Zayne stood in the children's section of Linkon's largest department store, feeling completely out of his element.
He was a cardiac surgeon. He could navigate a human heart with precision. He could make life-or-death decisions in seconds. But choosing gifts for children? That required an entirely different skill set.
"Can I help you, sir?" A sales associate approached with a professional smile.
"I need gifts. For children." Zayne gestured vaguely at the overwhelming array of options. "Ages nine, twelve, fourteen, and seventeen. Girls."
"Wonderful! For a special occasion?"
"I'm... visiting." He paused, then added more honestly, "I'm trying to make a good impression on my—" What were they? Not quite dating, not quite engaged, something undefined and precious. "—on someone important. And her siblings."
The associate's smile warmed with understanding.
"How sweet. Let's start with the youngest."
An hour later, Zayne left with bags full of carefully chosen items: a princess dress for Lili (pink, sparkly, completely impractical and therefore perfect), manga comics for the twins (the associate assured him these were currently popular), art supplies for the twelve-year-old (sketchbooks, quality pencils, watercolors), and a leather journal for Meimei (sophisticated, practical, hopefully appropriate for seventeen).
He also bought snacks—specialty chocolates from Switzerland, French cookies, Japanese candy, treats they probably never tried in the village. Too much, probably. But the thought of their faces lighting up...
His phone buzzed. A text from Nana:
'Are you sure about visiting? You don't have to—I know you're busy and my family is a lot and—
'I'm at the airport', he typed back. 'Stop trying to talk me out of this. I'll see you in 4 hours.'
'Okay. But don't say I didn't warn you about the chaos. Lili's been asking when "the prince" comes back every day for a week'
Zayne smiled at his phone, earning curious looks from other passengers. He didn't care.
'Tell her the prince is bringing gifts.'
'ZAYNE NO. You don't have to bring anything!'
'Too late. Already done. See you soon.'
He boarded the plane with his bags of gifts and a feeling in his chest he was starting to recognize as anticipation. Not the clinical focus before surgery, but something warmer.
Softer.
Happiness.
The taxi ride from the airport to the village felt longer than the flight. Zayne checked his phone obsessively, watching Nana's updates:
'Lili has been standing by the window for an hour'
'My mother is stress-cooking. There's enough food for twenty people.'
'The twins are fighting over who gets to answer the door'
'I'm sorry in advance for everything.'
He smiled at each message, texting back reassurances she probably didn't believe.
When the taxi finally pulled up to the small house with the blue door and flower pots, Zayne's heart rate increased noticeably. Medically irrelevant, he told himself. Just elevated anticipation response.
Not nervousness. Definitely not the terrifying realization that this place felt more like home than his expensive apartment ever had.
The door burst open before he could even pay the driver.
"THE PRINCE IS HERE!" Lili shrieked, launching herself down the steps at a speed that made Zayne genuinely concerned for her safety.
He caught her on instinct, lifting her up as she wrapped small arms around his neck with the unselfconscious affection only children possessed.
"You came back!" She leaned back to study his face seriously. "I thought maybe you were a dream. Or a fairy tale. But you're real!"
"I'm real." Zayne found himself smiling—the genuine kind that was becoming easier around this family. "And I brought something for you."
"Presents?!" Her eyes went huge.
The other siblings had appeared on the porch—the twins bouncing excitedly, Meimei trying to look mature but clearly curious, Nana's mother wiping her hands on her apron with a warm smile.
But no Nana.
"Where's your sister?" Zayne asked, setting Lili down and grabbing his bags of gifts.
"Nana's climbing trees again," one of the twins said with fond exasperation. "She's been making apple jam all morning for her business idea."
"Business idea?"
"She wants to sell jam in the village," Meimei explained, coming down to help with bags.
"One of the neighbors said her apple jam was excellent, so she's trying to make enough to sell. The money would help buy supplies for her art classes—she's preparing for university entrance exams."
Something warm expanded in Zayne's chest. Of course Nana was working on yet another way to support herself and her dreams. Of course she was already planning and striving and—
"I'll go find her," he said. "But first—" He turned to Lili with exaggerated formality.
"Princess Lili, I have a gift for you."
Her gasp when he pulled out the princess dress was worth every yuan he'd spent. She clutched it to her chest, speechless with joy, then did a spinning dance right there in the yard.
The twins received their manga with equal enthusiasm, immediately arguing over who got to read what first. Meimei accepted her journal with a mature "thank you" that didn't quite hide her delight.
The art supplies were set aside for Xiaohua, who was apparently at a friend's house.
"You're too generous," Nana's mother said softly, but her eyes were misty. "You didn't have to—"
"I wanted to." Zayne smiled at her. "They're wonderful children. They deserve to be spoiled occasionally."
"Go find Nana," she said, shooing him toward the backyard. "Before she falls out of that tree. She's been up there for hours."
Zayne walked around the house to the backyard and stopped.kind of woodland spirit, was Nana.
She was reaching for an apple, stretching dangerously far, completely focused on her task. Her hair was tied back but strands had escaped, catching the afternoon sunlight. She wore old clothes, already stained with apple juice, and looked absolutely beautiful.
"You're going to fall," Zayne called up.
She startled, nearly dropping her basket, then looked down and saw him. Her face transformed—surprise melting into pure joy—and she smiled so brightly it hurt to look at.
"You're here! You're actually—I thought maybe—" She started climbing down, fast and agile, but misjudged a branch.
