With a sharp, piercing cry from a newborn, the clock’s hands pointed precisely to midnight.
March 1, 2015—a new month, a new day.
The operating room was silent, all medical staff working methodically on a cesarean section, colleagues cooperating seamlessly.
Huo Chuxue was the lead surgeon for this procedure. So far, she had been working non-stop for thirty-six hours. Babies seemed to arrive in clusters; this was the fifth child she had delivered today.
The long hours of intense work showed on her face beneath the surgical mask, radiating exhaustion.
She deftly handled the scalpel, her voice steady, “Cut the umbilical cord.”
With the arrival of a new life, the mood among the medical staff visibly lifted, sweeping away the earlier weariness.
Midwife Qiao Shengxi said with a smile, “This baby really knows how to pick the right time—the first day of the month is such a great date!”
Qiao Shengxi was Huo Chuxue’s best friend. The two girls were neighbors, had grown up playing together, and were so close they could share the same pair of pants. In university, they both studied medicine, and after graduation, they joined University A Medical School Affiliated First Hospital together—one as a midwife, the other as an obstetrician. They often worked together in surgeries, their coordination exceptionally high.
As Qiao Shengxi spoke, nurse Lin Yao, who was also assisting, chimed in with a laugh, “My mom says babies born at the beginning of the month are usually especially blessed. Maybe this child will have a charmed life ahead.”
Huo Chuxue listened quietly to their conversation, her hands never stopping as she sutured with remarkable skill, fluid and effortless.
She glanced down at the young, beautiful woman on the operating table, who lay with her eyes open, listening quietly, her expression gentle.
The mother said, “I don’t expect him to be extraordinary in the future. Growing up healthy and being an ordinary person is just fine.”
Huo Chuxue moved her dry lips and smiled, “That’s a good mindset. You won’t put too much pressure on your child later.”
After the surgery, Huo Chuxue felt physically and mentally drained, as if her body had been completely emptied.
Outside the operating room, the mother’s husband waited. In his early forties, dressed in a suit and polished leather shoes, he looked every bit the corporate elite. Yet, his oily hair, plump face, and portly figure gave off an unmistakable air of greasiness.
Huo Chuxue and nurse Lin Yao walked out of the operating room together, with Lin Yao holding the newborn in her arms.
As soon as the two emerged, the middle-aged man hurried over, anxiously asking, “Doctor, is it a boy or a girl? How much does it weigh? Is it chubby?”
The obstetrics department is a place where the warmth and coldness of human nature are laid bare. All the flaws of humanity are magnified here, exposed and undeniable. As an obstetrician, Huo Chuxue had seen her fair share of so-called “good husbands.”
The medical staff in obstetrics had almost formed an unwritten rule: if a husband asked about the baby’s gender, height, and weight without a word about his wife’s condition, they would inwardly roll their eyes.
But if a husband asked whether both mother and child were safe and how his wife was doing, he would pass with flying colors, receiving smiles, congratulations, and immediate updates on everything.
The man before them was the former type—concerned only about the child, not a word about his wife who had endured the pain of childbirth.
Huo Chuxue and Lin Yao exchanged a glance, and Lin Yao rolled her eyes at her.
Another “model Chinese husband”!
“Both mother and child are safe, congratulations!” Lin Yao handed the baby to the man to see. Through her surgical mask, she said coolly, “Your wife went through a lot. Go see her.”
“A son?” The man was so excited he could barely speak, grabbing Lin Yao’s hand and not letting go. “Thank you, you’re truly our family’s saviors… Thank you so much… This is wonderful, a son… Our Old Wang family has an heir…”
—
In the early hours of the morning, the entire hospital building was silent, feeling particularly desolate. The strong smell of disinfectant lingered in the air, refusing to dissipate.
After changing out of her surgical scrubs, Huo Chuxue dragged her exhausted body to the balcony. The cold wind helped calm her mind.
Compared to the hospital’s quiet, the outside world was lively and bustling, with neon lights flashing and buildings brightly lit.
University A Medical School Affiliated First Hospital was located in the heart of Qingling City, surrounded by towering buildings and countless entertainment venues. In any city’s downtown, there was no distinction between day and night—many people reveled in song and dance, partying through the night.
Just past midnight, standing on the 18th floor of the obstetrics building, she could see the distant skyscrapers adorned with large advertising screens. The images on the screens switched periodically, featuring some of the entertainment industry’s hottest stars as the faces of beauty.
