In the E.R, Xu Mey was waiting patiently for Ye Jie oblivious to Ye Jie's feelings which were in a turmoil.
"Ms. Xu Mey?" She heard a familiar but unassertive voice. She looked at the middle-aged man heading towards her bed. The only thing giving away his age was the grey hair on his head. Other then that. he had a lanky frame and radiant face.
A crease appeared between her brows. "Dr. Zhu? What are you doing here?" It was the doctor whom she met earlier this week for consultation. When Dr. Zhu gave her a knowing look, she realized how absurd her question sounded. She smiled sheepishly. "It's the hospital. Obviously, you'd be here." She answered her own question.
"Do you love hospitals that much?" He asked her while beckoning the nurse to bring Xu Mey's chart to him.
"I don't. I actually hate hospitals." Xu Mey replied honestly. Dr. Zhu skimmed through her chart with a frown.
"Were you aware of your allergies?" He asked turning to her. Xu Mey nodded. "Then you must have been impatient to walk through the doors of death." Xu Mey could feel the sarcasm in his voice but didn't mind.
"Maybe I am impatient." Xu Mey's voice was extremely low. She was contemplating with her mind whether she was really impatient or not. Death gave the impression of being a lot easy at times like it did all those years ago.
"A little impatience will spoil great plans." Dr. Zhu quoted a proverb. "This time you almost knocked at the door of death." He informed her with a bit of anger in his tone.
"Doc, you have a great memory. Do you still remember me? I thought doctors can't possibly remember all their patients." Xu Mey diverted the course of conversation in the other direction.
"I don't remember all. But you... You're unforgettable." His voice was deep, strong and pleasant to hear. His charming brown eyes which struck to be familiar to Xu Mey for an unknown reason held tenderness in them. A fatherly affection that she always saw in her best friends' parents but never on her own father.
Xu Mey smiled broadly. "Even if that was sarcasm, I'll take it as a compliment." She replied happily.
He shook his head. "You're here alone at this time of the night?" Dr. Zhu asked with concern as he noticed the time. It was almost midnight.
"No... My husband is here. He just went out to take a call. I told him to go home but he insisted on staying like a stubborn person. It was him being headstrong that I came to the hospital. I wasn't planning on coming." Even though she was scowling unhappily but her voice didn't contain even the hint of anger.
"He seems like a loving husband." Dr. Zhu commented affirmatively.
Xu Mey looked into his familiar brown eyes asking, "Doc, what is a loving husband?" Dr. Zhu was taken aback by her question but he composed himself instantly.
"A loving husband is the one who knows you better than he knows himself. Love you more than he loves himself. Cares for you more than his money. And protects you like he protects his ego. Most of all, who trusts you more than he trusts his eyes." Dr. Zhu appeared to be in deep thought as if living a distant memory all over again.
"Doc?" Xu Mey's voice broke his reverie and he looked at her with a polite smile. "You talk exactly like my sensei." She never expected to meet a person who shared her sensei's views in life. He gave her a surreal feeling.
Dr. Zhu chuckled softly like a sophisticated person exuding novelty. "Your sensei is a smart person."
"You're right." Xu Mey nodded in agreement. "Huh? Did you praised my sensei or your own self?"
Dr. Zhu touched the space between her brows with his fingertip lightly. "What do you think?" Xu Mey pouted at his reply making him feel even more amused. "Take better care of yourself. If not for yourself, do it for the people who love you." Dr. Zhu turned to leave but stopped after a few steps saying, "Like your husband." Then he walked away without looking back at all.
Meeting Xu Mey felt like a serendipitous encounter to Dr. Zhu. She reminded him of a proverb; 'A fall into a ditch makes you wiser.' In just two meetings, he was able to figure out that she was not fond of life or love. Ostensibly, both were like that branded product that an ascetic person like her didn't want to pay attention to.
For Xu Mey, Dr. Zhu's existence was dubious. He gave her a homey feeling. A self-assurance that allowed her to open up with him. She became aware of the fact that she wasn't a reserved person whenever she talked to him. Despite the fact that he was generally assumed to be a stranger to her. But his deep voice filled with tenderness allowed her to open herself a bit. His voice had the same effect on her as Ye Jie's; both made her feel relaxed.