A White Cloud (GL ABO) - Chapter 22

It was really strange.

In less than a month since returning, Tomb Cheng saw Shen Zhiqing more often, and the frequency felt even higher than when they were in school.

Back then, she didn’t always get to see Shen Zhiqing regularly.

During her first year of high school, Shen Zhiqing was in her third year, and their classrooms were far apart.

Tomb Cheng could only occasionally “bump into” her after evening study sessions under the school building.

They walked together for a short distance before parting ways at the dorms.

Tomb Cheng lived in the dormitory, but Shen Zhiqing, a day student, went home.

A fancy car picked her up every day, sometimes with a boy around their age inside.

When Tomb Cheng was in her second year, Shen Zhiqing went to Huajing Medical University, and they saw each other even less.

On the day Tomb Cheng confessed her feelings, Shen Zhiqing took two seconds to recall who she was.

Later on…

Tomb Cheng returned home quietly, careful not to wake Xu Yiyi.

After leaving Xu Yiyi’s room, she noticed the white cat standing at her doorstep, wagging its tail at her.

“Meow~”

The clever Ragdoll cat, with its bright gray-blue eyes and a black tail held high, looked well-groomed. Its white fur appeared spotless.

Animals understand human nature.

The cat, seeing that Tomb Cheng didn’t shoo it away, wandered freely around the house, occasionally twitching its ears, which, like its tail, had black patterns.

“Meow~” The cat called toward the door.

Tomb Cheng looked up and saw Shen Zhiqing.

The Ragdoll cat ran to its owner’s feet in a few steps.

“Meow~”

For Shen Zhiqing, who brought it home, the clingy cat began to recognize her as its owner.

It circled around her, then scratched at her slippers.

“Tomb Cheng, can we talk?” Shen Zhiqing asked.

Yesterday, their conversation ended abruptly when Shen Zhiqing’s rationality collapsed.

She used her pheromones to keep Tomb Cheng there again.

Tomb Cheng had no resistance to her or to perfectly matched pheromones.

Alphas could never resist the allure of highly compatible Omega pheromones.

But now, aside from pheromones, Shen Zhiqing couldn’t think of any reason to make Tomb Cheng stay.

She needed Tomb Cheng not to avoid her.

Tomb Cheng, worried that Xu Yiyi might not sleep soundly, chose the living room for their talk.

The house felt more lively than last time, thanks to a small flower Tomb Cheng placed on the dining table.

The Ragdoll cat stayed close to its owner, its swaying tail occasionally brushing against Shen Zhiqing’s skin.

Shen Zhiqing reached out to scratch its chin.

Tomb Cheng poured her a glass of water and sat across from her.

“Have you named it yet?” she asked.

“Not yet,” Shen Zhiqing replied.

The little cat comfortably rolled over, exposing its belly.

Tomb Cheng nodded and took a sip of water.

Shen Zhiqing stroked its fur a few times.

“Kids are harder to raise than pets,” she said.

Tomb Cheng didn’t respond.

“Kids need their mom more than pets do,” Shen Zhiqing continued.

“She has a mom,” Tomb Cheng said, placing the glass on the table.

Shen Zhiqing nodded, as if agreeing, and looked into her eyes.

“Would two moms be better?” she asked.

“Her situation is different from other kids.

She needs to understand and accept the world,” Shen Zhiqing added.

Tomb Cheng stayed silent, and Shen Zhiqing went on.

“She needs understanding and acceptance, not pity or sympathy. She needs companionship and someone to listen, not conformity or perfunctory responses,” Shen Zhiqing said.

“As a doctor and an observer, I can rationally analyze Xu Yiyi’s situation. Right now, aside from you, she rejects and guards against everything else,” Shen Zhiqing explained.

Despite meeting Shen Zhiqing many times at the hospital, Xu Yiyi didn’t behave like other children who showed signs of improvement.

During every consultation, she only talked about Tomb Cheng and ignored or rejected everything else.

Such a child struggled to heal and couldn’t recover on her own.

Tomb Cheng knew why Xu Yiyi only felt safe with her but chose not to say it aloud.

Seeing Tomb Cheng’s softened stance, Shen Zhiqing spoke again. “Or… do you have someone more suitable in mind?” she asked.

As she spoke, her fingertips trembled slightly, her eyelashes fluttered, and her voice carried a faint trace of disappointment.

Thinking about the scene at the tea restaurant made her feel suffocated.

Zhiman was indeed an outstanding person.

Even someone as rigid and upright as Yuan Jin fell for her.

Shen Zhiqing didn’t believe Yuan Jin and Zhiman could truly separate, given Yuan Jin’s immense care and indulgence toward Zhiman.

But what if Zhiman didn’t want that?

What if Zhiman had a hero complex?

Tomb Cheng saved more than just Shen Zhiqing back then.

And after that, Zhiman and Tomb Cheng stayed in touch.

Tomb Cheng didn’t even give Shen Zhiqing a glimmer of hope!

Thinking about it made Shen Zhiqing feel overwhelmingly bitter, but Tomb Cheng’s words reassured her.

“No,” Tomb Cheng said.

Yes, there was no one.

Tomb Cheng thought for a moment. “There’s no one more suitable than you, Senior,” she said.

At the hospital, Shen Zhiqing was Xu Yiyi’s primary doctor.

At home, she was the neighbor across the hall.

A close neighbor was better than a distant relative.

Tomb Cheng originally planned to gradually let Xu Yiyi adapt to life here before letting go, but as Shen Zhiqing said, Xu Yiyi’s current state made it uncertain when she would accept the world.

Xu Yiyi was a “child of the stars,” perhaps dim now, but one day, this star would shine its small light in the universe.

“You’re a doctor, Senior. Following the doctor’s orders is the right thing,” Tomb Cheng said, glancing at Xu Yiyi’s room.

She spoke softly, as if a slightly louder voice might disturb the person inside.

Indeed, lonely, sensitive, and fragile people struggled to fall into restful sleep.

Tomb Cheng turned back and continued, “So I want to ask, Senior, is this suggestion free of personal motives?” she asked.

Shen Zhiqing, of course, had selfish motives.

Her hesitation was the best answer.

This response actually relieved Tomb Cheng.

She smiled, and her words surprised Shen Zhiqing.

“Alright, I understand. I agree with your opinion, Senior,” she said.

In recent entanglements with Shen Zhiqing, Tomb Cheng realized she had almost no self-control when facing her.

She couldn’t refuse Shen Zhiqing or the beauty of their past.

“Then should I call you Dr. Shen from now on, Senior?” Tomb Cheng asked.

Shen Zhiqing wanted to say it wasn’t necessary, but then she realized Tomb Cheng likely didn’t want Xu Yiyi to know about their other connections.

She was instinctively protecting the child.

“Okay,” Shen Zhiqing agreed.

A few days later, during Xu Yiyi’s follow-up visit, Shen Zhiqing asked her a new question.

“Yiyi, if you could name Mom’s flower, what would you call it?” she asked.

Xu Yiyi put down her paintbrush, its tip poking a hole in the paper.

Shen Zhiqing picked up a small watering can and watered the succulent on the table.

Outside the office, Tomb Cheng sat on a bench, gripping her hands.

Nearby, a nurse led patients in morning exercises, with soothing music echoing in the hallway, notes dancing at everyone’s toes.

After a long time, Xu Yiyi finally spoke from inside the office.

“Bread,” she said.