After her dramatic cousin stopped acting up, the aloof doctor got anxious.

People are not as good as the sky.

Shen Ruo had already mentally prepared herself.

I'll wait for Qi Wenshen to get off work tonight, and the two of us will have a good talk and clear things up.

Just as I was about to leave work, a car accident patient arrived at the emergency room.

This was not an ordinary car accident.

A multi-vehicle collision on the highway brought in seven injured people, three of whom were seriously injured, suffering from fractures, internal bleeding, and traumatic brain injury, each in increasingly dangerous condition.

When the hospital sounded the emergency call for general medical support, Shen Ruo was organizing the last medical record. Hearing the urgent call over the loudspeaker, she instinctively looked towards the direction of the doctor's office.

Qi Wenshen received the notification and is on his way to the operating room.

He typed a line of text quickly, then put his phone in the cabinet and went into the operating room.

Shen Ruo's phone vibrated.

She looked down and saw Qi Wenshen's message.

[Emergency support, I'll be back later, don't wait for me.]

I can't say whether I feel disappointed or relieved.

She was disappointed because her plans for tonight had fallen through, and she had to muster up the courage she had finally managed to muster.

Fortunately, to be honest, she was quite nervous too. Giving her another night to prepare might allow her to face him more calmly tomorrow.

Zhou Lan came over from the other end of the corridor, still holding a treatment tray she hadn't had time to return. Seeing Shen Ruo, she called out, "Come on, come on, it's time to go home! Let's go eat at Haidilao! I know a new one opened, everything's 12% off..."

Shen Ruo shook her head, "I'm not going. My aunt is back from her trip today, and I have to go back for dinner."

Zhou Lan blinked. "Your aunt is back from her trip?"

"Um."

Zhou Lan waved her hand and said, "Then I'll go find Xiao Chen."

Shen Ruo changed her clothes, left the hospital, and hailed a taxi to go home.

"Auntie, I'm back."

"Oh, Ruoruo is back."

Shen Yulan stood up from the sofa, came over and hugged Shen Ruo, kissed Shen Ruo on the cheek, then took two steps back and looked her up and down.

"You've lost weight, you've lost weight. Have you been eating properly while I was away? Did Wen Shen not take good care of you? I'll deal with him when he gets back."

Shen Ruo quickly waved her hand, "No, no, my cousin even specially invited Sister Chen back to cook. It's just that I can eat a lot without gaining weight."

Shen Yulan frowned even more, reaching out to touch Shen Ruo's forehead. "How can someone eat so much and not gain weight? Are you sick?"

"No, it's just hot."

Shen Ruo was overwhelmed by her aunt's enthusiasm and walked inside while changing her shoes.

Shen Yulan followed behind, her mouth never stopping.

She recounted her experiences during her trip to Tibet.

Shen Ruo sat on the sofa, resting her chin on her hand, listening with great interest, occasionally chiming in.

"Wow!"

"Really?"

"That's amazing."

"Auntie, you're so brave."

These kinds of high-quality emotional value words made Shen Yulan beam with joy, and her face even got a few more wrinkles from smiling.

"Let me tell you, Namtso Lake, oh my god, the lake is so blue! I'm telling you, when you see it with your own eyes, you'll know that all those photos you've seen before are fake. No, the photos are real, but the sense of awe you feel can't be captured in a photo."

"Then Auntie can take me there next time, and you can be my tour guide."

Shen Ruo smiled, her eyes crinkling.

Shen Yulan clasped her hands together. "Absolutely! Next year, we'll go. We won't bring Wen Shen, just the two of us."

The two were chatting animatedly when Sister Chen came out of the kitchen carrying dishes, calling out with a smile, "Dinner's ready!"

Shen Ruo and Shen Yulan moved to the dining table.

Shen Yulan took two sips, then suddenly put down her spoon and looked up.

"By the way, Ruoruo, I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

Shen Ruo picked up a piece of green vegetable with her chopsticks.

Do you know who Wen Shen's girlfriend is?

Shen Ruo's chopsticks stopped in mid-air.

Qi Wenshen's girlfriend?

Does Qi Wenshen have a girlfriend?

The female lead appeared ahead of schedule?

How could she not know?

Shen Yulan said, "I mean, last night, I was thinking of having a chat with you guys, but then I saw that kid Wen Shen in the living room..."

