On Standby - Chapter 16

It’s just dating, right? Why are you so excited? Tang Feihuan naturally didn’t associate the “Officer Jiang” Lu Yuqing mentioned with Jiang Mu. After all, there were many people named Jiang, and she didn’t even know if this Officer Jiang was male or female. But what happened next left her speechless.

As Lu Yuqing spoke, she entered the office and noticed Tang Feihuan. After greeting her, she settled into the office chair opposite Lin Ye, propping her chin in her hands and waiting for a response.

“You’re being such a dork,” Lin Ye said without looking up, though a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips, and a hint of amusement sparkled in his clear eyes. He was clearly delighted by this rare display of emotion from Lu Yuqing. They had known each other for sixteen years, from their awkward, naive eighteen-year-old selves to the capable adults they were now, having shared countless experiences. Lu Yuqing was straightforward and assertive, too focused on her studies in her youth to bother with romance. After starting work, she found fault with everyone, dismissing them all as “trash.” Her three blind dates ended abruptly when she scared the men off with her blunt demands.

“I’m busy with work and won’t cling to you like other girls. Can you accept that?”

“When I’m busy, you should take on the household chores. Can you accept that?”

“The child will take my surname when it’s born. Do you accept?”

“Oh, I can help with the child’s homework, but you’ll have to handle most of the daily care. Do you accept?”

Lu Yuqing showed Lin Ye these chat logs, complaining, “Look at what they’re saying! They want kids, preferably two, or even three! As if having children is like laying eggs! And they expect me to spend every holiday at their family’s place? What about my own relatives?”

That’s why her longtime friend had remained single all these years. Now that she had finally taken the initiative to connect with someone, even though she claimed she wasn’t looking for anything serious, Lin Ye sensed that Lu Yuqing was starting to care. Remembering their original agreement, Lin Ye decided to remind her, just in case Jiang Mu didn’t share the same intentions.

Not wanting to see Lu Yuqing invest her heart only to end up empty-handed, Lin Ye sent a WeChat message: “Getting serious?”

Lu Yuqing stared at Lin Ye, surprised that she would send a message instead of talking face-to-face. Realizing Lin Ye was trying to protect her privacy, she replied with a string of ellipses, her eyes twinkling, and said directly, “Not serious at all. Who wouldn’t be happy to be cared for?”

Lin Ye remained skeptical. “Really?”

“It’s strange, though,” Lu Yuqing said, tapping her fingers on the desk. “Jiang Mu goes out of her way to be kind to me, but when I try to reciprocate, she refuses. For example, she’ll order takeout for me, but she won’t let me order for her, always saying she’s on duty.”

Jiang Mu? Tang Feihuan thought, her computer already shut down as she prepared to go home. She usually disliked gossip, but when the subject was Lu Yuqing and someone with the same name, profession, and family connection as her distant relative, she couldn’t resist eavesdropping. She grabbed a patient’s medical record and pretended to be working.

Lin Ye offered an analysis: “She doesn’t want anything in return, just wants to give? Is she just shy?”

Lu Yuqing shrugged. “I don’t understand.” Just as she finished speaking, a gentle knock sounded on the office door. It was Jiang Mu. At 171 cm tall, she had let her long hair down after work. Without her usual baseball cap, she looked older than her actual age.

“Your colleague told me you were in Dr. Lin’s office, so I came to find you.”

“More milk tea? Isn’t that a waste of money?” Lu Yuqing grumbled, but she was already standing up and walking toward Jiang Mu.

“No sugar,” Jiang Mu said, handing Tang Feihuan her milk tea. She then gave another cup to Lin Ye, saying, “Dr. Lin, I wasn’t sure of your preference, so I got you a fruit tea.”

“Thank you, Officer Jiang,” Lin Ye replied, accepting the drink.

Jiang Mu turned to Tang Feihuan and placed the last cup of milk tea on her desk. “Tangtang,” she asked, using Tang Feihuan’s nickname, which Jiang Junli had suggested to avoid sounding too formal. “Is mango pomelo sago okay?”

Finally noticing Tang Feihuan, who had been eavesdropping, Tang Feihuan quickly composed herself, forcing a smile. “It’s perfect, thank you.” The gossip had been so shocking that she was still processing it, so she could only listen silently as Jiang Mu continued, “I wanted to invite your family to dinner, but Third Sister said you and I are about the same age and would probably have more to talk about if it was just us.” Jiang Junli was the third eldest sister, hence Jiang Mu’s reference to her as “Third Sister.”

Tang Feihuan quickly replied, “No need to go to any trouble. The mango pomelo sago is more than enough.” Since their families rarely interacted, she and Jiang Mu weren’t well-acquainted. Moreover, they hadn’t contacted each other since that group dinner, making a private meal potentially awkward.

Though she knew Jiang Mu was simply being polite, reciprocating the gesture.

