The moment Xia Shisheng finished stirring up trouble, he grabbed his car keys and jacket, bolting out the door with a claim that he had to go find his girlfriend. Yun Deng now had another black history entry firmly in his friend’s grasp. He sat on the sofa, fuming in silence. Love truly makes one’s brain turn to mush; if he had not been so anxious, he never would have run out to ask Xia Shisheng for a translation. Now, that guy had mocked him and fled the scene. Gazing at his phone screen and seeing that Lin Yanxu still had not replied, he felt his frustration deepen. He had truly embarrassed himself to the extreme.
Night fell over the capital’s airport. A young woman stepped out, wearing a white V-neck bodycon dress and dark sunglasses, pulling a suitcase behind her. She was sweet-looking with fair skin, as fresh and delicate as a peeled grape. After a few steps, she spotted the car sent to pick her up. Assistant Wang took her luggage and stowed it in the trunk. Seeing that it was only an assistant who had come to meet her, Ye Shuxue could not hide the hint of disappointment in her heart. She felt a lack of energy as she settled into the back seat.
Once Assistant Wang took the driver’s seat, she finally spoke up. “Is my brother very busy? I thought he would come to pick me up himself.”
Assistant Wang replied with a smile, “President Lin has matters to attend to today, so he sent me to meet you.”
“Alright then,” Ye Shuxue conceded.
She had returned to the country specifically for an arranged marriage. Her parents and Lin Yanxu’s parents had shared a connection since before the new year. By returning early, she hoped to cultivate their relationship before the wedding arrangements were formally discussed. She had worried that two years apart might have caused Lin Yanxu to forget her, but upon hearing the news of her return, he had arranged for her to stay at the family’s main residence in the capital. Ye Shuxue felt that Lin Yanxu must still harbor a spark of affection for her.
Meanwhile, at Xihe High School, an emergency meeting was underway. Although it was already past working hours, a report of school bullying had been discovered in the campus suggestion box earlier that day. Simultaneously, the parents of the victimized student had called the police. This incident not only threatened the school’s reputation but had also alerted the higher authorities.
The trouble had occurred in Fang Yu’s class; in the heat of the moment, she had been pushed by a student and struck the classroom podium. Her old injury flared up, leaving her in too much pain to stand. The veteran teachers in the English department, seeing the youngest female teacher of the group injured, gathered around to tend to her. News of the incident had spread, and students began trickling out of the dormitories, peeking curiously through the classroom windows.
After the brief meeting concluded, Lin Yanxu walked out of the administrative building carrying his notebook. Everyone had initially thought Fang Yu only had a scratched leg and had not gone to the hospital, opting for a bandage in the infirmary instead. It was only when the severe pain persisted that they realized she had injured the bone. Just as Lin Yanxu reached the bottom of the stairs, a colleague from his department called out to him.
“Teacher Lin, do you not have a car? Can you take Xiao Fang to the hospital?” the person asked urgently.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yanxu immediately followed the colleague to the infirmary. Seeing Fang Yu pale and drenched in a cold sweat, he explained that his car was parked outside the school and would take some time to retrieve. The Director of Academic Affairs, frantic about the late-night incident, immediately handed his own car keys to Lin Yanxu while he stayed behind to handle the aftermath.
“It is parked in the lot by the gymnasium, a black Honda. You know the one.”
Several colleagues helped support Fang Yu as they moved out. They only felt a sense of relief once they saw the car pull out of the school gates. Following the navigation to the nearest Chinese Medicine hospital, Tao Chunhua accompanied Fang Yu through the emergency registration and to the appropriate department. Lin Yanxu waited in front of the emergency room.
Outside, the sounds of ambulances and police sirens intertwined. There was a nearby overpass where traffic accidents occurred frequently. In less than half an hour of standing outside, he witnessed two separate accident victims being rushed in for emergency care. Later, listening to the chatter of passersby, he learned of a multi-car pileup. The most severely injured was a truck driver. The man had taken out a loan to become a long-distance driver due to financial hardship at home. Now, a sudden tragedy had struck, and a stranger had just stepped in to pay for his surgery, resolving the immediate crisis.
One hour earlier.
At the hospital’s gastroenterology department, Yun Deng was back for another consultation. He was genuinely terrified of dropping dead from pain one day. Tonight, he had been unable to resist drinking a small amount of the homemade plum wine Xia Shisheng kept in the refrigerator. The alcohol content was so low it was almost nonexistent, tasting more like a sweet fruit juice. Yet, after just one small cup, his stomach felt a burning sensation within thirty minutes. If he had not lifted his shirt to check his flat stomach, he would have thought he had burned a hole right through it.
Nausea followed swiftly. After enduring dry heaves on his bed for a long time, he could no longer take it and hailed a taxi to the hospital. The attending physician had never seen a patient so intent on self-destruction; during the previous visit, he had listed forbidden foods no less than ten times. Yet, here it was, only the second day, and the patient had knowingly violated the rules.
“You young people think just because you are young, nothing will happen, do you? This time, you are strictly forbidden from touching alcohol, even the low-percentage stuff will not do.”
