The teacher said at the time that only those with mature skills could achieve muscle memory, while inexperienced people would mostly panic or subconsciously give the answer they most wanted to say, since there was absolutely no time to think.
What she wanted to test was whether Pei Zhen would immediately lie or tell the truth when suddenly questioned.
Pei Zhen was subtly awkward for a moment: "We were attending a conference together, so of course we met. It was too late to return to the hotel that day, so we stayed at her friend's place temporarily. There were five of us in the group, and I was one of them.
I can also tell you the origin of the name Mr. Aurora. Seven of us formed a group trip to Northern Europe. While driving a rental car on a road trip, everyone fell asleep. I accelerated to 230 km/h to catch the aurora, pulled over and woke up all six people. The reason I'm called Mr. Aurora is... because I was the one who woke them up.
This isn't a romantic story about two people in their own world - just a group of friends accidentally witnessing a miracle."
So it had nothing to do with romance after all? Pei Zhen sat cross-legged, showing no signs of lying. While eating pasta, his eyes remained on her, perfectly relaxed: "But... how did you know about her?"
"From her Weibo. Zhao Xiaorou saw it."
He smiled somewhat helplessly: "She likes to use all kinds of strange pseudonyms. Her Twitter is all work-related, like a Seattle city ambassador, while her Weibo is full of these flashy life updates.
If you really want to investigate through subtle clues whether I'm lying to you, I swear I'm not. But since you asked this question, you must not be completely indifferent to me either."
"Your fist-clenching motion..."
"I often do it in the operating room - doctors would understand. If I do this in front of normal people, they'd probably think I'm crazy."
Hu Xiu looked up, and Pei Zhen's gaze unexpectedly burned her: "The way you were acting just now completely seemed like you were forcing me to say that I've transferred my affections to someone else during these three months, that I didn't contact you because I didn't like you enough, that I went to find my ex-girlfriend immediately after going abroad.
But when I saw her, I knew you two are completely different, though both extremely intelligent.
But she's impulsive, radical, acts on impulse. When I saw her, the first person I thought of was you - gentle yet always apprehensive, always appearing like you need protection while unable to conceal your brilliance...
Only then did I realize I've already lost my chance to pursue you... I didn't want to say this, but after being devoted to medicine for many years, finally being sincere after numerous hypocrisies, only to be completely misinterpreted by you - I'd feel unwilling too."
Pei Zhen smiled at her, his face truly perfect. Two tired people, after work, being serious with each other about three months of lost contact. Hu Xiu felt she had been pulled across the boundary - the smile on his face wasn't what she wanted to see. She had originally wanted to resolve this quickly.
Now, she felt ashamed of her own recklessness. She absolutely couldn't let him discover her clenched fist under the table - he would guess her unease - he's that smart.
"You two, you've barely eaten anything but have been catching up for so long?" Li Ai's appearance was like timely rain: "Hu Xiu, Diao Zhiyu is returning Friday evening and wants us to shoot a short film together. Do you have any meetings this weekend?"Hu Xiu looked into Pei Zhen's eyes: "There should be, but I can give it to my senior sister—she's closer to Suzhou for the meeting. I need some rest too."
Pei Zhen blinked, cleverly grasping the underlying meaning, and asked with a smile, "How has Diao Zhiyu been lately?"
"Him? He filmed a movie, helped Zhao Xiaorou write scripts for Live Action Role Playing Games and opened an Escape Room. Now he's acting in a new Live Action Role Playing Game and auditioning for another TV drama."
Li Ai washed his hands and picked beans for pour-over coffee: "Such a vibrant life for a young handsome guy."
The two sitting in their seats drank coffee, each harboring their own hidden thoughts.
Life went on as usual. Running into Pei Zhen at the hospital and coordinating work went smoothly. Occasionally, clueless colleagues still made misguided matches: "Oh, little Hu and Dr. Pei working together again on the weekend like an old married couple?"
Hu Xiu didn't respond, leaving only Pei Zhen to gracefully smooth things over. After being back for a week, she only secretly glanced at Pei Zhen once while wearing a mask.
He had lost weight from overwork, revealing a defined jawline that made his features more angular. His tall nose paired with gentle eyes, and when his gaze landed on her, it felt particularly tender.
She quickly averted her eyes and handed him the schedule: "Dr. Pei, the schedule you asked for."
"Thanks..." he said seriously, "avoiding the head nurse..."
Diao Zhiyu had been busy with auditions and rehearsals for a whole week, completely out of sight. While getting dressed to go out, she glanced in the mirror and noticed a lump on her back that had always been there seemed larger. She hadn't paid attention before, but it suddenly bulged like an eye growing on her back—
After double-checking, this was definitely no ordinary pimple... Sure enough, the troubles of love were making her sick!
