Shi Wenli pushed the door all the way open, but instead of inviting Xu Qinghe inside, he remained standing at the doorway.
Xu Qinghe knew her boundaries and waited outside.
It was her first time seeing his apartment. She glanced inside. The place wasn’t large, but it was exceptionally neat and tidy.
Not far from the entrance was a wooden dining table pushed against the wall. The table legs looked like they had been around for quite some time, but a fresh-looking tablecloth covered the tabletop. Against the wall sat an elegant vase. It was empty, with no flowers in it.
With such a simple arrangement, the age of the dining table was hardly noticeable.
Soon, Shi Wenli came out of the bedroom carrying a stack of notebooks.
“There are five in total. The top two are notes my grandmother took during her years of practice. The bottom three are ones she recopied and organized after she retired, when she had more free time.”
Xu Qinghe picked up the top notebook. It was thick, with slightly curled edges.
She gently opened it. Because of its age, the paper had become brittle and somewhat stiff, but the blue-black ink had barely faded.
Every stroke was steady and decisive, with an almost forceful clarity.
Page after page was filled with detailed anesthesia records: vital signs, precise medication records, various complications that had suddenly occurred during surgery, and the methods used to resuscitate the patients and adjust their medications.
The more she read, the more absorbed she became.
She completely forgot that she was standing outside Shi Wenli’s apartment. She even forgot that he was holding the other notebooks and waiting for her to take them.
Shi Wenli wasn’t surprised by her reaction at all.
Otherwise, even after her first driver’s license had expired and she had gotten a new one, she still wouldn’t have touched the steering wheel.
Perhaps she was simply born to be an anesthesiologist. Cases that other people found dull could hold her attention for hours.
“Come inside. I’ll pour you a glass of water. You can take your time reading.”
Xu Qinghe quickly looked up from the notebook. She knew he was busy with his sister’s wedding, so how could she impose on him?
“No need. I’ll take them home and read them. You go ahead and get busy.”
She closed the notebook and placed it back on top of the stack before taking the thick pile from his hands.
“Thank you. And please thank your grandmother for me too.”
Shi Wenli smiled.
“I’ll accept your thanks on my grandmother’s behalf.”
Xu Qinghe hugged the notebooks and said goodbye. He waited until she had turned into the elevator area before closing the door.
Shi Wenli didn’t take off his coat. He was planning to go out again at any moment.
He sent his brother-in-law, Min Ting, a message asking what time they needed to go to the wedding venue.
To prepare a surprise for his sister at the wedding, he and his brother-in-law had been busy decorating the venue together recently.
Min Ting quickly replied:
It’s almost all finished. You don’t need to come over again. Thanks for all your help lately. You’ve been so busy with surgeries and still had to keep running back and forth.
Shi Wenli replied:
We’re family. No need to thank me.
His sister had gotten married on impulse, and he had only recently returned from abroad, so he wasn’t particularly familiar with his brother-in-law. Sometimes, even sending each other a simple message required the two of them to think it over for quite a while.
When his sister had announced her sudden marriage, he had been worried that she might not be happy. After all, his brother-in-law came from an extremely powerful and wealthy family. Their families were worlds apart, and the two of them had no emotional foundation whatsoever.
But after spending some time with his brother-in-law, Shi Wenli realized that he had worried unnecessarily.
Everything his sister had wanted but never been able to have while growing up, her husband was now doing his best to give her.
All these years, Shi Wenli had only ever had one wish: that his sister would be happy and have a home that truly belonged to her.
Now, that wish had finally come true.
On the morning of the ninth, Xu Qinghe set her alarm for 9:30.
If she let herself sleep naturally, she might not wake up until noon.
There would be a wedding banquet at lunchtime, so she simply drank half a glass of milk for breakfast.
The hotel where Shi Miao was holding her wedding wasn’t far from Xu Qinghe’s residential complex. The weather was sunny that day, and because she usually left home early and returned late, she hadn’t enjoyed the sunshine in quite some time.
So she changed clothes, left home early, and leisurely walked toward the hotel.
Sometimes, you shouldn’t look too eager when going to a wedding banquet.
Halfway there, her phone vibrated.
She took it out and saw that Jiang Yang was calling.
Apart from work, she rarely had any contact with Director Jiang’s beloved son.
Assuming that cardiac surgery needed her for an urgent consultation, Xu Qinghe quickly answered.
“Sis, are you on your way to the hotel for the wedding banquet?”
“…”
Xu Qinghe instinctively turned toward the road.
A long procession of wedding cars was waiting at the traffic light.
Could that be Shi Miao and Min Ting’s wedding convoy?
The next second, she dismissed the thought.
Beijing was such a huge city, and so many couples were getting married on an auspicious day. There was no way it could be such a coincidence.
She didn’t know that Jiang Yang was part of the bride’s family escort today, so she looked through the traffic behind the wedding cars.
“You saw me?”
“Yep. Brother Shi spotted you first.”
Xu Qinghe: “…”
There was unmistakable pride in Jiang Yang’s voice.