Forbidding alcohol felt like a death sentence to Yun Deng. Now, he had no motivation even for parties. If others were opening champagne while he sat aside drinking plain water, the thought alone felt ridiculous.
“Doctor, can I really not have even one percent?” Yun Deng asked weakly.
“Drink it if you want to get cancer,” the fifty-year-old doctor stated bluntly.
Yun Deng finally resigned himself to his fate. Just as before, he planned to head back after finishing his intravenous drip. Stepping out of the elevator, he crossed paths with a group of frantic doctors. While taking his payment slip to the window to collect his medicine, he learned that the emergency department had just received a car accident victim. The family could not be reached, and there was no money to pay for the surgery. The situation was critical.
Carrying his medicine, Yun Deng asked a nearby nurse how much the surgery would cost. Upon learning it was only twenty-five thousand yuan after insurance, he offered to pay for it without a second thought. To him, that amount was a pittance, but to a stranger, it could save a life. He felt lucky that he had his bank card on him today.
After the payment was settled, he wanted to leave and rest; his stomach was still incredibly uncomfortable. However, a nurse responsible for the matter insisted that he leave his name and contact information before letting him go. Yun Deng took the pen and wrote the name “Yun Guodong” in a flamboyant script before he could finally escape. This time, he would let his father play the hero; perhaps if his father were happy, he would let Yun Deng enjoy his freedom for a few more years.
As he walked out of the emergency department’s main entrance, Yun Deng wondered if the pain was causing his eyes to play tricks on him. He thought he saw Lin Yanxu. Due to the hazy night air, he was uncertain, so he moved a little closer to check. Confirming that it really was Lin Yanxu, the pain seemed to vanish inexplicably. He felt instantly refreshed. He moved stealthily behind the man and, while Lin Yanxu was looking down at his watch, lunged forward to cover his eyes.
“Guess who I am?”
Ordinarily, no one dared to treat Lin Yanxu this way. He reached up, placing his hands over the person’s to move them away. Turning around, he saw Yun Deng giving him a radiant smile, which made the young man look even more vibrant.
“We keep running into each other. Do not you think this is a match made in heaven?” Yun Deng said happily, looking at him.
“A match made in heaven refers to a marriage ordained by the heavens,” Lin Yanxu explained calmly, averting his gaze from the other’s burning eyes.
Yun Deng realized he had used the idiom incorrectly, but he did not feel embarrassed; instead, he thought the meaning was quite lovely. Suddenly, he remembered that the other man had not replied to his message. Lin Yanxu simply stated that he had replied as soon as he saw the notification. He watched as Yun Deng pulled his phone from his pocket, his gaze noting the bag of medicine the young man had been clutching.
“Ah, you really did reply, it was my phone’s notification delay again.”
Just like last time, he had exited the app and stopped receiving messages. Afterward, he had run to the kitchen to drink the plum wine, completely failing to notice the reply. Since the content he had sent was rather unsightly, Yun Deng looked up at Lin Yanxu with a bit of embarrassment. He noticed a faint, almost imperceptible smile at the corners of Lin Yanxu’s mouth. Although the man usually kept a cold face, Yun Deng could tell at a glance that he was laughing at him.
“You said I could pursue you, so you are not allowed to find me annoying when I message you,” Yun Deng demanded.
Seeing that Lin Yanxu neither agreed nor refused, he immediately took the man’s hand and shook it, saying urgently, “Brother, hurry up and nod. Agree to it!”
When Lin Yanxu first met him, he never expected their paths would cross like this, nor did he expect the young man to be so persistent. He had intended to refuse, but looking at the aggrieved expression on the other’s face, he found himself nodding in agreement as if possessed. Seeing the man relent, Yun Deng could not help but marvel at how effective the methods he found in those Baidu comments were. Once he successfully made this icy beauty his wife, he would immediately write a guide and post it online for others to learn from. Truly, as long as you are persistent, you can catch anyone.
It was nearly eleven o’clock at night, and people were still streaming in and out of the emergency department. Fang Yu, now in a fresh cast and propped up on crutches, walked out of the entrance. Lin Yanxu looked up and saw his colleagues Fang Yu and Tao Chunhua emerging. He glanced down at their joined hands and said, “I have to go.”
Yun Deng reluctantly let go of the man’s hand, whispering, “Alright, see you next time. Our match made in heaven will definitely meet again soon.”
Lin Yanxu, seeing the idiom used incorrectly again, did not say more. He patted the young man’s shoulder and turned to leave. The parking lot was right next to the emergency department. Even after the man left, Yun Deng could not resist taking another look. He waited until he saw Lin Yanxu get into the car with the other two before picking up the medicine he had dropped on the ground.
He secretly pulled out his phone and took a photo of the car. The license plate was not clear to the naked eye, but it was perfectly visible in the photo album once the picture was taken. Now that he had the plate number, he could happily send gifts to pursue him.
He immediately transferred all the high-value gas coupons from his account to the vehicle. Yun Deng felt exceptionally good after completing this operation. For a moment, even his illness felt mostly cured. If he were allowed to drink, he would have gone to a bar to drink all night.