The Best Thing

Honeyed Pill

After dinner, Shen Xifan was surfing the internet at home when her mother called out, "Fanfan, are you having breakfast at home tomorrow?"

She replied with an "Mhm," "I want seaweed egg drop soup and pan-fried dumplings!"

Shen's mother walked over holding a bag of trash. "We’re out of seaweed and vinegar. Go buy some at the supermarket and take out the trash while you're at it."

Shen Xifan glanced at the cotton slippers on her feet. "I don’t want to go to the supermarket. I’d have to change shoes—what a hassle."

Her mother instantly switched tactics, playing the pitiful card. "I’m getting old. Even getting my daughter to do a simple thing is so hard. Maybe I should just move to a nursing home. Sigh!"

Shen Xifan immediately jumped up. "I’ll go, I’ll go!" She rummaged through the shoe cabinet on the balcony and pulled out the Cotton tiger-head shoes she used to wear in college. Taking the trash bag, she grumbled inwardly—her mom was getting better at this, knowing full well she was soft-hearted rather than strong-willed.

The winter night was bitterly cold, and her thoughts felt sluggish. For a moment, she felt like she was back in college, shuffling around the dormitory area in those tiger-head shoes.

Just as she stepped into the supermarket, a man was walking out. Their eyes met, and Shen Xifan froze. She glanced around and muttered to herself, "Did I take a wrong turn? This is a supermarket, but I’m not sick—why am I seeing this guy here?"

Unexpectedly, He Suye heard her and burst out laughing.

Snapping back to reality, Shen Xifan found his laughter utterly adorable. Her heartbeat instantly doubled, and her words became a jumbled mess. "Oh, sorry, Doctor He! You come to supermarkets too? What a coincidence!"

He Suye found her reaction a bit odd but didn’t dwell on it. "Just picking up some things. Do you live around here?"

She nodded and asked in return, "Do you live here too? But I’ve never seen you around in all these years?"

He explained, "I just moved here a few months ago, and I don’t go out much. But this neighborhood is nice—convenient for transportation and shopping."

Shen Xifan suddenly ran out of words, only managing to nod with vague "Mhm"s and "Yeah"s. He Suye found it amusing. She wasn’t tall, standing only up to his shoulders, and from his angle, she looked like a kid being scolded by a parent. He leaned down and asked, "Was the Chinese herbal medicine I prescribed too bitter?"

Her face warmed up traitorously. He Suye, you’re standing way too close. I love this proximity, but I’m not in the right headspace today. She pretended to think. "Bitter? Of course it’s bitter! Absolutely awful!"

He Suye rummaged through his bag and pulled out a large cup of jelly, handing it to her patiently. "Take your medicine properly. If it’s too bitter, eat this right after. Be good!"

Shen Xifan stood there, stunned. Just as her heart was about to burst with joy, she heard him continue, "When kids at the hospital refuse to take their medicine, we use this to coax them..."

She looked up, confused. "Doctor He, am I a kid?"

He smiled. "Not a kid, but you act like one. I’ll head off now—remember to pick up your medicine tomorrow!" Then, with a meaningful glance at her round tiger-head shoes, he walked away.Shen Xifan clutched the jelly, staring blankly at He Suye's retreating figure. She felt somewhat annoyed, but an irrepressible smile curled at the corners of her lips. To him, was she, as a patient, somewhat special?

Returning home, she tossed the plastic bag aside and happily carried the jelly to her room, only for Shen's mother to intercept her again. "Fanfan, how about going out to eat with me tomorrow?"

Immediately exasperated, she replied, "Mom, I don’t want to go on a blind date. Just give up already!"

Instead of getting angry, Shen's mother smiled and coaxed her daughter, "This time, your mom has picked a doctor for you. What do you think? From the People’s Hospital. Interested? Aunt Yang says this young man is quite handsome..."

Shen Xifan interrupted, "What’s his name?"

"You’ll know when you go, won’t you?" Shen's mother deliberately kept her in suspense, glancing at the jelly in her hand. "Still eating kids' snacks at your age..."

Hiding the jelly behind her back, Shen Xifan retorted, "So what if I’m still a kid? Fine, I’ll go tomorrow night!" Ignoring her mother’s excited cheers behind her, she walked straight to her room, closed the door, flopped onto the bed, and stared at the jelly with a silly grin.

At the next morning’s meeting, Director Cheng announced that a local software company would be hosting a large party at the hotel on Christmas Eve. Tasks were assigned to various departments, and after some suggestions were discussed, the meeting adjourned.

Xu Xiangya was thrilled. "Congee, we’ll get to see so many handsome guys! How exciting!"

Shen Xifan groaned. "I don’t want to see any handsome guys. I just want to go home and sleep."