Shen Yulan paused for a moment, seemingly considering her words, and finally chose a more respectable way of saying it: "Being with a girl, quite intimate."

Last night, wasn't it just that she and Qi Wenshen almost had a falling out?

Shen Ruo started coughing.

The piece of green vegetable got stuck in her throat, unable to go up or down. Her face turned from white to red, then from red to purple, and her eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"Ruoruo...Ruoruo, what's wrong?"

Shen Yulan was terrified and quickly handed her some water.

Shen Ruo grabbed the water glass and gulped down several mouthfuls of water.

With great difficulty, the piece of green vegetable finally slid down.

Shen Yulan turned pale with fright and asked repeatedly, "Should we go to the hospital? Should we call Wen Shen back?"

Shen Ruo quickly waved her hand, her voice still a little hoarse, "No, no, no, I just ate too fast, it's okay, it's okay."

She picked up her water glass and took another sip to calm herself down, then looked up at Shen Yulan with her large, still tearful eyes.

"I don't know who my cousin's girlfriend is."

Shen Yulan breathed a sigh of relief, not because she didn't know, but because she finally stopped coughing.

She picked up her spoon again, took a sip of soup, and began to vividly describe the crime scene that night.

"Let me tell you, the moment I saw that scene, I knew that the two of them were definitely not just ordinary friends."

Shen Ruo's hand holding the water glass tightened slightly.

"I'm telling you, the way your cousin was doing that, pinning that girl down on the sofa, the intimacy was so intense, it made me blush."

Shen Ruo's ear tips began to turn red.

"You know your cousin, he's usually cold and aloof, and he never gives any girl the time of day. I thought he was going to stay single forever, but it turns out he's not that he doesn't want to date, he's just keeping it a secret from me."

Shen Ruo held a water glass, a stiff smile on her face.

Shen Yulan continued, her tone tinged with regret, "I don't know who that girl is either. Your cousin was blocking the view, so I couldn't see her face clearly. But judging from her figure, she must be a pretty girl. She has very white legs. Your cousin has good taste."

The water glass in Shen Ruo's hand wobbled slightly.

"Your cousin finally broke his virginity, and I scared him half to death. I hope that girl won't blame me. I didn't mean to. I just wanted to chat with you guys, who knew I'd run into something like this."

Shen Ruo's lips twitched slightly.

"Your cousin is such a tactless person. He knows you still live together, but he doesn't even know how to be discreet. He did... he did that in the living room. What if you had caught him? How embarrassing would that have been?"

Shen Yulan frowned.

Shen Ruo's stiff smile could no longer be maintained, and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly.

"When your cousin comes back, I'll have to have a good talk with him. It's fine to date, but you have to be mindful of the occasion. He has a younger cousin at home. If this continues, I'll just kick him out and make him go live with his girlfriend."

Shen Yulan looked serious; her elderly mother was truly worried sick.

Shen Ruo: "..."

How could she possibly respond to that? She couldn't.

He could only maintain that stiff smile, squeezing out a single word through gritted teeth, "Mmm."

"I wonder who that girl is? Is she pretty? Does she have a good personality?"

Three questions in a row.

Shen Ruo lowered her head, pretending to drink soup.

She thought she had avoided the awkwardness of the night, but instead she ran right into her aunt's live debriefing.

Moreover, she was treated as a victim, listening to her aunt recount her own crimes.

She felt guilty.

Shen Ruo picked up the soup bowl to cover her flushed face.

What is the most outrageous thing in the world?

It's not that your boyfriend's mother caught you and your boyfriend being intimate on the sofa.

Instead, you are caught by your boyfriend's mother. The next day, you sit across from her and listen to her recount the events of the previous night. You have to pretend to be an innocent cousin who knows nothing about the incident.

Oh, Qi Wenshen isn't exactly her boyfriend yet.

After Shen Yulan finished talking about her son, she turned her gaze to Shen Ruo.

That look in his eyes, filtered through a lens, showed increasing satisfaction with every glance, yet also a growing concern.

"Ruoruo."

Shen Yulan's voice suddenly softened by eight octaves.

Shen Ruo immediately became alert.

She'd heard that tone before; her real-world mother always called her name in that tone—it was never a good sign.

"Um?"

Shen Yulan looked her up and down.

