Past

After hanging up, the two of them ate and washed up separately. Xu Yaqing didn’t bring up what had happened earlier again; after all, prying into someone’s privacy like that wasn’t something she could do without finding the right moment.

“Do you mind if I post your flower ball on the website?” Xu Yaqing asked, lifting her camera.

“Go ahead.” Wei Yin leaned over to look at the screen. “You can still get a clear shot this close?”

“Macro lens.” Xu Yaqing introduced the camera’s various buttons and functions to her. “You can try it.”

After adjusting the white balance, Xu Yaqing handed the camera over. Wei Yin took a few photos and somehow picked it up instinctively; her compositions even looked pretty good.

“You really do have some artistic talent,” Xu Yaqing said. “My cousin used to keep saying you should study art.”

Wei Yin’s eyes curved. “Dr. Hua said that to me too.”

“Then why didn’t you study art instead of nursing?” Xu Yaqing asked curiously.

Wei Yin fiddled with the camera and said casually, “Art costs money. My mom already worked hard enough. If I could take the academic track, why would I go study art?”

Xu Yaqing felt a little uncomfortable hearing that. She could tell Wei Yin really liked tinkering with this sort of thing; she had both talent and interest, yet because her family situation wasn’t good, she chose the academic track instead. And Wei Yin’s grades were decent too, or she wouldn’t have gotten into Q University.

Back when Xu Yaqing had wanted to learn painting, her family had immediately found all sorts of masters who didn’t take apprentices. They bought her the best materials, and if she didn’t want to go to class, there were always plenty of people coaxing her and taking care of her feelings at every turn.

Compared like that, Wei Yin could be said to have had nothing.

No wonder Hua Yu felt so sorry for her.

If it were Xu Yaqing, and the person she liked had once lived like that, while being so sensible all the time, she would feel awful too; she’d want to love them more.

“Fine, let’s use these few,” Xu Yaqing said, tamping down her emotions and forcing out a smile as she changed the subject. “My studio has an account on social media. There aren’t many followers, and it hasn’t been updated in a long time, so I’m going to bring it back to life.”

Wei Yin didn’t play with that stuff. “Anything’s fine.”

“Not sure there are any followers left,” Xu Yaqing said. “Do you have a Weibo account? I’ll tag you.”

Wei Yin shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“How could you not? You don’t follow the gossip in college?” Xu Yaqing said, looking unconvinced.

Wei Yin scratched her head. “I guess I do? Is it registered with my phone account? I’ll log in and see.”

Wei Yin wasn’t sure whether she had a Weibo account; she hadn’t even downloaded Weibo on her phone.

Under Xu Yaqing’s watchful gaze, Wei Yin downloaded Weibo, entered her account, and filled in the verification code.

She logged in successfully.

“There you go, see?” Xu Yaqing patted her shoulder. “Hurry up and follow me. ‘Yayu Studio.’ I’ve already drafted my post.”

Wei Yin fumbled around for a bit and successfully followed the account.

“Alright, today’s task is complete.” Xu Yaqing was satisfied. Yawning, she headed into the room. “I haven’t properly gotten lost in a painting like that in ages. So tiring. I’m going to rest. You should go to sleep early too.”

Wei Yin was the same; she hadn’t focused on kneading clay for a long time, and her skills had gotten rusty. It had been mentally and physically exhausting, and now she felt tired too.

Wei Yin went back to her room. She didn’t turn on the main light, just leaned against the bed and occupied a small corner of it.

The light reflected from her phone screen fell across her face. Wei Yin opened her Weibo homepage, and there were actually over a hundred posts inside.

She had kept diaries since she was little; anything even slightly important she would record. She also kept cloud-synced notes on a drive, and made her own “responsibility lists,” such as what she needed to do in the coming week, the coming half year, the coming year. So even though she had lost memories of the past few years, she could quickly settle into her current life.

Especially after being hospitalized, when Hua Yu asked about her romantic history. Wei Yin hadn’t originally been interested in the few years she’d lost, but when Hua Yu brought it up, she started wanting to dig into her own past.

Only then did she find her own “life plan notebook.” The section about dating had over a thousand words in it, most of them just fangirling with no real progress, so later she confirmed that she had never been in a relationship.

Wei Yin didn’t think there was anything in her past worth remembering. She hadn’t lost her memories of her mother either; everyone else was irrelevant.

But seeing her college life all of a sudden still gave her a strange, distant sense of curiosity.

It was like looking at another person’s life, except you knew clearly that it belonged to you.

【Saved an omega today. At the freshmen’s welcome party, some alpha didn’t control themselves and induced someone else into heat. I’m sick of these alphas, so confident and smug and going around triggering heats everywhere】

【Work, work, work; heartless boss, I deserve a break, I even deserve to lie like a corpse at the head of your bed, get lost, I’m not serving you】

Wei Yin was trying so hard not to laugh that her face turned red.

