Chapter 435: Unspoken Ties, New Beginnings

When you can describe it clearly, that’s love. When you can’t, it’s fate.

No matter how great other men are, she just doesn’t feel a thing. She doesn’t love them. Yet her heart remains deeply attached to Zhou Can, a married man.

Secretly loving someone can be incredibly painful.

Especially for her, knowing there’s no happy ending only makes it hurt more.

Over the past year, she hasn’t found another man who could replace Zhou Can. Instead, the more their paths crossed, the deeper she fell.

Why does she keep emphasizing that Zhou Can is a good man?

Because once Zhou Can realized she was interested in him, he started to distance himself. It was his way of protecting her.

In fact, it was usually her making the effort to reach out to him.

Yet he never embarrassed her or made her lose face.

Most other men are just after her looks. They do anything they can to get her body.

But Zhou Can, he’s the complete opposite.

Despite her obvious advances—she practically throws herself at him all it’d take is a wave of his finger—but after all this time he’s always behaved decently, never showing those thoughts.

That sharp contrast only makes her see Zhou Can as even more special and precious.

That’s human nature: the more you can’t have something, the more you want it. The rarer it feels, the more priceless it seems.

“You probably won’t believe this, but aside from a brief college romance, I haven’t clicked with anyone since. With that classmate, we only held hands twice. He tried to trick me into a hotel, and I dumped him right there. To me he just looked clean enough to maybe date, nothing more.”

“But you’re different. If you needed it, I think I’d even give you my life…”

Even if the words came out half-drunk, Zhou Can was still shocked to hear them.

Still, what worried him more was Su Qianqian getting jealous.

Thankfully, Su Qianqian was never unreasonable. Especially with others around, she always left Zhou Can his pride.

“Mu Qing, you really are drunk. Let us take you home, okay?”

Zhou Can stood up and went to pay the bill.

Then, not giving Mu Qing a choice, he led her out of the western restaurant.

It took a lot of effort just to get her address out of her. It turned out her place was quite a distance away.

Since Zhou Can had been drinking, he had Wei Fang drive.

They dropped her off at her place.

Her apartment wasn’t big, maybe six or seventy square meters, but inside it was beautifully decorated. It was clear she lived alone.

Books lined all the shelves.

He even noticed a French self-study book on the coffee table in her living room. She must study French every day.

Who says pretty girls aren’t smart or just empty-headed?

Most of the beautiful women Zhou Can had met were incredibly accomplished, still working hard to learn more even after graduation.

“Let’s go.”

Once she was settled in, Zhou Can suggested they leave.

“Will she be okay by herself? She was ready to give you her life, you know!”

Su Qianqian’s kind heart still worried about Mu Qing drinking so much alone.

But that last comment, no matter how you heard it, was thick with jealousy.

“Ahem… People say things when they’re drunk that they don’t mean. She already threw up earlier so it’s not likely to happen again, and the wine wasn’t that strong. She should be fine.”

There was no way he could stay behind with his girlfriend to look after Mu Qing.

Once she sobered up, things would only get even more awkward.

After making sure Mu Qing was fast asleep, the three of them quietly locked the door and left.

On the way home, Wei Fang drove while Zhou Can and Su Qianqian sat in the back.

“Qian Qian, you’re not overthinking, are you?”

“You bringing me along is the biggest sign of trust. Thank you for letting me know I matter most.” She rested her head on Zhou Can’s shoulder.

Wisdom-wise, Su Qianqian easily outshone the kind of women who flew into a rage at the smallest thing.

With the way she handled it, Zhou Can knew he’d never need to hide things from her in the future.

The opposite kind—those who are jealous and controlling—only end up tearing relationships apart.

……

The next day at lunch, Zhou Can received a message from Mu Qing.

She’d sent it just after ten in the morning, but Zhou Can had been in the operating room and didn’t see it.

“Dr. Zhou, I’m sorry about last night. I hope I didn’t cause trouble for your family. I’ve made peace with things—if I can’t have you, I’ll let go. I plan to go to France next month, I’ve been preparing for a while. Hopefully the visa goes smoothly. Thanks to you both for taking me home. Take care.”

After reading the message, Zhou Can went quiet.

