Chapter 87

Chapter 87: Him? Lately, he’s been busy being a dad.

In Hu Xiu’s memory, her father was a thief. From the age of three or four, the first thing she did upon waking was to look for her father.

The sounds in the room were always loud, either the sound of the piano or arguments. The rare moments of silence were even more frightening than the noise.

But she would still reach out to grab her father’s ear. When he sat on the bed, his earlobe was the softest part of him that she could touch while standing. At five or six years old, she first discovered that she, too, could forget things. The blue bunny handkerchief she had placed on the green washing machine was actually in the drawer by the bedside.

She didn’t dare put it in that drawer, because that was where her father kept his harmonica, untouched by dust. At eleven, she had a crush on the first boy she liked, a soccer player. A mischievous and lively girl had pinned him to the door, demanding that he clean up before he could leave. In the playful chaos, Hu Xiu wanted to let the girl free him, but the boy didn’t look at her even once. As her grades dropped, her father assumed she was involved in early love and sent her to a private middle school. At fourteen or fifteen, she experienced her first period cramps, sitting on the piano with a heavy lower abdomen. Her father saw her twisting in pain and, for the first time, said, “You’re just like your mother.”

Her father seemed to have stolen everything beautiful in her dreams.

In a daze, she looked up and saw her father throwing things off the balcony. In their home in Nanjing, the balcony was essentially a corridor. The flowers and plants her mother had nurtured were thrown down, their pots shattering on the ground below, making a heavy, muffled sound. She thought her mother had been killed by the fall.

When her mother ran out, blankets, clothes, books, vases... everything transformed in mid-air, and upon hitting the ground, it was all ruined by mud and water. The items her father chose to destroy could never be repaired. It had to be said, this was a decade-long revenge, a grand and far-reaching scheme.

Her fiancé’s expression seemed to be smiling, but it looked more like relief. In the blink of an eye, the things falling from the sky changed: translated materials, computers, the already broken marriage certificate on the wall, and Diao Zhiyu’s precious camera...

Standing beside her was Diao Zhiyu, who also seemed to be smiling.

“Stop stealing the things from my dreams!”

She shot up from the bed. The small TV in front of her was still playing a variety show. Diao Zhiyu, holding a fruit knife and a big bowl of kiwifruit, asked, “Are you okay?”

She just shook her head, slowly turning her head to look at the wall. Everything was still there, including the marriage certificate. Diao Zhiyu, standing in front of her, was also still there. Looking at his face, she almost couldn’t remember who he was.

Just now, she had dreamed about the night when her father threw away her mother’s belongings. She was twenty-six at the time, going home to get the household registration book, as if completing a major life ritual.

Now, sitting on the bed, she looked at Diao Zhiyu, who seemed curious. He put the knife aside and reached out to touch her forehead.

His hand was very warm, warmer than her own forehead. The Diao Zhiyu in her dream, who seemed relieved when the family belongings fell from the sky, was all fake.

After a minute of anxious sitting, she softly said, “I had a nightmare.”

“You’ve been studying too hard,” Diao Zhiyu sat at the edge of the bed, “I told you not to stress so much. Many people only have a CET-4 or CET-6 level when they take the exam, but you’re from the Advanced Translation Academy. This certificate is completely unnecessary.”

“Hmm...”

“Why not take some time to relax? Your Bilibili lecture videos haven’t been updated in a while.”

“I need to study. Editing videos takes too long.”

“I’ll edit them. Please, you don’t need to stress yourself out so much. Since I met you, I’ve never seen you this stressed.”

“Right now, you’re just pushing yourself to the breaking point, then going to take an exam. If this is your career, you might as well not pursue it.”

“I didn’t have a job before... I used to have a steady salary at the hospital, busy every day.”

“Although I did office work, filling out forms, booking tickets, it was still a visible support...”

“Now I get materials sent to me, prepare, and then do translation work. Whenever I have free time, I worry about losing focus...”

“I’ll ask you this...” Diao Zhiyu became serious, sitting upright as if interrogating her, though the bowl of kiwifruit in his hands seemed out of place.

“When you were at the hospital, how many translation jobs did you take each week?”

“Two, occasionally three or four for short-term ones...”

“And now?”

“About twelve a month...”

“Isn’t the income about the same? When you were working, if you were busy during the week and didn’t want to move on the weekends, didn’t you earn less than you do now?”

