Seeing she was about to leave, Shi Wenli asked, "Have plans this afternoon?"
Xu Qinghe turned to meet his gaze. "No. You get a good nap. I'll go home and review case files, and come back later."
Shi Wenli told her not to pack up. "I don't have night shifts this week, so I don't need a nap. I'll just sleep early tonight. You're alone at home anyway, so stay here and continue working in the afternoon."
The atmosphere of this dining table was what she liked, and the flowers in the vase were fresh.
So Xu Qinghe put her bag down again, took out her laptop, and plugged it back in.
"What about you? What are you planning to do this afternoon?"
Shi Wenli picked up his coat and put it on. "First, I'll pick up your package."
As for the afternoon, he planned to find the reference book he had previously translated for her on his phone and read it again. "You said yesterday you wanted to stay home? I'll be home too. I'm too busy at work and haven't had time to spend with you."
Since they started trying to be together, he had never hidden his kindness toward her.
At this moment, Xu Qinghe thought that even if she hadn't had any feelings for him before and was only pushed together by the director, she would probably fall for this man quickly as they spent time together.
He never seemed to think taking the initiative was a bad thing.
She pointed at her laptop. "I'll work overtime this afternoon. You do your own thing; you don't need to keep me company."
As long as he was in this room, that was company enough.
"I don't have much to do," Shi Wenli said, buttoning his coat with one hand while holding his phone with the other.
Xu Qinghe thought of something. "Aren't you moving soon? You could pack up this afternoon."
Shi Wenli said, "I'll pack tonight. No rush."
Mentioning the move, Xu Qinghe joked, "The director should have set us up earlier. If we'd gotten together two years ago, we'd not only see each other every day, but I'd also have eaten your cooking sooner."
Shi Wenli replied in a playful tone, "A few years ago, your eyes were only on cardiac anesthesia. Even if Director Zhao wanted to play matchmaker, he would have been the second Dean Jiang."
Now Dean Jiang had become synonymous with rejecting blind dates.
Xu Qinghe said softly with a light laugh, "If it were you being set up, even a few years earlier, I would have agreed."
"Anyway... I probably wouldn't have refused you."
Any further explanation would only be counterproductive, so she stopped there.
Seeing he was about to leave, she put down her mouse. "I'll go with you."
Before he could respond, she quickly walked to the sofa and grabbed her down jacket.
Shi Wenli headed for the door. "It's just one package. Why would two people need to go? Why are you being so polite with me? Stay home. I'll go alone."
Xu Qinghe wasn't being polite; she wanted to do everything with him.
She strode to the door and gently pressed against his arm, pushing him out. "It's not being polite. I see other couples—they accompany each other even to pick up the tiniest package."
They stepped out one after the other, and Xu Qinghe closed the door behind her.
Her right hand was still against his arm. Suddenly, she didn't want to let go, so she hooked her wrist and loosely looped it around his arm.
The moment she looped it, her hand stiffened, and she forgot how to walk.
Her breath grew tighter.
His scent filled her chest, leaving almost no oxygen.
Having taken this step, how was she supposed to face him next? There was no room for her to think.
He held his phone, his arm hanging naturally at his side. When she loosely looped it, she felt too shy to grip him tightly.
Shi Wenli was also caught off guard.
He glanced sideways at her; her earlobes were turning red.
Having known her for so many years, she was used to getting along with him with a sense of boundaries. Suddenly becoming boyfriend and girlfriend and having to interact without awkwardness—he knew it was hard for her.
Sensing that looping her arm like this would tire her, Shi Wenli discreetly raised his hand, brushing his thumb against the phone screen as if checking the time.
As he raised his hand, his arm bent at a perfect ninety-degree angle, giving her hand a place to hang.
Xu Qinghe's hand finally stopped feeling so stiff.
Perhaps feeling her hand would still get tired, he tucked his arm inward, slightly clamping her hand.
Everything was so fitting, leaving no embarrassment for her after taking the initiative.
Shi Wenli broke the silence, his tone normal. "The surgical caps should arrive tomorrow afternoon. I'll pick them up from the package station on my way home in the evening."
Xu Qinghe knew he was deliberately making conversation to prevent her from feeling awkward.
She nodded. "Okay."
In just over ten seconds, they reached the elevator.
The elevator door was narrow, so it was inconvenient to keep looping arms inside. She was about to let go.
The elevator door opened. Shi Wenli put his phone into his coat pocket and withdrew his arm. Just as her hand was about to fall empty with nothing to hold, he took her hand instead and led her into the elevator, not forgetting to turn back and remind her, "Mind the elevator door."
Xu Qinghe's breath was stolen. "It's fine."
Once she was inside and steady, Shi Wenli transferred her hand to his right, switching hands to hold her.