That evening, Xia Yinuo drove to Mai Shining’s photography studio with two dozen egg tarts. Only one assistant remained in the shop; Mai Shining was sitting in front of her computer, retouching photos while waiting for Zhang Jikang to finish work so they could grab dinner.
Mai Shining skipped over and snatched the box of egg tarts. While calling her assistant over to eat, she asked, "How do you have time to come by today?"
"She has a class tonight," Xia Yinuo replied.
"Oh, Professor Liang! How are things going between you two?"
Xia Yinuo said everything was fine and gave a brief account of the situation regarding Qi Qian.
Miss Mai Shining, the self-proclaimed "Bane of the Dating World," stuffed an egg tart into her mouth. With her lips glistening with oil, she cautioned Xia Yinuo, "A long, long time ago, Mr. Gu Long told us that while there might be a few women in this world who don't eat, there isn't a single one who doesn't get jealous."
Xia Yinuo remarked leisurely, "I don't know if she's a woman who doesn't get jealous, but you're definitely not a woman who doesn't eat."
Mai Shining made a spiteful move to wipe the grease from her hands onto Xia Yinuo.
Half an hour later, Zhang Jikang appeared. Hearing Mai Shining and Xia Yinuo whispering incessantly, he asked if they were keeping secrets from him. Mai Shining waved him off, saying, "Don't worry about women's business."
Zhang Jikang didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Lately, Liang Juejun had become obsessed with Xia Yinuo’s study. During their leisure time in the evenings, the two of them would soak in the atmosphere of the room, flipping through casual books and listening to music. As autumn deepened, the mornings and evenings grew rainy, and LoVo liked to hide in the crevices of the small rockery. Their interactions were born of passion but restrained by propriety, filled with a silent, loving understanding. Once eleven o'clock struck, they would each return to their own homes to sleep.
At the end of October, C University’s annual autumn sports meet commenced. Someone like Xia Yinuo, who possessed zero athletic talent, had been nothing more than a cheerleader since childhood. Every year during the sports meet, the campus clinic would be packed to the rafters. Aside from the athletes' external injuries, it just so happened that cases of fever and flu mysteriously spiked during those few days. The doctors and nurses at the clinic were kept incredibly busy. Consequently, the Medical School would dispatch a small medical emergency team every year to set up a temporary first-aid station next to the field. Equipped with stretchers, oxygen pillows, emergency medications, and common drugs, they assisted the clinic in preparing for emergencies and handling minor injuries that didn't require a hospital visit.
After her third year of undergraduate studies, Xia Yinuo had been recruited multiple times by the Student Union to volunteer at the medical station. The requirements for volunteers were specific: they had to be majoring in clinical medicine or nursing, and they had to be non-athletes. Such people were surprisingly hard to find. Back then, the president of the Undergraduate Medical Student Union was Chu Meng, the second eldest in Xia's dorm; now, the president of the Medical Graduate Student Union was Ke Dinghao. Thus, Xia Yinuo became one of the mainstays of the first-aid station.
That day, also on duty at the station were a nursing undergraduate and a clinical medicine master's student. Both politely addressed Xia Yinuo as *Xuejie*. There was a certain etiquette to titles within the university; one could throw *Xuejie* around loosely, but *Shijie* was not a term to be used lightly. Xia Yinuo herself wasn't sure why she had called Liang Juejun *Shijie* from the very beginning.
In her memory, the university sports meets were always like this: comfortable, crisp autumn weather, an opening ceremony that offered a new highlight every year, followed by the symphony of whistles, starting pistols, broadcasts, and shouting on the field. The students poured out their youthful sweat and tears. Xia Yinuo thought that this would likely be the last C University sports meet she would ever attend. Because of this, everything she saw felt particularly dear—even the colorful flags lined up by the field seemed exceptionally vibrant. She wanted to imprint this scene into her mind forever, branding it as her memory of C University. However, almost all of her old classmates had graduated, including Zhang Jikang, who had stayed with her the longest at C University and had also finished his doctorate. Such was the unspoken bitterness of a five-year clinical medicine program.
