Chapter 57 Huo Nanchen Arrives in Hong Kong
Huo Nanchen did not put down his phone immediately.
He leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the three words in the WeChat chat box—Huo Nanchen.
And that suppressed, aggrieved voice during the call—what happened to her?
His gaze shifted from his phone screen to the laptop in front of him.
An email is open on the screen; the sender is the director of the Department of Endocrinology at Xiangjiang City Central Hospital.
The email was still a sincere invitation, hoping that he could go to Hong Kong Central Hospital for three months for academic guidance and technical exchange.
This director is very resilient; this is the second invitation he has received after refusing several times.
Some young patients found Lixiang Township Health Center through introductions from relatives and friends, and recovered very well under his treatment plan. Word of mouth gradually spread, and he caught the attention of the city's central hospital.
The email was earnest, stating that thyroid problems are prevalent among young people in cities today, causing them great physical and mental suffering, and that they urgently need guidance from experts like him who possess both profound theoretical knowledge and unique practical experience.
In the past, Huo Nanchen had always politely declined.
His gaze involuntarily drifted back to the three words on his phone screen.
As if possessed, he moved the mouse, clicked on the reply box, and typed on the keyboard:
"Director Li, hello. Thank you for your invitation again. Please allow me to make arrangements for the handover of my current work and patients. I will inform you of the specific schedule later. Huo Nanchen"
Click to send.
After doing all this, he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples.
I was also a little puzzled by this sudden decision. Was it because, deep in my heart, those three words had stirred up an inexplicable sense of longing?
The next morning, the town awoke to a light mist and the crowing of roosters.
While eating breakfast, Huo Nanchen said to his grandmother, who was slowly drinking her porridge, "Grandma, the city hospital has invited me to participate in an academic exchange for three months."
Grandma Huo raised her eyes, her wise gaze sweeping over her grandson's face before putting down her chopsticks and bowl: "Three months? Oh dear, that's quite a long time. You go ahead, I won't go. I'm too old for the hassle."
The old lady suppressed her overwhelming joy; she never expected the opportunity to arrive so suddenly.
"By the way, did you tell Xili?"
"Not yet. A new intern just arrived at the clinic. I need to explain the condition of the patients I have to my doctor, Dr. Zhang, to her in detail. I'll talk to her about it after I've made the arrangements."
Grandma Huo couldn't stop smiling: "It's time to make arrangements and give Xili a surprise."
"Grandma, are you all alone?" Huo Nanchen was still worried.
Grandma Huo waved her hand, "It's alright. You sometimes had to attend secret training sessions, and I was fine. Don't worry, you have neighbors. If all else fails, just call your brother, okay?"
Huo Nanchen hummed in agreement, finally putting his mind at ease.
He first went to the clinic and handed over the medical records, treatment plans, and precautions for several key patients to Dr. Zhang and the new intern in detail. He also formulated a general follow-up plan for the next three months.
After finishing these tasks, I opened the ticketing app and bought a high-speed rail ticket to Hong Kong.
Open Lin Xili's chat window and send the edited message.
The phone screen under the desktop lights up, showing a new WeChat message.
Lin Xili was standing in the training room of the forensic department, listening intently to the lecturer explaining the key technical points of extracting trace evidence in a complex case. His notebook was filled with notes.
She only caught a glimpse of the light out of the corner of her eye and did not look at it immediately.
It wasn't until the afternoon training ended and dusk had fallen outside the window that Lin Xili took out her silent phone while organizing her notes and belongings.
When you unlock the screen, the red "1" on the WeChat icon is particularly eye-catching.
She clicked on it, her gaze landing on the dialog box at the very top.
Huo Nanchen: [I'll be taking the high-speed train to Hong Kong tomorrow morning at 11:00 AM, arriving at the city's central hospital at 5:30 PM for a three-month exchange program.]
The message was sent at 4:50 PM.
Lin Xili's fingers paused, her eyes widened slightly, thinking she had misread it.
Is he coming to Hong Kong?
