CH 7.1

Five years later

There was a flurry of activity at Taoyuan International Airport that day as journalists tried to get a good position to welcome the new doctor who had arrived back home. He was back in Taiwan to operate on the legendary businesswoman, Mo Fang Shiqi. The elderly woman was in urgent need of multiple coronary artery bypass surgery due to multiple cardiovascular blockages. However, she was in poor health and had kidney problems, so if anything went wrong with the procedure, there was a high risk of organ failure and death.

To operate on her, one had to be fast, ruthless and precise, with no hesitation. And Dai Xingren, who had recently set a record for the shortest successful multiple coronary artery bypass surgery in the United States, was the perfect choice to perform the operation.

In order to save the old woman’s life, the Mo family had specially welcomed back the young doctor who had made a name for himself internationally in recent years. This, however, was not the real reason why the journalists chased after him for an interview.

What really drove them crazy was that Dai Xingren was also the son-in-law of the Mo family. Five years ago, due to a miscarriage accident, the couple, Dai Xingren and Mo Chuan Ya, was said to have had an emotional disagreement and therefore they were separated from each other. Now that they were to meet again, whether the marriage could still last or not, a lot of attention was drawn over it. One was a famous doctor in cardiovascular surgery, while the other was the chairwoman of a private hospital, and she came from a traditionally wealthy family in Taiwan. This kind of storytelling marriage secrets was the most popular gossip news for readers.

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They definitely had to dig out everything from this sensational story —

The journalists, sniffing a scoop, immediately rushed to surround Dai Xingren the moment he appeared in the welcoming hall carrying cameras and holding microphones.

Were these people crazy?

Ys Ubwyd Zy bye pvyule kd bla rakhyvl sqqknl, pvyakdt yv vbl FLQ sdzkdl nshlaytl sd vbl MA dlop, yde nswze sdzu pktb yv vbl taswr sq fswadyzkpvp obs olal bwdvkdt vblka ralu zkjl hwzvwalp.

Tyhkdt dso vbswtbv ycswv kv, pbl bye sdnl clld sdl sq vblx obyv qlzv zkjl y zkqlvkxl yts.

Rv bye alyzzu clld y zsdt vkxl yts.

Eblvbla y fswadyzkpv sa vbl dlozu ole okql sq y nlavykd xyd, kv oyp yp kq pbl bye qyzzld kdvs y zsdt akhla sq vkxl yde eakqvle yoyu okvb vbl nwaaldv.

Fbl nswzed’v lhld alxlxcla y zkvvzl ckv obyv yzz vbl fsu yde psaaso oyp ycswv yv vbl vkxl. “Tso byhl usw clld vblpl rypv qkhl ulyap, Pyk Dkdtald…?” Fbl xwaxwale, bla oyvlau lulp pvkzz qkmle sd vbl pnalld. Mbl ykarsav byzz oyp qwzz sq rlsrzl, rlsrzl olal nsxkdt yde tskdt, yde y taswr sq alrsavlap czsnjle vbl nyxlay, xyjkdt kv kxrsppkczl qsa bla vs pll bkp qktwal qsa y obkzl. Fweeldzu, vbl alrsavlap ekprlaple yde bkp vyzz yde pvwaeu qktwal nyxl kdvs bla lulp okvbswv oyadkdt. Fbl oyp pvwddle yde bla blyav qsatsv vs clyv qsa y xsxldv.

Tl pllxle vs byhl clnsxl lhld xsal bydepsxl, okvb y eyajla nsxrzlmksd yde y pvasdtla qktwal. Gzvbswtb bkp qynkyz qlyvwalp olal pvkzz yp pbyar yp y jdkql, vbl pzktbvlpv oakdjzlp kd vbl nsadlap sq bkp lulp xyel bkx pllx xsal yrrasynbyczl vbyd clqsal.

Gzps, bl zlyadle bso vs pxkzl. Mbl nsadlap sq bkp zkrp olal pzktbvzu aykple kd y dknl nwahl, wdzkjl vbl sze eyup obld bkp xswvb bye yzoyup clld rwaple kd y bywtbvu yde kdekqqlaldv xyddla.

Ys Ubwyd Zy plnalvzu takrrle bla ryzx yp bla blyav alpwxle clyvkdt yde aynle.

Why could he smile? He said there wasn’t that much to smile about in this world, so why could he smile at those reporters?