“I’m representing the bride’s family today. I’m accompanying Brother Shi to escort the bride.”
Xu Qinghe looked at the wedding convoy again.
Were they in the second car? Or the third?
From inside the car, Jiang Yang saw Xu Qinghe searching through the convoy for the car he was in.
“Sis, I don’t know if there’s some rule about wedding cars, so I’m not sure if we can roll the window down halfway. Anyway, don’t worry. Take your time walking to the hotel. I’ll hang up first.”
Xu Qinghe: “…”
The convoy was heading toward the hotel. The bride and groom hadn’t even arrived yet, while she—the guest coming to the banquet—was already halfway there.
She had wanted to explain that she hadn’t left home early just to get to the banquet. She had also wanted to come out and enjoy some sunshine.
But the more she explained, the more suspicious it would sound.
There was really no need.
As soon as she hung up with Jiang Yang, a message from Shi Wenli came in.
Are you off today?
Xu Qinghe replied:
Mm.
Since she had already come so early, she decided to tell him openly:
I was originally supposed to take my day off earlier, but I specifically switched it to today so I could come to the wedding banquet.
Shi Wenli replied:
Thank you.
Then another message came:
We should arrive at the hotel before you. When you get there, just find Jiang Yang.
Xu Qinghe:
Okay. Go take care of your things.
She watched until the wedding convoy passed through the intersection and merged into the stream of traffic, eventually becoming impossible to distinguish from the other cars.
Only then did she turn her gaze away.
When she arrived at the hotel banquet hall, the area in front of the flower wall was already lively. A group of people were gathered around the bride and groom, taking photos together.
Xu Qinghe could hear laughter from far away, and Jiang Yang’s voice was by far the loudest.
As long as no one mentioned work, he was always the happiest person around.
Amid the crowd, she immediately spotted the handsome bride and groom.
When Shi Miao had suddenly married Min Ting, the grandson of the powerful Min family and chairman of Jinghe Group, it had once become the hottest gossip in the entire hospital.
Almost no one had thought the marriage would work.
One was a cool-headed cardiac surgery chief resident who was constantly busy; the other was a rational, quiet, and even busier man who stood at the top of the corporate world.
How could a marriage between two such people possibly last?
Yet unexpectedly, a year later, the two were still deeply in love and inseparable.
Xu Qinghe’s gaze swept over the newlyweds. She quickly looked around, but she didn’t see Shi Wenli.
Jiang Yang spotted her first and immediately waved.
“Sis! Hurry, hurry! Come over for the group photo!”
Xu Qinghe quickened her pace. When she reached them, she first congratulated Shi Miao and Min Ting.
“Congratulations on your marriage. I hope every day from now on is this happy.”
Min Ting smiled faintly.
“Thank you.”
Shi Miao hugged her.
“Thank you. I thought you wouldn’t be able to make it today.”
The temperature had suddenly dropped by more than ten degrees recently, and emergency surgeries had been coming one after another. The entire anesthesia department had been so busy that no one had even had time to catch their breath.
Xu Qinghe hugged her back.
“It’s your wedding. No matter how busy I am, I had to come.”
She complimented Shi Miao’s wedding dress, then praised the design of the flower wall.
“I’ve never seen one this unique before.”
Shi Miao turned to look at the flower wall and smiled.
“My brother and Min Ting came up with the idea.”
Looking at the romantic, warm, and gentle flower wall, Xu Qinghe couldn’t help thinking of the tablecloth and vase on the dining table in Shi Wenli’s apartment.
They looked like a casual combination, yet somehow had an understated elegance and warmth.
At that moment, the photographer called out for everyone to find their places for a group photo.
Min Ting put an arm around Shi Miao’s waist and gently pulled her closer to him.
Xu Qinghe wasn’t part of either the bride’s or groom’s official party, so she instinctively moved toward the side.
Shi Miao called out to her.
“Come stand in the middle.”
“It’s the same wherever I stand. I’ll take a separate photo with you two later.”
Shi Miao gave up and looked around for Shi Wenli.
“Where’s my brother?”
Min Ting said, “He should be inside the hall.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Shi Wenli walked out of the banquet hall.
Shi Miao called, “Brother, hurry!”
Xu Qinghe followed the sound of her voice and looked over.
Her gaze instantly froze.
Shi Wenli was walking quickly toward them in a dark suit. Underneath was a beautifully tailored white dress shirt, its collar slightly open, revealing the distinct line of his Adam’s apple.
In all the years she had known him, whenever she encountered him, he was usually wearing surgical scrubs or a white coat.
This was the first time she had ever seen him dressed formally.
Afraid that anyone might notice something unusual, she hurriedly looked away.
But less than two seconds later, her gaze involuntarily returned to him.
While he was still single, while she still had the opportunity to admire him as freely as she wanted, she might as well look a few more times.
Jiang Yang asked, “Brother Shi, where are you standing?”
“Anywhere.”
He had already taken plenty of photos with his sister at the wedding house, so it didn’t matter where he stood.
He moved toward the side and, naturally, ended up standing beside Xu Qinghe.
