The man’s fingers tightened around my wrist.

“Come on, Minh Duong.”

He waved the thousand-yuan note in front of me as though he were doing charity.

“One drink. That’s more than you’d make in several days working logistics.”

Laughter broke out around the room again.

I lowered my eyes to his hand.

“Let go.”

Perhaps my voice was too calm, because he only laughed harder.

“What? Still pretending to be some noble young lady after ten years abroad?”

Before he could finish, another hand suddenly closed around his wrist.

Co Tu Chau.

His expression had gone cold.

“I said bring her here to watch the flares.”

His voice was low.

“I didn’t say you could touch her.”

The man froze.

“Mr. Chau, I was only joking—”

“Then learn when a joke stops being funny.”

Tu Chau pulled his hand away from me.

For a moment, the entire villa fell silent.

Tong Y’s smile stiffened.

She quickly stepped forward.

“Tu Chau, don’t be angry. Everyone just misunderstood Minh Duong’s situation.”

Then she turned to me.

“Minh Duong, please don’t take it personally. They only heard you had suddenly returned from overseas and assumed…”

“Assumed I failed?”

I finished the sentence for her.

Tong Y paused.

I smiled faintly.

“It doesn’t matter.”

That answer seemed to irritate them more than anger would have.

Someone threw the thousand-yuan note onto the table.

“If it doesn’t matter, drink.”

I looked at the note.

Then at him.

“No.”

His face darkened.

Before anyone could speak again, my military terminal suddenly vibrated.

A red encrypted notification appeared across the screen.

I glanced at it.

My expression immediately changed.

Grandfather Co’s latest test results had come back.

His intracranial pressure was rising.

I picked up my medical case.

“I’m leaving.”

The man who had offered me money sneered.

“What? Afraid to drink?”

I ignored him and headed for the door.

Behind me, Tong Y called softly.

“Minh Duong, the flare show is about to start.”

“I didn’t come back to watch fireworks.”

I opened the door.

“I came back to save someone.”

No one understood what I meant.

Except perhaps Co Tu Chau.

Because when I walked out, I heard his footsteps behind me.

He caught up beside the jeep.

“What happened?”

“Your grandfather’s condition has changed.”

Tu Chau stopped.

For the first time that evening, all sarcasm disappeared from his face.

“How do you know?”

I looked at him.

“Because I’m on his surgical team.”

His pupils contracted.

Before he could ask another question, a military vehicle came speeding around the mountain road.

It stopped directly in front of us.

A colonel jumped out.

The moment he saw me, he straightened and saluted.

“Professor Hua.”

“The hospital has completed the preparations you requested.”

“Director Chen asked me to take you back immediately.”

Silence fell behind us.

The people from the villa had followed outside.

The man still holding his water bottle stared at me blankly.

Tong Y’s expression changed.

“Professor… Hua?”

I placed my medical case in the vehicle.

The colonel continued urgently.

“The neurosurgery team from the capital has arrived.”

“But they said the operation cannot proceed without you.”

This time, nobody laughed.

I turned toward Co Tu Chau.

“Your grandfather may need emergency surgery tonight.”

“If you’re the family representative, come with us.”

For several seconds, he simply stared at me.

Then he got into the vehicle.

On the way back, neither of us spoke.

Ten years ago, I had sat beside him in military vehicles countless times.

Back then, I would secretly watch his profile.

I thought that if I could stay beside him forever, I would ask for nothing else.

How young I had been.

Now I only looked at the patient records on my screen.

When we arrived at the Military Region General Hospital, several doctors were already waiting at the entrance.

“Professor Hua.”

“Professor Hua, the imaging is ready.”

“The operating room has been cleared.”

I walked past them without slowing.

“Send the new scans to Conference Room Three.”

“Prepare six units of blood.”

“And contact anesthesiology. I want their chief personally.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Co Tu Chau followed behind me.

For the first time that night, he said nothing sarcastic.

Inside the conference room, the atmosphere was tense.

My grandfather stood beside the old commander’s scans.

When he saw me, he only asked one question.

“Can you do it?”

I studied the images.

The lesion was deeper than expected.

The position was dangerous.

One mistake could mean death on the operating table.

I was silent for nearly a minute.

Then I said:

“Yes.”

Grandfather nodded.

“Then I’ll leave my old comrade to you.”

Only then did Co Tu Chau seem to understand.

I had not returned because I missed him.

I had not returned because my life abroad had collapsed.

And I certainly had not returned hoping that the Co family would give me a three-thousand-yuan logistics job.

I had been summoned back because the hospital needed my hands.

The surgery began at 11:40 p.m.

It lasted seven hours and seventeen minutes.

When I finally stepped out of the operating room, morning sunlight was already spreading through the corridor.

The Co family stood up simultaneously.

Co’s mother rushed toward me.

“How is he?”

I removed my mask.

“The operation was successful.”

Her eyes immediately reddened.

Several relatives exhaled in relief.

My grandfather closed his eyes briefly.

Only Co Tu Chau remained motionless.

He had apparently stayed there all night.

His gaze fell on my face, then on my hands.

“Minh Duong.”

It was the first time since my return that he had called my name without mockery.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

I was too tired to understand.

“Tell you what?”

“That you became…”

He stopped.

Perhaps he didn’t know what title to use.

Professor?

Military surgeon?

The person who had just saved his grandfather?

I looked at him quietly.

“Would it have mattered?”

His jaw tightened.

I continued:

“Ten years ago, you told me our three years together were only a performance.”

“You said you were using me to provoke Tong Y.”

“So after we broke up, what I became had nothing to do with you.”

He went completely silent.

At that moment, my phone rang.

I looked at the screen.

My exhaustion disappeared a little.

I answered the video call.

A small face immediately filled the screen.

“Mommy!”

My daughter’s sleepy voice echoed through the corridor.

“Did you save the grandpa?”

I smiled.

“Yes.”

She cheered.

Then another face appeared beside hers.

My husband had obviously just woken up.

He looked at me through the camera.

“You’ve been operating all night?”

“Mm.”

“Go rest. I’ll take care of our little troublemaker.”

Our daughter protested loudly.

“I’m not a troublemaker!”

I laughed.

When the call ended, I finally noticed how silent the corridor had become.

Co Tu Chau was staring at my wedding ring.

His face had lost all color.

“You’re married?”

“Yes.”

“And that child…”

“My daughter.”

He opened his mouth.

No words came out.

I walked past him.

But after several steps, he suddenly called my name again.

“Hua Minh Duong.”

I stopped.

His voice was hoarse.

“Who did you marry?”

I turned around.

Before I could answer, the elevator doors opened.

A tall man stepped out carrying a little girl in his arms.

The moment she saw me, she struggled down.

“Mommy!”

She ran straight toward me.

Behind her, my husband smiled.

And when Co Tu Chau finally saw his face clearly—

his expression changed completely.