The two of them walked into the restaurant together. It was noon, and the place was nearly empty, only a few tables were occupied.
They chose a seat by the window. Li Qingchi spotted his target at a glance, his gaze locking onto the person at the table ahead. The man stood up and called out to Wen Zhiyu, “Xiao Yu, where did you go to wait? Took you long enough?”
Xiao Yu. He silently repeated the nickname to himself. It seemed they were close, perhaps colleagues with a good relationship.
“Went out to the entrance for some air. It’s too stuffy in here,” Wen Zhiyu said as he sat down beside the man. Li Qingchi naturally took the seat across from Wen Zhiyu.
His gaze swept over the person next to Wen Zhiyu, a woman with long, wavy hair, fair skin, dressed in the latest designer clothes. She was an alpha, and the scent of her pheromones… was familiar.
Li Qingchi recalled the first time he’d come into contact with Wen Zhiyu. On that day, the other man’s body and clothes had been steeped in this very pheromone scent, as if it had seeped into his skin.
The owner of those pheromones must have a close relationship with Wen Zhiyu. And sure enough, as it turned out, this person hadn’t taken her eyes off Wen Zhiyu’s face even once.
As the intermediary, Wen Zhiyu spoke up to introduce them: “This is my junior from school, Chen Ling. We went to the same university, she was a year below me. Now we work at the same company.”
Just as Li Qingchi had expected, more or less.
Wen Zhiyu turned to Chen Ling: “This is my attending physician, Li Qingchi…”
Before he could finish, Chen Ling cut in urgently: “Attending physician? Xiao Yu, what’s wrong? Are you sick? What is it? Is it serious?” A barrage of questions came crashing down.
“Did you evolve into a Peashooter?” Wen Zhiyu was used to her way of talking, but even he couldn’t fend it off. “It’s a minor issue, nothing serious. Besides, I’ve got Dr. Li here, don’t I?”
When he said that last part, his tone rose at the end, carrying a hint of a smile.
Li Qingchi gave him a faint look but didn’t call him out. Between the two of them, an unspoken rule had long been established: this relationship stayed under wraps, and on the surface, they were just an ordinary doctor-patient pair.
“That’s good to hear.” Chen Ling turned to Li Qingchi, looking a bit dazed, taking Wen Zhiyu’s words at face value and thanking him profusely. “Thank you so much, Dr. Li, for taking care of our Xiao Yu.”
Our Xiao Yu.
And the way she said it seemed to imply that she and Wen Zhiyu shared a closer bond.
Li Qingchi’s tone turned cold and stiff: “No need for thanks. If anyone should be thanking me, it should be your senior yourself.”
Chen Ling didn’t notice a thing and cheerfully chimed in: “It’s the same if I thank you on Xiao Yu’s behalf!” With that, she moved to act on it. “This meal’s on me, consider it my way of thanking Dr. Li for Xiao Yu.”
Wen Zhiyu gave her shoulder a pat: “What’s it got to do with you? You’re just the plus-one today. All you have to do is eat.”
The waiter brought over the menu. Wen Zhiyu tilted his chin toward Li Qingchi, and the waiter immediately understood, placing the menu in front of him.
Wen Zhiyu reached out and pushed the menu closer in his direction: “Order whatever you want. Don’t be shy, you can take this chance to bleed me dry.”
Li Qingchi caught his underlying meaning: I know you’re not happy about me coercing you, but there’s nothing you can do about it. Still, you can make me pay for a meal.
He didn’t think it was necessary. He wasn’t in the habit of settling personal scores under the guise of official business. He pushed the menu back: “You order. I’m fine with anything.”
Wen Zhiyu picked up a pen and didn’t argue further. After all, Li Qingchi had never been to this restaurant, and ordering blind could easily lead to a bad pick. He clicked the pen with practiced ease and began ordering with the familiarity of a regular.
The restaurant had an extensive menu, there were over a dozen cold appetizers alone.
Wen Zhiyu casually ticked off a few dishes, then looked up and asked Li Qingchi, “What do you like? Chicken, duck, ribs, or beef?”
