我资助的大学生毕业后就失联，2年后他成了我的主治医生

消毒水的味道像一张密不透风的网，从鼻腔钻进去，蛮横地占领每一寸感官。

我讨厌这个味道。

它让我想起腐烂的花根，毫无生机，只剩下宣告死亡的权利。

护士第三次进来给我换吊瓶，动作麻利，眼神里带着一丝程式化的同情。

“陈兰，32床。”

她说完就走了，留下输液管里匀速滴落的透明液体，像一枚枚砸在我耐心上的倒计时。

胃镜结果不太好，医生说得含糊，什么“形态不好”“建议做个小手术拿掉做病理”，每一个字我都听得懂，组合在一起却只想装傻。

我叫陈兰，三十三岁，离异，没孩子，在市中心一条不算热闹的街上开了家花店。

一个人吃饱全家不饿，但一个人病了，就约等于全世界都塌了。

我靠在床上，百无聊赖地刷着手机，朋友圈里岁月静好，不是在晒娃，就是在秀恩爱，或者是在某个我叫不出名字的海岛上喝着椰子。

我划得飞快，像是在驱赶什么烦人的苍蝇。

直到病房门被推开，一个穿着白大褂的身影走了进来，身后跟着两个明显是实习生的年轻面孔。

他个子很高，白大褂穿在他身上，不像医生，倒像是时装秀的模特。鼻梁上架着一副金丝眼镜，镜片后的眼睛很深，看不出情绪。

“陈兰？”

他开口，声音清冽，像冰块撞在玻璃杯壁上。

我“嗯”了一声，视线从他手里的病历夹，缓缓上移，最终定格在他那张过分好看的脸上。

这张脸……

有点熟。

我皱起眉，在记忆的废墟里使劲刨着。

他似乎没注意到我的打量，径直走到床边，拿起挂在床尾的病历板，指尖干净修长，骨节分明。

“我是你的主治医生，江川。”

“江……川？”

我几乎是从喉咙里挤出这两个字，心脏像是被人攥了一把，猛地收紧，然后又疯狂地擂起鼓来。

是他。

真的是他。

我资助了四年，毕业后就人间蒸发，连句“谢谢”或者“我去你妈的”都没留下的那个大学生。

两年了。

他摇身一变，成了我的主治医生。

这他妈是什么人间喜剧？还是惊悚剧？

他终于抬起眼，隔着薄薄的镜片，目光和我撞在一起。

那双眼睛里，没有半分久别重逢的波澜，平静得像一潭深不见底的古井。

“陈女士，你胃部的息肉情况不太乐观，我们建议尽快手术切除。”

陈女士。

他叫我，陈女士。

我忽然想笑。

两年前，他还一口一个“兰姐”，语气里带着少年人特有的依赖和羞涩。

“兰姐，这个月生活费收到了，谢谢你。”

“兰姐，我拿到奖学金了，第一个告诉你！”

“兰姐，学校的樱花开了，拍给你看。”

“兰姐，等我毕业了，我一定好好报答你。”

……

报答？

我看着他现在这副精英模样，嘴里吐着我听不太懂的医学名词，心里一阵翻江倒海。

这就是他说的报答？

用最专业的口吻，通知我，我可能得了什么了不得的病？

我攥紧了身侧的床单，指甲几乎要嵌进肉里。

“医生，”我开口，声音有点哑，“这个手术，风险大吗？”

江川推了推眼镜，镜片反射出一道冰冷的光。

“任何手术都有风险，但这是目前最优的治疗方案。我们会尽力。”

他的语气官方得像AI客服，每一个字都精准、克制，却毫无温度。

我盯着他，想从他脸上找出一丝一毫的破绽。

一丝心虚，一丝愧疚，哪怕一丝尴尬也行。

什么都没有。

他就像在面对一个完全陌生的病人，公事公办。

他身后的实习生在本子上奋笔疾书。

我忽然觉得很没劲。

像一拳打在棉花上，还把自己给闪了腰。

“我知道了。”我垂下眼皮，“那就安排吧。”

“好的。”

他点了下头，转身就要走。

“江医生。”