She found time to visit the plastic surgery department and had blood tests—it was a hemangioma, recommended for removal. She scheduled the surgery as soon as possible, thinking she'd recover during spring. She worried about encountering a careless doctor who might leave a big scar.
After disinfection and sterile drapes were arranged, Pei Zhen walked in with the medical records. Lying on the table, Hu Xiu recognized his shoes first and felt instantly awkward: "Why is it you...?"
"Minor surgeries are randomly assigned. I'm not busy today." Pei Zhen might have said something about fate before, but now, wearing a mask, he said nothing. He picked up the tray and asked the nurse to leave first—they were short-staffed in the next operating room.
The anesthetic needle stung briefly, leaving a small area numb. Hu Xiu's hospital gown was half off, and though only a patch of skin was exposed to him, she still felt embarrassed.
"You could have come to me directly."
"No need to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut..." The scissors made a crisp sound, and she felt her skin being pulled. There must be a small crater on her back now.
Pei Zhen, masked behind her, sutured meticulously and slowly: "I'm not deliberately dragging this out. The wound looks like a cleft lip now—three sections, and on your back, it could easily reopen within seven days. You'll inevitably wear spaghetti straps, so if you don't want a scar, it's worth taking the time."
"What did the tumor look like...?"
"Clear and translucent, about 15mm in diameter. Have you ever played with glass marbles?"
It really wasn't small. Hu Xiu lay prone on the operating table and softly said, "Thank you."
"No need to thank me." Pei Zhen was calmer in the operating room than outside, speaking steadily and bluntly: "Don't deliberately keep your distance from me. I know you're dating Diao Zhiyu—I won't interfere in your life. I'm not that idle. I'm happy you're with someone you like and living well."Not sure if he was feigning nonchalance. Hu Xiu earnestly tried to lighten the mood: "Does my current posture resemble a toad?"
"I can only see this sterile drape. Besides, why would a perfectly nice girl want to resemble a toad..."
He laughed after saying this. Hu Xiu thought this scene felt familiar somehow - like in Grey's Anatomy when Mark finally realized he liked Lexie, while Lexie was dating her student Jackson, they kept missing each other over and over again.
Thinking of this, she asked: "Doctor Pei, have you watched Grey's Anatomy?"
"No, I've only watched ER."
When Hu Xiu returned home, she indeed saw Diao Zhiyu waiting downstairs with his backpack, head bowed while playing with his phone. His hair seemed longer, the natural black curls puffing up on his head - the living image of Qin Xiaoyi himself.
Hu Xiu always found it novel - his aura was too unique. Snowpiercer still maintained high ratings on review platforms, the boss doted on the new Qin Xiaoyi, yet the comment sections still carried legends of Diao Zhiyu. Returning players who couldn't see Diao Zhiyu would lament, "That really handsome and talented Qin Xiaoyi who could act has disappeared. After all, that aloof, cold and elegant prince aura only he possessed. The current Qin Xiaoyi is like a central air conditioner heading down the greasy path."
Halfway through running toward him, she remembered the wound with gauze on her back and suddenly tiptoed over, walking with uneven shoulders.
Diao Zhiyu looked at her like she was a monster: "Have you seen yourself? Gliding over like an airplane with malfunctioning wings."
"I had that small tumor on my back removed."
Diao Zhiyu nervously went upstairs to open the door, lifting her collar wasn't enough, he peered along the gauze for a long time: "Who did the suturing? This is masterful work."
"Pei Zhen..."
"He's back?"
"Mhm..."
The boy behind her seemed to quickly become irritated, his voice lowering: "Should I be guarding against him trying to steal you away?"
"What are you thinking!" Hu Xiu slapped his head backhandedly: "We're just colleagues. But you men are really strange - I asked him why he didn't message me during three months in America, he said he was too busy. Thinking about it, it's true - you were in Western Sichuan for a month and a half then in Hengdian for over ten days without any news either."
"Why did you ask him why he didn't reply to messages." Diao Zhiyu pinpointed the crux accurately.
"I was curious..." Hu Xiu wrapped herself in her sweater: "Just don't understand how you all do it. If a girl likes someone, she'd want to contact them every day. And that day he was acting strange, I kind of got competitive with him."
"Busy, focused on our own things - aren't you the same, having to lock your phone before entering the simultaneous interpretation booth?"
