With the wedding rings bought and the proposal done, Xu Qinghe felt completely satisfied. She suggested they go play badminton in the afternoon. Shi Wenli had planned to take her shopping—since they got together, aside from buying rings today, he hadn't taken her out yet. Xu Qinghe said she didn't need anything: "My parents bought me a bunch of clothes this morning when they got my shoes. I won't need to buy any clothes for the next six months." She had another reason for not wanting to shop: "What if we run into colleagues out shopping for the New Year?" With his height and presence, Shi Wenli stood out wherever he went. When it was crowded, they might not see their colleagues, but their colleagues might notice them. She waved the diamond ring on her finger—wasn't that like announcing it to the world?
Shi Wenli said, "Then let's go to the badminton court." After saying that, he felt something was off. His eyes fell on her outfit, and he added with a smile, "You can't play in those clothes and shoes." Xu Qinghe laughed too: "Silly me, I totally forgot." Shi Wenli said, "I'll book a session at four. We'll go home and change first; there's plenty of time." He opened his phone to reserve a court but didn't choose the one he usually went to. Many colleagues from the hospital had memberships there, including Wu Xiaofeng. Unfortunately, the other court was fully booked for the afternoon. Xu Qinghe said, "The one you took me to before has a nice environment." That was his usual court. Shi Wenli was worried about her concerns: "Wu Xiaofeng probably goes there in the afternoon too." "That's perfect. You can play a bit with me and then spar with them." Xu Qinghe didn't mind running into colleagues at the badminton court. So Shi Wenli booked his usual court. However, only the 5–6 PM slot was available; everything else was full.
After they went home and changed, Xu Qinghe took off the ring. Chi Min heard her daughter come back and went to her room to admire the ring. It was a fairly standard ring, but she still found angles to compliment it. As for her daughter's taste, how should she describe it? Her husband was right—her aesthetic sense fluctuated wildly. Sometimes today she thought her taste was okay, but tomorrow she'd wonder who she inherited it from. Chi Min glanced at her daughter's sportswear: "Going out?" "Yeah, Shi Wenli said I need to do more exercises that involve looking up, so we're going to play badminton." Chi Min looked back at the velvet box with the ring. Plain was fine. At least her daughter's choice of a partner was far from ordinary—better than hers. Her own choice was decent enough, but her husband had a sharp tongue, even being merciless when teasing his own daughter.
Xu Qinghe pretended to adjust her clothes in front of the mirror: "Oh, Mom," she paused for a second, "after we get our marriage certificate, Shi Wenli and I plan to live together. We'll stay in the rental for a few days as a transition, then move to the new house on the 29th." Her daughter was starting a family; Chi Min was both happy and reluctant: "I was just going to say, since no one will be home for the New Year, you and Wenli can celebrate together." They would get their certificate next Friday. It was only a few days away, but Xu Qinghe felt each day was unbearably long. Chi Min asked casually, "Do Wenli's parents know you're getting married?" "I don't know. I didn't ask him." Xu Qinghe started reapplying lipstick. "He rarely mentions his parents; it must be painful for him. So I never ask about his family. He told his sister and brother-in-law about our marriage the moment he decided." "His mother is Zhao Moyin, right?" "Yes." "I've heard of her." But Chi Min didn't know much about her, except that she remarried into the powerful Ye family, had another son, and had two stepchildren—a complicated situation. She knew her daughter hated family drama; she couldn't even handle her own extended family, let alone her mother-in-law's complicated situation. "Anyway, you won't live with them after marriage, just visit on holidays. Don't worry. You have Shi Wenli." Xu Qinghe mentioned Shi Wenli and his half-brother: "They grew up in different environments and hardly have any contact. His mother never made an effort to foster a bond between her