"Have you tried the West Lake's vinegar fish? Isn't it really delicious?"
"Yes, it's delicious."
"West Lake's vinegar fish is the most famous dish here. Many people from across cities and provinces come to try it. If it happens to be a holiday, this dish will be in short supply, but it will be available to members first. I see that your school is quite close to here. Why don't you get a membership card too?"
"Ah, are you trying to sell this to me?"
Wei Chen smiled and did not say anything.
"I'm just a poor student. How can I afford a membership card for such a high-end restaurant? Don't even think about it." Zhou Xia would not fall for his trick.
Wei Chen continued to smile and remained silent.
Shen Lin took the membership card from him and said to Wei Chen, "I'll keep this card. We're leaving."
Wei Chen smiled. He seemed to have expected that Shen Lin would accept the membership card. He nodded at the two of them. "Doctor Shen, Miss Zhou, I'll take my leave now."
After Wei Chen left, Zhou Xia looked at Shen Lin in confusion. "Your cousin gave you the membership card. He didn't ask for money. Why don't you accept it then? Why are you making things difficult for a secretary?"
Shen Lin glanced at her indifferently. "It's not easy to take advantage of others. You have to pay them back."
"It's just a membership card, and it's a gift from your cousin. Do you still need to return the money? Besides, you're already driving an Audi. Do you really need this bit of money?" Zhou Xia grumbled.
"It's not money that needs to be returned. It's favor."
"What favor?"
"A favor from the hospital." Shen Lin looked at Zhou Xia who was still confused. "You won't understand even if I tell you."
"How do you know I won't understand if you don't tell me?"
Shen Lin sighed helplessly. "The lady boss of this shop is the director of Pediatrics in our hospital. She has a good relationship with many doctors in the hospital. Do you know that nowadays, the weight of any doctor or teacher in the social circle is much heavier than many small bosses who started from scratch, let alone the well-known tertiary Grade-A hospitals in the country?"
"You mean, your cousin wanted to give you this membership card so that you can get in touch with the doctors in the hospital and help him build a relationship?"
"Yes." Shen Lin thought for a moment and said, "I guess Qin Huaichuan has business dealings with the boss of this place. He introduced me here to boost their performance and do them a favor."
"I didn't expect that there would be so many complicated interpersonal relationships in the hospital."
"It's not just the hospital. As long as there are people, there's no way to escape the layer of interpersonal relationships."
"That's true."
Zhou Xia raised her head and looked at Shen Lin. His facial features were clear, and his jawline was sharp. He was no longer as gentle as he was in high school. He had a calm temperament that made him look enigmatic. It was a mystery that belonged to a mature man. This kind of attraction could make people want to delve deeper.
The two of them walked out of the banquet. Shen Lin turned around and asked Zhou Xia, "Where are you going? I'll send you off."
"Oh, okay. Just send me back to school."
"Yeah."
Zhou Xia followed Shen Lin obediently and got into the car. Shen Lin was a good driver. He drove fast and steadily. He didn't like to talk, so the two of them sat in the car and kept quiet. After a while, Zhou Xia felt a little awkward. "When did you come back to North China?"
"About two months ago."
"Oh, didn't you meet up with your old friends for a meal or something after you came back?"
"Old friends? I don't have any other friends besides you."
Zhou Xia was speechless.
The topic that they had finally started was shut down by Shen Lin.
Shen Lin turned the car around. "Are you going to ask me why I didn't look for you when I first came back?"
"When I just came back, you were still in a relationship with that Chen guy."
Zhou Xia suddenly realized something and asked tentatively, "Then, you came to marry me as soon as we broke up. Have you never let me go?"
"No. I'm afraid that if I looked for you as soon as I came back, you wouldn't be able to resist and end up falling in love with me."
Zhou Xia's face suddenly turned red. "Stop being so narcissistic."
"What about you? We haven't seen each other for so long. Why did you agree to register our marriage?"
"I was about to ask you. We haven't seen each other for so long. Why did you propose to me?"
Shen Lin was stunned by her question. But soon, he returned to his usual cold self. "Didn't I tell you that my mother was in a hurry to get me married?"
"Stop lying." Zhou Xia scoffed at his answer.
"I don't believe you. You keep saying that you're doing this for Aunty Wang, but why didn't you tell her after we got our marriage certificate? I didn't see you taking me to see her either."
"What's wrong? You can't wait to see my mom?"