"And suddenly, you know… it's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings." — Yibo.
"Yufei Jie said she has been calling you, but you didn't pick up."
Bai said, eyes fixed on the TV as he lifted a spoonful of food to his mouth.
It was three in the afternoon at the time. Bai had just returned from school not long ago, and Zhan had also recently come back from the hospital. The moment he dropped his bag on the couch, he went straight to his room, take out of his clothes, and took a shower.
Afterwards, he opened his wardrobe to choose something to wear, but every outfit he looked at felt like unnecessary weight pressing on his already heavy chest. So he reached down and pulled out a light shirt and slipped it on.
As soon as he came out, Nainai began scolding him to change into something more presentable, saying the shirt clung too closely to his body and he didn't know who might walk in. But once Zhan started telling her about the hospital, how well things went and how his application was accepted, her attention shifted to excitement and curiosity, firing questions at him and expressing relief that everything worked out.
That was how Bai found them when he returned, and after he also asked how it went....even without removing his school uniform....he filled his plate from the food flask Noni had delivered, switched on the TV, and started watching a Korean drama on WeTv. Those types of dramas he could watch endlessly without tiring.
As Zhan spoke to Nainai, that's when Bai told him the message from Yufei (Uncle's Big daughter), because they attended the same school and met every day.
"I saw the calls. My phone was in my bag. I told myself I'd call her once I got home." Zhan answered.
"You should call her. It seems like she's anxious...like she really has something to tell you."
Bai said with a grin. Zhan looked at him and shook his head.
"You're unbelievable." Zhan muttered.
Nainai turned to him.
"Aren't you going to eat? Or did you forget you didn't take anything this morning too?"
He shook his head.
"I already had some snacks over there. I'll eat properly at 4 o'clock."
Zhan said, remembering all the snacks Aji kept pulling from her bag and practically begging him not to be shy and to eat as much as he wanted.
Aji...the nurse Matron Tanga had paired him with...was close to his age. They had just met today, but she had already told him her birth year, and he discovered they were only one year apart in age.
She was incredibly talkative...the kind of talkative Zhan had never encountered in his life. The kind that made you feel like old friends within ten minutes of meeting. And after spending almost an hour together, he felt like he had known her for years. More than half the stories he told Nainai when he got back were actually things he had learned from Aji. Each time he mentioned something, Nainai would interrupt:
"Wait...was it Aji that told you that too?"
And the truth was yes: almost everything he now knew about the hospital....its people, its programs, the responsibilities he would have....came from her. If he were left alone for a year, he doubted he'd learn half of what she told him in a single day. She emphasized repeatedly how lucky he was to secure the position, especially to work under Dr. Yibo, someone so many staff members admired.
Since his arrival, no one really knew anything about Dr. Yibo. He never attended meetings, rarely interacted with anyone, never saw patients directly. He only performed surgeries...coming in only when everything was ready, completing the procedure, and disappearing again. Yet he was the head surgeon and everyone knew how highly the Professor who owned the hospital valued him. No rules ever applied to him...everyone knew that. Even if instructions were announced, Dr. Yibo was exempt; he likely didn't even know they existed.
So when the hospital announced the new training program and his name appeared as the lead consultant, everyone was stunned. It sparked massive attention....everyone eager to see how the man who barely spoke to patients would handle months of direct interaction.
Many nurses regretted not applying, claiming they thought it would be too much work. But when those selected...including Aji...received their appointment letters and saw the generous monthly allowances, the envy began. And hearing Dr. Yibo would lead it only intensified it.
Aji had even told him about a nurse who offered extra money just to take her place....simply because Dr. Yibo would be involved.
She said he and another doctor, Dr. Khamis, were the favorites of almost all the women in the hospital. The difference was that Dr. Khamis was friendly and outgoing, while Dr. Yibo kept entirely to himself.
"Let me tell you," Aji had said, "not just the nurses and doctors...even patients. If a woman is familiar with the hospital and sees Dr. Yibo passing, just watch...every pair of eyes will follow him, each with her own thoughts."
What made Zhan laugh while Aji spoke was how she emphasized the word women repeatedly, making sure he understood exactly what she meant. But as she talked, the only thing Zhan truly grasped was this: if Dr. Yibo disliked interacting with people that much, then working with him would actually be a relief. At least he wouldn't micromanage or suffocate him. Their work relationship would be simple...each doing what needed to be done. No pressure.
