"What kind of lovesick fool is he…"
"Bye, Director Meng! See you tomorrow!"
"Yeah, see you tomorrow." Meng Shang nodded slightly to his department colleague who was greeting him, then walked out of the elevator.
The lights in the outpatient hall dimmed, but the emergency room at the end of the corridor was still brightly lit. A normal shift handover was too much to hope for, but this counted as one of the rare days recently when Meng Shang got off work before late night.
Meng Shang glanced toward the end of the corridor, raised a hand to rub his neck, and sincerely wished for Gu Huai to have the peaceful night he hoped for.
Meng Shang didn't go straight to the underground garage to get his car. He strode briskly toward the main entrance. Just as he got close, he saw Su Yansheng standing behind a pillar by the door.
Wearing a black cashmere overcoat, with a warm white plaid scarf draped around his neck like a decoration, at first glance he looked like he was cosplaying as Xu Wenqiang.
"Brother, you're finally here! I'm freezing to death. Can this winter in Xinhai freeze someone to death? If I stand at the door a little longer, the wind will blow me silly!"
With his height and having been childhood friends for over a decade, Su Yansheng spotted Meng Shang from afar. When the man walked up to him, Su Yansheng unceremoniously hooked an arm around Meng Shang's neck.
But Dr. Meng was 1.87 meters tall, and Su Yansheng was half a head shorter than his shoulder, so the hooking was strenuous. After walking side by side for a bit, he wisely let go on his own.
"Hasn't winter in Xinhai always been like this? When we were kids in Hangxiang, it was the same—damp cold seeping into your bones. Maybe it's because you've been in Gangcheng too long and aren't used to the winter here anymore."
Meng Shang looked up at the sky. The night was deep, with a few loose clouds drifting. No sign of snow, so the weather wasn't at its coldest yet.
He wondered what Jiang Ruoqi was wearing to go out. She was also used to life in Gangcheng, no better than Su Yansheng. If she accidentally caught a cold, Meng Shang could already imagine how she would act, bossing him around and being stubborn.
"Possible. If it weren't for this time of year, I wouldn't wear these thick clothes for years." Su Yansheng rubbed his hands, swung one side of his scarf over his shoulder, and suggested, "I'm starving. Let's find a place to eat."
Meng Shang had surgery in the afternoon. Maintaining high concentration for a long time left him without much appetite. Just as he was about to refuse, he heard Su Yansheng speak again.
"Don't turn me down. Your wife arranged a meeting with my wife. Based on my experience, they won't think of us until eleven or twelve at night." He looked down at his watch. "It's not even eight yet. As compensation, you have to have a good meal with me. Anyway, after eating, it won't be too late to pick them up. Perfect timing."
Ada was on a business trip to Xinhai as an accompanying secretary for Jiang Ruoqi's company group. The two hadn't seen each other for a while, so they arranged to have dinner together. Jiang Ruoqi had told Meng Shang about it that afternoon.
Originally, he wanted to ask for the address and go pick her up directly. But now thinking about it, he really shouldn't be too clingy.
Obviously, when it came to dealing with one's wife's best friend, Su Yansheng was a senior, far more experienced than him.
Meng Shang thought for a moment. "Alright, let's go."
There were plenty of dining options near the hospital. A seafood congee restaurant had good reviews, recommended by colleagues several times. Meng Shang suggested trying it.
But Su Yansheng strongly objected, saying that he drank congee all the time working in the Bay Area, and no matter how authentic, it couldn't beat the origin. Meng Shang thought about it and agreed. In the end, he let the guest decide and followed Su Yansheng to a Japanese restaurant.
Raw seafood dishes were served, making Meng Shang lose his appetite even more. He casually picked a few pieces with his chopsticks and put them in his bowl, not even bringing them to his mouth.
Su Yansheng wasn't really hungry either. He barely touched the dishes, but was far more interested in the two flasks of sake.
He poured a small cup of sake and handed it to Meng Shang. Meng Shang took it but only set it beside his hand, then lowered his head to drink warm water from a glass.