Xu Xiangya pouted. "No wonder you haven’t had any romantic encounters in three years—your estrogen levels must be out of whack, making you think about sleep instead of men. But you’re still going. You skipped last year’s party, and you’re not getting out of it this time."

Shen Xifan thought to herself that this year, she’d be working her fingers to the bone—there was no escaping it.

The IT summit had ended a few days prior, and some company executives had already checked out of the hotel.

The morning sunlight pierced through the winter haze, the air slightly damp. After seeing off the guests, Shen Xifan took a shortcut back, inevitably passing by the F District villas.

She saw Yan Heng sitting by the window, gazing at the lawn outside, his handsome face slightly blurred.

It felt familiar.

Once, in the music department’s piano room, Yan Heng had sat by the window under the blazing summer sun, calm and composed, yet his gaze distant and melancholic. With just one look, she had become hopelessly fixated on this legendary, dashing talent. She had sensed he wasn’t as happy as he seemed.

And now, was he still unhappy?

It had nothing to do with her—she was meddling again.

Finally, the workday ended, and she hurried home to prepare for the evening’s blind date.

Shedding her professional attire, Shen Xifan tied her hair into a ponytail, changed into a simple red-checkered cotton coat, and removed her makeup, applying only a light lip gloss. She thought a fresh, natural look suited her better.

With a mix of nervousness and curiosity, she headed to the teahouse’s private room. Unexpectedly, the male lead of this blind date was quite the diva—arriving ten minutes late. At first glance, Shen Xifan recognized him: the doctor with the striking looks whom she’d bumped into at the hospital last time.

Out of breath, he introduced himself, "I’m Li Jie. Miss Shen, I’m so sorry—I left my keys in the dorm and had to go back for them. I got delayed. Really sorry about that."Sure enough, a string of keys dangled from his little finger. Shen Xifan was curious, "Your keychain is quite unique!"

It was an irregular-shaped piece, grayish-white in color with longitudinal cracks and brown streaks, looking smooth and adorable.

Li Jie was momentarily taken aback before laughing, "Fossilized bones—I snagged them from the school specimen room back in the day." He handed it to Shen Xifan, pointing as he explained, "These are skeletal fossils of ancient mammals like three-toed horses, rhinos, deer, cattle, elephants, and such. See, this piece is from a joint, so it has these honeycomb-like pores—perfect for threading a keychain. Fossilized bones are also a medicinal herb, neutral in nature, acting on the heart and liver meridians. They calm the liver, suppress yang, promote blood circulation, and soothe the nerves..."

Shen Xifan found him very approachable, his thick, dark eyebrows rising and falling with his speech. She found it odd—why were medical professionals always so engrossed and confident when talking about their field? He Suye was the same way.

Li Jie seemed to recognize her too. "Miss Shen, you look so familiar. Have we met somewhere?"

Shen Xifan perked up. "At the hospital, maybe? Mr. Li, do you know Doctor He? I went there last time to get some cold medicine tea."

Li Jie suddenly realized. "Oh, that time! The Doctor He you mentioned—is it He Suye? He’s my senior brother! What a coincidence!"

Shen Xifan was so excited she nearly teared up, but she couldn’t let him see that her interest wasn’t in him but in He Suye. She simply nodded. "Doctor He is such a good doctor!"

Unexpectedly, Li Jie launched into a lively conversation. "Our families have been close for generations. He’s a year older than me. We grew up together—I was always the troublemaker, stealing dates from people’s trees, breaking windows, and He Suye would always take the blame for me. His parents were busy with work, so they sent him to elementary school early. Who knew he’d keep up and end up three grades ahead of me..."

Through the door crack, Shen's mother saw the two chatting animatedly: Li Jie talking passionately between sips of tea, Shen Xifan listening intently and refilling his cup now and then. She was delighted, thinking this blind date was 80% successful—clearly, the charm of doctors worked wonders. Little did she know, the two inside weren’t discussing life, work, or ideals as she’d hoped, but a third party entirely unrelated to the blind date.

Finally, Shen Xifan asked curiously, "Dr. Li, why did you agree to a blind date?"

Li Jie smiled. "Just call me by my name. For us doctors, our social circle is pretty small. My mom set this whole thing up, so I had to come. I used to hate this kind of arrangement, but talking to you is actually really easy—it feels like we’ve known each other forever. Of course, why did you agree to a blind date, Miss Shen?"

Her face flushed inexplicably. Li Jie blurted out, "You’ve been talking about my senior brother this whole time. Could it be... you’re interested in him?"

She quickly waved her hands. "No, no! I just... found it curious, so I... I..." The more flustered she got, the less coherent her explanation became, and her awkwardness didn’t escape Li Jie’s notice.