我叫住他。

他停住脚步，微微侧过头，线条分明的下颌绷成一道冷硬的弧线。

“您看起来……有点眼熟。”我扯出一个比哭还难看的笑，“我们是不是在哪见过？”

我承认，我就是故意的。

我就是想看看，他要怎么演下去。

空气凝固了几秒。

我甚至能听到输液管里药水滴落的，滴答，滴答声。

“应该没有。”

江川终于开口，声音没有任何起伏。

“我记性不太好。陈女士好好休息，护士等会儿会通知你术前准备。”

说完，他头也不回地带着人走了。

病房门关上的瞬间，我浑身的力气像是被抽干了，猛地瘫回床上。

天花板的白炽灯刺得我眼睛发酸。

我抬起胳abi，盖住眼睛。

两行眼泪，就这么毫无征兆地，顺着眼角滑了下来，濡湿了鬓角。

妈的。

没出息。

我掏出手机，手指颤抖着，点开那个被我置顶了两年，又沉寂了两年的微信对话框。

头像是个灰色的卡通兔子，还是我当年随手给他换的。

聊天记录还停留在两年前的六月。

我：【毕业典礼顺利吗？找到工作了吗？需不需要帮忙？】

我：【怎么不回消息？】

我：【小川？看到回个话，我有点担心。】

我：【你要是觉得我烦，说一声就行，我以后不打扰你了。】

……

最后一条消息，是我发的。

【你是不是出什么事了？】

没有回复。

石沉大海。

这两年，我不是没想过他为什么消失。

是不是出了意外？

是不是手机丢了？

还是说，他终于攀上了高枝，觉得我这个“资助人”的存在，是他人生履历上的一个污点，所以迫不及不及待地想要抹去？

我更愿意相信是前两者。

但现在，他活生生地站在我面前，穿着体面的白大褂，前途无量。

所以，答案只剩下最后一个。

我就是那个污点。

我闭上眼，脑子里乱成一锅粥。

当年是怎么开始资助他的来着？

哦，对了，是前夫公司搞的一个公益项目，叫“微光计划”，一对一资助贫困大学生。

那时候我俩感情正摇摇欲坠，他忙着跟年轻的女下属“深夜探讨工作”，我闲得发慌，就报了名。

资料发下来，我一眼就看中了江川。

照片上的男孩，瘦得像根豆芽菜，眼神却倔强得像头小狼。

简介上写着：父亲早逝，母亲改嫁，跟着年迈的爷爷奶奶生活，以全县第一的成绩考入医学院。

我当时就觉得，这孩子，不容易。

大概是同病相怜吧。

我从小也是在争吵和冷眼中长大的，特别能理解那种渴望被拉一把的感觉。

于是，我开始每个月给他打两千块钱。

不多，但足够一个大学生在学校里活得体面一点。

我们加上了微信。

一开始，他很拘谨，每次回话都像在写报告。

“陈姐，钱收到了，谢谢。”

“陈姐，我这个月开销如下……”

我哭笑不得，跟他说：“你不用跟我汇报，该怎么花就怎么花，不够了再跟我说。”

他沉默了很久，回我：“您是个好人。”

我看着那五个字，心里有点酸涩。

从那以后，他渐渐放开了。

会跟我分享学校的趣事，会吐槽食堂的饭菜，会把考了满分的卷子拍给我看，像个急于向家长炫耀的小孩。

我离婚那天，在民政局门口哭得稀里哗啦。

是他的电话打了进来。

“兰姐，你怎么了？你声音听起来不对。”

我哽咽着，把事情的来龙去脉都说了。

他在电话那头沉默了很久很久。

久到我以为信号断了。

然后，我听到他用一种从未有过的，郑重又笨拙的语气说：

“兰姐，你别难过。他不要你，是他的损失。你等我，等我毕业了，我养你。”

我当时就笑了，眼泪还挂在脸上。

“傻小子，我用你养？等你毕业了，姐都成老太婆了。”

“你不会。”他很认真地说，“你永远是最好的兰姐。”

