Shi Wenli gave her enough time to get used to him. Every caress, every touch, gave Xu Qinghe an unspeakable tingling sensation that seemed to seep from her bones. Half of that tingling was a natural physical response, and the other half came from her feelings for Shi Wenli deep inside her. Those feelings stemmed from her secret crush coming true—she had become his wife, they had skin-to-skin contact, and they were doing the most intimate thing between a man and a woman. He understood the reasons behind physical desire and was willing to take care of all her feelings, satisfying her in the gentlest way possible. He didn't neglect any aspect—physical or psychological. Xu Qinghe felt hot under the covers, so Shi Wenli reached over and pushed the blanket aside. But as soon as the blanket left her, a chill rushed over her front. She instinctively hooked her arms around his neck and pressed closer to him. His body temperature was scalding, and she warmed up a bit. Being so close, his heavy breathing was right by her ear, stuffy and hot. From the moment she started accepting him little by little, she hadn't met his eyes again, keeping her face turned toward the window. Even with her eyes narrowed, she still subconsciously looked away. Shi Wenli lowered his head and spoke very softly: "Are you cold?" Xu Qinghe's voice was slightly hoarse: "A little." Shi Wenli propped himself on one elbow beside her, took his pajamas from the head of the bed, and wrapped them around her upper body. He kissed her cheek: "Are you still cold now?" Xu Qinghe: "Much better." Shi Wenli took the opportunity to kiss her a bit longer, moving from her cheek to her neck. That was her sensitive spot—every time he kissed her there, she would tremble slightly and her body would involuntarily tense up. At that moment, both of them could clearly feel each other. Xu Qinghe noticed that Shi Wenli seemed to especially like kissing her neck. With one hand holding the clothes on her chest, the other unconsciously gripped his arm. All her sounds were muffled in her throat. Previously, when they were together, she always spoke openly and freely, but at this moment, it was hard to let those sounds out. Yet the room was exceptionally quiet, so even her faintest noises were magnified infinitely. On the balcony, the washing machine finished its cycle, and a pleasant chime clearly echoed into the bedroom. At that moment, it felt as if a thousand layers of waves suddenly surged inside her, pushing the tide to the highest peak. The washing machine's few dozen seconds of music stopped, but her voice didn't. Her sobbing seemed both like a plea and a sign of satisfaction. Her mind went blank for a moment. She couldn't think of anything; she only knew that Shi Wenli held her very tightly. ... After a quick shower, Xu Qinghe returned to the bed utterly exhausted. She pulled the covers over herself. None of the awkward bedtime scenarios she had rehearsed in her mind actually happened—before Shi Wenli got into bed, she had already fallen into a deep sleep from exhaustion. The next morning, she didn't wake up naturally either. Shi Wenli called her several times before she slowly responded. Groggily opening her eyes, she first awkwardly greeted him with a "good morning," then felt the discomfort in her body. Luckily, it wasn't severe, and she could still sit up. Shi Wenli had woken up ten minutes earlier and had already washed up. Xu Qinghe suddenly remembered that she had said she would make breakfast. "What time is it?" she asked hastily. Shi Wenli said, "Seven. You don't have the big handover today, so boiling eggs is fine." Xu Qinghe threw off the covers and got out of bed: "But you have morning rounds. If we wait any longer, you won't make it." "I have outpatient clinic in the morning. I just need to be there by eight." Xu Qinghe had lost track of time and kept thinking it was Monday. The cashmere dress she needed to wear today was on the windowsill. She endured the discomfort between her legs and walked over. When she took off her nightgown, she hesitated for a second, but then thought about how intimate they had been last night, so she turned her back to him and directly slipped off the nightgown. Her figure was graceful. Large patches of her skin had been pressed against Shi Wenli last night. After putting on the dress, Xu Qinghe planned to boil the eggs before washing up. "Husband, how many boiled eggs do you want?" Her tone seemed calm enough, but the ending note was noticeably unsteady. Shi Wenli was straightening the bedcovers, his hands pausing at the word. They had known each other for so many years, and she had always called him "Dr. Shi" or "Chief Shi." Now she suddenly called him "husband." It took him half a second to turn around and answer: "Boil two for me." "Okay." Xu Qinghe's legs were sore, so she could only move slowly out of the