A Moment Too Late (GL) - Chapter 53

In the evening, only a rough outline was sketched.

Under the light, Shu Yubai was drawing Nan Xue, who was sitting quietly in front of her. On the paper, the outline of a slender and radiant girl began to take shape. The pencil moved lightly, creating clean lines for hair, shoulders, waist, and long legs.

Painting is a slow and meticulous process.

Shu Yubai looked at the painting, feeling that it wasn’t quite capturing the essence yet. The subject was like a flower blooming in the snow—pure and delicate, but the painting still felt a bit off.

Would adding color improve it?

“What’s wrong, sister?” Nan Xue asked.

Shu Yubai frowned, holding the sketch paper under the light and scrutinizing it.

This was just a preliminary draft; the final piece would be much larger. Right now, it was about finding the right feel. Even at this stage, Shu Yubai found it challenging.

How to express it?

Nan Xue sat on the opposite stool, seeming hesitant to move, her back straight.

Shu Yubai smiled and said, “Rest for a while. We’ll leave it at this for today.”

Nan Xue nodded, standing up from the stool and moving closer to look at the portrait.

“It looks nice,” she said.

Shu Yubai smiled, “Are you praising me, or yourself?”

Nan Xue’s eyes sparkled, “You.”

Shu Yubai couldn’t help but laugh and handed the painting to her, taking a break. She set down her pencil, ready to continue the next day.

It was almost time for bed. As Nan Xue left, she quietly reminded Shu Yubai, “Sister, remember the reward when you finish all the paintings.”

Then she opened the door and left.

Shu Yubai wondered what kind of reward Nan Xue had in mind. She couldn’t figure it out, but it made her feel a bit more hopeful.

What was she looking forward to?

She couldn’t say, but with that thought, she fell asleep, dreaming of bright eyes like stars, with a hint of a barely perceptible smile.

Upon waking, her heart felt full and slightly buoyant.

Sweet, yet with a touch of wistfulness.

••••

The next morning.

Several people were gathered for breakfast in a glass-walled dining room overlooking a green lawn and a small garden. Shu Yubai sat next to Nan Xue. Her phone was on the table between their plates.

A notification popped up on Shu Yubai’s phone: [It’s been a week.]

Shu Yubai’s phone screen lit up with a message from Tang Ruoyan.

“A week?” Shu Yubai wondered what it meant.

She picked up her phone and read the message: [It’s time for a follow-up.]

Shu Yubai smiled and replied, [Okay, thank you.]

Nan Xue noticed her smile, her fingers tightening slightly as she quietly drank her porridge and took a small bite of a bun.

A week of dating? Being together for a week?

None of it seemed right.

What was it? Nan Xue wanted to ask but swallowed her words.

Shu Yubai quickly finished her breakfast, said goodbye to Ying Ran, and left.

“Sister, where are you going?” Nan Xue asked, her bowl still containing an uneaten bun. She watched Shu Yubai’s retreating figure, her dark eyes hiding some emotion.

Shu Yubai slung her bag over her shoulder and said, “I’m going to Dr. Tang.”

She wore a beige cardigan and her long black hair fell to her waist. Her slim, smooth legs looked elegant. Before leaving, she checked her reflection in the glass.

••••

The car drove down a long asphalt road, turned a corner, and arrived at a familiar street corner.

Under the old residential complex, a traditional Chinese medicine shop glowed with a faint yellow light.

“We’re here. Take care,” the driver said, pulling over.

Shu Yubai glanced at the wooden sign at the entrance through the car window and got out.

As she approached, a young girl at the door recognized Shu Yubai and smiled, “Please come in. Dr. Tang is inside.” Shu Yubai had been here before. The girl, recognizing her, remembered her well.

Shu Yubai walked through the lobby and saw a nameplate and qualifications for Tang Ruoyan on the door to the right. She knocked gently, and a pleasant female voice from inside said, “Come in.”

Tang Ruoyan was sitting at her desk, which was neatly arranged with a stack of medical books. There was an enamel cup on the corner of the desk, containing a few red goji berries, steaming gently.

She bowed her head, scribbling on a medical record.

In the room, besides her, there was also a patient—a rather elderly woman with all white hair neatly styled, hunched over, looking at her and asking, “Doctor, will my back pain get better?”

“It will.”

Tang Ruoyan didn’t even look up, “Just follow my instructions, and it will get better.”

The old lady smiled, her sparse teeth showing. She turned to Shu Yubai and said with a smile, “I’ve heard that Dr. Tang is highly skilled.”

She gave a thumbs-up.

Shu Yubai smiled and said, “That’s for sure.”

The old lady looked at her, “What’s wrong with you, young lady? You’re so young, but your health isn’t good.”

Shu Yubai extended her hand, looking at it under the incandescent light, “My hand hurts; I can’t exert force.”

“Hand pain?”

“Yes, it’s been a while. It’s hard to treat, and surgery has a high risk.”

“Oh.”

The old lady nodded, “That’s troublesome and hard to treat.”

“It’s treatable.”

Tang Ruoyan looked up and smiled at Shu Yubai, “It’s treatable if you listen to me.”

She then lowered her head and continued writing a prescription.

Her skin was very white and delicate. Perhaps because she was a doctor, she knew how to maintain her health. Wearing a white coat, she sat there, her slender fingers moving gently as she wrote the prescription. The thin-rimmed glasses on her nose added to her scholarly appearance.

She looked up and noticed Shu Yubai watching her, smiling for a moment.

