Shu Ziyi picked a well-known Western restaurant nearby.
The decor inside was very artsy. Bookshelves divided the tables, warm-toned chandeliers hung overhead, and ivy plants were placed by their feet for ambiance.
“This place was recommended by my cousin,” Shu Ziyi said with a shy smile, fidgeting with her skirt. “I heard their coffee is really good.”
“Mhm.” Xie Quan smiled.
“Dr. Xie, what would you like to eat?” Shu Ziyi held up the menu.
“I’ll have whatever you’re having,” Xie Quan replied.
“The same as me? Will that be enough for you?” Shu Ziyi giggled, covering her mouth.
“It’ll be fine.” Xie Quan smiled again.
Shu Ziyi let out a slightly awkward laugh and lowered her head to look at the menu.
In truth, Xie Quan wasn’t really listening to what Shu Ziyi was saying. He was just politely responding to keep the conversation flowing.
He kept trying to focus on the meal in front of him, but the way he played with the tablecloth gave away his distraction.
Shu Ziyi was still working hard to keep the atmosphere lively, but none of the topics she brought up interested him.
Stories about what was going on at school, annoying kids in the family…
Wait—what did Lu Nanyang used to talk about when they were together?
About the stray cats behind the school being such a hassle. About his friend’s dog eating two pounds of kibble a day.
Those weren’t particularly meaningful topics either, but when Lu Nanyang said them, he looked so animated and silly it was kind of adorable. You couldn’t help but want to tease him.
And there was even a trace of charm and gentleness, though Xie Quan didn’t want to admit it.
No—wait. Why was he thinking about Lu Nanyang again? Xie Quan furrowed his brows and forced himself to refocus on Shu Ziyi.
“…My relatives are just so annoying. Even these super distant ones have the nerve to say they held me when I was a baby.” Shu Ziyi sighed. “But my mom says they came all this way, so we have to entertain them…”
The result of getting barely a few hours of sleep last night and assisting in surgeries all day was that the moment something didn’t hold his interest, drowsiness kicked in full force.
Xie Quan took a sip of coffee. As his gaze casually drifted toward the restaurant entrance, it suddenly stopped.
Not far from the entrance, he saw a familiar figure.
Unlike earlier at the hospital, this time he was certain—he clearly saw the person’s face.
It was Lu Nanyang.
Lu Nanyang was still wearing the same outfit from yesterday, chatting and laughing with another guy Xie Quan didn’t recognize near the entrance. It looked like they were out shopping. Lu Nanyang disappeared from view for a few seconds and then reappeared with two cups of milk tea, handing one to the other guy.
The other man was also tall—just half a head shorter than Lu Nanyang. He wore a baseball cap, had a high nose bridge, round eyes, and a cute edge to his handsome appearance. Standing next to Lu Nanyang, they actually looked quite fitting together.
They didn’t linger in the area long. After buying milk tea, they walked off chatting and laughing.
But Xie Quan’s eyes remained fixed in that direction, unable to look away. His thoughts were in complete disarray.
Who was that guy with Lu Nanyang?
What was he doing out late at night instead of staying home working on his field report?
Were they close? Friends? Classmates? Colleagues? Or…?
A wave of anger slowly surged in Xie Quan’s chest.
Was Lu Nanyang really that lonely?
He’d just moved out for one day, and already he couldn’t wait to find someone else?
If that was the case, why hadn’t he just kicked him out sooner?
“…So on that day, could you pretend to be my boyfriend, Dr. Xie?” Shu Ziyi’s voice suddenly pulled him back to the present.
“…What did you say?” He blinked, looking at her.
“It’s my mom’s birthday, and a bunch of relatives will be there. Every time I go home, I get bombarded with questions about having a boyfriend. I really don’t want to hear it again,” Shu Ziyi sighed and clasped her hands together. “So, Dr. Xie, would you mind pretending to be my boyfriend just for that day? It won’t take up much of your time—just one meal.”
Xie Quan’s smile stiffened slightly at the corners. “You’re still in university, and they’re already pressuring you like this?”
“I can’t help it. It’s not up to me.” Shu Ziyi stirred her coffee with a small spoon. “My mom’s always worried about my future—thinks I’m too naive and won’t be able to get married.”
“How could that be?” Xie Quan chuckled. “You probably have guys lining up across the Pacific.”
Shu Ziyi lowered her head, staring at her own hand movements. “But I don’t like any of them.”
