【006: Convincing Myself】
“Why have you come?”
Chen Ding crossed his legs and stared straight at her. “To celebrate my birthday with me.”
Although his face was expressionless, Zhuang Yiyi knew Chen Ding was giving her a way out. “I’m on duty tonight,” she said.
Chen Ding stared at her for at least two or three seconds, his mind racing through the excuse he’d already convinced himself of—he hadn’t mentioned to Yiyi that it was his birthday today.
That excuse had convinced him all over again.
“So I came over.” He waited for Zhuang Yiyi’s reaction.
Zhuang Yiyi didn’t agree straight away; she hesitated. She knew she ought to refuse. But… she couldn’t shake the nagging unease. She told herself that, after all, it was his birthday, and he’d gone out of his way to come over.
Zhuang Yiyi asked, “What would you like to eat?”
She handed her mobile to Chen Ding, who beamed. “I’ve already ordered. It’ll be here shortly.”
Zhuang Yiyi realised he’d acted without her consent and took the phone back. “What if I hadn’t agreed?”
“But you did agree.” Chen Ding’s eyes crinkled with laughter; his smile was radiant, as if he’d completely forgotten her earlier refusal.
Chen Ding’s magnanimity and forgetfulness were indeed the finest qualities Zhuang Yiyi had ever seen in a man.
Whilst they were waiting for the food to arrive, Zhang Zhang knocked on the door to say a patient had rung the bell. Zhuang Yiyi left. An hour passed, and she still hadn’t returned.
Chen Ding sat alone in the quiet break room. Perhaps it was the night, or perhaps the soundproofing was too good, but the room was far too quiet.
He found it rather dull. He knew Zhuang Yiyi was busy on duty and genuinely had no time to keep him company. Yet at the same time, he felt that since she’d come all this way, she could at least have given him a quick call to let him know.
Zhang Zhang knocked and came in. “Oh! Mr Chen. You’re still here?”
Zhang Zhang placed the takeaway on the table. Spotting the open bottle of Wangzi Milk, she couldn’t help but exclaim, “ahhhh! What’s this doing here?”
“What’s the problem?” It’s just a bottle of Wangzi Milk, isn’t it?
“Can I just throw this away first?” Zhang Zhang asked, looking frantic.
Although Chen Ding was puzzled, seeing her anxious expression, he gave a slight nod.
After hurling the Wangzi Milk out of the residential building, Zhang Zhang returned to tell Chen Ding, “We’re not allowed to have Wangzi Milk or dragon fruit here. Especially when we’re on duty. As soon as either of those two things appears, trouble follows. No wonder the bell hasn’t stopped ringing all evening…”
Chen Ding was genuinely unaware of the story behind it, but even if he had known, he wouldn’t have believed it. Superstition.
Zhang Zhang had been thoroughly spooked by the milk. She warned him never to bring either of those items here again, or they’d truly become public enemies.
Chen Ding nodded.
Zhang Zhang said, “I’m off now, Mr Chen. Oh, and this meal—Dr Yao asked me to bring it to Dr Zhuang. Please do pass that on to her for me.”
“Yao Mu?”
“Yes. Dr Yao.”
Zhang Zhang closed the door and left.
Chen Ding took another bottle of Wangzi milk out of the bag, slipped it into his pocket, went outside the ward block, and threw the milk into the bin.
When he returned to the floor where the staff lounge was located, he happened to bump into Zhuang Yiyi, who was rubbing her neck, frowning, and emerging from the ward looking exhausted.
The gloom in Chen Ding’s heart suddenly lifted. The fact that she could spare the time to have a meal with him was already quite something.
In the year he’d just graduated, Chen Ding had also worked overtime every day for his job; working until two or three in the morning was a regular occurrence. He could understand Zhuang Yiyi’s busyness—there was simply too much to do.
Chen Ding walked towards her with a look of concern, only for Zhuang Yiyi’s first words upon seeing him to be, “Why are you still here?”
Concern? Vanished without a trace.
“The food’s here,” Chen Ding said, saying no more for fear of upsetting her.
On the way back, Chen Ding heard Zhuang Yiyi answer a phone call, her first words being, “Senior.”
He slowed his pace.
“Takeaway?”
“No, thanks. Don’t bother.”
“Right, all right then.”
“I don’t know what’s going on today, but patients keep coming to see me…”
Chen Ding wasn’t superstitious, but he felt inexplicably uneasy. He quickened his pace and entered the staff room, with Zhuang Yiyi following closely behind. She hung up the phone.
Two large bags sat on the table, both containing takeaway. Chen Ding picked up the smaller of the two and said, “I ordered six dishes; there’s enough for the two of us. Let’s give this one to the two nurses at the station.”
