Moonlight falls into my arms

The sky had darkened, and the leaden-gray dome loomed down.

Two surgical assistants squeezed above the open wound, rapidly and methodically passing surgical instruments through their hands.

The patient was covered in a green surgical drape. Jiang Yuci lowered his gaze, focusing on the heart connected to the cardiopulmonary bypass machine via a tube, where a crudely made roller pump was squeezing the tube.

The atmosphere in the operating room was heavy, and the cold, metallic sounds of the instruments struck at one's very soul.

During the surgery, the patient's mitral valve was replaced. The weak heart struggled to beat, with only a faint pulse, and stopped pumping blood.

"Increase adrenaline, improve ventilation." His calm tone inexplicably eased the tense atmosphere in the operating room.

"Air venting needle".

His long, slender fingers pushed the needle into the aorta...

Outside the operating room, several family members paced back and forth, rubbing their hands together.

As night deepened, the surgery ended, and the patient was wheeled out of the operating room.

"The operation was successful."

Jiang Yuci was pulled aside by the family members to express their gratitude. He nodded in acknowledgment, and as the patient was wheeled away, the noise around him quieted down.

The anesthesia nurse stood next to Jiang Yuci: "Dr. Jiang, it's fortunate that you injected the patient with a syringe of adrenaline in time, otherwise it would have been hard to say what would have happened."

"Hmm." Jiang Yuci watched as the clear water slowly washed through her fingers, forming a stream that dripped onto the marble and flowed into the cave entrance.

During the surgery, my mind was focused solely on my heart. After the surgery, my thoughts became jumbled, yet they clearly converged on a specific, fixed matter.

The dark, deep cave seemed to suck away his thoughts, briefly drawing away the vaguely unsettling feelings within him.

Until someone next to me mentioned Ruan Li.

He snapped out of his daze and lowered his gaze.

"We haven't seen her for the past few days, and everyone in the department says they're a little unaccustomed to it." The nurse smiled and said, "Dr. Jiang's relative is back? Then you're finally free, no more taking care of the child."

"She's home." Jiang Yuci grabbed a tissue to wipe her hands and turned to leave.

The nurse stood there, slowly frowning.

I had a feeling that Dr. Jiang's tone sounded a bit annoyed just now.

"Dr. Jiang is off work." Tan Yue was still on duty tonight, and greeted Jiang Yuci as she came downstairs after changing her clothes.

"Mm." Jiang Yuci pursed her lips and nodded.

"Hey Dr. Jiang, I haven't seen Ruan Li these past few days. Did she go home?"

Jiang Yuci stopped in her tracks as she was going downstairs.

“I was just saying I’d treat her to dinner. If she comes again next time, Dr. Jiang, please let me know and I’ll treat her to dinner.”

"She's at home," Jiang Yu replied to Tan Yue, just as she had replied to the previous nurse.

His tone grew increasingly impatient; it seemed like someone kept reminding him of Ruan Li all day.

The thoughts that had been suppressed were picked out one by one, mixed together, and difficult to sort out.

"Oh, then why hasn't she come these past few days?"

"do not know."

Jiang Yuci went downstairs, but as she passed through the corridor, her eyes involuntarily drifted to the murals on the wall.

He was engrossed in watching, as if trying to see something clearly.

He was bumped into by someone coming upstairs. Just as that person was about to apologize, he hurriedly went downstairs.

Upon arriving at the garage, Jiang Yuci opened the car door and got in without a moment's hesitation; all around was quiet.

Just now, when he looked at the mural, was the face that appeared in his mind Ruan Li now, or her?

He can no longer tell the difference.

Drop drop-

When he pushed open the door, just like when he came home these past few days, the room was very dark, with only the faint moonlight from outside shining through and onto the floor.

He glanced at the time; it was almost ten o'clock.

He took off his coat, sat on the sofa, and, as if lost in thought, aimlessly surveyed his home through the dim light.

The ink-wash floor lamp next to the LCD TV stretched out as a thin line; it was originally a unique piece that Huo Xingzhou had acquired from a collector.

He rarely pays attention to it, leaving it at home as a decoration.

