Origins
What are the origins?
On the way here, Lu Yinxi kept wondering what the first words should be? What should the first action be?
Blunt longing was too embarrassing to speak of. She saw the stethoscope hanging around Jian Qing’s neck, and naturally used that as an opening line.
Jian Qing stood still, staring at her for a few seconds, then grabbed the stethoscope, warming it in her hand.
The stethoscope’s chest piece must be in close contact with the skin, so Jian Qing habitually warmed it before placing it on the patient.
She walked over step by step, and Lu Yinxi stammered, “You… you really plan to listen to me? You haven’t even disinfected it.”
Other than cardiologists and pulmonologists, doctors from other specialties rarely hang a stethoscope around their necks. Jian Qing usually only wears it when listening to a patient’s lung sounds. Otherwise, she either puts it in her pocket or leaves it in her office.
She must have just come out of a patient’s room, having listened to their chest. By rights, she wouldn’t use it on someone else before disinfecting it.
Jian Qing put down the stethoscope, looked at Lu Yinxi with clear, cold eyes, and said, “Guess, how did doctors listen to heartbeats before the stethoscope was invented?”
Before the nineteenth century, when the stethoscope had not yet been invented, patients would lift their shirts, allowing the doctor to place their ear directly on the left chest to listen to the heart sounds.
Lu Yinxi imagined Jian Qing’s ear pressed against her chest, and her face turned red.
Jian Qing took another step closer, her body almost touching Lu Yinxi.
She saw the faint blush on Lu Yinxi’s face and instinctively wanted to reach out and rub her head. The next second, she remembered she had just been in contact with a patient and hadn’t washed her hands yet.
“Wait for me.” Retracting her hand, Jian Qing quickly walked back to her office to wash her hands, disinfect, and change clothes.
Lu Yinxi obediently stood at the door waiting for Jian Qing.
When Jian Qing came out again, she had changed into a long dark green trench coat. Her long, thick black hair was draped over her shoulders, and she stood tall and graceful, her bright eyes like autumn water.
Lu Yinxi looked at her, her gaze meticulously tracing every inch, feeling that from head to toe, there was nothing imperfect about her.
“I feel like I haven’t seen you for so long; you look even more beautiful,” Lu Yinxi said softly.
For the first time, she experienced the saying “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” feeling that no one in the world could be more beautiful than Jian Qing.
The ears hidden under Jian Qing’s black hair twitched slightly. She replied indifferently, “It’s only been five days.”
Lu Yinxi confessed, “It feels like five years.”
“Each day feels like a year.”
This phrase was straightforward and heartwarming, easily revealing the affection behind the words.
Jian Qing took her hand and led her downstairs.
They did not take the elevator; instead, they walked hand in hand down the stairs.
The stairs had fewer people passing by, allowing them to talk and walk slowly.
Jian Qing’s palms were soft but cold. Lu Yinxi couldn’t help but stop, took her hand, cupped it in both of hers, and gently rubbed it, trying to warm it up.
“You didn’t expect me to suddenly appear in front of you, did you?”
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Jian Qing, still sparing with her words, just responded with a soft “mm.”
“Why don’t you ask me why I came?”
“You will tell me.”
Jian Qing’s palm gradually warmed up, Lu Yinxi let go, and holding her hand, they walked down the stairs. She smiled and said, “An actor from our crew had an allergic reaction, so I brought her to the hospital to see a doctor, and I came to see you in passing.”
In front of Lan Zhou, Lu Yinxi said she wanted to visit an old friend and offered to take her to the hospital. But when she was in front of the old friend, she said she brought an actor to the hospital and visited in passing.
Jian Qing said, “It’s the season when many people have allergies.”
Winter sees a high incidence of flu and cardiovascular diseases, while spring and autumn are nightmares for those with allergies.
Interested in medical topics, she asked, “What kind of allergy?”
Lu Yinxi said, “I guess it’s pollen allergy, showing symptoms of rhinitis conjunctivitis.”1
Pollen allergy sufferers are often not allergic to large, showy flowers or bouquets but to the pollen of trees like cypress and mulberry. Five days ago, the crew’s opening ceremony was held under a century-old plane tree on Wutong Street. Lan Zhou already had a slight cold and cried a lot last night, so the red eyes, runny nose, sneezing, and nasal congestion from the allergy were mistaken as cold symptoms.
Jian Qing nodded and casually asked, “Are you going back tonight?”
Lu Yinxi smiled and said, “I brought someone here, so of course, I have to take her back. Unfortunately, I’m afraid her appearance in public places might cause a commotion. Otherwise, we could all have a meal together and get to know each other.”
Jian Qing sensed that Lu Yinxi had a special attitude towards this person and asked, “Who is she?”
Lu Yinxi said, “The leading actress of our crew, Lan Zhou. Do you know her?”
Jian Qing spent most of her after-work hours studying literature, papers, and course materials. She usually didn’t pay much attention to entertainment news and didn’t like watching movies or TV shows, so she might not recognize her.
Sure enough—
“I don’t know her. What’s she acted in?”
“She’s acted in quite a few art films, like 《Big Mountain》 and 《Qingming Festival》… They’re pretty niche, but the films have won several awards.”
Jian Qing responded with a soft “mm” and then asked, “When are you leaving?”
Lu Yinxi raised her wrist and glanced at the time. “In about ten minutes. She can’t stay in the hospital for too long, afraid of being recognized, and we still have a night scene to shoot.”
So they could only spend another ten minutes together.
After a moment of silence, Jian Qing said, “I need to go to Country M next week.”
Lu Yinxi looked at her, her heart in her throat. “When will you be back? You won’t be gone for a year or so, will you?”
“It won’t be. It’s just an academic conference. I’ll be back the week after next.”
