By the time Su Wan finished admitting her last patient, her stomach was aching with hunger.
She had just turned toward the break roomâalready picturing the lukewarm boxed meal waiting for herâwhen the duty nurseâs call came through.
âXiao Wan,â the voice said quietly, âWang Hao is here. The patient who was discharged last week. Heâs asking for you.â
Su Wan remembered him instantly.
Gallbladder surgery. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Physically healthyâbut unpleasant.
To her, patients were patients. Nothing more, nothing less.
But personalities varied, and some left impressions she would rather forget.
Wang Hao belonged firmly in that category.
During his hospitalization, heâd had a habit of leaning too close, speaking too familiarly, cracking jokes that carried an edge. Her colleagues called it âflirting.â
Su Wan called it harassment.
Still, she had been responsible for him for seven days. Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance that something was medically wrong, she had to check.
Outside the wardâs glass doors, Wang Hao was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, posture lazy. When he spotted her, his head tilted slightly, eyes lighting up.
The standard nurseâs uniformâwhite coat, white capâwas meant to make everyone look the same.
But Su Wan never blended in.
Her skin was fair, almost luminous under hospital lights. Her almond-shaped eyes lifted slightly at the corners, pupils dark and clear. A small nose, soft cheeksâfeatures that gave her an innocent, gentle look at first glance.
Too gentle.
During his stay, Wang Hao had taken every opportunity to watch her up close. The more he looked, the more convinced he became that she was the kind of beauty that lingered in a manâs thoughts.
Especially her lipsâsoft pink, like a ripe peach.
The glass door slid open.
Su Wan stepped out.
Wang Hao straightened, flashing a grin.
âDid you miss me? Two days and already forgot your favorite patient?â
The nurse on duty shot them an odd look.
Su Wan lowered her gaze, fixing it on the buttons of his jacket. Her voice cooled.
âWhat do you need? Iâm in a hurry.â
Wang Hao lifted a takeaway bag from behind his back. Inside was a cup of milk tea.
âDidnât know if youâd eaten yet. Thought Iâd bring you something.â
âI appreciate the thought,â Su Wan said flatly, âbut take it back. If thereâs nothing else, Iâm going inside.â
She turned to leave.
In two long strides, Wang Hao stepped in front of her, his tall frame blocking the glass doors. One hand held the milk tea; the other raised his phone, WeChat QR code already open.
âIf you donât want the drink, thatâs fine. Just add me. Once you do, Iâll leave.â
Su Wan took a step back.
âWhether you leave or not has nothing to do with me. Block me again and Iâll call security.â
She looked soft, harmlessâlike someone who wouldnât dare cause trouble.
Wang Hao laughed.
âGo ahead. Call them.â
She didnât even look at him.
Su Wan walked straight to the duty desk and pulled out her phone. The security office number was already saved.
She dialed without hesitation.
Wang Haoâs eyesight was good enough to see that she wasnât bluffing. The heat drained out of him instantly, like a bucket of cold water dumped over his head.
He had come today expecting her to be timid, easy to pressure.
Instead, heâd hit a wall.
This was a law-abiding society. He wasnât stupid enough to escalate.
With a dark look at Su Wanâstill calmly speaking to securityâhe snorted, tossed the milk tea into the trash, and turned away.
Once his figure disappeared down the corridor, Su Wan told security they didnât need to come up after all.
The duty nurse clicked her tongue approvingly.
âWell done. The nerve of some people, coming to a hospital to act like that.â
Su Wan pressed a hand to her stomach.
âIâm going to eat before I pass out.â
She turnedâ
And froze.
Standing just beyond the glass door was Head Nurse Li Mei, arms folded, expression unreadable. She had no idea how long the woman had been there.
Su Wanâs heart skipped. She pushed the door open anyway.
âAre you heading out?â
Li Mei studied her for a moment before closing the door behind them.
âNo. I saw you had trouble and came to take a look.â
Su Wan hurried to explain.
âHe tried to add me when he was hospitalized. I ignored him. I didnât expect heâd show up againââ
âThis isnât the place to talk,â Li Mei said, already turning. âCome with me.â
She led Su Wan to the break room.
It was empty. A boxed meal sat on the table, long since gone cold.
Li Mei nudged Su Wanâs shoulder.
âEat first. Donât let yourself go hungry.â
The gentleness in her tone loosened the knot in Su Wanâs chest. She pulled out a chair for Li Mei, washed her hands, then sat down and opened the box.
Before taking a bite, she glanced up hesitantly.
Li Mei laughed.
âRelax. You handled that perfectly. I didnât come to scold you. I came for something else.â
Su Wan blinked.
