Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Ye Chuyang admitted that his words were a bit harsh and didn't quite fit his current persona, but... well... let him be a little rude for a moment. Otherwise, he wouldn't feel right about the ruthless treatment he had just endured.
“Dr. Shen…” Ye Chuyang turned slightly and slapped the photo into her palm. “He’s not right for you.”
"..."
Shen Qingyuan looked down at him without saying a word.
Looking down from a high vantage point.
She exuded a cool, unspoken aura, a slightly intimidating authority without being overly fierce.
"How do you know?" Shen Qingyuan frowned slightly, her indifference tinged with confusion. He and Fang Zhou had only met once at the high-speed rail station; how could he possibly know anything about him?
"Well, his face doesn't look good." Ye Chuyang admitted that he had been cunning again, since he knew nothing about the person except for his appearance.
This time, Shen Qingyuan smiled slightly, looking at him with amusement: "A big star like you knows physiognomy?"
"Moreover, ordinary. The Shen Qingyuan I know isn't interested in ordinary people."
The word "ordinary" suddenly stung her in this context.
I vaguely remember someone saying that big companies prefer to hire top students from 985 universities because these academic high-achievers are masters of self-management; you just need to dump an overwhelming amount of work on them. They don't tolerate being inferior to others, nor do they allow themselves to perform poorly. This is a habit cultivated from a young age in the exam-oriented education system.
Falling behind breeds panic. Panic breeds anxiety. Doing nothing is not an option. Only hard work and progress can quell these negative emotions.
The situation calmed down briefly.
There is no end to striving, but ordinariness is a destiny.
"You're wrong. I'm just an ordinary person."
The tension in her chest gradually subsided, and Shen Qingyuan smiled slightly, her tone seemingly relieved yet also self-deprecating.
Fang Zhou's qualifications are by no means bad in the marriage market; in fact, you could say he has a lot of leverage and a wide range of potential partners. It's perfectly logical for Shen Qingyuan to think he has feelings for her; anyone with common sense would think she's marrying above her station.
After all, they live in a real world.
This version of Shen Qingyuan was not in Ye Chuyang's memory. The Shen Qingyuan he used to know, confident, proud, and arrogant, seemed to have suddenly disappeared.
Ye Chuyang looked a little disappointed, then chuckled and said, "We're old classmates and old friends. I was just worried you might have chosen the wrong person. I was just showing concern. Don't take it personally."
"Thank you for thinking so highly of me."
Shen Qingyuan put the photo back into her bag.
It seems a bit strange to keep someone else's photo for no reason; I should find a chance to return it.
-
The evening heat had subsided somewhat by nine o'clock.
The distant sky had a faint neon color, unclear, as if reflecting some colorful night lights, a common form of light pollution in cities.
Shen Qingyuan gazed into the distance and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.
Many years ago, Grandpa smoked and would play a game of blowing smoke rings with little Shen Qingyuan.
Grandpa's smoke rings are beautiful, a bit like jellyfish, and a bit like cotton candy.
Back then, there was no concept of secondhand smoke; children just thought it was fun. The smell of the smoke wasn't unpleasant either.
Shen Qingyuan's rebellious phase came too late; she didn't learn to smoke until she was twenty-eight.
She disliked the smell of smoke in the room's fabrics and almost never smoked there. Later, she discovered that the hotel's rooftop was nice, especially at night when it was quiet and spacious with few people.
She made a phone call to Song Ting.
"Are you done with work?"
"Um."
"Shall we talk about today's date?"
"..."
"It's okay, if you don't want to talk, that's fine." Song Ting knew her best friend's temperament and didn't force her.
Song Ting is actually a very impatient and impulsive person. Perhaps it's a case of one thing subduing another; with Shen Qingyuan, even Song Ting, in her haste, has grown accustomed to her quiet and reserved personality over the years, especially when it comes to matters of the heart.
For example, Shen Qingyuan didn't explain to her the reason why she broke up with her ex.
The original saying is "Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together."
hehe.
That's very brief.
Decisive, efficient, no deliberation, no dragging things out. That's her best friend.
