Out of every place and possibility of running into her again, Lin Que had never thought that the world was small enough to make the most romantic encounters to happen in this tiny space of the emergency room. At least they had met at the Spicy Bowl restaurant earlier and shared the same table! But now, their roles have been switched to being doctor and patient.
His mind went vacant as soon as Lily's small face appeared behind those curtains. Her melodious voice and hand waving gestures made him sit obediently by her side, allowing her to observe him at a close distance. He didn't dare to gulp while her soft, light hazel eyes scanned his facial features.
'Does she recognize me?' His eyes followed the girl's thoughtful gaze.
"Ah! I remember you now!" she clapped excitedly with a genuine and very contagious smile. The way her lips relaxed when it curved along with her joyful eyes had rushed unexpected warmth inside of him.
"Hmm?" His lips curved upwards as he anticipated for her response.
"You're the guy from the poster! That's where I've seen you!" She snapped her fingers when she recalled passing by the Anime Club's poster on campus with a good-looking guy on it.
"P..poster?" His lips twitched when he heard her response. Since when did he become a model?
"Yeah!!! But you look more attractive than that Anime poster that I saw on campus. Did you also attend G University?" Her words have once again shot multiple cupid arrows to his tender heart. He couldn't help but smile at this innocent girl in front of him.
"Mm. Recently graduated. Are you sure we haven't met in the past?" He wanted to tease her even more and make her think carefully about their encounter from earlier.
"Pfffft, Mister Lin, that line has been overused. I'm your patient." She laughed when she thought that he was joking with her because of her serious observation from earlier.
"What if I really mean what I have asked?" He smiled indifferently.
"Then I can only blame it on my poor eyesight. There's no way I would forget seeing you unless I left my contact lenses or glasses when I met you." She replied confidently.
Her response almost threw him off the chair.
'But girl, you indeed forgot that we saw each other!!'
Maintaining his composure, he straightened his back. He asked, "So, can you tell me where it feels uncomfortable? Or where you feel pain?"
"Oh..right. I almost forgot why I came, haha. Mmmm..." she awkwardly looked towards her right side and frowned. A thought had suddenly struck her that it's been a while since she could smile naturally around another male. She realized she didn't have many friends because she focused mostly on Hawk and little on herself.
"Miss. Jiang?" He called out worriedly when she didn't answer his question. 'Was she in too much pain?'
"Sorry. I don't really know where it hurts more. Is it my stomach, throat or my heart?" The joy in her eyes disappeared, and sorrow replaced its place. Listening to her tone, she seemed to be suffering emotionally in addition to her physical pain.
"Lay down and relax. I'll do a basic body check on you. Let me know if it hurts when I apply pressure on certain areas." It would be strange for him to ask her any personal questions even though he was her doctor right now. Therefore, he decided to take it slow and let time do the talking.
"Uhm.. Can I see a different doctor?" She asked shyly.
Taking a pair of clean gloves, he stuffed his hand into it and said, "The other doctors are currently attending other patients. If you're not used to having a male doctor, then you can close your eyes while I examine you."
He waited patiently for her permission to continue with the body check. Gently, he pressed down onto her stomach areas to see if she would show any signs of pain. After ten minutes later, he scribbled using a pen on the comment section of the chart.
Lowering his gaze, he said, "Miss. Jiang, you should limit yourself from consuming spicy food or citric acid fruits. I will give you a list of foods to avoid for a while. On top of that, from your medical history, the last time you've done a thorough body check was three years ago. I recommend for you to stay for a body examination and until your condition improves."
She sat up while pressuring her lower abdomen, "Tsss... then how long will I have to stay?"
"Until I sign your discharge papers." He smiled and opened the curtains.
"I suppose that I don't have a say in this," she replied.
His response was certainly amusing. This was the first time anyone had spoken to her in such a determined tone that she actually didn't have the guts to oppose against!
"Mhmm" He waved her medical chart in his hands and delivered it to the head nurse. There was no way he would allow her to walk out of here without a thorough checkup. She texted her mother about the products she would need during her hospital stay.
While she texted her mom about what happened, she realized something was off. "Wait, how did he know I had spicy food earlier? I don't remember mentioning anything to the nurse who brought me here either. Did he have magical hands that could tell what food I've eaten from my bowel movement??"
Softly chuckling from a distance, Lin Que observed her shocked expression, "Ah, it seems like she finally realized what I said to her. Right, time to interrogate him."
With his phone in his hand, he opened the message app and started to text Alan.
Lin Que: "I heard I was on one of the Anime Club posters on campus. Explain."
Alan: "Uh...I already told my members that we shouldn't have used that picture!"
Lin Que: "Exactly which picture did you use?"
Alan: "Please spare my life..."
[Picture of Lin Que dressed as a fish while being eaten by another member, whose role was a shark]
Lin Que: "...."
Alan: "I'm so sorry!!! Mercy please!!!"
Lin Que: "Out of all the pictures you could have selected, you had to use that one? I thought it was the ones that we took during the Convention!"
Alan: "... You're right. That would have been a much better response. I'm dead meat this time, aren't I?"
Lin Que replied with a smirk, and said, "No. You're going to be minced meat."
Alan responded with three terrified emoticon.