After dinner, Shen Xifan was browsing the internet at home when her mother called out, “Fanfan, are you having breakfast at home tomorrow morning?”
Responding with an “mmm,” she requested seaweed egg drop soup and pan-fried dumplings.
Her mother then asked her to go to the supermarket for seaweed and vinegar, as well as take out the trash.
Glancing at her cotton slippers, Shen Xifan said, “I don’t want to go to the supermarket. It’s such a hassle to change shoes just to go out.”
Shen’s mother’s expression changed dramatically. She played the victim, saying pitifully, “I’m getting old, even asking my daughter to do something is difficult. I might as well go to a nursing home in the future. Sigh!”
She immediately jumped up. “I’ll go, I’ll go!” She rummaged through the shoe cabinet on the balcony and found the cotton tiger-head slippers she used to wear in college. Taking the bag of trash with a grudge, she thought, Mom is getting more and more experienced in the battle of wits, knowing that I won’t yield to force.
The winter night was really cold, and her mind was a bit sluggish. She momentarily felt like she was back in college, dragging these tiger-head slippers around the dormitory area.
Just as she entered the supermarket, a man was on his way out. Their eyes met, and Shen Xifan was momentarily stunned. Looking around, she muttered to herself, “Am I in the right place? This is a supermarket, and I’m not sick. Why am I seeing this guy?”
Unexpectedly, He Su Ye overheard her words and burst out laughing.
She immediately snapped out of it. Su Ye’s smile was really cute, and her heart skipped a beat. She started speaking incoherently, “Sorry, Dr. He, you’re here at the supermarket too, what a coincidence!”
He Su Ye found her speech somewhat strange but chose not to dwell on it. “Just here to buy some things. Do you live around here?”
She nodded, then inquired, “Do you also live here? I’ve never seen you in all these years.”
He Su Ye elaborated, “I moved here a few months ago. Perhaps I haven’t explored much yet. Nonetheless, this neighborhood offers great convenience for transportation and shopping.”
Shen Xifan was at a loss for words for a moment, and could only nod in agreement. He Su Ye found it amusing. She was not tall, barely reaching his shoulder, looking like a child being scolded by her parents. He lowered his head and asked, “Is the medicine I prescribed difficult to swallow?”
Her face inexplicably became a bit warm. She thought to herself, “He Su Ye, you’re standing too close. While appreciating the closeness, she confessed, “I’m not feeling up to it today.” Pretending to contemplate, she remarked, “Bitter, isn’t it always bitter? It’s quite a struggle to swallow!”
He Su Ye rummaged through his bag and took out a large bowl of jelly, patiently saying, “Medicine should be taken properly. If it’s bitter, eat this jelly after taking the medicine. Be obedient!”
Shen Xifan stood there dumbfounded. Just as her heart was about to blossom, she heard He Su Ye continue, “Children in the hospital refuse to take their medicine, so we use this to coax them…”
She looked up, somewhat puzzled. “Dr. He, am I a child?”
He smiled. “You’re not a child, but you act like one. I’ll go ahead now. Remember to pick up your medicine tomorrow!” Then, he unexpectedly glanced at her round tiger-head cotton slippers and left.
Shen Xifan held the jelly in a daze, watching He Su Ye’s retreating figure. She felt a bit annoyed, but couldn’t hide the smile creeping onto her lips. For him, she wondered if she was a bit special as a patient.
Back at home, as she dropped the plastic bag, her mother approached, smiling, “Fanfan, how about going out to dinner with Mom tomorrow?”
Immediately feeling overwhelmed, she said, “Mom, I don’t want to go on blind dates. Just give up!”
Shen’s mother chuckled instead of getting angry, coming closer to persuade her daughter, “This time, Mom has picked a doctor for you. What do you think? He’s from the People’s Hospital. Interested? Auntie Yang says this young man is quite impressive…”
Shen Xifan interrupted, “What’s his name?”
“You’ll find out when you go, won’t you?” Shen’s mother teased, glancing at the jelly in her daughter’s hand. “Even though you’re an adult, you’re still eating kids’ stuff…”
She hid the jelly behind her back. “So, I’m just a child, right? Tomorrow night, I’ll go, okay?” Ignoring her mother’s cheering behind her, she walked straight to her room, closed the door, and collapsed on the bed, giggling at the jelly.
The next morning at the morning meeting, Director Cheng announced that on Christmas Eve, a certain software company in the city would hold a large party at a hotel, so tasks were assigned to each department. After some suggestions were made, the meeting adjourned.
Xu Xiangya was excited. “Xifan, we’ll get to see a lot of handsome guys again. How lucky!”
