Xu Qinghe didn't bring a bag. She slipped her hands into her coat pockets and stood by the flowerbed in front of the building, waiting for him.
It was freezing, and the setting sun barely gave any warmth.
In at most a month or two, he would be moving.
After he moved, she would hardly see him after work.
Soon, Shi Wenli came downstairs.
He had changed out of the suit he wore for the bridal escort. He was now wearing a dark gray sweater, with a lighter gray coat over it—simple yet elegant style.
Xu Qinghe asked casually, "Did Shi Miao buy that coat for you?"
"Yeah." Shi Wenli glanced down at his clothes. He had quite a few winter coats, but then he thought about it. "I think this one was from two years ago."
"Shi Miao's taste has always been unique."
While complimenting Shi Miao, she also wanted to say he looked great in it.
As they walked toward the complex gate, Xu Qinghe chatted about whatever came to mind. "I heard from Jiang Yang today that our vice president wanted to play matchmaker for you, but you turned him down."
Ever since he was promoted—becoming the youngest associate chief physician in his field in the country—the matchmaking proposals had never stopped.
She couldn't help but remark, "Fame is a double-edged sword."
"..." Shi Wenli laughed. "That didn't sound like a compliment."
"It is a compliment," Xu Qinghe said, laughing. "Don't just focus on the last three words."
It had been a long time since they had chatted so relaxed.
They arrived early, and the restaurant was nearly empty. They chose a quiet seat by the window.
Xu Qinghe knew what dishes he liked and ticked them off when ordering.
"Want some soda?" Shi Wenli asked.
"Sure, a bottle. It's been years—I've almost forgotten what it tastes like."
Shi Wenli opened a bottle of orange soda, inserted a straw, and handed it over.
As she took the soda, Xu Qinghe glanced for a moment at his hand.
A hand born to hold a scalpel—the width just right, fingers long, fingertips full.
Even Dean Jiang praised him, saying his hand was incredibly steady, with excellent control.
Before the dishes were all served, Shi Wenli's phone vibrated.
It was an unfamiliar number.
Thinking it might be a patient's family member, he quickly answered.
The caller identified himself: "Wenli, it's me. Your Uncle Liu."
Shi Wenli paused for a moment before recognizing the voice—it was Dean Liu from the neighboring hospital.
His father worked at that hospital.
"Dean Liu, how can I help you?"
Xu Qinghe was cooking meat and paused slightly at the words "Dean Liu."
None of the vice deans at their own hospital were surnamed Liu.
Could it be Dean Liu from the neighboring hospital?
Their two hospitals were both top-tier tertiary institutions, fiercely competitive in every field.
Dean Liu and Dean Jiang never met without teasing and ribbing each other.
On the other end, Dean Liu said gently, "Help? No need to talk about work privately. When do you have time? Come have dinner with your father at our place."
Shi Wenli had to agree for now: "I'll come visit you and Auntie when I'm off this weekend."
He hung up, and only then did Xu Qinghe ask, "Dean Liu from the neighboring hospital?"
"Mm."
Xu Qinghe used the serving chopsticks to pick up some cooked meat and put it in his plate. "He was the one who personally recruited your father to jump ship from Shanghai to the neighboring hospital, wasn't he?"
Shi Wenli nodded. "Seems like it."
He wasn't very clear on the details. He added the number to his contacts.
The two top authorities in domestic cardiac surgery were Director Gu at their hospital and his father, Shi Jianqin.
His father and Dean Liu were close personally, but Shi Wenli had almost no interaction with Dean Liu—maybe just exchanged nods at medical conferences. He could recognize Dean Liu's voice because he had heard many of his presentations before.
Xu Qinghe joked, "Dean Liu isn't trying to poach you too, is he?"
Shi Wenli laughed. "Probably not. And Dean Jiang wouldn't let me go."
Even if Dean Jiang agreed, he wouldn't leave.
After a slight pause, he said bluntly, "Dean Liu is probably trying to patch things up between my father and me."
Xu Qinghe: "I thought it was another matchmaking attempt."
"..." Shi Wenli gave a helpless smile. "You never know."
He took the strainer and serving chopsticks, gesturing for her to eat. "You go ahead. I'll cook."
While cooking, he asked casually, "What about you? Your parents don't push you to date?"
"They do. Of course they do." Xu Qinghe mentioned that her father was going to Yonghe Temple tomorrow to pray for her romantic fate. "My dad never believed in that stuff before. I was just joking, but he actually plans to go."
Shi Wenli smiled. "Uncle Xu isn't busy lately?"
"Busy." Xu Qinghe teased her father. "But that won't stop him from going to Yonghe Temple."
Just as they were talking about him, the man in question happened to pass by the hotpot place.
Xu Bingduo and his wife were on their way home from work and planned to buy some fruit for their daughter. As they passed the hotpot place, he glanced inside unintentionally.
He quickly grabbed his wife's arm. "Look, isn't that Qinghe?"
Chi Min followed his gaze and saw it was indeed their daughter, laughing while talking to someone opposite her.
A second look at the face across from her—it was a colleague from her daughter's neurosurgery department.
The couple didn't linger and soon walked past the hotpot place.
Chi Min frowned, trying to recall. "That colleague of Qinghe's is named Shi... Shi Wenli?"
Their daughter always called him Dr. Shi, so she almost couldn't recall his full name.
Xu Bingduo also remembered. "Yes, Shi Wenli."
They had met Shi Wenli once before, a couple of years ago. One evening, while walking with their daughter, they had run into him coming back from work, and he had greeted them.
They often heard their daughter say she got along well with Dr. Shi, and they had collaborated on a project.
A father knows his daughter best. Xu Bingduo said, "I don't need to go to Yonghe Temple tomorrow. The romance she's hoping for—isn't it right in front of her?"