Shi Wenli returned to his office. As soon as he sat down, Jiang Yang called. "Brother Shi, are you busy right now?" "Not busy. What's up?" Jiang Yang said, "About the housewarming." He had originally planned to discuss it with Shi Wenli in the cafeteria, but Shi Miao had stopped him. Changing the housewarming date suddenly, without a very solid reason, made him feel guilty. "Brother Shi, it's like this... I wanted to discuss the housewarming date with you." Noticing his hesitation, Shi Wenli said, "Go ahead." "Both the 28th and 29th of the lunar year are good days for moving. Both are auspicious." Shi Wenli thought, "You want to celebrate for two days in a row?" Jiang Yang usually liked to eat at his place, especially during the New Year holiday. He said, "That works. I'm free those two days." Jiang Yang quickly corrected, "No, no." He would have loved to celebrate for several days, but the key issue was that others couldn't make it on consecutive days, so they had to pick one day. "How about the 29th?" He decided to be straightforward. "Mainly, I'm considering Sister Qinghe." Shi Wenli was flipping through the case files for the afternoon discussion and paused slightly. "What about Dr. Xu?" "The Anesthesia Department's duty schedule for the New Year came out today. I checked, and Sister Qinghe is on duty on the 28th." At the end of the year, everyone was either rushing home or busy preparing for the New Year, so it was hard to ask for shift swaps. Xu Qinghe didn't like to trouble others at the best of times, let alone at year-end. Shi Wenli said, "Then let's make it the 29th." Jiang Yang had been worried that Shi Wenli would ask why he was so concerned about the Anesthesia Department's schedule. But until they hung up, Shi Wenli didn't mention it. As soon as Shi Wenli hung up, a message came in from his middle school classmate Tao Han. Tao Han told him that his father had woken up at noon and, aside from the incision pain, was doing well. Tao Han: [Are you in the office this afternoon? I'll come by for a bit.] Shi Wenli: [I am, but I have teaching rounds in the afternoon. I'll be free between 4 and 4:30.] Tao Han: [OK, go ahead and work.] Putting down his phone, Shi Wenli put on his white coat and prepared for teaching rounds. Teaching rounds were the most nerve-wracking time for all interns. Shi Wenli never yelled at anyone and rarely criticized; he patiently pointed out problems. But that only made them more nervous, feeling that if they didn't do well, they would let him down. A group of over a dozen people followed Shi Wenli toward the wards. At such times, everyone was especially quiet, heads down, intently studying their materials, pretending to be very busy. During the purple rice ball breakfast, they all crowded forward; now they wished they could stand outside the ward, hoping not to be called on by Shi Wenli. Today, Ding Qihang was responsible for the case report. He needed to present without notes and had prepared all noon. After everyone entered the ward, Ding Qihang began reporting on the first patient's surgery and current medications. Shi Wenli listened attentively. Hearing the dosage of antiepileptic drugs, he said, "Starting tomorrow, we can adjust it." He turned to face everyone. "Today, let's focus on perioperative antiepileptic therapy as the key point of this teaching round. Listen carefully; I'll ask questions later." Everyone: "..." They hadn't expected the focus to be on antiepileptic therapy. They'd guessed wrong. Today, there happened to be two foreign patients, so an English round was inevitable. Even explaining the key points in Chinese was hard; answering professional questions in English was a nightmare. Especially facing Shi Wenli's native-like English, they were even more reluctant to speak. After every English teaching round, they resolved to practice their oral English, but it never lasted more than two days. Then, the next teaching round, they would resolve again. And so on. When the two-hour teaching round ended, everyone felt exhausted, though they shouldn't have. Coming out of the ward, Shi Wenli glanced at his watch and said to them, "Go back and organize your summaries. Assemble at 4:40. We'll systematically review the difficulties of antiepileptic therapy, then discuss cases." "Director Shi." A clear female voice came from the nurse station. Everyone looked over. The woman wore a camel knit dress with a classic shawl of the same color draped over her shoulders. From her high heels to her hair, she exuded elegance from the inside out. A refined aura made a person three times more beautiful, also making others overlook less striking features, simply finding her pleasant and attractive. This woman was exactly that type. Today, Tao Han hadn't dressed up much, wearing her usual skirt and having only done a simple touch-up to her hair before coming. When her father wasn't ill, she would wear more elaborate makeup. Today she was almost bare-faced, only wearing lipstick to add some color. Tao Han carried two large bags of milk tea and coffee—sixteen cups in total, as many as she could manage. She smiled and said, "I came just in time." Shi Wenli smiled faintly. "You didn't have to go to the trouble." "Just a few drinks, no trouble at all." She kept one coffee for herself and handed out the rest to Ding Qihang and the others. "Thank you." "Thanks." ... Everyone wondered what relationship this beautiful woman had with their Director Shi. She seemed very familiar with him. Tao Han handed the cup of coffee