Meng Shang would be driving later—first picking up Jiang Ruoqi, then dropping off Su Yansheng and his wife. With a car full of people, he really didn't feel comfortable calling a designated driver.
"Why did you suddenly come back?"
Su Yansheng had contacted Meng Shang early in the morning, saying he was in Xinhai and would come find him in the evening. It wasn't a holiday season, and Meng Shang had never seen him return at this time, so he was genuinely surprised.
Su Yansheng gave a wry smile, raised his cup, and downed it in one gulp. Stung by the slightly pungent taste of the sake, he couldn't help squinting.
"Both Christmas and New Year holidays in Gangcheng, and Ada happened to be on a business trip to Xinhai. I thought, since I'm back anyway, I might as well string a few days in the middle and go to Hangxiang to spend more time with my parents."
"It's good to spend time with your aunt and uncle. You and your wife are away from them all year, and probably don't contact them often. Every time I went back before and ran into them, they would ask me about your recent situation."
Su Yansheng went to pour more sake, and upon hearing this, his smile turned bitter. "I'd like to. The first two years, work was too busy to find the right time. Now I'm rooted there, but they're unwilling to come, and Ada..."
He trailed off, then lowered his head to drink.
"Forget it, enough about me." Su Yansheng cut himself off, then suddenly remembered something and reached for his coat. He pulled out a small square box from his pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Meng Shang. "Take this now, so I don't forget and take it back later."
It was a black leather square gift box, smaller than half of Meng Shang's palm. He took it and opened it. On the dark velvet lining lay a pair of silver wedding rings.
The men's ring was simple in design. Meng Shang had seen it before—it was a classic model from that brand. Handcrafted with faceted surfaces, one side had a few diamonds filling the triangular facets. The design was simple and elegant, the craftsmanship quite exquisite.
The women's ring was based on the men's design but with a full pave of diamonds along the entire band. From almost every angle, the diamonds sparkled under the light, showing off dazzling rainbow colors.
"This is the style Seven asked Sophia to look at in the Gangcheng boutique. What a coincidence—if it weren't for the ring incident, you two wouldn't have been exposed."
Meng Shang was silent, perhaps because he felt at fault.
Su Yansheng raised an eyebrow, looking at Meng Shang. "You have no idea how lively it was that night. Seven was afraid Sophia might do something reckless because of the argument, so she specially called my wife over to console her overnight. My wife was worried Seven might bottle things up and cause trouble, so she told me to call you and keep an eye on things."
"You see, the three of them have always been close. And Brother Meng, you're in trouble—you offended the hardest one right off the bat. From now on, whenever they go out to eat together, you'll have to worry about whether Seven will come back and ask for a divorce."
Meng Shang frowned. "Did they contact each other again after that?"
"I don't know." Su Yansheng shrugged, his gaze falling on the ring box. "I'm not sure how it was resolved in the end. Anyway, the ring thing has been put on hold."
"But leaving aside their side of the story, I really didn't expect this from you, Director Meng. Getting married on the sly is one thing, but now you're actually thinking of picking out a ring for your wife. The change is so big, I hardly recognize you."
"Seriously, if you had even half the thoughtfulness back when you were with Lingxue, you two wouldn't have broken up. From school uniforms to wedding gowns, enviable love, maybe you'd have kids by now."
"She's doing well abroad. Don't make those assumptions." Meng Shang closed the ring box and put it in his pocket. "And there's no point dwelling on the past. After all these years, I can't stay the same forever."
"Got it, got it. I talk too much." Su Yansheng nodded knowingly, then refilled his own cup as an excuse. "I'll punish myself with a drink."
He looked up and downed it in one go.
Seeing Su Yansheng do this repeatedly, Meng Shang couldn't help but advise, whether as a friend or a doctor, "Sake is alcohol too. Drink less."
But Su Yansheng continued to pour. "It's fine. A few more flasks of this sake won't get me drunk."