Chapter 3: Chance Encounter

  The air in the hospital was always a mix of strong disinfectant and the faint smell of sweat from the crowded people, along with different body odors. The combination of smells made people wrinkle their noses. Su Tong was squeezed in the middle, feeling like she was going to suffocate several times. She had to persevere for the sake of completing her work tasks. If she were here as a patient today, suffering from a headache and fever, she would probably be scared off by this experience and prefer to stay home in bed rather than see a doctor. As Su Tong silently complained to herself, she also sympathized with the nurses who had just given her directions, imagining their daily work environment. She followed their instructions, walking along a winding corridor from the outpatient building to the inpatient department at the back. The nurse had told her that if she wanted to go to the ward, she should follow this corridor and take the elevator on the side, which was less crowded due to its location. If she followed the signs inside the building to find the elevator, it would probably be packed, and she wouldn't know how long she'd have to wait.

  When the nurse showed him a shortcut, another nurse next to her seemed unwilling and kept gesturing to her colleague not to provide this information to Su Tong. Although he didn't know why she was doing this, Su Tong could only make a subjective guess. Maybe it was because the elevator was rarely used by patients and their families, so the hospital staff found it more convenient to use it now that it had been provided to Su Tong, an outsider, which made her unhappy.

  Following the nurse's directions, Su Tong finally arrived at the inpatient department on the first floor after many twists and turns. This side of the building seemed to be more secluded, with a winding corridor that had fewer people coming and going. After passing several intersections, he finally arrived at a not-too-spacious elevator lobby on the first floor. The atmosphere there was vastly different from that of the outpatient department, which was bustling with activity. In contrast, this place was quiet and peaceful. Due to the fact that the first floor was shaded and didn't get much sunlight, the air even had a damp and chilly feeling that wasn't found elsewhere. Su Tong inexplicably got goosebumps all over his body and subconsciously rubbed his arm with his hand.

  In the elevator, apart from Su Tong, there was another person, an old lady who looked over 70 years old, wearing a set of indigo blue clothes with traditional cutting style, small standing collar, and a button at the neckline. The old lady's hair was flecked with white, combed neatly and tied into a small bun at the back of her head. When Su Tong walked past, the old lady stared straight ahead, expressionless, looking at the silver mirror surface of the elevator door.

  There were two elevators in the elevator room. Su Tong glanced at the old lady's side and found that the display screen on the edge of the elevator door displayed a row of red characters, which read "outorder". This made Su Tong somewhat helpless. Even if the hospital had installed imported elevators, it should have posted a notice or placed a Chinese signboard when the elevator broke down. Look at that old lady, she obviously didn't recognize the English words and didn't know that the elevator was broken, so she just stood there waiting for the elevator stupidly.

  "Hey, madam, the elevator is out of order. If you want to go upstairs, you have to take this one on my side." Su Tong didn't want to see the silly-looking woman waiting in front of the broken elevator, so he spoke up and reminded her to come over and take this one instead.

  The kind old lady seemed unimpressed, ignoring her and paying no attention to her.

  Su Tong thought her voice was loud enough, and even if the old lady couldn't hear clearly, she should have had some reaction. It seemed that the other party was a more stubborn elderly person who obviously didn't want to bother with strangers. Thinking of this, she didn't open her mouth to remind again. She looked at the elevator on her side that was going down and thought that when the elevator arrived, she would call out once more before getting in.

  The elevator started descending from the tenth floor, possibly because the elevators in the hospital had a large load capacity, so they prioritized stability over speed. Su Tong stared at the numbers on the LCD screen as the elevator slowly descended one floor at a time.

  She soon discovered that the old lady in blue had somehow moved behind her, and a glimpse of blue could be seen standing not far behind her from the elevator's mirrored door. Su Tong couldn't help but laugh inwardly, thinking to herself, "Just now I called her unreasonable, but now I understand, she snuck up here, sometimes really being an old stubborn child is enough to make people cry and laugh."

  Su Tong turned around and looked at the old lady in blue, who still had no expression on her face. At this moment, she was staring silently at Su Tong. As soon as Su Tong turned around, their eyes met. Su Tong smiled politely at her, regardless of how eccentric the old lady's personality was, or whether they knew each other before. As a younger person, it was always right to show friendliness first.

  However, the old lady was not convinced and continued to stare at Su Tong with a gloomy expression.