younger son and Shi Miao and Shi Wenli. They've barely interacted for over twenty years. I don't plan to have anything to do with them after marriage." She knew her own limits; she wasn't good at relationships, or rather, she wasn't willing to put effort into them, so she wouldn't force herself. "After Shi Wenli and I get married, I'll only keep in touch with Shi Miao and Min Ting. I can't handle the rest." Mentioning Min Ting, Chi Min said, "I had contact with Min Ting eight years ago—a very pragmatic young man. Who would have thought we'd end up as relatives?" Both parents were senior experts in the semiconductor field, and Min Ting's Jinghe Group was in the same industry, so they had some overlap. Xu Qinghe smiled: "Fate. Once we're family, we can invite him over for a meal." Chi Min laughed: "Your father is lucky. He found such a satisfactory son-in-law and also made a young colleague he gets along with. He's looking forward to your marriage certificate even more than you are." She couldn't help but sigh, "When you insisted on studying medicine instead of integrated circuit engineering, he was heartbroken." And she chose anesthesiology of all things. Xu Qinghe waved her hand: "Can't help it, I'm better suited for saving lives. When it comes to difficult airways, only our director is better than me at this hospital. Tell Dad not to be upset. If I hadn't studied medicine, how would I have met Shi Wenli? How would I have lured Min Ting here to chat with him? Remind him to shower me with gold coins." Chi Min laughed: "No problem." Xu Qinghe checked the time; it was already 4:15. "I'm off to see Shi Wenli."
At 4:30, they left on time. On the way to the court, Xu Qinghe posted a photo on social media that Shi Wenli had taken of her today. The caption was simple: "Celebrating the New Year early. May all wishes come true (fireworks)(fireworks)(fireworks)" Fang Yu liked it instantly. [Boyfriend's perspective photo (evil grin)] [The dress is beautiful! But you're even more beautiful!] Jiang Yang recognized the flowerbed in the background: [Isn't that the flowerbed outside Brother Shi's building?] He asked again: [Or do all the buildings in your complex have similar landscaping?] Xu Qinghe replied: [They're all pretty similar.] Jiang Yang: [Oh, I see.] [We're going to Brother Shi's place tonight to hang out. Sis, are you free? Come along.] Xu Qinghe turned to ask Shi Wenli, who was driving: "Who's going to your place tonight with Jiang Yang?" Shi Wenli was clueless: "No idea. Jiang Yang didn't tell me." Xu Qinghe: "..." Shi Wenli couldn't text while driving, so he motioned to her: "Use my phone to ask." Xu Qinghe grabbed his phone from the center console. Before she could ask for the password, he told her directly. She entered it quickly. The password had nothing to do with his or Shi Miao's birthdays. Asking what someone's password meant would be rude, so she suppressed her curiosity. Xu Qinghe opened his WeChat and went straight to his feed. The first post was the one she had just made. She liked it for him. Then in the comments, she replied to Jiang Yang: [What time are you coming? And who else?] Jiang Yang sent him a private message: [Brother Shi, we're still deciding. I'll let you know when we've figured it out.] [President Shang and President Min are also coming. Don't worry about dinner. President Min has arranged a chef and brought the ingredients.] Xu Qinghe read the message to Shi Wenli: "Who's President Shang?" Shi Wenli said, "Shang Yun. Min Ting's best man." Xu Qinghe remembered the best man and bridesmaids from Shi Miao's wedding. "Are you close with him?" she asked casually. "We're okay. He's eaten at my place." Shang Yun envied Min Ting for having him as a brother-in-law and also called him "Brother." Shi Wenli told her, "Shang Yun will come to the housewarming too." Xu Qinghe nodded. She mentioned the gathering at the rental tonight: "You guys go ahead. I won't go. I don't know them well." Shi Wenli asked her to check with Jiang Yang if Shi Miao was coming. Xu Qinghe typed: [Are Min Ting and Shi Miao both coming?] Jiang Yang: [Only President Min is coming. Shi Miao is on night shift tonight.] When Shi Miao was a chief resident, everyone called her "Shi Zong" (President Shi), and Jiang Yang had gotten used to