And he wasn't surprised at all. Just from the call that had exchanged, Zhan had already sensed that Dr. Yibo was unlike any person one could easily know or grow close to.
So he remained quiet, listening to Aji as she continued talking and unpacking snacks from her bag, insisting he eat something. He had no choice but to take a little. Then she started telling him she was pregnant, which was why she kept eating constantly.
Zhan remembered how his eyes widened in surprise....because Aji definitely did not look like a married woman. She went on to say it had been three months since her wedding and even brought out her phone to show him photos from the ceremony, explaining every detail, down to how she met her husband, Muye.
So when Zhan returned home, his head wasn't occupied with hospital stress at all. It was filled with Aji's endless stories and her voice echoing in his mind. That was why during his shower, he let the water run over his head, hoping he could gather himself back together.
His thoughts were interrupted when Aunty Shui walked in. He turned to look at her, just as Nainai's voice followed from outside:
"What are you doing? Shui, when did you even leave this house that you've already come back again?"
Just seeing Aunty Shui's face made Zhan smile involuntarily. She and Nainai were always dramatic with each other. She hated staying at her marital home whenever her husband was away for work, and Nainai always scolded her, insisting she should stop wandering around and stay at her home like a married woman should. They never agreed on anything.
Her house was far too, practically on the outskirts of town. So during holidays, Bai would go spend the night with her, or if Zhan got a day off from work, he would go keep her company. Neither of them could afford traveling far every day because of school and work.
Recently, news about a woman who had been killed in her own home near their neighborhood spread, and Aunty Shui used the incident as ammunition to convince Nainai she needed to stay with them more often. Everyone in the house had memorized that story by now.
So just from Nainai's tone and Aunty Shui's dramatic expression, Zhan already knew what kind of noisy afternoon was about to unfold. And sure enough, she arrived with news that she and her husband decided she should rent a place closer to them. Nainai immediately flared up, refusing.
"Oh absolutely not. You're far enough already, how will we survive coming even closer? You want to be on the road every day? If not madness, how do you explain leaving your husband's house just to go rent somewhere else? What if he takes another wife while you're here chatting?"
And with that, the argument began. Everyone joined...one voice after another....making her even more confused. Bai, eager to talk whenever given the chance, joined in loudly just for the sake of talking.
And all of this made Zhan laugh...the whole chaotic scene in Nainai's room. For a moment, he forgot everything. He forgot the tension he carried all morning. He felt himself again. This was the Zhan who always felt safest in Nainai's room.
Later that night, when he lay down to sleep, everything returned again. The realization that only a few hours separated him from stepping back into a new life he was not prepared for. All of it....including what he hadn't told anyone. Entering that office. And what he saw.
Zhan closed his eyes tighter and pulled the blanket up around himself and Bai, who was already fast asleep. In the darkness behind his eyelids, the image he thought he had erased flickered back vividly....the moment he walked in and saw him....and the way they stared at each other, Yibo looking at him, and him at Yibo's bare chest with no shirt between them.
Please… let me never see him like that again…
The whisper escaped his lips.
But not every wish finds the place where it can be granted.
:-*:-*:-*:-
"Did you finish everything?"
Aji asked while watching Zhan standing in front of her, finishing the last notes on the jotter in his hand.
That morning, after Zhan arrived at the hospital and ran into Aji—who had already chased away most of the worries he woke up with through her constant talking....they headed to Matron Tanga's office. There they met the other nurses, three men included. Matron Tanga held a short meeting and explained all the essential information they would need. Everyone introduced themselves, their names, and their assigned duties.
It helped a lot, since most of their responsibilities were connected. Especially Zhan's work with Dr. Yibo....he would need to receive continuous updates from the rest of the team.
Afterward, they were taken to the designated place where the program would run. Zhan realized an entire section of the hospital had been reserved for it: multiple offices and about five wards arranged for patients....two for women, three for men.
He was assigned his own office, though it was currently empty; they said the equipment would be delivered later. The nurses' stations were already fully set up....two of them—one for the women, including Aji and the cleaners who were already working since patients had been admitted, and one for the male nurses and other male staff.
The doctors' offices were also prepared, including Matron Tanga's, although Zhan noted she likely wouldn't sit there often. She mainly expected progress reports.
Everything moved surprisingly fast. After the orientation, he and Aji went to the wards and he gathered patient reports. As instructed, every morning he would deliver them to Dr. Yibo, the lead on the program, detailing improvements or complications of each patient. Then he would accompany him on rounds, writing instructions and giving them to Aji and the other nurses.