Zhuang Yiyi nodded slightly, took the takeaway from Chen Ding, and handed it to Zhang Zhang and Youyou, who were on duty.
By the time they returned, Chen Ding had already opened all the takeaway boxes. The aroma of the food filled the air, and Zhuang Yiyi realised she was indeed hungry.
They finished their meal quickly. After they had both cleared up, Zhuang Yiyi was about to take the rubbish out when Chen Ding said, “Leave it for now. I’ll take it with me when I leave.”
Zhuang Yiyi gave him a puzzled look; it didn’t seem like Chen Ding’s usual character, yet it was understandable—after being left waiting for so long, it was only natural he’d want to leave.
“All right.”
“I need to talk to you. Let me make this clear first: I’m not blaming you. I was also at fault regarding my birthday today; I didn’t tell you about it in advance, so it’s only natural you wouldn’t remember. I shouldn’t have got angry with you.”
Zhuang Yiyi felt a strange sensation—she couldn’t quite tell if it was guilt or remorse—but her expression remained unchanged as she nodded slightly.
“Also, I know you’re busy with work. But even on a day as hectic as today, you could have sent me a message or given me a call—at least let me know something—so I wouldn’t have been left waiting here for nothing.”
“Mm.”
“Is there anything else you want to say to me?”
“I’ll be more careful next time.”
“No.”
“I’m sorry?”
Chen Ding reminded her, “It’s my birthday today.”
“Happy birthday?”
Chen Ding smiled; Zhuang Yiyi had got the answer right.
Chen Ding wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek with a smile, a very intimate gesture. Zhuang Yiyi heard him whisper in her ear, “Darling, your dark circles are really bad.”
“……” Zhuang Yiyi shot him a sidelong glance.
Chen Ding laughed, rubbing her dark circles gently with his fingertips, looking quite pleased with himself. “I’ll get some medicine for you from my mum tomorrow.”
Chen Ding leaned down and, before Zhuang Yiyi could react, kissed her on the lips. Then he picked up the takeaway from the table. “I’m off now. Make sure you get some rest.”
Less than two minutes later, Zhuang Yiyi received a WeChat message from Chen Ding: “I’ve bought two bottles of Wangzi milk.”
Zhuang Yiyi replied with six dots.
Chen Ding sent a heart-shooting emoji. He was particularly fond of this one—it was a cat named Si Mao.
Sometimes Zhuang Yiyi felt that his reactions really did resemble this cat’s. Although cute, he could also come across as a bit cheeky at times.
Over on Yao Mu’s side, he was having dinner with his sister.
Yao Mu’s sister is called Yao Jia. She’s been married for eight years and has a daughter who is five years old and currently attending nursery school.
Her husband is away on business most of the time, and when he’s busy, he’ll ask Yao Mu to look after the child.
Watching Yao Mu patiently feeding her daughter, Yao Jia said, “When are you planning to have a baby of your own?”
“Mum’s been on your case again.” Yao Mu wiped her little niece’s mouth.
“Yes, she has. She’s already sent me photos of several girls. I’ve picked a few out—why don’t you find some time to meet them?”
“I’m too busy.”
“Go and tell your mum that. And tell her to stop bothering me so much. By the way, who were you just on the phone with? You even asked if they’d eaten yet?” Yao Jia gave him a knowing look.
“My junior colleague. I swapped shifts with her today, which is why I had time to pick the child up.”
“Junior colleague? The one you mentioned before, the really capable girl?” After Yao Mu gave a soft ‘mm-hmm’, Yao Jia asked, “She must be about your age, right? Is she seeing anyone?”
Yao Mu didn’t really want to bring up the subject, so he simply said, “She’s married.”
“Married? That was quick of her. I remember asking you a while back, and she was still single. It hasn’t been that long since she finished her PhD, has it? What does her husband look like?”
“I’ve never met him.”
“Never met him? Didn’t she invite you to the wedding?”
“No.”
“Right then, you ought to start thinking about it yourself. Look at your junior colleague—she used to be single, and now she’s married, whilst you don’t even have a girlfriend.
Chen Ding came round again the next day.
He’d brought a crystal ball with him. Zhuang Yiyi picked up the familiar crystal ball and examined it closely, noticing it was slightly different from the one on her bedside table. It was larger overall, and the little figure inside—which had previously had a cute expression—now had drooping lips, though it still had two little wings and the white cloud beneath its feet.
“What’s this all about?”
“It’s a present for you,” said Chen Ding. “You like them, don’t you? One at home, one at the hospital—you’ll be able to see it wherever you are.”
Chen Ding’s smile was entirely without ulterior motive, but the design of the globe was far too contrived, far too targeted. And Dr Yao, the very person he was targeting, did indeed spot the crystal globe, just as he’d hoped.