就是这句话，让我在那段最灰暗的日子里，找到了一点光。

我把他当成弟弟，当成一个遥远的寄托。

看着他一点点成长，优秀，就好像我失败的人生，也在另一个维度上得到了某种补偿。

我甚至幻想过，等他毕业了，来我的城市工作。

他可以住在我的空房间里，我每天给他做好吃的。

我们就像一家人。

然而，毕业季一到，他就消失了。

彻底地，干净地。

我的人生，好像又回到了那个民政局门口。

被全世界抛弃。

“叮咚。”

微信提示音把我拉回现实。

是我的闺蜜林玥发来的消息。

林玥：【怎么样？结果出来没？老娘我下午的飞机，晚上到，等着我来给你收拾烂摊子。】

我吸了吸鼻子，打字回复。

我：【可能要动刀子。】

我：【还有，我见到江川了。】

那边几乎是秒回。

林玥：【！！！！】

林玥：【那个白眼狼？他在哪？你没上去给他两巴掌吗？！】

我苦笑。

我：【他是我主治医生。】

屏幕那头沉默了。

足足过了五分钟，林玥才发来一条语音，点开是她气急败败的咆哮：

“我靠！陈兰你是不是上辈子刨了人家祖坟啊？这都行？！他给你看病？他配吗！你赶紧给老娘换医生！马上！立刻！”

我：【他是这方面的专家。】

这是刚才那个小护士偷偷告诉我的。

江川医生，年纪轻轻，却是院里从国外特聘回来的胃肠外科天才，多少人排队都挂不上他的号。

林玥：【专家个屁！一个忘恩负yì的小人，人品就有问题，医术能好到哪去？你别犯傻！听我的，换掉！】

我没有再回。

换掉他？

为什么？

我偏不。

我倒要看看，他江川，要顶着这张“恩人”的脸，怎么给我这个“病人”动刀子。

我更想知道，当他划开我的肚皮时，会不会有那么一瞬间，想起当年那个在电话里哭得上气不接下气的“兰姐”。

手术被安排在三天后。

这三天，江川每天都会来查房。

雷打不动，早上八点半，带着他那两个小跟班。

他每次都站得离我的床远远的，像是在避嫌什么。

问的也都是些标准问题。

“今天感觉怎么样？”

“有没有哪里不舒服？”

“饮食还正常吗？”

我每次都回答得特别详细，甚至有点啰嗦。

“江医生，我今天早上起来觉得伤口这里有点痒，是不是快好了？”

“江医生，我昨天晚上做了个梦，梦见我……”

我故意说些有的没的，就是想拖延时间，想看他脸上出现一丝不耐烦。

但他没有。

他永远都是那么平静，耐心地听我说完，然后给出专业的解答。

“伤口发痒是正常现象，说明组织在愈合。”

“做梦和病情没有直接关系，放宽心。”

他越是这样，我心里那股无名火就烧得越旺。

林玥下了飞机就直奔医院，看见江川那张脸的时候，差点没当场撸袖子上去干架。

“哟，这不是江大才子吗？”林玥抱着胳膊，阴阳怪气地开口，“真是稀客啊，毕业了就玩消失，我还以为你被外星人绑架了呢셔。”

江川的目光从林玥脸上扫过，依旧没什么表情。

“你好。”

他甚至没问她是谁。

林玥气得脸都绿了。

“你不认识我了？也对，贵人多忘事嘛。当年你一口一个‘兰姐’叫着，现在见了面，成‘陈女士’了。怎么，是怕我们家陈兰拖你后腿，影响你光明远大的前程啊？”

林玥的嗓门很大，引得同病房的病友都朝这边看。

我有点尴尬，拉了拉她的衣角。

“玥玥，别说了。”

“凭什么不说！”林玥甩开我的手，“陈兰，你就是太包子了！人家都骑到你脖子上拉屎了，你还替他说话？”

江川的脸色终于有了一丝变化。

他的眉头几不可见地蹙了一下。

“如果你们对我的专业能力有疑问，可以申请更换医生。”他看着我，语气依旧是冷的，“但请不要在病房里大声喧哗，影响其他病人休息。”

说完，他转身就走。

“江川你给我站住！”林玥气疯了，“你这个没良心的东西！当年陈兰是怎么对你的？她自己离婚，最难的时候都省吃俭用给你打钱！你倒好，毕业了连个屁都不放就跑了！你他妈还是不是人啊！”

江un’s back stiffened.

