After a busy day, He Dongli, her stomach growling, followed Zhao Zhenzhen’s advice and first went to greet Director Yao and her eldest daughter-in-law.
Director Yao was still fairly amiable.
Normally, they hadn’t formally met a few times even in the hospital, and even when they did, you could hardly tell the difference between the female and male colleagues.
Today, though Dr. He looked plain, in Director Yao’s private opinion, she was presentable, composed, and exuded the scholarly air that could make a good impression.
After some thought, the hostess had her eldest daughter-in-law lead the guest to her seat and entertain her.
Before going, the mother- and daughter-in-law whispered in each other’s ears, and Director Yao told the eldest daughter-in-law to call the second son over so he could properly meet the young lady.
The eldest daughter-in-law pressed her lips together without showing any emotion and said that the second son was upstairs entertaining guests and wouldn’t be able to come down right away.
Director Yao was displeased when she heard this, muttering about her own son, always hanging out with that bunch of good-for-nothings.
The eldest daughter-in-law corrected her this time, “It’s not all that. I heard from Jianhua that this time it’s actual business contacts. The other party rarely comes here, and it was only because someone made the introduction that they agreed to come and visit.”
Director Yao finally calmed down a bit after hearing that, but in the end, today’s main event couldn’t be delayed—business could be done any day, but a good match wouldn’t wait.
The eldest daughter-in-law went to arrange for He Doctor.
In the course of polite conversation, He Doctor shed her previous coldness and was the first to ask Madam Liang how she should be addressed.
The mother-in-law’s constant praise about good looks and character still echoed in Tu Yumei’s ears.
Looking at He Doctor’s sudden enthusiasm, she felt a strange sense of disdain—or maybe just indifference.
It was obvious: the old lady wanted to find a well-connected, reliable match for her youngest son from the hospital, someone whose family background, connections, and finances would all require the support of the husband’s family.
Once married, her son would always be a step above.
The mother-in-law had picked He Doctor simply because she thought her son would be pleased with her looks.
As for the mind or intelligence of a highly educated professional, as long as the Liang family was satisfied, that was enough.
All in all, the Liang family had everything calculated.
Tu Yumei was well aware of her mother-in-law’s little schemes.
So, seeing He Doctor’s sudden eagerness to get close, Tu Yumei instantly lost any illusions she had about this surgeon who had once operated on her son.
She felt a wave of surprise inside—just another clueless one.
Then, thinking of He Doctor’s family background—father gone, mother remarried—maybe this type, easy to manipulate, would actually get along well with the sisters-in-law.
Tu Yumei, ever the social butterfly, settled He Doctor in and then, with a slightly strained expression, headed upstairs.
Zou Yan, hiding in the corner drinking, took in everything.
After a while, he came over with his wine glass to He Dongli, watching her eat a plate of melon and prosciutto, as if all her earlier restraint had vanished, and she was now calmly playing the cards she was dealt.
He couldn’t help but mock her, “Do you really believe that Liang Jianxing’s eldest sister-in-law is all that fond of you?”
He Dongli, unruffled, replied shockingly, “Hmm? Didn’t his eldest sister-in-law originally want to marry her little brother-in-law?”
Zou Yan nearly choked on his drink, coughing hard, blaming her for her outrageous, rebellious words.
“What are you saying!”
He Dongli looked puzzled, “Uh, isn’t that it? Otherwise, she has no reason not to like me.”
Zou Yan was at a loss for words, giving her another look, “You’re acting a bit weird today.”
Obsessed with her melon, she took another bite.
Under the lights, as she looked up at Zou Yan, even he, not an expert, could see the pearly sheen of powder on her face.
“Mm, just think of me as out of sorts from being forced into a blind date.”
Zou Yan insisted, “It’s got nothing to do with the blind date.”
He Dongli said nothing, continuing to eat.
Zou Yan was about to tease her, “What, never eaten melon in your previous life?” when someone approached from behind, “Dr. He, hello.”
Liang Jianxing appeared in a suit, one hand holding a brandy glass, the other hurriedly stubbing out a cigarette on the table’s ashtray.
He apologized, “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
He Dongli was standing by the window at the far left of the long table, with Zou Yan between them.
Liang Jianxing first clinked glasses with Zou Yan, joking familiarly, “Rare to see you at these kinds of events.”
