#68: May You Get What You Wish For

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All of Cheng Wanyue’s belongings were with Cheng Yuzhou. Unless her documents were lost, the announcer wouldn’t call her name directly.

She was usually forgetful when traveling alone, but Cheng Yuzhou wasn’t like her.

Cheng Yuzhou said, “There’s still time, you can go check.”

Cheng Wanyue reacted and guessed who it was. Her phone wasn’t charged and turned off after she went downstairs.

“I’m not going,” she said, covering her swollen eyes with sunglasses. “He was the one who started the argument. The night before last, I clearly hadn’t been drinking, but he smelled alcohol and started lecturing me. Yesterday was even worse; he even said ‘break up.’ Can he just get angry at me because he’s tired from work? I’m not going to listen to him bring up old issues.”

Cheng Yuzhou saw Qing Hang that morning looking like a taut rope. He seemed exhausted, likely having been up all night.

Both were still angry; meeting would only push them further apart.

“Then don’t go. Ayi is still waiting for us to come home for lunch.”

The announcement played again, but Cheng Wanyue still sat motionless. “Don’t tell second uncle and second aunt about my argument with Qing Hang. Just say I went to celebrate New Year’s Eve.”

Cheng Yuzhou knew what she was thinking. “Mmm, they’ll believe whatever you say, they won’t ask too many questions.”

________________________________________

The plane took off on time. Qing Hang didn’t wait for Cheng Wanyue. She didn’t want anything, only taking Meiqiu with her.

As soon as Qing Hang entered the hall, he used the jade pendant she gave him to ask the staff for help. The melting snow on his clothes quickly soaked into the fabric, making them damp.

The jade pendant was clutched in his palm, already warm.

His body was exhausted, yet he was more clear-headed than ever.

Returning home from the airport, the light was dim due to the rain and snow. Only one cup remained on the table, and the bedroom was still messy. She disliked making the bed, just tidying it carelessly after waking up each day. The foot of the bed was piled with clothes, and the half-open wardrobe was a mess; she actually wanted to take everything with her.

The heating hadn’t started yet, and the air conditioner remote had been pushed under the table by the cat; she definitely wouldn’t be able to find it.

The temperature was very low last night. How did she sleep? Or did she not sleep at all?

She had never complained about the poor conditions of this rented room.

Qing Hang organized all the things she had left behind, packed them into boxes, and then started writing his resignation letter. The next morning, he went to see Director Li.

Director Li disagreed and tried to persuade Qing Hang, saying that there were indeed many patients in the department this month and it was too busy. Almost all young doctors were like him, often called to the hospital in the middle of the night. He wasn’t someone who couldn’t endure hardship, but his attitude was firm; he insisted on leaving.

He spent a week getting signatures and stamps, transferring his patients to other colleagues, explaining to each patient one by one before going to the HR department to pay the compensation.

Li Yu was surprised when she learned from her father that Qing Hang had resigned. Before she could contact Qing Hang, he found her first.

He organized the materials and current progress of their collaborative project into a document and sent it to her, also recommending a colleague who could continue the research.

Li Yu arranged to meet Qing Hang. He left 40 minutes early and went to a cafe before heading to the airport.

Li Yu was direct. “You’re leaving Beijing because of Wanyue, aren’t you?”

Qing Hang said in a low voice, “I should have gone to find her half a year ago. That resignation letter was just postponed from summer to winter.”

“My dad joked that resident doctors are doctors who work at the hospital 24 hours a day and must be on call. You’ll go through this stage no matter which city or hospital you’re in. You need to establish your career first to have the confidence to support love. Leaving Beijing means starting over.”

“She never complained that I spent too little time with her. It’s my fault.”

Li Yu smiled. “Aren’t you good enough?”

Others thought he was perfectly fine for Cheng Wanyue, but only he thought he wasn’t good enough.

“Have you thought it through?” Li Yu was an outsider and lacked experience. “I know nothing about love, and I’ve never worried about anyone for a long time, so I can’t give you suitable advice. Qing Hang, I respect your decision and hope you won’t regret it later.”

Qing Hang thought about it every day. He couldn’t tell if he was blinded by jealousy or stimulated by Chi Yue’s childish tricks to the point of being irrational when he said those things to Cheng Wanyue.

Words spoken were like barbed thorns. She was pricked to tears, and he swallowed a mouthful of blood.

Whether he would regret giving up his job opportunity in Beijing was a matter for the future. He only knew that if he didn’t go find Cheng Wanyue, he would definitely regret it.

“I’ve submitted my resume. It might not be worse than in Beijing.”

