Shi Wenli then asked what she wanted to eat for the housewarming dinner, telling her to order whatever she liked.
Xu Qinghe wasn't picky: "I'll eat whatever you cook."
As she spoke, she fed a strawberry to his lips.
They had never been so intimate before. When she offered the strawberry, for a second or two, she didn't know where to look.
But she didn't allow herself to retreat. Instead, she met his eyes.
"Try it. The strawberries are good today."
Shi Wenli took a bite of the strawberry and gestured for her to eat more herself: "I bought them specially for you. Eat up."
Just as he finished speaking, there was a knock at the office door, followed by a voice: "Chief Shi?"
Xu Qinghe's heart tightened.
She quickly closed the container and pushed it to the side near the computer, while her other hand flipped open the folder.
At the same time she closed the container, Shi Wenli called out to the door: "Come in."
The door opened. Xu Qinghe was earnestly reading the folder, a blue-black pen in her hand.
The whole thing took about two or three seconds.
When it came to speed, accuracy, and steady hands, few could match her.
Every time the emergency department encountered a difficult airway intubation failure, Director Su would call her first.
The person who entered was the head of another neurosurgery team. Seeing Xu Qinghe there, he wasn't surprised—after all, she often visited his office too.
"Dr. Xu is here too."
Xu Qinghe smiled and greeted him: "I came to discuss the anesthesia plan for post-holiday surgeries with Chief Shi."
As she spoke, she closed the folder and stood up. "We've pretty much finished. Please, take a seat."
"Chief Shi, I'll be off. If anything else comes up, we can talk on the phone."
As she walked out of Shi Wenli's office, Xu Qinghe breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
From now on, if there were no surgeries, she should try to avoid coming here too often.
Before she reached the nurses' station, she saw a beautiful woman walking gracefully from the ward entrance, holding a bouquet of flowers.
Xu Qinghe thought the woman looked familiar but couldn't immediately place where she had seen her.
"Dr. Xu! What a coincidence." Tao Han approached with elegant steps.
Xu Qinghe remembered who she was. Today, Tao Han was dressed especially exquisitely—she hadn't recognized her at first glance.
She smiled in response: "Are you here to see Chief Shi?"
"Yes and no." Tao Han smiled as she stepped closer, handing the delicate bouquet into Xu Qinghe's arms. "I couldn't find your office, so I was going to ask Shi Wenli to pass it along. Lucky me, I can give it to you in person."
Since they were classmates, she used his name casually.
Xu Qinghe accepted the flowers: "Thank you."
"I should be the one thanking you." Tao Han still remembered how Xu Qinghe had patiently comforted her when she was emotionally distraught and crying.
Xu Qinghe asked with concern: "How is your father now?"
"He's doing well. He mentioned you several times before I came."
Every time her father brought up Xu Qinghe, he was full of praise.
The whole family regretted that Xu Qinghe hadn't become her cousin's wife.
"I already told Shi Wenli—we should all get together during the New Year."
Xu Qinghe politely agreed: "Sure."
They were only about four or five meters from the nurses' station, and the nurses had heard their conversation clearly.
They exchanged glances.
So this beautiful woman, who had brought them fruit platters several times and always draped a shawl, really was Chief Shi's blind date.
Tao Han almost forgot one thing: "My brain—pregnancy brain, they say. I was just about to congratulate you earlier, but I got sidetracked. I'm looking forward to your wedding banquet with a certain someone."
Xu Qinghe's lips curved up: "Thank you."
The nurses at the station were dumbfounded.
No way—Chief Shi already has a child?
And Dr. Xu and her boyfriend are about to tie the knot too?
Tao Han didn't go to Shi Wenli's office; she had already thanked him over the phone that morning.
So she left the neurosurgery ward with Xu Qinghe, chatting animatedly along the way.
Over the next few days, rumors about Shi Wenli's blind date became increasingly chaotic, with all sorts of stories circulating.
Some said his partner was a doctor from a neighboring hospital; others insisted it was someone from their own hospital.
There were even rumors that Shi Wenli had already become a father.