Profession

The hustle and bustle of the graduation ceremony and the sadness of parting seemed like only yesterday, yet life had already been swiftly pulled into a new trajectory. Resumes, interviews, physicals, registration. After going through the entire process, with a touch of confusion and even more trepidation, Lin Xiyan, Lu Panji, and He Yunling were, as fate would have it, assigned to the same key municipal hospital.

Lu Panji went to the stomatology department, He Yunling stayed in the orthopedics department, and Lin Xiyan entered the counseling center under the mental health department. The three departments were on different floors, but they were all in the same outpatient building.

On her first day at work, Lin Xiyan, wearing a slightly loose white coat, sat in a bright, clean consulting room. The room was warmly decorated, with beige walls, a soft sofa, and green plants spreading their branches in the corner, trying to minimize any sense of nervousness. On the table sat a brand new name tag: Intern Psychological Counselor - Lin Xiyan.

He looked at the words, his fingers gently brushing against the cool acrylic, feeling a sense of unreality. He really had become someone who could help others.

There was a light, hesitant knock on the door.

Lin Xiyan took a deep breath, sat up straight, and tried to make his voice sound steady: "Come in."

The door was pushed open a crack, and a girl who looked no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, with her head lowered, timidly moved in. Her fingers were tightly twisted around the corner of her clothes, and she didn't dare look at him.

This was his first visitor.

Lin Xiyan's heartbeat was a little rapid, but he remembered his mentor's words: listen, empathize, and pay unconditional and positive attention. He slowed his breathing and didn't rush to speak, just waiting quietly.

At the same time, upstairs in the dental department.

"Open your mouth—ah—yes, yes, that's it. Don't move. I'll show you this little cavity..." Lu Panji's voice was muffled through his mask and goggles, but his familiarity and enthusiasm were undimmed. In front of him, on the examination chair, was a little boy, his face covered in tears and snot, in the process of changing teeth.

The nurse next to him suppressed her laughter and whispered, "Doctor Lu, pay attention to the professional address."

Lu Panji said "Oh", but his hands did not stop moving. He operated the instrument skillfully and coaxed her: "Be good, it will be fine soon. It doesn't hurt at all. Look, it's like pinching an ant... Ouch, don't bite my pliers!"

It was a chaotic yet vibrant scene.

The orthopedics ward had a completely different atmosphere. He Yunling, dressed in a white lab coat, followed his instructor on ward rounds. He was quiet, but meticulous in his notes. When asked, he calmly recounted the patient's stats and subtle changes he'd observed. At the bedside of a young man who had suffered a broken bone in a car accident, he was distraught and complained about the slow recovery and the delays in his work.

The instructor offered a few words of comfort, but it had little effect. He Yunling flipped through the medical records, adjusted his glasses, and suddenly spoke calmly, "Based on your current callus growth, it's eight percent faster than expected. If you maintain this pace, rehabilitation training can begin a week earlier."

His tone was calm, as if he was stating an objective fact. But the young man was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up: "Really? Doctor, you didn't lie to me?"

"The medical records are here." He Yunling handed the recording board to him.

The young man looked at the dense yet clear data on it, and the gloom on his face instantly dissipated.

Across town, Jiang Yibai's studio is a completely different world. Housed in a converted old factory, it boasts high ceilings, exposed concrete beams, and vast floor-to-ceiling windows that let in unimpeded sunlight. The air is filled with the faint aroma of coffee, the scent of photographic fixer, and the distinctive whiff of expensive equipment, metal, and electronic components.

Jiang Yibai, wearing a black work vest stained with paint, stood before a giant computer screen, his brow furrowed as he examined a freshly imported, unretouched photograph of a landscape. The light from the screen reflected on his face, outlining a focused, cold expression.

A male colleague with pigtails came over to take a look and whistled, "Wow, this light and shadow, this composition, amazing, Brother Jiang! You can just release it right away!"

Jiang Yibai didn't even raise his eyelids, his fingers sliding quickly across the tablet, adjusting the light and dark contrast of a certain area. His tone was indifferent: "Noise. Color cast."

A colleague with pigtails said, "...You have very high standards."

Jiang Yibai ignored him, completely lost in his own world. For him, photography wasn't simply a record, but the art of capturing and recreating light and shadow. Every photo he took had to meet the exacting standards he set in his heart.

The busy day passed quickly and it was time to get off work.