He felt a little empty, like something had been lost.

He knew reason had to win out over feeling. Otherwise, both she and Su Qianqian would end up hurt.

“Best of luck. Take care!”

He forced himself not to say anything that might make her stay.

The only thing he could give was his blessing, hoping this kind and beautiful girl who loved the wrong person would find peace and happiness.

No matter what, living abroad can never feel quite like home.

She was probably eager to leave because Zhou Can had turned her down. He knew all too well what it was like to love someone in secret. Back in college, he’d had a crush on Yang Chan for a while.

But he’d never fallen as hard as Mu Qing had.

Even so, getting rejected by Yang Chan still hurt deeply.

Eight days later, Zhou Can made headlines again—this time front and center—on the TV news and across major media. For the first time, this humble ER surgeon had become the main focus of the national stage.

Unlike last time, when he was just a supporting role, now the spotlight was truly on him.

His phone exploded that day.

He was so busy in the operating room he couldn’t answer any calls. Messages of congratulations and greetings poured in non-stop.

Some even came from classmates and teachers he hadn’t heard from in years.

Even the president of Tuyu Medical College sent him a message of encouragement.

The rush of pride nearly made him dizzy.

He felt like he was floating, heart full of joy and excitement he just couldn’t hide.

Like Director Lou had said, most doctors never get this kind of publicity in a lifetime.

That night, after work, Zhou Can politely turned down Qiao Yu and the others’ suggestion to celebrate. The brighter the spotlight, the more he needed to stay calm, to keep his original drive and push forward.

His mother called again.

Zhou Can quickly answered.

“Son, did you watch TV? Your cousin called and said he saw you on the news. I didn’t believe it at first, so I went online and checked the Satellite TV replay. Couldn’t believe it when I saw you! Your father and I were over the moon—happier than if we’d made a billion!”

On the other end, his mother’s excitement was unmistakable.

Her voice was full of joy and pride.

“Mom, it’s no big deal, really. The hospital just thought I did a good job and wanted to do some publicity. Are you and Dad both in good health?” As a son, not being able to be nearby to watch over his parents always weighed on Zhou Can’s heart.

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Every child, once grown, has to venture out into the world.

One day, the fledgling eagle has to take flight and soar into the sky.

“We’re doing fine, but the house feels so empty now. You and Miss Qianqian have been dating for a while—you should think about getting married. Don’t worry about money. Your father and I would even borrow if we had to just to buy you a villa in the provincial capital and give you a grand wedding.”

His mom never missed a chance to bring up marriage whenever she called.

Parents everywhere, it seems, are just the same.

When a son is grown, he’s supposed to marry; when a daughter is grown, she’s supposed to find a husband. That’s how a life feels complete.

A standard villa in the provincial capital costs around five million, or just three million if it’s a little farther out and not furnished. Since the family’s food processing plant overcame its troubles, there should be a good bit of extra income.

Especially after the factory expanded, their earning power only increased.

Pulling in three to four million a year shouldn’t be an issue now.

With his mom talking about borrowing money to buy a wedding house, she must be thinking those high-end villas—the ones that cost tens of millions.

Even now, top-notch real estate is still the best way to preserve wealth.

She probably had no idea her son was now far richer than his parents.

“Mom, there’s no rush! Qian Qian and I are both busy with work, so we want to wait a little before getting married. And you don’t need to worry about the wedding house—we’ll buy it ourselves when the time comes.”

When it came to dodging the marriage talk, Zhou Can always fell back on the same two reasons.

Busy at work, and in the middle of critical career growth.

“Son, I know I shouldn’t meddle in your life, but you’re a man, you can’t spend a woman’s hard-earned money. Especially when it comes to buying a home, that’s the kind of responsibility that decides your place in the family, understand?”

His mom knew Su Qianqian was a famous singer and thought Zhou Can would have to rely on her money to buy a house.

In most people’s eyes, being a celebrity equals being rich.

“I know. Don’t worry, Mom. I’ve got it covered. Oh, my department chief is calling—probably something urgent. Let’s talk another time!”

With that, Zhou Can hung up.

What he dreaded most in their calls was always this kind of discussion.