Lu Yinxi sighed in relief. “Oh, that’s good.”
It’s not a year-long absence, just the inconvenience of not being able to chat freely. With the time difference, when she’s working, Jian Qing will be sleeping, and when she’s sleeping, Jian Qing will be in meetings.
Unconsciously, they walked to the first floor of the Comprehensive Oncology Treatment Building.
The hospital was still bustling in the evening. Most doctors had gone home after work, and the relatives of patients, who had also finished work, were flooding in to visit.
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There were leading cadres, ordinary white-collar workers, factory workers, rural farmers, and students from schools… Disease descends equally on every class, every person, but not everyone has an equal ability to withstand risk.
Most of the people passing by were in a hurry, with expressions that were either solemn, sorrowful, or indifferent. In such an environment, no one could manage to be jovial. Seriousness and solemnity became the necessary choices.
In such an atmosphere, there was no private or intimate conversation for the two of them to have.
Lu Yinxi waited for Lan Zhou to finish her consultation and contact her.
Jian Qing would wait for Lu Yinxi to leave before going home.
The two of them stood silently in front of a flowerbed outside the oncology building.
Lu Yinxi, recalling what Jian Yan had mentioned about the car last time, broke the silence and asked, “Isn’t your Audi A8 quite valuable?”
Jian Qing countered, “She told you that?”
She referred to Jian Yan.
“She said it’s some kind of bulletproof version, which sounds very high-end. It should be worth a lot. And you just handed it over to me to drive?”
Jian Qing said calmly, “It’s just a tool for getting around. Its only value is transportation.”
Lu Yinxi nodded and smiled, “That’s true.”
She came from a prominent background but did not have the extravagant and indulgent habits of some rich heirs. Staying in this corner, treating patients, and researching academics, she could be said to be indifferent to fame and fortune.
After a while, Lan Zhou called to contact Lu Yinxi. After taking the call, Lu Yinxi asked Jian Qing, “Do you want to go see the big star? She’s a great beauty.”
She wanted to take Jian Qing to build some goodwill, to prevent them from standing on opposing sides in the future.
Jian Qing wasn’t very interested in the big star but wanted to see off the little star in front of her. She took her hand and said, “Let’s go.”
The underground parking lot was dimly lit. Lan Zhou, fully equipped, stood next to a black Audi and saw from a distance that Lu Yinxi was walking over while holding someone’s hand.
Lu Yinxi introduced to Lan Zhou, “This is my mentor during my internship at First Affiliated Hospital, a doctor from the second oncology department, Jian Qing, here to see me off.”
Lan Zhou took off her sunglasses and extended her hand, “Hello, Dr. Jian.”
“Hello.” Jian Qing shook hands with Lan Zhou, gave a polite smile, and scrutinized Lan Zhou’s appearance. Her gaze suddenly paused.
She remained calm as she opened her bag and took out a business card. “Miss Lan, our department has recently started a free early tumor screening program. If you have time, you can bring your family for a comprehensive check-up.”
Lan Zhou accepted the business card, smiled, thanked her, and said, “I grew up in an orphanage and don’t have any family. The director is my family. I’ll definitely bring her for a check-up when I have the time.”
She didn’t shy away from mentioning her orphanage background because it was all written on Baidu Baike.2
Jian Qing nodded slightly and said no more, but her gaze at Lan Zhou carried a hint of curiosity.
Lan Zhou, unfamiliar with her temperament, assumed she was a warm person and thus offered the business card; whereas Lu Yinxi, being well-acquainted with Jian Qing’s character, knew that she would never meddle in others’ affairs or initiate conversations without reason.
Why did she act so strangely around Lan Zhou?
These doubts remained unspoken, hidden in Lu Yinxi’s heart. She planned to ask Jian Qing at a more appropriate time. Clearly, now was not the time for more conversation. She got into the car and bid farewell to Jian Qing, “I’m leaving. Will you be coming to university town in three weeks?”
Jian Qing nodded, “Yes, next month.”
“Then see you next month.”
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“Mm, goodbye.”
Driving away from the hospital and onto the road, Lu Yinxi inquired about Lan Zhou’s medical condition.
Lan Zhou said, “It’s okay. Taking some medicine can control it, but the doctor said I shouldn’t wear makeup on my face recently.”
Lu Yinxi replied, “Then just draw your eyebrows for now. Didn’t the director originally ask us to be natural anyway? He said we should reflect the simplicity of medical workers. Actually, doctors and nurses don’t always go bare-faced. If they have the energy and time, they would put on some light makeup, like drawing their eyebrows.”
Lan Zhou agreed, “Exactly. Everyone has a love for beauty. Who says they have to go bare-faced?”
An assistant joked, “That’s not good. Doctors who look too good make people uneasy. Those with a Mediterranean look or bald heads, they immediately look like professors.”
Lan Zhou gently tapped the assistant’s head. “Prejudice. Even in our appearance-focused industry, it’s not all about looks. Some teachers who are not conventionally attractive have either great acting skills or excel in behind-the-scenes work, and they don’t fare worse than others. Think of Teacher Zhang Xue, Teacher Liu He…”
Lan Zhou listed a bunch of examples. From the driver’s seat, Lu Yinxi somewhat agreed with her values. If this were reality, they could potentially become friends.
However, firstly, this is a virtual world, and she might not be a real person. Secondly, Jian Qing seemed to know her, or perhaps, knew some of her family.
What is the connection between the two of them?
LP: I have chronic Rhinitis Conjunctivitis ( ;´ – `;)
Footnotes
- Rhinitis Conjunctivitis: An allergic reaction affecting the nose and eyes, causing symptoms like sneezing, runny nose, and red, itchy eyes.
- Baidu Baike: A Chinese online encyclopedia, similar to Wikipedia.