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Li Yu had been quietly listening and waited until her father finished the call before getting up to pour herself a glass of water.
Her research required some clinical data, and in this aspect, the hospital was naturally more professional than the university. Her father also taught at the university, making this a collaborative project. Li Yu was truly passionate about research. That afternoon, she suddenly thought of a breakthrough and decided that explaining it over the phone wouldn’t suffice, so she came directly to the hospital.
Father and daughter first discussed official business. The Li family was a pharmaceutical lineage, so there were differences but also areas of agreement.
Li Yu resembled her mother—gentle in nature but stubborn and resilient. Father and daughter often argued passionately over small issues, but once they broke through a bottleneck, they would become excited like children.
She wasn’t combative; she just disliked losing.
“Dad, please introduce someone else to Xin Xin. Xin Xin likes humorous and interesting types. Qing Hang is great, but they’re not a good match.”
Director Li shook his head. “Don’t speak too absolutely. They’re both young. Consider it as making another friend.”
Li Yu was direct with her father. “What I mean is, Qing Hang and I are more suitable.”
Director Li froze, surprised as he looked at his daughter. He had only recently learned that Li Yu and Qing Hang were classmates. His daughter was excellent in every way, enthusiastic about everything new, but strangely disinterested in dating.
“Xiao Yu, are you serious?” He was astonished. “Qing Hang is indeed good. You’ve been classmates for so many years—why didn’t you give it a try in school?”
Li Yu said, “Qing Hang came from a remote small county to Beijing. You know his family situation—it’s vastly different from ours. His self-esteem is extremely strong. He knows exactly what he wants and doesn’t want. He’s cold to others but even harder on himself. He has clear life goals and will relentlessly pursue them. Without confidence, he wouldn’t dare to accept me. But now, things are different. He has a stable job, and his future is gradually becoming clearer. My family background won’t easily hurt his pride anymore.”
Love wasn’t everything to her. If it came, it would be a bonus; if not, it wouldn’t affect her life.
But she would fight for it.
Who wouldn’t like a flower?
Director Li smiled helplessly. “Alright. You’ve always been independent since you were young and didn’t like me interfering in your affairs, so I won’t meddle. I’ll call your aunt tonight and apologize.”
After leaving her father’s office, Li Yu went to the ward area to wait for Qing Hang.
Several young doctors, including interns, also called her “Senior Sister,” bringing her water. Before Qing Hang returned, there was always someone sitting beside her chatting.
Qing Hang came back to the office holding some documents. “Senior Sister.”
Li Yu stood up. “It’s time to get off work. Are you done? We haven’t seen each other for three months—let’s have dinner together.”
Qing Hang didn’t agree but instead asked, “How’s the progress on your research?”
“It’s almost done. I’m organizing the data now, so I can relax a bit.” Li Yu noticed that Qing Hang seemed hesitant. “What’s wrong? Do you have something to do after work?”
Qing Hang said, “I need to buy dessert. That shop is very famous—if I go too late, they’ll be sold out.”
The smile on Li Yu’s face faltered for a second. “I remember you don’t like sweets.”
Many guys don’t like desserts or milk tea.
Qing Hang’s expression remained natural. “It’s not for me.”
A colleague joked, “Qing Hang is so eager to leave today. In the past, it was like he lived at the hospital—available 24/7. Those who left late didn’t arrive earlier than him, and those who arrived early didn’t leave later than him.”
“He used to be like this in the lab too,” Li Yu said confidently, looking at Qing Hang without a hint of awkwardness. “Well, then let’s reschedule.”
She put down her teacup. “You all get back to work. I’ll leave first.”
A colleague said, “Qing Hang, why don’t you escort Senior Sister? Let me slack off a bit.”
“Mm.” Qing Hang was already planning to leave work anyway.
The elevator was crowded, and Qing Hang and Li Yu were separated by others. They only managed to exchange a few casual words after stepping out into the lobby. Li Yu had driven herself here, and having just been turned down once, she wouldn’t ask Qing Hang again if he wanted a ride to the dessert shop.
She would fight for that flower, but she wouldn’t lower herself without limits.
Li Yu headed to the parking lot while Qing Hang exited through the main entrance to take the subway. Before leaving home that morning, he had taken Cheng Wanyue’s keys. If he had enough time, he planned to pick up her clothes and daily necessities in the morning.
There was a long queue at the dessert shop, and Qing Hang waited over half an hour before finally making his purchase. Cheng Wanyue’s taste hadn’t changed. When she first came to Beijing, she had tried this shop’s cake and posted on social media about how much she liked it, saying she wanted to eat it again.
Just as he was paying, a WeChat message popped up. Qing Hang tapped to check it.
Y: Are you off work yet? Are you off work yet? Are you off work yet?
Lune: I’m off work now. I’ll go get your things. What do you need?
Y: I need a lot. I’ll tell you slowly after you get here.
Lune: Okay.
Y: Did you take your medicine at noon? Has your fever gone down?
Lune: I got a shot.
Y: You’re so busy—you probably didn’t have time for an IV. Was it a muscle injection? Did they give it in your butt?
Upon reading this, Qing Hang paused mid-typing. Before he could delete the unfinished message, she sent over a photo.
There were people around, so Qing Hang instinctively tucked his phone away. Only when the shopkeeper reminded him did he remember to pay.
