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Chapter 261: Homecoming Fears (Part 5 of 5)

After the plane came to a halt, Zheng Ren switched his phone back on and sent a private message to Xie Yiren to notify her that he had landed safely. Then, he checked the group chat and saw a hefty discussion by the girls about the location of Zheng Ren and Su Yun’s welcome party.

There was a long list of restaurants included that he did not even know existed in Sea City.

However, the discussion had ended an hour ago. It was likely the girls had already met up and were awaiting their arrival at the airport.

Zheng Ren bid farewell to Sun Jia and the other flight attendants. Finally, he was back in Sea City.

As he inhaled the familiar air, Zheng Ren felt a tinge of anxiety when he reached the exit.

What a ridiculous feeling. Perhaps it was the homecoming fears[1] that people talked about.

Zheng Ren calmed his nerves while waiting for their luggage. Su Yun seemed fine as he chewed the fat with Chu Yanzhi and the others in the group chat.

Would Little Yiren give him a hug this time? Zheng Ren wrestled with the question as he walked out of the hall with his luggage.

The arrival gate of Sea City’s airport was much smaller and shabbier compared to the ones in Imperial and Sorcery Capital.

The moment he stepped out of it, Zheng Ren saw Old Chief Physician Pan standing upright at the nearest blue line from the exit, waiting for him.

He smiled at the man habitually, but before he could search for Xie Yiren, a black shadow lunged at him.

Old Chief Physician Pan gave Zheng Ren a bear hug, his belly laugh echoing throughout the entire hall.

“I knew that you could do it!” Old Pan draped his hand around Zheng Ren’s shoulder and waved at Su Yun briefly before dragging Zheng Ren away.

“Little Zheng, I watched your interventional surgery and you’ve improved tremendously,” Old Pan said as they walked. “What did I tell you? You needed that trip to Imperial Capital to broaden your horizons.”

Zheng Ren just went along with him and vaguely spotted Xie Yiren through the narrow slit across Old Pan’s shoulders. The girls were happily chatting with Su Yun behind them, leaving Zheng Ren frustrated and disappointed.

He was dragged into Old Chief Physician Pan’s car, a small Jetta that sank when Old Pan entered it. Zheng Ren could feel the bottom of the vehicle scrape against the ground.

Giving up on his original plans, he told Old Chief Physician Pan about his entire trip to Imperial Capital.

Everything from the Type I aortic dissection patient on the flight to Imperial Capital to the assault on Dr. Fang the very next day; the surgery competition and research into new surgical methods—he explained it all, including the surgery he had successfully performed even when everyone else had given up.

When Zheng Ren had been going through all these things, he had felt nothing amiss.

However,

Now,

As he laid it all bare to Old Chief Physician Pan,

Zheng Ren had a feeling he couldn’t quite describe.

Was this growth? He had no idea.

Throughout their journey, Old Chief Physician Pan kept talking to Zheng Ren, who could feel the man’s palpable excitement.

Instead of heading straight to Sea City General Hospital, Old Pan drove to a restaurant.

“Even though it’s not fancy, their dishes are quite tasty.” Old Pan gleefully led Zheng Ren in and greeted the owner of the restaurant before entering a private room.

Su Yun, the Chu sisters, Chang Yue, and Xie Yiren arrived shortly after.

As expected, Yang Lei was holding the fort down at the emergency ward.

Zheng Ren had finally gotten to meet Xie Yiren, but the private room was not large. It would be awkward to make a move.

He had no other choice but to stay put.

Old Chief Physician Pan ordered their food heartily as the others chatted away happily.

Su Yun was fully engrossed in his storytelling. The things that Zheng Ren had just told Old Pan were transformed into a dramatic turn of events, filled with exciting plots and bizarre encounters.

Although Old Pan had already heard it from Zheng Ren, he was still captivated by Su Yun’s retelling of their encounters. Even Zheng Ren gaped at him in amazement.

He could not believe that Su Yun was describing real-life events that had happened to them both within the past few weeks.

Su Yun was not being his usual self. Was he overcompensating for the flight attendants’ disregard for him with his sudden charm?

This was truly something he excelled at...

They continued talking over their meal; when Su Yun reached the part where Zheng Ren dragged him to buy gifts for everyone after finishing the prostate interventional surgery, there was a shock at the table.

Someone like Zheng Ren remembering to buy everyone souvenirs? That was truly rare.

Chu Yanzhi could not hold in her curiosity and blurted out, “Chief Zheng, what did you buy?”

“Uh... It’s not much.” Zheng Ren was slightly embarrassed, but still made to open his bags.

Chu Yanzhi nearly threw herself into his luggage.

She was not truly interested in what he had bought. How much could someone with his salary afford?

However, they were all curious as to how much effort Zheng Ren had put in.

First to come out was the alcohol he had bought for Old Chief Physician Pan, who received it with gratitude. Since Yang Lei was not present, Zheng Ren stuffed the man’s gift back into the bag before revealing the four soft toys that he bought for the girls.

Everyone was stunned.

They were a thousand times more astonished than when they had watched Zheng Ren crush the German professor’s surgery.

The atmosphere in the private room froze over entirely.

This?

This was what he bought?

Was he trying to fool them?

Even if he was patronizing them, why would he also give Xie Yiren something similar?

Chu Yanran and Chu Yanzhi burst out laughing at Zheng Ren as they received their gifts. Chu Yanran managed to compose herself and did not say a word as she fiddled with her toy. Chu Yanzhi tossed hers into the air as she tried to speak, but her sister stopped her.

Chang Yue remained stoic. “Childish,” she said softly as she took her plushie.

Xie Yiren’s eyes brightened and she said, “Wow, it’s so pretty!”

Su Yun was so frustrated that he could feel steam rising from his dome.

Would Xie Yiren be pleased if Zheng Ren gifted her a branch from the roadside?

People in love were truly devoid of all sense, logic and rationality.

Su Yun sighed inwardly as he watched Xie Yiren admiring the soft toy with shimmering eyes. Zheng Ren was so damn lucky.

After distributing his gifts, Zheng Ren hesitated for a moment.

“Why are you acting all mysterious? It’s done, hurry up and continue eating.” Having shopped with him, Su Yun knew that Zheng Ren had nothing else, but the man was still stuck in place.

Was he about to make something else magically appear out of thin air?

If he had bought something on his own, he would not have asked Su Yun to tag along and bully him repeatedly on the streets of Imperial Capital.

Zheng Ren suddenly stood and turned around, looking serious as if facing a major emergency rescue.

The rowdy room fell silent instantly.

It was how he looked in the emergency ward and operating theater...

“Xie Yiren, this is for you,” Zheng Ren said with a determined face.

[1] 近乡情怯, is an idiom, lit. “the fear felt when approaching (one’s) hometown”. It refers to a specific anxiety or uneasiness that becomes stronger upon returning home out of fear that something had happened to it after a long absence. It is used to describe the complex feelings of a returning wanderer and has its origins in the poem, “Crossing the Han River”, by Tang Dynasty poet Song Zhiwen.