“Beef, I guess.” Li Qingchi replied offhandedly.
“Alright.” Wen Zhiyu flipped through the menu and immediately marked the stir-fried yellow beef. “This one’s good, make sure you eat plenty.” Then, without looking up, he asked, “What about seafood?” His gaze stayed fixed on the menu.
Li Qingchi lowered his eyes, scanning the page Wen Zhiyu was looking at: “Where’s the seafood?”
Wen Zhiyu tapped the menu lightly with the tip of his pen: “Right here.”
“Clams?”
“What, are you discriminating against clams?” Wen Zhiyu argued with perfect logic. “Clams are seafood too, you know?”
Li Qingchi: “…” He hadn’t said they weren’t.
Without further ado, Wen Zhiyu drew a checkmark under the picture of the clams, not bothering to ask for Li Qingchi’s opinion at all.
“Xiao Yu, you didn’t even ask me.” Chen Ling puffed out her cheeks, her tone sounding aggrieved. “You don’t love me anymore.”
The word “love” somehow struck a nerve in Li Qingchi. He looked at Chen Ling.
“Love you, my ass.” Wen Zhiyu freed one hand and gave the back of her head a sudden tousle. “Go on, what do you want to eat?”
“I knew you were the best, Xiao Yu!” Chen Ling giggled and started ordering, her finger gliding across the menu. “This one, potato with ribs, and shredded pork in Beijing sauce, and also, also, this one… it’s so good.”
“Order what you like.” Watching their interaction, Li Qingchi blurted out the words out of nowhere.
Wen Zhiyu raised his eyes to look at him again, a flicker of surprise passing through his gaze.
The three of them ordered a large table full of dishes, and even the waiter was stunned speechless.
The kitchen of this restaurant was separated from the dining area by just one wall. When the stove was fired up and the wok was tossing, the aroma filled the air, giving it an especially lively, down-to-earth feel.
The chef stir-fried vigorously over a high flame, and with so few customers in the place, all their dishes were served in less than half an hour.
Wen Zhiyu picked up a clam with his chopsticks and placed it into Li Qingchi’s bowl. “Not exactly premium ingredients, but make do with it, Dr. Li.”
“These dishes are already more than enough.” Li Qingchi had never been pampered since childhood. He left home at six, attended a boarding school, was sent to a closed military academy at eighteen, and entered the War Chain Department at twenty-one. What Wen Zhiyu called “premium ingredients” he found less appealing than the home-style dishes in front of him.
“Then eat more.” Wen Zhiyu continued to pick a few pieces of spare ribs and beef into his bowl.
Li Qingchi looked at his bowl piled high with food. It seemed this insufferable beta really did intend to use this meal to apologize to him.
He picked up a piece of beef and put it in his mouth. The meat was tender, cooked to just the right degree, moderately spicy, but perfect with rice.
Chen Ling showed an unusual interest in Li Qingchi. “Dr. Li, which hospital do you work at? What department? How old are you this year? Do you have a partner?”
“Are you doing a household registration check here?” Wen Zhiyu couldn’t bear to listen anymore. He picked up a spare rib and stuffed it into her mouth, speaking with a helpless laugh. “No talking while eating. Just eat your food.”
“Well… I’m just concerned about you, Xiao Yu.” Chen Ling wasn’t annoyed at all by the sudden spare rib in her mouth, speaking vaguely as she chewed.
Wen Zhiyu raised his chopsticks, picked up a clam, and sent it straight into his mouth without hesitation. Li Qingchi casually glanced at the tip of the chopsticks.
The same chopsticks Chen Ling had just used, he didn’t seem to care at all.
Li Qingchi looked away and answered slowly and deliberately: “At the affiliated hospital of the War Chain Department, specializing in pheromone research. Though I was temporarily assigned there. Same age as your senior, and no partner.”
After he finished, Wen Zhiyu raised his eyes and looked at him with a faint, ambiguous smile. “Dr. Li, you really have patience.”
Saying one thing but meaning another.
You (only) really (have) patience (for) me (but don’t).
“I have even more patience for you, but you’ve forgotten.” Li Qingchi replied flatly.