“Then I wish you get what you wish for.”

Li Yu watched Qing Hang’s receding back, deeply touched. Breaking free from the conventional path for love, regardless of the consequences, was rash, but actually quite cool.

________________________________________

Cheng Wanyue had been in Nanjing for as long as she’d been home; no one could get her to move.

Nuomi had pulled threads from her pajamas. Normally, she would chase Nuomi up and down the stairs to settle the score, but these days she rarely left her room and was always sleeping.

Zhou Yu knocked on the door from outside. Cheng Wanyue responded weakly.

Cheng Yuzhou had moved the projector to her room. She was watching a movie. She’d been watching the same one yesterday and was still watching it today, either too lazy to change it or not really watching at all.

“Wanyue, don’t be unhappy. Have something to eat,” Zhou Yu had asked the auntie at home and knew she had eaten little for lunch. “Mom made you pork rib soup. Smell it, isn’t it especially fragrant?”

“I’m not unhappy,” Cheng Wanyue pulled out a cushion from under her to let Zhou Yu sit.

“Then why aren’t you going out? Meet up with some friends, go dancing, clubbing, or even car racing or shopping. Yanci went on a trip at the beginning of the month; he’s even going to Europe. You could go find him. Anything is better than staying cooped up at home.”

She casually mumbled, “It’s too cold. I feel like I’ll be blown away by the wind if I go out.”

“Ah, is that so?” Zhou Yu feigned surprise. “I thought you were still mad at someone.”

“Who’s always angry? I’m not a punching bag,” Cheng Wanyue was about to explain that she hadn’t been thinking about Qing Hang all this time, but then she turned and saw Zhou Yu trying to hold back a laugh. “Oh, you’re teasing me!”

“Wanyue, Wanyue, don’t lean on me!” Zhou Yu quickly waved a white flag in surrender. “Let me tell you something.”

Cheng Wanyue was half-skeptical. “What?”

Zhou Yu pulled out a check-up slip hidden in her clothes and showed it to her. “I’m pregnant.”

“Really?” Cheng Wanyue almost leaped up. The pregnancy duration was clearly written on the results. “Did I hurt you just now? I’m sorry, I’ll definitely be careful starting today. Ahhh, I’m going to be an aunt! Ayi, I’m so happy!”

She was nervous, quickly helping Zhou Yu up. “Don’t sit on the floor, you might catch a cold.”

“It’s warm in the room, it’s fine.”

“Ayi, am I the first to know?”

“The first.”

“Is Cheng Yuzhou also after me?”

“I haven’t told him yet. I didn’t feel anything myself. I felt a little unwell this morning, so I went to the hospital.”

“When he finds out, he’ll definitely be happier than I am,” Cheng Wanyue looked at the slip several times, still excited. “Now Cheng Yanqing should be anxious. His status is already low, and Cheng Yuzhou will be miles ahead of him this time.”

Zhou Yu saw that her mood had improved, so she coaxed her into drinking a bowl of soup. Cheng Wanyue was so focused on how to surprise Cheng Yuzhou when he came home from work. This vibrant and spirited look was the Cheng Wanyue Zhou Yu was familiar with.

They used to sleep in the same room at night and chat about everything when they couldn’t sleep. Cheng Wanyue rarely mentioned Qing Hang, and it had been the same these past few days.

Qing Hang was always different in her heart.

“Wanyue, if you don’t like Beijing or are unhappy there, stay in Nanjing with us. Uncle often comes for meetings, so it’s easy for him to see you. You can open your own studio. Cheng Yuzhou will have time to look for an office after the New Year, and I’ll help you with the renovation and decoration then.”

“Okay, I don’t want to go to Beijing anymore anyway.”

As soon as Zhou Yu heard Cheng Yuzhou’s voice, Cheng Wanyue had already run to the door. Before opening it, she remembered Zhou Yu was pregnant and ran back to help her, even though it had only been a month and she didn’t need help.

Cheng Wanyue certainly wouldn’t be so unromantic. It was best for Zhou Yu to tell Cheng Yuzhou herself, but since she was the first to know, she had to subtly show off a bit.

As she ran downstairs, before she could even speak, Cheng Yuzhou called out to her first, “Is Wanyue home?”

He clearly saw her.

Cheng Wanyue stretched out her voice lazily, “No.”

Cheng Yuzhou opened the half-closed door and said to the person outside, “She’s here, come in.”

The person who walked into the house was Qing Hang.

Their eyes met, and Cheng Wanyue’s nimble footsteps came to an abrupt halt.