On Standby - Chapter 12

Lin Ye loved reading, devouring both classic Chinese and foreign literature. He also made time to watch film adaptations of these literary masterpieces in the cinema.

Alice in Wonderland was precisely the film he had recommended to Tang Feihuan, so she naturally understood the unspoken meaning behind his words. But at the time, she had feigned ignorance, wanting him to confess more directly. She shook her head slyly and replied, “I don’t know.”

A brief silence hung in the air before Lin Ye’s gentle voice whispered in her ear. His words were soft, tinged with amusement and a captivating, languid tenderness.

“Because… I like you. No reason needed.”

The letter slipped silently from her grasp. The sweeter the memory, the deeper Tang Feihuan’s regret now burned. Curled up in the corner of her large bed, she lowered her gaze, her chest trembling as she let tears soak the pillow she clutched.

The next day was a day off, so Tang Feihuan didn’t set an alarm. By the time she woke up, it was already noon. She carefully folded the letter and placed it neatly in the iron box. Typically, domestic letters sent abroad could be mailed via international surface mail or international registered airmail. Registered mail was relatively secure, allowing senders to track their letters, but all the letters Tang Feihuan had received were sent via surface mail.

It was only after the tenant in the adjacent room moved out that she opened the shared mailbox and found these four letters.

No wonder Lin Ye occasionally asked if she had received any letters. If only she had paid more attention back then…

For lunch, she settled for three slices of whole-wheat bread and a bottle of yogurt. After reviewing surgical videos from two leading domestic surgeons, Tang Feihuan, who had resolved the night before not to give up, left the house with the hopeful thought of exercising with Lin Ye.

Two hours later, she returned home to find Lin Ye absent. Assuming he was deliberately avoiding her, Tang Feihuan’s spirits plummeted. She could only numb herself by continuing to watch surgical videos. Fortunately, Lin Ye gave her a much-needed boost at dinner time. He posted a document in the work group, saying, “Here are my notes from the Emergency Medicine Academic Conference I attended over the weekend. Feel free to take a look if you’re interested.”

Tang Feihuan was the first to reply: “Received!” Her eagerness seemed almost like currying favor with a superior.

Lin Ye didn’t say anything further, but Tang Feihuan’s icy mood suddenly thawed thanks to the document.

Doctors typically spend their days off in training, meetings, and self-study. Tang Feihuan, who practically lived for work, arrived at the hospital early as usual. Lin Ye, who left home two minutes later, drove and entered the locker room a minute before her.

Tang Feihuan knocked but heard no response. She twisted the doorknob and stepped inside. After taking only two steps, she spotted someone standing before the lockers. The figure had long hair draped over their shoulders, a slender yet upright frame, and a plain chiffon blouse half-undone, accentuating the porcelain-white skin at the nape of their neck.

The familiar silhouette froze Tang Feihuan in place, her breath catching in her throat. Her heart pounded so violently that her ears rang. Afraid to linger, she quickly averted her gaze and turned to leave. Just then, a colleague from Group Three pushed open the door, swiped their card to retrieve a scrub suit, and noticed Tang Feihuan’s flushed cheeks. “Doctor Tang, are you feeling unwell?” she asked with concern.

Tang Feihuan stammered, making up an excuse: “Ugh, it’s just the heat.”

The female doctor walked toward her own locker, glancing at the scrub suit draped over Tang Feihuan’s arm. “Not changing?” she asked casually. Her peripheral vision caught sight of Lin Ye in the corner, and she instantly understood. Smiling, she added, “Doctor Tang, we’re all women here. What’s there to be shy about?”

As soon as the words left her lips, Tang Feihuan felt her face burning even hotter. She forced herself to remain calm, offering a dismissive smile. “No, no.” Closing her eyes, she took two steps toward Lin Ye, pulled out her key, and unlocked her locker without looking.

The two women stood less than a meter apart. Tang Feihuan, flustered, stared blankly at the white coat hanging inside the locker. The female doctors from Group Three changed swiftly and left the locker room, but Lin Ye, who had entered first, remained motionless.

Why isn’t she leaving? Could she be as nervous as I am?

The sudden speculation coiled like a seductive serpent in Tang Feihuan’s chest, compelling her to turn her head. Her gaze unexpectedly collided with Lin Ye’s eyes—those eyes she had longed for day and night.

She’s looking at me too?

Their eyes met, and Tang Feihuan suddenly remembered that night in July 2010, the night before she left the country. A familiar warmth began to spread through her chest.

Back then, the hospital’s residency program was still in its infancy. After graduating with her master’s degree, Lin Ye had stayed on as a Resident Physician in the Emergency Department at the Second Affiliated Hospital. Her schedule consisted of three day shifts, two night shifts, one day off, and one 24-hour on-call shift per week. On July 19th, though it was a day shift, Tang Feihuan had called her close to midnight.

“My flight leaves at 8 a.m. tomorrow.”

“I’ll see you off.”

“But Teacher Tang will be there.”

“I’ll just watch from a distance.”

“What about now? Do you want to see me?”

“What?” The sound of running water made it hard for Lin Ye to hear.

“Are you showering?” Tang Feihuan confirmed her parents were asleep and snuck out late at night. Now standing outside Lin Ye’s rented apartment, she used the key Lin Ye had given her to unlock the door.

“Mm-hmm.” The apartment was a studio with an attached bathroom. Perhaps hearing the noise outside, or perhaps through some unspoken connection, Lin Ye turned off the water, draped a towel from the sink over her shoulders, and stepped out of the bathroom.

“Guess who’s here…” Tang Feihuan closed the door and turned around, but the words died on her lips at the sight before her.

Lin Ye met her gaze, her eyes soft as water, filled with undisguised joy and the reluctance of impending separation.

Tang Feihuan stared fixedly into those eyes, not looking away for even a moment. Though the towel only partially covered her, Lin Ye’s shapely figure was unmistakable in the damp air.

“Tangtang,” Lin Ye murmured, her cheeks flushed from the shower. She called Tang Feihuan by her nickname and kissed her slightly warm lips.

They had first tasted the forbidden fruit two years ago, on Tang Feihuan’s 20th birthday. By now, she shouldn’t have been so inexperienced. Yet, as the person before her kissed her, their tongues intertwined in a passionate dance, their fervent love boiling over. At first, she responded cautiously, but gradually, sensing the other’s reluctance to part, she lifted her hand to cradle Lin Ye’s nape, urging her to deepen the kiss, their lips and teeth entwined.

They stumbled onto the plush double sofa, Tang Feihuan leaning down to peck at her eyes, her nose; to gently bite her chin, her collarbone; to chase kisses down her sensitive ear, her flawless white neck…

Inch by inch, tender kisses bloomed across her flushed skin, lingering in the misty depths of her secret garden.

The bath towel loosened, Tang Feihuan’s left hand instinctively caressing her slender waist. Lin Ye responded with soft gasps, her fingers impatiently threading through Tang Feihuan’s long hair.

That night, they seemed to have endless unspoken desires, possessing each other, entwining, again and again…

“Doctor Tang, after your shift, a patient will be transferred from general internal medicine. You’ll be responsible for admission.” Lin Ye’s voice suddenly cut through the air like a sharp sword, severing her inappropriate thoughts.

Tang Feihuan snapped back to reality, her throat still dry. As she listened to Lin Ye’s retreating footsteps, she turned to look at herself in the mirror.

A face flushed crimson, as if dripping with fresh bl00d.