This night, the southern city was unusually lively.
But for Huo Chuxue, since joining the obstetrics department, every night had been busy and intense, a race against time. Colleagues worked seamlessly together, successfully welcoming new lives one after another.
Obstetricians worked hard, often exhausted to the bone, but at the moment a new life was born, they felt happiness and fulfillment.
The night wind of early spring was still cold, threads of chill wrapping around her. Standing in it too long could freeze one’s bones. She tightened the collar of her coat, tucked in her neck, and turned back to the rest room.
She managed to doze off for a few hours in the rest room, and by 8 a.m., she was handing over her shift to a colleague.
Her aunt, Fang Ru, seeing her exhaustion, said with concern, “Go home and catch up on sleep. You’ve got dark circles under your eyes.”
Fang Ru was the head of the obstetrics and gynecology department, and Huo Chuxue had been trained under her guidance. Back then, her family had strongly opposed her studying medicine, but she not only pursued it but also chose the most demanding and exhausting field—obstetrics. Aside from the emergency department, obstetrics was undoubtedly the hardest-working department in the entire hospital. Not only was the workload heavy, but the pressure also grew daily. Moreover, after seeing all kinds of “husbands” in obstetrics, many young women developed a fear of marriage early on, and the department was filled with older single women.
Huo Chuxue rubbed her throbbing temples and said, “I’ll go home after handing over my shift.”
Fang Ru smiled and said to her, “Come over for dinner in a couple of days. You’ve been working too hard lately. Your uncle will cook something delicious for you.”
She grinned, “Sounds good!”
She agreed verbally but didn’t take it to heart. Her aunt was definitely acting on her mother’s instructions to talk some sense into her. If she went over, there would probably be a blind date waiting for her. She wasn’t falling for that!
—
After handing over her shift, Huo Chuxue returned to the rest room to change and prepare to leave.
Qiao Shengxi was sitting in the rest room waiting for her, legs crossed, calm and composed like a noblewoman.
As soon as she walked in, her best friend immediately asked her, “So, are you going to Zhou Mo’s wedding this weekend or not?”
Huo Chuxue: “…”
Doctors tend to forget things when they’re busy. How could she have forgotten that today was Zhou Mo’s big wedding day? The obstetrics department had been swamped with patients lately, and she was completely overwhelmed.
She and Zhou Mo had grown up together, but fate hadn’t brought them together. Zhou Mo and Zou Yi had been together since high school graduation, and now they were getting married.
Huo Chuxue had no reason to feel melancholy; it was all in the past. Given their childhood friendship, she couldn’t miss Zhou Mo’s wedding.
“I’m going!” she said firmly. “Why wouldn’t I go? People only get married once in their lifetime—how could I not attend?”
Qiao Shengxi snorted and muttered under her breath, “Maybe there’ll be a second time.”
Huo Chuxue: “…”
Her best friend really couldn’t stand to see Zhou Mo happy!
In her naive youth, Huo Chuxue had liked Zhou Mo. But Zhou Mo had never felt that way about her. In their second year of high school, Zou Yi transferred to Qingling No. 1 High School and became their classmate. Before anyone knew it, the two of them had hit it off. Huo Chuxue’s crush ended without ever taking off.
Because of this, Qiao Shengxi had always believed that Zhou Mo had abandoned Huo Chuxue and that Zou Yi had stolen him away. She particularly disliked the two of them.
After Zhou Mo and Zou Yi got together in high school, Qiao Shengxi had secretly hoped they would break up. But through four years of college, three years of graduate school, and now work, the two had weathered every storm, their bond stronger than gold, and never broke up. And now they were about to get married.
Qiao Shengxi stared at her and probed, “Xiaoxue, aren’t you really bothered by this?”
Huo Chuxue: “…”
Huo Chuxue rubbed her forehead, utterly exasperated. “Xixi, it’s been so many years. I’ve long since gotten over Zhou Mo.”
Hearing this, Qiao Shengxi stood up directly. “Alright then. I’ll go home and get ready, and we’ll go together.”
—
Huo Chuxue returned home and took a shower. Before her hair was even dry, Zhou Mo called.
“Xiaoxue, where are you? Your parents are already here. Are you lost? Should I send someone to pick you up?”
Huo Chuxue: “…”
“Don’t send anyone. I’m almost there,” she said, lying through her teeth. In reality, she hadn’t even left the house.
On the other end of the line, Zhou Mo believed her completely. “Then hurry up! Everyone’s waiting for you.”