Shen Xifan was gloomy. “I don’t want to see handsome guys at all. I just want to go home and sleep.”
Xu Xiangya shrugged. “No wonder you haven’t had any romantic encounters in three years. It turns out your estrogen levels are out of balance—you’re not thinking about men, you’re thinking about sleep. But you still have to attend. You missed last year’s party, and you can’t skip it this year.”
She thought to herself, this year she was really at the beck and call of others; there was no escaping it.
The IT summit had just ended a few days ago, and several senior executives had already left the hotel.
The morning sun pierced through the winter mist, the air slightly damp. Shen Xifan walked back after seeing off the guests, inevitably passing by the F area villas.
She saw Yan Heng sitting by the window, just gazing out at the lawn outside, his handsome face somewhat hazy.
It felt familiar.
Once, in the music department’s practice room, Yan Heng sat by the window, his head still calm under the summer sun, but his gaze distant and melancholy. With just one glance, she became inexplicably drawn to this rumored playboy. She felt he wasn’t as happy as he appeared.
And now, was he unhappy too?
It had nothing to do with her—she was being nosy again.
Finally getting off work, she hurried home to prepare for the blind date in the evening.
Changing out of her professional suit, Shen Xifan tied her hair into a ponytail and put on a simple red plaid cotton coat. Removing her makeup, she only applied a light layer of lip gloss. She felt that a fresh look suited her better.
With a nervous and curious heart, she went to the tea house’s private room. Surprisingly, the male lead this time was quite high-profile. He arrived ten minutes late, causing Shen Xifan to recognize him at first glance—the uniquely styled doctor she had bumped into at the hospital last time.
He introduced himself breathlessly, “I’m Li Jie. Sorry, Miss Shen, I forgot my keys in the dormitory just now, so I had to go back to get them. Sorry for the delay.”
Sure enough, there was a bunch of keys hanging from his pinky finger. Shen Xifan was curious. “Your keychain is unique!”
The irregularly shaped blocks, the gray-white surface with longitudinal cracks and brown streaks, looked smooth and cute.
Li Jie paused for a moment, then smiled. “It’s fossilized dragon bone, picked up from the specimen room back in school.” Handing it to Shen Xifan, he explained, pointing at it, “These are the fossils of ancient mammals like three-toed horses, rhinos, deer, cattle, elephants, etc. You see, this piece is from a joint, hence the honeycomb-like pores, which conveniently serve as a keychain. Dragon bone is a medicinal herb, with a neutral nature, it enters the liver meridian, calming the liver and subduing yang, invigorating blood, and calming the mind…”
Shen Xifan found him particularly easygoing. Noticing how his thick black eyebrows moved up and down as he spoke, she couldn’t help but wonder. Why did medical professionals always seem so passionate and confident when discussing their field, just like He Suye.
Li Jie seemed to recognize her too. “Miss Shen, why do you look so familiar? Have we met before?”
Perking up, Shen Xifan replied, “Maybe at the hospital. Mr. Li, do you know Dr. He? I went there last time to get cold medicine.”
Li Jie suddenly realized. “Oh, that time! You mean Dr. He Suye, right? He’s my senior brother. What a coincidence!”
Shen Xifan was about to burst into tears of excitement, but she couldn’t let him see that her interest was in He Suye rather than him. She could only nod. “Dr. He is indeed a great doctor!”
Unexpectedly, Li Jie opened up. “Our families have been friends for generations. He’s a year older than me. We grew up together. I used to get into trouble, stealing dates from people’s trees, breaking windows and stuff, and He Suye always took the blame for me because his parents were busy working and sent him to elementary school early. I didn’t expect him to keep up, so he ended up being three grades ahead of me…”
Shen’s mother, peeking through the door crack, saw the lively scene: Li Jie passionately telling stories while drinking tea, and Shen Xifan listening intently, occasionally refilling his cup. She felt pleased, thinking the blind date was probably going well. The charm of doctors was indeed irresistible. However, she didn’t know that the two inside were discussing something completely unrelated to the blind date—someone outside of their acquaintance.
Finally, Shen Xifan asked curiously, “Why did Dr. Li come for a blind date?”
Li Jie chuckled. “Just call me by my name. Doctors like us have a small circle. This blind date was arranged by my mom. I wasn’t keen on it at first, but talking to you is quite relaxing, and it feels like we’ve known each other for ages. Of course, Miss Shen, why are you here for a blind date?”
She blushed oddly. Li Jie continued, “Just now, Miss Shen kept discussing my senior brother. Do you… have feelings for him?”
She quickly shook her head. “No, I just… I just found him interesting, so I…”
The more guilty she felt, the harder it was to explain. Her embarrassment was evident to Li Jie.