I don't know when, but Ruan Li took it for granted to use it to categorize her various little clips. Each clip, with its own kind of cute little clip, was attached to a thin thread, creating a jarring contrast.

He closed his eyes, leaned back, his silhouette hidden in the dim light, and his Adam's apple bobbed slowly with each breath.

His throat was unusually dry. Thinking about it, he hadn't had a drop of water during the nearly eight-hour surgery.

He got up to get some water, his coat hanging from his raised arm.

He frowned, looked down, and realized that he hadn't even changed his shoes when he came in.

The coat should be hanging on a hanger, not being carried by him.

His mind was clouded, and he couldn't even see clearly himself.

"Meow..." Fishbone came out of Ruan Li's room, slowly circled around to Jiang Yuci's feet, and couldn't help rubbing against him.

Jiang Yuci hesitated for a moment before squatting down to pick up the cat. He then sat on the sofa, stroking the soft fur between his fingers, counting the seconds as he slowly passed the time.

At ten o'clock sharp, he took out his phone and sent a message to Ruan Li for the first time in several days.

Where did you go?

There has been no response from the other end for a long time.

A few meters away from the residential area, a food street stretches all the way to the riverside street.

"Welcome to come again next time!" Ruan Li handed a painting to the couple in front of her, and when she took it back, she covered her frozen hands with her breath and exhaled a cloud of white mist.

Surrounding her were people who, like her, had set up small stalls along the riverbank.

"Wow, you draw so well." A woman a few years older than Ruan Li chatted with her. "It's only winter vacation and you're already out earning money. I admire you so much. When I was your age, I was just lying at home playing."

Ruan Li smiled and pinched her frostbitten nose: "Do you like it? When there aren't many people around later, I'll draw one for you and give it to you."

"Ah, thank you." The young lady took a pair of hand-braided hair clips from her stall and gave them to Ruan Li.

They were a pair of adorable little white rabbits. Ruan Li held them in her hands and exclaimed, "They're so cute!"

"Shall I put it on for you?"

Ruan Li obediently leaned closer. Today, she only had her hair tied in a ponytail, with smooth strands flowing down her back.

"Hmm, two buns would be perfect for a pair. I'll braid two low buns for you and clip them on, it'll be super cute!"

Ruan Li nodded, very happy: "It's been so long since anyone has braided my hair."

"All right!"

Ruan Li took the mirror that she was handed over. "Wow, you're amazing! What an adorable little bunny!"

"Not as cute as you."

As the two were talking, another person came to Ruan Li's stall, and Ruan Li hurried over to paint.

Ruan Li didn't dare stay out too late, so she packed her things and prepared to go home at 11 p.m., when she saw the message Jiang Yuci had sent her on her phone.

She called.

"Hey, I wasn't checking my phone. What's up? Is there something you need?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm here on Riverside Street. Are you off work yet? You seem really busy lately."

For several days in a row, Jiang Yuci went to the hospital before Ruan Li even got out of bed. When Ruan Li returned home at 11 p.m., Jiang Yuci was either already asleep or still at the hospital.

I haven't seen him much lately...

Ruan Li checked her phone balance and smiled, "Soon!"

"Don't move, I'm coming to get you."

Ruan Li smiled, pursing her lips: "Okay."

Ruan Li stood still, raised her phone, and watched the two dots on her watch getting closer and closer.

A black car stopped in front of her.

"Jiang Yuci!" Ruan Li walked over with a smile, holding a painting in her hand, eager to show it to Jiang Yuci.

She pulled on the passenger door, but there was resistance, and she couldn't open it no matter what she did.

"Jiang Yuci?" She tapped on the window.

As the window slowly closed, Jiang Yuci's features came into her view.

"You look so tired." Ruan Li lowered her eyes.

Jiang Yuci looked up at her and said, "Sit in the back."

"Huh?" Ruan Li didn't react for a moment, raising her eyebrows in confusion: "Couldn't you just open it for me...?"

Jiang Yuci lowered his gaze, avoiding looking at her.

"The back door is open."

He only looked up and glanced outside when he caught her moving backward out of the corner of his eye.

My gaze fell upon a profile; a cute and well-behaved bun tucked behind her ear, and an adorable woven rabbit pinned to her hair.