"Sometimes, the person who pushes you away might be the one who longs for you to stay." This quote isn't original; I couldn't find its source. I first saw it in a comment on NetEase Cloud Music.
The transition to a slower pace in this chapter is underway; a new chapter is being written (orz).
Chapter 23 Farewell
Meng Yang rode a shared bicycle on her way home, arriving close to dinnertime. Usually by this time, she would already be heading to the affiliated hospital with her thermos.
Today, Meng Yang fed his three furry friends and then went back to his room.
The room was dark. Meng Yang stayed under the covers for a while, then sat up and drew back the curtains.
The city's night view is beautiful. Looking out the window, the neon-lit streets are incredibly dazzling.
Meng Yang leaned against the windowsill, feeling the cold wind blowing, his heart empty.
For the first time, she felt that her home was so empty and desolate.
Nanjin Royal Garden is very close to the Capital Medical University Affiliated Hospital. From here, the four red characters "Emergency Center" are clearly visible.
Meng Yang stared at the four red characters, his nose turning bright red from the cold.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the festive atmosphere had not yet faded, but the affiliated hospital was as busy as if it were a battle.
Liu Zhi stood for two or three craniocerebral surgeries in a row, and her shoulders were so sore that she could hardly lift them.
Liu Zhi was still busy at mealtime when Dr. Jiang returned from the cafeteria and asked curiously, "Isn't Dr. Meng bringing the meals today?"
Liu Zhi paused in her work, organizing the materials, and said calmly, "She's not coming."
"It's not busy right now, you should go and eat," Dr. Jiang reminded him. "The food is pretty good today."
"I'll go as soon as I'm done," Liu Zhi said evasively. "It'll be a while."
After staying indoors for a while, her throat started to feel dry and hoarse again. Liu Zhi reached for the glass jar, opened it, and realized that the pear syrup was long gone.
She poured herself a cup of hot water, feeling somewhat irritable.
Liu Zhi held the cup and stood by the window, gazing at the Nan Jing Royal Garden not far away.
Each building in the community has a ring of decorative lights on its rooftop, which looks quite beautiful.
The hot water cooled down quickly. When Liu Zhi came to her senses and tasted it again, the cup had already turned into cold boiled water.
The cell phone rang; something had happened in the ward.
Liu Zhi put down her cup and ran out.
The coffee cup sat on the windowsill, from night to sunrise.
Liu Zhi didn't sleep another night.
During the surgery, Liu Zhi was under immense pressure and didn't feel any headache. However, shortly after leaving the operating room, her head began to throb.
It was still a little over an hour until eight o'clock, so Liu Zhi went back to her office and rested for a while.
The headache worsened, as if someone was tearing at her scalp.
Left with no other choice, Liu Zhi swallowed another painkiller.
Around seven or eight o'clock, the hospital became noisy. The noise didn't sound like it should be under normal circumstances; it sounded like someone was causing trouble.
Liu Zhi didn't want to get involved, but Dr. Jiang came to knock on the door and reported the situation to her.
Liu Zhi went to the door to take a look and saw Meng Yang carrying a bag walking through the lobby on the first floor.
She was wearing a black outfit today, with a stern face, and walked with a brisk pace.
Dr. Jiang also noticed it. She felt that Dr. Meng's gentle temperament had been diluted a lot, and just looking at her, she looked somewhat like Liu Zhi.
There were two men arguing at the nurses' station, and the security guard was desperately pulling them away, trying to calm them down.
Liu Zhi's gaze remained fixed on Meng Yang.
When Meng Yang passed through the troubled area, he kept his eyes straight ahead, picked up his bag, and quickly went upstairs.
The black figure disappeared around the corner. Liu Zhi's eyes dimmed, and she turned and went back to her office.
Just before her shift ended, the emergency room called Liu Zhi back to oversee the resuscitation efforts. This back-and-forth, combined with the shift handover time, meant Liu Zhi had worked a full thirty-six hours.
When Liu Zhi got off work, she realized that she and Meng Yang hadn't spoken for almost two days.
After such a long cooling-off period, Liu Zhi decided to move out of Nan Jing Royal Garden.
From both a moral and logical standpoint, she shouldn't stay any longer.
The house is still the same. When I opened the door, three little heads still peeked out from under the shoe cabinet, arranged neatly from smallest to largest.
