At that moment, she indeed thought so. However, to her surprise, although she prepared herself every day for a chance encounter, she never saw him again.
Was it deliberate? Or did they really just not meet?
Ha, there wasn't so much to fuss about.
Her father gradually recovered and was discharged from the hospital. That man, it was as if he had evaporated from this world; she truly never saw him again, not even having the chance to repay him the money...
After leaving the hospital, she began to really settle down, with job hunting as her first task.
Having spent six years abroad, graduating with a master's degree, completing her residency, and obtaining the medical license she had once dreamt of, these six years could be described as difficult, having taken quite a detour, but at last, she had achieved results.
Top-tier hospitals like Beiyang First Hospital, where he worked, were impossible for her to enter, and she hadn't thought of trying; in fact, for a graduate from an out-of-town university, it was already difficult to get into a good hospital in this city, so with self-awareness, she applied to several ordinary hospitals. Quickly, West City Hospital replied and hired her, only, this hospital was too far from home.
Eager to work, she overlooked this detail and went happily to report for duty. Her job thus became stable, and having a job made her feel more at ease.
As a new doctor, there was so much for her to learn. Fortunately, her colleagues were harmonious, and she herself was humble and enthusiastic, treating every senior as a teacher, which made her work very joyful.
For her, this was a completely new life, full of hope and motivation.
Could that young girl, who at 22 tore up her overseas offer and plunged headfirst into marriage for a love as reckless as a moth to a flame, have ever imagined one day donning the white coat she had dreamt about?
Goodbye, the former Liu Zheng. She said to herself.
Now, she had broken free from limitations, caught the wind, light as a swallow, and was waiting to soar.
Two months had flown by working at the hospital, and to be honest, it was tiring. Every day she had to wake up early to take the subway across most of the city for work, arriving home only to a sky full of stars, assuming there was no smog and the sky was clear enough to see them.
Yet, this life was tiring and joyful, and within the busyness that barely kept her feet on the ground, she had no time to think of someone. Such a state was truly good.
However, life's path forward is never a straight line.
One day before getting off work, she was called to the director's office, where she received some good news—the hospital had obtained a spot for someone to go to Beiyang First Hospital's neurosurgery department for advanced training, and they had decided to send her.
That moment truly shook her to the core, so much so that it took her quite a while to come back to her senses.
Beiyang First Hospital, neurosurgery? She felt like a tortoise that had slowly crawled and crawled until it had finally made its way inside that very pot.
"Do you not want to go?" the director seemed to notice her hesitation.
"It's not that... it's just that there are so many people in the hospital, it seems unlikely it would be my turn." It was a great opportunity, she understood that. Rationally, she should seize it, but emotionally, she found herself deeply resistant!
"Dr. Ruan, the hospital values you and wants to cultivate your talent. It's time you considered specializing. Our hospital is in urgent need of neurosurgeons, and not just anyone gets this chance. You'll regret it if you miss out. Beiyang's technology is top-notch in the country, and you will learn more there with the masters than with our own hospital teachers. However, the hospital has its conditions; you'll need to sign a contract to work for the hospital for ten years after you return from your advanced training," the director said.