The person on the other end gave a soft laugh, so light it sounded as if they were breathing directly into the receiver.
Then the call disconnected.
Rong Jiqiao stared at the screen. The number was still at the top of her call log, and her palms were covered in sweat.
A passing coworker asked, “A telemarketer?”
Rong Jiqiao’s lips moved slightly. “Yeah.”
Another colleague poked her head in from outside.
“Jiqiao, the family member of the patient in Bed 12 is looking for you. She said that last time you helped her husband with emergency wound treatment in time, and because he was sent to a major hospital quickly, everything turned out fine. She wants to thank you.”
Rong Jiqiao replied, “There’s no need. I just said a few words.”
“It’s the thought that counts. Go talk to her for a minute.”
With no choice, Rong Jiqiao followed her out.
The family member was the patient’s wife, a woman in her forties dressed plainly, carrying a thermal food container.
As soon as she saw Rong Jiqiao, she quickly stood up.
“Nurse Xiao Rong, I brought you some pork rib soup I made at home. Give it a try.”
Rong Jiqiao took half a step back.
“That’s really not appropriate.”
“Oh, it’s fine. It’s just soup, not money.” The woman insisted on pushing it into her hands. “You helped us out so much last time. Our whole family is grateful to you.”
Unable to refuse, Rong Jiqiao accepted it.
The container felt heavy in her hands. Holding it, she said, “Thank you.”
The woman then asked, “Nurse Xiao Rong, do you have a boyfriend?”
Rong Jiqiao froze for a moment.
The woman smiled warmly.
“My nephew works at a bank. He’s twenty-six this year and a very honest young man. If you’re not seeing anyone, how about I introduce you two?”
Rong Jiqiao immediately waved her hands.
“Auntie, I already have a boyfriend.”
The woman sighed.
“What a pity.”
Making an excuse, Rong Jiqiao carried the thermal container back to the nurses’ station.
Head Nurse Wang was organizing medical records without even looking up.
“Someone trying to set you up again?”
Rong Jiqiao placed the container on the desk.
“Mm.”
“With a face like yours, you’ve only been at this hospital for half a month, and the people wanting to introduce you to someone could line up down the street.” Her colleague looked up at her. “So? Tempted?”
Rong Jiqiao shook her head.
“No.”
“Then that means there’s already someone in your heart.” The colleague closed the medical chart. “What does your boyfriend do?”
“A security guard.”
Head Nurse Wang raised an eyebrow.
“A security guard? Then life must be pretty stressful for you two, huh?”
Rong Jiqiao lowered her head and twisted open the lid of the thermal container.
“It’s alright.”
Seeing that she didn’t want to say more, Head Nurse Wang didn’t press the matter. She stood up and patted Rong Jiqiao on the shoulder.
“Alright, don’t think too much about it…”
Young people are in love—what matters is that you’re happy.”
Rong Jiqiao smiled faintly but didn’t respond.
At noon, after the shift handover, she went to the cafeteria and got a rice bowl. Carrying her tray, she found a seat in a corner and sat down.
She had only taken a couple of bites when her phone vibrated again.
This time, it wasn’t a call.
It was a text message.
From an unfamiliar number.
The message contained only one line:
[I don’t even mind that you have a boyfriend. Are you really pretending not to know me just because I treated you as someone else’s substitute?]
The chopsticks slipped from Rong Jiqiao’s hand and clattered onto the tray with a crisp sound.
A coworker at the neighboring table turned around and asked, “Jiqiao, what’s wrong?”
Rong Jiqiao picked up her chopsticks, her lips pressed so tightly they had turned pale.
“Nothing. I just didn’t hold them properly.”
The coworker laughed.
“You’ve been thinking about your boyfriend so much you’ve gone silly, haven’t you?”
Rong Jiqiao forced a smile but said nothing.
She stared at the text message. After a few seconds, she tapped the call button and dialed the number back.
One ring.
The call was disconnected.
She called again.
Same result—it was hung up after a single ring.
Taking a deep breath, Rong Jiqiao typed:
“Who are you?”
She sent it.