âYes?â
âYou eat,â Li Mei said, checking her phone. âIâll reply to a message.â
Su Wan didnât waste the opportunity. She ate quickly.
When she was halfway through, Li Mei finally put her phone down and smiled at her.
âYouâre so pretty. Still donât have a boyfriend?â
Su Wan: âŠ
That familiar opening line sent a chill down her spine.
She shook her head and buried herself in her food.
âPlenty of guys chased you in college, right?â
âThere were only five men in my major,â Su Wan said. âAll taken.â
Li Mei knew nursing programs well enough to understandâbut Su Wanâs face would have stood out in any department.
The truth was, not many had approached her.
She was quiet, kept to herself. Four years of dormitory, classroom, library, cafeteriaâon repeat. After graduation, two years of hospital rotations in the capital left her exhausted and single. Then she returned home to Tong City, a small third-tier town.
âIn the past six months,â Li Mei said casually, âpeople mustâve tried to set you up a lot.â
Su Wan nodded.
Relatives. Friends. Even neighborhood aunties she barely recognized.
Sheâd learned only after coming back how popular nurses were in the matchmaking marketâranked just below teachers, civil servants, and doctors.
Her grandmother wanted her settled.
Su Wan didnât resist. She went to every date her grandmother approved.
Once a month. Not a single spark.
Now, the word blind date alone gave her a headache.
Li Mei smiled knowingly.
âXiao Wan, weâre both busy, so Iâll be direct.â
She leaned forward slightly.
âI like you. You just joined the department, and Iâve never once spoken harshly to you. Thatâs true, right?â
Su Wan nodded.
âOf course, I like you because youâre diligent and capable. Not because I planned to play matchmaker from day one.â
That made Su Wan laugh, tension easing.
Her cheeks were faintly flushed from eating, soft pink like a half-ripe peach.
Li Mei thought, What a waste if she stays single.
âI have a cousin,â she said. âHer sonâs name is Lu Feng. I want to introduce him to you.â
She pulled out her phone and showed a photo.
Su Wan leaned in.
The picture showed a man peeling an orange, head lowered. Not a posed shotâmore like a candid one. Only part of his profile was visible.
He wore casual trousers and a black sweater. Simple. Domestic.
Su Wan straightened quickly and smiled politely.
âHe looks handsome.â
Li Mei continued enthusiastically.
âTop university in the capital. Works at his family company.â
âThirty this yearâolder than you, but look at that height. One ninety!â
âVery wealthy. Those two shopping complexes downtown? His family owns them.â
âAnd his characterâI guarantee it. Just a little quiet, not good with words. Might seem boring. But upside? Never dated. Clean slate.â
Su Wan listened, fingers tightening slightly.
âWith conditions like that⊠he probably wouldnât be interested in me.â
Their family backgrounds were worlds apart.
Li Mei waved it off.
âNonsense. Heâs thirtyâhe canât afford to be picky. His family doesnât care about background, only personality. I know you. I know him. Youâre a good match. Just have dinner first. Donât overthink it.â
Su Wan hesitated.
Li Mei smiled.
âOf course, if youâre not interested, Iâll drop it. Itâs just a shameâhe hates taking photos. His mother searched half the night to find this one.â
Su Wan: âŠ
She couldnât bring herself to refuse outright.
ââŠHe really doesnât mind my family situation?â she asked softly.
âAbsolutely not,â Li Mei said firmly. âTrust me.â
Su Wanâs face warmed.
âThen⊠Iâll trouble you.â
That evening, her grandmother went out to dance in the square.
Su Wan finished cleaning up and curled up on the sofa, scrolling her phone.
A WeChat friend request popped up.
Lu Feng
Recommended by Head Nurse Li Mei
She accepted.
His profile picture was a star-filled night sky. His Moments were empty.
A message came through almost immediately.
Lu Feng: Good evening, Nurse Su.
Su Wan: Good evening.
Lu Feng: Did Aunt Li show you my photo?
Su Wan: Yes.
Lu Feng: Do you think thereâs anything wrong with how I look?
Su Wan paused.
She recalled the photoâbronzed skin, sharp features, strong jawline. Definitely not unattractive.
Just very tall. She was 165 cm; sheâd barely reach his shoulder.
But that wasnât really an issue.
Su Wan: You look fine. No problems.
Lu Feng: Good. She showed me your photo too.
Su Wan: And? Anything wrong with mine?
Lu Feng: Very pretty.
Thenâ
Lu Feng: Since our first impressions passed, may I invite you to dinner?
Su Wan smiled faintly.
Su Wan: Sure. Thatâs how blind dates usually work.
Lu Feng: When are you free?
She checked her schedule.
Su Wan: Wednesday or Sunday afternoon.
(It was Monday.)
Lu Feng: Wednesday.