Chapter 13 (2/2)
When Liu Qianxiu came out of the operating room and removed his mask, one of the nurses came over to help him out of his surgical gown and said, “Dr. Liu, President Xiao is looking for you. He’s waiting in your office.”
Liu Qianxiu removed his gloves.
“All right,” he said.
Then he turned and left.
The president of Tang’er Hospital, Xiao Tan, had been Liu Qianxiu’s senior back at Imperial College London. Tang’er Hospital belonged to the Xiao family group. Xiao Tan had worked there straight out of graduation and had become the hospital’s president last year. Liu Qianxiu had been recruited there by him.
Most people in the department knew they had a senior-junior relationship from years past, and Xiao Tan came by Liu Qianxiu’s office from time to time.
When Liu Qianxiu pushed the office door open, Xiao Tan was seated to one side, flipping through the surgical records Liu Qianxiu had completed recently.
Hearing the door, Xiao Tan looked up with a smile.
“Surgery finished?”
Xiao Tan was thirty-seven this year. He had regular, well-composed features, was impeccably put together, and carried an educated, gentle manner. Though he held the title of president, he was not a severe person by temperament.
Liu Qianxiu answered once and sat down behind his desk. The chair shifted with a soft sound as he leaned back, turned his neck, and rubbed it a couple of times.
Three hours of surgery had left him tired.
“No more surgeries today, right?” Xiao Tan asked.
They had known each other for years, and Liu Qianxiu knew Xiao Tan well enough. Leaning forward slightly, he opened his eyes and looked at him directly.
“What is it?”
Liu Qianxiu was blunt, and Xiao Tan did not circle around the point.
Smiling faintly, he said, “The last time you operated on Dr. Xiao Yun’s grandfather, she wanted to invite you to dinner to thank you.”
Technically, Xiao Tan and Xiao Yun were distantly related—not too distant, either. Xiao Tan’s father placed great importance on family ties, and before Xiao Yun came to the hospital, he had specifically instructed Xiao Tan to take good care of her.
Xiao Tan was not old, but he had spent enough years dealing with people to read a room well. When Xiao Yun mentioned wanting to thank Liu Qianxiu, Xiao Tan had seen enough from her expression to guess the rest.
Liu Qianxiu was outstanding.
Xiao Yun was refined and elegant.
Both were accomplished surgeons, with common ground to stand on.
The problem was simply that one was cold and reticent, while the other was reserved and proper. There was always a small but stubborn distance between them.
After Xiao Tan finished speaking, Liu Qianxiu’s gaze drifted toward the orchid on the windowsill.
Its leaves were pale green, its blossoms a soft blue, small and lively with spirit.
“Qianxiu?” Xiao Tan called.
“Mm.”
Liu Qianxiu’s expression did not change. He looked back at Xiao Tan and said, “I was only doing what I should. There’s no need.”
“You have plans tonight?” Xiao Tan asked.
Liu Qianxiu denied it.
“No.”
“Then it’s settled.” Ignoring the refusal outright, Xiao Tan made the decision for him. “You’re a doctor, but that doesn’t mean you should do nothing but treat patients. You ought to socialize too. You never go to staff gatherings. Do you know no one in this hospital except me? Consider it doing me a favor. I’ll be there too. Seven o’clock tonight, Masyale.”
With that, Xiao Tan stood, patted him once on the shoulder, and left.
The last scene of the day took forever. By the time Mu Wan finished filming, it was already past six. She called Liu Qianxiu to ask whether he was off work yet.
He answered quickly. Just one low “Hello,” and sweetness rose immediately in Mu Wan’s chest.
“Are you off work?” she asked.
“Just now.” The other end of the line was very quiet, which only made his voice sound clearer, cleaner.
“Ah...” Mu Wan said, disappointed.
She hurried toward the entrance of the studio lot, scanning the road for taxis. It was hot, and just past six, drivers changed shifts. Cabs were hard to catch.
“So I can’t come wait for you today,” she said. “Should I just go straight to your place?”
Liu Qianxiu did not agree.
“Dr. Xiao invited me to dinner tonight,” he said. “I’ll be back later.”
Dr. Xiao?
Mu Wan stopped walking.
The faintly disdainful look on the female doctor’s face from a few days earlier flashed back into her mind. Wasn’t she the reserved, composed sort? Since when had she started making a move too?
Now was not the time to dwell on that.
A dry heat rose in Mu Wan’s chest. Whether it came from jealousy or simple urgency, she pulled back the hand she had been using to hail taxis and asked, “I thought you didn’t eat out.”
That was what he had told her the last time she suggested taking him out to dinner.
So why was he willing to go when this Dr. Xiao asked?
Then Mu Wan asked, “What time will you be finished? Can I still come see the cats?”
Over the line, she sounded like an anxious little cat—stretching out sharp claws to grab at the small dried fish someone else was about to steal away. Failing to catch it, the voice that came out was both frustrated and faintly aggrieved.
Liu Qianxiu asked evenly, “Are you eating alone?”
“Mm,” Mu Wan said, not quite able to hide the note in her voice. “You still haven’t answered my question—”
“Would you like to come with me?” Liu Qianxiu asked.
Mu Wan’s pupils widened slightly.
The heat inside her was like spun sugar swelling bigger and bigger, only to melt at once when he bit through it lightly. Sweet, light, and utterly gone.
“I can come?” she asked.
Her tone had already softened over the phone.
Liu Qianxiu gave a quiet affirmative.
“I’ll take you.”
“Okay,”
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