The train station plaza was packed with people, most of them hurrying about with weary, hurried steps.
The two of them walked inside. Cheng Yuan carried the luggage and carefully shielded Zhong Yu from being bumped by anyone, attentive to every detail.
Although Zhong Yu was unaccustomed to being so close to him, she said nothing.
Once their luggage had passed through security, they sat down in the waiting hall and finally felt themselves relax.
Bored, Zhong Yu looked around the waiting hall and habitually reached for her phone to check the time.
She felt around for a long while but found nothing. Then she suddenly came to her senses and shook her head with a laugh. She really wasn’t used to being without a phone.
“What’s wrong? Did you forget to bring something?”
Cheng Yuan’s attention had been on Zhong Yu the entire time. He had noticed that she was obviously looking for something.
Zhong Yu quickly waved her hands. “No, no. I must have mailed it back with the rest of my things. I forgot.”
She felt a little embarrassed herself. Habits formed over years of daily life couldn’t be changed overnight.
“That’s good, then. I spent last night in the emergency room, so I didn’t have time to buy you anything for your journey. There are shops in here too. Shall we go take a look?”
Zhong Yu hurriedly shook her head. Buying more things would only add to her burden.
“There’s no need. Shasha bought me a lot already. I can barely carry it all by myself.”
She wasn’t just being polite. She genuinely didn’t think it was necessary to waste the money.
Cheng Yuan gave a self-mocking smile. “Looks like I’m not as thoughtful as she is.”
Zhong Yu couldn’t understand his train of thought. “Why are you comparing yourself to her? You can’t beat her at being thoughtful in the first place.”
She spoke casually and sincerely. Even though she had noticed his feelings for her, it seemed to have little effect on the way they interacted.
Cheng Yuan couldn’t quite explain what he was feeling. He lowered his head and said softly:
“I still remember how sweet and well-behaved you looked in that floral dress when we first met in our freshman year. At the time, I wondered how your parents could bear to send you to study medicine.”
Zhong Yu ignored the first half of his sentence and asked, puzzled, “Why can’t a well-behaved girl study medicine?”
Cheng Yuan paused, clearly not expecting that to be her main concern.
“That’s not what I meant. It’s just that studying medicine means facing bloody wounds head-on. I thought you ought to be surrounded by more beautiful things.”
Zhong Yu sighed softly and looked at him seriously. “See? You’ve never truly understood me. Whatever feelings you have for me are based only on your own perception. They aren’t really about me.”
Her words completely rejected Cheng Yuan’s feelings, and he hurriedly shook his head.
“That isn’t true. Your appearance is indeed as I perceived it, but I also know something of what lies beneath. You’re devoted to your field, and you have strong ambition and a powerful desire to achieve something in your career. Now you seem to have gained more resilience, freedom, and maturity as well. I’m certain that every one of those qualities is what attracts me to you.”
The future Academician Cheng certainly had remarkable insight.
Perhaps the version of herself in her previous life had been far less mature than she was now, which was why she had not been attractive enough to him.
Unfortunately, whatever the truth might be, she had no intention of entering a relationship now.
“Thank you for the praise, but I’m really just an ordinary person. I also pursue fame and profit, and I want to give myself a better life. At present, I haven’t achieved anything, so I don’t have the standing to discuss romance. Do you understand?”
Her words were sincere yet realistic. Cheng Yuan didn’t feel discouraged. He liked Zhong Yu all the more for being so dazzling.
“I can wait until Doctor Zhong has achieved success and recognition. A relationship between equals is the most compatible and stable kind.”
He spoke with confident certainty, yet Zhong Yu couldn’t help feeling that something was off.
In her previous life, it wasn’t that she had never been involved in a relationship simply because she hadn’t met anyone who could match her. There had been plenty of people who were her equals, but none of them had stirred her heart.
Never mind. It was almost time to check in and board, and Zhong Yu didn’t want to pour cold water on him. She decided to let him think whatever he wanted.
