The Meaning of a Name

Early in the morning, Chu Ran did not head to school as she usually did. Instead, she drove back to the hospital from the previous night. After waiting at the entrance for a short while, she spotted the familiar figure walking out.

Tang Mu was dressed in dark casual wear, a pair of black-framed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, deep in discussion with a colleague finishing the shift with him. Compared to his gentle image from four years ago, he now possessed a more mature aura.

Seeing him like this, Chu Ran was reminded of the “perfect son-in-law” image the neighborhood aunties downstairs always gushed about.

She had to admit, in terms of interpersonal relations, Tang Mu was truly skilled.

In school, he was the senior liked by teachers, welcomed by classmates, and adored by juniors. Now, seeing him chatting and laughing with his colleagues, he was exactly as he had been back then. Tang Mu was always easily accepted by others; even someone as difficult to get along with as Chu Ran could maintain a friendly relationship with him.

Chu Ran was different. She always had the most defined goals. For people and things that weren’t important, she didn’t bother to care or argue.

When Tang Mu’s gaze fell upon Chu Ran, a flash of expected awkwardness crossed his eyes, but he quickly adjusted his state, reverting to his usual mild expression.

–It’s you! You’re that teacher!– The woman beside Tang Mu was Dr. Lin, who had examined Ye Nanzhi’s arm yesterday. Chu Ran remembered her name was Lin Shuang.

Lin Shuang looked at Chu Ran and then at Tang Mu. –I didn’t know Dr. Tang had such a beautiful teacher as a friend! Dr. Tang, won’t you introduce us?–

–Dr. Lin, stop joking. This is my university classmate,– Tang Mu explained.

Since Tang Mu joined the hospital, he had been a primary focus for the single women there. There was no shortage of young female doctors and nurses showing interest in him, and Lin Shuang was one of them. She worked in the same department and often showed him favor, but he always acted as if he couldn’t see her intentions, never giving a response.

Over time, Lin Shuang began to suspect if Tang Mu was already taken. She was confident in her looks, job, and family background. Because of this self-perception, she never entertained the thought of giving up; instead, she persisted.

She thought that as long as the spouse column on his household register was empty, she had a chance. As for Tang Mu, she would win him over sooner or later.

But now, the moment she saw Chu Ran, she truly felt panicked.

In terms of looks, the other woman was not just outstanding but radiated elegance and nobility from her very bones. In terms of work, being a university lecturer was a very respectable profession. In terms of background… the woman was draped in designer brands, and the handbag she carried was a limited edition that money alone couldn’t always buy.

Lin Shuang’s aura instantly weakened. If her opponent was someone like this, she truly might not have a chance.

Fortunately, Tang Mu said it wasn’t like that—they were just classmates. A gentle smile immediately spread across Lin Shuang’s face, and she even proactively greeted Chu Ran. –Hello, I’m Dr. Tang’s colleague, Lin Shuang. We met yesterday.–

She extended her right hand to Chu Ran, adopting the poised stance of a hostess.

But Chu Ran didn’t seem to acknowledge her. Since she was Tang Mu’s colleague and had treated Ye Nanzhi’s arm, it wasn’t right to be too cold. Chu Ran simply gave her a slight nod but did not reach out her hand.

As if treating the woman like a stone pillar at the hospital entrance, her gaze swept past her face without causing a single ripple of emotion.

Lin Shuang stood there awkwardly while Tang Mu proactively invited Chu Ran. –I just finished the night shift and haven’t had breakfast. Why don’t we sit for a while at the café across the street?– Tang Mu led Chu Ran away right in front of Lin Shuang.

Lin Shuang was left alone, watching their departing backs. They looked like a perfectly matched couple. She bitterly withdrew her hand and slowly clenched it into a fist.

In the café, the waiter brought their orders. Tang Mu took his sandwich. –Coming to see me so urgently doesn’t seem like your style.–

No polite small talk; getting straight to the point had always been the way he and Chu Ran interacted.

From the start of their acquaintance, they each had their own motives. While they looked harmonious on the surface, both knew it was a relationship of mutual benefit and nothing more.

Chu Ran helped Tang Mu’s Art Club win various competitions, and Tang Mu used the club to create significant economic value for Chu Ran. It wasn’t enough to buy a house or a car, but it was more than enough to cover all her living expenses during university.

In Tang Mu’s memory, Chu Ran always organized her life meticulously. Knowing he was on the night shift yet coming to find him so early in the morning meant she had an urgent question seeking an answer.

And the subject of that question wasn’t hard to guess. There was no one else but Ye Nanzhi.

“Just say what’s on your mind,” Tang Mu said bluntly. “You have something to ask me, don’t you? It’s better for us to be direct.”

“Fine.” Chu Ran took a small box from her bag and pushed it toward him.

Inside was a fountain pen. It was very similar to his old one—a midnight blue casing with rose gold trim.

But this one was new. The old pen had a dent on the barrel from a fall; this one was smooth and flawless.