“Here.”

She tore off the prescription and handed it to the old lady, “Remember to take it every day. Don’t miss a dose.”

“Thank you, doctor.”

The old lady turned, using her cane to leave.

“It’s been quite busy these days.”

Tang Ruoyan smiled, “It seems like there are more patients when the seasons change.”

“Yes.”

Shu Yubai sat down in front of her desk.

“How does it feel?” Tang Ruoyan asked, “Extend your hand.”

Shu Yubai rolled up her sleeve and placed her hand on the desk. Tang Ruoyan’s cool fingers touched her wrist to take her pulse.

Few young girls become traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.

Traditional Chinese medicine often gives the impression that all doctors are elderly, so Tang Ruoyan, being young and good-looking, sometimes seemed less “professional.”

However, professionalism isn’t related to appearance.

“Hmm.”

Tang Ruoyan said, “It’s better.”

She looked up at Shu Yubai and asked, “Are you willing to try acupuncture?”

Acupuncture again… Shu Yubai’s face paled for a moment, but she remembered Tang Ruoyan’s words, “It’s treatable if you listen to me,” and hesitated, considering whether to give it a try.

“Does acupuncture hurt?”

She was a bit nervous.

Tang Ruoyan’s red lips curved into a smile as she said, “Are you afraid of pain?”

“Not too bad…”

Shu Yubai lowered her head, her long black hair falling to her waist, her white fingers curling together. The thought of needles was frightening; Shu Yubai looked at her hand and sighed, realizing being ill wasn’t pleasant.

“It’s not very painful.” Tang Ruoyan thought for a moment and described, “It’s like an ant bite, very light.”

Shu Yubai was still hesitating. Tang Ruoyan looked at her and said, “Don’t worry; it definitely won’t hurt as much as your hand does when it flares up. Don’t be afraid. We’ll take it slowly; it might get better.”

“Indeed.”

Shu Yubai made up her mind, “Let’s give it a try.”

Tang Ruoyan got up to retrieve the materials from outside. Shu Yubai followed her to see.

In the store, there was a tall wooden cabinet against the wall, with a brown varnished surface and small drawers with bronze locks. Shu Yubai followed Tang Ruoyan to look. Each drawer was labeled with the names of medicinal herbs: peony, coptis, yellow bamboo… She examined each one, catching a faint, refreshing fragrance.

Opposite the wooden cabinet was a small drawer from which Tang Ruoyan took out a row of silver needles.

Shu Yubai glanced and exclaimed, “They’re so long?”

The needles were thin, about ten centimeters long. Tang Ruoyan, wearing white gloves, held a bunch of fine needles with a calm expression, indicating she was quite experienced.

“These are called moxibustion needles.”

Tang Ruoyan said, “I’ll use these on you later. Don’t be afraid; it won’t hurt.”

Won’t hurt…

The cluster of needles gleamed coldly.

It really doesn’t look like it won’t hurt.

Next to Tang Ruoyan’s desk was a light-colored fabric curtain. When she pulled it open, there was a hospital bed. She led Shu Yubai over and said, “Sit down. I’ll go get the things.”

Silver needles, gauze for cleaning the skin…

She left the room and searched for a moment in the hall, asking the girl at the door, “Where’s the gauze?” The girl came over to help look, but they couldn’t find any. There had been many patients recently, so it might have been used up.

“I need to buy some gauze.”

Tang Ruoyan entered the room, took off her white coat and placed it on the chair, and told Shu Yubai.

“I’ll come with you.”

With nothing else to do here, Shu Yubai stood up and followed her out.

Outside the shop, there was a pharmacy diagonally across the street. It was slightly chilly, so Shu Yubai tightened her coat. Tang Ruoyan glanced at her, her red lips curving into a smile as she gently pushed aside Shu Yubai’s long hair.

“I used to like long hair too.”

“Especially like yours, so smooth and soft.”

Shu Yubai smiled with her lips curved up. The cold wind made her snow-white cheeks take on a faint pink hue.

She had a unique charm, especially when she smiled. With her head lowered, her long eyelashes curled up one by one, her red lips lightly curved, her shyness mixed with a hint of sweetness.

“Who is the person you like?”

Tang Ruoyan, curious, asked, “What kind of girl is she?”

What kind of girl is she?

How to describe her?

Shu Yubai slowly recalled moments with Nan Xue. She remembered her bright eyes, sometimes smiling, her lips full like ripe fruit, smooth and soft. Her hands…

Shu Yubai lowered her gaze, a faint, elusive smile at the corner of her lips. Her long black hair fluttered in the wind. Her expression seemed to be reminiscing about someone, a bittersweet sweetness.

“She… is hard to describe.”

“She’s taller than me and seems very aloof, but her personality is actually quite childish… very cute.”

“Is she pretty?” Tang Ruoyan asked.

“Yes.”

Shu Yubai nodded again, “I thought she was pretty when I first met her.”

The most terrifying kind of love is love at first sight—one glance and you can never escape.

Tang Ruoyan pressed her lips together and smiled, lightly patting Shu Yubai’s shoulder. But for a moment, it felt like someone’s gaze fell on her.

She withdrew her hand and looked back.

Behind her was an old but tidy street. On a winter afternoon, people were bundled up in thick coats, their necks drawn in, hurrying along. A few bicycles passed by, ringing their bells as they went off into the distance.

She saw nothing.

Tang Ruoyan: “…”

It must have been an illusion.