Chapter 9 He's just her doctor
Lin Xili stood there, gazing at Huo Nanchen and his kind-looking grandmother beside him, and finally uttered that discouraging remark.
"No need to trouble yourself, Grandma, Dr. Huo, I want to rest for a bit."
Grandma Huo waved her hand hurriedly, her wrinkles crinkling into a bunch as she smiled.
"Oh, no trouble at all, no trouble at all, don't be so polite!"
Huo Nanchen, however, caught the resistance in Lin Xili's eyes, and spoke calmly but decisively.
"Then let's do it next time."
She nodded slightly and turned to give the old lady an apologetic smile.
"Grandma, thank you for your kindness, I'll go upstairs now."
As soon as she finished speaking, she didn't linger any longer. She nodded slightly to the two of them, turned around, and quickly went up the stairs.
That silhouette exuded a sense of indifference and detachment, as if it were about to shrink into its shell at any moment.
Grandma Huo watched her disappear around the corner of the stairs, then immediately grabbed Huo Nanchen's arm and pulled him to the flowers in the yard.
"Nan Chen, tell Grandma honestly, what do you think of this Miss Lin? I think she's pretty and has a good temperament. Although she's a bit aloof like you and has a lot on her mind, she's very polite. She and you are a perfect match!"
Huo Nanchen rubbed his temples helplessly, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
This grandma, ever since she insisted on coming to this small town with him and opening the Blue Snowflake B&B, has been pushing any female guest she finds attractive onto him, completely disregarding their background.
His life's most important event has become her top priority right now.
He replied in a low, helpless voice, "Grandma, they're just here for tourism and medical treatment."
Grandma Huo wasn't buying it at all. She moved even closer, her eyes gleaming with cunning, and said mysteriously:
"Let me tell you, she's not just staying for a short time, she booked a whole year!"
"A year?" Huo Nanchen asked in surprise, his brows furrowing involuntarily.
A young woman from Hong Kong booked a guesthouse in this small southern town for a year? This doesn't seem like a typical tourist trip or vacation.
He recalled the lingering melancholy in her eyes during the consultation, and the fragile yet naive stubbornness she displayed when asking about his hypothyroidism.
She harbors many secrets, but he has no interest in digging into other people's stories.
He's just a doctor; his job is to treat patients, save lives, and take care of his own duties.
Grandma Huo ignored his thoughts and continued to speak enthusiastically:
"Think about it, the fact that she can stay here for so long means she has flexible hours. Judging from her clothes and demeanor, she comes from a well-off family. If she's traveling alone, she's most likely single..."
“Nan Chen, this opportunity is rare. Grandma has a good eye; this girl isn't a bad person, she just seems to have something on her mind. If you show her some concern, maybe…”
"Grandma!" Huo Nanchen interrupted in a low voice, his impatience barely contained.
He tapped his trouser seam unconsciously with his finger and replied curtly, "Don't worry about it, I know what I'm doing."
"You know what you're talking about? What do you even know?!"
Grandma Huo said with a bitter smile, "That happened so long ago, five years ago, and you still can't let it go? You've been stuck in this small town, working as a thyroid doctor for five years... Nan Chen, when will you finally move on!"
"Grandma, don't mention it." His voice lowered.
Grandma Huo, however, refused to listen, becoming agitated and her fingers trembling slightly.
"How can it be unrelated? It's because of your mother's matter, plus what happened five years ago, that you've locked yourself away. Nan Chen, you can't stay stuck in the past. You have to look forward!"
"Grandma!" Huo Nanchen suddenly raised his voice, abruptly cutting her off.
He clenched his fists, suppressing his surging emotions, and changed the subject stiffly, "I'll go first, and I'll pick you up tonight."
Grandma Huo stared at his tired and resistant face, her heartache prevailing. She sighed and waved her hand in resignation.
"Fine, fine, I won't say it anymore. You always react like this every time I bring it up."
"Okay, I'll head back now!"
Huo Nanchen gave him a perfunctory reply, then turned around and strode out of the guesthouse.