By the time she reached the ticket-checking gate, a long line had already formed.
Zhong Yu took her luggage from Cheng Yuan and urged him to leave.
“Those dark circles under your eyes are showing. You really need to get some proper rest. I’m about to board, and there’s no point in you waiting here. Go on.”
Cheng Yuan believed that the two of them had reached an understanding, so he didn’t insist.
“All right. I’ll be leaving next week too. I’ll call and write to you then. Remember to reply.”
Zhong Yu nodded perfunctorily. The crowd was already pushing her forward, and amid all the noise, how could she have heard him clearly?
The railing at the ticket gate nearly tripped her again. If someone beside her hadn’t grabbed her, she would have fallen and almost certainly been trampled.
After finally squeezing onto the train, drenched in sweat, she hurried to find her seat and sat down to catch her breath. She had no time to think about Cheng Yuan anymore.
The train compartments of the 1990s naturally couldn’t compare with those of later generations. Fortunately, her seat was by the window on the inside, so she didn’t have to worry about people passing through the aisle bumping into her.
The train remained stopped for only a few minutes before it began moving. Watching the scenery outside recede, Zhong Yu gradually calmed down.
When she happened to look up, she saw that someone with their head and face wrapped very tightly was sitting opposite her.
The brim of her hat was wide, and she was also wearing a mask. Her hair was short, and her face was impossible to make out. It was difficult to tell whether she was a man or a woman.
Zhong Yu glanced at her only once. She had no habit of prying into other people’s privacy, so she turned her head away as if nothing had happened.
It was still before dawn. She could catch up on some sleep.
With so many people in the compartment, surrounded by all kinds of voices, falling asleep peacefully was practically impossible. After changing positions several times, she only managed to drift into a half-asleep state.
She had no idea how much time had passed when she opened her eyes in a daze.
Perhaps it was the angle, but she happened to catch sight of the eyes of the person opposite her.
Relying on her professional knowledge, she was certain that the girl had a facial deformity—and a rare congenital one at that.
The condition was characterized by abnormal development of the facial bones and soft tissue, causing the face to take on a shape resembling that of a frog.
It was usually caused by genetic mutations or chromosomal abnormalities. Its incidence was extremely low, occurring in only about one in one hundred thousand cases.
Zhong Yu felt a sharp pain in her heart. She had no idea how the girl had managed to live under the strange looks of others.
She sat up straight and quickly composed herself, afraid that the girl might notice something unusual.
The Frog-Faced Girl seemed to be watching someone. Following her gaze, Zhong Yu saw a man in his forties or fifties.
The man wore gold-rimmed glasses and a white shirt. He held a briefcase and was speaking animatedly with the people traveling alongside him.
The smug expression on his face made him look like a sanctimonious hypocrite.
There seemed to be hatred in the Frog-Faced Girl’s eyes. Zhong Yu wasn’t entirely certain, but there was clearly some unspeakable connection between the two of them.
Unable to figure out what that connection was, Zhong Yu decided to wait and see.
She had gotten up too early that morning and hadn’t had much appetite.
By now, however, she realized that she was a little hungry. She opened her luggage bag, took out a piece of bread, and began chewing on it.
When she looked up, she saw that the girl opposite her had only an empty, flattened cloth shoulder bag. The girl was now staring blankly out the window, as though everything that had just happened had merely been a trick of the eyes.
Zhong Yu tentatively held out the bread to her, but the moment she extended her hand, the girl shoved it away.
Then, as if reacting by reflex, she shrank back against the seat.
She was on full alert, as though she could lash out at any moment. Her extreme reaction startled even the person sitting beside her.
“You’re jumpier than a startled rabbit. She was only kindly offering you something to eat.”
Zhong Yu came to her senses and quickly explained, “Miss, don’t be nervous. I mean you no harm.”
Perhaps Zhong Yu was simply too beautiful, and the sincerity on her face was clearly genuine. The girl relaxed slightly.
