Plan A
Heavenly Voice 11
Crossing the Year
In November, the first big snow arrived.
Fashionably late.
The snowflakes fluttered down one after another, a sight that gladdened the heart.
It was around this time that Su Xin moved out of that house and into the one Yan Shuang had bought here.
Yan Shuang’s deep pockets1 were evident from how she could buy a house without batting an eyelid2, extensively renovate it, and even set up a private laboratory.
The landlord was very decent and refunded the remaining rent—not meticulously calculated, but Yan Shuang’s deposit didn’t need refunding as her lease was just ending.
Su Xin didn’t have much to pack. Aside from some toiletries and skincare products, all her makeup went into a cosmetics bag. One suitcase was enough to hold everything. The bedsheets, quilts, and such had been bought by the original host when she arrived a few months ago; Su Xin didn’t take them.
“Let’s go.”
Yan Shuang was driving. Su Xin nodded, put her luggage in the trunk, and got into the front passenger seat.
“Shuangshuang3, right now I seriously feel like I’ve latched onto a sugar mommy4.”
Su Xin fastened her seatbelt, beaming.
Yan Shuang started the car. It wasn’t any big brand, just an ordinary commuter car5. Someone had heard she was planning to buy a car and specifically gifted it to her. They had originally intended to give her a super expensive car, but Yan Shuang had refused.
A doctor is perhaps the only person who can decide life or death at critical junctures. Saving lives and healing the wounded6—their entire well-being and life entrusted to this. The house was a gift from a former heart disease patient Yan Shuang had treated, someone whose life had been hanging by a thread7 but whom Yan Shuang had saved. Naturally, they were endlessly grateful8 to Yan Shuang. The car was from the student of someone Yan Shuang had saved; in short, it was also out of gratitude.
Yan Shuang wasn’t exactly a person of noble character and unquestionable integrity9. People these days… they’re strange. They try to stuff money into doctors’ pockets, and if the doctor refuses, they get scared to death.
Yan Shuang wasn’t a person of noble character and unquestionable integrity, but she definitely qualified as a doctor with strong medical ethics. Matters within her professional duty, she would always strive to perform to perfection10.
Yan Shuang hadn’t accepted money at the time, but she couldn’t stop people from sending gifts afterward to express their thanks.
That’s how others thought: who knew when they might fall ill again? Building a good relationship in advance with a highly skilled doctor offered an extra layer of security for the future, no matter what.
“I’m happy.”
Yan Shuang said this while keeping her eyes on the road ahead.
“Hm?”
“I’m happy I can make you feel that way. Happy to have my thigh hugged.”
Yan Shuang thought this feeling was quite nice. In reality, she wasn’t some Virgin Mary11, showering everyone with the radiance of love. She had initially studied medicine simply due to her parents’ wishes and her own interest. Yan Shuang enjoyed holding a scalpel while standing at the operating table, performing human dissections, understanding the body’s structure, slicing through the epidermis with the blade’s tip. Those scenes that ought to be pixelated actually seemed pretty good to her; they could improve her mood.
“You really are a very, very good person.”
Su Xin murmured. What to do? She couldn’t suppress the urge to act cute and spoiled again. She really wanted to throw herself into Yan Shuang’s arms and nuzzle against her.
Su Xin pinched12 her fingertips. Her thoughts sometimes adjusted along with changes in her character persona to make herself fit it more closely.
It must be because the original host, Lin Tang, was too soft and easily moved that she was feeling this way. It had to be.
Su Xin absolutely couldn’t picture herself acting cute and spoiled. Just thinking about it felt like it could give her goosebumps all over. Eek. Though, acting cute and spoiled gently with Qiu Qingqing was okay. Su Xin rubbed her chin, thinking of her friend. She often acted clingy and cute towards her friend.
They quickly arrived at Yan Shuang’s house. Yan Shuang must have decorated beforehand; there was a cute stuffed animal on the sofa.
“Shuangshuang, you like this kind of thing?” Su Xin poked the teddy bear on the sofa.
“Don’t you little girls all like this stuff?” Yan Shuang said. She had specifically looked it up online before: what kinds of gifts eighteen-year-old girls like. Some answers mentioned skincare, shoes, bags, clothes, but Yan Shuang ruled those out. Having someone come live at your house and putting out those kinds of things was just too weird.
Later, Yan Shuang modified her search keywords: ‘When a girl moves into a new home, what kind of decorations are good to put out?’ The vast majority of answers were stuffed animals—stuffed bunnies, teddy bears. So Yan Shuang went to the supermarket and bought a few cute stuffed animals to put on the sofa.
“Me? I’m okay with them, not particularly fond of them. But it’s the thought that counts, Shuangshuang. Thank you very much. Getting free room and board13 and even receiving gifts… I feel really embarrassed.”
“Your comfort is the most important thing. If you need anything, just tell me.”
“Okay.”
Not many days later, the first version of the medicinal agent Yan Shuang had researched was ready and placed in front of Su Xin.
“This is the prototype14. See if it has any effect.”
With complete trust, Su Xin injected the clear, colorless liquid into her body. There was no abnormal rejection reaction; everything felt perfectly normal.
“After twelve hours, we’ll check again and compare with the previous data.”
“Okay.”
