At the Same Table
When Mu Wan approached the table, the expression of the woman in the red dress shifted slightly.
Xiao Yun’s eyes darkened for a moment.
Then she lifted her glass and took a sip of lemon water.
By the time she looked over again, her expression had returned to normal.
So had that faint, almost imperceptible sense of superiority.
Mu Wan’s red lips curved.
She followed Liu Qianxiu to the table.
A waiter pulled out a chair, and Mu Wan sat naturally beside him.
The restaurant was upscale and quiet, its décor understated but elegant.
Their table occupied a secluded corner, almost like a private alcove. Decorative branches separated it from the rest of the dining room, leaving the people inside only partially visible.
A crystal chandelier cast clear light over the small space.
Several oil paintings hung on the walls.
The cutlery had been arranged with immaculate precision.
Everything about the alcove carried an air of refinement.
Xiao Tan had not expected Liu Qianxiu to bring someone with him.
Especially not a woman.
His gaze moved between them.
“And this is...?”
“Hello. I’m Mu Wan.”
She introduced herself before Liu Qianxiu needed to.
“I needed to see Doctor Liu about something. He heard I hadn’t eaten yet, so he brought me along.”
Then Mu Wan nodded toward Xiao Yun.
“Thank you for letting me join you, Doctor Xiao.”
Xiao Yun smiled.
“It’s fine.”
Her tone was perfectly casual.
Her back, however, slowly straightened.
Heat gathered beneath her skin.
She really is impossible to get rid of.
Xiao Yun had deliberately worn a brilliant red dress tonight.
Mu Wan, meanwhile, wore only a black halter top and dark brown harem pants.
The trousers had a pleated waistband tied beneath her flat stomach with a large bow, emphasizing her narrow waist and the elegant curves of her figure.
She had barely put on any makeup.
Her brows were naturally dark and long. Loose waves framed a small pale face and vivid red lips.
There was something about her that recalled the glamorous Hong Kong actresses of another era.
Sensual without trying.
Cool without seeming distant.
The kind of beauty that naturally drew the eye.
A waiter arrived to take their orders.
Mu Wan ordered without hesitation.
Liu Qianxiu had brought her here to eat. There was no reason to make herself uncomfortable by pretending otherwise.
When she finished, Liu Qianxiu ordered the same meal.
Mu Wan’s arrival had completely changed the nature of the dinner.
Whatever private intention it might have carried before was gone.
Now it resembled nothing more than a casual gathering among colleagues.
Xiao Yun soon began discussing several recent surgeries.
Technical terminology filled nearly every sentence.
Mu Wan understood none of it.
She could not join the conversation, so she rested her chin lightly against the back of her wrist and studied the oil paintings on the wall while waiting for the food.
Watching her sit silently at the table, Xiao Yun gradually regained some of her confidence.
The restaurant took great care with its presentation, which also meant the food arrived slowly.
After waiting for a while, Mu Wan excused herself and went to the restroom.
When she came out, Xiao Yun was washing her hands at the sinks.
Bright lights illuminated the vanity area.
Chrome faucets reflected the glare.
Beneath those lights, Xiao Yun’s red dress looked even more vivid.
Mu Wan did not particularly like her.
Xiao Yun looked down on her.
Worse, she clearly considered Mu Wan frivolous.
Still, they were sharing the same table tonight, and Xiao Yun was technically one of the hosts.
Mu Wan walked over and greeted her.
Xiao Yun straightened.
She was around the same height as Mu Wan.
Both women were slender, though Mu Wan’s figure was more softly curved.
Xiao Yun gave her an almost careless glance.
“You must have been bored while we were talking.”
Mu Wan turned on the faucet and let the water run over her hands.
“A little.”
“That’s what gatherings between doctors are like.” Xiao Yun smiled faintly. “We always end up talking about surgery, patients, research papers... The topics are very specialized.”
She turned toward Mu Wan.
“People outside the profession can’t really join the conversation, so naturally they find it dull.”
Her smile remained composed.
“We doctors don’t notice. Doctors understand other doctors, so we enjoy talking about these things.”
Mu Wan turned off the faucet.
For a moment, only the two of them stood in the brightly lit room.
One last drop slipped from the tap.
It struck the porcelain basin with a soft sound.