He stopped at the door, but didn't turn around.

I saw his hand, the one holding the medical record, clench into a fist, the knuckles turning white.

The ward was deadly silent.

The other patients were staring at us with wide eyes, their faces full of gossip.

I felt a surge of embarrassment, my face burning.

"Yueyue, stop it!" I pleaded, my voice trembling.

"Why should I stop? I'm telling the truth!" Lin Yue was on a roll, "He has the guts to do it, but not to let people talk about it? Jiang Chuan, let me ask you, did your conscience get eaten by a dog?"

"That's enough."

A low, hoarse voice cut through the air.

It was Jiang Chuan.

He finally turned around.

His eyes, behind the lenses, were like two cold stars, fixed on me.

Not on Lin Yue, but on me.

"Is this what you wanted to say?" he asked.

My heart skipped a beat.

I didn't know what to say. Was it? Yes. No. I didn't know.

"What?" Lin Yue stepped in front of me, like a hen protecting her chick, "You did it, and you're not going to let us talk about it? You think you're a big shot doctor now, so you can look down on us?"

Jiang Chuan ignored her completely. His gaze was still locked on me.

"If you have any doubts about my character, you can refuse my treatment." His voice was calm, but I could hear a dangerous undertone. "The hospital is not a place for settling personal scores. Chen Lan, you are a patient. Your most important task is to cooperate with the treatment."

Chen Lan.

He called me by my full name.

Not "Chen Nv Shi" (Ms. Chen) anymore.

It felt even more distant.

I felt a chill run down my spine.

He was warning me.

He was telling me, in this place, he was the doctor, and I was the patient. He had the power.

I suddenly felt exhausted.

The anger, the resentment, the unwillingness... it all seemed so ridiculous in the face of his cold professionalism.

"I know," I whispered, lowering my head.

He gave me one last deep look, then turned and walked away without a word.

The ward door closed, isolating the two worlds.

"Lan Lan, are you crazy!" Lin Yue turned to me, her face full of disbelief, "Why are you being so submissive? You should have let me scold him to death!"

I leaned back on the pillow, closing my eyes.

"What's the point, Yueyue?" My voice was full of fatigue. "He's right. This is a hospital. I'm a patient."

"Patient my ass! He's a scumbag!"

"Even if he's a scumbag, he's still the one holding the scalpel."

Lin Yue was stunned into silence.

Yeah.

He was the one holding the scalpel.

My life was in his hands.

What a fucking irony.

The night before the surgery, I had to sign a bunch of consent forms.

A nurse brought them in.

I flipped through them. Medical terms I didn't understand, risks listed one by one, like "anesthesia accident," "postoperative infection," "massive bleeding"...

My hand holding the pen was trembling.

I was scared.

I had never been so scared in my life.

I was afraid of the pain, afraid of the unknown, afraid that I would die on that operating table.

If I died, who would know?

My parents had their own new families. My ex-husband was probably having a great time with his new love.

And Jiang Chuan... he would probably just write "died of surgical complications" on my medical record, his face devoid of expression.

I thought of my flower shop.

The roses I just got in, the hydrangeas I just pruned.

If I died, they would all wither.

My eyes started to water.

Just then, the ward door was pushed open.

Jiang Chuan walked in.

He wasn't wearing his white coat. He had on a black turtleneck sweater, which made him look less like a cold doctor and more like... the young man from my memories.

He walked to my bed and looked at the consent forms in my hand.

"Are you scared?" he asked.

His voice was softer than usual, without the coldness of the daytime.

I quickly wiped my eyes and stubbornly said, "No."

He didn't expose my lie.

He just stood there quietly.

The moonlight streamed in from the window, casting a long shadow of him on the floor.

"I..." I hesitated, "Will it... hurt a lot?"

"You'll be under general anesthesia. You won't feel anything."

"Oh."

We fell into silence again.

I didn't know what he was doing here.

Consoling his patient? Or was it a moment of conscience?

"Why?"

I suddenly found my voice.

I looked up at him, my eyes red.

"Jiang Chuan, why did you disappear?"

This question had been stuck in my throat for two years, and for the past few days.

I had to ask.

If I was going to die on his operating table tomorrow, I wanted to die knowing the truth.

