After Transmigrating Into The Novel, The White Moonlight And The Female Lead Of The Abusive Romance Got Their Happy Ending - Chapter 5

After parting ways with Shi Nanqiao, Wen Tang bought a sandwich to go from the café and headed home.

She could never be bothered to cook for only herself. As long as the cafeteria was available, she would never willingly set foot in the kitchen.

She lived in a moderately upscale residential complex near the hospital. There were two apartments on each floor, and residents needed an access card to enter the building, so the security was fairly good.

“Ding—”

The elevator doors opened, revealing a mountain of renovation materials piled outside.

The owner of the apartment across from hers was a gray-haired elderly woman who was laboriously moving things outside. When she saw Wen Tang, she smiled kindly.

“Xiao Wen, you’re back.”

“Grandma Zhao—” Wen Tang stepped forward and helped drag a huge nylon sack toward the elevator. “What’s going on?”

Grandma Zhao straightened up and wiped the sweat from her forehead, her face glowing with happiness.

“My son has settled abroad, and he wants to bring me over so I can enjoy life with him.

“I thought I might as well rent this apartment out long-term and make some money from it. Someone signed a three-year lease with me, but she wants to change the interior style, so I came by to oversee the renovations.”

“I see. Congratulations. Do you need me to help carry these downstairs?”

“No, no. My son is here. I only need to move them to the elevator so he won’t have to work quite as hard.”

“All right. By the way, what kind of person rented your apartment?” Before transmigrating, Wen Tang had once shared an apartment with someone else.

Unfortunately, her roommate had been extremely noisy and often laughed and chatted loudly with friends until one or two in the morning. Wen Tang certainly did not want another person who would blast music through a loudspeaker in the hallway in the middle of the night.

“She’s a very pretty young woman who works in Huadu. She said she plans to bring her mother over to live with her.”

“All right, then. I’ll head inside. Knock on my door if you need anything.”

“Of course. Go take care of your own work.”

…

The hospital’s outpatient clinics opened at eight in the morning. As usual, Wen Tang arrived at the office half an hour early, only to find Shi Nanqiao already sitting nearby.

“Good morning, Dr. Wen. A beautiful and kindhearted Miss Nightingale opened the door for me.” Shi Nanqiao smiled brightly and raised the cup in her hand. “I didn’t know what flavors you preferred, so I took the liberty of bringing you an iced Americano.”

An Americano?

Wen Tang frowned instinctively.

That was the original owner’s preference, not hers.

Whenever the department ordered coffee together, they usually chose various flavors of lattes. Wen Tang would occasionally order an Americano for appearances’ sake. Sometimes, pharmaceutical representatives treated them, but apart from several department directors, everyone else usually received the same drink. No one had ever paid attention to her preferences.

It was obvious that this host had put some effort into asking around about what she liked.

Unfortunately, she had still missed the mark by just a little.

Helplessly, Wen Tang forced herself to smile and pretended to be delighted that Shi Nanqiao had guessed correctly.

“Thank you. I like it very much.”

She accepted the coffee and took a sip. Her eyebrows trembled involuntarily, while inwardly she curled into a ball from the bitterness.

Was this some kind of concentrated Americano?!

Shi Nanqiao, meanwhile, was secretly pleased with herself.

In her previous life, whenever she accompanied her mother to the hospital, she had often seen a half-finished cup of Americano sitting on Wen Tang’s desk.

This little gift must have struck exactly the right note, hadn’t it?

The more Wen Tang trusted her, the easier it would be for Shi Nanqiao to tamper with things during the program.

Shi Nanqiao explained the day’s schedule.

“The cameraman and his assistant have already gone to the outpatient clinic. While the patients are waiting, they will speak with them and their families about the filming arrangements.”

Wen Tang could not help feeling impressed.

As expected of the female lead. She had arranged everything thoroughly.

The novel mentioned that before Shi Nanqiao had been forced to resign, many senior figures in the industry had praised her for being “highly capable and meticulous.”

Wen Tang had previously assumed that line existed merely to build up her character. Now, however, it seemed that without Fu Xuan, the female lead probably would have become an outstanding host and might even have produced a sensational hit program.

What a shame.

A trace of regret flashed through her eyes.

“It’s almost time. Let’s head to the outpatient clinic.”

“Of course, Dr. Wen.” Shi Nanqiao winked at her.

On the outside, Wen Tang remained the picture of an elite physician. Inside, however, she secretly clutched her chest.

Too sweet!

How could the female lead possibly be this sweet?!

At seven fifty, both rows of benches outside the consultation room were already full. Nearly everyone wore a worried expression, and very few people could manage a smile.

“Appointments at Huadu University Affiliated Hospital are said to be worth their weight in gold. Many people travel thousands of miles to Huadu for treatment. Dr. Wen, what are your thoughts on that?” Shi Nanqiao suddenly asked, signaling that she had already turned on the recording equipment.

“My group discussed that question during a social-practice project when I was an undergraduate.” Wen Tang’s expression turned compassionate, like a bodhisattva in the bamboo groves of the Southern Sea who could not bear to witness the suffering of all living beings.

“One reason is that certain advanced medical devices really are very expensive, and many hospitals simply cannot afford them.”

“And the other reason?”

“We have to acknowledge that medical development is not equal across different regions. Some procedures might be as routine as drinking cold water in one place, while in another, they may be more difficult than ascending to the heavens…”

Wen Tang’s voice was naturally cool and clear, like mist on the day of the first frost, crystallizing into delicate patterns on a window and carrying a faint chill.

Yet at that moment, Shi Nanqiao heard a trace of self-reproach in it, as though the suffering people endured because of illness were somehow Wen Tang’s fault.