bedroom. Whether it was the sore legs or the unfamiliarity of calling him "husband," as she walked, she felt like she might forget how to walk. Shi Wenli finished making the bed, picked up the nightgown she had left on the windowsill, folded it, and placed it on the headboard. Glancing down inadvertently, he noticed a plastic wrapper had fallen into the gap between the bed and the nightstand. One had fallen on his side last night; at the time, there were also crumpled tissues on the floor that he had meant to throw into the trash but missed. After they finished, he had turned on the light and cleaned everything up, but the other one had been missing until now—it had fallen on her side. He moved the nightstand aside, bent down to pick it up, and tossed it into the trash can. In the kitchen, Xu Qinghe boiled four eggs and took two cartons of fresh milk from the fridge. The cooking skills in her family had been deeply inherited from her grandfather to her father, and then to her. When her grandfather was young, he used being busy as an excuse to give her father just two boiled eggs every morning for breakfast. Fortunately, her father wasn't picky. After preparing the simple breakfast, she went to wash up. Her legs felt a little better than when she first got up, less sore and weak. Last night, out of consideration for her body, Shi Wenli had planned to do it only once. But later, she held onto him and didn't let go for a long time. After the climax, a huge sense of emptiness surged up, and she needed to hold him to ease it. Their bodies were pressed tightly together, and as he kissed and comforted her, he couldn't help but become aroused again. After washing her face, Xu Qinghe started brushing her teeth. Thinking about last night, she absentmindedly picked up the facial cleanser and almost squeezed it onto her toothbrush. When she came back to her senses, she laughed at her own foolishness. "Qinghe?" Shi Wenli called her from the bathroom door. Xu Qinghe casually opened the door: "What's up?" Their eyes met, and both tried to act natural. Shi Wenli asked her, "Do you want a bagel or a lye croissant? They're both in the fridge. I'll toast one for you." Xu Qinghe thought for a moment: "No, thanks. Two boiled eggs are enough for me." She then noticed that he was wearing the sweater she had given him. "It looks even better on you than I imagined." In the past, complimenting his taste in clothes required beating around the bush, but now she could finally praise him directly. Shi Wenli said, "I was planning to wear it on moving day. But all the sweaters in my wardrobe have been taken to the new house—only this one was left." He lifted his chin slightly: "Go brush your teeth. I'll check on the eggs; they should be almost done." Xu Qinghe belatedly realized that she had already been daydreaming at the sink for quite a while. While brushing her teeth, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her complexion was rosier than ever—makeup couldn't even achieve this effect. A good relationship truly nourishes a person. After washing up, Xu Qinghe went to the kitchen. Shi Wenli was toasting bagels. She wasn't planning to eat any today, and they had a short shelf life, so she decided to toast them all and take them to the office, where they could be a quick breakfast for anyone who hadn't eaten. The boiled eggs were ready, so Xu Qinghe scooped them out to cool. Shi Wenli glanced at her and casually asked, "Why did you put on makeup today? No surgery?" Xu Qinghe: "...I'm not wearing makeup." She had only applied lotion. In fact, she had looked like this even before the lotion. Shi Wenli immediately understood why her skin looked clearer and more hydrated than usual. Neither of them let the awkwardness linger. Xu Qinghe lightened the mood: "I should have lied and said I did a three-minute quick makeup job." Shi Wenli smiled: "If you had said that, I probably would have believed it." He might have figured it out later, but at first, he wouldn't have suspected anything. Today they had plenty of time, so they could eat breakfast at home. Shi Wenli asked her, "Shall I warm up the milk for you? Drinking it straight might be a bit cold." "Sure." Xu Qinghe started peeling the eggs. By the time he had warmed up two glasses of milk, she had already peeled all four eggs. "You peel so fast?" "Mm. I eat boiled eggs often." Everyone has their specialty. Amid casual chatter, they finished their first breakfast as a married couple. Xu Qinghe noticed that Shi Wenli's gaze toward her seemed even gentler. As usual, when they went out, Shi Wenli took her hand. After having been physically intimate, the feeling of holding hands was completely different. The sensation of their palms rubbing together always seemed to inadvertently bring back memories. On the way to the hospital, Shi Wenli said he had the afternoon off and asked if there