He Su Ye nodded again, but inwardly he thought, How long has it been since I last saw my father?
Luckily, his home hadn’t lost power. As he approached the door, he heard familiar footsteps and a weak, plaintive voice behind him.
“Master He, have pity and treat us to a meal!”
Turning, he saw his juniors, Li Jie and Fang Ke Xin. Surprised, he asked, “Li Jie, Fang Ke Xin, what are you two doing here?”
Li Jie grumbled, “There’s a power outage at school, Master He! You know how pathetic our campus is. The old buildings don’t even have backup generators, the dining hall isn’t serving food, and the nearby restaurants are all closed…”
“So you came here for a free meal?” He Su Ye chuckled. “Come in. There’s not much to eat, but make do with what I have.”
Dinner was simple but delicious. He Su Ye’s cooking drew endless praise from his guests.
Li Jie, being as carefree as ever, tossed his dishes into the sink and went off to play video games online. Fang Ke Xin, on the other hand, was more polite. “Master He, I’m sorry to trouble you.”
He smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Guests shouldn’t wash dishes. I’ll handle it.”
While he washed up, Fang Ke Xin wandered around the house. Like its owner, the place was simple and neat. His study desk was piled with medical texts, herbal formulas, and half-finished research papers.
She found herself recalling the last time she had been here—two years ago, when Master He broke up with Senior Zhang Yi Ling.
No one knew that four years ago, she had harbored a crush on He Su Ye. Back in high school, she and Li Jie were classmates. When they both coincidentally got into the same university, their friendship naturally continued. She often heard Li Jie speak of his brilliant senior, who was not only top of his class but also kind and reliable.
Her first time dining with them, she watched as He Su Ye gently placed dumplings into Zhang Yi Ling’s bowl, not eating any himself, his gaze tender and full of affection. In that moment, she fell for him—a handsome and gentle man like him was the epitome of her dream.
But she knew she had no right to interfere. He and Zhang Yi Ling were the model couple everyone admired, a match seemingly made in heaven. She could only stay on the sidelines, quietly observing him, imitating Zhang Yi Ling’s style of dress, and finding excuses to ask him about medical cases—despite knowing he wasn’t in radiology—just to spend a little more time with him.
She assumed they would get married, have adorable children, and grow old together. But their story ended abruptly when Zhang Yi Ling decided to go abroad.
She never understood how two people so in love could suddenly part ways and never look back.
She still remembered that rainy night when He Su Ye, in front of her and Li Jie, said to Zhang Yi Ling, “If you’re going to leave, then go. But don’t regret it later. I respect your choice, so please respect my feelings too.”
That night, He Su Ye got drunk for the first time in his life. Zhang Yi Ling remained silent throughout. Fang Ke Xin had a feeling there was more to Zhang Yi Ling’s departure than met the eye, but she would likely never know the truth.
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