Diao Zhiyu gently touched her swollen back: "This must be really uncomfortable to sleep with. I got into a fight in middle school, my back was torn open. That whole week was truly unbearable - too painful to sleep properly, too itchy to endure. You're in for some suffering recently."
Of course it hurt, but it wasn't something to be overly dramatic about. Hu Xiu asked: "How was your audition?"
"Originally passed, but after a week of trial filming, the role got recast." Diao Zhiyu said gloomily, turning to find a T-shirt: "I'm going to take a shower."Everything unfolded exactly as Diao Zhiyu had predicted. No matter which position she tried at night, sleep remained elusive. The pain tugging at her skin made her grimace through gritted teeth in the darkness. Though the flesh wound was small, its location near a joint made every movement excruciating, leaving her staring wide-eyed at the ceiling. Hearing Hu Xiu toss and turn, Diao Zhiyu switched on the bedside lamp: "Can't sleep?"
"Mmm..."
"Perfect timing—I can't sleep either. Let's chat." He leaned against the headboard and pulled out an issue of AD magazine: "Haven't read Li Ai's interview yet anyway."
The lamplight traced his clean jawline. Hu Xiu rested against her pillow and reached out to slide her fingers along his profile like it was a playground slide.
Zhao Xiaorou had remarked long ago that Qin Xiaoyi's most striking feature was his side profile—especially how his well-developed nasal base lent an air of innate nobility. Yet when he turned face-forward, the uneven double eyelids made his left eye appear mischievous while his right exuded tenderness.
As faces reflect inner selves, his features harmonized perfectly with his temperament. What wonderful painkillers handsome faces were in this world. Hu Xiu greedily swallowed, thinking how this boy she'd schemed to win—this actor others could only dream of—now lay in her bed. The sheer improbability alone should make her wake up smiling in her sleep. How could they ever quarrel? If they did, she'd deserve to slap herself.
Greedily, she murmured: "Actually, I'm relieved you never acted in television dramas."
"Oh?" His tone carried playful teasing.
"You'd definitely be loved by countless people..."
"One must learn to discern. Celebrities are fragile—fans might adore one particular Role I play, then abandon me when I take on others; they might idolize certain personality traits that fade over time; or they worship my public persona but reject my authentic self. Ultimately, they all have their own lives to live, their own destinations to find. I'm just temporary companionship during a certain chapter—all of it fundamentally illusory."
Whenever he dissected the industry like this, Hu Xiu found it exceptionally precious. While peers fought fiercely for popularity and traffic, he preferred remaining an observer amidst the clamor.
Stuck in an awkward position and drifting toward sleep, she heard Diao Zhiyu ask:
"If I weren't so accomplished, if my temper were unstable, if I never became a truly great actor... would you stop liking me?"
"I would..."
"I see..."
"I despise people who give up halfway."
Diao Zhiyu laughed softly: "When I didn't get this film role, I thought on my way home—the market has its reasons for not choosing me. Maybe I'm just not suited for this industry..."
"Nobody succeeds immediately. During my first Simultaneous Interpretation assignment, I was so nervous I couldn't speak—wanted to bite my tongue off. You've just graduated—just keep trying."
"But I want to earn money. Want to move us to a bigger place. Want to make your life less difficult."
"This apartment has collapsing ceilings, rats, cockroaches crawling from drains... it's truly miserable..."
Moved to alertness, Hu Xiu patted her chest with closed eyes: "This big sister will provide for you..."
Silence lingered. Forcing one eye open, Hu Xiu saw Diao Zhiyu's profile still beautifully defined in the lamplight, but his eyes shone unusually bright—glistening as if with tears. The way he held his phone seemed suddenly vulnerable.Such an emotionally charged scene seemed perfect for an embrace, a kiss, or even a moment of passion. Yet Hu Xiu closed her eyes—after all, having her back tugged like that... hurt too much.
He was clearly hiding something from her. This boy, fiddling with his phone and unable to fall asleep, wasn’t much of an actor either.
In early April, Pei Zhen came to REGARD on a weekend to sign a renovation contract with Li Ai and hoped to grab a coffee.
Sunday afternoons left no empty seats. Young people clustered in small groups, their lively voices filling the compact space.
He settled on a high stool by the window, pulling out a notebook to jot down work notes—he’d always maintained the habit of writing by hand.
Just as a spot freed up, a cheerful couple burst through the door: Hu Xiu and Diao Zhiyu.
As they made their way inside, their eyes met Pei Zhen’s. Diao Zhiyu greeted him warmly, “You’re back?”
“Yeah, here to sign the contract with Li Ai.”
“Is the design draft ready?”
