Her father lamented that it was all Dean Jiang's incompetence that made him miss out on such a wonderful son-in-law.
From the airport to home, her father kept grumbling. She got a headache from listening, so she asked for a photo to see what this good man who had her father sighing so deeply actually looked like.
Her father said Shi Wenli wasn't photogenic; pictures couldn't capture even one percent of his charisma. You had to see him in person.
She told her father not to exaggerate.
Her father argued confidently: "Don't you trust my judgment? Based on how well I chose your mother, you can trust me without a doubt!"
He even managed to praise his wife while boasting.
She happened to have a surgery observation at the hospital the day after tomorrow. If she ran into him, she'd take a look at the real him.
If not, that was fine. She already had someone in her heart and wasn't curious about other men at all.
Jiang Yang asked, "What's up? Why did you call?"
Qi Ruo: "I'm coming to your hospital the day after tomorrow to observe surgeries. Wait for me for lunch."
Jiang Yang agreed, then couldn't help sighing. "If only you had come back a day earlier. You could have met Brother Shi as a semi-colleague, and there might have been a chance. But now my dad completely ruined it this afternoon."
At the mention of Shi Wenli, Xu Qinghe instinctively glanced at the car screen. So the other person was the blind date Dean Jiang had set up for Shi Wenli.
Qi Ruo's voice came through the speaker again. "Even if I came back two days earlier, Dr. Shi and I wouldn't have fate. It was just my dad's wishful thinking."
They chatted about other things for a bit before hanging up.
Jiang Yang's curiosity piqued. He turned to look at Xu Qinghe beside him. "Sis, you're close with Brother Shi. You know him. What kind of person do you think he's looking for?"
Xu Qinghe answered honestly, "I really don't know much about his love life."
Jiang Yang: "Then let's ask him at dinner."
As for what Shi Wenli liked or his standards for a partner, Xu Qinghe wanted to know too.
During the year he was abroad for training, whenever she had free time, she couldn't help thinking about him.
When you miss someone, it's easy to let your mind wander.
She wondered if he had met someone he liked during the year, or if anyone had introduced a suitable girlfriend.
She even wondered if he had ever liked someone before.
...
When the two arrived, Shi Wenli had just brought the hearty tomato wonton soup to the table.
"Brother Shi!" Jiang Yang called from outside the door.
Followed by urgent knocking.
As if he couldn't wait to eat the wontons.
"Coming," Shi Wenli said as he went to open the door.
The moment the door opened, Xu Qinghe smiled at him as usual.
She didn't know the director was already trying to set them up, so she said naturally, "The freeloader has arrived."
Shi Wenli smiled slightly and invited them in, trying not to let them notice anything unusual.
As soon as Xu Qinghe entered, she noticed something different on the dining table.
A few days ago when she came up to pick up handwritten medical records, the vase was empty. Now there was a bunch of chamomile in the vase, accented with a few stems of green bellflower, paired with a light green checkered tablecloth—warm and elegant.
Shi Wenli opened the barbecue skewers and arranged them on a plate.
Xu Qinghe asked, "Did you arrange these flowers yourself? They're beautiful."
Shi Wenli glanced at the vase. "The florist suggested this combination. They're not very fresh anymore. They looked better when I first bought them."
Xu Qinghe gently touched the green bellflower. "I've been living more and more roughly. Haven't bought flowers in years."
Shi Wenli said, "I don't usually buy them either. The vase sits empty all year. A few days ago, my brother-in-law's birthday, he came over for dinner, so I decorated a bit."
No wonder everyone wanted him as a brother-in-law.
Setting aside her feelings for him, she also wanted to be family with him.
Jiang Yang washed his hands and plopped down at the table, bringing up Min Ting's birthday dinner. "I saw on your moments. You made a whole table of dishes for President Min's birthday. I was so envious."
Shi Wenli arranged the skewers and sat down across from him. "I've been busy lately. When I have time during the New Year, I'll invite you all over for a meal."
Xu Qinghe took off her coat, casually tossed it onto the sofa, rolled up the sleeves of her thin sweater, and prepared to wash her hands.
She didn't just barge into a man's bathroom, so she turned into the kitchen.
The kitchen wasn't big—could fit at most two or three people. It was tidy and clean, with almost no trace of oil fumes.
After washing her hands, she hesitated over whether to sit next to Shi Wenli or on Jiang Yang's side.
"Sis, quick, come try Brother Shi's cooking."
Jiang Yang enthusiastically pulled out the chair next to him.
Someone made the decision for her, saving her the trouble of agonizing. She sat down directly.
She had barely tasted a wonton when Jiang Yang eagerly asked, "How is it? Didn't I lie? Isn't it so good you almost swallow your tongue?"