No one else in the entire surgical area wore their surgical cap as tightly as she did.
Since her hand was already up, she had to pretend to adjust the mask around her neck, moving it to one side.
After adjusting the mask, she unconsciously reached for more eggplant.
Seeing this, Shi Wenli pushed his tray closer to hers, the two trays almost touching.
She kept her head down, eating, unlike before when she would have endless things to say to him.
In the past, sometimes even a pre-operative visit for neurosurgery could take up the entire meal.
Today, she was unusually silent.
She probably hadn't figured out how to face him as a boyfriend instead of a colleague.
He started the conversation. "How did Director Zhao persuade you?"
In Shi Wenli's view, Xu Qinghe, like him, had never thought about marriage or settling down in the short term, let alone with a colleague she saw every day.
Zhao Mingde must have put in a lot of effort to convince her to go on a blind date with him.
And he was somewhat curious: what made a person so determined to stay single finally agree to a blind date?
Xu Qinghe looked up at him, thinking about how to answer.
"The director said that if I miss you, I'll never find someone better or more suitable. He also said you cook well, and if we get together, I won't have to eat boiled eggs every day anymore."
She answered honestly. "I'm also quite craving your cooking."
"..."
Shi Wenli laughed softly.
That was a reason he had never expected.
He never thought that one day, his culinary skills would become his most prominent advantage.
Xu Qinghe continued. "After the director said that, I calmed down and thought seriously. I realized you really are exceptionally good."
She knew that just saying he was "exceptionally good" wouldn't convince him.
After all, his excellence was obvious to everyone, and it wasn't as if these qualities were new.
Her image of finding romance a waste of time was deeply ingrained in his mind.
She agreed to the director's matchmaking so readily; she needed a reason that would make him believe her.
After careful consideration, she looked at him and took the opportunity to confide. "The other reason I agreed to the blind date is... maybe we've been friends for so long that I'm used to being this close to you. I thought, one day if you have a blind date or a girlfriend, you'll definitely keep your distance from me. And I would definitely keep my distance from you too."
This was something that made her sad just thinking about it.
"I thought, you're my only close friend, and I can't lose you. The best way not to lose you is to be together."
Shi Wenli paused.
He didn't expect they had been thinking the same thing.
After Director Zhao's matchmaking, he seriously considered this issue.
In the future, whether she had a boyfriend or he had a girlfriend, they would gradually keep their distance.
Actually, keeping distance wasn't a big deal, but they interacted so often that it would be hard to cut ties without reluctance.
When he realized he felt reluctant to part with her, he knew he shouldn't look for other blind dates.
Xu Qinghe picked another crispy shrimp ball from his tray.
"How many surgeries this afternoon?" Shi Wenli changed the subject.
Xu Qinghe held up a hand. "Five, all minor general surgeries."
Shi Wenli: "I only have one in the afternoon, so I should finish earlier than you."
He offered, "Let's head home together after work. If you have a craving for dinner, just message me on WeChat."
Xu Qinghe couldn't leave early. "You go ahead. After surgery, I still need to follow up on a few post-op patients. It might take until seven or eight. For dinner, I'll just grab half a corn and a bowl of porridge from the cafeteria around five or six. You don't need to wait for me specially."
Shi Wenli: "Then I'll eat at the cafeteria like before and go back to the office to work overtime. Come find me when you're done."
That way, neither would waste the other's time, and they could still go home together.
Xu Qinghe said softly, "Okay."
This gentle side of her was only seen by Shi Wenli.
All along, the way he saw her was vastly different from how other surgeons saw her.
To him, she was always like a luminous pearl.
Now that their relationship was confirmed, Shi Wenli didn't intend to hide it. He asked her opinion first: "Before I move, I'd like to meet your parents and treat my team to a meal. What day do you think would be good?"
"So soon?"
Xu Qinghe wasn't mentally prepared to be open about it among colleagues.
Shi Wenli respected her wishes: "If it's too fast, you decide the timing."
Xu Qinghe glanced at the colleagues at nearby tables; they were all chatting among themselves, not paying attention to her and Shi Wenli.