No wonder they always said, “The me on Weibo isn’t the real me.” So all the anger she’d bottled up had been vented here.

Scrolling farther down, Wei Yin saw that she hadn’t only complained; she also reposted social hot topics, and the more outrageous the story, the angrier she got.

【Why don’t you ask King Yama when you’re going to kick the bucket and how many layers of hell you’ll land in next: /some alpha asks in a lawyer’s livestream how to make his omega, who gave birth and raised children without a single fault, leave with nothing/】

【Whoever wants this disgusting gland can take it; looking at something so unlucky first thing in the morning: /an alpha loses their gland and becomes a beta, can’t take it and jumps off a building, only to be saved by an alpha who’s secretly loved them for years, and the two embrace for love/】

Of course, there were also plenty of posts expressing admiration for beauty and praising medical workers.

【A career shapes a life. Doctors can easily become good people because society as a whole demands that they be good people, so I hope everyone stays calm when there are conflicts between doctors and patients, and works hard to find a way to treat the disease. We’re all doing our best】

Wei Yin hadn’t expected that she had such a naive and innocent side in college.

Of course, that didn’t mean medical staff were bad. She studied nursing herself, so naturally she stood on that side.

But she also had another identity: patient. Especially after entering society, with poor health and money hard to come by, it was easy to end up in a hospital only to lose both money and life.

For ordinary people like them, money was life. Hospitals demanded money to keep you alive; once they couldn’t cure you, it was hard for patients to accept it.

But that was unavoidable. Medical resources were uneven, and doctors’ skill levels varied; not everyone could get the best solution to their illness.

Especially for someone like her, who had been lucky enough to meet Dr. Hua; that was like meeting a benefactor who had given her a new life.

Wei Yin typed out some text and edited a Weibo post.

【I hope our country grows stronger and richer.】

When the national treasury is full one day, with free medical care for everyone, all of this should be solved.

Wei Yin looked forward to that day very much.

Continuing to scroll, she saw a few posts where she’d been fangirling.

【Aaaah I just saw a beautiful older sister with amazing looks and an incredible figure, I’m in love aaaahhhh】

【That pretty girl talked to me today, hehehehehe】

Wei Yin pursed her lips, disgusted with how useless she’d been. “How pretty could she possibly be?”

At the same time, Hua Yu’s face surfaced in her mind.

If it were Hua Yu like that… hss, well, it wasn’t impossible to fangirl a little.

Thinking about it, Wei Yin started yawning and fell asleep without realizing it.

Her phone gave a ding. It was a Weibo like notification, sounding in the middle of the night, but no one heard it.

-

The next day, Wei Yin got up and opened the refrigerator, planning to make breakfast.

The door rang, and Xu Yaqing came in carrying a pile of breakfast.

“Come get it,” Xu Yaqing said, kicking the door shut with her heel. “Your breakfast.”

Wei Yin glanced at the time. Seven in the morning. She hadn’t gotten up too late, had she?

“Don’t look at me like that,” Xu Yaqing said listlessly, yawning. “Normal young people like us don’t like getting up early.”

Wei Yin held back a laugh and said, “Oh.”

She helped carry the food to the table. Inside were several neatly stacked lunch boxes and two drinks.

Wei Yin found them familiar and looked at them a few times. “These are Dr. Hua’s lunch boxes.”

Xu Yaqing took chopsticks from the kitchen and put the lunch boxes into the microwave. “Yeah. She made me go downstairs to get them early this morning. The bottom lunch box is yours; the ones above are mine.”

Wei Yin trotted over to the window and looked down.

“Stop looking,” Xu Yaqing said as the microwave beeped. She took her portion out and started eating. “A delivery rider brought it. She has work; how would she have time to bring breakfast herself?”

Wei Yin rested against the window and tilted her head toward the distance. “Right. She’s so busy, and she still has to get up to make breakfast.”

Wei Yin returned to the table and carefully opened her lunch box, eating bite by bite.

The more she ate, the more familiar the taste became.

Wei Yin thought of the meals she’d eaten during those days in the hospital. The texture and preparation were strikingly similar.

Especially this drink, the turmeric-cinnamon milk coffee. Wei Yin had never tasted anything like it outside.

In an instant, those sluggish, disconnected scenes linked together.

Dr. Hua really had been making every meal for her by hand the whole time.

The faint expectations and guesses in her heart became reality at this moment.

“After breakfast, we’ll get to work. Do you mind if I livestream?” Xu Yaqing asked.

Wei Yin was still immersed in the emotion of Hua Yu making food for her and said offhandedly, “Anything’s fine.”

As she ate, Xu Yaqing was thinking about what she needed to do today. She had always wanted to get the studio running properly, but she didn’t have any like-minded friends, and her family had never allowed her to work in art. They kept urging her to marry, to inherit the family business, and even cut off her bank card, forcing her to come out and work.