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He turned slightly to the side, and another slender figure came into the camera. She was a woman with outstanding temperament, very beautiful, with well-defined eyebrows and a sweet smile.

The reporter said that she was an anesthesiologist who had met Dai Xingren in South America. The two have worked together many times since then, and they have a tacit understanding. This time, she will also join the surgery team.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, please look forward to Dr. Dai’s medical skills, they will definitely make your eyes light up. Watching him perform surgery is like appreciating art. It will be fascinating.” She declared with a smile, her beautiful eyes shining when she looked at Dai Xingren, showing that she admired him very much. 

He didn’t say anything, just smiled back at her faintly. Mo Chuan Ya stared at the subtle smile, and in her chest, her heartstrings tugged.

So that’s how it was. So it was because of that woman that he was so unstinting to smile to everyone. It was because he was surrounded by his soulmate and admirer that he had become more astounding.

So, it was because of her?

Mo Chuanya pressed the remote control and switched off the TV, leaving the room silent while she closed her eyes and savoured the loneliness.

______________

“Are you tired?”

After getting into the car sent by “He’en Hospital”, Zhu Xiang Lin immediately turned to Dai Xingren and asked in a caring manner.

“I’m fine.” He whispered in response, but his eyelashes fell, drawing a dark shadow of melancholy on his lower eyelids.

Thinking he was really tired, Zhu Xiang Lin thoughtfully refrained from making any noise and kept quiet.

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But he wasn’t really tired, he was just a little panicky, a little saddened, a little bit, a little bit, closer to home.

After five years, he had finally set foot on Taiwanese soil again. Next he would be heading to “He’en Hospital”, back to the place where he used to work. When he contacted his mentor Xiong Jianming a while ago, he heard that his wife had taken over the baton from her mother and became the chairwoman of the hospital. 

It had been five years since he had seen her, how was she?

When he first arrived in the United States, he tried to call her, but she never answered. He wrote an Email every week but she never replied. He could only ask his mother-in-law or her good friend Jian Yi An to find out about her situation. 

He felt a little relieved to know that she was safe, but even more distressed because it was clear that she still refused to forgive him.

Did she hate him? He had asked in his letters, but again, he never heard back.

Gradually, he became discouraged and quietly buried his emotions deeper and deeper into his busy hospital life. He was busy treating patients, attending various academic seminars and refining his medical skills one operation after another.

Two years ago, he even followed the example of his mentor and went to a third world country to practise medicine on a voluntary basis. It was not until a few months ago that he returned to the United States.

This time, if the grandmother of the Mo family hadn’t fallen ill and needed his help with the operation, he wouldn’t have returned to Taiwan.

He had told her family and friends that if she wanted to see him, if there was even the slightest possibility that she would be willing to forgive him, he would drop everything and fly back to her at the drop of a hat. But he had never received a call like that, not even a hint.

Did she hate him that much? So much so that she would rather never see him again? Since he came back this time, she would have to see him, wouldn’t she? What kind of attitude would she take towards him? Would she send him a divorce settlement as soon as they met?

Dai Xingren self mockingly pondered over it. The more he thought about it, the more he realised that his stubborn wife was likely to do so, and his chest tightened inch by inch, barely able to find room to breathe.

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What was he supposed to do then?

“Xingren, we are here.” Zhu Xiang Lin reminded him softly.

He opened his eyes and looked out of the car window, where several doctors and nurses stood smilingly at the door to welcome him, led by his mentor and now vice-director of the hospital, Xiong Jianming.

“Professor!” He felt a little excited and quickly opened the door to get out of the car.

“You are finally back, Xingren.” Xiong Jianming was beaming. Xiong stretched out his arms, clasped him firmly, patted him heavily on the back, and then took a step back to have a better view of him. He looked at him all over like a son of his own, with a full smile and full of pride. “You’ve come a long way, Xingren. I knew you’d do well, but I didn’t expect you to be even better than I thought.” 

“It’s only because of my professor’s guidance that I’m here today.” He responded sincerely.

When Xiong Jianming heard him, his eyes widened in surprise, and after a few seconds he smiled, and laughed heartily. “You’ve changed, Dai Xingren. Now you know how to have a conversation. Sure enough these five years have not been in vain, you’ve really grown up.”

Dai Xingren smiled. “Listening to the professor, it seems like I used to give you a lot of trouble?”

“It wasn’t easy, now you even have a sense of humour, that’s good, very good!” Xiong Jianming was delighted with his pupil, and the more he saw of him, the more he was pleased.