Chapter 17.1 - Sakura (1)
Wen Shaoqing shrugged, worried that if he kept talking, she’d get annoyed again. He picked up a few books from the corner of the desk and went over to the sofa in the corner.
Cong Rong blushed and didn’t look at him. After a while, when Wen Shaoqing went quiet, she leaned over to peek.
He was quietly typing on his computer, occasionally glancing down at the thick books spread out before him. He’d pick up a pen and jot something down. Sitting far apart, Cong Rong could only make out some medical terms on his screen she didn’t understand. She recalled Zhong Zhen bragging about how his boss was great at clinical skills and strong in research, probably unaware his boss stayed up late every night working hard.
Noticing her gaze, Wen Shaoqing looked up. “Finished?”
Cong Rong withdrew her eyes, seeing her email was already sent, and closed her laptop. “Almost.”
Just as she said that, a strange rumbling sound came from him. Cong Rong’s face instantly flushed.
Wen Shaoqing raised his right fist to his lips, stifling a laugh, and asked, “Hungry? Didn’t eat dinner?”
She nodded softly. “Mm…”
He put down his pen and stood. “There’s no food at home. Instant noodles okay?”
Cong Rong stood too and nodded. “Okay.”
He glanced at her and smiled knowingly—she was definitely a hidden foodie. She usually gave him a hard time about everything else, but when it came to food, she was much easier to please.
About ten minutes later, Cong Rong looked at the steaming bowl before her and thought it was the fanciest instant noodles she’d ever eaten! A soft-boiled egg rested on top, with greens, ham, and dried shrimp filling the bowl to the brim, making her mouth water just looking at it.
Wen Shaoqing handed her the chopsticks and asked, “What do you want to drink?”
Without thinking, she answered, “Instant noodles need ice-cold cola!”
He glanced at her. “Women shouldn’t drink too much cold stuff. I have cola, but forget the ice-cold one.” Then he turned to the kitchen, returning quickly with a bottle of cola and a glass. He poured a full glass and placed it in front of her.
Cong Rong took a sip and mumbled, “I thought doctors didn’t eat instant noodles or drink cola.”
Wen Shaoqing smiled. “How many doctors do you know?”
She swallowed the last bite and thought seriously. “Besides Zhong Zhen, who’s still a trainee doctor, I only know you. Most doctors really dislike lawyers.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Because of medical disputes?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
Wen Shaoqing suddenly said, “I don’t dislike you.”
Cong Rong was momentarily stunned, not knowing how to respond. Her wandering eyes finally landed on the glass she had just used. The glass was made of rippled glass, bumpy to the touch, short and squat in shape. Its walls were a faint icy pink, decorated with scattered cherry blossom petals. Through the glass, she could see the bubbles in the cola—it looked beautiful.
Seeing her stare blankly, Wen Shaoqing asked, “What’s up with the glass?”
She came back to herself. “Nothing much, just think it’s pretty.”
He poured another half glass of cola. “If you like it, it’s yours. New, never used.”
Cong Rong held it and suddenly asked, “You didn’t make this yourself, did you?”
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Do I look that capable to you?”
She murmured quietly, “A guy who carves chopsticks must be able to do anything.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but Wen Shaoqing caught it clearly. His smile deepened and spread to his eyes, full of amusement. “I didn’t make the glass, but I painted those cherry blossoms on it.”
Cong Rong ran her fingers over the pale pink petals. “You like cherry blossoms?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
She looked up at him. “Why do you like cherry blossoms?”
He thought for a moment and answered seriously, “Cherry blossoms are Japan’s national flower, right? Men always have a strange kind of affection for Japanese things.”
“…“ Cong Rong realized Wen Shaoqing’s hidden traits went beyond being scheming—he was also shameless.
She couldn’t help but glance at his face again, still unable to believe such a fair complexion could be so thick-skinned.
After that mental grumble, a wave of disappointment welled up inside her. He probably forgot that her in-game ID was Sakura—the Japanese word for cherry blossom.
Seeing Cong Rong lower her eyes and say nothing, Wen Shaoqing suppressed his smile. “I was just joking. That year when I went on a business trip to Japan, I saw a cup like that and really liked it, but they wouldn’t sell it. So after coming back, I bought a similar one and painted the blossoms myself.”
Cong Rong felt a little sensitive and not at all magnanimous. Your ID is Sakura, and he just happens to like cherry blossoms—don’t overthink it. Seeing Wen Shaoqing’s honest face with no other meaning, she took a big sip of cola and soon smiled, shaking the glass in her hand. “So… I really can take it?”
Wen Shaoqing smiled and nodded. Suddenly he asked, “Why were you mad a few days ago? And just now in the study?”
Cong Rong was rational and believed some things were better cleared up. Since he asked, she answered honestly. “Because I thought you already had a girlfriend but were still ambiguous with me, like a player. I don’t like that.”
Wen Shaoqing looked at her in surprise. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
