Chapter 36: A Small Favor

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: A Small Favor

Yu Zhiming and Qi Yue followed Qin Mao’s car to an antique-style manor called Xin’an Hall.

In a private room at the manor, Qin Mao treated them to an authentic and delicious meal of Huizhou cuisine.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Qin Mao sent Yu Zhiming and Qin Jue out of the private room.

Qin Mao told the two of them that the small garden in the hall’s backyard was quite beautiful and worth a look.

Yu Zhiming knew his intentions. This was a chance for him and Qin Jue to get to know each other.

The problem was, he wasn’t interested, and neither was she.

But he didn’t want to be rude and refuse Uncle Qin’s kind gesture, so he decided to just play along.

To be honest, although the hall’s small garden was a bit on the small side, it was complete with pavilions, a fish pond, and a rockery. It was quite exquisite and truly worth seeing.

"Yu Zhiming..."

Called to a halt, Yu Zhiming turned to look at Qin Jue and saw that her face was tense, without a trace of happiness.

"This morning, my dad specifically told me to dress up nicely, and now he’s sent us out alone."

"You’re not so dense you don’t understand, are you?"

Yu Zhiming blinked. Just as he was trying to figure out how to reply, he heard Qin Jue continue indignantly, "What’s your deal? At the hospital, you brazenly patted my butt."

"And now you’re giving me the cold shoulder."

"Is it that you’re not interested in me?"

"Or do you already have someone else in your heart?"

His good name was on the line. Yu Zhiming defended himself with a righteous expression, "Qin Jue, you’ve completely misunderstood."

"I was really just brushing off some dust. I had no inappropriate intentions whatsoever."

Qin Jue snorted, her eyes filled with contempt. "Yu Zhiming, you can’t even come up with a decent excuse."

"This dress is new, and I came straight here by car. How could it possibly have gotten dusty?"

Yu Zhiming continued to explain, "Dust is everywhere in the air. It’s normal for clothes to attract it because of static electricity."

After a moment’s pause, he asked, puzzled, "Qin Jue, you don’t even like me, so why do you care whether I’m cold to you or not?"

Qin Jue’s eyes turned sharp as she said icily, "This isn’t about whether I like you. This is about *you*."

"Yu Zhiming, am I not pretty enough?"

"Is my body not good enough?"

"Or is there some other quality of mine that doesn’t meet your standards?"

Hearing this, even someone as slow as Yu Zhiming would have understood.

This was nothing more than the wounded vanity of a woman who thought herself superior.

’I don’t have to like you, but you’re not allowed to *not* worship me.’

Yu Zhiming felt a bit repulsed, but he couldn’t just say that out loud and turn her embarrassment into anger.

"Qin Jue, you’ve misunderstood. It’s not that you aren’t pretty or outstanding enough. It’s my fault."

Yu Zhiming adopted a sincere expression and said, "You should know, young doctors are extremely busy."

"On top of that, I’m new here. If I want to establish myself at Huashan Hospital, I’ll need a significant amount of time to learn and grow."

"In the short term, I really don’t have the spare time for a relationship."

This explanation made Qin Jue’s expression soften considerably.

She nodded lightly. "So it’s not that you don’t like me, but that you *can’t* like me, which is why you were deliberately being cold and keeping your distance."

Yu Zhiming rolled his eyes inwardly. ’Her narcissism is on a level I can only dream of reaching,’ he thought.

He changed the subject. "Qin Jue, you’re so pretty and talented, you must have a lot of suitors, right?"

"Have you never met someone you liked?"

Qin Jue said with a look of disdain, "Those guys... one has this problem, another has that problem. They’re fine to hang out with as regular friends."

"But as boyfriends, none of them are qualified."

She sized up Yu Zhiming and said with a hint of pity, "You’re not bad-looking, you’re tall, and you have your own career."

"It’s just that you’re still in the struggling phase of your career and don’t have time to spend with me."

"Otherwise, you’d be a passable boyfriend."

"At least my dad approves of you."

Hearing her say this, Yu Zhiming realized he had been wrong.

The baby in her belly wasn’t from a secret boyfriend. It must have been the result of a one-night stand.