Gu Yizhi stood before the large stone engraved with C University’s motto, a composed smile on her face. *Seven years have passed, and I am back.*
Back then, Gu Yizhi had graduated from C University with a master's degree before going abroad for her doctorate and work. Now, she had returned to China to start her own business. Standing on this soil after all these years, she felt much had changed, yet it also felt as if nothing had changed at all.
C University was like a life attitude. In a world overflowing with "successology," C University was a hidden dwelling, a quiet forest. In a noisy era of cutthroat competition, C University represented a kind of tranquility, a sense of freedom, even a form of mockery or cold detachment—a so-called "original dream." Sometimes, growth inadvertently robs you of your innocence and naivety, evolving into so much entitlement and self-righteousness. Yet the gates of C University always remained open, waiting for you to pick up the fragments of your memory, to revisit the multicolored butterflies, and to remind yourself of who you were originally.
Tang Shuliang was very pleased by Gu Yizhi’s arrival, lamenting how quickly time flew. He was delighted to learn that Gu Yizhi had returned to start a business, filling a gap in the domestic field of independent research into regenerative medical materials.
"I've heard you mention this in your calls and emails," Tang Shuliang said. "I have always supported translational medicine. The combination of scientific research and the industrialization of engineering technology applications—shortening the distance between the lab bench and the clinic—is perfectly suited for our specialty."
"Being able to receive your affirmation has really put my mind at ease," Gu Yizhi replied. "The company was only recently incorporated, and the partner team I brought back from the US is still short-handed. I'll be starting campus presentations and recruitment soon."
"Excellent! The world belongs to you young people now. No wonder I often hear students say that the lab is a fortress while the people are like flowing water. Seeing you all so capable makes me very happy."
"That's all thanks to your excellent teaching!"
"Hahaha, nonsense!"
"Is Xiaotang doing her undergraduate degree now? Is she on campus? I happen to have time today to meet her."
"Look at me, I almost forgot. She knew you were back and has been pestering me to invite you and Lin Shen over for dinner. The school is holding its sports meet today; that girl is probably running wild in some corner of the field right now!"
"Is that so? No wonder it was so lively near the gymnasium when I came over. I'll go find her."
"Alright. You probably won't even recognize her when you see her. She's all grown up!"
"Haha, having been gone for several years, I feel like I'm experiencing a different lifetime."
Tang Xiaotang was Tang Shuliang’s only daughter. When Gu Yizhi was a master's student, Tang Xiaotang was just a little girl in her early teens who often ran into the lab to cause mischief. She had gotten along famously with Tang Shuliang’s students, especially Gu Yizhi and Lin Shen. Now, Xiaotang should be a young woman of twenty.
Gu Yizhi arrived at the bustling sports field. Unexpectedly, before she could confirm Xiaotang’s exact location, she was knocked down by a reckless male student. Gu Yizhi was wearing high heels; inevitably, she sprained her ankle. The boy nervously helped her up, apologizing profusely and offering to take her to the campus clinic. Gu Yizhi struggled to stand. Looking at the sincere boy, she didn't have the heart to scold him. Seeing the "Medical School Volunteer Association First-Aid Station" marked with a red cross nearby, she said there was no need to go to the clinic and that she could just have it treated there. Thus, the boy supported Gu Yizhi as they walked slowly toward the station.
Xia Yinuo, wearing a white lab coat, sat at the table of the first-aid station with her chin in her hands, zoning out in boredom. One of her colleagues had already fallen asleep on the table, while the other was watching a movie on an iPad.
Throughout the morning, they had handled a few external injuries, none of them serious. Some people came by asking for Band-Aids, and some even tried to flirt, asking, "Hey classmate, what year and class are you in?" Xia Yinuo would reply, "Hello, junior. I'm in my fifth year of my PhD." This successfully repelled the overconfident young boys.
"Excuse me, Doctor, do you take patients?"
Hearing a familiar voice, Xia Yinuo looked up. Sure enough, it was Liang Juejun.
Xia Yinuo’s eyes lit up. She immediately perked up, sat straight, and said, "I do! Of course I do!"
Liang Juejun pulled over a chair and sat in front of Xia Yinuo, extending her hand. Xia Yinuo put on a grand show of placing three fingers on Liang Juejun’s radial artery. She pondered with a serious expression for a good while before leaning into Liang Juejun’s ear and whispering, "Congratulations, Madam! Based on this pulse... you're expecting!"
