Is Dr. Qi, who is 38, acceptable?
The early winter night wind carried a biting chill as Wen Xueyan accompanied Ji Wanting out of the hospital.
There's a convenience store downstairs from the hospital; its bright lights seem especially warm in the cold night.
"Let's go in and have a seat," Ji Wanting said first.
The two entered the convenience store, where Ji Wanting bought two cups of hot soy milk and handed one to Wen Xueyan. They sat down on a high stool by the window.
The warmth of the hot soy milk traveled through the paper cup to my palms, slightly dispelling the chill from my body.
"There are some things I don't know whether I should say or not." She seemed to be talking to herself, or perhaps seeking permission to listen.
Wen Xueyan sat quietly, indicating that she was listening. She could tell that Dr. Ji needed an outlet.
“Dr. Qi and I were in love for five years.” Ji Wanting finally spoke, her voice carrying a hazy, distant memory. “We broke up and got back together several times. As a doctor, he was truly outstanding. He was a medical doctor, focused on his work, very talented, and extremely patient with his patients. His parents were very kind and gentle people. We worked night shifts together, endured hardships together during our residency training, and encouraged each other. Back then, he really took good care of me.”
Wen Xueyan continued listening.
"When I was writing my first paper in a core journal, I encountered a bottleneck. The data analysis and paper structure were not very good. It was Qi Wenmu who, in addition to his busy clinical work, patiently helped me to sort out my thoughts, revised the paper word by word, and even wrote a literature review for me to refer to. The paper that was eventually published successfully was the culmination of his hard work and became the most important cornerstone in the early stages of my career. I still keep that journal to this day."
A bitter smile appeared on her lips, a lament for the lost beauty of time.
Wen Xueyan voiced her doubts: "Is it because he's a womanizer and cheated on me? Or is there some other problem?" She found it hard to associate Dr. Qi's handsome and composed face with any unpleasant words.
Ji Wanting shook her head: "No. He's trading futures."
Seeing a hint of confusion in Wen Xueyan's eyes, she explained, "Futures trading is a form of leveraged trading. Unlike stocks, where you lose everything and that's it, futures losses can far exceed your initial investment. I specifically learned about these things because he trades futures. It involves using a small amount of margin to buy and sell commodity contracts that are much larger than the margin, such as crude oil or soybeans. Price fluctuations are amplified many times over; you can make a lot of money in an instant, or you can lose everything in an instant."
She paused, as if recalling that painful past. "This stuff, in psychology, is addictive. At first, he was indeed lucky, or rather, his skills were good, and he earned hundreds of thousands in a short period of time. He even used that money to make a down payment on a house."
Wen Xueyan's heart sank slightly; she had a vague premonition of how things were going to turn out.
"The good times didn't last long." Ji Wanting's voice lowered. "Once, he misjudged the situation, and with the leverage effect, he lost more than a million yuan at once. He not only lost all the money he had earned, but also used up the down payment for the house, and in the end, he had to sell the house. At that time, he was in great pain and promised me that he would never touch it again. I gave him all the more than 50,000 yuan that I had saved at the time to help him pay off part of his debts. I believed him, thinking that the lesson he learned was profound enough."
Wen Xueyan could imagine Dr. Ji's disappointment and struggle at that time, as well as the trust and support born of love.
"Later, things were indeed calm for over a year. We all thought it was over," Ji Wanting continued. "But then I discovered that he had secretly started again behind my back. This time, he lost even more, over two million yuan. He was emotionally devastated. I refused to forgive him, and he was heartbroken, which even affected his work; he took a week off. He repeatedly explained to me that it wasn't gambling, but an investment, just with high risks. I know that, by definition, it's not gambling, but what's the difference between that racing heart, that desperate, all-or-nothing mentality and gambling addiction?"
Wen Xueyan felt a chill rise from the bottom of her heart.
"He promised again that he would never trade futures again, and cried bitterly. I softened and decided to believe him one last time. But that time I made it clear to him that I would not help him pay off a single penny of his debts. In the end, his parents sold their house in their hometown, the two of them rented a place to live, and borrowed a lot from relatives to help him fill the hole."
“When he swore, I could tell he was sincere at that moment.” Ji Wanting’s voice was very soft, as if she was afraid of disturbing the man in her memory who had also sincerely repented. “After that loss, he grabbed my hand, pointed to the sky and swore that he would never touch it again. He said that seeing his parents sell their house made his heart feel like it was being cut by a knife. He also bought a lot of psychology books, such as ‘Behavioral Addiction’ and ‘Overcoming Inner Demons,’ and took notes very seriously. He told me that he realized this was not a simple investment mistake, but a psychological addiction that needed to be overcome.”
Dr. Ji took a sip of soy milk and continued, "That kind of heart-wrenching regret can't be faked. He even consulted a psychologist. At that time, I really thought that after experiencing such a painful lesson, coupled with his own awareness, maybe this time he could really quit completely."
