There's a Chance

Thinking about what he had said—"you have to act fast"—Song Yihe silently considered how An Zhiwu had gone for a run at five that morning, then come to ask him what type of girl he liked that afternoon.

An Zhiwu probably had feelings for him.

He would wait a little longer, then.

When the time was right, he only needed to add fuel to the fire.

An Zhiwu returned to the hospital room with the food, and she and Mother An each ate a portion.

An Zhiheng had taken painkillers and been given so many IV bags of saline that he was feeling much better by now.

The aroma of the food made his stomach growl.

But after looking at the two people who were completely ignoring him, he silently opened Honor of Kings again.

Only games would never abandon him.

After dinner, An Zhiwu told Mother An to rest at her apartment.

She would stay here to take care of An Zhiheng.

Mother An had originally wanted to stay, but on second thought, it was better for An Zhiwu to stay than for her to do so.

It was also easier for young people to communicate with the doctors.

So Mother An took the empty insulated food containers and prepared to spend the night at the residential complex where An Zhiwu rented her apartment.

As Song Yihe drove out after work,

he happened to see Mother An waiting for a ride at the hospital entrance.

Song Yihe rolled down his window. "Auntie, it's getting late. Let me give you a ride."

Thinking of her daughter's lifelong happiness, Mother An made a show of declining, then happily opened the door and climbed into the passenger seat.

"Xiaohe, thank you so much for the trouble. Our An'an has cared about me since she was little. She wouldn't let me stay in the hospital room to look after him and insisted I sleep at her place."

The implied meaning: our daughter has been filial since she was little.

Song Yihe didn't have that icy attitude in front of his elders. "It's no trouble. You're the one who's had a tiring time, Auntie."

"Not at all, not at all. Our An'an has never given me any cause to worry since she was little. It's that brat at home who's caused no end of trouble growing up. Honestly, even though those two are twins, their personalities are worlds apart."

As Mother An praised An Zhiwu, she didn't forget to complain about An Zhiheng.

To be honest, if he hadn't been told they were twins, Song Yihe would have thought from their appearances that An Zhiheng was An Zhiwu's older brother. But from the very beginning, An Zhiwu had told him it was her younger brother who was ill, which had prevented the misunderstanding.

Thinking of the girl who looked so full of youthful vitality, Song Yihe couldn't help smiling a little. "She does look like someone who doesn't give people much cause to worry."

Hearing that, Mother An grew even more enthusiastic, wishing she could tell him everything An Zhiwu had done since childhood.

In short, An Zhiwu had been well-behaved and outstanding since she was little.

It sounded very much like, "If you don't marry her, it's your loss."

Song Yihe listened to Mother An with a smile, chiming in from time to time.

If anything was to blame, it was that South Bank Oasis was too close to Zhikang. Before Mother An had finished, the car had already stopped at the entrance to the complex.

"Xiaohe, thank you for driving me back."

"It was no trouble. Goodbye, Auntie."

"All right. Drive safely."

After Song Yihe's car drove away,

Mother An suddenly remembered that she hadn't mentioned which residential complex she was going to after getting in the car. How had Dr. Song known An'an lived here?

So Dr. Song had driven An Zhiwu home before?

Those two... had a chance!

At the thought, Mother An was in a wonderful mood.

On her way back through the complex, she even hummed a tune, completely forgetting about her son, who was having surgery the next day.

The next morning, before seven,

Song Yihe came to make his rounds.

An Zhiwu had slept on a folding bed that night and had tossed and turned, unable to sleep, until she finally drifted off around three or four in the morning.

When Song Yihe arrived at the hospital room,

he saw An Zhiwu curled up on the folding bed, still fast asleep.

The noise from the rounds was considerable. An Zhiheng reached out and nudged An Zhiwu. "Get up, pig."

An Zhiwu blearily opened her eyes.

She saw Song Yihe and two other young doctors standing beside their beds.

An Zhiwu jolted awake and immediately sat up, wiping the corner of her mouth as she did so.

Watching her little gesture, Song Yihe's lips curved up.

After An Zhiwu folded up the bed and stuffed it underneath the hospital bed,

Song Yihe began discussing the surgery with them and told An Zhiheng to get ready for it.

After Song Yihe left, Mother An hurried over from home.

Before long, medical staff wheeled in a stretcher and had An Zhiheng change into a surgical gown and lie down on it.

An Zhiwu and Mother An followed them all the way to the operating room.

After the display outside the operating room read "Surgery in progress,"

An Zhiwu took out her phone and searched online for information on postoperative care following appendicitis surgery.

Remembering what had happened yesterday, Mother An nudged her daughter, who was looking at her phone. "An'an, how did Dr. Song know where you live? I ran into him at the hospital entrance when I was heading back last night, and he drove me home."

When Mother An asked, An Zhiwu told her about running into Song Yihe at Yihe Garden before.

When she finished, she saw Mother An's eyes light up. "So he drove you home before that, too?"

An Zhiwu nodded.

"I knew it. That doctor is definitely interested in you. I've been through this before, and I wouldn't lead you astray."

An Zhiwu frowned. Was he really interested in her?

But yesterday in the office, she had deliberately tested him by bringing up Mother An setting him up with someone, and he hadn't refused.

Seeing that she said nothing, Mother An assumed she didn't like Song Yihe. "Honestly, girl, don't be too picky. That Dr. Song is absolutely first-rate: he's good-looking and has a good job. It couldn't be better if he likes you. It's not that we're after his money, but with what he has going for him, finding a girlfriend would be easy. You need to hurry."

What Mother An said made An Zhiwu uncertain too.

Could Song Yihe really like her?

"Mom, I know. I'll handle it myself. Let's wait until An Zhiheng's surgery is over first."

Mother An looked at the tightly shut operating room doors and remembered that An Zhiheng was still inside having surgery. In the end, she dropped the subject.

When the operating room display read "Recovering from anesthesia,"

the operating room door opened, and Song Yihe came out.

He walked straight over to Mother An. "Auntie, it's over. He'll be wheeled back to the hospital room once the observation period is over."

"Thank you for your hard work, Xiaohe."

Song Yihe nodded and glanced at An Zhiwu. "It was no trouble. It's my job. I'll go take a shower now."

Mother An gave An Zhiwu a push. "An'an, see Xiaohe out."

An Zhiwu nearly wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into. Do you think we just treated him to dinner, telling me to see him out?

It was a full-blown social death scene.

An Zhiwu gave Song Yihe an awkward smile. "Um, thank you, Dr. Song. Sorry to trouble you with his care afterward, too."

Song Yihe noticed her embarrassment as well. "There's no need to see me out. I'm just going to shower in the room next to the operating room. You two go ahead."

An Zhiwu felt as though she had been granted a pardon.