Life
Magical Life
She lay beneath Jian Qing, her clothes disheveled, her face flushed.
Jian Qing reached out to cradle her cheek, gently caressing the tear mole at the corner of her eye with her fingertip, her gaze lingering on her face.
Then, leaning down, she kissed the brown tear mole at the corner of her eye.
Her body almost softened into a puddle of water. Lu Yinxi closed her eyes, her hands clinging to Jian Qing’s shoulders, so nervous that her whole body was trembling slightly.
A cold fragrance like thin snow, mixed with the freshness of grass and wood, the person on top of her seemed to savor a delicious dish, her lips lingering from the corner of her eye to her flushed earlobe, from top to bottom, taking in the earlobe, her tongue gently licking.
The stimulation was too intense, the urgent breathing sound from below instantly turned into an exclamation.
The person above her released her delicate small earlobe, turned to kiss her cheek, nose, lip corner, and chin, murmuring softly, asked, “Do you want?”
In the intimacy between ear and temple, she was kissed until she was dizzy, her face red and ears hot, completely unable to think. She murmured for a moment, subconsciously about to respond with a “hmm.”
She just opened her lips, suddenly realized, and blurted out the response: “Don’t want…”
Her voice still somewhat hoarse after the emotion.
She still wasn’t ready to be together.
The passionate kiss suddenly stopped; Jian Qing hadn’t expected to be rejected, and was stunned for a moment. She propped herself up, gazing at Lu Yinxi, observing every expression on her face.
Lu Yinxi lowered her eyelids, avoiding Jian Qing’s gaze, not daring to look at her.
The burning warmth gradually faded, and her mind became clearer.
After a long time, Jian Qing sighed almost inaudibly, nuzzled her cheek with her nose, kissed the corner of her lips, straightened her robe for her, then turned and got up, walking out of the bedroom.
When she returned to the bedroom, she saw Lu Yinxi curled up in the blankets, holding a teddy bear, absentmindedly stroking the corner of her lips.
She went over, turned off the light, got into the bed, tossed the teddy bear to the corner, and embraced her.
Holding her from behind, she asked nothing, did nothing, just held her.
Lu Yinxi curled up in Jian Qing’s arms, asked in a muffled voice, “Aren’t you angry?”
“What is there to be angry about? Refusal is your right.” Jian Qing gently kissed her hair and said considerately, “You are still young, take your time.”
Physiologically, she’s only 20 years old, even after the new year, she’s only 21 by nominal age.
Lu Yinxi didn’t want to have a generational gap with her, so she countered, saying: “I’m 25, and after the new year, my nominal age is 26. I’m not young, and you’re only 29 by full age. We can say we’re only 3 years apart!”
Before people turn 25, they tend to emphasize their nominal age, making themselves seem older. Once past 25, they prefer to count their full age, making themselves seem younger.
But liking someone older, Lu Yinxi was willing to make her age seem bigger and Jian Qing’s age seem smaller, the closer the age gap, the better.
A 4 or 5-year age difference versus a 9 or 10-year age difference is not a small matter.
Jian Qing curled her lips, smiled, and said: “Then do you want to?”
Lu Yinxi heard her words, understood her implication, and shook her head, blushing: “I don’t want to.”
She added, “Give me some time.”
Jian Qing closed her eyes and calmly said, “I’ll wait for you.”
Waiting for her to lay down all her concerns and be genuinely willing to stay by her side.
Lu Yinxi said: “No need to wait. If… if you meet someone else you like, and if that person likes you too, you don’t need to worry about me, um—”
The rest of the words weren’t spoken, as Jian Qing covered her mouth with her palm.
“Be quiet, sleep.”
“Oh…”
The clear cold fragrance lingered around her nostrils, her body was wrapped in a warm embrace. Lu Yinxi quieted down, counting each other’s heartbeats, calming her emotions little by little. As she was about to fall asleep, she vaguely heard a faint sentence by her ear: “Don’t speak insincerely, you’ll cry.”
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Speaking insincerely…
Indeed, she spoke insincerely…
But without confirming the relationship and unable to give a promise of long-lasting companionship, what right does she have to require the other person during the waiting period to wholeheartedly like only her?
Jian Qing kissed Lu Yinxi’s hair again, waiting for the person in her arms to slowly fall asleep.
She certainly can show a rational, considerate, and tolerant attitude.
What does physical possession mean?
What she wants is to be like oxygen, to permeate bit by bit into every aspect of this person’s life and emotions.
She wants this person to never be able to leave her.
The next day, Lu Yinxi took a morning off from the crew.
Jian Qing had to stay on campus in the morning for three theory classes.
By 10:30, class ended, and students gradually dispersed. She turned her back to Lu Yinxi, wiping the blackboard, and asked: “Where do you want to go next?”
