1.2.24: A Large Pot of Vinegar

Their day at the beach had been lighthearted, as have been their other outings together. As much as Xiao Yunhua wanted to label them as dates, she couldn't because the man had always kept a platonic view of her.

Currently, she sat on a soft mat that was sprawled all over the sandy ground. Qiang Yue sat next to her and a comfortable silence loomed over them.

"You know, I'm going to miss all of this when I have to get back." Xiao Yunhua murmured, her fingers tracing the outline of the sand underneath them. "This dream getaway..." she released an anxious sigh, "I just don't want it to ever end."

She turned her eyes that were a bit downcast and they met with Qiang Yue's. "Running away from my problems and reality... would you call me a coward?"

Qiang Yue quietly looked at her, as though he was trying to absorb her question. In the end, he gently shook his head. "Everyone has a breaking point, and after escaping the clutches of death twice, I believe you have rightfully reached your limit; hence why the sudden vacation was a good stress-reliever."

"Qiang Yue..." she choked, her eyes filling with unshed tears. "Why are you so good to me?" This was a genuine question that had been swirling in Xiao Yunhua's mind for a while now. Why had the man cared so much since their first meeting? Why was he so gentle to her?

Qiang Yue's face remained neutral, his eyes staying calm and unperturbed. "As a doctor, one must always carry a good mind in terms of patients."

Hearing his reply, Xiao Yunhua was slightly disappointed. So all this while, she had only been treated with the same care that his kind nature would treat anyone else. All this time, she had been delirious about their relationship advancing further.

How mockable did that make her?

"I see." In the end, these were the only two words that she could say. What more could she blurt out. She couldn't blame him for not growing to love her like the system demanded...

Xiao Yunhua bitterly averted her gaze, looking at the water in front of them. By the pacing of how this was going, the man would never grow to love her.

She would always remain as one of his patients that he cared for beforehand. They may be friends now, but Xiao Yunhua remembered that Ling Qiu was also his friend for so long yet the man remained unperplexed, keeping their relationship purely friend-wise.

Meanwhile, Qiang Yue was observing Xiao Yunhua and when he saw her bitter eyes, his calm heart skipped a beat. He didn't understand; did she expect another answer?

Did she expect for him to say something else? What was he supposed to say? That he hadn't enjoyed the company of anyone like he enjoyed the company of hers. Qiang Yue massaged his temples to prevent his confusion from creating him another one of his headaches.

His eyes watched Xiao Yunhua stand up and she told him that she would be right back.

She walked to the snack shack on the beach and took out her wallet to pay for a drink. The person at the shack was a young man, the same young man that Xiao Yunhua had asked to keep her bag with before.

He recognized her and blushed, quickly preparing her the drink that she wanted.

Suddenly, the young man spilled some of the drink, a fruit smoothie, by Xiao Yunhua and he began to apologize profusely.

Xiao Yunhua, not minding it as it didn't spill on her and she was clumsy herself, waved it off and smiled.

This caused the young man to blush even harder, quickly preparing her drink again.

Qiang Yue watched them interact and the same feeling he felt earlier—when Xia Li teased Xiahu Yunhua—began to resurrect. He didn't recognize it as he hadn't felt jealous before when any of his friends spoke to other people, but Xiahu Yunhua was making him feel a lot of new things.

Before he could help himself, Qiang Yue had already stalked in the direction of the snack shack, where the young man was trying to tell Xiahu Yunhua that she didn't need to pay as apology for the incident.

Qiang Yue dug in his pocket and pulled out his card, slamming it in between them. "I'll pay."

Both of them looked at Qiang Yue in shock, especially the young man, but he nonetheless took the card to swipe. Not only had the young man been intimidated, but he clearly recognized the look that a guy would have when others were flirting with his girlfriend.

The young man felt helpless. Sure he found the woman beautiful, but he was only trying to atone for his mistake!

Simultaneously, Xiao Yunhua looked at Qiang Yue with shock. She never expected to see the usual calm man interrupt with a slam of his card. Why was he so angry? Was her plan finally beginning to work?

A feeling of relief overcame her. This meant that she was closer to her goal!

Suddenly, a large hand took hers and pulled her away when she grabbed her smoothie with her other hand. Qiang Yue stuffed his card in his pocket and pulled Xiao Yunhua with him away from the snack shack.

They stopped at the mat and he finally turned around, his eyes caring a glint of some sort. He looked like he had reached a resolution. "Tomorrow, meet me in the hotel restaurant, I have something to say and ask..."