Yu Zhiming’s opinion of her sank even lower.

Out of respect for Teacher Qi and Uncle Qin, and adding in his duties as a doctor, Yu Zhiming gave her a subtle reminder.

"Qin Jue, I’ve noticed your complexion doesn’t look too good. I suggest you get a gynecological exam as soon as possible."

Qin Jue’s eyes widened. She touched her face and asked worriedly, "How bad is my complexion?"

"Did you see something wrong with my health?"

Yu Zhiming said vaguely, "There’s nothing seriously wrong with your complexion. It’s just a vague feeling I have, and it might not be correct."

He added, "I don’t specialize in gynecology."

Qin Jue looked thoughtful. She studied Yu Zhiming with a suspicious expression for a moment but didn’t press the matter...

About ten minutes later, the two returned to the private room, had a pot of tea with the two elders, and then parted ways...

Naturally, Yu Zhiming rode back with Teacher Qi.

This time, Yu Zhiming, who hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol, was the one driving.

"Teacher Qi, about Qin Jue’s situation... what about Uncle Qin?"

Qi Yue snorted. "I’m not that stupid. I’m not getting involved in something between a father and daughter."

He then asked curiously, "Hey, Zhiming, do you secretly run a check-up on every girl you go on a blind date with?"

"Not every one."

Yu Zhiming answered honestly, "Only if I feel like there’s potential for things to go further. Then I’ll find a chance to check."

"People are very open these days. I have no interest in accidentally becoming a cuckold, raising someone else’s kid."

Qi Yue couldn’t help but probe, "Zhiming, you don’t have a virginity complex, do you?"

Yu Zhiming shook his head. "I’m a doctor. How could I be that conservative!"

Qi Yue let out a light sigh of relief. "That’s good."

"Society is getting more and more restless these days, and commitment is rare. It’s good enough if two people can just stay faithful to each other during a marriage."

"Zhiming, you could learn a thing or two from me..."

Qi Yue shared his own experience, saying, "When the love is gone and the feelings aren’t there anymore, just make a clean break and part on good terms."

"If you force it to work, one person won’t be able to resist temptation..."

"And the truth always comes out. In the end, it gets messy, and nobody comes out of it looking good."

Yu Zhiming deeply agreed.

However, he certainly didn’t look forward to getting married, divorced, and then remarried again like Teacher Qi.

Yu Zhiming still held romantic fantasies about love, hoping to find a partner he could ’hold hands with and grow old together’...

Yu Zhiming drove Teacher Qi to the entrance of his residential community and, following his instructions, pulled the car over to the side of the road.

"Zhiming, you’re taking the high-speed train home tomorrow. This afternoon and evening, take this car and go have some fun wherever you want."

"Also, the things in the trunk are gifts for your family. They’re all things some of my friends gave me, and I have so much stuff at home I’m running out of space. Don’t be polite about it."

"As for the car, just have your sister bring it back tomorrow afternoon."

After saying this, Qi Yue got out of the car without waiting for Yu Zhiming’s response and strode toward the residential community...

Feeling a warmth in his heart, Yu Zhiming, with dark circles under his eyes, had no energy to go wandering around. He drove the car straight back to his hotel.

After getting out, he opened the trunk and found quite a lot of things, all of them high-quality.

There were two bottles of Maotai, two bottles of Wuliangye, two bottles of French red wine, and a kilogram of expensive green tea.

There were also two boxes each of dried scallops, abalone, and shark fin.

Yu Zhiming carried the items back to his hotel room and gave his sister a call to fill her in.

Afterward, he contacted the on-duty doctor at the county hospital to discuss the condition and recovery progress of the dozen or so inpatients he was responsible for.

Just after four in the afternoon, Yu Zhiming, who was resting in his room, received a call from a local Binhai phone number.

The caller introduced himself as Wu Yuanhang, the son of Dean Wu from the county hospital, and said he had some things he wanted to ask Yu Zhiming to take home for him.

Yu Zhiming readily agreed to such a small favor.

The two arranged to meet in the first-floor lobby of the Youyou Grand Hotel at six in the evening...