Instead of retrieving the SUV from the town's parking lot, he slowly walked along the cobblestone path to the very end of the town.
The town of Lixiang is small, and his residence is a two-story detached house at the end of the town, so quiet that it seems to be isolated from the world.
Pushing open the window, I could see farmland and mountains in the distance, with a cool evening breeze.
He stood by the window, staring at the dark sunset on the horizon, motionless for a long time.
Five years have passed; time seems to have stood still, yet it keeps moving forward.
He walked to his desk, turned on his computer, and the screen lit up, the light reflecting on his tense profile.
He wasn't looking at thyroid case literature, but rather some unimportant records.
His grandmother's words kept popping up, disturbing his peace of mind.
"Miss Lin... has booked a year's worth of tickets..."
One year.
A woman from a big city booked a guesthouse for a year; something just didn't seem right.
The unyielding sorrow between her brows, the unusual persistence in inquiring about her illness—all these things flashed through his mind.
His fingers paused on the keyboard, he frowned and rubbed his temples, trying to shake off these pointless associations.
He could clearly see Lin Xili's habitual aloofness and self-protection.
That was a thick wall, keeping everything away.
Feeling the same pain?
He scoffed, mocking himself for being nosy.
He didn't want to know her story.
He was just her doctor, nothing more.
As night deepened, insects chirped softly outside the window.
Huo Nanchen closed his laptop, got up and walked towards the bathroom, his back view revealing loneliness.
Lin Xili lay on the rocking chair on the terrace, her body swaying gently with the chair.
The night sky in the countryside is indeed much clearer than in Hong Kong, dotted with stars.
Like tiny diamonds scattered on a black velvet curtain, vast and serene.
But this beautiful starry sky could not illuminate the turmoil and struggle in her heart.
Drug treatment? Or iodine-131?
These two choices, like two invisible forces, are still fiercely tug-of-war in her mind.
The recurring and uncertain nature of long-term medication left her exhausted, while the 2% risk of hypothyroidism associated with iodine-131 and the word "radioactivity" itself instilled fear and resistance in her.
Huo Nanchen's confident statement, "None of the patients whose medication dosages I have prepared have developed permanent hypothyroidism to date," still failed to completely dispel her doubts.
She is a forensic pathologist and is used to speaking with evidence and logic.
But in medicine, especially in treatments that involve individual differences, who knows where there is truly a 100% guarantee?
Just as she was feeling troubled, the screen of her phone on the small table next to her suddenly lit up and emitted a crisp WeChat notification sound.
She picked it up instinctively and opened it.
It was a family group chat, but it wasn't asking where she was.
The message was sent by the mother, Song Yuan. There was no text, only a preview image of a carefully designed electronic invitation cover.
On the cover, Lin Xuenuo, wearing a pure white wedding dress sample, smiles brightly and beautifully, nestled beside Xu Yanchi, who is wearing a white suit.
The two are equally good-looking and act intimately, like a perfect couple.
The invitation card had a small print at the bottom: We cordially invite all relatives and friends to attend the wedding ceremony of Mr. Xu Yanchi and Ms. Lin Xuenuo...
Ah, they're already making preparations for their wedding ceremony so quickly.
Lin Xili's fingers tightened slightly as she gripped her phone, her knuckles turning white.
My heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an icy hand, and a dull pain spread along my nerves.
Although I already knew the ending, seeing this blatant declaration with my own eyes, and recalling the conversation between the couple at the health center, made me realize that...
This stark contrast brought to her a wave of humiliation and pain—the feeling of being completely replaced and ruthlessly abandoned—so intense that she could barely breathe.
The man she had loved for years, the marriage partner she once thought was within reach. She had always thought him to be such an exceptional person, yet he was actually bothered by this illness.
In the blink of an eye, he became her sister's husband, a brother-in-law she had to face with a smile.
How absurd, how ridiculous.
The family must be busy preparing for this grand wedding.
Who would remember where her daughter, who suffers from a chronic illness, is now?
The evening breeze on the terrace felt strangely chilly, even though it was summer.
She hugged her arms tightly and buried her face in her knees.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com