to Shi Wenli. "Just picked one at random." Shi Wenli took it. "Thanks." After Ding Qihang finished distributing the drinks, he turned and saw the coffee in Shi Wenli's hand—the same flavor as yesterday's lunch. Could it be that yesterday's coffee and fruit platter were also ordered by this woman? Tao Han followed Shi Wenli to his office. Besides thanking her old classmate for his concern about her father, she also had another reason for coming today: the anesthesiologist Xu Qinghe. Not daring to ask directly, she started by talking about her father. "When I video-called my dad at noon, he specifically asked me to thank the cardiac surgeons and Dr. Xu in Anesthesiology." She sat down in the chair opposite Shi Wenli. "From what my dad says, you seem to have a good relationship with Dr. Xu?" Shi Wenli said, "It is good. We're partners at work and friends outside." Tao Han seized the opportunity. "Perfect, then I'd like to ask you something." "Go ahead." "Is Dr. Xu single?" Shi Wenli didn't answer immediately. He smiled faintly. "Why do you ask?" It was a long story. Tao Han said that her first impression of Xu Qinghe was excellent—beautiful and gentle. That day, when she thought her father had secretly smoked and cried in anger, Xu Qinghe had patiently comforted her. Affection between people often starts with a small thing. "My cousin, same year as us. He was the class monitor of the neighboring class. I don't know if you remember." Shi Wenli remembered. By now, he already knew what Tao Han was getting at. Tao Han said directly, "During my father's illness, my cousin has been running around tirelessly. I couldn't have managed alone. My father was still worrying about him not being married even before he went into surgery." "My cousin has been busy with his career and delayed personal matters." "He's outstanding in character and ability among his peers." She thought he wasn't far behind Shi Wenli. Her cousin's family background was even better than hers. "If Dr. Xu is single, I'd like to introduce them. Dr. Xu is the ideal sister-in-law in my mind." Shi Wenli: "..." He smiled and said, "Dr. Xu is not single." Tao Han felt a pang of regret. She had actually guessed this outcome. Xu Qinghe was strikingly beautiful, so she must have no shortage of suitors. She had held out a sliver of hope because she knew anesthesiologists were especially busy, too busy to date. "Is her boyfriend also a doctor?" she asked casually. "Yes." Shi Wenli didn't intend to hide it. He paused and said, "It's me." Tao Han was stunned. "You?" She laughed and touched her forehead. She had inadvertently asked the person himself. "Sorry, sorry. My apologies." Shi Wenli said, "It's fine." Tao Han realized belatedly, "No wonder Dr. Xu knew our relationship so well and even your child's age. I should have thought of it." If they weren't close, how could she have known which female colleague he had met in the outpatient clinic? She patted her head. "I haven't slept well lately; my reactions are slow. When can I drink to your wedding?" Shi Wenli said, "The wedding will probably be next fall or by the end of next year." "That's soon. The New Year is almost here. Congratulations." Tao Han said that during the Spring Festival holiday, she would invite the couple out for a gathering. It was getting late. She took her leave. "You're busy; I won't keep you." Shi Wenli put down his coffee and stood up to see her to the door. "No need to see me off. Stay." Tao Han left. Shi Wenli sat back at his desk. He had case discussions next, so he had no time to dwell on the morning's interactions with Xu Qinghe or the wedding date. -- After the case discussion, Shi Wenli returned to his office. The others didn't leave immediately but gathered in small groups, whispering, asking each other if they had noticed that Director Shi seemed very different today. They weren't sure if the change was related to the woman who had brought coffee in the afternoon. But they were certain that Director Shi was in a better mood than usual. As for the relationship between the woman and Director Shi, they couldn't tell yet and would have to see if she visited the neurosurgery office again or brought more coffee. Shi Wenli thought they were staying late to discuss the content of today's teaching rounds. Xu Qinghe messaged him: [I'll still have to work until around 7. Maybe you go back first?] Shi Wenli: [I have nothing to do at home. I'll wait for you.] In the evening, he planned to make her chicken breast salad, which was simple and didn't require going home early to prepare. He worked in the office until 6:50, then changed out of his white coat. The OB/GYN colleague still hadn't come to see him, so it seemed she had confirmed that her headache wasn't from nerve compression but from the stress of tutoring her child. He remembered Shi Miao saying, "I probably won't have time to tutor my kids; I'll leave that to Min Ting. Bro, you can have him tutor yours too." Straight-A students don't always produce straight-A children. Like that OB/GYN colleague: she and her husband were both PhDs, but their child's grades were mediocre. Every time they tutored, their tempers flared. He hoped Min Ting wouldn't get headaches in the future. Shi Wenli walked toward the elevator, messaging Xu Qinghe: [I'm at the elevator. Press the button for my floor when you come down.] Xu Qinghe thought he would wait for her in the car, not that he would take the same elevator down. She had just come out of the changing room. [OK] There were