was anything she needed him to do. "I work tomorrow. I swapped shifts with a colleague for tomorrow," he said. Xu Qinghe was working today and would have her day off tomorrow. Their days off were exactly staggered. "I don't have anything going on. Go play ball with your friends. Don't wait for me for dinner; after work, I want to go shopping at the mall." She wanted to buy a few suitable blankets—ones she could use on the bed at night or wrap around herself while reading on the terrace in spring or autumn. Shi Wenli said, "I'll drop you off. If you're worried about being seen by colleagues, we can each shop separately once we get to the mall." Xu Qinghe thought it over. That worked. After they settled it, the car pulled into the hospital parking lot. Xu Qinghe was unbuckling her seatbelt when Shi Wenli's phone rang—it was a call from the department. He could have taken the call while getting out of the car, but thinking it was their first day after getting the certificate, he wanted to kiss her before she got out, so he stayed in the car to answer. Xu Qinghe gently unbuckled her seatbelt while he was on the phone and opened her work group chat to check messages. The call lasted three minutes. Just before hanging up, Shi Wenli said into the phone, "I'm downstairs. I'll be there soon." Xu Qinghe gathered from the conversation that an out-of-town patient wanted to be discharged two days early to go home for the Spring Festival and needed Shi Wenli to assess whether that was possible. Ding Qihang, seeing that Shi Wenli hadn't arrived at the office, thought he had gone straight to the clinic, so he called for instructions. Seeing that she was about to open the car door, Shi Wenli called out to her: "Qinghe." Xu Qinghe, thinking about how he still had to go back to the neurosurgery ward before clinic, said, "Go ahead and get busy. It's not like we have to kiss twice every day." "There's time." Shi Wenli unbuckled his seatbelt as he spoke. "As long as it's not an emergency, how could there not be time?" When they weren't busy, they could kiss longer. When busy, they would just share a quick kiss. He turned sideways, his lips meeting hers, and kissed her very lightly. Before he sat back, Xu Qinghe kissed his cheek, holding her breath: "Goodbye, husband." Shi Wenli: "Goodbye." He didn't open the car door until she was several dozen meters away. Since the people in his group learned that Shi Wenli had a blind date, they had unconsciously been paying more attention to him. Today, they noticed several major differences about him. First, he had brought bagels, which he normally didn't like. Second, he usually wore gray or black, but today he was wearing a sweater in a different color for the first time. Third, he had actually brought three small figurines to place by his computer—clearly not something he bought himself. It seemed his relationship with his blind date was progressing far faster than they had imagined. A female member of the group couldn't help worrying about the fate of her usual breakfast. Previously, everyone had joked that once he got a partner, the whole neurosurgery department would collectively lose their crush. She mustered the courage to ask, "Chief Shi, will we still get to eat scallion pancakes in the future?" Hearing this, Ding Qihang silently glanced at his superior. He wanted to know too. Shi Wenli didn't joke around but answered seriously: "Probably quite often. She likes them too." No one expected the chief to respond directly about the relationship. They got a little excited, as if they themselves had found a partner. It seemed that Chief Shi and his blind date had already committed to each other. Since his blind date liked scallion pancakes, that meant Chief Shi would be making them often, and any extra ones would naturally be brought to them. "Thanks, sister-in-law." "Thanks, sister-in-law." ... Almost in unison, everyone congratulated Shi Wenli in this way. News of Shi Wenli's blind date was currently only known to his group. People still kept coming to confess their feelings or to introduce him to someone. After finishing his duties in the department, Shi Wenli headed to the outpatient building. At 9:10 a.m., the call system announced: "Please come to examination room 10, Song Xintan." "Mr. Song, it's your turn." The secretary reminded Song Xintan. Song Xintan slowly opened his eyes and nodded slightly. His head had been throbbing with pain, and he hadn't even noticed the call system. The headache had lasted nearly a week. At first, it was only a dull ache, but he didn't expect it to become so intense on the flight back to China that he felt it might split open. He was genuinely worried he might die from a cerebral hemorrhage on the plane, denying him even the chance to fulfill Xu Qinghe's wish at Yonghe Temple. After landing, he headed straight to the hospital. Fortunately, he