Three minutes later, the other party replied with nothing but a few periods, as if they were speechless.
Rong Jiqiao stared at those dots and began frantically racking her brain.
Who on earth is this?
She had absolutely no recollection of him.
Throughout the afternoon, she remained distracted at work.
Based on the clues she had so far, this guy was probably one of the self-proclaimed rich men she had flirted with in her previous life.
Apparently, he thought she had stopped contacting him because she couldn’t accept his “substitute lover” situation.
After what felt like forever, her shift finally ended.
She changed her clothes and hurried outside, walking so quickly that it looked as if she were trying to avoid something.
Duan Yan’s electric scooter was parked outside the clinic.
He was leaning against it, looking down at his phone.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up. When he saw Rong Jiqiao, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
“Let’s go.”
Rong Jiqiao walked over.
Duan Yan reached under the scooter seat, pulled out a shopping bag, and handed it to her.
The bag felt surprisingly heavy.
She glanced inside. It contained a neatly packaged cosmetics set. The price tag was still attached, and it was obvious at a glance that it cost several thousand yuan.
She instinctively stepped back.
“What’s this? I don’t want it.”
Duan Yan stuffed the bag into her arms and said calmly,
“Keep it.”
Holding the bag, Rong Jiqiao didn’t know what to say.
Duan Yan swung a leg over the scooter, inserted the key, and, without looking up, said,
“From now on, whenever you see the things I give you, you’ll think of me.”
Rong Jiqiao froze.
“What do you mean?”
Duan Yan replied casually,
“Nothing. If you’re looking at the things I gave you, who else would you be thinking about instead of me?”
Rong Jiqiao felt there was something more behind his words, but she couldn’t quite figure it out.
…
During this period, Rong Jiqiao stopped calling that person altogether.
It was as if he had concluded that she was ignoring him because of the whole “substitute” issue, so he stopped contacting her as well.
If only it had stayed that way.
The problem was—
Every time Rong Jiqiao thought everything was finally quiet, the idiot would suddenly send another text out of nowhere and scare her half to death.
The guy seriously had issues.
When she arrived at the clinic, Rong Jiqiao headed straight for the changing room.
As she passed the reception desk, Zhu Xiaoyue was flipping through medical records with her head lowered, not even glancing up.
Rong Jiqiao changed into her white coat. Just as she finished buttoning it up, Xiao Liu, Director Lin’s assistant, poked her head inside.
“Xiao Rong, Director Lin wants to see you.”
Rong Jiqiao paused and turned to look at her.
“Now?”
Xiao Liu nodded.
“Yes. She’s waiting in her office.”
The door to Director Lin’s office was slightly ajar.
Xiao Liu knocked twice.
“Director Lin, Xiao Rong is here.”
“Come in.”
Rong Jiqiao pushed the door open.
Director Lin was sitting behind her desk organizing documents, a pen in her hand.
When she saw Rong Jiqiao enter, she gestured toward a chair.
“Sit.”
Rong Jiqiao sat on the edge of the chair, unconsciously gripping the hem of her white coat.
Director Lin closed the folder in front of her and removed her glasses.
“I’m not calling you in for anything bad, so don’t be so nervous.”
Rong Jiqiao relaxed her grip and sat up a little straighter.
“Do you know about the tertiary hospital grassroots medical exchange program?”
Rong Jiqiao thought for a moment.
“I’ve heard of it. Isn’t it a program that selects medical staff from community clinics to train at major hospitals?”
“That’s right.”
Director Lin set down her pen.
“This year, our clinic has one available spot. There’s an assessment next week—written theory, practical skills, and case analysis.”
Rong Jiqiao tightened her hands on her knees.
“Although you haven’t been here very long,” Director Lin said, leaning back in her chair, “I’ve been observing you. You’re careful in your work and good at handling unexpected situations. During that emergency case involving the traffic accident victim, you stayed calm and managed it very well.”
Rong Jiqiao remained silent, her mind racing.
Director Lin continued,
“I want you to take the assessment and compete fairly with Zhu Xiaoyue for the position.”