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Chapter 18.1 - Cold Jokes by Lawyer Cong (1)
The next day, when Cong Rong was woken up by her alarm clock, Wen Shaoqing had already returned from his morning run with Rangyirang. As she finished getting ready to leave, Wen Shaoqing happened to walk in.
It was freezing outside, but he was radiating heat, dressed in a navy blue tracksuit.
Cong Rong rarely saw young men—not counting models—daring to wear that color. Not that navy was inherently unflattering, but it usually didn't suit East Asians well and could easily give off a dated or rural vibe.
But on Wen Shaoqing... it didn’t look bad. Actually, it looked quite good.
She glanced up again at his face, concluding it must be because of his fair complexion.
Wen Shaoqing noticed her staring ever since he walked in and found it a bit puzzling. After spending more time with her, he’d come to know she paid a lot of attention to detail, so he asked,
“Is there something wrong with the way I look?”
Realizing she was being obvious, Cong Rong quickly lowered her head and grabbed her bag, but couldn’t resist stealing one more glance.
“What made you buy clothes in that color?”
“There were three color choices,” Wen Shaoqing replied as he walked toward the bedroom. “One was the same color as surgical scrubs, and the other was too close to a lab coat. I didn’t want to feel like I was still in the hospital after work, so I went with this one.”
Cong Rong couldn’t hold back a laugh. She was beginning to find the medical profession more and more amusing. After laughing, she put on her coat.
“I’m heading out.”
“I thought we agreed you'd eat breakfast first?” Wen Shaoqing called from the bedroom. “It’s all ready. Just needs a few minutes to cook. I’ll change quickly—hang on a sec.”
He reemerged soon after, now dressed for the day, and went into the kitchen. Cong Rong heard the sound of eggs being beaten, followed by the sizzle of oil in the pan. Within minutes, the scent of something delicious filled the air.
Cong Rong had grown up knowing her parents were busy with work. Breakfast was something she had to figure out on the way to school—nobody ever told her what it felt like to sit and wait while someone made it for her.
Wen Shaoqing soon brought out a plate of potato-egg pancakes, golden brown and dotted with green scallions. Just looking at them made her hungry.
Wen Shaoqing handed her a pair of chopsticks.
“Milk or soy milk?”
Still half-asleep, Cong Rong replied lazily,
“Soy milk. I can’t drink milk—it always tastes weird to me. I only drink yogurt.”
Wen Shaoqing glanced meaningfully at Rangyirang, a smirk tugging at his lips.
Cong Rong followed his gaze. “What’s wrong with it?”
Wen Shaoqing replied with a hint of mischief,
“It can’t drink milk either—only yogurt.”
Cong Rong bit her lip, took a deep breath, and reminded herself that since she was eating his food, she’d let the remark slide.
He poured her a glass of water.
“Drink some water first, then eat something before drinking soy milk. It’s not good to have soy milk on an empty stomach.”
Cong Rong suddenly remembered a joke and started laughing.
Wen Shaoqing glanced over as he poured the soy milk.
“What’s funny?”
Cong Rong said with a straight face,
“Just remembered a joke—‘The first sip was on an empty stomach. The second sip wasn’t anymore.’”
The room went quiet. After a long pause, Wen Shaoqing got up, went into the bedroom, put on a coat, and came back looking deadpan.
“So cold. I think I’m catching a cold.”
Then he bent down next to Rangyirang’s head and muttered,
“What’s that? You’re cold too? The scarf’s on the couch—go get it yourself.”
Cong Rong was so mad she nearly choked. She stabbed her potato pancake with her chopsticks in frustration.
But Wen Shaoqing still had that innocent look on his face and kept teasing her.
“Not good?”
Cong Rong glared at him.
“Terrible. No money for you today!”
Wen Shaoqing chuckled and nodded.
“Okay. I’ll make something else tomorrow.”
After all his teasing, Cong Rong was finally awake and alert. She settled down and began eating her breakfast in peace.
Once she had eaten most of it, Wen Shaoqing asked,
“Will you be busy this morning? If you have time, go to the hospital for a check-up. I’ve booked an appointment for you. I’ve got surgeries all day, so I can’t go with you—will you be okay on your own?”
Cong Rong had always been self-sufficient. The question caught her off guard and made her feel a bit conflicted—maybe even… moved. She looked at him for a long moment before replying,
“It’s fine. I’ll go alone. But I have to stop by the law firm first, so I’ll go later.”
After breakfast, they left for work separately.
Wen Shaoqing was in the operating room the entire day. Near the end of his shift, he called Cong Rong.
“Did you get your scan?”
Cong Rong had just come out of court.
“Yeah. They said I could pick up the results later, but I can’t make it now. I’ll go tomorrow.”
Wen Shaoqing had been heading to his office, but turned around and walked toward the elevator.
“No need. I’ll pick it up for you. Come get it from my place tonight.”
They were both direct, so the call ended quickly.
At the radiology department, there was still a long queue. When Wen Shaoqing walked in, a familiar doctor greeted him.
“Dr. Wen.”
Wen Shaoqing smiled back.
“Dr. Yao.”
“In a hurry to get results?”
“Not really. A friend had a brain CT this morning and couldn’t come pick it up, so I’m here to get it for her.”
“Oh? What’s her name?”
“Cong Rong.”
