Shi Wenli had long anticipated that Dean Jiang would try to set him up on a blind date. Before this, Jiang Yang had hinted at it more than once, directly or indirectly. But he never expected the dean to bring it up so openly in front of another person. Zhao Mingde, sitting nearby, was even more surprised that Dean Jiang didn't avoid him at all, treating him as if he were an insider.
For a moment, the three of them sat there, each lost in their own thoughts. Dean Jiang was pondering how to get Shi Wenli to agree to meet the other party. Shi Wenli was considering how to politely decline without offending the dean. As for Zhao Mingde, his heart was bitter. He had been about to bring up the blind date with Shi Wenli when Dean Jiang happened to show up. He was just one step too slow.
If Shi Wenli agreed to go on the dean's blind date and liked the other person, what would he do? He absentmindedly ate his food, silently glancing at Shi Wenli across the table. He sincerely hoped Shi Wenli would find a good match, but he also wished he would reject the dean's offer.
Dean Jiang continued, introducing his friend's family in detail. His friend's surname was Qi. "Old Qi gets along well with your brother-in-law's family. At Shi Miao's wedding, when Old Qi heard that you raised your sister since she was young, he praised you highly." Shi Wenli had lost count of how many elders had asked him at his sister's wedding if he was married. As soon as they heard he wasn't, they were eager to set him up.
Dean Jiang added, "Old Qi's family isn't like other wealthy families; there's no drama. The family is very close-knit. Otherwise, I wouldn't meddle in setting you two up." His friend's family background and children's character and abilities were outstanding.
After the introduction, he didn't rush to ask for Shi Wenli's opinion but turned to Zhao Mingde for approval. "Director Zhao, you've been around. Don't you think this young lady matches Wenli well, both in family conditions and personal ability?"
Zhao Mingde had no choice. He nodded reluctantly. "Yes."
Dean Jiang then looked at Shi Wenli. "Director Zhao has good judgment, and even he thinks you two are a good match."
Zhao Mingde: "..."
Shi Wenli thanked Dean Jiang first, then politely declined. "Dean Jiang, you know how busy the neurosurgery department is."
Dean Jiang, of course, knew, but he wasn't about to let it go. "No matter how busy you are, you can't put off marriage and starting a family." He spoke earnestly. "Now that your sister is married, you don't need to worry about her. You should focus on your own marital affairs. If you settle down, your sister will be at ease too."
Over the years, Shi Wenli had been uninterested in romance, partly due to work and partly because he had to take care of his sister, Shi Miao.
Shi Wenli expressed his gratitude repeatedly. "I appreciate your concern." He tried to decline as tactfully as possible to save face for his superior. "Dean Jiang, you know my family situation better than anyone. The current state is rare for me. Shi Miao has a family now, someone to take care of her. I no longer worry about her being wronged with no one to talk to. If nothing unexpected happens, the research project I applied for will be approved after the New Year. I enjoy this life, so I'm not considering marriage for the next two years."
Dean Jiang was silent for a moment. He understood, but still spared no effort to persuade. "Wenli, don't rush to refuse. You haven't met yet. How do you know if you're suitable? What if you two hit it off?"
Shi Wenli's tone was calm but left no room for negotiation. "Even if we hit it off, maybe there's no fate. A few days ago, my brother-in-law's family wanted to set me up too, and I declined. I'm not considering marriage for now. I just want to help our director build up neurosurgery and uphold the hospital's reputation for you."
Having been given such high praise, Dean Jiang was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Since it had come to this, he couldn't force it. A forced melon isn't sweet.
Zhao Mingde's anxious heart finally relaxed. He had an anesthesia case in the afternoon, so he used the excuse of needing to get back to the operating room and began to eat heartily. Dean Jiang, on the other hand, didn't enjoy his meal as much.
After lunch, Dean Jiang returned his friend's call, saying the two young people weren't meant to be. His friend was devastated. "It's not that the kids have no fate; it's that you, the matchmaker, are no good!"
Dean Jiang: "..." That was the first time he'd heard such a complaint about the matchmaker.
His friend said, "Never mind, I'll figure something out myself."
Dean Jiang assumed, "Does Qi Ruo also have her eye on Shi Wenli?"
His friend replied, "Xiao Ruo doesn't even know I was trying to set her up."
Dean Jiang: "..." So Qi Ruo's personality wasn't the type to rush into marriage. It was just his friend running around blindly on both ends. Still, he couldn't blame his friend for being so persistent. If he himself had a daughter of marriageable age, he would want a son-in-law like Shi Wenli—handsome, responsible, and at just over thirty, already a deputy chief physician in neurosurgery with unlimited potential.
--
Shi Wenli had no surgery in the afternoon. After lunch, he planned to return to his department to lead teaching rounds. Zhao Mingde was heading back to Operating Room 25. The two took different paths from the cafeteria. Fearing that someone else might beat him to it if he didn't act now, Zhao Mingde, despite knowing it wasn't the best timing, steeled himself and turned to Shi Wenli. "Dr. Shi, do you have two or three minutes? I need to talk to you about something."