had booked an appointment with Shi Wenli before returning to China. Maybe it was because he had heard Shi Wenli's name so many times over the years that the moment his head hurt, his first thought was to see Shi Wenli. Song Xintan arrived at the door of examination room 10, knocked, and entered. He hadn't expected to meet Shi Wenli like this. He had seen Shi Wenli from a distance twice before when he came to pick up Xu Qinghe, but today was the first time they met face to face. "Hello." Shi Wenli's expression was gentle as he verified the registration information: "Song Xintan, right?" "Yes." Shi Wenli's first impression was calm and reserved. He had heard from Xu Qinghe that Shi Wenli was not only strong in research but also an excellent cook—there seemed to be nothing he wasn't good at. If there was a flaw, it might be that he was naturally indifferent to relationships, but otherwise, no other shortcomings could be found. "What's bothering you?" Shi Wenli gestured for him to sit. Song Xintan pressed the back of his head and said he had a headache: "It feels like it's about to split. I'm worried about a cerebral hemorrhage." He didn't awkwardly bring up their connection or mention that he was Xu Qinghe's friend. Shi Wenli briefly inquired about when the pain started, what kind of pain it was, and whether he felt nauseous. Song Xintan answered each question. He said the headache wasn't sudden; it had been worsening over the past few days. After the inquiry, Shi Wenli took his blood pressure. The systolic was 110 and diastolic 80, both within normal range. He then performed a neurological exam, and everything was fine. Despite this, Song Xintan was still uneasy and insisted on a head CT. When he returned to examination room 10 with the CT report, it was already 11:30. The CT results were normal, ruling out cerebral hemorrhage and intracranial lesions. Song Xintan breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wasn't a problem inside his head. He thought to himself, I still have to fulfill your wife's wish. Suddenly, the severe headache came again, and he asked, "I have a chaotic routine year-round and often stay up late for international video conferences. Could it be related to that?" Shi Wenli said, "Long-term high stress and irregular routines can be triggers." He asked further, "Have there been any recent lifestyle changes? For example, quitting smoking or drinking?" Song Xintan: "I just started quitting smoking a few days ago. But I've tried to quit before, and I never had headaches." Shi Wenli said, "As age, smoking history, and physical condition change, withdrawal symptoms can vary greatly at different stages. In severe cases, some people even need hospitalization to manage them." His preliminary diagnosis was that Song Xintan's headache was withdrawal-induced from quitting smoking. It usually resolves on its own within one to two weeks. If the pain became unbearable during that time, medication could help. He explained in detail how to take it. He also reminded Song Xintan that if he later experienced sudden severe headaches or numbness in his limbs, he should come back for a follow-up immediately. "In your case, it should ease in about a week. Don't worry too much." Song Xintan had heard Xu Qinghe mention that Shi Wenli often had walk-in patients added to his clinic schedule, many of whom came from out of town seeking treatment. It was common for his clinic to run until 12:30 or even later. Seeing that there were still several patients waiting outside, he didn't delay Shi Wenli's consultation time any further. After thanking him, he left the examination room. His head still hurt badly, but his mind felt lighter. His car was parked in the lot near the comprehensive building. As Song Xintan walked out of the outpatient building, his secretary had already notified the driver to bring the car to the entrance. Song Xintan didn't contact Xu Qinghe, knowing she had surgery today and wouldn't have time to come down. He decided to go to Yonghe Temple first, then go home to recover from jet lag. [I saw that scumbag's car!] [It's parked right next to mine!] [He can't be here to win Dr. Xu back, can he?] [Who knows.] The cardiothoracic surgery small group chat suddenly became lively. Jiang Yang couldn't sit still. He hoped not. He was still planning to introduce someone to Xu Qinghe. If they really got back together, he shouldn't meddle any further. He quickly sent a message to Shi Wenli: [Brother Shi, if Sister Qinghe shows any signs of getting back together with her ex, let me know immediately.] Shi Wenli: "..." Completely baffled, he replied: [Where did Dr. Xu have an ex?] After sending the message, something occurred to him, so he added: [Did she date someone while I was away for training?] Jiang Yang: [You didn't know? I thought you two were close enough that you'd know everything. While