Mu Wan, the supposed outsider, looked at Xiao Yun.
The little speech was entirely consistent with the woman she had come to know.
Proper on the surface.
Pretentious underneath.
Self-important.
Condescending.
She was telling Mu Wan, indirectly but unmistakably, that she and Liu Qianxiu belonged to different worlds.
Mu Wan smiled politely.
Then she looked Xiao Yun over.
“That red dress is pretty.”
Xiao Yun’s chin tightened.
She had bought it specifically because Mu Wan had looked so striking in red the other day.
She had assumed Liu Qianxiu liked it.
Mu Wan pulled out a paper towel.
Still smiling, she dried her fingers slowly.
“But Doctor Liu has already seen me in red.”
She finished drying the last drop of water.
“So I doubt he’ll spend much time looking at anyone else wearing it.”
Mu Wan dropped the damp towel into the bin.
Then she smiled.
“I’m an actress, Doctor Xiao.”
Her tone remained perfectly pleasant.
“When it comes to looks, I’ve never lost.”
Then she walked out.
When Mu Wan returned, Xiao Tan and Liu Qianxiu were still talking.
Once the subject of surgery had begun, one case had naturally led to another.
As she approached, she heard Xiao Tan ask,
“Are you interested in the research conference at Wen City Central Hospital next week?”
Liu Qianxiu did not answer immediately.
He seemed to notice Mu Wan approaching and turned toward her.
Mu Wan met his gaze.
She had just registered the words Wen City and was about to ask when a waiter appeared behind her.
“Excuse me. Your meals are ready.”
Xiao Yun returned as the food was served.
She had touched up her makeup.
Otherwise, nothing about her had changed.
She remained gentle and composed.
The conversation at the table continued to revolve around medicine.
Mu Wan cut into her steak while watching Liu Qianxiu.
He glanced back at her.
Since she had nothing to contribute to the conversation, Mu Wan had spent most of the meal eating.
Her steak was nearly gone.
Xiao Tan asked Liu Qianxiu another question.
Liu Qianxiu turned to answer him.
At the same time, without drawing attention to the movement, he slid his untouched steak toward Mu Wan.
He had not eaten any of it.
But he had already cut it.
The same hands that held a scalpel had divided the steak into perfectly even pieces, every cut neat and clean.
Mu Wan looked at him, her cheeks still full.
“You’re not eating it?”
“Mm.”
His response was quiet.
Sweetness spread through her chest.
Mu Wan passed him her empty plate.
“Then I’m eating all of yours too.”
Liu Qianxiu accepted the empty plate and placed it in front of himself.
“All right.”
The exchange was so small that Xiao Tan did not notice.
Across the table, Xiao Yun did.
Her fingers tightened slowly around her glass of lemon water.
Her knuckles turned white.
After dinner, the four of them went their separate ways.
Mu Wan followed Liu Qianxiu home to see the kittens.
Having nothing else to do while the doctors talked, she really had eaten both steaks.
Her stomach now curved slightly beneath her clothes.
Even the ribbed fabric of her halter top had stretched across it.
After fastening her seat belt, Mu Wan gave up trying to hide it.
She looked at Liu Qianxiu.
He started the car.
Sensing her gaze, he turned.
Mu Wan glanced pointedly down at her stomach.
His eyes followed.
A small, rounded belly rose beneath the fabric.
Mu Wan laughed.
“Doctor Liu, take a look.”
She patted it.
“How many months pregnant do I look?”
Her figure was usually long and slender.
The little curve of her stomach looked unexpectedly cute.
Liu Qianxiu was not an obstetrician.
Still, he considered the question with due seriousness.
“Four months.”
Mu Wan pushed her stomach forward slightly and planted both hands on her narrow waist.
“Look.”
Her eyes sparkled.
“This is all your doing.”
She had meant the extra steak.
Her stomach was only this full because Liu Qianxiu had given her his portion.
But the moment the words left her mouth, Mu Wan realized what else they could mean.
Heat climbed into her face.
She immediately sat upright and discreetly pulled her stomach in.
Streetlights flashed beyond the windows, fortunately too broken and dim to reveal much of her expression.
Liu Qianxiu’s gaze paused.
His lips pressed together.
Then he looked forward and drove on.
— To be continued in Part 2 —
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