So fast? Did he notice the unusual sound in my voice last night? Or was it really because of work?
Her fingertips tapped rapidly on the screen:
Okay, I'll apply to the logistics department to stay in my dorm.
After sending the message, she stared at the sentence and belatedly realized: she had actually let Huo Nanchen stay in her dormitory.
This realization made her ears burn slightly.
The image of us sharing a bed during the Spring Festival in the lychee-growing town flashed uncontrollably through my mind.
However, he once said, "We will always be husband and wife."
Just as her thoughts were getting a little confused, her phone vibrated again.
Huo Nanchen: [Okay]
A simple word, just like him, concise and to the point, revealing no emotion.
For some reason, it eased the embarrassment and panic she had felt just moments before.
That's true. We've already shared a bed in the small town, and although nothing happened, there's no need to be too fussy about the size of the dormitory bed.
Lin Xili replied again: 【I'll pick you up at the high-speed rail station tomorrow night.】
This time, Huo Nanchen did not reply; the conversation ended with her last message.
Lin Xili put away her phone, slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked out of the Justice Bureau building.
Back in the dorm, looking at the 1.5-meter bed in the bedroom, I thought for a moment and then took out a clean set of spare sheets and duvet covers from the closet and changed out of the ones I was using.
I tidied up the living room and bedroom a bit more to make the space look neater and more spacious.
After completing these steps, she submitted an application for accommodation for short-term family visits to the bureau's logistics department, following the established procedures.
The process went smoothly, since her dormitory allowed immediate family members to stay temporarily.
After finishing these tasks, she sat on the sofa, looking at the deepening night outside the window, and felt a sense of joy.
The next day on the high-speed train, Huo Nanchen sat by the window, watching the familiar rural fields gradually transform into increasingly dense buildings.
His expression remained calm as always. He glanced down at his phone, where a brief conversation with Lin Xili was displayed on the screen.
His gaze lingered on the words "stay in my dorm" for a moment, his eyes deep and unreadable.
During the three-month exchange period, the hospital had already arranged a hotel for him, and he agreed to stay in her dormitory.
He wanted to see for himself what kind of situation she was in that so-called home.
Although she never complained, he could sense the unusual nature of that phone call.
Xiangjiang High-Speed Railway Station is bustling with people.
Lin Xili took an hour off work to leave early and arrived half an hour ahead of schedule.
A bustling crowd began to emerge from the exit.
Lin Xili searched for that familiar figure among the diverse group of travelers.
Finally, she saw him through a gap in the crowd.
Huo Nanchen was wearing a dark gray casual jacket, pulling a small-looking black suitcase. He stood tall and walked with a steady gait.
In the crowded and noisy crowd, he had an aura of being detached from the world, which was out of place with the hurried and restless atmosphere around him, yet he was exceptionally eye-catching.
His gaze pierced through the crowd and accurately captured her.
The moment their eyes met, Lin Xili felt her breath catch in her throat.
He walked towards her, his pace unhurried, until he stopped in front of her.
"Have you been waiting long?"
Lin Xili shook his head. "No, I just arrived a little while ago. Was the journey smooth?"
"Successfully," he replied.
"That's good. The car is parked outside, let's go." Lin Xili turned around and led him towards the parking lot.
The two walked side by side, speechless for a moment, the familiar silence enveloping them once again.
Lin Xili started the car and merged into the night traffic.
The night view of Hong Kong flows past the car window, so bustling it seems unreal.
Huo Nanchen sat in the passenger seat, calmly watching the light and shadow rushing past the window, and suddenly asked, "Is everything alright on your end?"
Lin Xili tightened his grip on the steering wheel slightly, then loosened it.
She knew what he was asking. "Everything's fine."
She didn't know how to tell him about the upsetting thing that happened from her family the day before yesterday.
That was completely out of place with the clean and simple relationship she and he had built.
Huo Nanchen glanced at her sideways, but didn't ask any further questions. He simply gave a faint "hmm".
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