you were training, she just broke up.] Shi Wenli replied: [I didn't know about this. During that year of training, we were both busy and only contacted each other a few times.] But he was sure that before he left for training, she didn't have a boyfriend. Reading Jiang Yang's first message again—such a blunt reminder that Xu Qinghe might be getting back together with her ex—it didn't seem like something Jiang Yang would normally do. Jiang Yang was usually more tactful. Previously, he had thought Jiang Yang guessed that he and Xu Qinghe were together, but apparently not. Shi Wenli decided to ask directly: [Do you not know yet that Dr. Xu and I are together?] Jiang Yang: "!!" Jiang Yang: "..." How could they be together! How! He had been busy all morning and had just cut a big apple but hadn't taken a bite yet. In his excitement, he didn't hold it steady, and the apple slipped out of his hand. Luckily, he caught it just in time. Close call. He forgot about the apple for now as his brain went into overdrive. How did Brother Shi get together with Sister Qinghe? Just two weeks ago, Brother Shi was single. Not pretending to be single—he truly was. Suddenly, he froze. Oh my god—what had he just said to Shi Wenli in that message? That Sister Qinghe might get back together with her ex, and he asked him to notify him immediately... Then he realized that now he definitely didn't need to introduce anyone to Xu Qinghe anymore. He had previously complained that his dad was the most unsuccessful matchmaker. Who could be worse? At least others knew his dad had tried to set someone up. But him? He hadn't even had a chance to speak up. No one in the world except himself knew he had silently played the role of matchmaker. The director was right—at his age, he shouldn't be playing matchmaker. Jiang Yang calmed down: [Brother Shi, please don't misunderstand Sister Qinghe and think she's still entangled with her ex. Some colleagues in cardiothoracic saw that car that used to pick her up regularly show up again. Maybe it's not here for her.] Even as he typed the last sentence, he knew he was fooling himself. If it wasn't for Xu Qinghe, could it be for a medical visit? It really could be for that. He quickly typed: [Brother Shi, I'll find out exactly what's going on.] As soon as Shi Wenli saw the word "car," he understood: [That's not her ex; it's her childhood friend. She's even closer to her childhood friend than she is to me. It's normal that you might have mistaken him for her boyfriend.] Jiang Yang patted his chest with relief. That scared him. Good thing it was just a childhood friend. If it had been the ex, and it caused a rift between Shi Wenli and Xu Qinghe, he would never forgive himself. Jiang Yang reflected: [I've wrongly blamed Sister Qinghe's childhood friend all these years, calling him a scumbag.] He added with emotion: [I never expected Sister Qinghe to be closer to her childhood friend than to you. Only someone as broad-minded as you wouldn't be jealous. Any other man would have been green with envy.] Shi Wenli: "..." He was handed a "nice guy" card on the spot. Jiang Yang was genuinely curious: [Brother Shi, if you don't mind me asking, how did you and Sister Qinghe suddenly decide to get together?] Shi Wenli told him the truth: [Director Zhao set us up.] Jiang Yang: [No wonder it's a secret. Got it. I'll keep my mouth shut and won't slip up in front of my dad. Even if he finds out someday, I'll say I was the one who set you up.] He volunteered: [If you ever need anything, feel free to ask me to cover for you.] As the conversation ended, Shi Wenli was just walking out of the outpatient building. Wu Xiaofeng was waiting for him at the exit: "Finally got you." Both of them had morning clinics on Saturdays and often ran into each other after work. Shi Wenli asked, "Why are you waiting for me?" Wu Xiaofeng knew his personality well and got straight to the point: "Someone asked me to find out if you're just not interested in anything related to dating and marriage, or if you haven't met the right person yet, so you haven't considered it." "The person asking has feelings for you. If it's the former, she won't bother confessing." He didn't reveal who it was. Shi Wenli said bluntly, "It's the latter. But I'm not single anymore." Wu Xiaofeng paused, then laughed slowly: "What do you mean? Are you serious?" Shi Wenli: "I'm serious." "When did you start dating?" "Someone introduced us. It's only been a few days." Wu Xiaofeng felt sorry for the person who had made the inquiry. Maybe if she had confessed earlier, she would have had a chance. After careful consideration, Shi Wenli posted a Moment on his way to the cafeteria: [Thank you all for your kindness and for always caring about my personal life and enthusiastically introducing people to me. I'd like to share some good news today—I now have a blind date.]