Ever since she was little, Li Lu has been afraid of hospitals and doctors. She lives by the motto, "There's no need to treat a minor illness, and no point treating a serious one either," and would never go to a hospital unless she absolutely had to.
That is, until she dry-heaves over the toilet for the third time in two hours.
To keep herself from plunging headfirst into the toilet, Li Lu reluctantly drags her exhausted self to the hospital to register.
There are very few specialists available for walk-in appointments, so she has to let the clerk at the counter assign her a doctor. Li Lu doesn't care. Once she learns which floor the consulting rooms are on, she heads straight upstairs without even looking at the doctor's name.
She curls up on a chair outside the department. Before long, a mechanical, icy voice announces:
"Patient Li * Lu, please proceed to Consulting Room 3."
The electronic screen by the door displays the name and photo of the doctor on duty today. A second before opening the consulting room door, Li Lu catches sight of it from the corner of her eye, and her heart skips a beat.
Wait, what? Why does this doctor look so much like her ex from years ago?
Even their names are uncannily similar.
But the thought passes in a flash. There are plenty of people with the same name and face. Li Lu doesn't believe this astronomically unlikely coincidence could happen to her. If it did, she might as well buy a lottery ticket and be sure to win the jackpot.
She enters the consulting room.
The smell of disinfectant fills her nostrils.
Oh no. This is bad.
Li Lu wonders whether she should buy a Double Color Ball ticket or a Super Lotto ticket later.
After all, the doctor sitting there in a white coat really, truly, absolutely is her bona fide ex-boyfriend.
| A short story, not very long.
| Rekindled romance, both leads are each other's first and only, happy ending.
| Sharp-tongued but soft-hearted flower shop owner x devoted, scheming orthopedic surgeon
2025.7.20
Theme: The one you love will find their way back into your arms
