Chapter 44
The other colleagues only nodded to Long Yu—no one said anything. Only one shared accommodation companion laughed and asked, to which Long Yu replied calmly, “Just had to step out for something.”
No further questions were asked, and soon the exchange session began. Long Yu quickly settled into his work. He was the youngest doctor in the field, striking in appearance, with the highest academic qualifications, drawing the attention of many leaders who valued him highly.
Long Yu himself was oblivious, but the younger generation noticed, some envious, some subtly displeased.
Feng Shaotao was one of them. He observed Long Yu carefully. A young doctor giving a long presentation at a professional exchange was stealing the spotlight. In his thirties, a key figure with many published papers and rich clinical experience, he might have been the center of attention if not for Long Yu.
When it was his turn, he gave a lengthy speech, only to be told by the senior director: “Stick to the key points.” Slightly embarrassed, he also had a minor detail called out—misquoting an original foreign case—which Long Yu corrected. Feng, being an older domestic doctor, knew English but not other languages like German as well as Long Yu did.
It left him a bit humiliated.
When Long Yu’s presentation was adopted, Feng Shaotao felt a pang of resentment but showed nothing outwardly. Being long-time in the system, he noticed Long Yu’s rare surname and glanced at the name tag.
After the conference, the older doctors had prior arrangements and left. The younger doctors stayed behind to socialize. Some discovered they shared the same alma mater, which livened the conversation.
“Dr. Feng, you graduated from the Military Medical Academy, right?”
Feng nodded proudly.
A younger doctor laughed, “What a coincidence! I heard recently that Professor Long from the Military Hospital is also in Hainan, at the Sanya branch, accompanying the leadership. If I’m not mistaken, Dr. Feng, didn’t you say he was your mentor?”
Feng smiled, “Sort of. I learned a lot from him.”
He glanced at Long Yu, who showed no reaction. The accompanying doctor also smiled quietly, not stepping forward to introduce anything. Feng relaxed, thinking it was just a coincidence of surnames.
The young doctors discussed where to eat. Someone suggested a seafood restaurant and enthusiastically invited Long Yu: “Dr. Long, you snuck off yesterday. Let’s have dinner tonight?”
Long Yu shook his head, smiling. “No, I have some things to handle. I’ll go first.”
He left without much small talk.
Some colleagues teased, “Maybe he’s going to see his girlfriend!”
Feng Shaotao laughed too: “This Dr. Long doesn’t seem very sociable.”
Others just exchanged glances and smiled. Long Yu had performed impressively today and seemed upright; the teasing was lighthearted.
“Not unsociable, just introverted. Let’s go eat,” said the doctor accompanying Long Yu, smiling. He had a good impression of Long Yu, remembering how he swapped night shifts when his wife was sick.
The topic lightened. As they walked, someone asked, “When do you leave? Two weeks here, such a waste not to explore nearby.”
“Yes, the exchange is relaxed. Just listen,” another replied. “Two days off, I plan to visit Sanya.”
“Dr. Feng, want to come?”
Feng smiled: “Yes, I’ll visit my mentor on the way.”
They walked off, with Feng sneaking glances toward Long Yu before joining the group, rolling his eyes slightly.
Long Yu returned to Fang Jing Yao. After work, his mind only had his beloved.
Fang Jing Yao had been healthy since childhood. Even after being hit or scolded, he kept climbing trees and getting into mischief. Now grown, he recovered quickly—even after being teased by Long Yu all night, he rested during the day and regained energy.
Long Yu attended meetings while Fang Jing Yao explored, tasting local food for themselves to enjoy with Long Yu later.
In the evening, they strolled through the bustling streets, stopping at a lively night market to sample foods they hadn’t tried. Simply having someone beside them, sharing a bowl of soup, felt comforting and sweet.
Hainan’s nights were lively—people hiding from daytime heat emerged in the cooler evening. They wandered until Fang Jing Yao noticed a small bar with someone singing. Few people were seated, creating a relaxed atmosphere.
Fang Jing Yao pulled Long Yu inside, letting him sit while he approached the bar to speak with the owner, pointing at the stage and handing over some cash.
The bar was dimly lit. Long Yu followed Fang Jing Yao with his eyes. Fang Jing Yao switched positions with the singer and sat on a high stool at the bar. Long Yu still didn’t fully understand.
Fang Jing Yao held the microphone, waiting for the background music to change, and smiled: “Today is a special day for me. I want to sing a song for someone. I’m not very good, so please bear with me—don’t talk, just applaud!”