“Ha, liar.” Wen Zhiyu didn’t take the words to heart, because he couldn’t recall at all when Li Qingchi had ever shown him patience.
Wen Zhiyu hadn’t ordered this restaurant’s stir-fried yellow beef before, but he’d heard it was absolutely delicious. He picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. It was fragrant and tender at first, but after chewing for a moment, the spiciness hit. His tongue went numb, and his mouth felt like it was about to catch fire.
Chen Ling noticed something was wrong and immediately extended her hand to his mouth, signaling for him to spit the contents into her palm.
Li Qingchi quietly watched their interaction and frowned involuntarily.
Not only was it dirty, it was also spoiled and delicate.
He had been strictly disciplined by his parents since childhood, and table manners were deeply ingrained in him. Spitting chewed food into someone else’s hand was simply beyond his realm of understanding. Not only was it dirty, it was also impolite. He strongly disapproved of such behavior and would never do it himself, no matter who the other person was.
But then again, since Chen Ling was doing it willingly, one willing to give, the other willing to take, he found it hard to interfere or voice opinions on someone else’s behalf.
Wen Zhiyu shook his head around, his gaze finally locking onto the tissue box beside Li Qingchi. He raised his hand and pointed vaguely while making “mm-hmm” sounds of indication.
Li Qingchi casually pulled out a tissue and handed it to Wen Zhiyu. He took it, spat the food residue from his mouth into the paper, wrapped it into a ball, and tossed it into the trash can. Then he gulped down a mouthful of cold water.
Tears were about to spill from Wen Zhiyu’s eyes, he’d nearly been choked into crying by the spice. How embarrassing.
He raised his hand and rubbed his eyes. If only he hadn’t. The moment he rubbed them, they stung even more, and tears spilled out again. He didn’t dare lift his head. Through the sliver of his remaining vision, he saw a tissue being handed in front of him. He froze for a moment, then raised his eyes. Li Qingchi was looking at him.
He snatched the tissue, hastily wiped it across his eyes.
Midway through, Wen Zhiyu went to the restroom, and Li Qingchi followed on his heels.
After Wen Zhiyu finished using the toilet, he saw Li Qingchi standing in front of the sink. He met Li Qingchi’s eyes in the mirror and was slightly taken aback. “What? Here to watch me make a fool of myself?”
“You’re overthinking it.” Li Qingchi turned on the faucet. “There’s oil on your hands. Wash them.”
Wen Zhiyu walked over to stand beside him and turned on the water to wash his hands. “You’ve been investigating me all along? Besides my high school years, what else have you dug up?”
Wen Zhiyu wasn’t stupid. During their earlier conversation, Li Qingchi had revealed a lot of information, perhaps he’d never intended to hide it in the first place.
His tone was light and airy, as if he couldn’t care less whether Li Qingchi could uncover his past. Li Qingchi didn’t answer.
Wen Zhiyu pressed on: “Or rather, have you found anything? Any information that’s useful to you?”
Li Qingchi turned off the water, pulled out a tissue, and wiped his hands slowly and deliberately. “What is it you hope I’ll find?”
“It seems you didn’t find anything useful.” Wen Zhiyu pondered for a moment, his tone sincere and candid. “Let me tell you, my name is Wen Zhiyu. I went to the same high school as you. You mentioned it during your last treatment, so I probably don’t need to repeat that.” He then continued, “I’m a local of City A, twenty-five this year…”
“I already know all that.” Li Qingchi interrupted him without hesitation. Repeating known information was boring and a waste of time.
Wen Zhiyu paused, then switched to a lighter tone. “You dislike me that much, Dr. Li? Eager to find something on me? And then what? Would you kill me?”
“Perhaps.” Li Qingchi gave an ambiguous answer.
“Wait for it.” A faint smile curved at the corner of Wen Zhiyu’s mouth.
Li Qingchi tossed the crumpled paper into the trash bin and turned to leave. Just as he stepped out of the restroom, he paused mid-step and, without looking back, tossed out a final remark: “If you need treatment tonight, remember to shower. I don’t like the scent of other people’s pheromones on you.”