Zou Yan raised his glass on his own, not toasting with Liang Second, “She didn’t know the way, so she dragged me along to guide her.”
Liang Jianxing laughed, “Then I ought to thank you. Have a few more drinks later.”
Zou Yan was about to shoot a look at Liang Second, but the latter, taking the host’s stance, came between him and He Dongli, ignoring whether Zou Yan was there or not.
“Dr. He, would you do me the honor of having a drink with me alone?”
He Dongli eventually put down her fork and bone plate.
From Zou Yan’s perspective, she didn’t look like she was going for a private chat—more like…marching bravely to her doom.
At the southeast corner of the Liang Family’s second floor, a balcony had been converted into a sunroom.
The most eye-catching things inside were several pots of camellias—
Eighteen Scholars.
When Liang Jianxing came in with two drinks, he saw He Doctor standing alone in front of the white camellias.
To be honest, her ID photo still looked too much like a class portrait.
“Dr. He, do you like camellias too?”
The person before the flowers shook her head firmly.
“I can’t keep any plant alive, so strictly speaking, I can’t say I like them.”
Liang Jianxing handed her the orange juice, and she reached out to take it.
The man’s aesthetic sensibility was at work—her wrist was slender, her fingers tinged with pink.
Yet, as he invited her to sit, his keen senses told him that the calmer she seemed, the more likely there were storms beneath the surface.
“Growing flowers and trees is all about leisure and mood. In plain terms, it’s about time and effort. Anyway, my parents take care of all this. Dr. He, you’re just short on time. You’re a surgeon—if you can fix people, surely you could handle a few plants.”
He Dongli gave a noncommittal smile, tugging at the corners of her mouth, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
After a few rounds of formulaic social pleasantries, Liang Jianxing more or less understood: she was, as expected, the model child from someone else’s family.
Even after chatting for just a bit, he could guess what his mother liked about her: not arrogant in victory, not discouraged in defeat.
To put it plainly: emotionally stable.
Even plainer: she’s really good at making you lose your cool.
Right now, no matter how Liang Jianxing looked at her, she remained calm and collected, even when she lowered her head to sip her drink again and again.
Liang Jianxing checked his watch, feeling the pressure from his parents, and, mixed with a bit of curiosity about romance, decided he should sit with her for at least fifteen minutes.
Since she wasn’t chatty, he kept the conversation going, admitting that he’d been set up on many blind dates like this by his parents.
“Dr. He, I suppose you’re here on your teacher’s orders? First time?”
Unexpectedly, she shook her head and said it was her second time.
Liang Jianxing heard her speak, and contrary to her composed aura, perhaps from too much orange juice, her voice had a hint of sweetness.
He couldn’t help but ask with interest, “Why didn’t it work out the first time?”
He Dongli tapped her phone, recalling her blunder: she’d set up an alarm beforehand, pretending to get a call from her lab group, but in the middle of faking the call, she actually got a real call…
The other party was her Teacher’s Wife’s Nephew, who later complained to his aunt that her uncle’s student was just as self-important and stupid as he was.
Liang Jianxing laughed out loud, teasing her, “So, Dr. He, have you figured out how to get out of this one?”
He Dongli saw Liang Jianxing’s fingers rubbing his watch, and answered straightforwardly, “Maybe you want to make a graceful exit even more than I do, Mr. Liang.”
Liang Jianxing only smiled and countered, “But what if I don’t?”
The two sat face to face for quite a while. For the first time, He Dongli seriously studied him, and Liang Jianxing, meeting her gaze, suddenly felt a bit of that shameless “the grass is always greener” feeling.
The next second, He Dongli politely but firmly said, “Mr. Liang, I’m sorry, for now I…”
Before she could finish, Liang Jianxing’s phone rang.
At first, he answered it while seated, but after a few words, he stood up to leave, speaking hurriedly, “I’m done here, I’ll be right there.”
He quickly apologized to his blind date, “A client of mine is about to leave, I need to see him off. Dr. He…”
Someone seemed to be lost in thought for a second, then, “Oh, Mr. Liang, go ahead. I should be leaving too.”
So Liang Jianxing had a sudden idea, “Let me walk you downstairs.”
He Dongli, calm all evening, finally let her mask slip.