As soon as he stopped beside her, the cool scent clinging to him mingled with the breeze stirred up by his hurried walk.
Xu Qinghe had just steadied her breathing when—
Click. Click.
The group photo was over.
She turned her head toward him.
“You must have been exhausted these past few days.”
Shi Wenli smiled faintly.
“A little.”
There were too many things to take care of today, and he didn’t have time to chat with her for long. He called Jiang Yang over and instructed him:
“Take Dr. Xu to her seat. Have her sit at our table with the bride’s family.”
Shi Wenli had plenty of friends, but Xu Qinghe was his only female friend, so he wanted to make sure she was properly looked after.
Xu Qinghe took a few more photos with the bride alone. After putting away her phone, she entered the banquet hall with Jiang Yang.
It was still early. Most of the guests hadn’t arrived yet, and the enormous banquet hall was only sparsely occupied by the bride and groom’s family members and relatives.
“Sis, this way.”
Jiang Yang enthusiastically led her through a sea of flowers.
For the wedding, he had specially bought himself a suit. That morning, he had even had a hairstylist give him a handsome new hairstyle.
Xu Qinghe teased him.
“You’re certainly living up to your title as the second-handsome man in the hospital.”
Jiang Yang laughed.
“Thank you, thank you.”
“Sis, this is the table. Come, sit here.”
He gently pulled out a chair for her, completely embracing his role as a member of the bride’s family and taking care of the guests with great enthusiasm.
Xu Qinghe hadn’t expected it to be one of the secondary main tables and immediately waved her hands.
“How could I sit here?”
She turned around and looked toward the tables behind them.
“Where are the other people from our hospital sitting?”
“Brother Shi told you to sit here, so just sit. There aren’t any outsiders at this table. Everyone’s a doctor.”
Jiang Yang pulled out a chair for himself as well, dropped into it casually, and patted the back of the chair beside him.
“Sis, just sit here. If my parents scold me later, you can help shield me.”
The others hadn’t arrived yet, leaving only Xu Qinghe and Jiang Yang at the table.
Xu Qinghe took out her phone and checked the time.
Eleven o’clock.
She was officially the earliest wedding guest to arrive.
Without realizing it, she began looking around the banquet hall.
She appeared to be admiring the wedding decorations, but her eyes were subconsciously searching for a particular figure.
Jiang Yang was hungry, so he ran outside to the dessert table in the reception area and came back with two cupcakes in paper cups, handing one to her.
Seeing him devour his, Xu Qinghe gave him hers as well.
“I’m not hungry. Didn’t you eat breakfast?”
“I did. Brother Shi cooked tomato wontons for us before four this morning. After being busy all morning, I’ve already digested everything.”
Xu Qinghe said, “I heard Director Shi makes a really rich tomato broth.”
“Doesn’t he ever? It’s fragrant and rich, with just the right sweet-and-sour flavor.”
The moment Jiang Yang started talking about the tomato broth wontons Shi Wenli had made, the cake in his mouth suddenly seemed tasteless.
“I’ve got to get Brother Shi to make me another bowl someday. I didn’t get enough today.”
His description made Xu Qinghe want to try them too.
She had never tasted Shi Wenli’s cooking, but everyone who had tried it praised his food.
“The officiant is your director?” she asked casually.
Jiang Yang rested his chin in his hand and nodded.
“Shi Miao is our director’s favorite student. He’s more invested in her than her own father is. Of course he has to be the officiant.”
It wasn’t until 11:20 that guests gradually began arriving.
Gu Changshen, the officiant, arrived as well.
“Director Gu,” Xu Qinghe greeted him.
Gu Changshen took his seat.
“It’s not easy getting you to take time off for a wedding banquet.”
Xu Qinghe smiled.
“Our director is carrying the burden for me today.”
Jiang Yang was bored and slowly chimed in.
“Be careful. He might call you back with one phone call.”
Xu Qinghe: “…”
Gu Changshen scolded Jiang Yang.
“You’re the one with the smart mouth!”
Jiang Yang was used to being scolded by now. Nothing could get through to him anymore.
To put it bluntly, he was completely impervious to criticism.
As they chatted, the guests gradually filled every seat, and the wedding was about to begin.
Xu Qinghe opened her phone, preparing to record the bride and groom’s entrance.
There were still three minutes before the ceremony officially began, so she first pointed her camera toward the stage.
Shi Wenli finished his work and came over just then, accidentally stepping right into her frame and blocking the stage behind him.
Xu Qinghe kept her phone raised.
“Director Shi.”
Shi Wenli had been talking to Jiang Yang. He turned around and realized that she was taking a photo.
He smiled.
“I’m blocking your shot, aren’t I?”
As he spoke, he moved a little to the side.
Since he had already accidentally walked into her frame, Xu Qinghe had no intention of moving her camera away.
Nor did she intend to secretly photograph him.
“Director Shi, it’s rare to see you dressed this formally today. Let me take a few pictures of you.”
“Okay.”
Shi Wenli had never been one to spoil the mood.
At least, he never spoiled hers.
He turned around with his back to the stage and cooperated as she took his pictures.