The Young Urban Doctor

Luo Ziling didn’t know what to say either.

The car was very quiet, as Wuyue hadn’t turned on music or the radio.

But Luo Ziling’s heart was far from calm.

“Mom,” this title that had tangled his heart for many years, might be called out loud for the first time today. The woman who had haunted his dreams on countless occasions, he was finally going to meet her today, and his emotions were a mix of feelings.

For Luo Ziling, this was the first real face-to-face encounter with Ling Ruonan. He knew it wasn’t the first time Ling Ruonan had seen him, but after he had grown up, she probably hadn’t seen him again, right?

She must have seen him when he was very small, a time when he looked completely different from the Luo Ziling of today.

In fact, it could be said that this was the first real meeting between mother and child.

She finally agreed to see him.

Luo Ziling believed he would never forget this day in his lifetime, October 3rd, the eighth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, Friday—a day he had longed for countless times.

After getting into the car, Luo Ziling was eagerly hoping that the car could drive faster so that he could meet this woman who was so dear to him as soon as possible.

But as the car moved, his heart began to tighten again.

How should he stand when he saw her? With what kind of look should he gaze at her? How should he call out to her? How should he speak to her?

“Mom,” these two words had tumbled around in his heart for many years, but he never had the chance to utter them.

Today he could finally speak them out, but suddenly Luo Ziling felt that he didn’t know how to say these two words.

There was an indescribable turmoil in his heart.

As time passed, the sky slowly darkened. Wuyue drove at a steady pace, neither fast nor slow, but Luo Ziling wished the car could go even slower. It seemed he still wasn’t ready to meet her, not ready for anything.

While the car was stopped at a red light, Luo Ziling even thought of opening the car door and running away.

He didn’t bring a gift today either.

An unmarried son going to see his mother shouldn’t need to bring a gift, right?

“We’re almost there,” Wuyue said softly, as though to alleviate Luo Ziling’s anxiety, “Just 500 meters until the residential complex.”

“Oh?” Luo Ziling replied softly, his heart lifted even more.

He could distinctly feel his heart rate accelerating and his breath becoming heavier.

Carrying Lin Lan in his arms and sprinting at an altitude of over two thousand meters hadn’t made him feel this way; even when he had climbed to the highest peak of Tianshan, he had never been this nervous. “Try to relax,” he took several deep breaths, but he still didn’t completely relax.

Soon, the car took a turn and entered a luxurious residential complex.

Because his mind was elsewhere, Luo Ziling didn’t make out the name of the complex; he only noticed military personnel on duty at the entrance.

Yes, it seemed to be paramilitary policemen standing guard there, who even saluted their car as it entered.

After driving into the complex, following the spacious road for a stretch, the car came to a stop in front of a stand-alone villa. As soon as the electronic sensor gate opened, the car continued to advance until it stopped in front of the courtyard.

Wuyue swiftly got out and opened the car door for Luo Ziling.

“We’ve arrived,” Wuyue pointed to the house with the lights on. “Go ahead in!”

Luo Ziling got out of the car bewildered, glanced at the bright house, then at Wuyue, and asked somewhat hesitantly, “Aren’t you… coming in?”

“I’m not going in,” Wuyue nodded, “The young lady is inside.”

Wuyue didn’t say anything more, and walked back to the driver’s seat, opened the car door, and sat down inside.

Watching Wuyue drive the car away, turning a corner and disappearing behind the house, Luo Ziling braced himself upright and took a couple of deep breaths before stepping toward the house.

As he breathed deeply, Luo Ziling smelled the fragrance of osmanthus.

Is there an osmanthus tree planted in the yard?

This thought sprang up subconsciously in Luo Ziling’s mind, but he didn’t look around for any osmanthus trees, his focus was entirely on the house with the lights on.

Because his mind was elsewhere, he tripped over a step, almost falling.

In a swift move, he dodged to steady himself, feeling his heart almost leaping out of his throat.

The hand pushing the door felt so weak, lacking the strength.

After trying a couple of times, he pushed open the ajar door and stepped into the house, Luo Ziling didn’t see anyone.

In the lit living room, there was no one. This immaculately clean living room was very elegantly and uniquely decorated, and it had a classical charm, clearly reflecting the taste of its owner. The living room was very large, easily sixty square meters, with a central table filled with a variety of fruits and pastries.

Luo Ziling didn’t linger, but instead walked towards the dining room, from where sounds were emanating.

The dining room adjacent to the living room was also large, at least twenty square meters.

On the high-end mahogany dining table, there were several steaming hot dishes.

Luo Ziling saw that they were all dishes he loved, including sour fish, spicy garlic eggplant, double-cooked pork, and also the scallop vermicelli and lobster, crab that he really wanted to eat but weren’t easy to come by.

Many dishes were set, with two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks, two spoons already in place, but the dining room was empty.

The door to the kitchen next to the dining room was closed, but through the frosted glass, Luo Ziling could see a shadow moving inside.

Besides the shadow, he could see steam rising and hear the sound of the range hood.

As he walked in, taking several deep breaths in an effort to calm down and muster courage, Luo Ziling suddenly felt at a loss.

He didn’t know whether to stand in the dining room, or sit in the living room to wait, or to push the door and enter the kitchen to say hello.

His mind was so tangled that sweat appeared on his forehead.

He had never been this nervous, his legs and arms felt sore and weak.

What should I do?

What should I do?

For the first time in his life, he felt a knot he couldn’t untangle, unsure of what to do, his mind a little blank.

Just as Luo Ziling was wrestling with his thoughts, the kitchen door opened, and a woman wearing an apron came out, holding a plate in her hands with stir-fried chili beef on it.

She was a very beautiful woman, with skin so fair it seemed like snow, eyes large and lively, her entire face delicate and pretty. Her hair was swept up high, revealing a slender neck. More importantly, even with an apron on, her demeanor of graceful nobility could not be hidden.

Luo Ziling was suddenly transfixed.

Uncontrollable tears just started flowing out, unabated, and he couldn’t stop them.

The woman clearly did not expect someone to be standing outside, and she was startled upon seeing Luo Ziling, instinctively letting out a cry of shock. Once she recognized Luo Ziling, she gasped softly again.

The plate in her hands could not be held steady and fell straight down.