Shi Wenli said, "From now on, I'll play with you alone. I won't invite anyone else."
His level was similar to Wu Xiaofeng's, and they often played together. After finishing the massage on the right side of her neck and shoulders, he moved to the other side. "It doesn't matter if your skills are poor. I'll practice with you for a few years, and you'll gradually improve."
Xu Qinghe said, "You should invite whoever you usually do. Just give me half an hour after you're done with them. I don't have much strength in my arms, so I can't play for long." She joked, "If I monopolized your time, Wu Xiaofeng would probably go to Section Chief Wu and complain that I'm deliberately retaliating against him."
Shi Wenli laughed softly.
Speaking of Wu Xiaofeng, he asked, "Wu Xiaofeng blacklisted you, right?"
Xu Qinghe nodded. "That's about right."
"Then focus on building up your surgery numbers in other departments for now. Leave orthopedics alone. Wu Xiaofeng probably thinks I'll plead your case. If I ask, he'll definitely give me face. But I think you did nothing wrong, so there's no need to plead. Let's see how Dean Jiang handles this." Shi Wenli planned, "If Dean Jiang gets too busy and forgets, I'll remind him in a couple of days."
Xu Qinghe said, "Great minds think alike. I was also planning to remind Dean Jiang in a few days. Also, about the suggestions I wrote in my self-criticism, I'll ask him how his research on them is coming along."
Shi Wenli said, "Let me do the talking. It'll be more effective coming from me than from you."
The massage time was up. He turned off the fascia gun. "Get some rest early. You haven't slept well the past couple of days. Try not to drink coffee tomorrow."
Xu Qinghe turned to face him, suddenly remembering. "My clothes are still in the washing machine, unwashed. Tell me how to set it, and I'll do them myself from now on."
Shi Wenli said, "We're moving out soon anyway. No need to remember. I'll tell you about the new place. You go to sleep. You don't have to wait up to hang the laundry. I'll hang it once it's done."
Xu Qinghe was about to feel embarrassed, but then she thought, he had already taken in and folded her clothes today. "Then I'll go to sleep now."
Only then did she realize that she was almost encircled by his legs. The posture was so intimate. She steadied herself by his knees and slowly stood up. "Good night. You get some sleep too."
Shi Wenli: "Good night. I'll go to bed after the laundry's done."
As soon as she rose, the lingering scent that had been around him also dissipated. The door to the master bedroom closed. He steadied himself, grabbed his pajamas, and took a shower.
Xu Qinghe had just gotten into bed when a message came from the family group.
Father: [It's been a big temperature drop lately. You must be swamped?]
Xu Qinghe: [It's okay. I was only called in for one night shift.]
Father: [Your aunt cleaned your room today and noticed your toiletries and toothbrush cup are missing. She said you probably have consecutive night shifts this week.]
Xu Qinghe: "..."
She had a momentary lapse of reason when she brought her toothbrush and cup over. She hadn't planned to tell her parents about staying over.
Father: [Your mother and I will be back Friday.]
Xu Qinghe: [That soon?]
Previously, when her parents went on business trips, she would eagerly await their return from the moment they left.
Father: [Six or seven days isn't that soon.]
But Xu Qinghe was thinking that she would have to go back to her own place on Friday. Counting tonight, she could stay at Shi Wenli's for at most three more nights. If she got called in for emergency surgery again, she wouldn't even get three nights.
Mother asked: [How are things going with Shi Wenli?]
Xu Qinghe: [Pretty well. He's made me breakfast every morning and brought it to me.]
Xu Qinghe: [Oh, and I invited him over to my place yesterday for a visit.]
Mother: [I'm relieved to hear you're getting along. Your father and I are happy.]
Father: [Did you invite him over to see those two rooms full of Crocs?]
Xu Qinghe: "..."
Mother @Father: [Talk less, and people will like you more.]
Father: [Go to bed early. You have surgery all day tomorrow.]
Xu Qinghe said good night to her parents and turned off the light to sleep. She thought she would fall asleep quickly tonight, having started to get used to the place. But she overestimated herself.
