Chapter 60 Doctors Are the Least Reliable Profession
by 喵总睡不醒Chapter 60: Doctors Make the Worst Partners
Chi Yu chuckled, "Why only one child?"
"Because I think it's hard to divide your love fairly between kids. I enjoyed all my parents' love, so I hope my child can have that too. Speaking of which, do you have any siblings?"
Chi Yu smiled, "No biological siblings, but my parents support several children, so I consider them my little brothers and sisters."
"But I do have pets—both a cat and a dog."
Qin Shuyi's eyes lit up.
Chi Yu took out his phone, his tone friendly, "Want to see them?"
He had a mixed-breed cat and a Husky.
Watching funny videos of the two silly, adorable creatures, she couldn't help but laugh.
Chi Yu looked at her, a smile also touching his eyes.
Hearing the good progress next door, the bored Shi Qilan wore a fond, matchmaking smile and blurted out, "They seem quite well-matched, don't they?"
The air grew colder.
"Ahem." She seemed to have given herself away as an eavesdropper.
Feeling that just sitting there was awkward, she decided to steer the conversation, "Master Jue, do you like pets?"
Ling Jue sneered, "No."
"Stupid dogs."
His voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for Qin Shuyi and Chi Yu next door to hear.
Their chatter died down for a second.
Shi Qilan gave him a surprised look.
She hadn't expected the usually taciturn Ling Jue to be so cutting.
Chi Yu, unaffected by the stranger's comment, continued showing Qin Shuyi photos.
He then smoothly made the next invitation, "Next time, I can bring them to meet you. You can get a taste of life with a cat and a dog."
Of course, Qin Shuyi wouldn't refuse him to his face, "I'll look forward to that."
"Ah—Master Jue, your hand!"
Shi Qilan exclaimed.
The warm coffee cup had tipped over, spilling all over Ling Jue's hand, leaving his skin red. Fortunately, it had been sitting for a while and wasn't scalding hot.
Shi Qilan frowned and called a waiter, "Do you have any burn ointment?"
But Ling Jue stopped her, telling the waiter, "No need. Just bring me a wet towel."
Shi Qilan started to object.
She wanted to suggest he leave to clean up or see a doctor, but Ling Jue remained immovable as a mountain.
Shi Qilan was full of question marks, starting to doubt her own existence. Was she really so charming that the esteemed Master Jue would sit here with her, doing nothing?
The waiter cleaned up and left.
The commotion also interrupted the date invitation next door.
Chi Yu could only change the subject, "I currently work as an orthopedic surgeon at Mingli Second Hospital. Work can be quite busy, but work isn't everything in life, so I try to make time for family."
Qin Shuyi nodded.
Just as she was about to speak, a low, carrying voice came from next door again, "Doctors are one of the most unreliable professions to have as partners."
Shi Qilan, who had just been wondering whether to call a private doctor and hadn't heard the conversation next door: "???"
What does their reliability as partners have to do with your hand?
But she still forced an awkward laugh and agreed, "That's true. Doctors are busy, and I've heard the cheating rate is quite high."
"..."
As if several crows had flown by, Qin Shuyi and Chi Yu fell silent again.
Yet Ling Jue seemed to have gained interest, "Miss Shi, do you know such a doctor?"
Shi Qilan: "???"
"I do... I think?" she answered hesitantly.
Then she briefly told a story she'd heard about a distant relative's younger cousin who went to see a doctor, fell for her attending physician, only to later discover he had eight other girlfriends. In a rage, she teamed up with all the deceived girls to get him fired.
Who was she? Where was she?
Why was she sitting in a café telling this completely unrelated gossip to Young Master Ling?
Next door, a hint of helplessness appeared on Chi Yu's face.
But Qin Shuyi shook her head and picked up the thread of the conversation, "Every profession has its morally corrupt individuals. Ultimately, it's a matter of personal character. I heard you've also worked as a Doctors Without Borders volunteer, supporting the work of my aunt and my mother?"
In a way, this showed she wasn't influenced by others' words and also subtly expressed her trust in Chi Yu's character.
Chi Yu felt a stir in his heart. Looking at Qin Shuyi's smiling face, he felt a comforting warmth, as if soaked in warm water.
She was really considerate and very intelligent.
Honestly, today's blind date was originally to appease his mother, but sitting here, he wished the conversation could last longer.
He smiled, "Yes, the most recent time was two years ago. My mother's organization was short-staffed then, so I went and stayed for a few months."
Qin Shuyi said, "You're amazing. Not everyone has the courage to go to the front lines."
Even though her own mother had been a Doctors Without Borders volunteer for many years, for others whose experiences might seem less glorious, she still offered sincere, high praise.
Chi Yu smiled, "You're amazing too. Not everyone has the courage to become an embalmer. I'm curious, what inspired you to choose it?"
Qin Shuyi then told the story of visiting relatives, unexpectedly encountering war, and the elderly mother desperately searching for her daughter's body.
Chi Yu's expression turned serious.
His eyes shone as he looked at Qin Shuyi.
The topics of their conversation weren't exactly lighthearted, but the atmosphere wasn't heavy either.
As her maternal aunt, Zhou Tinglan, had guessed, their professions—one dealing with life, the other with death—indeed made it easy for them to find common ground.
At the neighboring table, Ling Jue had been quiet for a long time.
He probably knew about Qin Shuyi's past.
But the two of them had never engaged in such deep, self-revealing conversations.
When they were together, they were always enjoying the present moment, yet they never delved into each other's pasts or asked about each other's future directions.
Qin Shuyi disliked one-sided sharing, and Ling Jue wasn't good at exposing old wounds.
Seeing the man's pale face and the veins standing out on the back of his hands, Shi Qilan belatedly realized something.
Had they... been responding to the conversation next door all along?
For once, with no one else interrupting, Qin Shuyi and Chi Yu were able to have a more sustained conversation.
They got along very well.
Ling Jue thought to himself.
He remembered what Qin Shuyi had said when she rejected him—that they weren't a good fit.
So was this man the right one for her?
Even though every word felt like excruciating torture to him, he sat there until his body went numb.
After a long while, he stood up, looked at Shi Qilan who was leisurely sipping her coffee, and resumed his expressionless demeanor.
"Let's go."
He'd told himself he wouldn't care anymore, yet his actions today had already crossed the line.
What did it matter to him who Qin Shuyi ended up with?
Just as the two stood up, the conversation next door was also winding down.
After all, it was their first meeting, so Chi Yu kept things relatively light. Noticing Qin Shuyi looked tired, he offered to take her home.
All four stood up to leave. Without the screen divider, the two pairs saw each other's faces for the first time.
Chi Yu raised an eyebrow, surprised that the ones who had interjected earlier were this pair.
Honestly, they didn't seem the type.
Ling Jue, who was being observed, averted his eyes, not looking at Qin Shuyi again.
He simply acted like a stranger, preparing to leave first.
Just then, something unexpected happened.
The newly installed decorative ceiling light overhead swayed precariously and suddenly came crashing down.
Shi Qilan, who was standing the farthest away, quickly stepped back.
But Qin Shuyi was trapped in the middle, with Ling Jue in front of her and Chi Yu behind her.
At the critical moment, Chi Yu quickly reached out to pull Qin Shuyi to safety.
However, the next second, his hand closed on empty air.
He looked up, stunned by the scene before him.
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