She turned her head and stared at Zhong Yu’s face with a hint of fascination. Her voice was flat as she said, “I’m not hungry. Thank you.”
Although the older man beside her couldn’t see her face clearly, he felt that something about her was strange and instinctively moved farther away.
After speaking to Zhong Yu, the girl once again adopted an unapproachable air.
Zhong Yu wanted to strike up a conversation and see whether she could offer the girl some help, but at that moment, she had no idea how to go about it.
She unconsciously looked again at the man the girl had been watching earlier. For some inexplicable reason, she disliked him, though she still had no idea what their relationship was.
Zhong Yu did have the desire to help others, but she also understood that one should act within one’s abilities.
Throughout the journey, she continued unconsciously keeping an eye on the girl. The girl didn’t eat anything the entire time.
A doctor’s compassion was much like that of a parent. In the end, Zhong Yu couldn’t bear to watch any longer.
She took out a can of fruit and gently placed it on the table, then slowly pushed it toward the girl.
She did so without touching her, hoping to avoid startling her again.
Yao Huang was lost in thought when someone suddenly interrupted her. She was very displeased.
But when she saw Zhong Yu’s beautiful face, she found herself unable to get angry.
She truly had no resistance to beautiful things.
Deliberately lowering her voice, she growled, “Stay away from me. I’m not a nice person, so keep your misplaced kindness to yourself.”
Zhong Yu froze, then smiled unconcernedly.
“I didn’t mean anything by it. My friend bought me too much food, and I think the can is too heavy.”
Yao Huang finally noticed something about Zhong Yu besides her beauty, and the scrutiny in her eyes deepened.
Suddenly, a malicious impulse seized her. Moving swiftly, she revealed her entire face to Zhong Yu.
“You see it now, don’t you? I’m a freak, an ill-omened person. Anyone who gets close to me will have bad luck. Are you scared now?”
Her movement was extremely fast. Apart from Zhong Yu, no one sitting nearby noticed what she had done.
Zhong Yu’s heart felt as if someone had grabbed it and squeezed. She said calmly, “You’re just sick. I’m a doctor. I know what this is.”
There was no disgust or fear in her eyes. Her composed reaction threw Yao Huang into momentary confusion.
She abruptly stood up. “I can’t be bothered with you. Don’t follow me either, or you won’t come to a good end.”
With that, she walked toward the restroom at the end of the train compartment without looking back.
She took her inseparable cloth bag with her, her eyes filled with resolve.
Zhong Yu was somewhat confused and planned to explain things properly once the girl returned.
But she waited and waited without seeing her. She guessed that the girl might have gone to another compartment.
A girl with a congenital facial deformity had most likely experienced unfair treatment in the past. It was understandable that she would be so guarded.
As the buildings outside the window grew increasingly familiar, Zhong Yu began to feel excited.
The train continued for another ten minutes or so before an announcement came over the speakers, informing passengers that they had arrived at the station.
The passengers getting off rose one after another to collect their luggage. Zhong Yu didn’t have much to carry, but she stood as well, unable to remain seated any longer.
The entire compartment filled with clamorous noise. Just as the train came to a stop, a terrified scream suddenly rang out.
Zhong Yu was walking toward the exit. She instinctively turned around and saw the Frog-Faced Girl emerge from somewhere.
She held a dagger, its tip pressed against the neck of the bespectacled, seemingly respectable older man. Her eyes were filled with bloodthirsty ferocity.
The other passengers hurried away in fear, while the man cried out in agony.
“Who are you? We have no grudge between us! Killing me is against the law—you’ll be sentenced to death!”
He hadn’t looked at Yao Huang’s face and could only bark empty threats in a show of bravado.
Yao Huang laughed as though she had gone mad. With the slightest increase of pressure, the dagger drew a line of blood across his neck.
“Jin Yong, look at my face. Look at who I am!”
She forcefully twisted his chin around, making Jin Yong come face-to-face with the visage that had appeared in his dreams countless times.
He let out a terrified scream.
“How are you still alive?!”