Thankfully, there was Wei Yin, so she could at least get her fix.

Xu Yaqing spat out a small bone and said disgustedly, “This food is so bad.”

“No, it isn’t.” Wei Yin defended it without hesitation. “I think it’s really good.”

“Let me see yours.” Xu Yaqing pulled Wei Yin’s lunch box over and glanced at it, instantly speechless. “Do you have to be this special?”

Xu Yaqing was eating frozen buns, while Wei Yin had a fully handmade, nutritionally balanced Chinese breakfast.

Wei Yin got the better end of the deal and still acted coy. “Dr. Hua is too busy. I can eat frozen buns too.”

Xu Yaqing reached to grab the lunch box. “Then give me yours!”

Wei Yin swiftly pulled it back into her arms.

Xu Yaqing pointed at her. “Wei Xiaoyin!”

Wei Yin stuffed the last bite into her mouth. “When are we going to the studio?”

Xu Yaqing rolled her eyes. “Soon.”

By the time Xu Yaqing had eaten enough, she stood up to clean up. “Wait here. I’ll look for the livestream equipment. No idea whether it’s all still there.”

While waiting, Wei Yin started doing gland care exercises; beginning with her arms, she massaged the area around her gland, then sprayed her whole body with pheromone deodorizer and stuck a barrier patch on the back of her neck to protect herself from alpha pheromone impact.

If Dr. Hua took such good care of her, Wei Yin couldn’t slack off either.

Protect your gland; start with yourself. Oh yeah.

-

At the hospital on the other side, Liu Cong had fainted at her workstation from working continuously, and the differentiation department was in chaos. Hua Yu temporarily took over Liu Cong’s patients, and her workload suddenly increased.

“Dr. Zhang is on the way back from a business trip; he’ll be back at the hospital tomorrow,” Yang Cha said, jogging after Hua Yu. “No special situations today. Aside from Zhao Qi, who needs close monitoring, the other patients are all stable.”

The ward Hua Yu was heading to was Zhao Qi’s.

There weren’t many doctors in the department, and Dr. Zhang was also one of Hua Yu’s doctors. Once he came back, there would be one more person to share Liu Cong’s workload, but Hua Yu had never been used to relying on others. Even when only helping out, she would carefully and thoroughly review all the patients’ charts, not slacking for a single day.

“I don’t want to eat,” Zhao Qi’s weak voice came from the ward as she turned her head away in grievance. “I don’t want anything. Stop feeding me.”

Hua Yu knocked and walked in. “How are you feeling today?”

“It’s you.” Zhao Qi struggled to sit up. She seemed fairly alert. “I remember you.”

Zhao’s mother hurried to help her sit properly, tucking a pillow behind her back.

Zhao Qi still stared at Hua Yu. “You’re Sister Wei Yin’s girlfriend.”

Hua Yu’s expression didn’t change. She opened the notebook in her hand. “Let’s talk, little Zhao Qi.”

“Sister Wei Yin’s illness is pretty much the same as mine,” Zhao Qi said anxiously. “Did she come see me yesterday? How is she doing?”

“Where is she now?” Hua Yu asked instead of answering.

Zhao Qi froze. “What?”

“Where is Wei Yin now?” Hua Yu said slowly.

Zhao Qi looked baffled. “I don’t know. Maybe at home?”

“Right. She’s at home. She’s been discharged.” Hua Yu walked up to Zhao Qi and bent slightly. “You’re still hospitalized. Do you know why?”

Zhao Qi asked, “Why?”

“Because she followed medical advice, and her condition stabilized, so she could go home.” Hua Yu enunciated each word. “You were originally in better condition than Wei Yin, but because you wouldn’t listen, your illness worsened. Now you need ongoing hospitalization and long-term treatment; not only is it a waste of money, it’s a waste of your youth.”

Zhao’s mother let out a deep sigh.

Zhao Qi widened her eyes. It was clear she was unconvinced, but she couldn’t find any words to refute it.

Hua Yu tossed the notebook in her hand over to her. “Look at it.”

“Those are records about you, detailed down to every physical indicator. Every day, we observe you closely from the inside out, looking for the most suitable dosage and the safest, most effective treatment method.” Hua Yu paused at just the right moment. “And all you need to do is cooperate with treatment. Do I need to teach you how to write the word cooperate?”

Zhao’s mother quietly wiped her tears. Looking at the densely packed pages, Zhao Qi could no longer say anything else.

“Starting today, you’re my patient. You do what I say,” Hua Yu said, giving a hard knock before a sweet reward. “You’ll get better, just like Wei Yin, until the day you can be discharged.”

This time, not only Zhao’s mother but Zhao Qi herself also stared in shock, eyes wide.

In a trembling voice, Zhao Qi asked, “Really?”

Hua Yu was as steady and calm as ever.

“I promise.”