[001 Meeting Yao Mu]
As the light came on, the man dozing on the living room sofa was startled awake by the glare. He sat up, his body still half-slumped with fatigue, rubbing his swollen eyes.
Zhuang Yiyi was changing her shoes in the hallway. “Didn’t you say you’d be back tomorrow?”
“I finished early.” Chen Ding fixed his gaze on the woman who had just changed her shoes and said in a pleading tone, “Darling, I’m hungry.”
Chen Ding had a handsome face; especially when he stared intently at you, his dark pupils and innocent expression always melted hearts. But this handsome face seemed to have no effect on his wife, with whom he had been married for just three months.
The two had met through an arranged blind date. They met that very day and got married on the spot. Because of this, his mother-in-law had been dissatisfied with him.
But thanks to Chen Ding’s tireless efforts, his mother-in-law’s attitude had undergone a complete turnaround. Yet his wife had suddenly shifted from her usual reserve to a formal, polite distance.
Zhuang Yiyi had already gone into her bedroom.
Chen Ding knocked on the door. “Darling, I’ve made some noodles. Would you like some? I’ll add a fried egg for you.”
Zhuang Yiyi opened the door. “No, thank you.”
Just as she was closing the door, Chen Ding reached out and blocked the doorframe. He was tall and broad-shouldered; he even blocked the light. There was an intangible sense of pressure.
“Have I done something wrong?” Chen Ding asked.
Zhuang Yiyi: “Why would you think that?”
“Ever since the 15th of last month, you’ve been so cold towards me.” Chen Ding listed Zhuang Yiyi’s instances of coldness.
Zhuang Yiyi replied after listening: “You’re so sensitive.”
“……” Chen Ding stopped dwelling on it. He’d been ruminating for so long and still had no idea what he’d actually done wrong. He took a small gold bead he’d bought especially out of his suit pocket. “I bought this for you. They say it’s been specially blessed by the local deity to bring good fortune.”
“Thanks.”
Chen Ding smiled, eager to help, “Shall I put it on for you?”
“No need. I’m going to sleep. Do you have anything else to do?”
Chen Ding knew she sometimes had to work 36-hour shifts at the hospital. “No, I don’t. I might have to go on a business trip tomorrow; I’ll be back in about three days. This Saturday, are you free? Let’s go out for a meal together.”
“We’ll see.” Zhuang Yiyi didn’t seem keen to talk any further.
Chen Ding was understanding. “Right. We’ll see how your schedule looks then.”
Zhuang Yiyi closed the door. Chen Ding watched the closed door and felt a twinge of regret. He shouldn’t have agreed to her three requests in the first place; now, as a married man, he was left alone in his empty room at night. Chen Ding let out a long sigh.
Inside her room, Zhuang Yiyi opened the box. Inside was a red cord strung with two small gold beads; there was no brand or shop logo on it, and it was clearly a local, unique design. With a slight headache, she closed the box and tossed it into a drawer, where it joined the pile of gifts Chen Ding had given her.
Over the next few days, Chen Ding was away on business.
As usual, he messaged Zhuang Yiyi to update her on his schedule. She didn’t reply. Sitting in the hospital staff lounge, she silently scrolled through their chat history—it was all one-sided messages from Chen Ding. Further back, there were their joint conversations.
Han Rong came in and called her to join her for lunch.
Although it was midday, the hospital was still bustling with people. Zhuang Yiyi spotted Chen Ding in the hospital lobby. He had hurried in behind a stretcher and then disappeared around the corner.
Han Rong was looking up places to eat on her phone when she noticed Zhuang Yiyi had stopped beside her. She glanced in the direction Zhuang Yiyi was looking but saw nothing out of the ordinary—just people everywhere. She asked, “What’s wrong?”
Zhuang Yiyi said, “I saw someone I know. You go and find a restaurant first, then send me the address via WeChat.”
Chen Ding followed the doctor to the entrance of the Emergency Department. Qian Yi was being treated inside, and a nurse standing beside him handed him a piece of paper, glancing at the bloodstains on his clothes. “Why don’t you go and get that sorted out first?”
Only then did Chen Ding notice the blood splattered on his clothes. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” the nurse said, blushing.
As soon as Chen Ding turned around, he spotted his wife—whom he hadn’t seen for several days—standing not far away. His sense of helplessness and irritation was soothed considerably.
“What’s going on?” Zhuang Yiyi asked.