over a dozen elevators, six of which stopped on odd-numbered floors. Shi Wenli watched each one. Two minutes later, the farthest elevator stopped on the neurosurgery floor. Hearing the soft whoosh of the doors opening, he quickly walked over. Xu Qinghe pressed the open-door button and smiled. "Have you had dinner yet?" Shi Wenli said, "I ate at the cafeteria." Both deliberately avoided recalling the scene in the car that morning. They pretended to be calm and composed. Shi Wenli mentioned that the moving date had changed: "Changed to the 29th." Xu Qinghe was surprised. "Did you know I'm on duty on the 28th?" According to the hospital's arrangement, elective surgeries were basically halted two days before the Spring Festival unless emergency cases couldn't be delayed. Their Anesthesia Department had also started duty mode. But the schedule had only come out today. Shi Wenli said, "I only found out because Jiang Yang told me." "I didn't expect him to pay attention to our duty schedule first thing." Shi Wenli guessed, "When he volunteered to take charge of the move, he probably considered that we're close and that you'd regret not coming. So he looked into when you'd be on duty." Xu Qinghe praised Jiang Yang. "He can be quite thoughtful sometimes." For example, when he was trying to set Qi Ruo up, he worried about educational compatibility and even asked for her opinion. The elevator stopped on the first floor. They walked out one after the other. Out of habit, Xu Qinghe raised her hand to take his arm. The next second, she realized they were at the hospital, not in their apartment building's elevator. Colleagues from another department got out of the adjacent elevator and greeted Shi Wenli. Xu Qinghe's hand was already halfway up, so she pretended to brush off some dirt from her sleeve. As the group chatted, they exited the main building. Shi Wenli turned to her and said, "Dr. Xu, just wait here. I'll get the car." In front of colleagues, Xu Qinghe responded naturally, "Okay." The security guard watched them. They were indeed dating. -- After leaving the hospital, Shi Wenli handed his phone to Xu Qinghe. He had picked out some snacks and fruits and asked her to check if she wanted anything else to add. Xu Qinghe said she didn't need to buy anything; she was going home to stay with her parents tomorrow. Shi Wenli felt like she had only been there a short while; a week had passed without him noticing. Before going to sleep, Xu Qinghe began organizing her belongings, planning to take them home during the morning commute tomorrow so her parents wouldn't notice anything unusual when they returned. "Not done yet?" Shi Wenli walked in. Xu Qinghe turned her head. "Almost." Shi Wenli helped pack the clothes into a tote bag and asked if she had any plans for Saturday afternoon. "No," Xu Qinghe replied. "And you?" Shi Wenli looked at her and said, "I plan to go buy rings on Saturday afternoon." He said it matter-of-factly, but for some reason, Xu Qinghe found it more thrilling than an elaborately planned surprise. Shi Wenli continued, "Take a nap at noon, and we'll go together after you wake up. I've looked at a few brands; we can browse them all." Xu Qinghe nodded. "Okay." She steadied her breath before adding, "You have outpatient duty on Saturday morning, right?" "Yes. I'll be off in the afternoon." Shi Wenli packed all the clothes and placed the tote bag on the windowsill. Seeing she still had a knit top in her hands, he took it and put it into another bag. Once everything was in order, the washing machine played a jingle. Her laundry was done. Shi Wenli said, "I'll hang it up." Xu Qinghe followed him to the balcony. She was worried she might forget these clothes in the rush of the morning. "If I forget to collect these in the morning, remind me." Shi Wenli said, "It's fine if you forget. I'll bring them to you when they're dry." While he was reaching up to hang the clothes, Xu Qinghe gently massaged his shoulders. They stood very close. She held her breath. "Are your shoulders sore?" "Not really today. I only had one surgery this morning." Xu Qinghe continued to knead. It wouldn't do much to relax him, but it allowed them to be close. Her loosely clenched fist tapped softly on his sweater. Not much force. When Shi Wenli finished hanging the clothes, she withdrew her hand. He turned off the balcony light, and they went back to the living room. Xu Qinghe glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 10:30. "I'm going to sleep. You should too." Shi Wenli nodded. "Okay." Just as she reached the bedroom door and was about to enter, he called out, "Qinghe." Xu Qinghe turned around. "What is it?" "Nothing. Just want to say goodnight." Shi Wenli walked toward her. Xu Qinghe understood instantly. He was coming to kiss her, not wanting their pre-sleep routine to end with just a dry goodnight. Both of them wanted to nurture this relationship and were striving to overcome their shyness, taking the initiative to kiss each other. When Shi Wenli leaned in, Xu Qinghe couldn't help but tilt her head and meet his lips. The kiss in the car that morning had been too sudden; neither had had time to savor it. Now, in the quiet of the home, no one disturbed them, and there was no rush to go to work. As their lips met, they were completely absorbed in each other. It was supposed to be just a goodnight kiss before bed. They kissed for nearly a minute before parting. Xu Qinghe's breath was still uneven. She said again, "Goodnight." Shi Wenli said, "Goodnight."