The Young Urban Doctor

Another day of military training had ended.

After a shower back at the dorm, Luo Ziling saw that it was still early, and the sun hadn't completely set, so he suddenly felt an impulse to walk by Lake Wuming.

There was no reason, just a spontaneous urge.

The lakeshore of Lake Wuming, before nightfall, remained tranquil and beautiful, but Luo Ziling wasn't in the mood to admire the scenery. Instead, he walked briskly in the direction of the lakeside.

He hadn't reached Lake Heart Island when the faint sound of a flute reached his ears.

The moment he heard the flute, Luo Ziling became as excited as if he'd been injected with adrenaline, and without hesitation, he followed the sound.

His grandfather, Luo Liansheng, played the flute brilliantly and was also quite good at playing the Xiao.

Luo Ziling had learned these skills from his grandfather and was quite skilled at both flute and Xiao.

But right now, he wasn't interested in the flute-playing skills but rather in the location of the flute player.

As he walked towards the sound, the melody of the flute became clearer and more melodious.

Luo Ziling could tell that the melody being played was the famous piece "Bi Jian Spring."

This piece was inspired by the poetic ambiance depicted by the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei in "Autumn Dusk at the Mountain Residence": "Empty mountains after fresh rain, the autumnal weather vast and void. The bright moon shines amidst the pines, the clear spring flows over the rocks. The bamboo rustles, washing women return; lotus sway, the fishing boats descend. At will, the fragrant spring comes to an end, the princes and sons, can stay as they intend."

The flute sang, as if confiding the private words of an autumn day, cheerful yet with a hint of melancholy.

By the side of the path stood a pavilion, and Luo Ziling was certain that the sound of the flute was coming from there. He headed towards the pavilion without hesitation.

As he approached the pavilion, he saw no one, which took Luo Ziling by surprise.

The sound of the flute had stopped, and no further sound reached him, leaving him momentarily directionless.

After a brief hesitation, Luo Ziling walked past the pavilion and subconsciously continued along the grassy lakeside toward the dense willows.

Passing by two willow trees, suddenly, a white shadow appeared before his eyes.

A tall woman, dressed in a long white dress, with long hair trailing behind her, held a long flute behind her back. She stood motionless between the two willow trees, staring blankly at the lake. When the breeze came, it lifted the hem of the girl's dress, and her long hair draped over her shoulders danced in the wind.

Amidst the faint night light, the ripple of light on the lake, the waning twilight in the sky, and beneath the swaying willows, where the light turns shadowy, the woman in the fluttering white dress appeared all the more graceful and enigmatic, as if in a dream.

Luo Ziling's heart couldn't help but race.

Perhaps she heard a sound, or sensed someone approaching, for as Luo Ziling halted his steps, the lakeside girl slowly turned her head. In an instant, their eyes met.

It was the same girl in white he had encountered by chance once before.

Same attire, same style, still so grace and lovely, Luo Ziling once again was mesmerized.

The girl recognized him too, and after a smile, turned to face him.

"I was drawn here by the sound of your flute," Luo Ziling said, coming to stand beside the girl under the willow, "Empty mountains after fresh rain, the autumnal weather vast and void. The bright moon shines amidst the pines, the clear spring flows over the rocks. Regrettably, there are neither mountains nor moon here, nor has Lake Wuming seen any rain, lacking a bit of the ambiance."

The girl in white didn't speak, just quietly looked at him, as demure and gentle as before.

"Have I disturbed your enjoyment?" Luo Ziling looked sideways at the beautiful girl. "If so, I will leave right now."

She still didn't speak, simply looking at Luo Ziling with her beautiful eyes, a slight smile in them, like a blooming orchid.

So Luo Ziling fell silent too, just looking at her in profile.

The blush on the girl's face deepened a bit, and she lowered her head to avoid Luo Ziling's gaze for a moment before lifting it again, her lips turning up slightly as she looked at Luo Ziling. "I've just started learning this piece, but I really like its flavor," she finally spoke.

At least 1.7 meters tall with a peachy figure, her facial features were not just delicately beautiful, the swan-like elegant neck, slender and tender fingers---Luo Ziling had thought the woman in the photos was very beautiful, but now he believed that the woman before him was even more attractive.

The woman in the photos always maintained the same expression, lacking the vivacity of the girl before him.

Ouyang Feifei was also very beautiful; if it were merely about looks, she certainly wasn't inferior to the girl before him.

But Ouyang Feifei always had a stern face and seldom smiled, which naturally diminished her attractiveness.

A smiling woman is the most beautiful, that was Luo Ziling's firm belief.

A gentle, slight smile from a beautiful woman could captivate many men's souls---just like what had just happened.

Luo Ziling felt his heart pounding wildly; the indescribable feeling intensified.

"I also like this tune very much," Luo Ziling took a deep breath and smiled happily, "This tune, I started learning when I was ten. My grandfather taught me, you could say, it's my favorite piece of ancient music."

"May I listen to you play it?" the girl in white tilted her head and asked, her smile revealing teeth as white and even as scallop shells.

That smile made Luo Ziling's heartbeat even faster.

"Tomorrow I'll bring my flute here," Luo Ziling boldly gazed at the girl in white, "To this place. Will you... come?"

The girl in white merely smiled lightly and nodded gently, without saying a word.

The two of them continued to smile and look at each other for a while, neither shifting their gaze.

A cool breeze blew, causing the girl in white to shiver slightly, and her brows furrowed a bit.

"It's getting dark, let's go back," Luo Ziling pointed towards the surroundings darkening with nightfall, "In autumn nights, the dew is heavy, be careful not to catch a cold."

Luo Ziling could tell that the girl wasn't very strong, somewhat frail, and dressed too thinly; staying longer might result in catching a cold.

"Yeah, it does feel a bit chilly," the girl finally shifted her gaze, lowering her eyelids, "Then I'll be leaving."

She was somewhat weak and feared getting cold the most, not to mention she hadn't eaten dinner yet. Her original plan was just to play a tune by the lake before leaving, as this place became a spot for couples to date at night. If Luo Ziling hadn't appeared, she would have already been gone.

Although she said this, she didn't move her feet but instead looked at Luo Ziling with a smile, waiting for him to ask something.

He would definitely ask her something, she was convinced of it, just as sure as she had been that he would come to find her today.

Without any reason, she just felt it in her heart.

If he asked, she would tell him---whatever he asked, she would tell.

"Luo Ziling." Luo Ziling said his name with a smile and pointed out which characters it was.

"Yang Qingyin," the girl in white also said her name and only after saying it did she move her footsteps.

He didn't ask for her phone number or any other contact information, which was slightly disappointing for her.

But after the disappointment, she felt it was probably for the best.

After walking a few steps away, she stopped, turned around and bestowed Luo Ziling with another radiant smile.

The beauty encompassed in that smile was completely beyond description.

A smile that could overthrow cities, another that could overturn countries—the age-old saying seemed to have been written for her.

Seeing her smile as brilliant as summer flowers, Luo Ziling's heart once again began to beat violently.