One moment she would think about how gentle and attentive Shi Wenli was, and feel unspeakably satisfied. The next, she would remember that her parents were coming home soon and she would have to live apart from him, and her heart would ache. Then she thought about how the Spring Festival was approaching, and the countdown to his move was on. The more she thought, the more awake she became. Before she knew it, an hour had passed. She closed her eyes and forced herself to feel sleepy. After more than ten minutes, she still wasn't the least bit drowsy.
She would probably be up until the early hours again. Xu Qinghe reached for her phone and sent a message to Shi Wenli: [You'll have to wake me up again tomorrow morning.]
Shi Wenli had already hung the laundry and prepared her breakfast for the next day. He was about to go to sleep. His phone vibrated; he thought it was a work group message.
Shi Wenli: [Why aren't you asleep yet?] He asked with concern: [Are you thinking about the complaint?]
Xu Qinghe: [No. I never think about work when I get home. I'm just not sleepy.]
Xu Qinghe: [It's okay. I'm just not used to a new place yet. Go to sleep.]
Shi Wenli: [I'm not that sleepy either. Good timing for a chat.]
At any time, Xu Qinghe could talk endlessly with him. She glanced at the time: [Okay, ten minutes then.]
Neither of them went to the living room. They chatted directly on their phones. Xu Qinghe joked that this was like a dormitory pillow talk. She teased: [When I have time, I'll write a short romance novel. I'll call it "The Director Shi Who Lives in the Room Next to Me" or "The Neurosurgery God Living Next Door."]
Shi Wenli laughed: [Do all girls like reading these kinds of novels? Shi Miao used to read romance novels by flashlight in middle school. But what she read was always about CEOs.] He vaguely remembered one title: [Something like "Heartless CEO, Moment of Danger."]
Xu Qinghe couldn't help laughing. Shi Miao had always been cool and aloof; it was surprising she had that kind of interest.
Shi Wenli: [Let's not talk about this anymore. It'll only make you more excited and harder to fall asleep.]
Shi Wenli: [Let's talk about something that'll make you drowsy.]
Xu Qinghe said bluntly: [Lately, I feel like nothing can make me sleepy. Even if you talk about our director now, I'll be wide awake.]
Shi Wenli laughed at the last part. He said: [Then let's talk about something you're interested in.]
Everything Xu Qinghe was interested in had to do with him. She thought for a moment: [Let's talk about you.]
Shi Wenli: [Sure. What aspect?] She knew almost everything about him.
Xu Qinghe: [I want to hear your views on marriage.]
She asked: [What do you think about taking it slow versus a flash marriage? If you had to choose, which would you pick?]
Shi Wenli: [I can manage either. Building feelings gradually is fine; a flash marriage is also okay.]
Xu Qinghe looked at his reply on the screen—so he wasn't opposed to either. She began to hesitate, wondering whether she should voice her own thoughts.
Shi Wenli waited for two minutes. Seeing that she was still silent, he also wanted to know her thoughts: [What about you?]
Xu Qinghe: [Same as you. I'm okay with either. Maybe because my blind date is you, I think whichever way, it will be happy.]
If she followed her heart, of course, she thought a flash marriage with him would be better. That way, she wouldn't have to worry about how to date after he moved. Becoming husband and wife would definitely feel different from now.
Xu Qinghe added: [Shi Miao had a flash marriage, and their relationship seems great.]
Shi Wenli: [They are indeed good. They've managed their relationship very well.]
Xu Qinghe had confidence that she could manage a relationship well too. After hesitating for a few more seconds, she finally sent it: [How about we have a flash marriage too?]
The advantage of messaging was that her breath caught while typing that line, but he couldn't see it.
Shi Wenli hadn't yet considered the specific timing of marriage, only thinking about how to bring them closer. He didn't make her wait long before replying: [Okay. When Uncle and Aunt come back from their trip, I'll go see them. After meeting the parents, we'll pick a date to get the certificate.]