Perhaps the reason they've remained such good friends all these years is because their personalities complement each other. One is like ice, the other like fire.
Two very boisterous people together... just thinking about it gives me a headache.
-
Shen Qingyuan felt it was better to give an explanation, since Song Ting was the matchmaker.
“I had a lot of fun this afternoon,” she said. “Later, Fang Zhou asked me if I would go back to Chenyang after I finished this job.”
"Uh-huh."
I said, "I'm not sure."
"That means they want to seriously consider their future together," Song Ting clicked her tongue.
"I also said that I will focus my main energy on my work in the next few years."
Song Ting gasped, "Even if it is, you don't have to say it out loud, do you? Sister, who has time to date? Who doesn't steal time to date and have children in their spare time? The way you're talking, it doesn't sound very enthusiastic."
"At this stage, I really have no interest in dating."
"No, no, the way you're saying it makes it sound like you don't want to date Fang Zhou. Everyone knows that 'I don't want to date' means I don't want to date you." Song Ting, true to her literary nature, summed it up perfectly.
"More or less." Shen Qingyuan exhaled a puff of smoke.
Strangely enough, Fang Zhou grasped the idea much faster. Song Ting hesitated for a long time before understanding.
Perhaps the connection between men and women is stronger in this regard. Sometimes, a single glance is enough.
Song Ting sighed, then quickly relented, "Fine. You're such a good friend of mine, Shen Qingyuan. I never really expected you two to get together. I just wanted you to meet more people, especially men. When you're feeling down, you just want to find a guy to hang out with."
"..." Shen Qingyuan coughed slightly. "Song Ting, thank you."
“However…” Song Ting still felt it was a pity. Fang Zhou wasn’t just a chicken bone, he was a big, meaty bone. “Fang Zhou’s parents are both prominent leaders in Chenyang. Didn’t you want to go to Chenyang City Hospital before? It’s just a matter of their parents saying a word. If we could use those connections, we wouldn’t have to worry about the future.”
Fang Zhou is staying at this hotel tonight; he can still change his mind. Shen Qingyuan smiled wryly, "That's true."
The former Shen Qingyuan was arrogant and conceited, fearless and disdainful of anything like using connections or back channels. Staying to work at Jicheng Hospital was a natural progression, given her strong abilities.
Back then, I thought the strong would tame the wild horse themselves. Only the weak needed to be helped onto the horse and given a ride.
They're still too young.
They were all silent for a moment.
Song Ting suddenly sighed, "Shen Qingyuan, I used to be just like you. The year I graduated, I wanted to work in the media in Chenyang. Even though my education and skills were good, I kept hitting walls when looking for a job. The TV station was quite interesting; their job postings clearly stated that they wanted men. It's the 21st century, and they're still using that old-fashioned stuff—how ironic. In the end, my mom had to ask a somewhat influential cousin to help me get a job at the Chenyang Evening News. When I saw the other people who got in at the same time, I knew how they got in just by looking at their alma mater. Of course, I had no right to criticize them, since that's how I got in too. Later, I got used to it and stopped being so dramatic. That's just how society works; we just hadn't been exposed to these things before, so we didn't understand."
A few years ago, Shen Qingyuan had heard Song Ting mention job hunting briefly, but she hadn't gone through such a detailed mental journey.
Time has passed, and everyone has their own insights. I don't know what to say right now; words of comfort seem superfluous.
"Shen Qingyuan, you're probably the only innocent person I know. Innocent enough to be like a high school student. To be honest, I'm conflicted. On one hand, I hope you'll always remain pure, detached from base desires. On the other hand, I hope you live a good, comfortable, and peaceful life, regardless of whose help you receive!"
...They really are good friends.
Shen Qingyuan rested one hand on the rooftop railing and spoke into her phone's earpiece, "This world... is really fucking annoying."
Shen Qingyuan felt a slight itch on her right calf, probably from a mosquito bite. She lifted her calf, rested it on the railing beam, and bent down to scratch it.
