Chapter 22: Are You Trying to Scare Me?

Xia Ruanruan: Maybe… I should just eat two?

Just a little taste wouldn’t hurt, right?

She glanced at the door—Huo Beiqing hadn’t come back yet.

The clock in the office showed it was ten minutes to seven.

“Maybe just one… Just one bite. What if it’s too salty or too bland, and Huo Beiqing doesn’t like it?”

Muttering to herself, she lifted the lid of the lunchbox.

“Mmm, shiitake mushroom and pork filling.”

“Mmm, Aunt Chen’s cooking is amazing.”

“Mmm, what’s this crunchy bit? Feels like yam…”

“Ah, whatever, let’s just eat first.”

Hic!

“Aunt Chen’s dumplings are really too good.”

After eating to her heart’s content, Xia Ruanruan finally realized—she had eaten half of the entire lunchbox.

She mumbled, “I never knew I could eat this much.”

“Must be because I was too hungry!”

But… how was she supposed to explain this to Huo Beiqing?

Xia Ruanruan smacked her forehead. “I said I’d only try two!”

Her hand froze mid-smack—because she saw Huo Beiqing leaning against the office door, looking at her with an unreadable expression.

Xia Ruanruan: Would pretending to faint work right now?

“…H-Huo Doctor, you… you’re done with work?”

Huo Beiqing nodded from the doorway.

“Heh…” Xia Ruanruan laughed awkwardly and extended the half-eaten lunchbox toward him. “My… my mom asked me to bring these dumplings for you…”

Xia Ruanruan: This sneaky guy! How long had he been standing there?

This was so embarrassing!

“I was too hungry, so I ate a little first.”

Then, she quickly reassured him, “But don’t worry, I ate them one by one. The rest are totally clean, not dirty at all!”

Huo Beiqing walked inside, heading toward the sink to wash his hands. “Are you full?”

Xia Ruanruan nodded.

“If not, you can finish the rest.”

Xia Ruanruan: That… didn’t sound like a nice suggestion.

Realizing how it could be misunderstood, Huo Beiqing added, “The hospital cafeteria still has food.”

Xia Ruanruan quickly shook her head. “Hic… I’m… I’m full!”

The corners of Huo Beiqing’s mouth seemed to lift slightly as he took the lunchbox from her hands.

Xia Ruanruan covered her mouth. “Hic…”

As he ate, Huo Beiqing glanced at her.

Xia Ruanruan: She didn’t mean to, but—

Well, this at least proved that she had really eaten her fill.

“Hic…”

Xia Ruanruan started hiccupping non-stop.

Xia Ruanruan: Lesson learned—sneaking food leads to being caught.

This was social death.

As she hiccupped, she noticed Huo Beiqing staring out the office window.

Following his gaze, she looked out too.

But outside, it was pitch black—nothing was there.

“Hic… What… what are you looking at?” she asked nervously.

Huo Beiqing glanced at her seriously and hesitated.

Xia Ruanruan grew even more anxious. “Hic… W-What is it?”

Huo Beiqing: “I think I saw a face pressed against the window.”

“A face?” Xia Ruanruan tensed up.

Huo Beiqing: “Look.” He suddenly spoke.

“Ahhh—!” Xia Ruanruan shrieked, shutting her eyes tightly and stomping her feet in terror.

Huo Beiqing: “…”

He raised his hand and patted Xia Ruanruan’s arm.

“Ah…!” Xia Ruanruan screamed even louder.

“There’s nothing there,” Huo Beiqing said. “Nothing at all.”

He patted her arm again. “Look, there’s nothing.”

Xia Ruanruan finally stopped screaming, though she was still scared. Outside the window, there was really nothing—just darkness.

Huo Beiqing casually picked up a dumpling and ate it. Then, he explained, “I saw you kept hiccupping, so I wanted to scare you a little. There was no ghost face, not even a human face.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve been working here for years and have never encountered anything supernatural.”

Xia Ruanruan: “…”

“…You’re a doctor?”

Huo Beiqing ate another dumpling, unsure of what she meant.

Xia Ruanruan felt frustrated. “You’re a doctor, and when I was hiccupping… you scared me?”

“Mm.” Huo Beiqing nodded seriously. “And now you’re not hiccupping anymore, right?”

Xia Ruanruan: “…”

She had no words.

A doctor should have professional methods, right? What kind of sneaky trick was this?

While she was still speechless, Huo Beiqing had already finished the remaining dumplings and even washed the lunchbox.

Afterward, he noticed the bundle sitting on a chair, took off his white coat, and picked everything up. “Let’s go.”

Xia Ruanruan: She was still mad. She didn’t want to go.

Just because of a little hiccup, this man scared her with ghost stories at night? He was even worse than a trickster!

Grudgingly, she followed Huo Beiqing out of the hospital. They walked for less than five minutes before arriving at a residential building. Huo Beiqing led her upstairs.

Xia Ruanruan followed behind, still sulking.

Just as Huo Beiqing was unlocking the door, Xia Ruanruan suddenly grabbed his sleeve in terror, too scared to even speak.

Huo Beiqing turned his head and saw her trembling as she pointed at the stairwell.

Just as he opened the door, he lifted her by the collar and carried her inside.

Xia Ruanruan: What the heck!

After setting her down inside, Huo Beiqing said, “I scared you once, you scared me once—we’re even.”

Xia Ruanruan looked frustrated. “You didn’t even seem scared!” And to think she had acted so convincingly!

Yet this guy didn’t even bother to check outside.

So annoying!

Just as she finished speaking, Huo Beiqing suddenly patted his chest. “Oh no, I’m so scared.”

Then, he added in a perfectly serious tone, “I have a slow reaction time.”

“Heh, heh, heh.” Xia Ruanruan gave him a sarcastic laugh. Let him figure out what it meant.

Then she started looking around the apartment.

She had to admit, his place was pretty decent.

A two-bedroom apartment with all the essentials.

Small but complete.

After a quick glance, she put on a fawning expression. “Dr. Huo, how many beds do you have here?”

Huo Beiqing, having just witnessed her acting skills, was impressed by how fast she could switch expressions.

She wasn’t just flexible—she could act too!

He smiled. “Sorry, it’s just a place to rest, so there’s only one bed.”

Xia Ruanruan: “…”

Her friendly smile vanished as she eyed the narrow sofa in the living room.

Then she walked over and patted it. “I’ll sleep here tonight.”

Huo Beiqing didn’t object.

But he smirked. “There’s no extra blanket here.”

Xia Ruanruan: “…Not even one?”

Huo Beiqing nodded. “There is one. A thick one. If you don’t mind…”

“I don’t mind!”

Huo Beiqing nodded. “I’m going to shower, then.”

As he turned away, Xia Ruanruan suddenly thought of something. “Can you cook here?”