By the window was an ornate sofa; Xu Qinghe invited him to sit.
Shi Wenli didn't sit on the sofa; instead, he sat down by the dressing table.
There weren't many cosmetics on the table; it was piled with professional books, sticky notes, and pens—the dressing table had long become her temporary desk.
Glancing around the opulent bedroom again, he decided to ask directly, “Is this a style you used to like? Or one you've liked recently?”
If it was a style she had taken a liking to in the past year or two, he would consider redecorating the new house.
“Neither—my mom likes the palace style.”
Xu Qinghe had forgotten that her bed wasn't very neat; she was quietly tidying up.
Her mother usually organized her things, and the housekeeper came twice a week. Recently, her parents were on business trips, and it wasn't time for the housekeeper yet, so the bed was in its natural state after getting up.
Shi Wenli completely understood why she didn't make the bed—she got up so early in the morning; there was no time.
Her bed wasn't that messy; Shi Miao's bed was the real mess, with the blanket bunched up.
Over the years, he had seen his sister's bed so many times that he was used to it.
In her room, which had a romantic vibe, the slightly messy covers actually added a touch of laziness and casualness.
But she seemed determined to smooth the quilt, not allowing even a single crease.
Shi Wenli put down his water glass, walked around to the other side of the bed, and helped smooth the other side.
Xu Qinghe felt a bit embarrassed: “I can do it myself.”
Once the bed was finally neat, he sat back down by the dressing table.
Xu Qinghe felt a bit warm; she pushed up the loose sleeve of her sweater.
She noticed he was still examining the room's decoration and explained, “My mom liked the palace style since she was young, and their wedding apartment was also in this style. As long as I can remember, there hasn't been any other style in the house. Over the years, no matter where we bought a house, even if it was a temporary place, my dad would have it meticulously designed.”
Maybe because she had seen so much elaborate decoration since childhood, she especially wanted a minimalist home.
She joked, “Because I like buying Crocs, my dad says I kind of ruin my mom's taste.”
Shi Wenli laughed: “Not really.”
What he saw was that her parents had a particularly good relationship.
He hoped that one day, their children would also “complain” about him and her like that.
Xu Qinghe had invited him over to give him a gift.
She had planned to give it to him this morning, but she was called back to the hospital for surgery last night.
The gift was right behind him on the dressing table.
After buying it, she had bought wrapping paper at the flower shop near the community and wrapped it simply.
Xu Qinghe bent down to pick up her pajamas from the head of the bed, pretending to put them in the washing machine: “Director Shi, could you do me a favor?”
“Go ahead.”
Xu Qinghe walked out while pointing at the dressing table: “Help me unwrap that gift and see what it is.”
Shi Wenli didn't think much of it: “Sure.”
It was a very small gift; he thought it was from one of her colleagues in the anesthesiology department.
Opening the outermost light brown wrapping paper, he found a square gift box of the same color. Lifting the lid, there was a sticky note on top with just a few words: 【For Shi Wenli】
It was a pair of exquisite white wireless Bluetooth noise-canceling earbuds.
For him, the most practical gift.
Footsteps sounded at the door; Xu Qinghe entered the room.
Shi Wenli turned his face, and her gaze happened to meet his.
A smile spread across his face: “I didn't expect to unwrap a gift that's for myself. Thank you.”
Xu Qinghe bit her lip: “Actually... there's another gift, but I'm not sure if it's appropriate to give.”
Hearing her say “appropriate,” Shi Wenli first thought of: “Are you planning to give me a surgical cap? It's fine, go ahead and give it.”
If she did, he would wear the same style as hers.
Xu Qinghe shook her head, saying he guessed wrong.
She wanted to give him a sweater.
Given their current level of intimacy, she wasn't sure if it was too soon to give it, so she was hesitating.
Shi Wenli looked at her and said, “Since you've already bought it, you must think it suits me.”
Xu Qinghe stopped struggling and told him directly: “It's a sweater.”
Shi Wenli finally understood why she was hesitant. Unlike the earbuds or the Crocs he had given her for the OR, a sweater is intimate clothing.
He smiled and said, “I'm ready to accept the gift. Are you giving it today, or will you give it to me another day?”
“I'll go get it.”
She had bought the sweater while shopping on Sunday morning; she had spent the whole morning finding a style that suited him.