He was silent.

The air seemed to freeze.

His Adam's apple bobbed.

"There's no reason," he said, his voice a little hoarse.

"No reason?" I laughed, a laugh full of sarcasm and despair. "No reason? You disappeared for two years without a word, and you tell me there's no reason?"

I sat up, my emotions getting the better of me.

"Do you know how I spent the past two years? I called you, I sent you messages, I even went to your school to find you! But you were gone! Vanished! I thought you were dead! I thought you had an accident!"

Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

"But you're fine. You're living a great life. You're a top doctor, a genius, you're so successful... So, I was the one who was a fool, right? I was the one who was being sentimental, thinking I was your 'Lan Jie', thinking we were family..."

"I was just a stepping stone for you, wasn't I? A tool? Now that you've climbed up, you can't wait to kick me away, because my existence reminds you of your pathetic past, doesn't it?"

My voice was shrill and broken.

I poured out all the resentment and hurt I had been suppressing.

Jiang Chuan just stood there, letting me vent, his face pale in the moonlight.

When I was done, panting and exhausted, he finally spoke.

His voice was incredibly low, as if it was being ground out of his chest.

"Is that what you think of me?"

"What else can I think?" I retorted, my voice full of tears.

He closed his eyes, his long eyelashes casting a shadow on his cheeks.

When he opened them again, his eyes were filled with a complex emotion I couldn't decipher.

Pain? Regret?

"The day before I graduated," he said slowly, "I went to your flower shop to find you."

I was stunned.

"I wanted to tell you in person that I had been accepted into a graduate program abroad, with a full scholarship. I wanted to give you this."

He reached into his pocket and took out something.

It was a bank card.

"There's twenty thousand yuan in here. I earned it by tutoring and working part-time. I know it's not enough to repay you, but I wanted to give it to you first."

My breathing hitched.

"I stood outside your shop for a long time. The door was ajar. I heard you talking to your friend on the phone."

My heart suddenly tightened.

Lin Yue? What did I say to her?

"You were laughing," he said, his voice getting lower, "You said, 'That kid is finally graduating. I'm finally free. It's like raising a son, it's so tiring. I've spent so much money on him these past few years. It's time for him to stop being a burden.'"

Boom.

My mind went blank.

It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck me.

I... I said that?

I searched my memory frantically.

It seemed... I seemed to have said something similar to Lin Yue.

But that was just a joke! It was our usual way of teasing each other!

I was complaining, but I was also showing off! I was showing off how promising the "son" I had "raised" was!

"No..." I shook my head, trying to explain, "No, it's not like that... I was joking... I..."

"Then I heard your ex-husband's voice," he interrupted me, his voice trembling slightly. "He came to the shop to argue with you. He said... he said you were lonely and pathetic after the divorce, so you spent money to 'keep' a poor student to find a sense of existence. He said you were buying affection."

My blood ran cold.

I remembered.

I remembered that day.

My ex-husband came to the shop to make a scene, saying I had hidden some of our joint assets. We had a huge fight. He said a lot of nasty things.

And Jiang Chuan... he heard it all.

"I stood outside the door," Jiang Chuan's voice was barely a whisper, "and I felt like a thief. A shameless parasite."

"All my pride, all my gratitude, it all turned into a huge joke at that moment."

"I thought, so that's what I am in your eyes. A burden. A charity case. A pet you keep to ease your loneliness."

"I couldn't face you. I didn't have the courage to walk in and give you that card."

"So I left."

He took a deep breath, his chest heaving.

"I went abroad. I studied like crazy. I told myself, I had to succeed. I had to become someone who could stand in front of you as an equal, not as a recipient of your charity."

"I wanted to come back and repay you. Not just the money, but everything. I wanted to prove to you, and to myself, that your investment was not in vain."

"I just didn't expect... I didn't expect us to meet again like this."

He looked at me, his eyes red.

"I didn't know how to face you. I was ashamed. I was afraid you would see me and think of me as that pathetic, poor student again. So I pretended not to know you. I thought, as long as I cure you, it would be my repayment."

The ward was silent.

Only the sound of my tears falling onto the bedsheets, drop by drop.

So this was the truth.

