese tables and chairs as a courteous waiter approached carrying a dark brown tray, placing the dishes Shen Fangyu had ordered around the bouquet of roses.
Wensi tofu, boiled cabbage in supreme broth, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall… every dish was more nourishing than the last.
Jiang Xu wanted to ask, Why are you worried about me? But the moment the thought surfaced, he suddenly remembered the word friend from the fortune slip Shen Fangyu had made him draw.
Did Shen Fangyu already consider him a friend? Or did Shen Fangyu now see him as one?
He had originally intended to ask, but before he could speak, Shen Fangyu’s phone rang.
Jihua Hospital’s number one jinx lived up to his reputation and received an emergency call from the hospital. Hanging up, Shen Fangyu stood up and began stripping off the mascot costume as he said to Jiang Xu, “You eat first. Don’t wait for me.”
“What case is it?”
“My patient in Bed 23, the one pregnant with triplets,” Shen Fangyu said. “I already told the doctor on duty that whether I’m on shift or not, the second she goes into labor, they have to call me immediately.”
Jiang Xu remembered Bed 23 as well. Her case was especially complicated and had been discussed multiple times during department meetings. She was already an older first-time mother, and on top of that, she had unexpectedly conceived triplets.
Multiple pregnancies carried high risks. The hospital had suggested fetal reduction, but the patient refused. For safety reasons, Director Cui and Shen Fangyu had both advised her to consider a C-section, but she still hoped to deliver naturally. In the end, they had no choice but to let her try.
In a hospital, doctors could never truly make decisions for their patients. Shen Fangyu had no choice but to stay extremely vigilant with this stubborn patient.
“I have to go,” he said, stuffing the removed mascot costume into the mascot head. Then he paused, looked at Jiang Xu, and said, “Sorry, I ruined today. How about I apologize to you again tomorrow? I’ll think of something else.”
“No need,” Jiang Xu said.
Shen Fangyu’s eyes lit up instantly. “You’re not mad at me anymore?”
Jiang Xu glanced at him. “Bed 23 is waiting for you.”
“Alright.” A smile immediately spread across Shen Fangyu’s face. Carrying the entire mascot costume set, he strode away briskly. Before leaving, he waved at Jiang Xu. “Then I’ll contact you later.”
Jiang Xu withdrew his gaze from Shen Fangyu’s retreating figure and looked back down at the bowl of Wensi tofu. The tofu had been sliced into impossibly fine strands that floated in pale golden chicken broth, arranged like a chrysanthemum blossom. Green lettuce leaves framed a single red goji berry at the center, making the colors especially beautiful.
After a moment of silence, he set down his chopsticks and said to the waiter, “Please pack everything up.”
Watching the exquisitely plated dishes being transferred into plain takeout containers, instantly reduced to looking no different from ordinary home cooking, Jiang Xu twitched the corner of his mouth.
Out of the 1,299 yuan, about 1,000 probably went into presentation alone.
“Sir,” the waiter said politely as he handed over the packed food. Glancing at the flowers on the table, he added thoughtfully, “Would you like a bag for the roses as well?”
“No.” Jiang Xu was about to say he wasn’t taking them, but the words stopped at his lips. The roses were blooming brilliantly, vivid and fresh, and he could almost smell their sweet fragrance.
By the time he carried the bouquet back to the office, Jiang Xu still couldn’t figure out why he had brought the flowers with him.
He hesitated at the office door for a moment and happened to see the cleaning lady passing by. Walking over, he intended to throw the roses away when a familiar voice suddenly called out.
“Xu-ge! Who gave you those roses?”
Jiang Xu’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted. The speaker was Yu Sang. He looked up, and in that brief moment of distraction, the cleaning lady had already pushed her cart away. Jiang Xu stood there awkwardly for a second before ultimately carrying the flowers back into the office.
“They were from a restaurant promotion.”
“What kind of restaurant gives out this many roses?” Yu Sang clearly didn’t believe him. Grinning mischievously, he said, “Someone’s pursuing you, huh?”
“If you want them, I’ll give them to you.”
Yu Sang immediately waved his hands. “No way. I don’t want sister-in-law beating me up.”
Jiang Xu casually glanced at Shen Fangyu’s seat. The chair was empty, with his coat and mascot costume tossed messily over the backrest. Jiang Xu set down the takeout boxes and headed toward the delivery ward.
The delivery ward was the busiest place in all of Jihua. Because medical resources were limited, several delivery beds were lined up side by side. The voices of midwives and laboring mothers rose and fell around Jiang Xu as he swept his gaze around the room, not spotting Shen Fangyu anywhere.
“Where’s Bed 23?” he asked the doctor in the ward.
“The fetus has been persistently breech, and the situation wasn’t looking good. Dr. Shen made the call to switch to a C-section,” the doctor replied, glancing toward the door. “She was taken to the operating room not long ago.”
In a normal vaginal delivery, the baby is usually head-first, with the head entering the pelvis first to begin labor. A breech presentation meant the baby’s buttocks entered the pelvis first, a common fetal malposition that made delivery much more difficult.
Jiang Xu was a little surprised. Bed 23 and her family were all equally stubborn. He hadn’t expected her to agree to a C-section.
“Triplets are already high-risk to begin with. The pain got too intense, and Dr. Shen had just spent a long time persuading her logically, so the patient finally relented,” the delivery ward doctor explained. “Her family wasn’t too happy about it, but Dr. Shen had the patient sign the surgical consent form and wheeled her straight into surgery.”
Jiang Xu nodded and returned to the office. After a long while, estimating that the surgery should be nearly finished by now, he picked up the takeout boxes and headed to the operating room lounge, planning to heat the food in the microwave.
Just as he untied the knot on the takeout bag, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly echoed through the hallway. The nurse’s voice sounded exceptionally panicked.
“Resuscitation team! Notify the resuscitation team!”
Jiang Xu’s hand loosened, and the takeout box fell back onto the table.