Liang Juejun covered her mouth and laughed heartily.
Xia Yinuo asked happily, "Did you come specifically to see me?"
Liang Juejun withdrew her hand. "Diandian has a race. The people from the lab came together to cheer for her. Since you said you'd be here, I thought I'd stop by."
"Wow! Diandian gets such treatment. I'm just a 'by the way'?" Xia Yinuo teased.
Liang Juejun smiled. "Just because you aren't participating in any events doesn't mean you can forbid others from doing so."
"Perish the thought! I just feel that a person like you, Professor Liang, who values exercise and fitness so much, should be representing the faculty team."
Liang Juejun replied with mock gravity, "I can't. Because I have a 'joyous pulse'!"
Xia Yinuo nearly choked. *Women... humor makes you so much more enchanting. Even ten miles of spring breeze cannot compare to you.*
Picking up the stethoscope on the table, Xia Yinuo put it on and said, "A joyous pulse is a big deal. Taking the pulse might not have been accurate enough. Only a combination of Chinese and Western medicine yields the best results. How about I give you a listen?"
As the two were joking, a boy supported a woman as they limped over. The younger student who had been watching a movie quickly took off her headphones and stepped forward to help. The boy was green and nervous, while the woman was mature and professional.
The boy looked anxious, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "Hello. She twisted her ankle. Could you help treat it?"
"Sure, please sit down first," Xia Yinuo said.
Liang Juejun stood up and said to Xia Yinuo, "You get to work. I'll head back."
Xia Yinuo nodded.
With just one look, Gu Yizhi recognized the person in front of her as the Xia Yinuo she had met at the conference in Dalian.
The world was truly small.
Xia Yinuo had Gu Yizhi sit down, then lifted her foot and removed her high heel to examine it. The ankle was slightly red and swollen, but there was no major damage. Xia Yinuo took an ice pack from her colleague, wrapped it in a towel, and applied it to Gu Yizhi’s ankle while saying, "It shouldn't be too serious, but the foot will swell more later. Avoid rubbing it with your hands. To be safe, it's best to go to the hospital for an X-ray later."
Having spent so much time in medical school, Gu Yizhi naturally knew these basics. She simply asked with interest, "Classmate, may I ask your name?"
"My surname is Xia."
"From the Medical School?"
"Yes."
"What year?"
Xia Yinuo couldn't help but look up at this inquisitive patient.
Before Xia Yinuo could answer, Gu Yizhi’s phone rang.
Tang Xiaotang asked, "Sister Yizhi, where are you?" Gu Yizhi said helplessly that she had been bumped into and twisted her ankle and was currently at the medical station on the field. Upon hearing this, Tang Xiaotang said she would be there immediately.
Xia Yinuo’s sharp eyes noticed that the boy also had abrasions on his arm, so she signaled her colleague to help treat his wounds. Gu Yizhi told the boy, "I'm fine. You can head back once you're patched up." The boy nodded shyly in agreement.
Tang Xiaotang, dressed in sportswear, jogged all the way to the medical station. She didn't expect the first person she saw to be Xia Yinuo.
"Eh? Sister Xiao Nuo! Sister Yizhi!"
This greeting caused Xia Yinuo and Gu Yizhi to look at each other in surprise. Xia Yinuo hadn't expected her mentor’s daughter to know this woman, and Gu Yizhi hadn't expected Xiaotang to know Xia Yinuo.
"Oh, so you two know each other?" Tang Xiaotang asked.
Xia Yinuo shook her head, while Gu Yizhi spread her hands.
Tang Xiaotang burst out laughing. "Well, that's a coincidence! Sister Xiao Nuo, Sister Yizhi is actually your *Shijie* from the same mentor!"
Xia Yinuo was stunned. "Really?"
Gu Yizhi suddenly understood. "So, you are Professor Tang’s student?"
Xia Yinuo nodded.
Gu Yizhi extended her hand and said with a smile, "Let's introduce ourselves properly then. I am Gu Yizhi. It's a pleasure to meet you; please look after me."
***