Lu Yinxi also grabbed a blackboard eraser to help: “Not anywhere too far, you still have to return to the hospital to work in the afternoon. We’ll just stroll around the school.”
Jiangzhou University’s campus scenery is renowned nationwide for its beauty, with many tourists visiting during winter and summer vacations.
However, the medical school campus here is not as rich in cultural atmosphere as the neighboring schools of language, literature, and history. The neighboring teaching buildings are named something like Tranquility Building and Zhiyuan Building, while the medical school buildings are simply called No. 1 Building, No. 2 Building, No. 3 Building…
Jian Qing said: “Then I’ll take you to see the Life Sciences Museum.”
All medical schools nationwide have a unique Life Sciences Museum, where every medical student must receive life education.
Here is the starting point for students who have not yet started clinical studies, to learn to respect science and revere life.
The Life Sciences Museum is adjacent to the lakeside, and Lu Yinxi sees from afar the lakeside pavilion from last time.
Jian Qing follows her gaze, also looks over, and says: “When winter comes, I’ll bring you to see the snow.”
Lu Yinxi smiles, says nothing, and changes the topic by asking: “What specimens are in the museum?”
Jian Qing answers: “Insects, fish, birds, beasts, internal organs, embryos, infants, adults… various specimens.”
The weather is gradually getting hotter, and the temperature in the film set is even higher, with some people already starting to wear short sleeves; the campus is covered with green shade, with most students still wearing long sleeves and trousers.
Today, Jian Qing wears a dark green long coat, with a belt cinching her waist. The long coat reaches just above the knees, revealing a section of straight, fair calves.
Her figure is tall and slender, her temperament eye-catching, and the deep dark green color contrasts, making her skin appear fair and bright.
Walking on campus, people occasionally turn back to look at her, and groups of students even point her out to companions, whispering among themselves, saying she is the legendary best-looking teacher in the medical school…
Good-looking teachers always easily gain favor from students.
Lu Yinxi and Jian Qing walked side by side, occasionally turning her head to look at her and muttering, “I also want to be your student.”
Why didn’t I encounter such a good-looking teacher during my student days…
Jian Qing lightly touched the back of her hand and said: “They experience beauty from a distance.”
On this campus, there are only a few theory classes a week, so there is not much contact between teachers and students. Students just listen to lectures and place various beautiful filters on her. At the hospital, department interns become exploited labor, questioned by her during rounds, coldly stared at, and the filters shatter, wishing to avoid her.
Outside of winter and summer vacations, the Life Sciences Museum is open only to school personnel, requiring card access.
Jian Qing borrowed Wei Mingming’s student card in advance for Lu Yinxi to use, while she herself used a staff card to enter.
The first exhibition area showcases specimens of insects, fish, birds, and beasts.
Jian Qing looked at a white-forehead tiger with hanging eyes and introduced: “This is a South China tiger specimen donated by an alumnus.”
“Speaking of alumni, I remembered a joke.”
“What?”
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Lu Yinxi said: “Those with achievements who return to the school to donate money are called outstanding alumni, while other ordinary people are just past graduates.”
Jian Qing faintly smiled: “Studying medicine doesn’t earn much, not as much as alumni from the nearby agriculture or business school donate.”
Most graduates from the medical school are employed in medical institutions and health administrative departments. At a certain age, they might gain some reputation, but they don’t earn much. Donations rely on those alumni from pharmaceutical companies and social charity entrepreneurs.
As Jian Qing finished speaking, a group of people in suits approached, surrounding a mature, beautiful woman like stars around the moon.
Lu Yinxi stopped walking, and Jian Qing also withdrew the smile from her lips.
“Director Jian, this is the exhibition area one of our Life Sciences Museum, mainly showcasing some rare animal and plant specimens, like the South China tiger, green peacock, red-crowned crane…”
The guide of the Life Sciences Museum explained softly, while the leaders accompanying Jian Yan all wore warm smiles on their faces, and the staff from the school’s publicity office continuously took photos of them.
Jian Yan’s gaze swept over Jian Qing and Lu Yinxi.
Jian Qing’s gaze passed over her, pulling Lu Yinxi to stand aside and greet the school leaders.
The accompanying school leaders did not know the relationship between her and Jian Yan, gave a brief introduction between the two, then looked back and forth between them, jokingly said: “Director Jian and Teacher Jian look somewhat alike, and both have the surname Jian, like a pair of sisters!”
Jian Yan nodded with a smile and said: “Principal Zhang is joking, Teacher Jian Qing clearly looks like a cultured intellectual, with extraordinary demeanor, how can I, a businessperson, compare?”