The baby was especially happy to see Liu Zhi, and when it ran towards Liu Zhi, it took a step that made it seem like it didn't recognize anyone else.
Liu Zhi fed them goat milk and poured them cat food.
While the animals were eating, she went back to her room to pack her luggage.
The cabinet was opened, the suitcase was laid out, and Liu Zhi put the folded clothes inside one by one.
It's the same stuff; packing it was easy when I came, but so difficult when I was about to leave.
The box was gradually filling up, but Liu Zhi's heart, like the wardrobe, was slowly becoming empty.
The little dumpling had arrived at some point and was now sleeping next to Liu Zhi's legs.
Liu Zhi picked up the baby and prepared to put it on the bed.
Feeling dizzy after squatting for so long, Liu Zhi took a few steps before her vision blurred. She held onto the wardrobe for a while, and slowly recovered.
There was rock sugar in the kitchen. When Liu Zhi squatted down to find the rock sugar, Naituan lay on her lap and acted coquettishly.
It rolled around on Liu Zhi's lap and almost fell off. Liu Zhi quickly caught it and tucked it into his arms.
The little dumpling meowed and wanted to try a bite of rock sugar too.
Liu Zhi held it and sat on the bar stool for a while.
Her hair was disheveled to one side, and she looked somewhat haggard. The little dumpling reached out its paw towards Liu Zhi, and Liu Zhi gave it a high five, revealing a faint smile.
Meng Yang returned just in time to witness this scene.
Just as Liu Zhi was about to speak, Meng Yang turned his face away and refused to look at her again.
"I'm leaving." The words stuck in his throat, unable to come up or down.
"I've already fed the cat," Liu Zhi finally said after a long pause.
Meng Yang went back to his room on his own and still didn't speak to her.
Liu Zhi put down the baby and followed.
Meng Yang slammed the door shut with a bang.
As soon as Meng Yang reached the door, he noticed the suitcase sticking out of Liu Zhi's room.
She rushed back during her lunch break just to see if Liu Zhi had left or not.
When he entered, Liu Zhi was kneading her breasts, sunlight streaming quietly through her hair. This gentle side of Liu Zhi was something Meng Yang rarely saw.
Meng Yang felt his heart beating vividly, and the gloom was about to dissipate.
She wanted to say a few words, but just as she was about to speak, she felt it would lower her status, so she swallowed her words.
However, the suitcase stuffed full of clothes quickly chilled her heart.
Liu Zhi was ultimately going to leave.
Meng Yang leaned against the door for a while, preparing to go back to work.
She opened the door, and Liu Zhi was standing right in front of her.
"Meng Yang," Liu Zhi said softly, "I'm leaving this afternoon."
Meng Yang's eyes welled up with tears again. She walked past Liu Zhi without looking back.
Chapter 24 Concern
There were too many things for Liu Zhi to carry away at once.
The hospital staff dormitory was already full, so Liu Zhi found a hotel with good value for money and delivered some of the items there first.
When Meng Yang got off work, he happened to run into Liu Zhi, who was coming out of the elevator with her bag.
Liu Zhi lowered her head and didn't look at her, while Meng Yang brushed past her without glancing at her.
As Liu Zhi stepped out of the building, she looked back and watched the elevator doors slowly close.
When the elevator reached the fourth floor, the two residents who were riding with me got out.
Meng Yang moved to the corner, her profile reflected in the smooth protective panel. She turned her face away, no longer looking at herself.
The furnishings in the house were still the same, but Meng Yang still felt that many things were missing.
Three furry children peeked at her.
Meng Yang walked inside, with her three furry children following behind her.
The door to Liu Zhi's room was open, all the boxes in the corner had been moved away, the wardrobe was opened, and the shelf where the books were kept was empty.
From this angle, you can see the washbasin perfectly. The mouthwash cup on the counter is gone, and the towels hanging on the shelf are also gone.
Meng Yang didn't know how to describe her feelings. She only knew that she felt very depressed and her heart felt heavy and suffocated.
The little dumpling meowed.
Meng Yang looked down and saw that the baby was nestled in a box spread out on the ground.
The clothes in the box were already packed away, except for one empty spot, just big enough to fit a baby.
Liu Zhi should have taken the box away first, but the little dumpling was nestled inside. Liu Zhi picked it up and took it away, but it immediately came back.
Meng Yang squatted down and patted the baby's head.
The milk ball rubbed against her palm again and again.