Chapter 53

***

Municipal hospitals often have a rich experience when it comes to dealing with doctor-patient disputes. Not waiting for the balcony at home to be fully furnished, Xia Feng returned to work.

So it was Yu Dong who would fix up the balcony every day, surprising Xia Feng every morning with something new.

Time flew by, February leaving to make way for March. By the time An An appeared in front of Xia Feng again, he realized that it’s been a long time since he actually saw her.

“Do you have time right now?” An An specially waited for Xia Feng to finish his rounds before coming over.

“Uh, yes.” Xia Feng was surprised for a while.

“Let’s go for a walk in the garden.” An An suggested.

“Er…” Xia Feng hesitated, wondering if he should agree.

“Ah…you don’t remember.” An An suddenly laughed.

“What?”

“The one month exchange period is ending, I’m going back to America tonight.” An An explained.

Xia Feng was startled and looked towards An An with a little embarrassment.

Even the hospital couldn’t stop the onslaught of spring fever. The hospital garden was filled with patients walking and admiring the flowers. An An looked at this scene and suddenly lamented: “You graduated two years earlier than I did and came to this hospital as soon as you graduated.”

“Un.” Xia Feng nodded.

“But this is the first time we went for a walk around this garden.” An An recalled.

“When you were doing your internship it was mostly me coming to see you.” Xia Feng thought for a while, then said.

“We all seemed to be so busy at the time, I couldn’t remember the last time we went to see a movie together.” An An looked helpless as she said this.

Xia Feng didn’t know why An An was suddenly saying all these things, but he stayed quiet, looking ahead as he walked.

“I always thought you would stay mine, so I was more focused on going after things that weren’t mine yet.” An An pursed her lips, “But while I was busy pursuing things I didn’t have, I accidentally lost you.”

“An An.” Xia Feng couldn’t help but say.

“Don’t get nervous, I don’t mean anything by saying this.” An An turned and looked at Xia Feng in the eye, “I heard you calling Yu Dong inside the locker room that day.”

At the thought of him being found out on a vulnerable moment, Xia Feng felt a little odd.

“We were together for so long, I always felt that I knew you quite well. Until that moment…” An An looked down, “I think she’s better for you than I’ll ever be.”

“An An…” Xia Feng said, “You and Yu Dong are completely different.”

“So…she suits you better than I do.” An An reached this conclusion on her own.

Xia Feng didn’t know how to answer her, but An An could already tell his thoughts on the matter by his expression.

In fact, An An also seriously thought about it during this month. Because they were both doctors, they were both very busy. Too busy to date, too busy to meet the in-laws, too busy to get married, too busy to even realize that their love had long deteriorated.

She had desperately trying to grow up, desperately trying to be a doctor that wouldn’t lose to Xia Feng. But in the end, what was it all for? Was it to be able to stand next to him proudly, or was it for her own ambitions?

A harmonious family can only ultimately be achieved by one party happily compromising.

“I won’t give you back the ring.” Ann suddenly said.

“Ah?” Xia Feng had to think to realize she was talking about the diamond ring.

“I want to keep it as a memento. To remind me of the fact that I lost such a good man.” An An suddenly laughed freely. Maybe after you let it all go, you’ll find that things aren’t as unbearable as you imagined.

Xia Feng blinked and gave An An a relieved smile.

“As a parting gift, do you have any advice for me?” An An said mischievously.

“Advice?” Xia Feng thought about it, then said, “If someone proposes to you more than once, you should seriously consider it.”

An An was stunned. She suddenly smiled widely. Xia Feng scratched his head, feeling that what he said was a little funny. The two stood amongst the colorful flowers, laughing and lighthearted, at peace.

Xia Feng didn’t ask An An when she’ll be back because he knew that it’ll be a long time before it happens. But when they do meet each other again, they’ll be able to greet each other as friends.

…..

In a recording booth in a certain broadcast station, Yu Dong was wearing a pair of headphones as she just cut off the song that just finished broadcasting. Her face looked refreshed and her eyes bright. After a playful greeting, Senior Yu gestured for her to start answering the phone.

“Well, here’s our last call of the night.” Fish Jelly smiled, “I don’t know if it’s going to be a Mr. Strong or a Ms. Beautiful.

“Hello, Fish Jelly, hello.” A clear male voice was heard.

“Hello hello.” Fish chuckled, “Listening to your voice, you sound like a youngster?”

“I’m a university senior this year.” Mr. Strong answered.

“A senior on the cusp of graduation season. Is it work trouble?” Fish Jelly guessed.

“I found a job a long time ago for school recruitment: a state-owned enterprise.” Mr. Strong replied.

“Then I really want to congratulate you, a senior who’s about to enter a central enterprise, your school and abilities must be really good.” Fish Jelly praised.

“Thank you.” There wasn’t much joy or excitement in the man’s voice.

