Xia Yinuo was born in the seventh lunar month, during the waning heat of late summer. She wasn’t sure when it had started, but celebrating her birthday had become a cycle of multiple meals: one with her father’s family, one with her mother’s, one with her fellow students in the lab, and others with various friends. This year was no exception. There was a TV show she had watched as a child—its name had long since faded from memory—but she still remembered the lyrics to one of its songs: *“Papa has a home, Mama has a home, and I’m the one left over, like I’m extra.”*
Thinking of this, Xia Yinuo amused herself. Although her parents had been divorced for years and had each started new families, she had never lacked for love or care.
Her mother, Li Qinglan, had married Dr. Li Du, a colleague at the affiliated hospital, when Yinuo was ten. Li Du was a widower whose son, Li Xiuheng, was two years older than Yinuo and had lost his mother at the age of five. When Li Qinglan and Li Du married, Yinuo addressed Li Du as Uncle Li, while Li Xiuheng called Li Qinglan "Mom." Though the two siblings shared no blood relation, they had always gotten along well. To outsiders, their occasional bickering and playfulness made them look like biological siblings.
Her father, Xia Yan, was an interior designer who ran his own firm. When Yinuo was eleven, he married Deng Rouyue, a colleague who had worked alongside him for many years. Xia Yan doted on Yinuo to a fault; it was for this reason that he had hesitated to have a second child. It wasn't until Yinuo started university that she took the initiative to tell him, "Dad, why don't you and Auntie Deng have a child of your own?" Deng Rouyue had been moved to tears upon hearing those words. She was devoted to Xia Yan and truly cared for Yinuo, and Yinuo respected and loved her in return; as a woman, she deserved the right to have her own child. Five years ago, in the spring, Xia Yiyan was born, adding a cute little boy to the Xia household.
To this day, Yinuo wasn't entirely sure why her parents had divorced. Neither had cheated. Was it a clash of personalities, or had they simply stopped loving each other? Xia Yinuo didn't have much faith in marriage, and by extension, she found love itself to be a questionable concept. Hermann Hesse once wrote: *“If I know what love is, it is because of you.”*
*So, who are you, and where are you?*
After the semester officially began, more than half a month passed without Yinuo hearing anything about the "time I need your help" that Liang Juejun had mentioned. Yinuo began to feel a bit awkward, especially when she saw other TAs busy grading assignments and proctoring quizzes. She wondered if she should send Professor Liang another email to check in—something along the lines of *“When will you assign some work to this TA, like grading papers?”* She felt a bit like a glutton for punishment; wasn't a cushy job a good thing? To her surprise, Liang Juejun replied that she didn't give her students mandatory assignments. She preferred to read the students' short essays herself, so there was no need to trouble Yinuo. Yinuo had been quite busy with her experiments over the past two months, so while she felt a slight pang of being overlooked, she let the matter slide.
Unexpectedly, just before the National Day holiday, she received an email from Liang Juejun. The gist of it was that the international students in the "Introduction to Immunology" course wanted to visit the university’s Human Body Museum and had invited Liang Juejun to be their guide and lecturer. Since Liang Juejun did not come from a medical background and didn't have a deep knowledge of histology and anatomy, the "time she needed Yinuo's help" had naturally arrived. The tone of the email was humble and polite, ending once again with *Yours sincerely, Leung*, which sent Yinuo’s heart fluttering.
Regarding this fluttering sensation, Yinuo scolded herself for being a shallow "visualist" while simultaneously arguing that it wasn't just about looks—the woman was a paragon of both inner and outer beauty. *Xia Xiaobao, if I recall correctly, you’ve only met Professor Liang once and exchanged a handful of emails. Isn't this a bit much?* Only much later would Yinuo realize that this was likely what people called love at first sight.
After agreeing to help, Yinuo specifically looked up information about the university’s Human Body Museum to ensure she wouldn't embarrass herself in front of the foreign guests. It was a Sunday, and Yinuo arrived at the museum entrance half an hour early, only to find Liang Juejun already there, chatting with a girl.
Yinuo walked up steadily to greet her. "Hello, Professor Liang. I'm Xia Yinuo."
Both women turned to look at her, and Yinuo got a clear view of their faces. Liang Juejun recognized her instantly as the girl named "Xiaobao" she had met at the faculty entrance months ago. Chen Diandian, on the other hand, was shocked to find that the TA Professor Liang had mentioned was actually a senior she knew well.
"Senior Xia, it’s you! Do you remember me? I’m Chen Diandian! I did a lab competition in Professor Tang’s lab back in my junior year!"
Seeing Yinuo just staring without speaking, Liang Juejun let out a soft laugh. "Hello, Xia. So you two know each other. I'm Liang Juejun, and this is my student, Chen Diandian. I was worried we might be shorthanded today, so I asked her to come along as well."
