Chapter 25 – Will We Meet Again?
After being moved to a regular hospital room, Song Shulan really did spend the night on the companion bed.
She was a good person—just not Chen Xing's type.
When he woke up, it happened to be during morning rounds.
A young doctor in his forties, half bald, led a group of seven or eight doctors and nurses. They all crowded around Chen Xing's bed, creating a heavy sense of pressure.
The nurse checked her clipboard and said,
"Patient's name is Chen Xing, 19 years old. Admitted for eating undercooked bolete mushrooms. He was disoriented upon arrival but recovered after treatment. Transferred from the ER to a regular ward at 11 p.m. last night…"
"Oh, let me take a look."
The lead doctor asked Chen Xing a few questions to confirm his mental state had stabilized. Then he reviewed the data from the previous day's admission. He studied it for five whole minutes, occasionally glancing at Chen Xing, which made him uneasy.
What's wrong? Did they find something else?
Finally, the doctor moved. He handed the chart to a colleague and said to Chen Xing,
"You've got a strong constitution. The poisoning was pretty severe, but you recovered in just a few hours. That's impressive. Have you eaten breakfast?"
"Uh… not yet."
Chen Xing noticed Song Shulan standing at the door with food and asked,
"Can I eat?"
The doctor followed his gaze, glanced at the door, and nodded.
"It's fine. Your condition is stable. You can be discharged. But next time you eat Jianshouqing, make sure it's cooked thoroughly. If you're unsure, fry it a couple minutes longer."
"Never eating it again!"
"Haha."
The doctor chuckled and moved on to the next patient.
Song Shulan came over and set the food down.
"You can leave the hospital today, right?"
"Yeah."
Chen Xing reached into the plastic bag and pulled out a bun. It was scalding hot, so he tossed it back.
Song Shulan didn't seem to mind the heat. She picked up a small steamed dumpling between her thumb and index finger, then smiled at his actions.
"Hot, huh? Want me to blow on it for you?"
"You're too kind. No need."
Chen Xing cautiously picked up a bun and blew on it himself.
"Have you taken care of patients before? You seem pretty experienced."
From switching his hospital bed and paying the bills yesterday, to bringing breakfast early this morning—she was surprisingly capable.
If Chen Xing were in her shoes…
Forget it. No point imagining. He still didn't know what she was thinking. If he tried putting himself in her place, he wouldn't have come yesterday, wouldn't have helped with the bed, or paid the bill, let alone stayed overnight.
Could she actually like me?
Chen Xing chewed on the bun slowly, frowning in thought.
Love at first sight did exist. He'd pursued his last girlfriend obsessively—waiting outside her classroom on the first day, grabbing seats for her at the cafeteria, treating her to meals, offering sleepovers and mall trips for free.
It took her a long time to realize he wasn't even from her school—and then they broke up.
But he was the guy.
Could girls be that bold in southern Yunnan?
"I've taken care of people before. My mom's often in the hospital. I was the one who looked after her."
"Don't you have a brother?"
After changing rooms last night, they chatted briefly. He knew she came from a single-parent family and had a 23-year-old brother.
Not much more.
It was already 11:30 when they switched rooms. After a short chat, Chen Xing fell asleep.
"My brother was still in high school then. My mom wouldn't let him take time off to care for her." Song Shulan snorted. "Now that he's done with college, he's back home helping her farm. That's why she told me to stop going to school and start working."
"And what do you think about that?"
"I don't have any big thoughts. Women are meant to get married anyway. What's the point of so much education? Just find a good man to marry."
She winked at him.
Chen Xing pretended not to notice and groaned internally.
A 'good man' ends up bearing everything alone.
He didn't agree with her logic, but since she brought him breakfast, he held back on criticizing her.
"Oh right, where's your village again?"
He remembered her mentioning last night that she was of Dai ethnicity, living in a small village shared by Dai and Miao people near Lijiang. He had already planned to visit some ethnic minority communities after hiking Yulong Snow Mountain. This was a good opportunity.
If possible, he even wanted to visit without revealing he knew Song Shulan—just to see what kind of family could be so indifferent to their daughter.
"You want to go to my home?" Her voice suddenly rose, drawing the attention of other patients and their families nearby.
They looked at the two of them with amused curiosity.
Chen Xing quickly explained,
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm a professional photographer, remember? It's totally reasonable for me to go observe rural life."
Song Shulan looked both disappointed and relieved.
"Well, yeah, that makes sense. But there's nothing there—just run-down houses and bad roads."
"I like places with rough roads."
This whole trip was a way to test the system's reward mechanics. His two major rewards had come from experiencing the raw, unfiltered beauty of nature—like the cold grandeur of the snow-capped mountains, and the fiery, nameless dance.
So he wanted to visit more remote, unspoiled places.
Cities were dull. He'd seen enough steel jungles.
"Alright then…" Song Shulan drew out the words, then hesitated.
"Too bad I can't go with you. I have to work at three this afternoon."
She gave him the location.
"Go to Huaping first. When you get off the bus, there will be motorbikes waiting below. Ask them to take you to Chunman Shuizhai—it's about fifty yuan… And make sure it's a motorcycle. Cars can't get through."
"Whoa, your local bikers charge that much?"
She nodded.
"Want me to ask my brother to pick you up?"
"…"
Thanks, but no thanks.
You misunderstanding me is fine, but if your brother does, he might beat me up.
You're barely in your second year of high school. Just turned seventeen.
…
Time to check out.
Though Chen Xing was nineteen, he was clueless about hospital procedures. He'd never been seriously ill before. Even when his mom had a fever years ago, his dad and a bunch of relatives took care of everything.
It was a sunny day again. The road was a bit hot, but if you walked along the shade of trees or shopfronts, it was actually quite cool.
As they walked toward the bus station, Song Shulan was unusually quiet.
For some reason, Chen Xing felt different from everyone else she'd ever met. Or maybe it was his charm. And that feeling only grew stronger the more time they spent together.
She didn't really understand love, didn't know what exactly about him drew her in.
But she just didn't want to say goodbye.
Was it because she saw him alone in the hospital yesterday and felt soft-hearted?
Chen Xing looked up at the large clock tower over "Lijiang Bus Terminal" and turned to her.
"Alright, I'll stop here. Thanks for everything last night. I would've run into a lot of trouble without you."
"No problem, hehe. Go on now." Song Shulan gave him a gentle shove. "The bus ride to my village takes a while. You've got my WeChat, right? Send me a message when you arrive?"
"Okay. You head back too."
Chen Xing put his backpack on the conveyor belt for inspection and started heading in.
A voice called from behind him.
"Will we meet again?"
(End of Chapter)