He placed a piece of beef onto her plate.
“Eat more. You haven’t changed at all—you’re not fat in the slightest. But your face looks a bit pale. Have you been staying up late?”
“You just said I gained weight!” she retorted, pouting as she served him a bowl of chicken soup. “Honestly, He Su Ye, you’re the one who looks worse. Those panda eyes! What kind of example are you setting as a doctor?”
He tasted the soup and chuckled.
“I thought the flavor was familiar—it’s got dangshen in it.”
She smiled.
“I brought it from home. Mom said it’s good for replenishing energy and nourishing the blood. Every time I finish a course, I make a big pot of chicken soup to treat myself.”
“Has it been tough here?”
“Of course! My advisor is nice but very strict. I’ve got CareerTrack coming up. While I have work experience, my theoretical knowledge doesn’t match up to the students with academic backgrounds. What about you?”
“I’m fine. Not too busy, and the project is going well.”
“I don’t believe you. Studying medicine in the U.S. is exhausting. Look at you—you’ve lost weight.” Her voice softened with worry as she ladled another bowl of soup for him, trying to hide her concern behind a teasing tone. “Drink up. This might be your last chance!”
The warmth of the bowl lingered on her fingertips, and she suddenly felt an urge to cry. All she could think was, Let this long year pass quickly. After that, I’ll never leave him again, no matter what.
After dinner, Shen Xi Fan’s craving for dessert resurfaced. Smiling mischievously, she said, “Dinner at your place always comes with dessert. That’d be perfect!”
He glanced at the pantry and laughed.
“There are some red beans left. How about sweet red bean soup with rock sugar?”
She clapped her hands in delight.
“I’ll help! The rock sugar is in the small box in the corner—I’ll grab it.”
While the red bean soup simmered and they cleaned up the kitchen, Shen Xi Fan called her family, and He Su Ye chatted with Qiu Tian online. However, Qiu Tian’s responses were unusually slow, each message taking ages and containing barely ten words.
Frustrated, He Su Ye clicked on a saved link out of habit, only to find it led to a blog.
Looking closer, he realized—it was Shen Xi Fan’s personal space.
He silently recited the URL to himself, committing it to memory. Then he noticed the blog had been active for quite some time. Out of curiosity, he clicked on the most recent entry:
“I’ve slowly learned to embrace tolerance and understanding, to practice kindness and compromise.
There are only two types of romantic feelings in the world: one is "mutual support through thick and thin", and the other is "letting go and forgetting each other". What we should strive for is the former with the one we love most and the latter with those we love less.
The phrase "mutual support through thick and thin" is beautiful. It speaks of endless patience and endurance, boundless care and devotion, infinite forgiveness and affection, and a lifetime of shared strength. Only through such a steadfast bond can the words "mutual support through thick and thin" be written so firmly and beautifully.”
The words "mutual support through thick and thin" lingered in his mind, evoking warmth and happiness. He stared at the screen, lost in thought, until the sound of movement behind him startled him into closing the page.
Turning, he saw Shen Xi Fan standing by the window, watching him with a mischievous smile.
A wave of joy surged through him, along with a sudden, impulsive urge to tell the whole world that he had her, and that he was happy.
Standing up, he walked over to her and asked seriously, “Would you like to meet some of my friends? I’d love to introduce you to them.”
Shen Xi Fan smiled. “What? You even have classmates here? You’re truly the embodiment of the saying ‘a bosom friend afar brings distant lands near.’”
“One’s a high school buddy from the College of Agriculture—commonly known as the ‘Dairy School.’ Then there are two university friends at Weill Medical College, and another from the College of Veterinary Medicine. They’re all incredibly talented.”
Nodding solemnly, she quipped playfully, “Considering the school dining halls rely on the Dairy School for their meat and milk, I really should go pay homage to these brilliant folks!”
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