Did That Doctor Successfully Remarry Today?

Love lets every person who is loved also love in return. —— Call Me by Your Name

In late autumn, withered yellow leaves rustle in the cold wind, which sweeps into Gao Chuan's car, the refreshing coolness brushing across his brows.

Having just completed a surgery, he was tired enough, yet still summoned home by a call from the family.

The man brakes at a red light, glancing at the silver-gray wristwatch on his hand—8:12.

Outside the window, the night lights were just beginning to twinkling, and the dusk gradually lifted.

The car radio played Wang Fei's "Qing Feng Xu Lai," the melody melodiously undulated, and the lingering voices slowly spread through the air.

"Qing Feng Xu Lai, no ripples on the water.

Which script does not involve parting."

In his free time, a WeChat message popped up, he reached out to open it.

A pinned message, from Jiang An.

She said, Dr. Gao, auntie asked me to meet you downstairs, have you arrived?

In a fleeting moment, the green light turned on, Gao Chuan turned off his phone, continued driving, making a right turn at two intersections into Nuanyang District, where he indeed saw a figure shivering in the autumn chill at the gate, wearing a light purple dress, her slender figure looking around restlessly.

With a consistently aloof expression, Gao Chuan slowly stopped the car, and just like that, watched from afar the woman still foolishly looking around two meters away, his gaze suddenly fixed and the corners of his mouth involuntarily lifted in a curve.

He remembered a phrase Jiang An once said to him.

"Dr. Gao, I'm naive, don't deceive me."

Watching her like this, she did seem somewhat naive.

Not until the man slowly drove up beside Jiang An did she react, bending down intending to speak with the person in the driver's seat when the door had already been opened from inside, and as she lifted her feet into the car, she sweetly said: "Dr. Gao."

"I'm sorry, Dr. Gao, I was just thinking of giving you the clothes when auntie dragged me here. I've explained but auntie didn't believe me, you'll have to explain to her properly when we go up..." Jiang An rambled incomprehensibly to Gao Chuan as usual, yet today she was unexpectedly clear.

Gao Chuan, listening to Jiang An's panicked and disjointed narrative, still maintained an expressionless face, seemingly uninvolved in the matters she was discussing.

After parking the car, the two went upstairs together. Inside the elevator, Jiang An still saw Gao Chuan indifferent, frowning heavily as they nearly reached the Gao family's floor. The elevator doors mechanically opened, just as Gao Chuan thought to step out, he was suddenly pulled back by the timid Jiang An from behind, "Dr. Gao, should we coordinate our story?"

Gao Chuan turned around to see Jiang An with her head lowered, her whole body tensed, her eyes filled with pleading, like a small animal long trapped in a cage.

The accumulated grievances inside him washed away, he stopped the motion of unbuttoning his shirt cuffs and slowly ran his right hand over Jiang An's head. His pale and slender hand brushed her hair, and then a magnetic voice reassuringly sounded above her head.

"Don't worry, I'll handle it."

His soothing words and gentle touch simultaneously made Jiang An's heart flutter.

Having waited for them at home for a full quarter of an hour, Shen Mei, unable to wait any longer and about to make a phone call, was timely dissuaded by Gao Lin sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper. The old man, wearing a pair of nearly faded silver-rimmed glasses, spoke gently, reminding, "Don't worry, the young couple may have something to take care of downstairs!"

Upon hearing her husband's words, Shen Mei's face relaxed, and she happily turned back to continue simmering her black-bone chicken soup.

Gao Chuan is the second child in the family, thirty-one years old this year, 183 cm tall, a chief physician in City Hospital's Oncology department with seven years of clinical experience, capable on his own in the hospital, owning a Volkswagen Phaeton and a fully-paid two-bedroom apartment, all the qualities of an exemplary good man but still single.

During the first twenty or so years of school, Shen Mei had never fretted over it at home, but this life-long matter had her heart breaking.