“A client in a divorce case. He’s unwilling to divorce, and when we met today, he attempted suicide.” Chen Ding replied concisely.
Zhuang Yiyi nodded slightly, as if it were merely a routine enquiry. “My dad’s invited us home for dinner this weekend.” With that, she turned to leave.
Chen Ding offered a knowing smile. “Wife…” He swallowed the word under Zhuang Yiyi’s piercing gaze. “You’re worried about me, aren’t you?”
“No.” Zhuang Yiyi looked at him, as if trying to remind him of what she’d said. “You told me to tell you in person.”
On a rainy day.
Chen Ding insisted on picking her up.
The rain was pouring down; the windscreen wipers were constantly in motion, only to be instantly submerged by the rushing water. The air conditioning was set to 26 degrees, making it rather pleasant. Chen Ding rested one hand casually on the steering wheel; the plain ring on his ring finger glinted silver in the car’s interior light.
“Darling. It’s pouring, isn’t it?”
“Mm.” Zhuang Yiyi, sitting in the passenger seat, gazed straight ahead. She was always like that; when she didn’t speak, it was as if she were immersed in a world of her own.
“The internet’s usually not very good on rainy days.”
Zhuang Yiyi finally looked at him. He smiled and said, “About the message you sent me today—why don’t you tell me that in person?”
Chen Ding remembered now; he had said exactly that. But since he and Zhuang Yiyi rarely saw each other in person, they usually communicated via WeChat. She was just worried about him. “You’re so stubborn.”
Zhuang Yiyi shot him a cold glance and turned away without a second thought. Chen Ding immediately stepped in front of her, raising his injured right hand and saying pitifully, “I’m hurt.” “It really hurts.”
Zhuang Yiyi walked ahead and Chen Ding followed behind, keeping a distance between them, but anyone with eyes could see that Chen Ding’s gaze remained fixed on her back, his footsteps close on her heels.
They were watched the whole way.
Zhang Zhang and You You were just about to leave the nurses’ station to have lunch when they saw Dr Zhuang, who had only just gone out, returning with a man in tow. Moments later, the pair entered Dr Zhuang’s staff room. The door closed.
“What’s going on?” asked Zhang Zhang.
“No idea,” replied You You, equally in the dark.
Forgetting their meal, the two stared at the closed door, their curiosity piqued.
Inside the rest room, simple disinfectants and wound dressings were laid out. Chen Ding sat down on a stool, and Zhuang Yiyi carefully applied the ointment to his wound. They were so close that Chen Ding could make out the fine downy hairs on her face. He reached out and poked her cheek, earning an expressionless glance in return.
He smiled. “I couldn’t help myself.”
Once the dressing was applied, Zhuang Yiyi turned and stepped behind the blue curtain, whilst Chen Ding surveyed the small room. It was his first time here, his first glimpse of the place where she spent most of her days.
Zhuang Yiyi emerged shortly afterwards, carrying a bag; her wrist was bare. Chen Ding said, “Darling, why aren’t you wearing the little gold bead bracelet I gave you?”
“I’m not used to it.”
“All right. Just brushing me off, are you?” It wasn’t the first time he’d been rebuffed; Chen Ding was used to it by now. He took a man’s shirt out of the bag—a polo shirt, deep blue with blue and white stripes on the collar.
In a word: ugly.
Chen Ding looked troubled. As a man whose mother was a model and who had been exposed to fashion from a young age, this shirt could only be described with one word—ugly! “Did you buy this especially for me?”
“No, I bought it for my dad.”
Chen Ding breathed a sigh of relief and shoved it back without hesitation. “Since it’s for your father-in-law, just give it to him exactly as it is.”
“Then what are you wearing?”
Chen Ding looked down at the bloodstains on his white short-sleeved top. “Do you have a marker pen?”
“I do.” Zhuang Yiyi put the clothes back on the bed, then turned around. Chen Ding stood there bare-chested, still clutching his own clothes.
His eyes were fixed on her. His irises were clear and distinct, his gaze innocent yet intensely aggressive.
Zhuang Yiyi froze.
A knock sounded at the door.
Zhuang Yiyi snapped back to her senses and walked towards the door. “Put your clothes on first.”
Chen Ding didn’t see anything wrong with it; he’d only intended to take his shirt off so he could draw the clown on it more easily.
He put his shirt back on.
Zhuang Yiyi stood in the doorway and let out a long, silent sigh.