“Right...” Hu Xiu thought for a moment, “But not really. When I worked for Shanghai Windstorm, I did eight weekend shifts, and not only did I spend 8,000, but I also lost another 8,000, a total of 16,000.”

Diao Zhiyu tilted his head and looked at her, “Isn’t having a boyfriend enough?”

“Not enough. Just thinking about it, I realize that’s three months’ rent. My heart is bleeding.”

“Boyfriend’s kiwifruit... You don’t deserve to eat it.” Hu Xiu tried to grab the kiwifruit from the bowl. Diao Zhiyu leaned back to avoid her, but Hu Xiu stepped on his slipper and ended up sitting on his lap.

They playfully shoved each other, stuffing their mouths with kiwifruit, laughing so hard that some of it came out of their mouths. Embarrassed, they scratched each other’s ticklish spots, almost toppling over.

Her waist was firmly held by the boy. She felt something strange as she sat on Diao Zhiyu’s lap. “Are your keys still in your pocket?”

“Why don’t you feel for yourself?”

“Pervert!”

“Is it my fault? You climbed up yourself.”

“You young people really have a lot of energy. If this goes on, your acting career might narrow down, and you’ll be unable to play many roles, do you know that?”

“Like what?”

“Monk, Liu Xiahui, Shakyamuni, Sun Wukong!”

“But I have many roles I can play. Ximen Qing, Wei Xiaobao, I can do both.”

“Besides, do I look sleazy to you? Didn’t you used to think my Qin Xiao was sexy and abstinent?”

Climbing back onto the bed, Hu Xiu pouted and grabbed a book, but Diao Zhiyu stood up and jokingly nudged her.

Hu Xiu, blushing, turned around pretending to punch him, “I warn you, I’m going to study now. If you sneak attack me again, I’ll deal with you right here.”

Diao Zhiyu flopped back down, “Come on, handle me.”

Hu Xiu sat on him, tickling him. Such a big guy, his appearance striking, his bones remarkable, and his only weakness was—

There wasn’t a spot on his body that wasn’t ticklish. As soon as touched, just a light scratch made him surrender instantly.

How did he endure that lick from years ago? In the middle of their playful wrestling, Diao Zhiyu suddenly pulled her close, his handsome nose touching hers. “Live with me.”

Hu Xiu shrank back by an inch. Realizing, he increased his grip. She couldn’t escape.

The sour and bitter smell of kiwifruit mixed with the young boy’s scent. His cheeks and lips were juicier than the fruit itself.

“I’ll be filming during the week, and on weekends I go to Shanghai Windstorm. I hardly have time to meet. We can only see each other once or twice a week, and I can’t stand it.”

“But...”

“Don’t worry about rent. I can support you. Don’t underestimate your popular NPC boyfriend.”

She stared at him, suddenly at a loss for a reason to refuse.

Not giving Diao Zhiyu a clear answer, Hu Xiu went to the hospital for a meeting. It seemed that after she left her job, her connection with the hospital became even stronger. The types of translation she took on increased, and she was exposed to more departments.

Especially in the field of genetic biology, Dr. Jin almost sends him documents every day, and the weekend lectures are almost fully booked.

Entering the hospital, the promotional photo that Dai Zhi Yu took is still displayed on the bulletin board. The expression of herself wearing a white lab coat is different from her usual one, indeed adding a sense of sanctity.

After the meeting, she took the next set of materials and entered Dr. Jin’s office. He quickly tore open an instant noodle packet and poured water, his fingers trembling. Hu Xiu saw it all and pulled a cold steamed bun from her bag, offering it to him. He hesitated for a second before politely taking it and swallowing it hastily.

Unlike with Pei Zhen, Dr. Jin’s consultations are very thorough. He spends a lot of time in the lab conducting research and writing papers, working on cutting-edge genetic projects that are ahead of those abroad. The work is highly advanced. Most patients are infertile couples, and there are quite a few unusual cases.

Holding the materials on the desk, Hu Xiu took out a thick notebook: “I’ve prepared some questions.”

“Pei Zhen never complained about you being annoying?”

Sure enough, she was teased. Hu Xiu was also puzzled: “We’re the same age, so why do you call him ‘Little Pei’ and he calls you ‘Old Jin’?”

“He’s two years younger. The F4 in the lab refers to a specific year. I was a third-year and he was a first-year.”

“Is he busy lately…?”

“Well, he’s probably busy becoming a father now. He hasn’t had time to see me.”