This action doesn't hold up to scrutiny. In the dim light, on the top floor, from behind, it actually looks a bit like he's about to climb over the railing and jump.
An arm silently wrapped around her from behind and reached her chest. Before Shen Qingyuan could react, the arm tightened and wrapped around her neck with lightning speed.
Pull it back.
Shen Qingyuan was forced to retreat, her upper body leaning back, pressing against a warm but chilling chest.
Did we run into a psychopath?
"ah--"
She screamed instinctively. She flailed her arms wildly, trying to save herself.
Because he was being choked, his voice was distorted with fear.
"Let go...save..."
He was pulled back two steps, and in his panic, his heel seemed to step on something soft.
It should be a foot.
The man behind him couldn't help but cry out in pain, and the strength in his arm weakened.
With her adrenaline surging, Shen Qingyuan used all her strength to break free.
She was already quite strong, and in her struggle to survive, her strength increased dramatically. With her long arms and legs, she pushed the man behind her, sending him staggering.
Only then did he have a chance to turn around, and in his panic, he glanced at the "attacker".
—If it were someone else, their first reaction would probably be to run away. To even give them that extra glance is quite brave.
Holy crap. How could it be him?!
Ye Chuyang, supporting his aching back, was panting heavily.
Struggling, her hair was disheveled and scattered everywhere. Shen Qingyuan was also panting heavily, and her whole body was covered in dust and dirt.
Are you crazy?
"Why is it you?"
The two of them shouted at the same time.
In a sorry state.
The two men stared at each other, eyes wide. Their expressions were both quite ferocious. One was in pain, the other was terrified.
People are scary, they're fucking terrifying.
-
The rooftop was smooth, but the summer rains washed the floor tiles very clean.
Ye Chuyang supported his back, slowly sat down on the ground, and patted the spot next to him.
"Have a seat, Dr. Shen?"
Perhaps she was too frightened just now, Shen Qingyuan still felt her body trembling uncontrollably and her legs were weak.
Shen Qingyuan plopped down on the ground, not sitting next to him, but about two meters away from Ye Chuyang.
Today's shock level is definitely enough to leave psychological trauma. Shen Qingyuan really wants to apply for workers' compensation.
"I was just doing a good deed. The way you were doing that just now really looked like you were going to jump off a building. Saving a life is a good deed for me," Ye Chuyang said softly, sounding very unsure of himself.
Shen Qingyuan glanced at him and sincerely felt that he looked better when he was in a wheelchair.
"How did you end up here?" Her heart was still pounding, and Shen Qingyuan clutched her chest, her brows furrowing slightly.
She came up after taking a shower and changing into a nightgown. Her hair wasn't completely dry, so she used her fingers to tidy it up a bit.
Her attire was different from usual, and her hair was loose, so it's no wonder Ye Chuyang couldn't recognize her from behind at first glance.
Thinking about it this way, I don't even feel like getting angry anymore. After all, they disregarded their old, still-healing back injury and "acted bravely for a just cause." Although their eyesight isn't good, their goal was to save lives.
“This is my territory,” Ye Chuyang said. “I get bored staying in my room all the time, so I discovered this great place. When I’m not too busy in the evening, I come here for a while and have a drink.”
He gestured with his chin towards the wine glasses and champagne near the stairwell.
"Dr. Shen, would you like a drink to calm your nerves?"
Ye Chuyang has passed the acute phase of his lumbar disc herniation and no longer needs to take painkillers. He can drink a moderate amount of alcoholic beverages.
The doctor would probably advise abstaining from alcohol, but who cares? He's a doctor, after all.
Shen Qingyuan lifted her bottom and took the champagne and glasses. This time, she sat much closer to Ye Chuyang.
He who eats another's food is bound to do so.
She glanced at the champagne bottle and immediately remembered that when she was in Hangzhou, the CEO of a film company had given her two very expensive bottles of champagne, which seemed to be this brand.
It's a bit pricey.
I was so frightened today that I drank it anyway. It's all thanks to someone.
So she unceremoniously pushed the bottle towards Ye Chuyang, "How do I open it?"
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