On the bustling street, Liu Qin was dead drunk. Her speech slurred as she said, "Where's your boyfriend? Call him to pick you up. It'll be safer."
Jiang Li paused for a moment, recalling that in the studio just now, Xiao Yanzhi had told Shang Zewen that she was his girlfriend.
She hadn't reacted at that time. Only now did she suddenly realize that this was the first time he had introduced her as such in front of others.
Even though he hadn't asked for her permission.
She had once so desperately wanted to hear those words from him. But when he finally said them, she hadn't even had the slightest reaction. Instead, she had subconsciously been annoyed that he had made outsiders misunderstand.
Seeing her in a daze, Liu Qin grabbed her and said, "Hurry up and call your boyfriend!"
Jiang Li replied, "I don't have a boyfriend."
Liu Qin didn't believe her. "How can you not? Isn't that man who often accompanies you in the troupe for rehearsals your boyfriend?"
She was talking about Qiao Jinrun. Drunk and staggering, Liu Qin said, "I accidentally left my charging cable in the troupe on my day off. When I went back to get it, I saw you rehearsing. That man couldn't take his eyes off you. He was so focused."
Jiang Li was stunned. "When did you..."
She had originally wanted to ask when Liu Qin had seen Qiao Jinrun, but unexpectedly, the latter just went on talking, "Sister Li, don't hide it from me. We're such good friends. I won't tell anyone."
Liu Qin was so persistent that she insisted on waiting until Qiao Jinrun came to pick up Jiang Li before leaving. Helpless, Jiang Li made the call. "Dr. Qiao, are you in Huacheng now?"
...
When Qiao Jinrun arrived, Jiang Li was squatting on the ground with Liu Qin.
Liu Qin had a terrible drinking tolerance, yet she kept shouting that she wanted more. She was a typical case of being bad at something but still being eager to do it.
After standing by the roadside and getting some fresh air for a while, she vomited up everything she had eaten. Jiang Li was patting her on the back.
"Are you okay?" Qiao Jinrun walked over. Seeing the two of them, he walked straight towards Jiang Li. "Did you drink too much?"
"I didn't drink," Jiang Li shook her head. "It's my friend. The girl drank a bit too much and her stomach is feeling uncomfortable."
Hearing this, Qiao Jinrun sized her up for a few moments. After confirming that she was sober, he quietly let out a sigh of relief. The stone in his heart finally dropped.
Thank goodness she was okay.
When he came, he was carrying a bag with a bottle of mineral water and a box of hangover pills in it. "Let your friend take the pills. Vomiting can easily damage the stomach."
After Jiang Li helped Liu Qin take the pills, she said with a smile, "Dr. Qiao is always so considerate."
"I was just worried about you. You never know how to take care of yourself. It was already late at night when you called me. I guessed that you might have been drinking."
Jiang Li was slightly stunned. After a moment, she said with a smile, "Dr. Qiao, why are you so naggy? You're as talkative as Sister Chen."
Liu Qin had recovered a bit. She poked her head between the two of them. "Sister Li, this isn't being naggy. This is the care and love a boyfriend has for his girlfriend."
Hearing her say this, Qiao Jinrun's expression froze for a second. Immediately afterwards, Jiang Li waved her hand and explained, "She's drunk. She's talking nonsense."
The atmosphere became a bit awkward because of Liu Qin's words.
Fortunately, Qiao Jinrun didn't say anything. He helped Jiang Li take Liu Qin home.
By the time they were on their way to take Jiang Li home, it was already quite late.
On the early autumn night in Huacheng, the damp dew was heavy. Jiang Li was only wearing a thin long - sleeved coat. While waiting for the car, she unconsciously exhaled and murmured to herself, "Autumn is here."
Qiao Jinrun immediately took off his windbreaker and handed it to Jiang Li. "If you don't mind, you can put it on."
His voice was calm, and his actions were smooth. His slender hand held the somewhat thick windbreaker.
Jiang Li asked, "Aren't you cold?"
Qiao Jinrun replied, "I'm wearing a sweater inside."
Only then did Jiang Li reach out and take it. Surprised and flattered, she whispered a thank you and put on the windbreaker.
The clothes had a very clean smell, like the smell of soap left on the clothes after they had been dried in the sun, or like the smell of the afternoon sun on the clothes.
Qiao Jinrun was tall and slender. The windbreaker made Jiang Li look even smaller. Her nose was a bit red from the cold.
The two of them walked out of Liu Qin's residential area. The streetlights kept shortening and then lengthening the shadows of the two people walking side by side.
"Dr. Qiao, I have a question," Jiang Li pulled up the collar of the windbreaker to keep out the wind.
"Go ahead."
"When did you start liking me? Or rather, what do you like about me?"
She really didn't think there had been any romantic moments between her and Qiao Jinrun. "I always cause you trouble."
Even their first meeting was when she went to the hospital to see a doctor.
She was asking sincerely, with a look of earnestness in her eyes.
Qiao Jinrun stopped and looked down at her beautiful face. After thinking for a while, he said, "When I look at you, I always feel like I'm looking at my past self."
"Your past self?"
"The self who was confused, hesitant, and wanted to end everything."
Jiang Li was silent for a moment.
She remembered that the psychologist had once told her that because of his younger sister's accident, Qiao Jinrun had once gone through a very dark and low - spirited period. He couldn't pick up a scalpel, and he couldn't face his family.
Qiao Jinrun said calmly, "If I have to find a reason, I might not even be able to say it myself. If I really have to explain, it should be that I'm trying to save myself."
"People can't travel through time and wake up their once - confused selves," he stared at Jiang Li without shifting his gaze. "But if I can save a similarly lost soul, maybe it can be considered saving my past self."
"Saving others is also saving oneself, right?" Jiang Li murmured, "Dr. Qiao is really a kind - hearted doctor with great compassion."
"Maybe," Qiao Jinrun said softly. "But more importantly, I hope you can be happy."
Jiang Li lowered her head and repeatedly pondered over those two words.
Happiness.
Seeing her with her head down and silent, Qiao Jinrun continued, "I'm not sure how you're feeling right now. If my confession and feelings have put pressure on you or affected you, I apologize."
"No, it's not..."
"Actually, my intention is not necessarily to be with you. And this question doesn't necessarily need an answer."
Jiang Li looked up.
"Whether we're together or not, the key isn't whether we can be together or whether we can reach the end."
Qiao Jinrun smiled. "As long as I can see you being happy, I'll feel happy too."
He was always so gentle that one would want to sink into it.
Jiang Li felt her eyes getting hot. She opened her mouth, but her throat felt blocked. "Dr. Qiao..."
Under the streetlight, he bent down slightly and slowly got closer to her.
"Don't cry. You'll catch a cold at night."