Shine on Me

I didn’t know what to say.

Neither did he, it seemed.

Amidst the chaos in my heart, he drove me back to the company dormitory. We didn’t exchange a single word the entire way. Even when I got out of the car, he merely nodded.

I watched his car drive away until it disappeared from sight.

The next morning, unsurprisingly, I sported two dark circles under my eyes again.

Before the office music started playing, I couldn’t help but glance several times toward his empty office. Yet when work hours began, the office remained vacant.

Soon, General Manager Zhang called me into his office. “Xiao Nie, has General Manager Lin been in touch with you?”

I shook my head.

“I tried calling him, but his phone is off.” General Manager Zhang seemed anxious, but after looking at me, he didn’t press further. Instead, he brought up my father, exchanged a few polite words, and then saw me out.

Throughout the morning, I checked my phone several times, but in the end, I didn’t make the call.

In the afternoon, General Manager Zhang gathered our department for a brief meeting, announcing that recent tasks would be directly reported to him—General Manager Lin had taken leave to go on a trip.

Just a vacation…?

I felt a wave of relief, but inexplicably, my chest tightened again.

I called my dad and recounted the entire incident in a detached tone. I had intended to keep all personal emotions out of it, but by the end, I couldn’t resist adding a sarcastic remark.

“Dad, doesn’t this prove the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree?”

Ma Nianyuan’s mother had once looked down on my dad for being poor and latched onto someone she considered a better catch at the time. Now, Ma Nianyuan couldn’t even be bothered to visit Lin Yusen after his car accident. She probably told my dad first to play the victim in his eyes. Seriously, did she think Lin Yusen would cling to her and demand responsibility?

It was both infuriating and laughable—utterly despicable.

Several days passed, and Lin Yusen still hadn’t returned. I couldn’t help but wonder—where had he gone? Was he alone, or with friends?

Would he go so far away that he’d forget about me entirely?

No, no—what was I even thinking?

Yet, uncontrollably, I found myself browsing travel websites for no reason.

Before I knew it, Friday arrived. At noon, I went to the cafeteria with Yin Jie and the others. Just as we were about to leave the office building, the receptionist called out to me.

“Nie Xiguang, there’s a letter for you.”

Since the rise of email, I hadn’t received a physical letter in ages. The thick envelope felt strangely substantial in my hands.

Yin Jie leaned over curiously. “What kind of letter? A love confession?”

I instinctively stuffed it into my pocket and said offhandedly, “Bank statement.”

Yin Jie immediately lost interest and started guessing what the cafeteria would serve today. I responded absentmindedly while gripping the letter tightly in my pocket.

While waiting in the cafeteria line, I discreetly pulled out a corner of the envelope—

The handwriting was fluid and unrestrained.

It was Lin Yusen’s writing.

I forced myself to wait until after work to read it.

It was the weekend, and I had already promised my mom I’d go home, so after clocking out, I headed straight to the bus station with my things.

I chose to take the bus back.

As the coach sped along the highway from Suzhou to Wuxi, I gazed at the road stretching beyond the window and couldn’t help but wonder—was this the stretch where Lin Yusen had his accident? And when he drove me back last time, what had been going through his mind as we passed through here?Back then, he thought the person sitting beside him was the one who had invited him over, then abandoned him without a second thought—the one who had cost him the ability to ever hold a scalpel again.

At this thought, I couldn’t hold back any longer. I took out the letter I had been clutching in my pocket countless times and carefully unfolded it.

The letter was thick, but most of it consisted of postcards. There was only one page of actual writing.

"Xiguang, the first time I saw you was at Madam Yu’s banquet. It was an event I hadn’t wanted to attend—everything felt so dull, far less interesting than reading medical journals alone at home. Until I noticed you.

You were scolding a girl then, and the entire room had turned to watch. I should have felt sympathy for the girl, who looked on the verge of tears under your reprimand, just like everyone else. But I was completely captivated by you, struck by how radiant you seemed.

I had such a domineering side? Probably an exceptional performance in the heat of anger. That time, seeing my father bring Ma Nianyuan to my godmother’s birthday banquet, I was absolutely furious. Bringing that woman’s child to a gathering of family and friends—how could my mother bear it? Especially since that girl loved playing the victim, acting bullied before I’d even said a word. So I decided to give her a real reason to cry.

I knew then that I had to find a way to get to know this girl. By chance, Jiaqi introduced me to his circle of friends, which included you. I’m now absolutely certain you didn’t notice me at all back then, to the point where you have no memory of me. I tried to approach you subtly, but you vanished from the banquet soon after. I thought perhaps there was no need to rush—I could take my time crafting a proper plan.

So, days later, when I received your invitation to view the plum blossoms, I was overjoyed.

That day, I had just completed an extremely successful surgery. The moment I stepped out of the operating room, I drove straight to Wuxi. I never imagined it would be the last time I’d ever wield a scalpel in surgery.

On the highway, I was in a car accident.

My life wasn’t in danger, but I could no longer be a top-tier surgeon. The reasons went beyond just my hands—my eyes were affected too. During those days lying in bed with bandages over my eyes, I wondered: Was this the price I paid to meet that girl? I wouldn’t blame or resent her for it. I didn’t even tell anyone that the accident happened because I was rushing to see her. But why didn’t she come to visit me even once?

In that darkness, you became my obsession.

And it never faded.

So when I heard from others that you were interning at this company, I left Shengyuan’s headquarters for Suzhou. Yet you didn’t recognize me at all.

Of course you wouldn’t. The person who invited me to Wuxi wasn’t you at all.

But Xiguang, I’ve always come for you.

—You became my obsession."

I stared blankly at the letter.

From start to finish, the one who had caused him so much suffering was Ma Nianyuan. So shouldn’t his obsession have been her instead?

No, no—the moment this thought surfaced, I forcefully erased it.

How could it have been anyone else? In Lin Yusen’s eyes and heart, the one he thought of was always—

…Me.

"I’ve always come for you."

Though it was just words on paper, my mind conjured up Lin Yusen’s image and voice—that gentle, deep tone...I unconsciously pressed my face against the cold car window, an unprecedented and peculiar emotion rising within me—something indefinable, neither joy nor anger, neither palpitations nor anything else.

Suddenly, an impulse seized me. I picked up my phone, scrolled to his number, and pressed call before my thoughts could catch up. On the other end, he answered quickly, giving me no chance to reconsider.

Yet neither of us spoke. After a long silence, I was the one who broke it.

"Lin Yusen."

As if confirming it was me, he replied, "Xiguang."

"I received your letter."

"Mmm."

"The postcard is beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it."

"Are you still traveling... When do you plan to return?"

There was a pause before he answered, "I'm already at the train station now. I'll arrive in Suzhou tomorrow morning."

"Mmm... When returning to Suzhou, you usually pass through Wuxi, right... Maybe you could get off at Wuxi instead."

I don't know how those words escaped me, but once spoken, silence fell between us. After what felt like an eternity, I heard him ask softly, "Xiguang, are you sure?"

"...Mmm. Around what time will you arrive in Wuxi? I'll come pick you up."