it. Shi Wenli told Xu Qinghe: "Reply to Jiang Yang, tell them they can come anytime. Min Ting has my key. I'll be home around 6:30." Xu Qinghe typed it exactly. Jiang Yang: [OK] [Oh, Brother Shi, why not ask Qinghe to come too? It'll be more fun. She's just a minute's walk away.] Xu Qinghe looked at Shi Wenli: "Why is Jiang Yang so eager to invite me? If Shi Miao were coming, it would make sense. But she's not. They're all men playing cards, and he still wants me there for the atmosphere?" The more she thought about it, the weirder it felt. Then another thought struck her: "Jiang Yang changed the moving date to the 29th because I'm on duty on the 28th. Do you think... he's figured out we're together?" Shi Wenli thought for a moment: "Possible." Since Jiang Yang seemed to have caught on but didn't intend to call them out, they could just maintain the status quo. Xu Qinghe replied as Shi Wenli: [I asked Dr. Xu. She's busy tonight.] Jiang Yang: [Then we'll get together at the housewarming.] Xu Qinghe logged out of the chat and handed the phone back. After locking it, she realized she hadn't checked his lock screen. They'd known each other for years, but she wasn't familiar with his private habits. As friends, she knew him well. But in terms of romance, she could barely claim to be not a stranger.
When they arrived at the court and saw who was on the adjacent court, Shi Wenli smiled wryly. What a coincidence to book courts next to each other. He had reserved Court 6, and Wu Xiaofeng was on Court 7. Even more coincidentally, Wu Xiaofeng's partner today was Ding Qihang. Ding Qihang waved at them. His forehead was covered in sweat, and he wiped it with his arm. He wasn't curious about why Director Shi and Dr. Xu appeared together; he just wondered why Dr. Xu had suddenly taken up badminton. He'd heard about how she'd play for ten minutes and then rest the whole afternoon. On the other side of the net, Wu Xiaofeng put down his racket, walked to the edge, bent to pick up a water bottle, unscrewed the cap, and downed half in one go. Seeing Xu Qinghe, he couldn't stay calm. Now everyone in the OR knew she had humiliated him. When he looked up again, Xu Qinghe was warming up, wearing knee pads and wrist guards. He vaguely remembered that when Xu Qinghe had played with Shi Wenli a few years ago, she had full gear too. But then she'd get tired after ten minutes, and her play time was shorter than her warm-up. Only Shi Wenli had the patience to play with someone so delicate. Wu Xiaofeng had wanted to invite Shi Wenli to play, but Shi Wenli said not to call him before the New Year because he was busy moving. Yet when Xu Qinghe invited him, he wasn't in a rush to move anymore. Shi Wenli took off his jacket, revealing his jersey. He unzipped his racket bag and handed his usual racket to Xu Qinghe. Before she started, Xu Qinghe worried she would hit too high. Shi Wenli said it didn't matter: "I'm just here to help you do more looking-up exercises." Once they started, Xu Qinghe realized Shi Wenli was hitting even higher than she was. She had to raise her racket and wait one or two seconds before hitting the shuttlecock. During that time, she had to keep her face tilted up. On Court 7, Wu Xiaofeng couldn't stand watching such high shots and angrily drank a few more gulps of water. With his skills, Shi Wenli playing this kind of game with Xu Qinghe was a waste of talent. Ding Qihang, who didn't know the situation, looked at Wu Xiaofeng: hadn't he just drunk? How thirsty could he be? Wu Xiaofeng tightened the cap after drinking. Suddenly, a shuttlecock landed on him with a smack. "..." "Director Wu, sorry." Xu Qinghe's apology followed quickly. Wu Xiaofeng said nothing, bent down to pick up the shuttlecock, and threw it to Shi Wenli, who was on his side. Wu Xiaofeng wanted to ask: Have you finished packing for the move? But he wasn't that petty. He did have a grudge against Xu Qinghe, but he wouldn't take it out on others. Shi Wenli served, still hitting very high and slow. If he sped up, Xu Qinghe wouldn't be able to return it and would have to keep bending to pick up the shuttlecock. After twenty minutes, Shi Wenli called for a break. Xu Qinghe was out of breath and sat down on a bench to rest. Shi Wenli opened a water bottle and was about to