Xu Qinghe said she wasn't hungry—she'd had a plate of fruit after her nap. “I've already had my vitamin C. Missing one meal of vegetables is fine. Call him; he's really anxious.”
So Shi Wenli went to the study with his phone. The single bed he used to sleep on had already been put away.
This was his first time treating a patient with this kind of relationship. For various reasons, he wasn't even sure how to gauge the patient's condition.
Strictly speaking, Song Xintan's withdrawal symptoms shouldn't be this severe.
Even if he had headaches, medication should relieve them. There was no reason for the medicine to be ineffective.
But as a doctor, he still had to provide counseling.
The call connected.
Song Xintan thanked him and exchanged pleasantries before getting to the point.
He described in detail how his condition had changed throughout the afternoon after leaving the hospital at noon.
“My head doesn't feel like it's going to explode anymore, but the irritability is getting worse.”
Shi Wenli said, “You need to find a way to distract yourself. If you keep thinking about this condition, even if you weren't anxious, you'd become anxious. I've added you on WeChat. I'll send you some exercise plans. Follow them, and it should help.”
Song Xintan quickly accepted the friend request: “Chief Shi, for the psychological counseling, can I just talk about anything?”
What else could Shi Wenli say?
“Yes.”
Song Xintan didn't stand on ceremony. He remarked, “I never expected you and Xu Qinghe to end up together.” After all these years with no progress, he had lost hope. “When she told me, I thought it was some new kind of test.”
Shi Wenli: “...”
Song Xintan continued, “She made a wish at Yonghe Temple on New Year's Day one year. I don't know what she wished for, but it must have been about something important in her life. Now that she's got her marriage certificate, her wish has come true. I repaid her wish for her yesterday. But I've been thinking—it would be better if you two go together to repay it yourselves. It's more sincere. And since the Spring Festival is coming up, you could go on New Year's Day.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
Shi Wenli knew she had made a wish at Yonghe Temple, but he didn't know exactly when.
He had clinic on the second day of the New Year, so the first day was perfect to go with her.
“Although we only met yesterday, I've known for years that you're a neurosurgeon. So when I had this headache, you were the first person I thought of.”
Shi Wenli followed up, “Did Qinghe mention me to you?”
Song Xintan: “Yes. She said you cook well.”
“...”
She really was obsessed with his cooking.
Shi Wenli teased himself: “Good thing I cook well, or she might not have agreed to the blind date.”
“That's not true.”
Song Xintan thought to himself, even if you could only boil eggs, she would still have agreed without hesitation. But now wasn't the time. At the right moment, he would tell Shi Wenli that Xu Qinghe had liked him for so many years.
“Qinghe also said that both you and your sister are amazing. She really wanted to work with you—” Song Xintan paused deliberately before continuing, “—and your sister. While you were away for your advanced training this year, she worked like crazy on neurosurgery anesthesia.”
Shi Wenli already knew that Xu Qinghe had been working hard on neurosurgery anesthesia in hopes of doing surgery with him. What surprised him was: “You knew I went abroad for training?”
“Yes. And I know it snowed heavily the day you left.”
Afraid of revealing Xu Qinghe's secret, Song Xintan added quickly, “It was a sudden cold snap, so there were many emergency patients. She operated all night and continued the next day. When she called me, she mentioned you were leaving for training and that she was too busy to even have a meal with you.”
Shi Wenli knew Xu Qinghe and Song Xintan were close.
But he didn't realize they were this close.
She told Song Xintan everything, down to the smallest details.
Song Xintan wanted to help their relationship heat up as quickly as possible, as a way to repay Xu Qinghe for helping him with homework and secretly giving him pocket money when they were kids. “Oh, by the way, Qinghe's favorite cake is sea salt cheese.”
Shi Wenli said, “I know.”
Song Xintan: “Good.”
Shi Wenli wasn't sure what Song Xintan was trying to hint at.
The crystal swan cake was sea salt cheese flavor.
Song Xintan didn't want to reveal too many of Xu Qinghe's likes and feelings at once, so he stopped while he was ahead and steered the conversation back to his own condition: “If I don't take medicine, can I rely solely on psychological intervention? I'm worried about the side effects.”
Shi Wenli: “If you can tolerate the pain, you can skip the medicine.”
Song Xintan thought for a moment: “Then I'll take it.”
Shi Wenli: “...”
Even over the phone, Song Xintan could imagine Shi Wenli's expression.
He knew that Shi Wenli must be feeling exasperated with him.
Maybe even suspecting that his mind wasn't right.
Let him suspect.
If not for the consultation, if not for the psychological counseling, how else could he have had the chance to talk to Shi Wenli about all this?
His headache was real.