This was like being struck by lightning. Hu Xiu froze in place, then glanced back at Dr. Jin. Meeting her surprised gaze, he wasn’t surprised at all: “Don’t look at me like that, it was sudden. I only found out a few days ago.”

It was impossible to say she wasn’t disappointed. Hu Xiu tried to grab the file on the desk but failed a few times: “It’s fine, I’m not that curious…”

“Pei Zhen is not petty, and he’s not worried about finding someone. He won’t be overly conflicted about you.

It’s probably the graduate student who came back from the U.S. with Shen Zhiming, a tall, beautiful girl who’s also smart. She often found ways to get Shen Zhiming to ask him out.

He had been in a bad mood recently, watching Grey’s Anatomy all the time. The girl coincidentally had watched it too, and one evening they ended up playing darts, drinking too much, and Pei Zhen took her home. The version of the story I heard is that he’s already engaged.”

“Already?”

“Yeah. He said every day feels like a dream and he can’t accept that it’s real.

He told me a while ago that he never wanted to date again, was too lazy to fall in love, and only wanted to publish a new article in The New England Journal. But you see, sometimes fate is a joke.”

Hu Xiu had heard Pei Zhen mention before that Dr. Jin had married young, and that when he moved to the U.S. to work at Hopkins, his wife and he lived in separate cities. His wife openly cheated on him, but she was five months pregnant with Dr. Jin’s child.

He gave up his job and rushed to Maryland overnight. Half an hour before arriving, his wife called to say: “The baby’s gone. I don’t want it, and maybe it doesn’t want me either. Anyway… it’s over.”

A few months can easily change the direction of one’s life.

Seeing that Hu Xiu was absent-minded, Dr. Jin seemed like he wanted to comfort her but couldn’t think of a good way. He opened his phone instead.

The “Gather Love Goongdong Newborn Group” had eight members, each group fully filled. Eager mothers shared good luck (pregnancy), exchanged doctor consultation schedules and medication dosages, all hoping to hear that hopeful “goongdong” sound from their bellies.

Behind this were countless injections and surgeries, women depleting their bodies for the sake of their offspring.

Dr. Jin said, people like Pei Zhen, who accidentally became a father, will probably make couples struggling with infertility furious if they hear it.

But I think it’s fortunate, even enviable. Not everyone gets such an opportunity easily.

Maybe to you, it seems like a union without much love, even a joke, right?

I may have said too much, but for doctors, love is a difficult thing to achieve. The path to happiness is ultimately having a home.

Dr. Jin, meticulous as ever, had cat fur stuck to his sweater, and his gold-framed glasses seemed to gaze at him with a slight smile. His eyes, though slightly drooping and fragile, were not imposing.

In his own story, Dr. Jin might just be a doctor whose name isn’t even worth remembering.

But in Pei Zhen’s heart, he is a brother of ten years, a companion in the hospital, a researcher helping infertile families fulfill their dreams, and a friend with whom he once shared his heartbreak, clinking glasses late into the night.

Such comrades, hearing the word “child,” would likely feel like they’ve been slapped in the face, their souls shattering into pieces.

After leaving the genetics building, Hu Xiu turned to go to a convenience store, planning to eat and miss the dinner rush before heading home.

She held a lunch box, watching pedestrians outside. Office workers hurriedly walked by, and there were also patients coming from the ward, taking a walk, or resting after IVF treatment in the hospital.

The ketchup pork chop rice and yogurt were her new sources of fresh happiness after tiring of the cafeteria, but now she was gradually losing her appetite.

Hearing that Pei Zhen was going to be a father, she couldn’t even offer a heartfelt blessing.

Especially near the hospital.

On the way to the subway, a taxi stopped in front of her—it was Pei Zhen. Oddly, this action of him getting out of the car seemed familiar. Every time he saw her, he was always so impulsive, as though he would regret it if he missed her.

He stepped out of the car, wearing a coat and holding a briefcase full of documents: “I was just looking for you, and here we are. Shen Zhiming’s onboarding is done, and he’ll officially start next week. The first issue of the Mental Health Forum on facial reconstruction and congenital bone developmental disorders with patients and their families has been released. We’ll have an online discussion with three U.S. universities. Do you have time to do the translation?”

A series of questions lingered in her mind for a long time, as if it took time to decipher just a few words. Pei Zhen waved his hand in front of her: “What’s wrong?”