hand it to her, but Xu Qinghe opened one herself and took several gulps. The bench was long enough for three, and he sat down beside her. Xu Qinghe turned her head: "I'm done. You go play with them." She joked, "I played longer than last time. Progress. Next time, I'll aim for half an hour." Shi Wenli said, "No rush. Gradually increase. When it gets warmer, it'll still be light after work. I'll play with you in the neighborhood for ten or twenty minutes." Xu Qinghe asked, "Is there a court in the complex?" "Yes." Shi Wenli glanced at her knee pads: "Still the old pair?" Xu Qinghe smiled and nodded: "Only worn once last time, haven't used them since." As they chatted, Shi Wenli remembered something and opened his phone: "I'll send you some pictures of bedding sets. Choose at home at your leisure." Now that they were getting married, he couldn't use his old sheets. Xu Qinghe: "Don't you have a lot of sheets and duvet covers? No need to buy more." Shi Wenli insisted: "Let's buy a few new sets." Xu Qinghe didn't mind, but since he insisted, she decided to pick two. She glanced at the pictures he sent; the colors were soft. She said, "I stayed at your place a few nights. I really like gray." Shi Wenli said, "If you like it, choose it. But don't choose it just for me." "It's not just for you." Maybe because he liked it, she thought it was nice too. After sending the pictures, he also forwarded a few screenshots he'd saved last night about intraoperative seizure management during awake craniotomy. He said, "Just published last night. First international report on using this drug during awake craniotomy. Not sure if you've seen it." Xu Qinghe said, "I haven't." She had gotten home too late last night and went to sleep right after her shower. This morning, she was busy trying on clothes and doing makeup and didn't even have time to check her phone. Preventing seizures during awake craniotomy was also a key part of anesthesia. The two started discussing it. Over on the other side, Wu Xiaofeng and Ding Qihang were taking a break and planned to come over for a chat. But before they reached them, they heard the two talking about intraoperative wakefulness and nerve blocks. Exchanging a knowing glance, Ding Qihang and Wu Xiaofeng turned and headed to another bench. They had a rare half-day off and didn't want to talk about work anymore. Ding Qihang finally understood why these two, despite knowing each other for years and often eating together, had never sparked anything romantic.
Just before six, Xu Qinghe and Shi Wenli stopped playing. Jiang Yang sent Shi Wenli a message: the guys had arrived at his rental. [Brother Shi, no rush. We're playing cards.] [Are you playing badminton?] Shi Wenli: [Yeah, just left the court.] He suddenly remembered he forgot to take in Xu Qinghe's clothes from the balcony. He quickly sent Min Ting a message: [Don't let Jiang Yang and the others go to the balcony. Qinghe's clothes are there.] Min Ting: "..." He and Shi Miao had dated for nearly half a year before living together. His brother-in-law had only been dating for a week. Min Ting: [I'll have the nanny take them in.] Shi Wenli: [You brought a nanny?] Min Ting: [Yeah. Miao Miao said you'll be staying in the rental for a few more days after the certificate, so she had the nanny come to tidy up. Also bought some flowers and plants to decorate a bit.] While he was replying, beside him, Jiang Yang watched two nannies busy placing greenery and arranging flowers. He was confused: "President Min, we're just here for a meal. Is all this necessary?" Shang Yun chimed in: "Min Ting just wants to show off that he has a key to his brother-in-law's place and can decorate it. Let him show off." Min Ting ignored them and continued texting Shi Wenli: [Anything else that needs to be put away?] Shi Wenli: [Nothing else. Just have the nanny put the clothes in my wardrobe. I'll fold them when I get back.] They chatted as they walked to the court entrance. Xu Qinghe said goodbye: "Go on back. I won't go with you. I'll walk around a bit." Shi Wenli put away his phone: "How about tomorrow? I'm free tomorrow." "No need. I'll just stroll around. It's more convenient alone, no risk of being seen by colleagues." Xu Qinghe waved. "Drive safe." Shi Wenli wasn't in a rush to