If anything exceeded their capability, Zhan would consult the two doctors assigned as backup support whenever Dr. Yibo was unavailable. From everything he had read, Dr. Yibo was the center of the entire program....he made every final decision. Even Matron Tanga followed his directives.
Before leaving, Matron Tanga informed Zhan that Dr. Yibo would arrive at exactly nine. With Aji's help, he quickly compiled the patients' progress so they could start strong.
Now, with Aji's assistance, he finished writing everything they could get from the patients so far.
"What did you say I should put for Bed 3 before 'signs of depression'?" Zhan asked, still writing, not looking up.
Aji bit into the wafer in her hand before replying,
"Post-amputation recovery."
"Post-amputation recovery…"
He repeated, writing it down. Then he looked up, though his eyes remained on the paper.
"I think I'm done. At least that's everything we have available for now."
Aji shifted slightly in her seat and said, "You're done. All that's left is reporting. I hope everything goes well for you. Like I told you—just do what you came here to do and go. I don't know him personally, but that Dr. Yibo doesn't seem like someone who tolerates nonsense. But honestly, you look like someone who won't cause trouble either."
Zhan turned to her and smiled.
"Of course. Which one is his office again?"
"The first one on the right...you'll know it. No name on the door. Same for his other office. People say he hates having his name written anywhere. Maybe it's because he doesn't like people and doesn't want them walking past reading his name. Who knows."
Zhan understood her words differently in that moment than he would later. He gathered the papers he had written on, his jotter, his phone, his ID card which he had not yet worn, and his pen. Then he informed Aji that he would be back shortly.
When he reached the door of the office, he held his things tightly and knocked once...twice…
Just before he could raise his hand for the third knock, he heard footsteps approaching from behind, along with Matron Tanga's voice saying,
"Good, he's here. I was just about to call him."
Zhan turned immediately...only to freeze. Beyond Matron Tanga and a man in a cleaner's uniform, what he saw shook his entire mind and sent his thoughts crashing like shattered glass spilling across the floor.
It was the man from yesterday.
The one he had prayed never to encounter here again…
Wait....was this really Dr Yibo?
His hands began to tremble instantly, his heartbeat thundering uncontrollably. He felt he would give anything if someone could simply pull him out of that place right then. He wished desperately for something...anything....to stop them from reaching him. But nothing happened. He didn't even realize he was still standing there until they arrived before him.
Matron Tanga introduced him to Dr Yibo, though Zhan was hardly listening....his mind had already delivered the news with painful clarity.
Zhan clutched the papers tightly and listened in silence, unable to lift his head or look at either of them. He only nodded repeatedly to show he understood, while the cleaner unlocked the office door.
From beneath lowered eyes, he saw the two of them enter first. He swallowed hard and forced his feet to move as he followed.
Inside the office, everything smelled newly arranged, spotless and fresh. The space gleamed. The sound that pulled Zhan's attention upward was the blinds being drawn open, flooding the room with light. Matron Tanga stood with Dr Yibo near the chairs, explaining something to him. He only nodded, expression perfectly composed, completely unreadable.
Something lodged painfully in Zhan's throat, stuck there until the cleaner left and Matron Tanga stood.
"I'll be going Nurse Zhan. Tell Aji I'm looking for her," she said, then stepped out.
"ZHAN…"
That deep sweet voice calling his name dropped into the air like sudden rainfall, filling the entire room....unexpected, startling.
His heart skipped violently before he gathered the courage to raise his eyes.
Dr Yibo sat alone now, no Matron beside him. It made him appear even more commanding. His gaze was fixed directly on Zhan. One hand held a bottle of water....Zhan recognized the sound it made earlier when Dr Yibo had twisted the cap off after Matron Tanga left. His other hand rested behind his neck, head tilted slightly.
His eyes locked on Zhan. His voice carried through the quiet office with an accent that made Zhan's knees weaken like overcooked noodles.
"Are you ready?" Dr Yibo asked.
Are you ready too, everyone?
Are you ready to hear Zhan and Yibo's story?
A love story gentle yet deep....one that will soften your thoughts, warm your heart, and lift you for a moment out of the weight of everyday life.
A story unlike any other....one that will leave you smiling, humming,
and completely captivated.
Zhanxianyibo💚❤️💛