Chapter 1

When Xie Shuyan walked in, I was lying prone on the bed with my butt in the air.

A sales livestreamer’s booming voice blared from my phone: “618¹, shop with passion! Don’t miss out as you pass by!”

“Miss Meng, looking at wigs again?”

The noisy ward instantly quieted down.

A nurse pointed at me. “Professor Xie, this is our newly admitted patient. She’s already signed the consent form.”

The moment Xie Shuyan looked over, I toppled my head down like an upside-down onion, my mind going utterly blank.

Ten years.

People who could have lived out their lives never crossing paths again, suddenly, he had become my attending physician.

And he’d barged in while I was doing abdominal gas-relief exercises.

I could die.

I scrambled upright, adjusting my crooked mask.

Silent as a cicada in winter.

Even though I didn’t meet his eyes, I could still sense that gaze falling on me.

Cold.

Devoid of warmth.

Completely different from the helpless yet gentle look he’d given me back when I got answers wrong.

“Miss Meng, this is the professor of our team, Xie Shuyan. He’s responsible for your treatment plan.”

Eyes darting away, I nodded hurriedly.

Didn’t utter a sound.

Beside me, the intern held the medical file and dutifully began reciting my case history.

“Meng Tingyue, female, 28 years old. Ten years ago, swollen cervical lymph nodes were discovered during a physical exam. Initial diagnosis: non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Further pathological examination revealed–”

“No need to continue.”

“Ah? You know this patient?”

My heart leapt to my throat.

I pretended to be busy fiddling with my phone.

I could feel Xie Shuyan’s gaze settle on my silly sheep-horn hat.

After a moment, his tone was flat: “No, I don’t. The case is just unusual. I reviewed it in advance.”

My phone automatically switched to the shopping page.

The payment countdown began.

Seconds ticked by as I spaced out, not pressing the button for a long time.

The intern dutifully finished reporting the treatment plan. After listening, Xie Shuyan’s tone revealed no emotion.

“Alright, continue with the current treatment. Re-examination tomorrow.”

Then, he moved on to the next patient.

Rounds lasted twenty minutes.

He never looked at me again, not even once before he left.

I shifted my stiff neck, realizing my back was damp with sweat.

The wig I had my eye on–because of the interruption–had long since sold out.

Tsk, what rotten luck.

But the only thing worth celebrating was that Xie Shuyan had long since forgotten about me.

Even when the intern read out my name, he didn’t react at all.

Footnote:

1. 618(618):One of China’s largest mid-year e-commerce shopping festivals, similar to Black Friday or Cyber Monday in Western countries. It typically runs throughout June, culminating on June 18th.