go home. Min Ting had brought a chef and nanny, so he didn't need to prepare food. "Where are you going? I'll drop you off," he said. Xu Qinghe didn't want him to, but then she thought about how they wouldn't see each other tonight, and since today was the special day of his proposal, she wanted to make up for the kiss. "I was thinking of looking at bedding sets. There are two stores on the left." Shi Wenli said, "I'll go with you." Choosing bedding wouldn't take long. Xu Qinghe didn't refuse. Luckily, she had stayed at his place for a few nights and used his sheets; otherwise, buying bedding together would have been awkward. Still, once in the store, she felt a bit awkward browsing with him. She was quick to decide; within minutes, she picked out a linen gray set. They paid and headed back together. In the complex, Shi Wenli drove all the way to her building. Xu Qinghe slowly unbuckled her seatbelt and looked at him. He could tell she had something to say but didn't press; he waited for her to gather her thoughts. It was hard to bring up, but Xu Qinghe forced herself: "Maybe we should kiss every day from now on. If we skip a day, it'll be awkward to start again." They hadn't kissed last night. She was at her own place, and they only said goodnight over text. One day missed, and she'd need to psych herself up again. If they had been strangers before the blind date, intimacy might have been easier without the baggage. But they knew each other too well. Over the years, their interactions had become muscle memory. Subconsciously, they always felt shy about intimacy. Shi Wenli nodded and said, "Okay." He added, "I was in too much of a hurry last night when I dropped you off. From now on, no matter how busy or late, I'll remember to kiss you." As he finished speaking, he unbuckled his seatbelt. The engine died, and the headlights slowly went out. In the closed-off car, only the rustle of his clothes as he turned was audible. He leaned over, and Xu Qinghe instinctively moved forward to meet him. In the dim light, his deep yet gentle features were right before her. Almost simultaneously, they both moved to kiss each other, their lips gently brushing. Shi Wenli cupped the back of her neck with his left hand, their warm breaths intertwining. Without another thought, Xu Qinghe wrapped her arms around his neck. She had wanted to kiss him like this for so long. Only now did she overcome her own barrier. Outside the car, it was dark. Inside the car, it was equally dim. The moment she looped her arms around his neck, her heart pounded like a drum. His lips pressed against hers, tender yet firm, stealing her breath away. When the kiss ended and she returned upstairs, her heart was still in her throat. Sitting at her desk, she couldn't focus on anything. She closed her case files and started packing the things she would bring to his place after getting the certificate. There were many odds and ends; over the next week, she packed a little each day.
In anticipation, January 29th finally arrived. Her director knew she was getting her marriage certificate that day and gave her the day off, taking on the surgeries that had been scheduled for her. When she went to thank him in person, he said earnestly: "Just live a good life with Shi Wenli—that's better than any thanks." Then he sighed: "I've learned my lesson. Don't be a matchmaker, especially for people close to you. There's always worry." Shi Wenli also had the day off, having swapped shifts with a colleague. He got up at six in the morning. For a whole week, his sister had been changing the flowers in the vase at his place every day. Last night, she had the florist deliver red roses. After getting up, he first changed the water in the vase. His phone on the table vibrated; his sister sent a message. Shi Miao: [Brother, happy wedding day! (fireworks)(fireworks) May you and my sister-in-law be in love forever and grow old together.] Then Min Ting's congratulatory message came in: [Happy wedding day! (fireworks)(fireworks)(fireworks)] It was the first time Shi Wenli received a message with emojis from his brother-in-law. No doubt Shi Miao had added them. He replied to both: [Thank you.] At 8:30, Shi Wenli left. He drove to Xu Qinghe's building and sent her a message: [Come down. I'm here.]