Tong Yao glanced around the room. Si Chen had mentioned that he hadn't applied for couples' housing yet, so this was likely the place he shared with his colleague. Other than a bunk bed, there was only a chair and an old wooden table with chipped yellow paint. On the table, there were two enamel cups engraved with 'Serving the People', along with several medical textbooks.
There were two wooden boxes beneath the bed, and the bedding on top was neatly folded. Not a speck of dust on the floor and no litter in sight-true to the stereotype, male doctors sure were particular about cleanliness. On that note, Tong Yao's impression of Si Chen wasn't too bad, albeit a bit too reserved for her taste.
Unsure about which bed was Si Chen's, Tong Yao simply chose to rest on the chair. The throbbing pain in her arm was rather distracting; without a television or a phone to distract her, she noticed a folded newspaper resting atop of a book. Just as she was about to pull it out, a knock came from the door.
Startled, Tong Yao quickly retracted her hand. The door was pushed open from the outside, and Si Chen walked in holding a meal box.
He said flatly, "I've randomly packed some food for you. Have a bite now. The canteen will have braised pork tonight."
At the mention of braised pork, Tong Yao couldn't help but swallow. She swore it wasn't her being greedy; it was her body craving some fats. After all, the mere thought of braised pork was making her mouth water.
Perhaps noting the inconvenience caused by her arm injury, Si Chen put the meal box on the table for her. Tong Yao was indeed hungry. So, without being overly polite, she began to eat.
Seeing her not being fussy about the food and eating with determination, Si Chen said, "You eat first. Leave the meal box there when you finish; I'll come and get it later."
The meal box contained a good mix of meat and vegetables and tasted quite good, but it lacked any spice. For a spice-lover like Tong Yao, it somehow felt like something was missing. Halfway through the meal, Tong Yao noticed that the meal box had been scrubbed until it shone. It must have been used for at least half a year or so. Was this Si Chen's meal box?
First, she had drunk from his cup, and now she was eating from his meal box. Having never interacted this way with a man before, Tong Yao found the whole situation a bit weird.
Never mind! She had already eaten the food, no point in making a fuss about it now.
As she was finishing her meal, the sound of someone unlocking the door rang out. She didn't think much of it until the door creaked open. Tong Yao glanced up, just about to say she hadn't finished when she was rendered speechless.
Confronted with an unexpected woman in the room, Si Jun was equally surprised. He had forgotten about Si Chen's wife coming over after working for more than an hour. Then, thinking about Tong Yao's earlier misidentification, he felt his face suddenly hot and an uncomfortable sensation creeping up.
"Sorry, sis-in-law, I forgot you were coming," Si Jun said, instinctively going to close the door and leave. Being alone with a woman in a room that was barely over ten square meters was quite awkward, more so given the woman was his brother's newly married wife.
"It's okay, you came back for something, right?" Tong Yao finished the food in the meal box in haste, stood up. Despite the social awkwardness resulting from her mistake, she didn't find the situation embarrassing given her experiences in the 21st century.
Seeing Tong Yao taking the situation in stride, Si Jun felt a bit embarrassed about his earlier reaction. He strode in with long steps. He had intended to rest for a while, but with Tong Yao present, lying on the bed didn't seem appropriate. Thus, pretending to fetch something, he randomly picked up a medical book from the table. Also, he slid out the newspaper saying, "You can read the newspaper if you're bored."
"Alright." Tong Yao readily accepted it with a beaming smile - exactly what she had wanted earlier but was too shy to help herself.
"Now you take a seat and rest. I'm heading to the department."
As Si Jun reached the door, he bumped into Si Chen, who had returned to get the meal box. Exchanging a glance, he patted Si Chen on the shoulder, "Your wife came all this way. You should spend some more time with her over lunch."
After seeing Si Jun off, Si Chen closed the door. The room was so small that Tong Yao felt she might bump into Si Chen if she moved. Normally, she was quite lively, but whenever she was around Si Chen, she felt uneasy.
The original body owner was incredibly beautiful. If Si Chen were to become agitated and tried to touch her, should she go along or pretend to resist? Or half resist at first but then go along?
Shaking off the ridiculous thoughts, she told herself. Judging by Si Chen's character, if he knew what she was thinking, he might throw her out.
Considering that they were going to stay in the city and share the bed together, she could not afford to remain awkward and hesitant.
After some self-consolation, Tong Yao finally felt less awkward.
Walking to the table and noticing the empty meal box, Si Chen said in a casual tone, "Good appetite."
Was he saying she was a big eater? Tong Yao grumbled internally. "The canteen's food is actually pretty good, only it lacks a spicy flavor."
Si Chen glanced at her, "You can't have spicy food with a wounded arm." In other words, the canteen did provide spicy food, but he hadn't ordered any for her.
Tong Yao thought to herself : the canteen got blamed for nothing.
She had thought that Si Chen would leave after collecting the meal box, but he did not only stay but also sat down on the bed. His upright sitting posture was reminiscent of a soldier's, and it was subtly oppressive.
"Sit." He gestured for Tong Yao to take a seat.
Well!
Undoubtedly, he was about to interrogate her about the rumored elopement.
Sitting on the chair with her hands obediently placed on her lap, Tong Yao, like a schoolgirl waiting to be reprimanded by her teacher, met his gaze under substantial pressure. Then she heard him say, "Tell me! What's going on between you and Jia Qing?"
His eyes were dark and cold, just like icy obsidian. Despite his calm manner, Tong Yao felt a bit terrified.
"I did not cheat on you." Tong Yao felt somewhat unsure as she said this. Although the original owner hadn't done anything with Jia Qing, they had gone out together to the town a couple of times and were seen by the villagers. Otherwise, rumors about her and Jia Qing wouldn't have spread.
Si Chen, with a blank expression, looked at her for a moment, "I know you didn't cheat." If she did, she wouldn't be here. Si Chen simply wanted to understand the full story from her.
"Huh?" She was prepared to launch a whole explanation, but to her surprise, Si Chen sounded more sure than she was. Since the matter had come this far, she decided to reveal the honest thoughts of the original owner, "We had never met before, and then there's the arranged marriage. On our wedding day, you returned to the hospital and were gone for half a month, so I was angry. I just wanted to annoy you and my dad."
After pausing for a moment, she added with clarification, "However, I definitely didn't have anything with Jia Qing, and I didn't plan to elope with him. Although I'm displeased with the arranged marriage, I still understand the fundamental principles of propriety, justice, integrity, and honor."
Perhaps there was a trace of the original owner's emotions in her words, her tone was plaintive and petulant. Her bulging cheeks looked like a puff pastry, a bit adorable in her own way.
Thinking about how she mistook another man for him in the department. Si Chen raised his handsome eyebrows slightly, "Haven't you seen my photo?"