The school leaders busily flattered Jian Yan, saying things like most beautiful entrepreneur, beautiful both inside and out, young and promising…
Jian Qing’s ears were tired of hearing it, said goodbye to the school leaders, and pulled Lu Yinxi to stroll to area two.
Area two is the specimens of human organs.
Lu Yinxi looked at the hearts, livers, spleens, lungs, and kidneys in the display cases, asked Jian Qing: “Why did she also come to the school?”
Jian Qing’s tone carried a faint sarcasm: “Charitable entrepreneur, came to do charity.”
Donating money to Jiangzhou University’s medical school, drawing in medical professionals, preparing to enter the pharmaceutical industry.
Lu Yinxi oh-ed, not very concerned, pointed at a brown-black lung in the glass case, changed the subject and said: “Look, you can’t smoke, the difference between non-smoking lungs and smoking lungs is like night and day, this kind of lung, of course, has a high probability of lung cancer, if I were it, I’d also go on strike.”
Jian Qing softly said: “I never smoke.” Paused, then continued to add, “Also don’t drink excessively, have no bad habits, usually don’t spend much.”
The subtext is: very good at saving money, very suitable as a partner.
Lu Yinxi realized her subtext, her heart pounding, but she could not respond, so she pulled her to another display case.
In this display case, there are many lost small lives, showing specimens from a small embryo to a gradually formed baby.
Jian Qing bent down, looking at an embryo that looked like a small tadpole, and explained: “At this stage, its limbs have not fully differentiated, but it already has a heart, which beats, and eyes and blood vessels are also developing.”
“It emerged from tens of millions of sperm, avoiding the phagocytosis1 of white blood cells, squeezed into the egg cell, forming a 1mm sized fertilized egg, dividing from one to two, two to four, four to eight, continuously dividing, during this division process, this situation may occur—”
Jian Qing pointed to another specimen of two tightly nestled babies.
“Two cells cannot completely divide, becoming conjoined twins with less than one in ten thousand survival rate. This is our most famous ‘smiling baby’.”
Lu Yinxi looked at those two closely snuggled babies.
Unlike others who are either wrinkled, fierce, or with limb defects, or missing half a brain, these two conjoined babies are very beautiful, fully developed, limbs intact, features relaxed, the one on the right with closed eyes, the one on the left with arm bent, placed near the mouth, looking like sucking a finger.
Most strikingly, the corners of both babies’ lips have a faint smile, without any sense of death, as if just fallen into a quiet slumber, having a beautiful dream.
Lu Yinxi looked at these two babies who didn’t have the chance to open their eyes and see this world, her heart full of emotions.
She reached out and hooked Jian Qing’s pinky finger: “Life is so magical.”
From a 1-millimeter fertilized egg, splitting and developing into an embryo, differentiating into organs, combining into a living body, coming into this world, during every link, if there is a mistake, the chance to your open eyes and see the world greatly decreases.
After a smooth birth, if lucky enough, growing into an adult, then among millions of people, encountering a person you like, how small is the probability that person also happens to like you?
She is lucky enough to like this person beside her, and this person also likes her.
Also unlucky enough, liking the high and unreachable, illusory moon.
After dawn, where will she find the moon?
In the afternoon, Lu Yinxi returned to the film crew to shoot, and Jian Qing returned to the hospital to work.
Invested in busy work, both have no time to think about love and affection.
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After Lu Yinxi left the hospital, the task of making coffee was taken over by Wei Mingming.
Wei Mingming respectfully served hot coffee to Jian Qing: “Boss, careful, it’s hot.”
Jian Qing took a sip, eyebrows slightly furrowed: “Why does the taste seem different?”
Wei Mingming leaned over to look at the coffee: “Ah? Can’t be? Surely not expired, I just bought it this week.”
Jian Qing said plainly: “Not as good as before.”
Wei Mingming laughed: “Boss, with a few yuan a pack of coffee, adding hot water and sugar all taste the same, what’s different? If you miss Xiaolu, just say it!”
Jian Qing gave her a cold stare, just about to open her mouth to refute, when Zhang Yue, who had gone out for a consultation, hurriedly walked into the office, walked straight to Jian Qing, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and tried to speak in a calm tone:
“Senior Sister, a film studio over in the suburbs caught fire, our emergency department and burn department received a notice from the lower-level hospital for a referral, a batch of injured is being sent over, I inquired, it’s Xiaolu’s film crew, I can’t reach her by phone, do you have contact information for anyone else in the crew?”
The author has something to say:
4000 words, not short, right?
*Little theater
Lu Yinxi (pretending to be generous): You can also like someone else…
Jian Qing: Really? Last time I went on a blind date, how much did you cry?
Footnotes
- Phagocytosis: The process by which certain living cells called phagocytes ingest or engulf other cells or particles.