Chapter 188: Like an Old Friend Arriving 4

When Su Mo arrived at the small clinic, there was already a line outside.

As soon as she opened the door she went into a busy mode; today Xiao Jiu and Fu Ying didn't come, and she was whirling around like a top.

Around ten o'clock, He Yuan and Xuan Qing also arrived.

At that time about ten patients were queued in front of them; Su Mo was busy, but she worked methodically, so her busyness was orderly.

He Yuan sat on the sofa nearby, making a phone call.

Xuan Qing walked over to Su Mo and asked, "Is there anything I can help with?"

Su Mo lifted her eyes, glanced at him, and handed him the few bags containing prepared medicine labeled with names, saying, "Please give these to the patients."

"Alright."

After the ten people in front of He Yuan finished their consultations, it was almost noon.

But by then the clinic had finally become less crowded.

Su Mo helped him set up the IV drip, then treated three or four more patients behind, glanced at the clock, and it was past eleven.

She looked at Xuan Qing, who had been helping her for half a day, and said apologetically, "Thanks for your help; let me treat you all to lunch."

Xuan Qing smiled and nodded, "Sure."

Su Mo flipped through her phone contacts, found a number, and said, "Hmm, for three people, order a bit more food."

Inside, He Yuan called Xuan Qing over: "You say I've finished my IV drip these past few days, how else are you making excuses to come over? Should I break my other arm to cooperate with you???"

Xuan Qing raised an eyebrow lightly, "It's not impossible."

"You're shameless!!!"

……

Fu Ying arrived at noon on the third day; as soon as she entered, she saw Xuan Qing and others helping Su Mo hand out medicine.

That friend of his was sitting inside, receiving an IV drip.

Fu Ying quietly walked to Su Mo and asked, "What's going on? Did you hire him as a helper?"

"He's just helping."

Fu Ying glanced at Xuan Qing nearby, raised an eyebrow slightly, and said, "Be careful; he must have ulterior motives!"

Su Mo helplessly looked at her and said, "Go register those injured patients for me!"

After finishing with that batch of people, Fu Ying called Xuan Qing to help carry the boxed meals.

Before leaving, Su Mo grabbed Fu Ying and said, "I told you you could order it by phone; why insist on going yourself and bring others? It's not good."

Fu Ying replied dismissively, "Hey, he's been helping you for a few days and you never felt embarrassed; is it wrong for me to have him carry a meal? He seems happy to go with me."

"…As you wish."

Fu Ying smiled and called Xuan Qing to leave.

After exiting the clinic, Fu Ying started making occasional small talk with Xuan Qing.

When they returned to the clinic, He Yuan's IV drip was also finished, just in time for a meal.

After eating, Xuan Qing and He Yuan left the small clinic.

Fu Ying walked over and glanced at the medical record, "He Yuan won't come tomorrow?"

Su Mo nodded, "That's right, it's the last day."

Fu Ying said meaningfully, "So from tomorrow there will be one fewer free helper? What a pity."

Su Mo smiled lightly, shook her head, and walked inside.

Fu Ying stared at her back, murmuring, "I have a feeling you'll meet again. He's different from those people."

……

Su Mo didn't take Fu Ying's words to heart; after all these years surrounded by all sorts of people, she's become accustomed to it.

Until she returned at night to the Yun Gong Guan.

The family next door had just moved out a few days ago, and new people moved in.

When Su Mo came out of the elevator hall, the nearby workers were busy moving a bed inside.

"Be careful! Don't bump!"

She was unexpectedly knocked down by someone, who kept apologizing to her.

Su Mo frowned and said, "It's fine."

Just as she was about to turn, she saw someone nearby holding a phone, talking.

Xuan Qing, still holding the phone, turned and saw the familiar figure standing not far away.

"Talk later."

He hung up and walked over, "Dr. Su, what a coincidence."

Su Mo asked suspiciously, "Are you the new neighbor who just moved in?"

The person smiled faintly and nodded, "Yes, so my next‑door neighbor is Dr. Su?"

Su Mo nodded, "What a coincidence."

After a brief farewell, she took out her key and opened the door to go inside.

The cat in the house leapt into her arms, meowing nonstop.

Su Mo patted its head, then carried it to look for food.

After a few days of peace, suddenly one day they met in the community park.

Xuan Qing looked at the orange cat at her feet and asked, "Is this your cat?"

"Hmm, haven't gone downstairs for several days, just a walk."

The cat seemed to sense Xuan Qing's aura, became a bit frightened, curled at Su Mo's feet, trembling and whimpering.

Not far away, an elderly lady saw Su Mo, immediately greeted her cheerfully and asked her to also check her own health.

The cat by Su Mo's side is a bit socially anxious; the chaotic, unfamiliar aura makes it increasingly uneasy.

Xuan Qing looks at the cat at her feet and says, "I'll watch it for you; you go ahead."

When Su Mo turns around again, she sees that the orange cat, at some point, has been cradled in Xuan Qing's arms, sleeping with a contented expression.

She can't help feeling a bit surprised.

On the weekend, while she is working overtime at a small clinic, she receives a text from Xuan Qing saying that her cat opened the door and was bumped into by him.

Su Mo vaguely recalls that she left in a hurry after a patient called in the morning and forgot to deadbolt the door.

Fortunately, someone she knows found it.

Su Mo replies to him: "Thank you, and later I'll treat you to a meal."

About a minute later, he replies: "Alright, I'll wait for you."

Fu Ying, who happened to glance at it, can't help laughing: "Just tell him, picking a date is no better than a collision; make it tonight!"

"Another day, it's already this late; he probably already ate. I won't keep you—go back and fetch the cat, and remember to lock the door!"

Fu Ying turns to Xiao Jiu and mutters: "This time it's really different, Su Mo is in danger~"

Xiao Jiu snorts and laughs: "Haven't you always wanted her to get out of being single? Isn't this good too?"

Fu Ying raises an eyebrow; she had actually wanted to introduce Su Mo to a few little puppies, but… never mind, whatever people she meets, the chemistry that arises seems predetermined by fate.

When Su Mo steps out of the elevator, she sees Xuan Qing holding his cat, waiting at the doorway.

She reaches out, takes the cat leash, and politely thanks him: "It's a bit late today; I'll treat you to a meal another day."

He looks at her, his eyes gentle: "Alright."

Just as Su Mo opens the door to go inside, the cat at her feet suddenly turns and walks toward the person at the doorway.

Meow~

The orange cat squats at Xuan Qing's feet, lifts its head and gazes at him with cat eyes, as if asking, "Human, aren't you going to come in and sit?"

Su Mo gives it a slight tug; the cat's body wobbles, then it walks back and squats again.

The person outside asks in a calm voice, "May I come in and sit?"

"Oh, sure! Please come in."

Xuan Qing bends down, lifts the cat at his feet, and steps forward.

The complex consists entirely of low‑rise apartments; his home has few belongings, clean and tidy, with many potted green plants at a glance.

After sitting on the sofa, his gaze falls on a photo frame placed on the coffee table.

It must have been taken a few years ago; the two people in the photo look somewhat youthful, yet even then her beauty was already sharp, like a budding crabapple in spring, radiant and delicate.

As for the person beside her, he knows him.

Yes, he knows.

In the frame, the boy's gaze is not on the camera at all; he stubbornly stares at her profile. The sunlight that day was beautiful, and she must have been beautiful in his eyes as well.