Chapter 11 After Leaving

In the blink of an eye, autumn had arrived in Jingbei.

Last night’s rain had caught everyone off guard, leaving the morning air tinged with a crisp chill.

Luo Nanchu was watering her potted plants when the autumn wind made her shiver. She hurried back to her bedroom and pulled a thin sweater from the pile of unorganized clothes to put on.

As she watered, she thought distractedly that just yesterday at this time the sun was high in the sky, and she had been complaining to Yu Yuan about the heat. Today, however, had turned gloomy.

There was no transition autumn had arrived abruptly.

After finishing watering, her carefully tended plants, she spent half an hour selecting an outfit, only to realize she had pitifully few autumn clothes.

She casually threw on a thin sweatshirt and paired it with loose-fitting wide-leg pants.

In the mirror, Luo Nanchu’s delicate oval face and fair skin were complemented by her beautiful, curved eyes and the faint dimples on her cheeks.

During downtime at the hospital, her colleagues often joked, “Well, in our line of work, we don’t really need to buy many clothes.”

“After all, once you put on the white coat, who knows how sloppy you look underneath? It saves money.”

But Luo Nanchu cared about her appearance, especially in front of Fu Hansheng.

She desperately wanted him to see the most perfect version of herself.

Yet fate had a cruel sense of humor her most disheveled moments had all been witnessed by Fu Hansheng.

She grabbed her bag and walked to the hospital.

Last night, she had been slightly annoyed with Fu Hansheng. The hospital was only a ten-minute walk away, yet he insisted on driving her.

As a result, they were stuck on the overpass for a full hour.

As if he was the only one with a car.

Luo Nanchu was afraid of being seen by colleagues or familiar patients. Otherwise, by the next day, rumors would spread about her arguing with a man outside the hospital.

They might even accurately report Fu Hansheng’s license plate number.

The following day, multiple versions of the story would circulate, including details even she herself didn’t know.

In the past, Luo Nanchu would have eagerly paraded Fu Hansheng around the department, using a megaphone to announce to everyone, “This is the person I like. Handsome, right? Hehe.”

Now, Luo Nanchu silently vowed never to repeat those mistakes.

Every time she locked eyes with Fu Hansheng, she was pulled back to that night.

His gaze had been cold and indifferent.

Arriving at the hospital, she managed to be among the first to board the elevator.

The cramped elevator was packed with people. Morning rush hour elevators were always hard to catch, and everyone pushed desperately to get in.

She was squeezed into a corner.

The obstetrics and gynecology department was on the ninth floor, where hardly anyone got off.

Whenever she was cornered in an elevator filled with people of varying heights, she had to gather her courage before speaking up as the elevator arrived: “Excuse me, could you let me through?”

Then, she would be jostled out bit by bit.

As she was pushed out, Luo Nanchu took a deep breath.

The elevator during morning rush hour was filled with a mix of smells.

The scents of soy milk, fried dough sticks, and various buns mingled with strong, pungent perfumes.

Luo Nanchu breathed deeply and couldn’t help but remark that the odors in morning rush hour elevators and subways were truly unpleasant.

If you happened to encounter a sweaty man on top of that, it could easily be considered one of life’s tortures.

When she reached the department, she changed into her white coat.

Before Master Extinction arrived, everyone huddled together to gossip.

This time, they had gotten smarter.

They timed it perfectly to Zhou Man’s clock-in, even calculating which elevator she would take to arrive.

The elevator chimed upon arrival, and everyone dispersed noisily, returning to their workstations.

Zhou Man swept into the office like a gust of wind and changed into her work uniform.

Passing by Luo Nanchu, she tossed out a remark, “Ask Bed 12 if she has hypertension.”

Luo Nanchu nodded, grabbing a pen and notepad before heading out the door.

Arriving at Bed 12’s bedside, she noted the pregnant woman’s belly appeared nearly full-term and ready for delivery.

The woman’s husband burst in.

“Sweetheart, I bought soy milk, fried dough sticks, and a McDonald’s panini.”

Luo Nanchu glanced over briefly before looking away, but the man insisted on handing her a fried dough stick.

She politely declined immediately.

She never accepted anything from patients.

Besides, she had no desire to handle greasy fried food bare-handed.

“Thank you, but please enjoy it yourselves.”

“Do you have hypertension?” she asked.

The woman took a decisive bite of the dough stick, sipped some soy milk, wiped her mouth, and replied, “No.”

After asking, Luo Nanchu still intended to have a nurse take her blood pressure.

But then her husband called out, “Honey, did you take your blood pressure medication?”

Luo Nanchu frowned.

“I thought you said you didn’t have hypertension?”

The husband scratched his head and explained, “Well, if she takes the medicine, her blood pressure stays normal.”

“So, then it’s not hypertension.”

That explanation made Luo Nanchu laugh in disbelief.

She couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Having it means having it.”

“If you’re taking medication for it, how can you say it’s not hypertension?”

Before leaving, Luo Nanchu asked another question, “How many weeks are you?”

“Is the baby due soon? Is the expected delivery date this week or next?”

The man answered, “Not that early.”

“There’s still two months to go.”

“She was admitted because she wasn’t feeling well.”

Luo Nanchu sighed inwardly. “Try not to overeat, keep an eye on your diet.”

“You really need to control it.”

The man, however, grinned and replied, “My mom says it’s good to have a big, healthy grandson.”

Luo Nanchu gave him a serious, educational talk.

“An oversized fetus can easily lead to a difficult delivery.”

“Plus, it’s not good for the mother’s health, it could cause issues with various health indicators later.”

The man finally nodded earnestly and said he understood and would manage it.

Back in the department, Luo Nanchu updated the medical records.

Occasionally, casual chatter filled the room.

Jia Tiantian was often the one to start gossip and discuss new topics.

“Yesterday evening, when I went out to buy dinner, I saw a really handsome guy.”

“Super-hot.”

Luo Nanchu felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

As Jia Tiantian prepared to continue, Luo Nanchu’s heart nearly leaped into her throat.

“He was driving a gray Aston Martin, leaning against it with those long legs looked almost 190 cm tall.”

“Handsome enough to make gods and mortals alike jealous, with such sharp, classic looks.”

Just as Luo Nanchu grew tense, Jia Tiantian turned to her.

“Nan Chu, did you see him?”

“I remember when I got back, you had just arrived at the hospital we even said hi around that time.”

Mention of a handsome guy perked everyone in the department up; suddenly, no one was tired or hungry anymore.

They all perked up their ears attentively.

Luo Nanchu smiled lightly and said, “Ah, I didn’t notice.”

Jia Tiantian slyly pulled out her phone from her pocket and grinned.

“Good thing I took a photo.”

In the picture, the man exuded an exceptional aura. He wore a white shirt with the top two buttons undone, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing pale forearms with faintly visible veins.

He stood tall and relaxed, leaning lazily against the car.

When the photo was passed to Luo Nanchu, she glanced at it distractedly.

The other female colleagues exclaimed in surprise, “Wow, I can’t believe such a top-tier guy would appear in our hospital.”

“What a shame, a handsome man like that wouldn’t come to the obstetrics and gynecology department.”

“He could bring his wife here.” Just then, Zhou Man walked in and hit the nail on the head.

Zhou Man’s tone was neither cold nor warm.

Several women began to wail in disappointment, with Jia Tiantian wailing the loudest.

Until they realized it was Zhou Man who had spoken.

Their expressions immediately changed, all turning serious and solemn.

Zhou Man had the ability to make even a joking remark sound so ambiguous that people couldn’t tell whether she was being serious or not.

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