Li Jie winked. "No worries. Do you think my senior brother is a great guy? Don’t worry—he doesn’t have a girlfriend right now. If you’re interested, I can help you out!"Shen Xifan was a bit puzzled. There was no reason for her to develop feelings for a doctor she had only met a few times, with their conversations totaling less than an hour. Just because he was handsome, exceptionally kind, outstanding, and seemed to treat her well—could that really be called liking someone? Wouldn’t that make her seem a bit frivolous?

She had no choice but to explain, "Li Jie, I just think He Suye is a good person and want to be friends with him. Just like how I find you very easygoing and kind, and I’d like to be friends with you too."

Li Jie felt embarrassed. "I misunderstood. Miss Shen, please don’t be angry. How about I treat you to dinner as an apology?"

Instead, Shen Xifan silently scolded herself for judging others with a petty mindset and laughed. "Just call me Shen Xifan. If we’re friends, calling me ‘Miss Shen’ makes it hard to feel like friends. I’m hungry—let’s go eat!"

The two exchanged smiles, both feeling they got along well. But as for being a couple? Forget it!

They went for Northeastern cuisine. The restaurant was packed, with no private rooms available, so they had to sit by the window near the entrance. Li Jie worried Shen Xifan might mind, but as soon as they sat down, she pointed at the bustling crowd outside, squinting with a smile. "Li Jie, look at everyone rushing around while we’re leisurely eating. Feels pretty nice, doesn’t it?"

He found her very easygoing and pleasant.

They ordered three dishes, all signature items. Though not many, the portions were huge and delicious. Both were thoroughly enjoying the meal when, halfway through, Shen Xifan felt someone’s gaze on her. She looked up and blurted out, "Doctor He?"

Li Jie immediately raised his head to see He Suye striding through the door. His first words were directed at Shen Xifan: "Why didn’t you come to pick up your medicine today? Did you forget again? I just reminded you yesterday!"

Shen Xifan could only smile sheepishly. "I forgot. I’ll definitely go tomorrow—it’s not expired, right?"

As they finished their meal, the server brought the bill. Both reached for their wallets, but Li Jie quickly paid first. Shen Xifan responded cheerfully and graciously, "Next time, dinner’s on me!"

She got up to use the restroom, and He Suye finally voiced his confusion. "How do you two know each other?"

Li Jie tapped his chopsticks against the bowl like a storyteller. "Senior Brother, this blind date was my mom’s idea. That’s how we met, but we hit it off right away—no romantic feelings involved!"

After a pause, he mischievously added, "Honestly, I feel like I was sent to this blind date in your place. Weird, huh?"

He Suye froze. "Me? A blind date? What nonsense!"

Shen Xifan and He Suye lived in the same neighborhood. The three parted ways at Times Square, with the other two heading in the same direction. Shen Xifan was in an inexplicably good mood today, and He Suye, watching her glance around with a smile, found himself infected by her cheer.

The streets were crowded. In five days, it would be Christmas, followed by the New Year. Shops displayed Christmas trees, twinkling lights, and windows sprayed with "Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!" The square’s musical fountain shimmered with colors.

Suddenly, He Suye felt someone tugging his sleeve. Looking down, a flower-selling girl said to him, "Big brother, buy a bouquet for your girlfriend!"He was a bit flustered, and Shen Xifan burst out laughing, "Little girl, he's my dad, you got it wrong!"

The little girl looked at them incredulously before walking away suspiciously. He Suye watched Shen Xifan giggling to herself and felt utterly helpless. Dressed in a red-and-black checkered cotton coat with a ponytail and large, lively eyes, she didn’t look like a 25-year-old professional woman at all. Someone might even mistake her for a high school student. He sighed, "I really am getting old."

Shen Xifan comforted him, "Doctor He likes eating jelly—old in age but young at heart!"

When they reached the supermarket in the neighborhood, she darted inside while He Suye waited at the entrance. Soon, she came out carrying a large bag of groceries. Shen Xifan asked him, "He Suye, do you like sweet things?"

This was the first time he heard her call him by his name. It gave him an indescribable feeling, especially the way she pronounced "Su Ye" with her soft, lilting accent—it had a unique charm, somewhat like the honeyed pill his grandfather used to make when he was a child, sweet and thick.

He nodded, "Yes, I do. Why?"

She pulled out a bar of Dove chocolate, "A return gift for the jelly. He Suye, you must brew the medicine well—this is a patient’s thank-you gift for her doctor!"

He took it with a smile. Shen Xifan’s face turned slightly red, probably regretting her boldness. Sharp as he was, he immediately saw through the little scheme she had in mind.

But for the first time, he didn’t mind someone expressing such straightforward affection toward him—even if it was Zhang Yiling.