“So what story will you share with us tonight?” Fish asked softly.

“I…I wonder if I should break up with my girlfriend.” Mr. Strong said hesitantly.

Fish Jelly froze, then guessed: “Are you two planning on working in different cities?”

Graduation season was also breakup season. There are countless reasons, but this was the most common.

“No, we’re still going to be in the same city.” Without Fish Jelly needing to say, Mr. Strong continued, “I visited home today and met a more successful elder in the family. He told me some things.”

“He said that I shouldn’t fall in love at this age because it wouldn’t help my future prospects. He told me about his friend Xiao He.” Mr. Strong said, “Xiao He was a very good man who studied abroad. After returning and getting a very good job in a central enterprise. Because of his academic qualifications, ability, and good looks, he was remembered by the senior leaders.”

“Many of the leader’s wives asked if he was single, if he had a girlfriend, if they could introduce their daughter or niece to him, but Xiao He had already been dating someone for a year.”

“His girlfriend was just an ordinary girl. She didn’t have any particular talents, but she didn’t have anything particularly bad about her either. So Xiao He couldn’t bear to break up with her. Soon, a new colleague joined their department. He had the same qualifications and good looks, the only difference was that he was single.”

“A senior’s wife helped introduce a girl from a good family, young, beautiful and educated. That male colleague practically fell in love with her at first sight. In a short time, that colleague got married, bought a house, a car, got promoted…it looked like life gave him wings.”

“And Xiao He still had a mortgage and was living with his girlfriend in a 60-square-meter room.” Mr. Strong said, “One of my family’s elders asked him if Xiao He regretted it. He said he did…”

“When he finished telling me this story, he said that in the future I would also encounter a similar situation, that as I progressed I would meet better women. So if I didn’t want to be a completely bad person, I shouldn’t bring love with me when I leave university.”

“I became little confused. Does life need such precise calculations? Should I believe in what my elder said? Because he’s very successful with a booming career and a beautiful and generous wife.”

Fish Jelly wrinkled her brows, her face a little ugly: “Are you confused on whether your elder’s opinions are right, or are you confused about whether you should break up?”

“Is there a difference?” Mr. Strong asked.

“Everyone makes choices in their life, and in the end, we’ll have to live with those decisions.” Fish Jelly said, “But when you say you’re hesitating on whether you should break up or not, you’re already drawing a line of separation in the depths of your heart.”

“I haven’t, I genuinely reluctant.” Mr. Strong was entangled, “Sometimes when I walk along the university campus, I think of her as I smell the flowers.”

“But there are better, more beautiful and more fragrant flowers ahead.” Fish Jelly said without mercy.

“You should break up with her, you two are no longer suitable for each other.” Fish Jelly’s tone was sentimental, “Before you become a completely bad person.”

“Am I a bad man?” The was panic in Mr. Strong’s voice.

“You’re not a bad person, you’re just someone with very clear goals.” Fish Jelly said one last sentence before hanging up: “I wish you success!”

Yu Dong didn’t know when society had turned into a society where we laughed at the poor and seldom smiled. She didn’t know when comparing yourself to other people became the norm, where even love would be measured by the person’s family background.

Where every decision people made were utilitarian!

When you were young and naive, what did you like about your partner?

What about her? Why did I choose Xia Feng in the first place?

“What are you thinking about?” Xia Feng embraced Yu Dong as he leaned on the pillow.

“Do you remember what I asked you when we first met?” Yu Dong asked.

“You asked me to marry you?” Xia Feng couldn’t help but laugh.

“No, I asked you a few questions before that.” Yu Dong reminded.

“Um~” Xia Feng tried to recall, “You asked me if I owned a house I think?”

“Do you think I’m utilitarian?” Yu Dong asked, “Because I think I chose you because you had a house.”

“You’re not!” Xia Feng shook his head.

“Why do you trust me so much?” Yu Dong raised an eyebrow.

“Then, would you have married me when I said I didn’t have a house?” Xia Feng asked, half-serious.

Yes, Yu Dong directly nodded in her heart, because she knew of his future achievements.

But because I knew of your achievements, I can never know if I chose you or your future.

“Is it hard to answer?” Xia Feng frowned.

“I already know you have a house, how can I seriously answer?” Yu Dong was distressed.

“Silly!” Xia Feng lowered his head to nuzzle her, “Then if I sold the house because I needed more funds for my research, would you break up with me?”

Yu Dong shook her head and said, “You wouldn’t need to sell the house, I can make money.”

“Ha…” Xia Feng smiled as he kissed his serious, silly wife.

There are many reasons to break up: the loss of love, the missed encounter, or having a better choice.

But there are also countless reasons to be together: Love at first sight, the quickening of heartbeats, or if you’ve just found the perfect match for you.

Life won’t give you a smooth path just because of your kindness, and similarly, it will not lead you through a thorny path just because you’re utilitarian