The people in the bar all laughed, giving the young handsome man some applause out of courtesy.
The music started—it was an old song, a bit cheesy, but the lyrics were truly moving. Fang Jing Yao sat on the high stool, sleeves rolled up to reveal part of his arm. The light fell on his face and body, flickering, casting shadows that only highlighted his handsome face and the persistent smile on his lips.
He began to sing softly:
“He will be your groom,
From now on he will be your lifelong companion; all of him is closely tied to you, sharing both fortune and misfortune.
He will be your groom,
Entrusted to you by others with care, you must treat him doubly with your lifetime, sharing both joy and suffering.
It must be a special fate
That allows you to walk together and become a family…”
Fang Jing Yao’s voice was beautiful, vibrant, carrying the shy earnestness of a young person expressing love. That seriousness moved hearts. When he finished the song, he stayed seated, seemingly lost in thought for a moment, then lifted his head and smiled at the man sitting in the corner, speaking sincerely: “The rest of our lives are long—please take care of me, Dr. Long!”
The atmosphere in the bar immediately became lively. People started whistling, and a bold young girl cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted at Fang Jing Yao: “Mister, I like you!”
Fang Jing Yao was very familiar with such attention. Normally, he would respond with a playful gesture and laugh along with them, but at this moment, he only looked in the direction they had come in together, at the person walking with him.
Dr. Long was also smiling, his smile gentle. He parted his lips to reply. Fang Jing Yao couldn’t hear clearly from afar, but he knew what Long Yu said—Dr. Long must have said in that magnetic, pleasant voice: “Good.”
After leaving the bar, the two of them walked slowly along a canal back to the hotel.
Long Yu held Fang Jing Yao’s hand, walking and talking with him.
Dr. Long’s smile had never faded after the song. He was in a wonderful mood, looking up at the sky. “The night is really beautiful tonight.”
Fang Jing Yao looked up too. It was indeed beautiful—he had never seen such large, drifting white clouds at night with stars visible. The sky was dark but carried a mysterious deep blue tone. He quickly tucked away his small artistic thoughts and looked at Long Yu teasingly: “It was beautiful the day before too. Didn’t you watch from the rooftop? You even climbed over the school wall. Hey, Long Yu, I haven’t asked—why did you run up to the school lab that day? Why didn’t you go home? Weren’t you afraid I’d look for you?”
Long Yu smiled: “I actually didn’t expect you to come.”
Fang Jing Yao raised an eyebrow.
Long Yu thought for a moment. “At that time, I was negotiating with the little voice in my heart.”
Fang Jing Yao, curious, made a sound of acknowledgment: “And then?”
“Maybe a little later, it would have been settled. But that night, when you appeared, I understood.” He looked at Fang Jing Yao and said again, “I didn’t expect it the day before, and yesterday too. I was totally unprepared, and you just appeared.”
Fang Jing Yao grinned. “Were you happy?”
Long Yu smiled. “Yes, happy.”
Fang Jing Yao said: “Then don’t ever sneak out again. I’ll tell you, my luck isn’t always this good.” He shook Long Yu’s hand and laughed. “That ring—the jade ring that brings luck—I sold it. I used the money to buy a ticket to come find you.”
Long Yu looked at him.
Fang Jing Yao teased him: “I used up all my previous luck just to come to you, Dr. Long. You have to be responsible for me now.”
Long Yu stood still. “Yes. I must be responsible.”
Fang Jing Yao found it strange that he stopped and paused too. “What’s wrong?”
Long Yu put his hand in his pocket, where something bulged—a box, it seemed. He looked at Fang Jing Yao. “I thought a lot before, checked many references, but there’s no required procedure for this. I first thought maybe you’d like a few friends present, but then I realized—it can just be the two of us.”
Fang Jing Yao peeked at his pocket and blushed, stammering: “Long Yu, wait… you’re not… are you going to do this now?”
Long Yu laughed softly and pulled out a ring box from his pocket. Inside were two custom-made men’s rings. He opened it, took out one, and put it on Fang Jing Yao’s finger, smiling softly: “The rest of our lives are long. Please continue to take care of me, Mr. Fang.”
The ring fit perfectly on Fang Jing Yao’s ring finger. A simple gold band, wrapped around his finger like a vow.
Fang Jing Yao looked at it seriously for a while, then took the other ring and put it on Long Yu’s finger. He stepped forward, kissed him, and smiled: “Good!”