"Oh, right!" Yinuo finally snapped out of it. "I’ve attended your academic presentations before. And Chen Diandian, of course I remember you." *Even those who don't know you personally have heard of your famous name, haven't they?*
"Well then, let's head inside once everyone is here. The students are already waiting in the lobby." Since Liang Juejun had spoken, Xia and Chen naturally followed her lead. As medical students who had spent years at C University, Yinuo and Diandian acted as the guides and lecturers, while Liang Juejun handled the translation. As Liang Juejun put it: "I'm relying entirely on you two today. I'll be learning some human anatomy from you as well."
In truth, most of the specimens had bilingual descriptions in Chinese and English. For a general science tour, visitors could gather plenty of information on their own; as for the "insider trivia," that depended on the guides' expertise. Standing before a plastinated specimen, Chen Diandian gestured animatedly. "This is the earliest plastinated human specimen in our medical school. It was made at the world's largest production base for human specimens. Guess where? Dalian, right here in China! Plastination frees the specimens from formalin, making it easier for us to study and research. Look at these bones, these lines—it’s practically a work of art!"
Liang Juejun smiled as she translated for the dozen or so wide-eyed foreigners behind them. The students nodded in admiration. Yinuo whispered to Chen Diandian, "You've certainly done your homework." This earned a proud, chest-out response from Diandian: "Of course! I used to be a volunteer at the specimen hall!"
No wonder she was so professional. It seemed Little Xia wasn't going to be of much use after all.
The Human Body Museum spanned three floors, organized by system: locomotor, visceral, circulatory, nervous, and sensory organs. There were regional dissections, cross-sectional specimens, and full-body displays—enough to fill an entire afternoon. After they finished the first-floor exhibits, and before watching some anatomy videos in the second-floor theater, Chen Diandian suggested they split up so everyone could explore the areas that interested them most. Everyone agreed.
The theater wasn't large, resembling a small cinema. As the lights dimmed, everyone’s attention was drawn to the screen. Fortunately, the educational film had bilingual subtitles, saving a lot of trouble. Yinuo caught a glimpse of Liang Juejun sitting in the front row on the far right. It seemed Liang Juejun had a habit of sitting on the far right of a section, just like at the last presentation. The light from the screen reflected off Liang Juejun’s face; her profile was truly a sight to behold—long, curled lashes, a straight bridge of the nose, and a graceful lip line. She looked like a statue. Seeing how intently Liang Juejun was watching the screen, Yinuo sighed inwardly, thinking that a focused woman was truly beautiful.
But why was Chen Diandian next to her constantly squirming in her seat? Did she think this required chicken wings, cola, and popcorn to be complete? Yinuo suddenly felt she should introduce Chen Diandian to Ke Dinghao; the two of them would surely get along famously. Yinuo chuckled to herself at the thought.
After leaving the theater, everyone explored freely, agreeing to meet in the first-floor lobby an hour later. The international students split into small groups, with a few sticking close to Liang Juejun. Chen Diandian led another group toward the third floor. A handsome, blue-eyed young man cornered Yinuo with several technical questions. Yinuo stammered through her answers, and when the young man finally excused himself to find the restroom, she let out a long sigh of relief. She felt her preparation had been woefully inadequate; she had indeed embarrassed herself in front of a foreign guest. She recalled how carelessly she had studied human anatomy back in the day. Finding a moment of leisure, she simply sat on a sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window to rest, staring blankly outside as she let her mind go empty.
When Liang Juejun managed to slip away from the students for a brief break, she saw Yinuo sitting by the window. As the weather had turned cool, Yinuo wore a knit cardigan over her shirt, her hair still in a ponytail, paired with her usual jeans and canvas shoes—simple and comfortable. Her legs were stretched out, her hands tucked under her thighs, her eyes gazing mindlessly out the window. From that look in her eyes, Liang Juejun suddenly felt that this was an interesting person—not just the "model student" the faculty professors described.
An hour later, the group gathered in the lobby, said their goodbyes, and dispersed. To thank Chen Diandian and Xia Yinuo for their help, Liang Juejun offered to take them both to dinner.
"Awesome! I'm free! What about you, Senior Xia?" Chen Diandian responded enthusiastically. To her, missing a free meal was a sign of a character flaw.
"I... sure!" Yinuo agreed without thinking. She had originally promised her grandmother she would go home for dinner, so while Liang Juejun and Chen Diandian discussed where to go, she made an excuse to go to the restroom to call her grandmother.
"Hello, Grandma. I won't be back for dinner tonight. I'm eating with a professor and a junior student. Please let my mom know when she gets off work."
"Oh, alright. Make sure you eat well, and get along with your teacher and classmate..."
"Mhm, I know. Don't worry, Grandma. I'm hanging up now."
***