Not betrayal.

Not heartlessness.

Just a young man's fragile, pitiful pride, and a misunderstanding that had lasted for two years.

I felt a sharp pain in my heart, worse than any physical illness.

I was such an idiot.

And he was such a fool.

"You're a fool," I said, my voice choked with sobs, "Jiang Chuan, you're the biggest fool in the world."

"Why didn't you just ask me? Why didn't you come in and confront me?"

"You'd rather believe those hurtful words than believe the 'Lan Jie' who had been with you for four years?"

He didn't say anything, just stood there, his head bowed, like a child who had done something wrong.

I wanted to hit him. I wanted to scold him.

But I couldn't.

Looking at him like this, all I felt was a deep, aching sadness.

We were both fools.

Trapped in our own assumptions and pride, we had hurt each other and wasted two years.

"The surgery..." I said, my voice hoarse, "You'll do it, right?"

He looked up, his eyes full of surprise.

"You... you still trust me?"

"I don't trust you," I said, looking him in the eye, "I trust the 'Lan Jie' from four years ago. Her judgment wasn't wrong."

A tear finally rolled down from the corner of his eye, tracing a path down his handsome face.

He nodded, his voice choked with emotion.

"I will."

The next day, I was pushed into the operating room.

The lights were blinding.

The air was filled with the cold, metallic smell of medical instruments.

I was terrified.

Just as the anesthesiologist was about to put the mask on me, a hand gently held mine.

It was warm and strong.

I turned my head and saw Jiang Chuan.

He was wearing a blue surgical cap and mask, only his eyes were visible.

Those deep, familiar eyes.

He leaned down, his voice low and firm, right next to my ear.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here."

"Trust me."

My heart, which had been pounding like a drum, miraculously calmed down.

I looked at him and nodded.

The mask was put on my face.

A strange, sweet smell filled my lungs.

My consciousness began to fade.

The last thing I saw was his eyes, focused and determined.

I woke up in a daze.

My throat was dry, and my abdomen was throbbing with a dull pain.

I was back in the ward.

Sunlight was streaming in through the window, warm and gentle.

"You're awake?"

A familiar voice.

I turned my head with difficulty and saw Lin Yue, her eyes red and swollen.

"How do you feel? Does it hurt?" she asked, her voice full of concern.

I tried to speak, but my voice was hoarse.

"The surgery... was it successful?"

"Successful! Very successful!" Lin Yue's voice was full of excitement. "That kid... no, Dr. Jiang, he's amazing! The surgery lasted for three hours. He came out covered in sweat. He told me the polyp was benign, completely removed, and everything is fine!"

My heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally fell back into place.

Benign.

I was fine.

I closed my eyes, feeling a sense of relief I had never felt before.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"He's been here the whole time you were in the ICU," Lin Yue said, her tone complicated. "He just left to check on another patient. He told me to call him as soon as you woke up."

Just then, the ward door opened.

Jiang Chuan walked in, still in his surgical scrubs, looking exhausted.

When he saw that I was awake, his eyes lit up.

He walked quickly to my bed.

"How do you feel?" he asked, his voice a little hoarse.

I looked at him, the man who had just saved my life.

The resentment, the anger, it all seemed to have vanished with that benign polyp.

All that was left was a complex mix of emotions.

"It hurts," I said, my voice weak but a little coquettish.

A hint of a smile finally appeared in his tired eyes.

"It's normal for it to hurt. I've prescribed painkillers. It will get better."

He checked my IV drip, looked at the monitor next to me, his movements professional and gentle.

Lin Yue stood aside, looking at us with a strange expression.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat, "Well, since you're awake, I'll go get you some porridge. You two... talk."

She winked at me and slipped out of the room.

The ward was quiet again.

Only the two of us were left.

"Thank you," I said softly.

He was stunned for a moment, then a faint blush appeared on his pale face.

"It's my job."

"No," I said, looking at him seriously, "I'm not thanking Dr. Jiang. I'm thanking Jiang Chuan."

He was silent, his eyelashes trembling slightly.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice low.

"For what?"

"For the misunderstanding. For my cowardice."

I sighed.

"We were both foolish."

I looked at the bank card he had placed on my bedside table.

