Xu Qinghe: [No need. My childhood friend is picking me up. Even if he didn't, don't come—if colleagues see us, wouldn't that be the same as going public?]
They had to respect the two deans' face. After the New Year, she would rotate departments; suspension from surgery was inevitable, and conflicts would be plenty. She didn't want him to become the center of gossip because of her.
Shi Wenli: [It's fine. Except for my group, no one knows if I work in the afternoon or if I'm in the lab.]
He could say he was passing by.
But since her childhood friend was picking her up, he decided not to tell her he was downstairs.
Just as he was about to start the engine and leave, he caught sight of someone getting out of a car not far ahead. He had seen him in the clinic that morning and had a strong impression—it was the patient named Song Xintan.
Coming to the hospital again now, probably because his headache had worsened and he couldn't bear it.
Shi Wenli turned off the engine, unbuckled his seatbelt, and was about to get out to check on him.
Before he could push the door open, he saw Song Xintan smiling and waving toward the building entrance. Walking quickly toward him was Xu Qinghe.
Song Xintan was her childhood friend?
There were many people driving this model in Beijing, so he hadn't made the connection earlier.
The two stood in front of the car, exchanged a few words and laughter, then got in.
Shi Wenli didn't start the engine again until that car had driven off.
Song Xintan knew who he was and knew that he and Xu Qinghe had gotten their certificate, yet he hadn't mentioned a word during today's clinic. Shi Wenli even couldn't help wondering if Song Xintan had booked his appointment not for medical reasons, but just to meet him.
Collecting his thoughts, Shi Wenli drove away from the hospital.
Instead of going home, he drove directly to the nearest shopping mall. He didn't need to buy anything for himself; he planned to pick out a few shawls for Xu Qinghe—ones that could serve as accessories or as blankets.
He visited five flagship stores and bought three shawls that matched her temperament.
Shopping on a weekend, especially year-end, was the easiest time to run into colleagues. News of Shi Wenli appearing in a women's clothing flagship store spread through gossip groups at lightning speed.
Today's gossip groups, after the excitement of Shi Miao's flash marriage to the boss of Jinghe Group, were lively again.
After discussing Shi Wenli, the topic turned to Xu Qinghe.
[Is Dr. Xu about to have good news? I saw a car picking her up, and the man was super handsome. Dr. Xu's taste is undeniable.]
Fang Yu cleared it up: [That's her childhood friend. They've known each other since childhood.]
[You believe that? Would your childhood friend treat you this well?]
Fang Yu: "..."
['Childhood friend' only shows they've known each other a long time. It doesn't mean anything else. Clearly their relationship is special. Think about it: a man doesn't treat a woman well for no reason.]
Fang Yu started to waver. Right—which childhood friend would deliver a cake without even adjusting for jet lag after landing? Who would meet her on the first day back instead of spending time with family?
[Dr. Xu and her childhood friend look so compatible. It'd be nice if they got together.]
Someone joked: [Today might be the day with the most heartbroken people in our hospital.]
A wave had been heartbroken at noon, and another wave would come in the evening.
Until 8 p.m., private messages congratulating Shi Wenli and inquiring about his blind date continued nonstop.
Shi Wenli had just returned from the mall. Except for the three people pinned at the top, he no longer opened other messages—he couldn't possibly reply to them all. He knew he had good connections, but he didn't realize it was this "good."
Not just him—Shi Miao was also overwhelmed, with people constantly asking her.
Shi Miao said even when she flash-married, she didn't get this many messages.
After hanging his coat, he checked his phone again.
Ten minutes ago, Xu Qinghe had sent: [Husband, I'll be back around nine.]
Shi Wenli: [Okay. I bought you some shawls. See if you like them when you get back.]
Xu Qinghe: [I already heard from the group that you went shopping (smirk) (smirk). Suddenly I realize Beijing is so small. I ran into several colleagues at dinner tonight too.]
She joked: [In the future, we don't need to report our whereabouts to each other—just check the groups to know where the other is.]
Shi Wenli smiled: [I never realized our hospital had so many people.]
He added: [You haven't finished eating yet, right? Eat first.]
Xu Qinghe: [Mm, the dishes haven't all arrived yet.]
Xu Qinghe: [I'll talk to you when I get back.]
Shi Wenli: [OK]
With so many messages, he couldn't ignore them all. But replying to each one would take all night.
In the afternoon, his brother-in-law Min Ting had even called, saying people had asked him about it.
"..."
Everyone was curious: who introduced her? Even more curious: why had he suddenly agreed to a blind date? Previously, he would decline without even knowing what the other person looked like.
If not for Dean Jiang and the Vice Dean's failed matchmaking attempts, people might not have been so invested in whether he had a partner.
He couldn't ignore the congratulatory messages, so Shi Wenli posted a unified reply. Posting two Moments in one day broke his record.
[Thank you all for the blessings. There are too many messages to reply to individually. I'll address your biggest concern here: I was the one who took the initiative to meet her and be with her. She didn't reject me. We are now in a committed relationship.]