The dessert shop was close to Cheng Wanyue’s place, so Qing Hang walked over. It wasn’t until he entered the residential complex that he reopened WeChat to look at the photo. Even without zooming in, he could clearly see a red mark near the neckline of her clothing.
The freshly bought strawberry cake suddenly felt scorching in his hand.
Qing Hang put his phone away and went upstairs. He had been here once before, so he wouldn’t get lost.
Every two weeks, a cleaning lady came at a fixed time, so the house was spotless. Both bedroom doors were open, and with just a glance, Qing Hang knew which room Cheng Wanyue was staying in.
Cheng Wanyue had taken a twenty-minute break and called Qing Hang on video. He was in the process of gathering her clothes.
He asked, “Are these enough?”
“Enough. I’m not going to live at your place forever. Cheng Yanqing will be back this weekend,” she said, leaning on the counter, her eyes crescent-shaped when she smiled. “Just don’t forget my underwear. If you don’t bring it, I’ll assume you want me to go commando.”
Last night, after she finished her bath, she hadn’t worn anything underneath and had walked around like that in front of him, tormenting him even in his dreams.
“Keep it down,” Qing Hang said, not pointing the camera at himself. The screen kept shaking.
As soon as he finished speaking, he tossed his phone onto the bed.
Though Cheng Wanyue couldn’t see anything, it didn’t stop her from remotely directing him to do this and that. “Also, grab the cosmetics and skincare products from the table. Bring several lipsticks, and just one of everything else.”
She had everything neatly organized, so it wasn’t too difficult for Qing Hang.
However, there were too many types of lipsticks, nearly filling an entire shelf.
Qing Hang picked up his phone and pointed the camera at the lipsticks. “Which ones should I take?”
“I look good in any color. Just pick whichever you like.” Cheng Wanyue couldn’t see his face but could see his hands.
He was carefully choosing for her.
His long fingers brushed over each lipstick, as if sweeping across her lips.
Qing Hang selected seven out of the fifty or sixty lipsticks.
On the phone screen, Cheng Wanyue looked enlightened. “So you like this kind of color…”
“Hang up.”
The video call ended, and Cheng Wanyue returned to work. Her family knew what she was doing, but no one opposed it—or told her to change jobs. In the hearts of the Cheng family, as long as she was happy, that was all that mattered.
With her first month’s salary, Cheng Wanyue bought Yang Huimin a bag. Yang Huimin carried it every day to work and hadn’t switched it out in nearly a month.
9 PM. End of work.
Thinking back to yesterday, when she had been followed all the way by a drunkard, Cheng Wanyue still felt a chill. As soon as she stepped out, she prepared to hail a taxi. She lowered her head to check her phone and, just as she stepped down the stairs, bumped into someone.
The other person reacted quickly, steadying her by holding her wrist. She stared at the hand gripping her wrist without raising her head.
“Move aside, you’re blocking the way.”
“Where should I move to?” Qing Hang had repeatedly told her not to look at her phone while walking, but she always ignored his advice as if it were just background noise.
Cheng Wanyue tilted her head toward the street lamp. “I don’t want to hold hands with someone who hung up on me. Let go.”
Qing Hang had waited nearly an hour by the roadside. He still hadn’t fully recovered from his fever, and his palms were warm. Amidst the bustling crowd and passing vehicles, he could distinctly feel the pulsating rhythm of her heartbeat.
“What if I don’t let go?”
“If you don’t, then fine,” she said casually. “But since you’re still sick, I won’t bully a patient.”
As they stood outside the crosswalk waiting for the green light, Qing Hang asked her, “What did you eat today?”
Cheng Wanyue counted off on her fingers. “Takeout, takeout, and more takeout. It was terrible. How can something so bad still have a 4.7 rating? I don’t get it.”
“I bought groceries. I’ll cook for you tomorrow.”
“Should I pay for the meal? My pride is fragile—I’d feel awkward eating for free.”
Qing Hang tightened his grip on her hand. He shifted his arm slightly, and their shadows on the ground swayed.
“Isn’t this me holding your hand already?”
Cheng Wanyue feigned surprise. “Qing Hang, how far you’ve fallen! You weren’t like this before.”
When she first met him, she thought he was too rigid—stubborn, inflexible, and unable to adapt.
She hated studying and preferred going out with friends on weekends, but he would wait for her at home until she returned.
When she was playful and distracted, he patiently repeated explanations of the problems over and over again.
When she praised him in front of her parents and convinced them to double his tutoring fee, he immediately exposed her, saying she hadn’t learned much.
“I need to eat three meals a day without skipping any,” she suddenly lowered her voice and whispered into his ear, “How many minutes of holding hands equals one meal?”
Qing Hang considered it for a moment. “Thirty minutes.”
“Thirty minutes?” Cheng Wanyue felt that was excessive, but upon reconsideration, it didn’t seem like a bad deal. “So thirty minutes gets me one meal? I have a lot of half-hour blocks in a day. After I eat my fill, I can go work part-time selling alcohol or something else—I’ll definitely make a lot of money…”
Qing Hang cut off her fantasy. “No.”
She pouted stubbornly. “I won’t listen to you.”
“I’m sick.”
“…Fine, just this once. Don’t push your luck. What about a kiss? You kissed me for so long this morning, and the mark hasn’t faded yet.”
Qing Hang stopped walking and grabbed her hand as she tried to pull down her collar.
“There’s no such clause. If you think it’s unfair, you can kiss me back.”
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