It seemed Hu Xiu had mentioned it to him. Pei Zhen smiled in response, “Not yet, but I’ve seen the preliminary sketches. I trust him completely.”
“Li Ai is really talented. Want to join us?” The smile on Hu Xiu’s face finally seemed free of any lingering awkwardness between them.
“You two chat. I’ll just sit for a bit and then head off.”
The couple laughed and dashed to their seats, offering an extra stool to neighboring patrons looking to share a table. They picked up a guitar and a laptop, diving into a study of sheet music.
Hu Xiu, holding printed music reviews, explained music theory to Diao Zhiyu—her voice clear and her reasoning sound—
It sounded like she was cramming him with the musical knowledge an actor needed. The guitar blended into the background music and the hum of conversation, and Pei Zhen thought, it had only been four months since Christmas.
Unable to bear listening any longer, Pei Zhen stood and stepped outside, where he spotted Li Ai sitting on a bench.
The shop was too busy, and the bench—designed for the grassy area next door at the designer store—attracted tourists stopping to take photos, offering him a chance to hide outdoors.
He waved Pei Zhen over, and the two contemporaries sat together, the outdoors much quieter.
Neither spoke first; after all, the conversation would inevitably circle back to the woman they both cared for.
“Business is always this good on Sundays?”
“It’s better when the weather’s nice. On weekdays, more people come to work, sitting with their laptops all afternoon.”
“Only now do I realize how comfortable it is to slow down and live. Before, I was always tied to the operating room, busy writing papers, figuring out how to get into the New England Journal—even scraps would do, as long as the impact factor was high. Hu Xiu has… changed me a bit.”
“I know. You truly care for her.”
“You might not believe it, but Christmas and that time we went to the Live Action Role Playing Game were the two happiest days I’ve had in five years.”
“Hu Xiu’s happiness is contagious. She trusts easily too, and when she likes someone, she gives her whole heart.
She’s like a younger sister to me—smart, a bit timid, but with strong convictions deep down. She went through a really tough low point before; she was so dispirited, I almost thought she was depressed. I called her every night just to make sure she was still alive. It hasn’t been easy for her to get to where she is now, and Diao Zhiyu treats her really well.”
“In the past, liking someone meant wanting to possess them, to have them. Now, I just hope for their happiness.
After all, I’ve gradually come to understand that some qualities that would make her happy… I simply don’t have them.”
Li Ai smiled. “I used to think time and someone new were the cure. Now I realize some aftereffects just stay with you.”After speaking, he patted his leg and helplessly fished out a cigarette from his pocket, handing it to Pei Zhen.
Pei Zhen, who rarely smoked, initially intended to decline but accepted it anyway. The smoke curled like metaphors for each man—neither needed explanation, yet both understood whom the other was referring to.
Pei Zhen glanced at the cigarette in his hand: "Do you think love in this world belongs only to the young? At our age, it feels like God doesn’t favor us so easily anymore."
"Maybe..." Li Ai gazed through the window at the lively young people chatting inside the shop. Without hearing them, he knew every table was buzzing with energy. On their day off, customers free from laptops occasionally gave him the illusion of being surrounded by clamor.
As a waiter weaved through with coffee, they accidentally knocked Pei Zhen’s notebook off the windowsill.
Amid the dense, bilingual jottings of medical observations, a few brief diary-like entries unintentionally revealed Hu Xiu’s name.
"January 26: Lao Jin called and said Hu Xiu seems to be in a relationship."
"February 1: Too busy to check WeChat. The team went to the University of Maryland. Olivia invited everyone to a house party in the evening. Once settled, the whole group fell silent, fiddling with their phones. With nothing to do, I was glad there was an adorable Westie in the house..."
"February 12: Snatched a moment to watch the Super Bowl. On TV, the stands were full of cardboard cutouts—photos printed and pasted on boards pretending to be present. Thought about placing a translation booth for Hu Xiu at the scene, so it’d feel like we met on screen. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade..."
"March 1: Hospital joint conference. Interpreter: Hu Xiu. Distracted several times during meetings—seems a bit unprofessional. After all, the woman across the table was so composed, nothing like her timid self during morning teachings..."
"March 19: Returned to Shanghai and rushed straight to the hospital. Didn’t see Hu Xiu—she’d gone to the Yangpu branch for interpretation. Part of me wants to see her quickly, part feels that apprehension of nearing home."
"April 2: A simple vascular tumor removal in Reconstructive Surgery, yet I spent forty minutes on suturing. Just wanted to be extra careful with someone I care about—after all, my chance might be this once."
The notebook’s owner would never let the person involved know.
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