Chapter 3

The black sedan drove into the Shuguang Medical Group complex.

Chen Qiuge drove to the administration building first, dropping Yu Xuan off at the entrance.

“This is the place. Take the elevator to the left after you enter. The HR department is on the sixteenth floor; they’ll take you through onboarding and show you around.” He turned his head toward Yu Xuan in the passenger seat, offering instructions.

“I know, thanks Qiuge.”

Yu Xuan unbuckled her seatbelt and grabbed her small handbag, waving at him with a bright smile. “Go get busy with your work, see you tonight!”

Chen Qiuge watched her figure grow smaller and smaller until she disappeared behind the revolving doors before restarting the car and heading toward the main hospital building.

Walking through the connecting corridor, the scent of disinfectant rushed at him, and medical staff in white coats walked by with hurried steps. Just as Chen Qiuge was heading toward his office in Cardiac Surgery, he ran into Chi Xiaowan head-on at a corridor corner.

She was wearing a light blue shirt today under her white coat, her long hair tied neatly behind her head. Holding a medical record folder, she was looking down and flipping through it rapidly, her expression focused. This was her most common state while at work.

“Xiaowan.” Chen Qiuge stopped, a gentle smile appearing on his face.

However, Chi Xiaowan’s pace didn’t falter for a second. As if she hadn’t heard a thing, she didn’t even look at him, simply walking past him like that. She left behind only a faint, cool breeze.

Chen Qiuge felt somewhat baffled. He turned around in surprise, watching her silhouette disappear at the other end of the corridor.

She ignored him?

It wasn’t that she hadn’t heard him. The corridor wasn’t noisy, and his voice wasn’t quiet. It certainly wasn’t that she hadn’t seen him; they had practically brushed shoulders.

She did it on purpose.

Last night…

Chen Qiuge stood in place, feeling somewhat dazed. He subconsciously touched the phone in his pocket.

Returning home with Yu Xuan last night, the tears in the garage, the embarrassment of buying nightgowns… a series of events beyond his control had thrown his heartbeat into disorder and cluttered his thoughts. He had completely forgotten to pay attention to Chi Xiaowan.

And this morning, he had been distracted by the news of Yu Xuan joining Shuguang, failing to notice—Chi Xiaowan had not sent him a single message from last night until now.

No “home safe,” no “goodnight,” no morning greeting.

One must understand that while Chi Xiaowan was independent and proud, she was not cold; basic communication and concern had always been there.

It was his negligence.

Chen Qiuge knit his brows, engaging in self-reflection. He was ignoring his girlfriend while softening his heart over another woman’s tears, worrying about her job, and even tacitly allowing her many boundary-crossing intimacies.

Chen Qiuge didn’t realize it himself, but his heart, unknowingly, had already veered off course and begun to drift.

He took out his phone and opened his chat with Chi Xiaowan. The last message was still stuck on last night:

[Chen Qiuge]: My childhood friend is back. I put a group together today, come along after work.

[Chi Xiaowan]: Mm, come pick me up.

Perhaps, as a boyfriend, he should immediately send a message to explain and apologize. But the broadcast for the morning shift handover had already sounded.

Chen Qiuge ultimately locked his screen and put the phone back in his pocket, his face returning to its usual calm.

Work first, he told himself. Xiaowan’s matter can wait until later…

A busy morning flew by in rounds, consultations, and reviewing the latest research reports. Chen Qiuge was extremely focused while working, remaining the same cool, professional Dr. Chen.

It wasn’t until after 10:00 AM, while he was attending an internal seminar. The oval conference table was filled with the backbone of the Cardiac Surgery department, and complex charts were playing on the projection screen. The speaker was explaining technical points, and everyone was listening intently.

Chen Qiuge was twirling a pen in his hand, his eyes on the screen, but his thoughts inexplicably drifted for a moment.

It’s Yu Xuan’s first day of work, I wonder how it’s going?

This thought broke into his mind without warning. The atmosphere at the administration building was completely different from the hospital; it was more business-oriented, more focused on efficiency and networking. Although she seemed lively and cheerful, she had just graduated and was returning to the country for the first time. Facing a brand-new environment, could she handle it?

Would she be nervous? Would she be unable to adapt to the fast pace there? Would she be… bullied?

She was younger than him, a girl, and all alone…

Emotions of worry naturally germinated from the bottom of his heart. In the brief gap while the speaker switched slides, he unobtrusively moved his phone from the table to his lap, lowered his head, and began tapping rapidly on the screen.

[Chen Qiuge]: It’s your first day, are you getting used to it? The pace over at the admin building is quite fast. You can find me anytime if something comes up.

Click. Send.

Only after doing all this did he look up again and refocus on the meeting content, his expression calm as usual.

The phone vibrated slightly in his palm, signaling a new message. He didn’t need to look to know who replied. Chen Qiuge didn’t look at it immediately; he kept the phone face-down on his lap, focusing on the screen with apparent intensity.

Only he knew that the heart in his chest had begun to throb restlessly again. Thump, thump. One beat after another.

The corners of his mouth couldn’t help but tilt upward; he actually felt a spark of anticipation for this message, yet he restrained himself from opening it too quickly.

The drifting of a heart often begins with a misplaced set of priorities.

…

[Xuan]: It’s okay, my colleagues are quite nice. A big hunk in the hallway even gave me a cup of coffee.

[Xuan]: [Kiss-kiss-kiss]

Ten minutes later.

[Chen Qiuge]: A big hunk? Who?

[Xuan]: Probably a client?

[Chen Qiuge]: Don’t just drink things given to you by others.

[Xuan]: Oh… are you angry?

[Chen Qiuge]: No.

[Xuan]: Don’t believe you. Prove it then.

[Chen Qiuge]: .

[Chen Qiuge]: [Kiss-kiss-kiss]

[Xuan]: Hahaha, so cute, Qiuge. [Sparkles]

[Chen Qiuge]: Mm.

The busy work finally came to a halt. Outside the window, the sky was darkening and the city lights were coming on; the lights of the main hospital building flickered on floor by floor.

Chen Qiuge took off his scrubs, and the nerves that had been taut all day relaxed slightly. The forgotten matters rushed back into his mind.

Chi Xiaowan.

He took out his phone; there were still no new messages in the chat. He sighed helplessly and sent Chi Xiaowan a message asking her to dinner.

But he received a glaring red exclamation mark.

He should have expected it. With Chi Xiaowan’s stubborn personality, she wouldn’t become hysterical, but she would express her dissatisfaction in the most uncompromising way possible.

Chen Qiuge rubbed the space between his eyebrows, his sense of exhaustion deepening. It was indeed his negligence first; he was in the wrong. So, he had to go find her to explain and apologize in person.

Checking the time, Chi Xiaowan likely just finished work. Chen Qiuge turned off his computer, grabbed his suit jacket and car keys, and decided to go straight to her department to find her.

At that moment, the phone vibrated, and a new message popped up.

[Xuan]: [Cat peeking] Finished work yet? I’m starving to death! Come eat with me, okay?

Chen Qiuge’s footsteps stopped. Without almost any hesitation:

[Chen Qiuge]: Okay. Where to?

Only after sending those words did he suddenly snap out of it.

Wait.