The Anesthetist’s Arcane Gift

Chapter 15: Under the Table

“You know the owner?” Qi Bo asked casually as he sat down across from Cai Yun in the corner of the barbecue restaurant.

Cai Yun leaned in slightly, lowering her voice with a playful smile. “Wanna hear a secret? The owner’s been trying to get pregnant for a while. She’s been coming to our hospital for treatment recently. I’ve been helping with her care—that’s why we’re on such good terms.”

She sounded proud, but Qi Bo picked up on something else beneath the surface—maybe a bit of vanity. Earlier, when they first met, she had told him she was a doctor. Now it was clear she was just a nurse, but the lie had already taken root. If she ever found out that Qi Bo not only worked at the same hospital but already knew her full name and background, she’d be mortified. Tomorrow, when they saw each other again, things were bound to get awkward.

Qi Bo considered mentioning his real identity—to let her know he was actually her new colleague—but something about doing it now felt off. Wouldn’t that make things even more uncomfortable?

Better to leave it. They’d deal with it tomorrow.

But as that thought passed, another, far more inappropriate one crept in.

Tomorrow, he’d be participating in the training session where Cai Yun had volunteered to assist. She would be the subject of a live demonstration in a gynecological procedure—a situation that required complete professionalism. Yet now, all he could picture was her lying on that examination table, legs open under the bright lights.

Qi Bo clenched his jaw.

What was wrong with him?

Why did his mind keep returning to these thoughts?

He wasn’t a pervert. He was a trained medical professional. But something about today—the stress, the closeness, the unspoken tension—was triggering darker impulses he thought he had long buried.

Was it possible he had some kind of neurological issue? A hormonal imbalance?

Could this be a medical problem?

If so… could it be treated?

“Hey, what are you thinking about?” Cai Yun suddenly asked, her voice pulling him out of his spiral.

“N-Nothing,” Qi Bo stammered. He grabbed the menu on the table, pretending to read it, though the words blurred before his eyes. His cheeks burned.

Cai Yun misread the blush on his face, assuming he was flustered from being around her. She smiled to herself and reached for her compact mirror, quickly freshening up her lipstick with a few careful dabs.

Then she realized they were about to eat barbecue. She sighed and put the lipstick away again.

“What do you feel like eating?” she asked, taking the menu from him.

“Uh… some grilled tofu, maybe? You pick the rest,” Qi Bo replied, handing the menu back. The truth was, he had no idea what to order—he just needed a reason to look away and calm his thoughts.

Cai Yun glanced at the menu with familiarity. “The grilled chicken feet here are their signature dish. Gotta try those. And their potato slices are great too. Oh! Let’s get some grilled cartilage skewers. I love those.”

The restaurant owner—known around here as the “Phoenix Claw Beauty”—walked over to their table just then. She greeted Cai Yun warmly, chatting as if they were old friends, though she made no mention of any medical issues.

“And this gentleman… is he your boyfriend?” the owner asked, glancing at Qi Bo with a playful smile.

Cai Yun laughed. “We just met. Someone tried to snatch my bag earlier. He chased the guy down and got it back—hurt himself in the process, too.”

“Oh? A hero!” the owner said dramatically, scanning Qi Bo from head to toe with theatrical flair. It was the kind of exaggerated friendliness you’d expect from a seasoned businesswoman.

“I wanted to thank him, so I brought him here for some good food,” Cai Yun explained. “Only the best for my rescuer!”

“Well, thank you both for coming,” the owner said. She took a quick glance at their order. “Ah, he likes the tofu? We’ll send over a few extra skewers of our special version—on the house.”

After another round of small talk, the owner moved on to greet other customers.

Cai Yun watched her go and mumbled under her breath, “Tofu skewers only? Not even a small discount…”

She knew full well that if it had been Dr. Cao—one of the hospital’s actual physicians treating the owner—the meal might’ve been completely free. But she was just a nurse. A helpful one, sure, but still not high enough on the totem pole to warrant full VIP treatment.

Qi Bo chuckled quietly, choosing not to respond. His gaze drifted to Cai Yun’s face—fair skin, subtle makeup, freshly glossed lips—and then, involuntarily, his thoughts slipped again to tomorrow’s session.

Why couldn’t he think about something else?

A melody suddenly rang out from a phone:

“Love… love… it’s always a lonely game. One heart stirred, the other remains still…”

Qi Bo reached for his phone instinctively, but it wasn’t his that was ringing. Across the table, Cai Yun pulled her phone from her bag. The same song. The exact same ringtone.

Their eyes met in surprise.

Cai Yun smirked and gave him a playful wink as she answered her call. Her tone became light and cheerful, giggling at whatever the person on the other end was saying.

Trying to shake the coincidence from his mind, Qi Bo reached for his own phone to silence it anyway. But his hand fumbled, and the phone slipped from his grasp, clattering onto the floor beneath the table.

“Great,” he muttered under his breath, ducking down to retrieve it.

The phone had bounced to the far side of the table, closer to where Cai Yun sat. He had to lean further in, reaching awkwardly under the table. As he stretched forward, his eyes inadvertently caught a view he wasn’t meant to see.

From his low vantage point, and with the way Cai Yun was sitting—legs slightly apart, completely relaxed—he accidentally glimpsed under her skirt. She was engrossed in her phone call, oblivious to his movement. She clearly assumed no one could see from this angle, especially with her seated opposite the corner wall.

Qi Bo’s heart thudded.

It was a flash—nothing more. But it was enough to make his face burn.

He squeezed his eyes shut for a second, angry at himself. Control yourself. This was a complete accident, not something he wanted or intended. And yet, it had stirred something again. That old, unwanted curiosity. The very thing he had spent years trying to suppress.

He hated that his mind would wander so easily. It wasn’t professional. It wasn’t right. He thought he had grown past this kind of thing—those curious teenage years when he’d look at a woman and immediately wonder about things he had no business thinking about.

Now, sitting under the table with his phone in hand, he felt like that same boy again. Stuck between instinct and guilt.

Just as he was preparing to slide back into his seat, Cai Yun shifted. Her legs moved closer together, and with a casual hand motion, she smoothed down her skirt, pressing it firmly against her thighs—perhaps suddenly aware of her posture, or just acting out of habit.

Qi Bo quickly sat back up, his phone clutched tightly in his hand.

She was still on the call, laughing softly.

He stared at the table, trying not to let any expression show. Inside, though, his thoughts churned.

Tomorrow, things would change. She would find out who he was. He would see her again—not across a dinner table, but under clinical lights, during a procedure that left no room for confusion or curiosity.

And whatever conflicted thoughts he was having tonight—he had better leave them here.

Right under this table.