  Su Tong looked at her with a bit of helplessness, turned his face away and stopped paying attention to her. He listlessly stared at the LCD screen as the elevator went down two more floors. The blurry blue figure on the elevator door moved slightly, getting closer and closer to him. The two people's reflections on the elevator door got closer and closer, making it seem like the other person was almost about to stick to his back. Su Tong furrowed his brow, subconsciously taking a half step to the side of the elevator to make some space by the door. Everyone has different personalities, some people, regardless of age, have a strong competitive consciousness, even when taking public transportation, they always want to get on or off before others. Maybe this old lady was also this type. She secretly suspected that for herself, she would rather give up a step than take one, hoping to maintain a certain physical distance from strangers. Getting too close made Su Tong feel uncomfortable all over.

  She originally thought the old lady would take the opportunity to move forward and rush into the elevator, but instead she moved half a step away, and to her surprise, the other person also moved half a step away, still closely following behind her.

  Su Tong was thinking about how to create some distance between them without offending the other person, when the elevator finally reached the first floor. The elevator doors suddenly opened and a man was standing inside. Su Tong stood at the entrance for a few seconds, seeing that he only glanced in his direction but didn't seem to have any intention of getting out, so he also walked into the elevator. As soon as he stepped in, the man quickly pressed the close-door button.

  "Ah?" Just as the elevator doors closed, Su Tong subconsciously wanted to reach out and stop them, "There's also an old lady who wants to get on..."

  The man in the elevator looked at her with an inexplicable gaze, said nothing and pressed the open door button again. The elevator doors that had just closed slowly opened once more, but outside there was only an empty elevator lobby, where was the old lady in sky blue clothes?

  "That's strange, I could have sworn she was just there waiting...". Su Tong poked his head out to look around, but didn't see the old lady anywhere, and found it a bit odd. He pulled his head back in, feeling embarrassed for wasting time, and smiled apologetically at the man, saying "Sorry, I thought..."

  "It's okay," the man nodded at her and closed the elevator door again, "Which floor?"

  "Oh, 8th floor, thank you." Su Tong thanked him and stepped back two steps, standing on the other side of the elevator.

  The elevator, no matter how spacious it may seem, is generally cramped and enclosed. Many people experience a sense of fear in such small, enclosed spaces, also known as claustrophobia. Su Tong wasn't that severe, but for someone with a strong sense of personal space, being in such a small space with strangers would make her feel somewhat uneasy, just like most people who have this reaction. With no better option, Su Tong could only stare at the numbers on the display screen.

  After a moment of silence, the man suddenly turned around and said to Su Tong, "You're the neighbor living across from me, aren't you?"

  This abrupt opening made Su Tong stunned, and he hurriedly sized up the appearance of this young man in front of him.

  This man is very tall, and Su Tong's estimate of his height isn't quite accurate, nor does he dare to measure him too carefully. However, with a glance, he estimates that the man should be around 185 cm in height. His face has sharp angles, and if it weren't for the silver metal frame of his glasses softening his piercing gaze, those deep, seemingly bottomless black eyes would appear to see right through to one's heart, as if they could read all of one's thoughts. His nose is straight, his lips are thin and well-defined, with a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth. He looks handsome yet approachable, despite wearing a simple white shirt with a subtle texture and light beige casual pants. Some people are just naturally born with a model-like physique, and no matter what they wear, they always seem to have a certain flair.

  Unfortunately, even though this man was already quite a stunningly handsome guy, Su Tong blinked her eyes and thought for half a day, but still didn't have the slightest impression. If it were a more cunning woman, being approached by such an exceptionally good-looking man with an unusual temperament, she would definitely seize this opportunity to pretend to be suddenly enlightened, indicating that he did look somewhat familiar, and use this chance to deepen their understanding and see if there was any need for further development.

  Su Tong's mind didn't have that kind of thought, she hadn't considered such a thing at all, so she could only smile awkwardly and say, "Sorry... I really don't have much impression, my memory isn't very good, especially not remembering people..."

  The man did not show any displeasure due to her reaction, and with a raised corner of his mouth, he smiled at her and said: "It's okay, we'll still meet again in the future, and after seeing each other many times, you will naturally remember."

  "Yes." Su Tong didn't know what to say either, so he just smiled awkwardly in response. The elevator happened to stop on the 8th floor, and as the doors opened, she walked out of the elevator. Seeing that the man was still inside, she politely bid him farewell, "I'll go first, see you later."

  The man stood at the elevator door and nodded to her: "See you later. By the way, in a place like this, it's better for you not to come alone next time."

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