Shen Ruo subconsciously straightened her back as she was being stared at.

Shen Yulan spoke up, "Our Ruoruo is so beautiful, with that face, that skin, that figure. Let me tell you, if she were out there, she would definitely be at the level that makes men unable to walk past her."

Shen Ruo's ears turned slightly red. "Auntie, what are you saying...?"

"I'm being serious. You're at the best age right now—young, beautiful, and energetic. You should start looking for a partner early, but not just anyone. You have to keep your eyes open and choose carefully."

Shen Ruo's hand holding the chopsticks tightened slightly.

"We don't want anything that's crooked or deformed."

Shen Ruo nodded.

"Those that look crooked and twisted won't do."

Shen Ruo nodded again.

"If your family's financial situation is too bad, no way. It's not that I'm materialistic, it's just that reality is like this. I feel sorry for you if you suffer hardship after marrying into that family."

Shen Ruo continued to nod.

"Those with bad personalities are even worse. Those who are chauvinistic, short-tempered, or prone to emotional abuse are all out of the question."

"Also, you should definitely avoid those who look honest and simple but are actually full of tricks."

Shen Ruo finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked in a low voice, "Auntie, how can you tell if he's full of tricks?"

Shen Yulan glanced at her and snorted. "Simple. Just look at the way he looks at you. If there's no light in his eyes when he looks at you, only calculation, then there's a problem. If his eyes dart around inappropriately when you're talking to him, then he's a pervert and you shouldn't be with him."

Shen Ruo's face flushed red.

In short, you deserve the best; don't settle.

"Yes, thank you, Auntie."

"But then again, the friends your cousin knows should all be pretty good."

Shen Ruo stopped picking up food.

"You know your cousin, he's very picky. Anyone he considers a friend must be of good character, ability, and appearance. Why don't you ask your cousin to introduce you to someone?"

Shen Ruo almost choked again.

"His colleague, what's his name again, Wei Jing? Yes, Wei Jing, I met him once. He's quite handsome, and he's the vice dean. Although I've heard his reputation isn't great, your cousin is close to him, so he can't be too bad, right?"

To avoid her aunt tying red strings around her head again, she quickly said, "Auntie, I don't want to find a partner yet."

"Why? With such great qualities, it would be a waste not to find a partner."

Shen Yulan looked puzzled.

Shen Ruo opened her mouth.

What could she say?

You can't exactly say, "Auntie, you don't need to introduce yourself, your son is already pursuing me, can you?"

"I want to focus on my work first; as for relationships, I'll let things take their course."

Shen Ruo came up with a barely plausible reason.

Shen Yulan muttered, "Let things take their course, but don't let them go so far that you end up with nothing. I don't even have any hope for your cousin anymore. Oh wait, he has a girlfriend now, so I don't have to worry about him. But you, I still have to worry about you."

Shen Ruo held her water glass and drank silently.

Aunt, you really don't need to worry.

You're worrying about your son's girlfriend, and that girlfriend just happens to be me.

You worried about my finding a partner, and that partner just happens to be your son.

This logic was so perfect it made her want to cry.

After dinner, I watched TV with Shen Yulan for a while.

Shen Yulan watched those family dramas, and while watching, she would make sarcastic comments, which were more entertaining than the plot itself.

Shen Ruo sat beside her, smiling and agreeing, but her mind was preoccupied with other things.

Finally, Shen Yulan yawned, "I can't take it anymore, the aftereffects of altitude sickness haven't subsided yet, I have to go to sleep."

Shen Ruocai breathed a sigh of relief.

Goodnight, Auntie.

Goodnight, Ruoruo, you should go to sleep early too, you have to go to work tomorrow.

Shen Ruo sat on the sofa and waited for a while to make sure her aunt's door was closed before picking up her phone.

She opened her chat window with Qi Wenshen.

Please, don't let my aunt or anyone else know about our relationship for now. Don't let it slip.

Qi Wenshen did not reply to the message.

She held her phone to her chest, leaned back on the sofa, and looked up at the ceiling.

Qi Wenshen won't be coming back tonight.

The surgery for that car accident patient will take at least four or five hours, and it may be over by midnight. He will most likely sleep in the hospital's on-call room.

Shen Ruo stood up from the sofa, turned off the light, and went upstairs to her room.