When Wang Shi’an was being taken away by Officer Chen, Xu Jialan called out to stop him.
“Student Wang Shi’an.”
The group paused and turned back.
Xu Jialan stood under the sunlight, her gaze calm yet resolute. “I’ll take over your mother’s treatment matters.”
Hearing this, a flicker of surprise and delight crossed Wang Shi’an’s eyes.
“Professor Xu, are you serious?”
Xu Jialan’s expression softened slightly as she nodded. “As for what you said earlier about wanting to save more cancer patients – empty words are useless. You need to put in effort. So no matter where you are, you must study hard.”
She paused, her tone firm. “Cancer patients aren’t doomed to wait helplessly for death. They will definitely see the dawn.”
This moment was deeply engraved in Wang Shi’an’s memory.
He would always remember every word Xu Jialan had said to him, and remain steadfast in his efforts toward them.
…
After handling this matter, Xu Jialan left the university.
She drove back to the laboratory.
Fang Zhiyun had prepared a cup of coffee in advance.
At eleven in the morning, just as Xu Jialan entered her office,
Fang Zhiyun stood at the doorway holding a coffee cup, lightly knocking on the door. “Professor Xu.”
“Come in.”
Fang Zhiyun entered and placed the coffee down. “Professor Xu, your hot latte.”
Xu Jialan nodded. “Thank you.”
“Professor Xu, all the documents requiring your signature have been organized. The urgent ones are placed on top,” Fang Zhiyun reported.
Xu Jialan took a sip of coffee, picked up the files beside her and opened them, lowering her gaze to review the contents.
“Mm, come collect these documents before leaving work today.”
“Understood.”
Fang Zhiyun nodded, accustomed to Xu Jialan’s efficiency.
“By the way Professor Xu, environmental evidence from a new batch of cases will be delivered to the laboratory in half an hour.”
Xu Jialan looked up and nodded. “Have the evidence sent to the testing room. I’ll go there in half an hour.”
“Yes, Professor Xu.”
…
From noon until past three in the afternoon,
Xu Jialan remained in the testing room.
She even missed lunch.
Removing her gloves, she walked out of the testing room wearing her lab coat and headed toward her office.
Seeing her return, Fang Zhiyun stood up. “Professor Xu, should I order you a meal?”
Xu Jialan pinched the bridge of her nose, fatigue evident in her eyes.
“No need, I’ll order myself. Could you please brew me another coffee? Thank you.”
“Of course.”
Returning to her office,
Xu Jialan sat down and picked up her phone, only then noticing that Shen Xichuan had messaged her around noon.
She had been testing evidence in the laboratory at that time.
Xu Jialan froze for a moment before quickly opening the message.
Shen Xichuan: 【Are you free? Want to have lunch together?】
She pressed her lips together and typed.
“Sorry, I was working at noon and didn’t have my phone with me.”
Xu Jialan hit send.
There was no immediate reply from the other side.
The office door knocked.
Fang Zhiyun entered and placed down coffee. “Professor Xu, your coffee.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Xu Jialan picked it up and took a sip, the flavors of coffee and milk spreading in her mouth.
Refreshing, yet leaving a slight bitterness.
Much like her current mood.
Xu Jialan closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair.
Just then, her phone on the desk vibrated.
Xu Jialan immediately sat upright, grabbed her phone, and opened the message.
Shen Xichuan: 【I figured as much. When will you be finished, Professor Xu?】
The corners of her lips lifted almost imperceptibly as she thought for a moment. “Evening?”
Shen Xichuan replied instantly, “Sure, I’ll pick you up for dinner tonight.”
Xu Jialan froze. “You know where I am?”
She didn’t recall telling him where she worked.
Shen Xichuan directly sent the location of the laboratory.
“Is this the place?”
Xu Jialan was somewhat surprised. “How did you know?”
Several seconds later, Shen Xichuan replied, “If I want to know something, I’ll find out.”
Seeing these words, Xu Jialan held her phone, stunned for a long while.
What did he mean by that?
…
Meanwhile.
At the fire station.
Shen Xichuan looked down at the message he had just sent on his phone.
His brow slightly furrowed. Was that an appropriate thing to say?
Not far away, Xiao Wu and a group of team members were watching their captain.
“Who do you think the captain is messaging?” Xiao Chen asked in a hushed voice.
A teammate nearby chimed in, “Honestly, in all the time I’ve known the captain, I’ve never seen him look so conflicted yet serious.”
Xiao Wu remained silent.
Someone asked him, “Xiao Wu, what do you think?”
Xiao Wu grinned. “Remember that day at the laboratory when the captain suddenly rushed forward and hugged that beautiful professor?”
The others paused for a few seconds.
“Of course we remember.”
“How could we forget? I even heard that professor call the captain by his name.”
“Exactly, I’ve never seen the captain so urgently carry someone out of a fire like that.”
Xiao Wu raised an eyebrow. “And I also know that the captain specifically bought a bouquet of flowers the next day and brought them to the hospital for that professor.”
“No way? Really?”
“Are they… together?”
Xiao Wu rubbed his chin. “Probably not yet. If they were together, why would the captain be so conflicted?”
Xiao Chen clicked his tongue. “How would you know what the captain is thinking?”
“Want to bet on it?”
“Bet it is.”
They whispered among themselves.
Just then, Shen Xichuan’s phone vibrated.
Xu Jialan had replied.
“Okay, see you tonight.”
Just four simple words.
The man’s brow furrowed and then relaxed. He kept wondering: Did she understand what he meant?
It was time to assemble. He didn’t ask further and put away his phone.
…
6:00 PM.
Shen Xichuan arrived punctually at the entrance of the laboratory.
He didn’t get out of the car, instead looking through the window at the brightly lit building.
After a brief pause, he took out his phone and sent a message to Xu Jialan.
At that moment.
Xu Jialan had just finished her last report and clicked “send.”
She let out a sigh of relief and stretched.
Her phone vibrated.
Xu Jialan instinctively turned her head.
On the screen was the message:
Shen Xichuan: 【I’m downstairs already. You can come down directly when you’re done.】
Xu Jialan quickly picked up her phone and opened the message. Just as she was about to reply, she suddenly paused.
She pulled open a nearby drawer and took out a mirror.
She had brought this mirror when she first moved into this office but had rarely used it.
After spending hours in the laboratory, it was inevitable to look a bit disheveled.
She instinctively glanced into the mirror.
Well… it wasn’t too bad?
Xu Jialan hesitated for two seconds, then picked up the lipstick beside the mirror and applied it lightly.
The color was a pale nude pink.
Having just been discharged from the hospital, her complexion inevitably remained somewhat pale.
Applying lipstick made her look a bit more vibrant.
Xu Jialan let out a slight sigh of relief before replying to Shen Xichuan’s message.
“Alright, I’ve finished up and will be right down.”