“I searched for a long time to find an identical one. I’m returning it to you today,” Chu Ran said.

Years ago, she and Tang Mu weren’t close. They met during a fountain pen sketching competition. At a critical moment, her pen ran out of ink. With time running out, finding ink and refilling it would have wasted too much time.

Suddenly, a pen was handed to her from the right. The person didn’t speak or even make eye contact; they just placed it on her desk while walking up to submit their drawing.

After the competition, Chu Ran wanted to return it, but the person had already left. Looking at the results list, she saw a familiar face next to her photo. He was also from Jiangzhou University, named Tang Mu.

When they met again, he didn’t take the pen back. Instead, he gave a gentle smile. –Classmate, your sketching is incredible. How about joining our Art Club?–

That pen became the bridge of their acquaintance. Throughout their time together, mutual benefit without taking advantage of each other became their unspoken rule.

If there were only two instances of one-sided giving: the first was this pen, and the second was Chu Ran becoming Ye Nanzhi’s art teacher for Tang Mu’s sake.

Now, Chu Ran had brought an identical pen back to him early in the morning. Her intention was crystal clear.

She wanted to draw a line. Yesterday she found out Chu Ran and Ye Nanzhi were together, and today she was rushing to distance herself from him. Chu Ran, oh Chu Ran—as steady as you are, you still have moments of such haste.

Tang Mu gave a hoarse laugh, but before he could put the pen away, Chu Ran stood up to leave.

“You’ve worked hard on the night shift; I won’t take up any more of your rest time.” With that, Chu Ran turned to leave.

Tang Mu froze. Was she really in such a rush just to return this item?

–Wait!– Tang Mu called out, suppressing his emotions to maintain a polite facade. –You… you have nothing to say to me?–

Shouldn’t you be questioning me?

Back then, Ye Nanzhi had abandoned her to be “with” him. Did Chu Ran really not have a single shred of resentment? This was Chu Ran—so proud. How could she let go of such a massive betrayal so easily?

Chu Ran turned back, her expression normal. “So, what do you think I should ask?”

Should she ask if it was because of Tang Mu’s instigation back then, or what exactly happened between him and Ye Nanzhi that night in the hotel?

Instead of the expected agitation or hatred, Chu Ran was incredibly calm. “Life moves forward. Instead of dwelling on the past, it’s better to think about how to live well in the present and the future.”

“As for unimportant people and things, let them go.” Chu Ran’s lips curled slightly. On the surface, she was as indifferent as a chrysanthemum, but her tone carried an unnameable emotion as she asked him, “Don’t you agree, old classmate?”

Last night, after returning to her room, Ye Nanzhi sat at her computer to organize the files for Chu Ran, working until the middle of the night before sleeping.

After a day of physical labor for Professor Song and a night of document preparation, Ye Nanzhi slept very deeply. She was still immersed in a dream when morning came.

In the dream, she was trapped in a cold, snowy night. The wind howled around her, and snowflakes blurred her vision. She was exhausted from running, panting for breath. Before she could find her direction, a voice called out to her from behind.

Through her blurred vision, a hazy figure approached step by step. A faint, familiar scent allowed Ye Nanzhi’s heart to steady.

Her eyes were shrouded in a chaotic white fog. She couldn’t see the person’s face but subconsciously reached out her hand to feel for them.

The moment she touched them, the warmth under her fingertips was as fleeting as a dragonfly skimming the water.

It didn’t feel like skin-to-skin contact; it was slightly damp, like—lips.

Before Ye Nanzhi could withdraw her hand, the other party used that momentum to pull her into an embrace.

Though the features were unclear, the silhouette and the scent were so familiar. The person reached up to brush the stray snow from her hair and adjusted the scarf around her collar.

Then, a cool fingertip moved from her bangs to her nose, finally stopping on her lips.

–Zhizhi…– the person whispered. Then, dark brown eyes magnified before her. The warm, moist sensation on her lips spoke of the other’s urgent longing.

Ye Nanzhi was pinned in the embrace, with no way to avoid it, allowing the other to drink in her breath.

A flash of white light passed, and the fragments of memory were like a broken puzzle, gradually outlining images of the past.

Once, in the silent darkness, she truly had shared a warmth that belonged only to the two of them with another person.

As the memories in her mind became clearer, the place where their lips met began to burn.

Gradually, the other party seemed unsatisfied. The hand that had been holding her moved downward, slipping under the hem of her clothes at the waist, like a dragon circling over her skin.

From the basins to the valleys, peak after peak, an endless stretch.

It only stopped after Ye Nanzhi begged for mercy for the third time.

Just like the images in her memory, Chu Ran kissed away the tear tracks on her face and pulled her back into her arms.

–Zhizhi, are you cold?–

At the sound of the name “Zhizhi,” Ye Nanzhi hesitantly opened her eyes.

Chu Ran pressed her forehead against hers, her warm breath falling on Ye Nanzhi’s nose. Like a sigh and a murmur, she called again: –Zhizhi…–