"And then what?"
"But less than a year later, I found loan collection messages on his phone again. He lost more than 500,000 yuan, and this time it was borrowed money. He kept it from me, and if I hadn't seen it by chance, I don't know how long he would have kept it a secret."
Ji Wanting lowered her head, as if the intense argument and despair of that night were surging back into her heart.
"That night, I felt I could no longer trust him. I broke up with him and never looked back. Many of my old colleagues at the hospital knew about it, so apart from the newcomers who didn't know much about the situation, no one dared to pursue him, even though he was handsome and had excellent medical skills."
After she finished speaking, she let out a long sigh of relief, as if she had finally unloaded a heavy burden that she had been carrying for a long time.
She turned to look at Wen Xueyan: "Later I heard that he had paid off his debts and that he really hadn't traded futures again. So, seeing that he's now engaged to Miss Ning, I hope he has truly changed and that they can be happy."
Wen Xueyan held the cup of soy milk, her fingers stiff. The contrast between Dr. Qi's always gentle, calm, and focused face and the image of the man Dr. Ji described as addicted to leveraged trading and repeatedly falling into the abyss was stark.
This is an extremely volatile risk factor!
If Ning Zhiyi marries him, and he repeats his mistakes and falls back into the quagmire of futures trading, will those huge debts become joint debts of the couple because of the marriage?
How will Zhiyi and her young son Haohao cope?
If she's just a girlfriend, then you don't have to shoulder too much responsibility; but if she's a married couple, then it's a different story.
This thought made Wen Xueyan restless.
The two said goodbye at the entrance of the convenience store, and Ji Wanting's figure disappeared into the night.
Back home, the warmth of the house did not bring her any peace of mind.
She pondered the matter repeatedly, her heart filled with inner turmoil. As a friend, was she obligated to tell Ning Zhiyi what she knew? But after all, this was Dr. Qi's privacy, a past matter that Dr. Ji had confided in her out of trust.
If I say it directly, will it cause them to break up? What if Dr. Qi really changes? After all, it's not easy to meet a good man, let alone a doctor with superb medical skills.
But if I don't tell her, how can I feel at ease if Zhiyi gets hurt in the future?
She picked up her phone, hesitated for a long time, and then dialed Ning Zhiyi's number. The call was answered quickly, and the background noise was very quiet.
"Xueyan?" Ning Zhiyi's voice still sounded somewhat weak.
"Zhiyi, are you feeling better?" Wen Xueyan asked with concern.
"Yes, I'm much better. I'm still on an IV drip. Dr. Qi is here with me." Ning Zhiyi's tone was filled with dependence and happiness.
Hearing that Dr. Qi was nearby, Wen Xueyan swallowed back the words she was about to say. This was clearly not the right time. She replied, "That's good, I'll come see you another day."
Wen Xueyan planned to find an opportunity to talk to her in person later.
She pondered how to broach the subject in a way that would fulfill her responsibilities as a friend without causing unnecessary harm. However, what troubled her even more was a question about herself: were the flaws in human nature, or rather, the imperfections of the men she encountered in her life, worthy of understanding and acceptance? Where, then, were the boundaries of commitment in a relationship?
Her ex-husband, Song Tiancheng, used to be a charming and debonair man who promised to love her for life. But in the end, he chose to demonstrate the fragility of marriage through betrayal.
Cheng Boyan. The thought of this name sent a shiver down Wen Xueyan's spine. He was mature, steady, and wise, possessing the decisiveness to strategize and command, and he had given her unprecedented respect and honesty. But his imperfection lay in the still-unresolved marriage contract, and in the "inopportune" timing of the beginning of their relationship.
It's like an invisible barrier; outsiders might even label her a "mistress," a name she can't accept. She misses this man terribly, but she can't see him now.
On the way back, Wen Xueyan listened to Linkin Park's "New Divide" repeatedly. She felt a faint sadness, like the gray night, not intense, yet lingering. Is it really so difficult for so many men in the world to find a partner who is completely honest and without major flaws? Or is perfection simply an unreal expectation?
Six days later, Wen Xueyan looked at the calendar before leaving work. Cheng Boyan's divorce case was scheduled to go to court the next day.
Do you all think Dr. Qi's question is acceptable or unacceptable?
Welcome all readers, teachers, and darlings to leave comments and vote! Thank you for your support.
It's a pity about Dr. Qi.
Looking forward to more updates, I want to see more!
If it can be changed, it's acceptable.
Thank you for your comments, readers!
Yes. Thank you for your comment, reader.
I have indeed heard of quite a few such cases.
I think I'll be worried! And since he's done it several times, it'll be hard for me to stop myself from having doubts!
It is indeed a bit worrying. Thank you for your comment, reader.
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