She put her phone back in her bag, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and remembered, “I still need to say goodbye to Director Yao before I go. I mean, I should.”
Liang Jianxing smiled warmly and pointed upstairs, “Oh, my mom is probably upstairs with a few hospital directors. Go ahead.”
He Dongli accepted with composure.
They left the glass flower house together.
Just at the second-floor stairwell, Chen Xiangyang’s cousin was shouting for Liang Jianxing a few steps down.
Liang was busy responding and hadn’t had a chance to say anything to He Doctor.
She simply pointed upstairs and hurried off.
At the stairs, Chen Xiangdong was eager to go back to his brother.
Liang Jianxing, not in a hurry to return to the guests, asked him, “So, is Chen General coming or not?”
Chen Xiangdong looked frustrated, nodded upstairs, and resigned himself, “Zong Xiansheng wants him here. Even if a woman chewed off half his head today, he still has to come.”
Liang Jianxing was puzzled, laughing as he asked, “The one upstairs…”
Chen Xiangdong cautioned his friend, “Don’t try to cozy up to him, he doesn’t go for that. If my brother doesn’t come, you can forget about doing any business.”
Liang Jianxing only smiled wryly—maybe it wasn’t that absolute.
Chen Xiangdong hurried off, not having time to explain, but Liang Jianxing quickly caught his friend to ask, “Did Zong Xiansheng go to No.1 City High School with us? Even a rich kid like him went to a public school?”
The Liang Family’s third floor was actually Liang Jianxing’s living area.
Since he rarely came home, and the elders wanted a quiet environment for the eldest son’s child to study, they had given half of the second son’s domain to the grandson.
Today, the house was full of guests, and the grandson’s classmates had also come to play.
At thirteen or fourteen, kids just wanted to escape adult supervision.
Tu Yumei told her son to take his friends downstairs to eat something, and not to make a racket playing games in the room.
“Your uncle has important guests. If your dad finds out, he’ll say you have no manners.”
Saying this, Tu Yumei herded the teenage boys downstairs like ducks, running into He Doctor coming up.
Tu Yumei wondered what He Doctor was doing upstairs, when a man’s voice called from behind, “Madam Liang, my lighter’s out of fluid. If it’s not too much trouble, could I borrow a lighter or some matches?”
Tu Yumei turned at once.
Her husband had told her earlier that the guest surnamed Zong was a big deal, and that the second son wanted to make a business deal and win the beauty—he’d better be careful or he’d end up empty-handed.
Hearing the thumping from her son’s room, she’d come up to shoo the boys downstairs.
Wouldn’t want the guest to think they had no manners.
Now, Tu Yumei studied the so-called VIP.
He certainly looked the part.
His tailored suit was impeccable, his figure tall and well-proportioned, and he had a subtle, woody scent—not overpowering.
He spoke with a gentle and polite air.
Tu Yumei, ever the gracious hostess, immediately agreed to the guest’s request and courteously asked if he’d been waiting long since Liang Second wasn’t around.
The guest, for all his status, replied without arrogance, “It’s fine, I arrived in a hurry. I’m the one intruding on your family’s arrangements.”
Tu Yumei waved her hand, “Zong Xiansheng, what are you saying? A banquet is to entertain every guest.”
The guest seemed reassured, and after a bit of polite conversation, glanced intentionally or unintentionally at the woman beside Madam Liang.
Tu Yumei snapped back to herself, about to introduce her guest.
But He Doctor spoke up a bit abruptly, “Miss Tu, I just came up to use the restroom.”
Tu Yumei opened her mouth, momentarily embarrassed, and before she could recover, Zong Xiansheng nodded and turned away, “Madam Liang, I’ll leave you to it.”
So, He Dongli followed Tu Yumei’s directions and went to the guest restroom.
She lingered in the fragrance-filled little room for a good ten minutes, finally coming to terms with herself, washed her hands, touched up her lipstick, and unlocked the door to leave.
As the door opened, not far away, Zong Chi stood with a cigarette in his left hand, his right arm resting on the railing, exhaling a long plume of smoke without turning around.
From his high vantage point, he looked down at the guests in the first-floor hall, as if watching a play or searching for someone.
As the smoke dispersed, he half-turned, “You’ve always had a photographic memory. No way you’d…just walk right past me without even saying hello, hmm?”