Love Heals (the Original Work)

"You're overstating it," he said, his expression still quite indifferent, glancing outside at the pouring rain, "It's dark now, let's go home after work. Did you bring an umbrella?" His gaze rested on Ruan Liuzheng as he spoke, the light in his eyes rippling into waves, layers upon layers within his ink-dark pupils, like stars surging, like fireflies scattering.

She was taken aback, her gaze had been fixed on his cyan-gray lips, and when he suddenly asked her, she didn't react right away. Meanwhile, Ding Yiyuan's voice had already crisply sounded, "No!"

He gave Ding Yiyuan a glance, "I'll drive you both. Wait for me downstairs, I'll go get the car."

He left first, and Ruan Liuzheng and Ding Yiyuan descended together. Ding Yiyuan was chattering non-stop in her ear, "Ah! Teacher Ning is really amazing! Being skilled is one thing, that's professional expertise! But the key is that he's so loving with patients, he's really taught me a lesson! Especially his interaction with that little girl today, I'm truly in awe!"

Right! The session with Feifei in the morning had also astounded her! Now, as she listened to Ding Yiyuan's endless praise, and thought about Ding Yiyuan's attitude when tough with patients, compared with his affable warmth, a slight smile curled the corners of her mouth, pride and satisfaction spontaneously rising within her. When she realized this, she immediately tightened her face, reminding herself: What right do you have to feel proud?

She and Ding Yiyuan waited downstairs. In the darkness, headlights flared to life, and the familiar car gradually came into view. Still the same car, still the same license plate; he was not a person fixated on material possessions.

This car had a story.

It was this car that had taken her to the Civil Affairs Bureau, exchanging their marriage certificate for a divorce certificate; it was also in this car that he offered her a bank card of an undisclosed sum, which she refused; and still in this car, the last time he dropped her off at home that year, she said, "Take care, goodbye."

She had never thought she would sit in this car again.

The car stopped in front of them without winding down the windows, that was his certainty that she would remember the car's owner.

She hesitated for a moment before opening the backseat door and getting in.

"Eh, how did you know it was Teacher Ning's car?" Ding Yiyuan followed, sitting beside her, asking in surprise.

She paused, "I saw him."

Ding Yiyuan didn't say anything more, only smiled at him and said, "Teacher Ning, thank you."

"Where do you live?" he asked.

Ruan Liuzheng naturally knew the question wasn't for her; how could he not know where she lived? So she kept silent. Yet Ding Yiyuan, looking at her, said, "Eh, Teacher Ning is asking you!"

Ruan Liuzheng choked, then gave her address.

Ding Yiyuan exclaimed, "My place is far, drop her off first!" After speaking, she also gave her home address.

He responded, "We'll drop you off first, Dr. Ruan and I are going the same way."

Ding Yiyuan didn't say anything more, but Ruan Liuzheng was stunned, "Dr. Ruan" – these three words, she was hearing them from his mouth for the first time, and they felt somewhat unfamiliar…

Ding Yiyuan was a talkative person, always finding topics to talk about, either with him or with Ruan Liuzheng. However, Ruan Liuzheng responded absentmindedly, only because she saw a bottle of mineral water halfway drunk and a box of stomach medicine in the glove compartment.

The past her would have prepared hot water for him, regardless of the season.

She silently sighed to herself, feeling a bit sour.

After dropping Ding Yiyuan off at her home, he made a U-turn to head back. With Ding Yiyuan gone, the car suddenly became quiet, only the sound of the relentless rain and the wipers scraping against the glass was heard.