Li Jie blinked. “It’s okay. Did you think my senior brother was quite nice? Don’t worry, he doesn’t have a girlfriend right now. If you’re interested, I can help you!”
Shen Xifan was puzzled. There was no reason she would fall for a doctor she had only met a few times, with less than an hour of conversation. Just because he was handsome, exceptionally friendly, exceptionally talented, and seemed to have a good impression of her, did that mean she liked him? Was she being frivolous?
She had to clarify, “Li Jie, I just think He Suye is great and I want to be friends with him. Just like I think you’re easygoing and nice, so I want to be friends with you.”
Li Jie felt embarrassed. “I misunderstood. Miss Shen, don’t be angry. How about I treat you to dinner as an apology?”
Shen Xifan inwardly scolded herself for being too suspicious, then smiled. “Just call me Shen Xifan. If we’re going to be friends, calling me Miss Shen feels too formal. I’m hungry, let’s go eat!”
They exchanged smiles, both feeling a strong connection. But as for being a couple, that was out of the question!
They went to a Northeastern cuisine restaurant where business was booming. With no private rooms available, they had to sit by the window near the door. Li Jie was worried that Shen Xifan might mind, but to his surprise, she pointed at the bustling crowd outside and squinted with a smile. “Li Jie, look at everyone bustling around, while we’re here leisurely enjoying our meal. It feels nice.”
He found her easygoing nature very comforting.
They ordered three signature dishes, and though not many, the portions were generous and the flavors delightful. They enjoyed their meal immensely. However, halfway through, Shen Xifan felt like someone was watching her. When she looked up, she blurted out, “Dr. He?”
Li Jie immediately looked up too, seeing He Suye pushing the door open. His first words were directed at Shen Xifan. “Why didn’t you pick up your medicine today? Did you forget again? I just reminded you yesterday!”
Shen Xifan could only smile sheepishly. “I forgot. I’ll go tomorrow, I promise!”
After they finished their meal, the bill arrived, and both reached for their wallets simultaneously. Li Jie quickly paid, and Shen Xifan generously offered, “I’ll treat you next time!”
As she headed to the restroom, He Suye couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer. “How did you two meet?”
Li Jie tapped the bowl with his chopsticks as if telling a story. “Senior Brother, this blind date was set up by my mom. But we hit it off instantly, just like old friends. No romantic feelings involved!”
Pausing for a moment, he added, “I feel like I’m here on your behalf. It’s a strange feeling!”
He Suye was taken aback. “Me? Blind date? What nonsense!”
Shen Xifan and He Suye lived in the same neighborhood. Even though Shen Xifan wasn’t in the best mood at Times Square, He Suye observed her constantly scanning the surroundings with a smile, and he found himself uplifted by her demeanor.
The street was bustling with people. In five days, it would be Christmas, followed by New Year. Shops were adorned with Christmas trees and colorful lights, and windows were sprayed with the words “Merry Christmas!” and “Happy New Year!” The music fountain in the square shimmered in all its colorful glory.
Suddenly, he felt someone tugging at his coat. Looking down, he saw a girl selling flowers. She said to him, “Big brother, buy a bouquet for your girlfriend!”
He was at a loss for words. Shen Xifan burst into laughter. “Little girl, he’s my dad, you’ve got it wrong!”
He Suye watched Shen Xifan giggle, feeling helpless, wearing a red and black checkered cotton jacket. Her hair in a ponytail, her big eyes sparkling with energy, she didn’t look like a 25-year-old professional, easily mistaken for a high school student. The little girl looked at them in disbelief and walked away, still suspicious. He sighed, “I am getting old.”
Shen Xifan comforted him, “Dr. He loves jelly, young at heart even if not in age!”
They walked to the supermarket in the neighborhood. She darted inside while He Suye waited at the entrance. After a short while, she came out carrying a large bag of items. Shen Xifan asked him, “He Suye, do you like sweets?”
It was the first time she called him by his name. He couldn’t quite describe the feeling. The way she said “Suye” with her soft accent had a special charm, reminiscent of the sticky sweetness of the honey pills his grandfather used to make.
He nodded, “Yes, I do. Why?”
She pulled out a bar of Dove chocolate. “A return gift for the jelly. Dr. He, make sure you brew your medicine well. This is a patient’s token of gratitude to her doctor!”
He accepted it with a smile. Shen Xifan’s face turned slightly red, probably regretting her boldness. Keen-eyed as he was, he instantly understood the girl’s intentions.
However, for the first time, he didn’t mind someone showing such straightforward affection toward him, not even Zhang Yiling.