Xie Quan said nothing.
With words like that, if he still couldn’t get the hint, then he’d be the fool.
If it had been a few months ago, he probably would have been happy.
Shu Ziyi was someone he had gone through a lot of trouble and connections to get in touch with, and now the girl was actually confessing her feelings to him. There could be no better outcome.
But Xie Quan couldn’t smile.
No matter how much he tried to convince himself that Shu Ziyi was the best choice for his future, he couldn’t lie about how he really felt. A person can deceive others, but not themselves.
It felt like something fundamental was starting to waver.
In the past, he never cared about something as intangible as “feelings.” Whether he liked the girl in front of him didn’t matter—what mattered was how much benefit she and her family could bring him.
But now, for the first time, he was being held back by these so-called “feelings” that he used to think were unimportant.
It was laughable.
Shu Ziyi had kept her head down, not looking at him. Xie Quan took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Sorry. For this matter, you should ask someone else to help.”
Shu Ziyi lifted her head. Her large, clear, beautiful eyes stared straight at him. Xie Quan’s gaze dropped slightly, and in those few seconds, he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
But in the next moment, Shu Ziyi suddenly let out a laugh. She looked as if a weight had been lifted, relaxing as she leaned back against the soft chair.
“That’s a relief, Dr. Xie. Now that you’ve told me clearly, I can let it go.”
Her expression didn’t look too surprised, which actually caught Xie Quan off guard.
“I’m not stupid. I just couldn’t let it go, so I came up with this little trick to test you. Sorry about that,” Shu Ziyi said, wrapping her hands around her coffee cup and tightening her fingers slightly as she smiled.
“Test me?” Xie Quan was momentarily stunned.
He had spent the whole evening distracted and hadn’t paid much attention to Shu Ziyi, so he hadn’t realized it.
“Dr. Xie, you must have someone you like, right?” Shu Ziyi said softly. “I can tell.”
“No,” Xie Quan responded almost instinctively and too quickly. “I just think this kind of thing isn’t really appropriate…”
“Is it that boy we ran into in the lecture hall the other time?” Shu Ziyi asked.
Xie Quan cut himself off mid-sentence. His canine tooth bit hard on the edge of his lip.
There was still a wound left there from last night, left by Lu Nanyang—like an overripe fruit, bursting through its thin skin at the slightest pressure, seeping out red juice.
He hated this feeling of being completely seen through. It made him restless, made him uneasy—like being stripped bare and exposed to the eyes of others.
The solid mask he had carefully built for years in front of others had, at some point, started to crack.
He hated it.
Xie Quan’s face turned cold. His gray eyes became sharp and indifferent, looking nothing like the gentle senior Shu Ziyi was familiar with.
“No,” Xie Quan denied flatly.
Shu Ziyi paused, clearly a little embarrassed. “Oh… I was just guessing randomly…”
Xie Quan lowered his eyes. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll get going. I want to rest early tonight.”
After saying that, he stood up from his seat, completely ignoring the waiter who had just brought over their meals, and walked straight out of the restaurant.
“Dr. Xie!”
He heard Shu Ziyi’s voice call out from behind.
Xie Quan turned his head and saw the beautifully dressed girl crying, tears falling like raindrops from pear blossoms. “Dr. Xie, I really like you. I just hope that whoever stays by your side in the future will take good care of you—and at the very least, won’t let you be this exhausted anymore…”
Xie Quan quickened his pace and hurriedly left the restaurant, almost as if he were fleeing.
The nighttime street was filled with cars and people chatting and laughing in small groups, but Xie Quan stood alone at the roadside—no goal, no plan, not knowing where to go.
Xie Quan, without a plan.
It was as ridiculous as the sun without gravity or Saturn without its icy rings.
His chest ached like a heavy stone was pressing down on it, making it hard to breathe. His thoughts were a tangled mess.
He looked up at the sky. Night had long fallen, but thick clouds covered everything. Not even the moon could be seen, let alone stars. Only the city’s dull artificial lights shone dully, piercing the air and illuminating clouds of dust.
Xie Quan suddenly had the urge to drink—to drink until he was wasted, to go crazy for a bit and forget everything for a while. But when he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts from top to bottom, he realized he didn’t have a single person he could call out for a drink.
He had spent so much time with Lu Nanyang, he had nearly forgotten—he was someone without friends.
