Watching Xu Jialan emerge from the office, Fang Zhiyun was somewhat taken aback.
She instinctively stood up. “Professor Xu, you…”
Xu Jialan glanced at her. “The signed documents are on the desk. If there’s nothing else, you may leave for the day.”
After saying this, she offered a faint smile and strode away without waiting for Fang Zhiyun’s response.
It wasn’t until Xu Jialan’s figure disappeared from view that Fang Zhiyun belatedly snapped back to reality.
“Was… was that really Professor Xu just now?”
A lab technician who had witnessed the scene nodded, stroking their chin. “Professor Xu is leaving this early today? Normally she practically lives in the laboratory.”
Another technician chimed in quietly, “I also noticed Professor Xu was wearing lipstick. She looked absolutely stunning just now.”
Fang Zhiyun swallowed hard. “I have a feeling Professor Xu seems like she’s…”
The technicians exchanged glances and spoke in unison, “In a relationship?”
As the words hung in the air, all of them wore expressions of astonishment.
They even began to wonder: what kind of person could have won Xu Jialan’s heart?
……
Downstairs from the laboratory.
Xu Jialan exited the building and immediately spotted the SUV parked at the entrance.
A slender hand rested casually on the car window. Through the hazy light, the silhouette of a man in the driver’s seat was vaguely visible.
He was slightly bowed, presumably checking his phone. The screen’s glow illuminated his face, revealing a clean jawline and distinct features.
Just from that partial view, Xu Jialan recognized him as Shen Xichuan.
After replying to a message from Shen Yankai, Shen Xichuan looked up and met Xu Jialan’s gaze through the windshield from a distance.
Xu Jialan froze momentarily, surprised by his sudden glance upward.
Pressing her lips together, she walked toward him.
Shen Xichuan put away his phone, got out of the car, and moved to the passenger side, waiting for her approach.
The corners of his lips lifted slightly. “Finished with work?”
Xu Jialan studied him up close. Under the warm yellow streetlights, his appearance remained unchanged, though he carried a more mature air. The familiarity in his eyes and brows still mirrored her memories.
She nodded gently. “Yes, just finished.”
Shen Xichuan nodded, opening the passenger door.
“Get in. I’ll take you to dinner.”
Xu Jialan fiddled with her bag strap, then bent to enter the car.
Shen Xichuan courteously shielded her head with his hand, closing the door only after she was settled before circling back to the driver’s seat.
“Any dietary restrictions?” he asked, buckling his seatbelt and turning toward her.
Xu Jialan shook her head. “No.”
Shen Xichuan nodded, chuckling softly. “How about hot pot then?”
“Okay,” she agreed without objection.
Shen Xichuan started the engine and drove away from the laboratory.
……
The car interior was quiet.
This was only the second time they had been alone together in such a confined space.
Unskilled in conversation, Xu Jialan simply turned to watch the scenery outside the window.
The familiar scent of sandalwood fragrance lingered in the car.
Along with the faint aroma emanating from the man himself.
For some reason, this usually comforting fragrance now set her heart racing wildly.
Was it too quiet?
Should she say something?
But what could she say?
Restlessly, she continued gazing out the window.
Shen Xichuan glanced at her.
“Xu Jialan.”
Xu Jialan subconsciously hummed in response and turned to look at him.
The man didn’t turn his head, a slight curve forming at the corner of his mouth. “Is the scenery outside that beautiful?”
Xu Jialan paused for a few seconds. “It’s alright.”
Hearing this, Shen Xichuan nodded slightly and asked, “I’ve always wanted to ask you – why did you choose to become a laboratory technician back then?”
Xu Jialan was momentarily stunned, speaking only after a few seconds. “Do you remember the scene when we met again after our reunion?”
“How could I forget?”
Shen Xichuan glanced at her quickly. “It was absolutely thrilling.”
Xu Jialan chuckled softly.
Thinking back to that situation, it really was quite thrilling.
If she hadn’t reacted in time and taken the students to hide in that place, perhaps they wouldn’t have had this chance to reunite.
Watching the road ahead, she said in a calm tone, “The Laboratory explosion happened because a student was privately making drugs. That chemical composition happened to be quite unstable, which led to the accident.”
Shen Xichuan frowned. “Privately making drugs?”
Xu Jialan hummed in confirmation. “When I returned to the university today, I met that student. I learned that the reason he was privately making drugs was because his mother is a cancer patient. At the current medical level, there are no drugs that can completely eliminate cancer cells in the body.”
Shen Xichuan watched the traffic light ahead and slowly pressed the brake.
Resting one hand on the car window, he turned to look at her. “You mean, he was privately making drugs because he wanted to develop medication that could eliminate cancer cells?”
Xu Jialan nodded. “After being diagnosed with cancer, patients need to undergo long-term chemotherapy to control the disease’s progression. However, not all cancer cells can be killed through chemotherapy.”
Shen Xichuan listened silently.
“Often, cancer patients only experience the pain of repeated chemotherapy sessions, never obtaining the hope they want to see, and then… die in despair.”
Xu Jialan softly uttered the last two words.
She slightly lowered her eyes, hiding emotions in their depths that others couldn’t understand.
Shen Xichuan quietly watched Xu Jialan at this moment, feeling a stir in his heart.
He withdrew his gaze, started the vehicle, and faintly curved his lips. “So, you chose to become a laboratory technician because you actually want to help these cancer patients?”
Xu Jialan snapped out of her thoughts and hummed in agreement. “I want to let them all see the light.”
Just like her.
When falling into an endless abyss, a sliver of light suddenly broke through the cracks, giving her infinite hope.
Shen Xichuan chuckled softly. “Well, I believe you can definitely achieve it.”
Hearing this, a trace of surprise flashed in Xu Jialan’s eyes. “You believe in me?”
“Of course I do.”
Shen Xichuan glanced at her quickly while turning the steering wheel. “I remember back in high school, no matter what you did, you would always work hard toward your goals.”
Xu Jialan looked quite astonished.
“What makes you different from many people is that you’re willing to work hard and persist for your goals, no matter the cost. So, I believe you will definitely succeed.”
The man’s voice carried an indescribable magnetism as it echoed in the car, striking Xu Jialan’s heart again and again.
Her heart trembled, and as if thinking of something, she suddenly asked, “What about you? Why did you suddenly change your college application choices after the college entrance exams?”