Lin Xiyan saw off the last high school student who had come for consultation due to academic pressure. He gently closed the door, leaned against it, and let out a long sigh. It felt... more tiring than a whole day of studying. Not just physically, but more so from the intense mental concentration and emotional investment. Yet, within him, a faint, fulfilling warmth lingered. As the girl left, though still silent, her tense shoulders seemed to relax a little.

He changed out of his white coat and walked out of the counseling center. His phone vibrated.

It was Lu Panji who was howling in the small group of three.

Lu Panji: I'm so tired! I watched eight kids in one afternoon! Eight! My throat is almost smoking! Kids these days are crazy about candy!

He Yunling: Not bad. I've admitted two new patients, but I haven't finished writing their medical records yet.

Lu Panji: @林溪言溪言, how about you? How are you feeling? Have you encountered anything strange?

[Lin Xiyan: Not bad. Just... a little tired.]

Lu Panji: This is normal! It's like this when you first start working! Let's go! Let's go to the cafeteria! I'm starving!

He Yunling: I agree.

Lin Xiyan looked at the message, her lips curling slightly. Fortunately, they were there. This familiar feeling diluted the unfamiliarity of the new environment and the fatigue of entering the workplace.

He followed the crowd toward the hospital cafeteria. On the way, his phone vibrated again. It was Jiang Yibai.

There's no text, just a single photograph. It seems to depict a messy workbench in a studio, scattered with lenses, cables, and a half-empty cup of cold coffee. The composition is casual, yet it carries a sense of lived-in reality.

Lin Xiyan looked at the photo and could almost smell the aroma of coffee and electronics. He thought for a moment, then took a picture of the bustling crowd outside the hospital cafeteria and sent it.

PS: [After work. Going to eat.]

Jiang Yibai replied quickly, still concisely: [Yeah. Eat more.]

Even the punctuation marks reveal a distant and subtle concern.

Meeting up with Lu Panji and He Yunling in the cafeteria, Lu Panji recounted his passionate afternoon battle of wits and courage with a five-year-old boy who refused to speak, making Lin Xiyan burst into laughter. He Yunling, while leisurely picking at the fishbone, offered precise critiques of Lu Panji's awkwardness.

The noisy cafeteria and familiar companions made Lin Xiyan completely relax.

After dinner, it was already dark. Lu Panji and He Yunling lived in the hospital dormitory, and they were on different roads from Lin Xiyan. After saying goodbye at the hospital gate, Lin Xiyan walked alone towards the bus stop.

The city lights came on at night, and traffic was surging. He sat by the bus window, gazing at the dazzling nightscape outside, feeling a strange sense of peace. The transition from student to professional seemed less daunting than he had imagined. He had a meaningful job he loved, friends who supported him, and... someone who would be there for him, in his own way, no matter where he went.

The phone vibrated again. This time it was a video call request.

Lin Xiyan put on the headphones and pressed the answer button.

The screen lit up, and Jiang Yibai's face appeared. He seemed to be still in the studio, with those familiar equipment and messy background, but he seemed to be leaning on the sofa, with a hint of fatigue on his face.

"Going home?" he asked, his voice a little hoarse.

"On the way." Lin Xiyan pointed the camera at the lights flowing outside the car window. "Bus."

"Yeah." Jiang Yibai responded without asking any more questions. The camera was just pointing at him, and he didn't say anything, just slightly closing his eyes, as if he was resting, or as if he was confirming his presence through the screen.

Lin Xiyan didn't bother him, just quietly watching his tired face on the screen. Four years of college, countless moments like this, they were separated by a screen, each busy with their own things, or just quietly accompanying each other.

The bus arrived at the station. Lin Xiyan whispered, "I'm here."

Jiang Yibai opened his eyes, and his purple pupils looked through the screen: "Well. Go up."

"What about you? Still in the studio?"

"Yeah. There's still a set of pictures to edit."

"Don't be too late."

"……Know."

After hanging up the video, Lin Xiyan got off the bus. The evening breeze, bringing the coolness of an early summer night, blew away the day's fatigue.

He looked up at his rented apartment building; the windows were dark. But he knew that soon, a light would come on there. Perhaps soon, someone returning from a project in another city, dusty and camera in hand, would open that door.

A new life has begun.

There is busyness, fatigue and challenges.

But there is also warmth, companionship, and expectations.

Follow this arduous journey to reach the stars.

Their journey extends from campus to the wider society. The stars still shine in the distance, and they are steadily moving forward on their respective tracks.