The gentle smile on Yao Mu’s face faded slightly when he saw the man standing in the room.
Zhuang Yiyi didn’t notice, but Chen Ding did. He gave Yao Mu a lingering look before calmly averting his gaze.
“Senior Brother, is something wrong?” Zhuang Yiyi asked.
Yao Mu smiled gently. “Zhang Zhang told me you were still in the break room. Why haven’t you gone to eat yet?”
“I’ve got a few things to sort out. I’ll be there in a moment.”
“Right.” Yao Mu turned his attention back to the room. “Yiyi, who is this?”
Zhuang Yiyi stepped aside to introduce them. “This is my friend, Chen Ding. And this is my senior, Yao Mu.”
The two men exchanged a slight nod across Yiyi, by way of greeting. Yao Mu said to Yiyi, “I’ve taken on a new patient today. Do you have time? I’d like to discuss it with you.”
“I do.” Zhuang Yiyi looked at Chen Ding, but before she could speak, Chen Ding spoke first, smiling and thoughtfully respecting Zhuang Yiyi’s request to keep their marriage private. “I’ll drive myself back, so there’s no need to trouble you with a ride. By the way, Uncle Zhuang has invited us back for dinner this weekend. Shall I come and pick you up?”
Yao Mu frowned slightly; from the tone of this man who had suddenly appeared, he could sense a familiarity. And not just any ordinary familiarity.
Zhuang Yiyi said, “No need. I’ll go back on my own.”
“Right.” Chen Ding watched as Yiyi and Yao Mu turned to leave together, then said as if a light had dawned on him, “Yiyi, there’s something else I’d like to ask you. Dr Yao?”
Yao Mu didn’t care for the man in the room, but he agreed nonetheless, saying to Yiyi, “I’ll wait for you at the nurses’ station.”
It was Chen Ding who closed the door to the rest room. He shut it right in front of Yao Mu.
Yao Mu stared silently at the tightly shut door.
The moment the door closed.
No sooner had Zhuang Yiyi turned round than Chen Ding had already closed in on her; that familiar, crisp scent wafted over her once more. Chen Ding pinned her between himself and the door with both arms, lowering his head to accuse, “Darling, he’s trying to steal you from me. His pupils were pitch black.
That delicate fragrance was everywhere. Zhuang Yiyi, half a head shorter than him, looked up at him and, after a moment’s thought, replied, “I know.”
Chen Ding had intended to tease her, but he hadn’t expected Zhuang Yiyi’s answer to be quite like that. He stepped forward with his right leg, pressing it tightly against Zhuang Yiyi’s left, trapping her completely in his embrace. He asked in a low voice, “When did you find out?”
“The day I moved into your home. Do you remember the crystal ball I brought back from outside?”
Zhuang Yiyi had moved in with Chen Ding a week after they’d registered their marriage.
Chen Ding had arranged for the new apartment—prepared long in advance—to be thoroughly cleaned inside and out well in advance. He had done the same himself. Chen Ding had taken a shower, blow-dried his hair, sprayed on some cologne, and changed into a rather flamboyant V-neck robe. The deep V-neck revealed glimpses of his well-defined pectorals; his broad shoulders and long legs made him look both flamboyant and youthful.
He had been waiting by the sofa for quite some time. Zhuang Yiyi, who had been out for a while, finally returned. Upon seeing him, she gave a slight nod before retreating to her own room. Chen Ding followed her closely, leaning against the doorframe as he watched her crouch by the bed. From an elegant bag, she produced a box; upon opening it, a crystal ball appeared. She seemed to like it very much, smiling even more brightly than she had when she saw him.
“I’ll throw that crystal ball away as soon as I get home,” Chen Ding said through gritted teeth, his breath brushing against her ear. Zhuang Yiyi turned her head, rubbing her sensitive ear, and looked at him sideways. “I like it.”
“I’ll get you another one.”
“No.”
“What’s so good about that rubbish ball?”
“I like it.”
“I’ll get you an identical one.”
“No.”
“Is the next thing you’re going to say going to be, ‘I like it’ again?”
“No.” She’d almost been led up the wrong path. Just then, her mobile rang; it was Han Rong. Zhuang Yiyi pushed him away, and Chen Ding straightened up as she walked to the table, picked up the phone and answered, “Mm, right.”
After hanging up, she said to him, “I’m off to get something to eat.”
“What about me?” Chen Ding raised his injured right hand.