Section 4

Yet at this moment, despite a thousand words and myriad expressions, not a single sentence can be uttered

"Why are you still keeping it, why?" Her voice seemed to be shrouded in mist, damp and heavy.

As a doctor, I have repeatedly advised others on numerous occasions, yet I have contradicted those very words myself

"No matter who you are, get out! Immediately! Right now!" He pointed at the door.

The white porcelain pot for planting mint is the most ordinary kind, perhaps found in any flower shop, but Zhu Jiu knows that this is the wedding gift she gave him back then. At the bottom of the pot, she carved words with a small knife, just like the inscription on the back of the watch he gave her.

Outside the window, the bright sunlight pours in abundantly, casting a blanket of light. In the interplay of light and shadow, that figure still stands, silently gazing at him

She slowly clenched her fingers, even her breathing became particularly gentle, and unease followed.

She suddenly stopped at the door, standing quietly for a moment, and finally, she smiled self-deprecatingly

After a prolonged standoff, he finally made a move, reaching out to push her hand aside, his voice devoid of any emotion

She walked into the bathroom, washed her face with cold water, looked at herself in the mirror, and sighed

She truly could not restrain herself, raising her voice to the brink of hysteria: "Fu Yunshen, has it all passed? How can you speak so lightly about it..."

She suddenly recalled that a few years ago, she participated in a rescue project organized by Doctors Without Borders in Africa alongside Ji Silang. The two were assigned to the same team and traveled through several locations across the African continent. In addition to the harsh environment, they occasionally encountered attacks from terrorists. The most dangerous incident occurred when she was performing surgery on a young girl with a severed limb in the camp. Halfway through the operation, the camp came under attack, and the doctors retreated with the patients. In the speeding ambulance, it seemed as though she could not see anything happening outside; she only focused on stopping the bleeding for the girl.

What are you doing!" A voice suddenly interrupted, and someone walked over quickly, angrily saying: "Miss, this is a hospital room. Who allowed you to shout like this!"

The sound came to an abrupt halt

In the end, it was she who spoke first

He remained silent, his eyes slightly lowered, quietly gazing at the photograph of himself

She suddenly felt a bit ridiculous and actually laughed out loud, "Is it all over? Is it all over?"

Over the years, the calmness and self-restraint she cultivated, which were admired by others and satisfied her, collapsed instantly upon encountering him

Suddenly, she approached him, presenting the photo on her phone before his eyes, slowly leaning down to gaze into his eyes, her voice low yet insistent: "Tell me, why? Why?"

Get out! A cold and impatient voice hit me head-on

F & Z. 2003

I walked halfway and then stopped, waiting for you, waiting for you to call me softly, just like the countless times you softly called my name before

He gazed at her, and in his eyes, there seemed to be a thousand words, yet it also felt as if there was nothing at all

She gently pushed open the door to the hospital room

Later, Ji Silang said to her, Mint, I have truly never seen a woman like you. Even when it has come to this point, you remain calm and composed. I really do not know what in this world could ever move you.

The words still linger in the ears, yet the people and circumstances have changed

Time seemed to come to a sudden standstill, his impatient expression frozen on his face as he looked up at the figure just a few steps away, lost in a daze

She suddenly cupped his face, forcing him to look directly at her, "Why did you leave without a word back then? Why?"

She paused for a moment, then walked in

"Three years ago, why did you go to the Sahara?" She thought it was just a simple question, but when it was actually spoken, her voice could not remain calm. The emotions that had been building up inside her surged forth, as if they were about to spill out at any moment

Zhu Jiu seemed to have just realized where she was, took a deep breath, and said to the "white coat": "I apologize"

A long time.

In fact, she understands in her heart that perhaps those two photographs are merely an excuse, allowing her despairing self by the Nika River on that cold winter night to find a bit of courage and reason to once again stand before him

Over the years, he had thought several times about what he would say as his first words when he saw her again

Fu Yunshen slightly lowered his head

In her brief life, she encountered countless perplexing questions, and his sudden departure was the greatest enigma. She could not understand how someone who professed to love her and promised her a lifetime could change in such a way

The room suddenly became particularly silent, as if time had come to a standstill

But you do not

She once jokingly said, although my gift may not be as valuable as yours, look, Mint, I have given myself to you, so you must treat it well

It turns out that the figure seen by the bedside that night was not a dream

Her restrained calmness and composure had completely vanished, and there was a slight tremor in her voice, accompanied by a hint of hatred

Zhu Jiu, it is all in the past

She looked at him, trying to discern some emotion from his silent gaze, but there was nothing, absolutely nothing, calm and indifferent, so cold.

She turned her eyes away and looked at the pot of mint on the bedside table

She glanced at Fu Yunshen, who had his head slightly lowered, and turned to leave the hospital room

That year, she was pulled from the Neckar River, barely alive, and spent a long time in the hospital. Every day she waited for him to come, from dawn to dusk, from deep night to dawn, her hope gradually turned into despair. In the end, what she received was the divorce agreement signed by him, delivered by a lawyer.

Zhu Jiu turned to look at the newcomer, a middle-aged man in a white coat who was also staring at her with a very unpleasant expression on his face

She cannot understand

I already said that I do not drink

He suddenly closed his eyes briefly and then opened them again. He pinched the palm of his hand fiercely, and a slight pain came through.

The two individuals gazed at each other for a long time