Chapter 174

I first met Lin Zhixia in a hospital corridor, where the scent of disinfectant mingled with the faint fragrance of gardenias in her hair. She hurried past carrying a stack of medical charts, the hem of her white coat fluttering in a gentle arc. At the time, I had just finished an emergency surgery and was leaning tiredly against the wall when she suddenly stopped, looked up at me, and her almond eyes filled with surprise. "Doctor Shen?" she asked in a crisp voice, tinged with a hint of uncertainty. I was stunned for a moment before recognizing her as a classmate from the neighboring class in college. Years had passed, and she was even more delicate and captivating than in my memory. After that day, we began running into each other frequently—sometimes in the cafeteria, sometimes in the library. She always wore a faint smile as she listened to me tell stories from the operating table, occasionally sharing her own interesting experiences in pediatrics. Gradually, the distance between us closed, until that rainy spring night when I held an umbrella for her at the hospital entrance and she suddenly stood on tiptoe and brushed a light kiss against my cheek.