She wanted to call Wen Tang hypocritical, but that guilt, faint as it was, felt too sincere to dismiss.

Shi Nanqiao watched the tall figure in white move through the crowd and followed behind her.

One sorrowful, helpless face after another passed before her eyes. In a daze, she returned to the moment in her previous life when her mother had been pushed into the emergency operating room.

The light above the operating room went dark.

A doctor in blue surgical scrubs walked over to her and said regretfully, “I’m very sorry, Miss Shi…”

A vast wave of grief came crashing down, drowning the entire world.

Shi Nanqiao stopped walking before she could control herself, her hands trembling slightly.

Although she knew none of this was real, the moment the green light above the operating room went out, the news of death tightened around her neck like a rope, constricting bit by bit.

“Host Shi? Miss Shi? Shi Nanqiao!” Wen Tang noticed something was wrong with her, and her anxious voice grew increasingly louder.

Shi Nanqiao instinctively moved toward the sound and hid in the nearest embrace.

A faint mint fragrance lingered around her nose, like the most loyal guardian in the world, driving away the shadows of the past.

The specter of death slowly receded, and she finally returned to her senses.

All she could see was white.

Shi Nanqiao hurriedly stepped aside, only then realizing that the person who had held her just now was Wen Tang!

Disgust immediately rose inside her, but she could only thank her in a subdued voice.

“I’m sorry, Dr. Wen. Just now, I…”

“Did you skip breakfast and get a little hypoglycemic? I still have a piece of chocolate. Eat it first.” Wen Tang deliberately ignored Shi Nanqiao’s strange reaction and supplied her with a different excuse.

She strictly followed the unspoken rules of adult social interaction. Since Shi Nanqiao had not brought it up herself, Wen Tang acted as though nothing had happened.

“Yes. I was in a bit of a rush this morning.” Shi Nanqiao accepted the chocolate and secretly studied Wen Tang.

When she saw that Wen Tang remained calm and unruffled, unaffected by either favor or humiliation, complicated emotions surged through her.

The Wen Tang of this life was far too different from the one in her memories.

Shi Nanqiao was beginning to wonder whether rebirth had somehow damaged her mind.

But after her mother’s operation failed in her previous life, she had gone to the lead surgeon’s office and seen a completely unexpected face there—

Fu Xuan!

The lead surgeon’s white coat had hung half-open, revealing the seductive curves beneath it. Her lips had been painted a brilliant red, and her expression was alluring and provocative.

Her supposed boyfriend—the man who claimed to love her deeply while beating and kicking her—had his arms wrapped around the surgeon’s waist.

They had been whispering intimately against each other’s ears, looking impossibly close.

Shi Nanqiao would never forget the lead surgeon’s name, even in death.

“Wen Tang”!

How could someone who had shown no concern after killing her mother now be so considerate toward a television host she had only met a few times?

When her fingertips left Wen Tang’s palm, Shi Nanqiao inexplicably felt a trace of reluctance.

The warm palm carried the temperature unique to a healthy adult.

To her surprise, she found herself longing for that warmth.

Wen Tang smiled and greeted the nurse at the triage desk before striding into the consultation room.

At exactly eight o’clock, the first patient sat down inside.

Two very young women had come in together. They wore student-like outfits and were still laughing and playfully shoving each other as they entered.

They agreed to being filmed without much hesitation and even said they would contribute views once the program aired. At that, the cameraman present could not help laughing as well.

“What seems to be the problem?” Wen Tang asked while taking the patient card.

A notification immediately appeared on the screen:

Attention: This patient is a student of this university.

“Um, it’s like this, Teacher…” The girl in white had barely begun speaking when the tall, slender young woman beside her lightly nudged her.

The girl in white hurriedly corrected herself.

“Doctor, Doctor. It’s just that my heart has been feeling a little uncomfortable recently.”

Wen Tang gave the two of them a surprised look and immediately understood.

They were probably not merely students at the university, but medical students.

“What kind of pain is it? How long does each episode last? Is there a pattern to when it happens, such as after physical activity or during a particular time of day?”

“It happens after strenuous exercise. It feels like a crushing pain, but it goes away after I rest for a while.”

“Are you experiencing symptoms right now?” Wen Tang raised her head and studied her carefully.

The girl had a rosy complexion and appeared perfectly healthy.

The girl in white shook her head.

Wen Tang asked calmly, “Are you a student at this university’s medical school?”

The young woman seemed intimidated by Wen Tang’s presence and nodded timidly.

“I’ve only just started my third year. We haven’t studied internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, or pediatrics yet.”

“…I know. Once you start those courses, you’ll come here for clinical observation. There’s no way I wouldn’t have seen you before.

“You can have an ECG done now, but I doubt it will show anything. If you’re worried, you can also wear a twenty-four-hour ambulatory ECG monitor. Do you have any relevant medical history?”

The girl pressed her lips together and asked weakly, “Teacher, could you perhaps write me a medical certificate saying I’m not suited for strenuous exercise?”

Wen Tang’s hands paused over the keyboard. She looked at the girl with a half-smile.

“Are you making up your military training soon? If you have previous medical records or if the examination reveals something abnormal, I can write you a certificate. Otherwise, go train like a good student!”

Just yesterday, while they were eating, doctors from respiratory medicine and orthopedics had joked that plenty of students pretended to be sick to avoid training.

She had not expected to encounter one herself today.

The girl ducked her head and smiled ingratiatingly, then grabbed her companion’s hand and hurried toward the door.

“There’s nothing wrong after all, Teacher. I hope your work goes smoothly!”

Suddenly, the fingers held in the girl’s hand caught Wen Tang’s attention.

They were extremely slender—abnormally so.

“Wait—” Wen Tang called out to them. “The young woman beside you, please stay for a moment.”