Zayne was moving before he consciously decided to, positioned perfectly to catch her when she dropped the last few feet. She landed in his arms with an "oof," basket of apples miraculously still intact.
"Hi," she said breathlessly, face inches from his.
"Hi." He didn't put her down immediately. Neither of them moved. "I told you I was coming."
"I know. I just—" Her cheeks flushed pink. "I didn't believe it was real until right now."
"It's real." He finally set her down carefully, reluctantly. "And apparently you've become an apple jam entrepreneur?"
She groaned. "The twins have big mouths. It's nothing, just—Mrs. Chen said my jam was good, and I thought maybe I could sell some to save for art supplies, and—it's silly—"
"It's not silly." Zayne took the basket from her hands. "It's resourceful and enterprising and exactly what I'd expect from you. Do you need help?"
"You want to help make apple jam?" She looked at him like he'd suggested something impossible. "You're a surgeon. You save lives. You don't—"
"I'd like to help you." He met her eyes. "I took three days off. I want to spend them in your world. Doing normal things. Being—" He paused, searching for words. "Being someone other than Dr. Li for a while."
Her eyes misted. "Okay. Yes. I'd like that."
They were still standing there, staring at each other like fools, when a wolf whistle came from the fence.
"Aiya! The doctor really did come back!"
"And catching our Nana like a hero from a drama!"
"Young people these days—so romantic!"
Three elderly neighborhood women had materialized at the fence, grinning and gossiping with shameless enthusiasm. More heads popped up over fences—the village network of aunties who knew everything and shared it liberally.
"Oh no," Nana whispered, mortified.
"Is this the famous cardiac surgeon from Linkon?" one auntie called. "The one from the TV news?"
"The same one Nana visits old Li Jian's grandson!" another confirmed.
"So handsome! Like a movie star!"
"And rich! Did you see his coat? That's expensive city clothing!"
"Is he courting you, Nana? When's the wedding?"
Nana's face had gone from pink to deep red. "Auntie Chen, please—we're not—it's not—"
"Look how red she is! It's definitely serious!"
Zayne, who had faced hospital boards and international medical conferences without flinching, found himself equally flustered by the enthusiastic attention of village aunties.
"We're—" he started, then realized he didn't actually know how to explain their relationship. "We're—"
"He's visiting!" Nana squeaked. "Just visiting! As a friend!"
"Friends don't catch each other like that," Auntie Chen said knowingly.
"Friends don't look at each other with such soft eyes," another added.
"Friends don't travel three hours to make apple jam together!"
The aunties dissolved into delighted cackling, already gossiping to each other about wedding predictions and how many children the handsome doctor and sweet Nana would have.
"I'm so sorry," Nana whispered to Zayne, looking like she wanted the earth to swallow her. "Village gossip is—they're relentless—"
"It's fine." And surprisingly, it was. Zayne found himself amused rather than annoyed. "Though they're not entirely wrong."
"About what?"
He leaned closer, voice low enough only she could hear. "About how I look at you."
She stared at him, breath catching, apple basket forgotten between them.
"Aiya! He's flirting with her right in front of us!" Auntie Chen announced to the growing crowd of neighbors.
"So bold! City men are so direct!"
"I remember when my husband was like that—".
"Let's go inside," Nana grabbed Zayne's hand, pulling him toward the house while he carried the basket. "Before they start planning our wedding ceremony."
"Too late!" someone called after them.
"We're already discussing whether spring or autumn is better!"
They fled into the house, both laughing despite their embarrassment, while the aunties continued their enthusiastic speculation behind them.
Inside, Lili had changed into her princess dress and was twirling for anyone who would watch.
The twins were already deep in their manga. Nana's mother had laid out enough food to feed a small army.
"Welcome back," Meimei said from the couch, smirking. "I see you've met the neighborhood surveillance committee."
"They're very... thorough," Zayne said diplomatically.
"They're nosy busybodies," Nana muttered, still red-faced. "I'm sorry—"
"Stop apologizing." Zayne set down the apple basket and turned to face her fully.
"I like it here. I like your family. I like your nosy neighbors who care enough to gossip. I like—" He paused, then said it.
"I like you. So stop apologizing for your world. It's wonderful."
Nana's eyes filled with tears. Before she could respond, Lili crashed into both of them, princess dress flaring dramatically.
"Are you staying for dinner? Can you stay forever? Will you teach me doctor stuff? Can you—"
"Lili, let the man breathe," her mother called from the kitchen, but she was smiling.
Zayne looked around at the chaotic, loving, imperfect scene—children everywhere, noise and warmth and life—and felt something click into place inside him.
This was what Grandfather wanted him to find.
Not perfection. Not prestige. Not someone from his world who understood his work.
But this: a home full of light, a family that laughed easily, a woman who climbed trees and made jam and looked at him like he was just Zayne, not Dr. Li.
A place where he could finally stop performing and just... exist.
"Yes, Lili," he said, looking at Nana over the little girl's head. "I'll stay for dinner. And yes—" He smiled, soft and genuine.
"I'd like to stay for a very long time."
Nana smiled back, understanding what he really meant.
And outside, the aunties were already spreading the news:
The doctor had come back.
And from the look in his eyes, he wasn't planning to leave anytime soon.
The village would have so much to talk about for weeks.
But inside the small house with the blue door, Zayne finally understood what coming home felt like.
And it felt like her.
.
.
.
.
.
To be continued __