Retired at home, Shen Mei kept busy arranging blind dates for her son, only to find the unsatisfactory Dr. Gao constantly buried in work with not a single female friend around him.

Out of desperation, Ms. Shen secretly told her husband, "Our second son doesn't care about looks or family background, any woman will do."

So when Ms. Shen saw the innocent-faced Jiang An at the Gao Family's doorstep, her eagerness for a daughter-in-law led her to drag this clueless girl straight home, wrapping her in maternal warmth all the way, not even listening to the girl's explanations, thus concocting a "scandalous little girlfriend" for Gao Chuan.

Dr. Gao returned home with the rumored girlfriend, switching shoes at the foyer. The family's golden retriever, seeing its owner, excitedly prepared to pounce; Gao Chuan, with his slight germophobia, habitually moved to dodge, but before he could turn, saw the little fellow dash past him toward the little woman behind him.

Gao Chuan: "..."

Jiang An almost fell over when she was jumped on by the large golden retriever. Looking at the golden-furred dog amiably sticking out its tongue at her, she smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling.

Hearing the two, Shen Mei hurriedly had her housekeeper set the table for dinner, and soon all four sat down. Seemingly intentional in matchmaking the pair, Shen Mei purposefully seated Jiang An next to Gao Chuan. The young girl, who had been anxious all day, seemed just to be waiting for the meal to quickly clarify the misunderstanding.

"Here, Anan, try this. Auntie's best at making taro pork belly." Shen Mei, seeing the two silent, proactively picked up the serving chopsticks to get food for Jiang An.

Jiang An looked at the fatty pieces of meat in her bowl, overwhelmed with honor, nervously expressing her thanks.

By the afternoon, Shen Mei had asked all the necessary questions on their way home, and she was quite pleased with the girl, always having no requirement for her daughter-in-law to match their household's status; being clean and neat was most important.

"Gao Chuan, you really should bring your girlfriend home more often. If I hadn't delivered something to your place today, I still wouldn't know of Anan's existence!" Shen Mei glared at Gao Chuan, who was preoccupied with eating the whole time, and complained.

At the sound, Gao Chuan put down his soup spoon, just about to speak, but felt the corner of his shirt gently tugged by the person next to him. Turning his head, he saw Jiang An with an expectant expression, her butterfly-wing-like eyelashes fluttering, her lips shiny and plump.

Jiang An was clearly signaling Gao Chuan that this was the perfect moment to explain, but the unhelpful Gao Chuan remained stubborn, foolishly adding to the confusion by saying to Shen Mei, "The hospital has been quite busy recently."

"Anan, dear, the more I look at you, the more I like you. When you find some time, let Gao Chuan take you to see his grandmother. She's quite old and always looking forward to him getting married; she'd be delighted to meet you," Shen Mei entrusted.

Dinner ended without a word of clarification from Gao Chuan, and although the enthusiastic Shen Mei wanted to have Jiang An stay over, Gao Chuan flatly refused.

Close to half-past nine, Gao Chuan drove Jiang An back to her apartment, the two of them silent throughout the journey.

Jiang An nervously clenched the hem of her garment, a habit when she was anxious.

The car continued towards the apartment in her dazed state; realizing she was at home, she reflexively tried to open the door, only to frustratingly find it child-locked, turning her puzzled face to Gao Chuan.

Gao Chuan seemed to be waiting for her to turn, fully aware of the doubts in Jiang An's heart, yet he kept his lips sealed.

The night breeze was unusually gentle, the street lights cast a soft glow, lighting up one side of their faces.

Though they had arrived at her destination, Gao Chuan still gripped the steering wheel, his gaze lingering on Jiang An's deep black eyes, swallowing subtly.

Just as Jiang An was about to ask, the man's cold voice filled the car.

Caught off guard by his words, Jiang An froze in place, her hand still on the door handle, motionless for a long time.

She heard him say,

"Jiang An, let's get married!"