"Take this back," I said.

He shook his head. "No. This is what I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything," I said, my voice gentle but firm. "Jiang Chuan, I sponsored you because I saw a reflection of myself in you. I saw hope. Helping you was like helping myself. It was never a transaction."

"The money I gave you, just think of it as a loan from your sister. When you're successful, you can pay it back. But not now. Now, you're a doctor who has just started his career, and you need money everywhere."

His eyes turned red again.

"Lan Jie..."

He called me "Lan Jie" again.

That familiar title, after two years, sounded so foreign, yet so intimate.

My nose tingled.

"Don't cry," I teased him, "You're a grown man, a doctor. It's embarrassing to cry."

He quickly wiped his eyes and forced a smile.

"I'm just... happy."

I smiled too.

The knot that had been tied in my heart for two years was finally undone.

The sun shone on his face, outlining his handsome features with a golden glow.

He was no longer the thin, stubborn boy from the photo.

He had grown into a fine, responsible man.

And I, after going through this ordeal, seemed to have found a new understanding of life.

Maybe some detours are necessary.

Maybe some misunderstandings are meant to be.

They make the reunion, and the reconciliation, all the more precious.

I stayed in the hospital for another week.

Jiang Chuan took care of me meticulously.

He was no longer the cold Dr. Jiang. He was back to being my "little brother" Jiang Chuan.

He would bring me breakfast in the morning, making sure it was light and easy to digest.

He would sit by my bed and chat with me when he was off duty, telling me about his life abroad.

He would peel apples for me, cutting them into small, neat pieces, just like I used to do for him.

The nurses in the ward all looked at us with knowing smiles.

"Dr. Jiang has never been so gentle with any patient," one of them whispered to me.

I just smiled and didn't explain.

Some relationships are hard to define.

It's not love, but it's deeper than friendship.

It's a bond forged by time, kindness, and a shared past.

On the day I was discharged, Jiang Chuan came to see me off.

He helped me pack my things and carried my bag.

Lin Yue drove to pick me up. She looked at Jiang Chuan, then at me, her expression full of meaning.

"Dr. Jiang, thank you for your hard work these days," Lin Yue said with a smile.

"You're welcome," Jiang Chuan said, a little embarrassed.

"To thank you, I've decided to treat you to dinner. Are you free tonight?"

I was stunned. This wasn't Lin Yue's style.

Jiang Chuan was also a little surprised. "I... I have a shift tonight."

"Oh, what a pity," Lin Yue said, her eyes twinkling. "Then how about this weekend? My friend's flower shop is reopening. As her savior, you have to come and show your support, right?"

She was talking about my flower shop.

I was planning to rest for a while before reopening.

I was about to say something, but Jiang Chuan spoke first.

"Okay," he said, looking at me, his eyes shining. "I'll definitely be there."

Two weeks later, my flower shop, "Lan's Garden," reopened.

I didn't do a big promotion, just sent a message in my WeChat Moments.

But the shop was crowded with people.

Old customers, friends, and... Jiang Chuan.

He came with a huge bouquet of champagne roses, my favorite.

He was wearing a casual white shirt and jeans, looking fresh and handsome, blending in perfectly with the sea of flowers.

"Congratulations on reopening," he said with a smile.

"You're too kind," I said, taking the flowers.

"This is for you," he said, handing me a small, exquisite box.

I opened it.

Inside was a necklace, a delicate silver chain with a small, blooming flower petal pendant.

It was beautiful.

"This is..."

"I designed it myself," he said, a little shyly. "I hope you like it."

"It's beautiful," I said, my voice a little choked. "Thank you."

He smiled, his eyes as bright as the stars.

"Lan Jie," he said, his voice serious, "Let me take care of you from now on."

I was stunned.

My heart was pounding.

I looked at his sincere face, at the bustling flower shop, at the bright sunlight outside the window.

I suddenly felt that my life, which had been a mess, was finally starting to clear up.

The past, with its pain and regrets, had become the fertilizer for this new beginning.

I looked at him and smiled.

A genuine, heartfelt smile.

"Okay," I said.

The story of the benefactor and the beneficiary was over.

The story of Chen Lan and Jiang Chuan was just beginning.