Su Xin really was freeloading. She worked the night shift, usually getting off at midnight. Yan Shuang would pick her up, then she’d sleep until eight or nine, sometimes even later, wait until she was hungry, and eat lunch directly. Yan Shuang made the lunch, Yan Shuang bought the groceries; Su Xin was just responsible for eating, eating, eating, and sleeping, sleeping, sleeping.
After twelve hours had passed, Yan Shuang appeared in Su Xin’s room again, wearing her gloves and carrying her little notebook.
First time awkward, second time familiar15. Su Xin had nothing left to be coy about.
The agent seemed to actually have some effect; at least Su Xin didn’t feel it too intensely. Her reactions weren’t as sensitive as before. However, during the check-up, Su Xin suddenly had a question.
“Shuangshuang, what’s the normal value?”
Yan Shuang pressed her lips together, seeming unsure.
“I haven’t tested others, so I’m not entirely sure. Besides, everyone’s constitution16 is different. Some people are naturally very sensitive, while others are relatively insensitive. We’ll take it slowly. First, monitor your own reactions. If you reach the point where it doesn’t affect your daily life, then that should be about right.”
“Okay.”
Yan Shuang felt she probably belonged to the less sensitive type. When her husband touched her, she would feel a sense of revulsion—
The two of them were outwardly harmonious but inwardly divided17, with no real affection between them. But this marriage wasn’t easy to dissolve; otherwise, that man would have slapped the divorce papers in front of her long ago, instead of still not having shown his face.
Yan Shuang gathered her thoughts, proceeding to the most crucial part of the examination. As her hands recorded the data, those lines of poetry surfaced in her mind again. Yuan Zhen18 had a seven-character quatrain19.
Spring comes, often visiting east of the Song house,
Sleeves lowered, heart open, awaiting a good breeze.
Orioles hide in dark willows, no one speaks,
Only wall flowers fill the trees with red.
Deep courtyard empty, grass and trees gleam,
Tender orioles silent, seeking shade to hide.
Idly playing with water, floating petals drift,
Flowing out the gate to entice Ruan Lang20.
“Does it feel uncomfortable here? It doesn’t seem to have improved much here.”
Deep courtyard empty, grass and trees gleam, / Tender orioles silent, seeking shade to hide. / Idly playing with water, floating petals drift, / Flowing out the gate to entice Ruan Lang.
Yan Shuang only had a superficial understanding of these lines. She didn’t know who Ruan Lang was, but there really was quite a lot flowing.
“It’s too cold… these gloves… can you take them off?” Su Xin frowned, the corners of her eyes slightly moist. Those big, bright eyes seemed capable of seeing right into a person’s heart.
“Then I’ll go wash my hands. Wait a moment.” Yan Shuang withdrew her fingers, pulled off the medical gloves she was wearing, and walked to the bathroom.
Yan Shuang returned shortly, still holding the pen in one hand to take notes.
There might be some effect, but it wasn’t significant. Perhaps the absorption time was too short, or the absorbed amount was too small.
During the examination just now, she still couldn’t bear it; Su Xin still felt uncomfortable. She frowned in irritation, but after a moment, her brow smoothed out again, indicating this was a good sign of improvement. She released her tight grip on the bedsheet, her eyes bloodshot. At times like these, she often felt like hitting someone.
“That’s all for today. It’s a bit better than last time. We’ll stick with this version. With the experience from last time, I can be faster. It will probably take about three doses.”
“Okay.”
As long as there was a direction, it was good.
“Take a shower and get some rest.”
Yan Shuang left Su Xin’s room, her steps quickening slightly as she entered her own.
What was wrong with her?
Yan Shuang took off her glasses, placed them on the table, and rubbed her face. Although the color of her face appeared unchanged, Yan Shuang felt it burning hot, and even her fingers felt the same. The sensation from just now seemed to linger… Yan Shuang stood up, grabbed her clothes, and went to the bathroom.
She probably needed some rest too; these past few days in the lab had turned her schedule upside down21.
November slowly crawled by, crawling and crawling until it was gone.
December checked in next, beginning its walk through the hourglass. The weather grew colder and colder. Every morning, Su Xin had to bundle up thickly before going out.
The bar had fewer and fewer customers. This was the norm every year-end. After all, at the end of the year, everyone was busy as hell22—busy with exams, busy writing summaries, busy working overtime. In short, with so much going on, who had time to sit in a bar and relax?
With fewer customers, Ming Ge relaxed the schedule a bit, having Su Xin and Liang Liang come in on alternate days. Singing just a few songs per night was enough, and closing time was moved earlier too, since getting home was less convenient in winter.
Mid-December. In another half-month, it would be the new year. The Gregorian calendar23 new year.
Although it wasn’t the official holiday—students would still be studying at school, and the office workers24 would keep working—people could still celebrate crossing the year. The countdown had already started on TV, and various program previews were being shown. It really did seem to have some atmosphere.
Su Xin didn’t plan to go home for the New Year’s celebration; there was absolutely no need. It wasn’t the real Spring Festival25, after all.
Around mid-November, Lin Weiyan’s body had mostly recovered, and in December, he officially returned to school for classes. When he came to the school, he met once with Su Xin, who was currently in D City.
The two didn’t exchange excessive pleasantries, just simply asked about each other’s situations. Then Lin Weiyan left, looking a little sad as he departed.
Su Xin knew he was still blaming himself but couldn’t really persuade him otherwise. Lin Weiyan was indeed a kind person—good enough to be a brother, but anything else was best forgotten.
Su Xin spent New Year’s Eve with Yan Shuang.
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