He figured it was best not to tell them about his company or that his assets had topped a hundred million. Keeping quiet was a way to protect them.

Just like last time—when a crisis hit, Zhou Can was able to bail them out.

Once you show your best cards, they’re no longer secrets.

Stepping through the door, Zhou Can saw Su Qianqian had made a whole table’s worth of his favorite dishes.

Wei Fang was helping out in the kitchen.

“Honey, all your favorites are ready—wash up, it’s time to eat!”

Su Qianqian, wearing an apron and laughing, greeted him at the door.

“Is it someone’s birthday today?”

Zhou Can asked, puzzled.

“Silly, it’s to celebrate you! My future husband made it onto TV. We have to celebrate together. That’s how this journey goes, step by step to the top! Now go wash up!”

This wave of media coverage felt even stronger than last time.

Within minutes, nearly all their friends and family knew about it.

With such a devoted wife at home, Zhou Can just basked in all the love.

……

In the blink of an eye, over half a month passed.

Ever since Zhou Can appeared on the news as the main star, he felt just how many benefits came from being well-known.

Patients started pouring in, all requesting him personally.

The Emergency Department even set up a special urgent care slot for Zhou Can. For now, he’d take patients every Friday during the day.

Another bit of good news—the Emergency Department’s application to build a new operating room finally got approved, and construction would start next month.

With patient numbers skyrocketing, the hospital threw its full support behind them and assigned five more doctors and ten more nurses.

Granted, two of those doctors and five nurses were still interns.

But for the Emergency Department, that was a major shot of fresh energy.

There was still an opening for a top-notch medical assistant on Zhou Can’s surgical team.

With three new doctors joining, Director Lou handpicked a surgical doctor with some experience in operations.

But let’s be honest—no one should expect a high-caliber surgeon.

They were basically cast-offs from the Surgical Department.

Top surgical talents are still rare, even in a leading hospital like Tuyu. No department would easily give theirs up.

If a department wanted a truly skilled surgeon or physician, the only way was to train one themselves.

For any department—not just the strong ones—headhunting was almost impossible.

Especially in public hospitals, strict rules kept things tightly controlled. Offering high salaries to lure talent would have to be a hospital-wide strategic move.

Director Lou originally planned to assign the new doctor as Zhou Can’s assistant.

But Zhou Can turned it down.

He suggested having the new doctor fill in for Dr. Lu. If they performed well, then he’d consider bringing them onto the surgical team.

He’d learned his lesson when Ma Xiaolan joined the team. Hiring the wrong person could turn into a real headache.

The new standard: better to wait than fill the spot with someone unqualified.

If no suitable candidate appeared, he’d rather wait it out.

Over lunch, Zhou Can received a special WeChat message.

It was from Mu Qing.

“I’m leaving. I’m grateful to have met you. If possible, let me stay on your WeChat contact list—I promise never to bother you.”

She’d sent it around 9:50 that morning.

But Zhou Can had been busy—there’s no way to check his phone in the operating room.

Now that he finally saw it, she must have already boarded her plane.

But even if he’d seen it, what difference would it have made?

He would never have rushed to the airport to see her off.

Sometimes, as an adult, you just have to keep your feelings in check.

“Wish you well!”

Just those three words.

He truly hoped she’d soon find someone else to love. For a woman, the best cure for heartbreak is simply meeting another man.

His only worry was Mu Qing’s standards might just be too high.

From what he knew of her, she was like a talented woman from old times—someone searching for a soulmate who matched her mind and spirit.

Just then, Zhou Can’s phone rang.

Lately, he’d had a mountain of missed calls. If it wasn’t important, he just apologized for not picking up.

Often, they were old classmates or peers from the medical world—either seeking advice or angling to join Tuyu and work with him.

Calls like that, Zhou Can couldn’t even be bothered to answer.

Anything else felt like a waste of breath.

“Hello? Who’s calling?”

Zhou Can answered politely.

This number had already called several times, but he’d been in surgery and hadn’t answered.

“Dr. Zhou, it’s Old Qin, the photographer from the TV station.”

“Oh, it’s you, Old Qin. What can I do for you?”

Zhou Can had a good impression of Old Qin—quiet and sensible.