Chapter 75

"Next stop is Luoqiao Market. Please prepare to disembark if you are getting off..."

On the bus, a stiff announcement was being broadcast, reminding the seated passengers to prepare for their stop. Such announcements would sound at every station, but they no longer caught the passengers' attention.

Their attention was either focused on the small screens in their hands, or they were looking straight ahead, or pretending to admire the scenery. There were many things that attracted their attention more than the announcements.

But Li You was different. When she heard the bus announcement, she immediately shifted her focus from her screen. Her eyes sparkled as she looked toward the front door of the bus.

It was 7:30 in the morning, and the crowd of people heading to work was continuous. They lined up and boarded the bus one by one. The air inside the bus quickly became stuffy, and there was a faint smell of meat buns floating around.

Many seated passengers frowned and covered their noses to avoid the smell of the meat buns. Although this was largely ineffective, as long as they were breathing, the smell would inevitably enter their noses. It was just a form of self-comfort.

But Li You seemed to have lost her sense of the meat bun smell. When a person's attention is fully focused on one thing, they often ignore other things. So at this moment, Li You could only focus on the people boarding the bus.

He's getting on!

He's getting on!

Suddenly, Li You's eyes lit up, and her lips pressed together, revealing her nervousness.

In the crowd of people boarding the bus, a man in a white shirt was queuing to get on. From her position, she could only see the side of his face, which was pale and angular, with no particularly striking features. Even if the man turned around, his face, while not unremarkable, wouldn't cause a stir; at most, it would give the impression of being somewhat handsome.

However, what attracted Li You was not the man's appearance but his eyes.

A pair of slightly confused, weary, and anxious eyes really made it hard for Li You to imagine that a person's eyes could convey so many emotions.

It was said that a person's eyes unconsciously reveal their inner emotions. Li You had never really believed this before, as in her interactions with people, she had never been able to read specific emotions from anyone's eyes. Everyone seemed to be able to hide their inner feelings well, not easily exposing them.

But this man was different...

A feeling she couldn't quite describe slowly took root in Li You's heart.

From the morning a week ago, when Li You first saw this man, she felt a tightening in her chest, sensing something different about him.

The next day, at the same time, the man boarded the bus and made eye contact with Li You. This simple exchange made her heart race and her palms sweat.

That day at work, she was often distracted, even getting scolded.

On the third day, she eagerly boarded the bus, skipping breakfast to avoid being late.

Li You didn't feel regret. With a feeling she couldn't quite describe, she didn't feel hungry and absentmindedly played with her phone.

Until the man got on the bus at Luoqiao Market.

Li You finally put down her phone, savoring every moment to see the man's profile and eyes, as if enjoying a delicious meal.

Then, when the man found a seat or turned his back to her, Li You would play with her phone, glancing at him every few seconds with a "casual" glance, often pausing for two seconds on his back.

This number was very precise.

For a week, she had been doing this every day, as if it had become a part of her life.

Every day brought anticipation, hope, and peace of mind...

Li You no longer had the habit of oversleeping. She would wake up at 6:30 AM, wash her face, brush her teeth, eat breakfast, and catch the 7:15 AM bus, always sitting in the same seat before anyone else.

This seat had almost become her own.

Subtly, Li You felt a bit unsatisfied. She had an impulse from deep within, urging her to gather the courage to sit in the front. But this impulse often lasted less than a minute, collapsing the moment she saw the man board the bus.

Li You still didn't dare; she was afraid of this "hope" being interrupted.

That night, due to anxiety, Li You experienced her first bout of insomnia. The next day, she still woke up at 6:30 AM, not delayed by the lack of sleep. She quickly got up, washed her face, ate breakfast, and boarded the 7:15 AM bus.

At 7:30 AM, the man boarded the bus again. Li You felt a hint of sweetness in her heart and began repeating her usual actions, just "casually" glancing at him, with no deliberate behavior.

Today, she still didn't gather the courage to sit in the front.

Li You consoled herself, thinking this might be the best way.

"Next stop is the Third Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. Please prepare to disembark if you are getting off..."

The Third Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital was where Li You worked and where the man got off. When he stood up to leave, Li You followed, maintaining a distance of three people, neither more nor less, very precise.

Afterward, Li You didn't go directly to the hospital. She would always look around "casually," perhaps at people or the scenery, but her focus often lingered on the man's back for a few seconds.

When she could no longer see the man's back, Li You would happily enter the hospital and start her day's work.

Every day brought anticipation, hope, and peace of mind...

Her mood would then brighten.

She seemed to have regained the vitality she had when she first started working there. Her youth and liveliness returned, and even when administering IVs and changing medications, patients would stare at her in amazement.

She didn't mind; patients no longer seemed so hateful, work no longer seemed so tedious, and life no longer seemed so tiring. Everyone looked more pleasant.

Including the always hateful head nurse.

Being kind and smiling, Li You gradually found that even her colleagues, who had been hostile to her before, became more friendly, and work really wasn't so hard anymore.

What a strange thing!

When Li You got home, she ate dinner early and went to bed, hoping to wake up at 6:30 AM. This simple wish was quickly granted. She woke up without an alarm, confident that it was 6:30 AM just by her internal clock. Humming a tune, Li You happily brushed her teeth, washed her face, and had congee for breakfast, waiting for the bus to arrive.

On the bus, she still sat in the same seat, checked her WeChat, and read the news. A familiar announcement sounded: "Next stop is Luoqiao Market. Please prepare to disembark if you are getting off..."

She looked up, her eyes filled with anticipation, toward the front door of the bus.

But today seemed different. Even after everyone had boarded, she didn't see that familiar figure.

The bus slowly started, and Li You's face turned pale. She had no interest in her phone and stuck her head out the window, hoping he was just late and hadn't caught the bus.

But there was no one, no sign of him.

Li You didn't know how she got off the bus. She stood dazedly at the hospital entrance, feeling a sudden sharp pain in her heart. She felt as if she had missed something, looking around in confusion, hoping to see the back she wanted to see.

But she saw nothing.

Li You returned to her previous life, dull, boring, and hard. Everyone's faces became hateful again.

What a strange thing!

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