Shi Wenli smiled. "I have that much time." To save Zhao Mingde time, he pointed toward Operating Room 25. "Director Zhao, let's talk as we walk. I'll take the elevator on the west side." The cafeteria was on the east side, so taking the other elevator would mean crossing the entire floor.
Zhao Mingde felt a bit embarrassed. "I'm already taking up your time, and now I'm making you go out of your way."
Shi Wenli said, "It's fine. Just a few extra steps." He took the initiative to ask, "Are you going to talk about Dr. Xu?" He guessed that Director Zhao probably wanted to ask him to mediate in case Xu Qinghe had a disagreement with a neurosurgery director, to avoid discord. After all, Xu Qinghe was now permanently assigned to the neurosurgery anesthesia group and would be dealing with neurosurgery from now on. As a director, he naturally wanted her to get along well with her partners.
Zhao Mingde replied, "It is about Qinghe." Time was tight, so he didn't bother with a smooth transition and awkwardly steered the conversation toward matchmaking. "Qinghe is so stubborn that not only does Dean Jiang find her troublesome, but even her father is at his wit's end. Over the years, she's only focused on work, so her personal life has been neglected. Her father is really worried."
Shi Wenli hadn't expected the topic to turn to Xu Qinghe's personal life and casually responded, "I heard that Professor Xu was so anxious he planned to go to Yonghe Temple to burn incense."
"Exactly. Old Xu, a microelectronics researcher and expert in the semiconductor industry, has even turned to superstition for his daughter's sake." Zhao Mingde hadn't expected Shi Wenli to know about Xu Bingduo's plan to burn incense, which saved him from a long preamble. He changed the subject. "So Old Xu came to me and asked me to find Qinghe a boyfriend." He paused briefly, then added teasingly, "Guess who Old Xu has his eye on as his son-in-law?"
Shi Wenli: "..." There was no need to guess. Director Zhao's eyes said it all. He let out a helpless laugh. Had he stumbled into a matchmaking convention today?
"Director Zhao, Dr. Xu and I are friends."
"Being friends doesn't stop Old Xu from wanting you as his son-in-law."
"..."
"Qinghe doesn't know about this yet," Zhao Mingde said first. "I know you two have a good relationship, and you're one of the few friends she has in the hospital. So before approaching you, I thought it over carefully. If you were the type like Jiang Yang, I wouldn't even consider matchmaking."
Jiang Yang was an innocent victim. Zhao Mingde dared to directly propose matchmaking because Shi Wenli was steady and discreet. Even if he declined the blind date, he would definitely keep it to himself and not embarrass Qinghe.
Shi Wenli found it hard to imagine the scene of himself and Xu Qinghe on a blind date. Going from friends to potential partners was something he couldn't wrap his head around.
Just then, the automatic door of Operating Room 12, which they were passing, slid open. The person coming out was Xu Qinghe, wearing a bear-print surgical cap today. She was responsible for anesthesia in Operating Rooms 11 and 12 and was heading to the adjacent room to brief the assistant anesthesiologist. She never expected to run into Shi Wenli and the director so coincidentally.
Shi Wenli had no choice but to act as if nothing was wrong, greeting her warmly as usual. "A cardiac case today?"
Xu Qinghe smiled and nodded. "Yes." Thinking they were discussing anesthesia plans, she didn't dwell on it and hurried into the next operating room.
It wasn't until the door of Operating Room 11 closed that Zhao Mingde spoke again. "I know it's not the right time to bring up a blind date again. But if I don't try, I'm afraid I'll regret it later."
"Earlier, you told Dean Jiang that you don't want to settle down for now and want to focus on building up neurosurgery. I've been through that stage myself, so I completely understand. After all, starting a family means responsibility. If you can't take on that responsibility for various reasons, then choosing not to marry for now is the right call."
Shi Wenli didn't interrupt, patiently waiting for Zhao Mingde to finish. Zhao Mingde seized every opportunity. "You know that Qinghe is most interested in neurosurgery anesthesia. Whatever new technology your department develops or advanced surgical plans you explore, the anesthesia team will need to keep pace with you."
"She could even work side by side with you to delve into new technologies."
"If both of you want to focus on work, then marriage would be nothing but beneficial for you two. No downsides at all."
"You already have tacit understanding at work and know each other personally. In my humble opinion, no one is more suitable for each other than you two."
As he spoke, they had almost reached the entrance of Operating Room 25. They both stopped spontaneously.
Zhao Mingde spoke earnestly. "Let me be frank with you young people: It's hard for a surgeon to have a long-lasting marriage if they don't marry a fellow medical professional. Of course, there are those that last, and marrying a colleague doesn't guarantee a lifetime. But at least a colleague can understand you."
"Imagine being on a date and getting an emergency call. If your partner isn't in the same field, they might understand once or twice, maybe even for a year or two. But what about longer?"