In the brief moment when their eyes met through her fingers, he understood. Adults have the ability to catch on quickly; when one’s thoughts haven’t been hidden yet, the other can grasp them from the smallest clues.

Her fingers lightly clenched before retracting back into her coat. What had been a bright, straightforward question turned into a cautious probe: “If you’re busy, it’s fine. Your senior is at the hospital.”

“It’s okay, I have time...”

The exchange of words revealed hidden thoughts. Hu Xiu wanted to ask when the due date was, what kind of girl she was, if he truly loved her, and whether she resembled his ex-girlfriend…

But these were questions that the girlfriend of Diao Zhi Yu shouldn’t ask too clearly—it’s hard for people who never became a couple to remain friends.

But she was no longer the same Hu Xiu. Shaking her head and stretching lazily, she pretended nothing had happened: “Sorry, I spaced out just now. If I can help more people outside the hospital, I’m definitely willing. If it’s for a public welfare project, does that mean I’m also a volunteer?”

“Yes. But we’ll sign your name. If you’re applying for funding for studies or a specialized program, it might help.”

“No problem. If you need more hands, I can help with publicity.”

“We’re really short on help. This project has just started, and since we’re dealing with such a sensitive group, medical resources are limited. It’s hard to get support from the hospital, and funding is always prioritized for patients with poorer economic conditions.

Recently, a girl with no nose came in. She had saved up 20,000 yuan to get a nose reconstruction.

I applied for funding, but when it came to psychological support, everyone just sighed and went back to their work.

Everyone knows it’s a pressing need and is willing to dedicate time and energy, but in the end, the social media impact is too small. It might be more effective to promote it as psychological education or group activities.”

At this point, he realized: “Am I being too serious? Suddenly explaining all this to you.”

Talking with such passion about treating and saving people, Hu Xiu thought: Would he make a good father?

Maybe Dr. Jin was right. For a doctor, the path to happiness isn’t love—it’s finding a home.

“Why do you keep spacing out? Did you hear something from Old Jin?” he couldn’t hold back anymore.

“No. I’ve been reviewing for the oral translation exam lately. I’m just a bit tired.”

“Take care of your health. I’ve noticed you love overworking and staying up late—you’re even worse than me. If you keep this up, you’ll end up having a sudden collapse.”

“It’s fine, just a little nervous, a bit dizzy.”

“See? Just like this.” He crossed his arms and pointed at her, just like when he used to guide her papers: “Even when I’m in the middle of a 10-hour surgery, I feel like this, walking on the edge of a cliff, dizzy. Professor Hu, I really suggest you cherish your life—there’s still so much left of it.”

“Stop jinxing it, I’ll definitely trouble you later.”

“You have to come this Saturday, it’s your first time.”

“No problem. I’ll leave now.” She thought to herself, she’d have to cancel a meeting at Jiaotong University, losing 8,000 yuan. But if she could do something to help others, it was her duty.

Quietly turning back, she saw Pei Zhen still standing in place, watching her. She turned around and walked backward, joking with him while bidding him farewell.

Pei Zhen laughed and waved with her. In his eyes, there seemed to be gentle hands, holding her cold fingers, caressing them, kissing them; or perhaps lips, testing the waters to get closer, like the way he once leaned out of the car window; or maybe he wanted to stand side by side with her again, unwrapping gifts at REGARD, joyfully holding his own gift; or perhaps that marriage certificate still held weight in his heart, and he longed for the happiness of signing it together once more.

She had never seen so much longing in a single glance. Whether it was something she had imagined didn’t matter.

After all, those eyes had once made her heart flutter, and for a while, she had wanted to rest there when exhausted.

As she walked backward, bidding him goodbye, he remained standing in place, watching her until she stepped onto the escalator and slowly disappeared from his view.

Her phone rang—it was her mom. It was rare for Hu Xiu to receive a call from her: “Hello?”

“Diǎn Diǎn, I’m in Nanjing now. If you have a chance, could you come to Shanghai to meet me?”

“Of course. Are you back for something?”

“I’m here to divorce your father. I’m going to remarry.”

“Weren’t you two divorced…?”

“No. He wouldn’t let me marry anyone else. I think I’ll have to argue with him for a few days this time. Don’t worry about this, just wait for me to come to Shanghai and see you. I’ve brought a lot of gifts. Surprised?”

More than surprised. Hu Xiu stared blankly as the subway doors opened and closed, missing her stop. This felt like dreadful news.