“Got it,” she said briskly and hung up.
After ending the call, Huo Chuxue began rummaging through her closet for clothes. She threw on whatever she found, grabbed her phone and wallet, and headed out.
Zhou Mo’s wedding had a rustic countryside theme and was being held in Wangchuan County, a small town near Qingling. The bride, Zou Yi, was from Wangchuan, so it was a homecoming and a convenient arrangement.
Wangchuan County bordered Qingling. In response to the national policy of building new rural areas and leveraging Qingling’s influence, the local government had focused on development and governance, vigorously promoting tourism. In recent years, the economy had improved significantly, and living standards had risen rapidly.
Early March was the peak tourist season in Wangchuan County, so naturally, last-minute high-speed train tickets were impossible to get. Huo Chuxue had no choice but to drive there herself.
It took nearly two hours to drive from downtown Qingling to Wangchuan County. If she drove fast, she might just make it to the wedding ceremony.
Amen, may she get there in time!
—
Huo Chuxue picked up Qiao Shengxi, and the two of them headed to Wangchuan together.
In March, the pear blossoms were in full bloom. The pear blossoms of Cenling were famous nationwide. Countless people traveled to Wangchuan County to see the pear blossoms this season, and the highway was jammed all the way.
As soon as the car got on the highway, Huo Chuxue received a call from her mother, Xie Mingrou.
“Xiaoxue, where exactly are you?”
“Just left the city,” she said truthfully, having no reason to hide anything from her mother.
Xie Mingrou: “…”
“Will you make it to the wedding in time?”
“I’ll try to hurry.”
“Be careful, don’t drive too fast. If you really can’t make it, it’s fine. You’re busy at the hospital—Uncle Zhou and Auntie Deng will understand.”
“Mm.”
Seeing Huo Chuxue put away her phone, Qiao Shengxi turned and asked, “Your mom rushing you?”
“She wasn’t rushing me, just asking where I was.”
Qiao Shengxi suddenly sighed. “We probably won’t make it for lunch.”
She glanced through the windshield at the long line of cars. Her car was hidden among them, and the end of the line was nowhere in sight. She felt a pang of worry—the traffic jam was just too intense.
—
Despite the severe traffic, it had to be said that luck was on their side. The two girls arrived half an hour before the wedding ceremony began.
Today was Zhou Mo’s big day, and the young man was exceptionally spirited.
Standing beside Zhou Mo was the bride, Zou Yi, dressed in a white gown, elegant and graceful, smiling gently as she chatted happily with the guests. She was no longer the shy, quiet girl from high school who always hunched her back and buried herself in homework.
The two of them were both eye-catching and perfectly matched.
Huo Chuxue and Qiao Shengxi gave the newlyweds their wedding gifts and smiled as they offered their blessings. “Congratulations on your marriage! May you live happily together for a hundred years!”
“Thank you,” the couple said in unison.
Zou Yi looked at Huo Chuxue, beaming. “Xiaoxue, I’ll throw the bouquet to you later. Next time, it’ll be your turn to treat us to a wedding banquet.”
Huo Chuxue laughed heartily. “Great! Let me escape the single life soon!”
Qiao Shengxi patted her shoulder and teased, “I also can’t wait for our Xiaoxue to get married, so she can truly experience the life of a married woman.”
Huo Chuxue: “…”
Confirmed—this was definitely her real best friend!
The wedding venue was beautifully decorated, surrounded by balloons and ribbons, with flowers scattered everywhere, creating a romantic and dreamy atmosphere.
Amid the blessings of countless family and friends, the newlyweds stepped into the hall of marriage.
Huo Chuxue had no intention of catching the bouquet, but it flew straight toward her and landed squarely in her arms.
She was teased mercilessly by everyone for catching the bouquet.
The family’s restaurant business was booming and couldn’t be left unattended. As soon as Zhou Mo’s wedding ended, Huo Guangyuan and Xie Mingrou returned directly to Qingling.
Qiao Shengxi was married, with a husband and children at home, so her movements were restricted. Naturally, she couldn’t wander around freely like Huo Chuxue. As soon as the wedding ended, she hurried back to Qingling.
Huo Chuxue had a three-day break and suddenly found herself with a lot of free time. She planned to spend a couple of days playing in Wangchuan County before heading back.
Little did she know that this very decision would lead to an earth-shattering change in her life thereafter.
Many years later, when she looked back, she couldn’t help but sigh. Some people were simply destined to meet.