“Mango pomelo sago is hardly expensive,” Jiang Mu countered.

Lu Yuqing chimed in, “Doctor Tang, you should listen to your elders.”

Tang Feihuan suddenly regretted getting involved in the gossip. If she had left earlier, none of this would have happened. She glanced slightly to her left and caught Lin Ye’s involuntary smile at her discomfiture. Why is he smiling? she wondered. Is it because of Lu Yuqing’s teasing?

Pondering Lin Ye’s thoughts, Tang Feihuan decided to test her theory. She smoothly agreed, “Alright, thank you, Auntie.”

As expected, she clearly saw the smile at the corner of Lin Ye’s lips deepen.

It’s fine, she thought. If making him smile means enduring some teasing, so be it.

Lu Yuqing chatted briefly with Jiang Mu before reluctantly returning to work. Jiang Mu also left the office. The moment they were gone, Tang Feihuan bid farewell to Lin Ye. Starving, she planned to go home and cook the corn and pork dumplings Tang Anhua had made.

In mid-August, the weather remained scorching. Even when still, there wasn’t a hint of breeze, and the wind rushing against her car on the elevated highway felt warm and stifling. Perhaps because she had just witnessed a public display of affection, Tang Feihuan’s heart felt heavy, her mind flooded with sweet memories of her time with Lin Ye.

Yet reality stood in stark contrast. Apart from work, their lives seemed to have no overlap. She hadn’t even run into Lin Ye at the gym, despite her twice-weekly visits.

Is he deliberately avoiding me? Tang Feihuan couldn’t resist asking the gym trainer yesterday. The trainer’s explanation: he’s busy. Busy? So busy he hasn’t been in half a month?

The city lights blurred past as she drove faster than usual tonight, hugging the speed limit. Before eight o’clock, she turned into the alley leading to Shu River University’s north gate. With more pedestrians around the university, she slowed down, eventually stopping inexplicably in front of a convenience store. She emerged carrying four bottles of beer.

Tang Feihuan rarely drank and had a low tolerance; four bottles were her limit, so she bought exactly that. Beer with dumplings, then straight to bed—hopefully, she could forget her troubles and start fresh tomorrow. Back home, she had barely closed the door when Tomato, her dog, greeted her enthusiastically, wagging his tail and rubbing against her legs.

Woof! Woof! Woof!

“Tomato, Teacher Tang already took you out to play today. Now go be a good boy and go to sleep.” Tang Feihuan changed her shoes and dragged her weary body through the dining room into the living room. She grabbed the remote from the sofa and turned on the air conditioner.

Eating heavily after 8 PM is unwise; it’s best to stop at about half-full. So Tang Feihuan tossed five dumplings into the boiling water. After seven minutes, she scooped them out with a slotted spoon into a porcelain bowl, carried it slowly back to the living room, and sat on a small stool in front of the coffee table. They say alcohol eases sorrow, but why does it only make her more lucid? The person’s every smile and frown seemed to float before her eyes, impossible to shake off. After half an hour of torment, two bottles of beer and five dumplings later, Tang Feihuan slowly moved to the balcony with a third bottle.

This small space had been cultivated years ago by two retired professors. The semi-enclosed balcony featured a solid wood desk on the left and a solid wood tea table in the center. Tang Feihuan had recently bought a multifunctional tea set, hoping to occasionally enjoy a cup of tea, even though she usually only drank coffee. She sat cross-legged in the sandalwood armchair before the tea table, cradling the beer bottle and tilting her head back to drink.

This is awful. Tang Feihuan frowned, reached into the left desk drawer, and pulled out several letters. Years ago, she had received four letters from Lin Ye. Overwhelmed with regret, she had tried calling to reconcile, only to find the number disconnected. When she tried messaging him on QQ, she was blocked. Undeterred, she switched to sending registered letters. Lin Ye wrote twelve letters, and she wrote twelve in return. One by one, she mailed them, and one by one, they were returned.

The postal worker explained that Lin Ye’s family address had likely changed, making it impossible to locate him.

They had completely lost contact.

Tang Feihuan’s hand trembled as she held the envelopes. Deep-seated thoughts surged within her, boiling over. Lin Ye was no longer a distant figure in another country; he was right here, within reach. Why shouldn’t she fight for him? Why not try to express her feelings? If she continued to wait silently, remaining stagnant as she had been, their relationship would likely never even reach the level of colleagues in the same department.

In just two years, she would have to return to Cardiothoracic Surgery…

After finishing her third bottle of beer, Tang Feihuan’s heart raced wildly. She grabbed her phone from the floor, opened WeChat, found Lin Ye’s chat window, and typed without hesitation: “Lin Ye, can we talk?” She hit send, her bloodshot eyes fixed on the screen. The “typing” indicator remained stubbornly present.

After what felt like an eternity, just as she was about to give up, a single word appeared in the chat: “Okay.”