***
The man looked at her; his eyes brightened with a surprising delight as he stood up nervously, "Are you... Miss Mai Xiaomai?"
"Yes, I am Mai Xiaomai!"
Mai Xiaomai nodded her head.
Chen Dadao, quite gallantly, pulled out a chair for her to sit down.
As Mai Xiaomai sat down, she noticed that Chen Dadao's gaze remained joyfully fixated on her, as though she had flowers on her face.
Feeling a little self-conscious, she reached out to touch her cheek, "Mr. Chen, is there something on my face?"
Only then did Chen Dadao realize his gaffe, hurriedly diverting his gaze and coughing a few times, "No... it's just that Miss Mai is so beautiful, far beyond my expectations; I couldn't help but take a few extra looks."
"Thank you for the compliment."
Hearing him say this, Mai Xiaomai smiled generously, "Mr. Chen is quite a talented individual himself, very dignified."
"Really... really?"
"Yes."
Mai Xiaomai nodded earnestly.
What she said was true; although Chen Dadao wasn't outstanding, she found him agreeable. Her mother hadn't desperately chosen just any man for her to meet on a blind date.
He seemed like a very honest and simple person; living with him probably wouldn't be too bad.
As long as he could accept her, then they might as well get married, to spare her parents the embarrassment among relatives and neighbors, and the worry they carried for her every day.
Chen Dadao was very pleased to have her affirmation.
From the very first glance at Mai Xiaomai, he had also taken a great liking to her, finding her beautiful and dignified with a calm and mature aura he greatly admired.
He hurriedly handed her the red rose he was holding.
"Thank you."
Mai Xiaomai accepted it politely, then placed it on the table.
"Miss Mai, may I call you Xiaomai from now on? And you can call me Dadao."
"Sure."
Mai Xiaomai nodded her head.
Accustomed to dealing with the deceased, she wasn't good at interacting with unfamiliar people and wasn't particularly adept socially.
"That's great, Xiaomai—"
Chen Dadao, seeing Mai Xiaomai's nod, excitedly used her name, handing her the menu, "Xiaomai, take a look at what you'd like to eat. Don't be polite with me; it's my treat!"
Mai Xiaomai ordered two simple dishes, then handed the menu back to Chen Dadao.
Seeing she had chosen two dishes that were simple and inexpensive compared to other girls he had dated, Chen Dadao felt she was very sensible. She was also quite beautiful.
The more he looked, the more satisfied he became, eventually expressing his thoughts, "Xiaomai, you really are a sensible and considerate girl. My mother will definitely like you."
Mai Xiaomai smiled somewhat awkwardly.
It wasn't that she was particularly considerate; it was just that she never liked owing others, let alone coveting a meal at someone else's expense.
Chen Dadao also ordered two dishes, simple and inexpensive, with a mild taste.
After ordering, he started chatting with Mai Xiaomai again.
Feng Qinglang sat at a not-so-distant table, watching them chat; the more he watched Mai Xiaomai, the more intrigued he became.
By appearance and temperament, Chen Dadao was far from a match for Mai Xiaomai.
Yet she was still polite in her interactions, seemingly without any aversion to him.
Therefore, he was quite curious to see what the result of their blind date would be.
"By the way, Xiaomai, your mother mentioned that you're a doctor, a graduate from South University Medical School. Which hospital are you working in now?"
Chen Dadao got to the point.
Given that Mai Xiaomai looked so appealing, had a high education level, and a good job, and was willing to go on a blind date with a minor civil servant like him, it made him feel somewhat insecure. He wanted to get to know her better.
****
"In the police force,"
Mai Xiaomai hesitated when answering his question, pondering whether she should obey her mother's order not to reveal her profession as a forensic doctor.
"A police physician?"
"Yeah, a forensic doctor,"
Mai Xiaomai still felt that hiding the truth was not right, so she answered honestly.
"What? A forensic doctor?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Dadao immediately cried out in shock, much like her previous blind date encounters.
His gaze at Mai Xiaomai had completely changed, as if looking at a ghost.
However, when he saw that Mai Xiaomai was still calm in the face of his overly excited reaction, he thought she might be deliberately saying this to scare him.
How could such a beautiful girl be a forensic doctor?
He truly couldn't believe it.
So, he quickly calmed himself down, took a deep breath, steadied his emotions, concealed his own feelings, and said with a smile, "Xiaomai, you're pulling my leg, right?"
"It's not a tease. It's true,"
"Really... true?"
Chen Dadao asked incredulously.
Mai Xiaomai took out her forensic doctor ID from her bag and showed it to him.
Chen Dadao saw the serious ID photo of Mai Xiaomai next to the words "First-Class Forensic Doctor," and reacted as if he had touched something very dirty. He hurriedly pushed the ID back to Mai Xiaomai, then pulled out a tissue and started furiously wiping himself. He also moved his chair back, putting more distance between them.
Looking at his reaction, Mai Xiaomai felt a bit amused, but she was also used to it.
"As a young female forensic doctor, you're probably just following those older forensic doctors around, taking notes, right? Aren't you afraid?"
Chen Dadao continued to ask.
"In my first year after graduating, I did take notes for a while. After he retired, I started doing everything myself."
"You personally perform the examinations on those abnormally deceased bodies?"
"Mhm."
Chen Dadao's face started to turn pale, "I've seen on TV that forensic doctors have to perform autopsies on bodies. You don't actually do autopsies, do you?"
"That's the most basic requirement of the profession,"
Mai Xiaomai said indifferently, "At many homicide scenes, the body often serves as the most reliable evidence. Factors like the time of death or internal injuries - these need to be understood precisely through autopsy..."
"Stop talking!"
Chen Dadao, looking like he was about to vomit, stood up with a pale face, "I really can't continue dating you, I'm leaving!"
Having said that, he hurriedly left, and even forgot that he had ordered food and needed to pay.
Watching his staggering departure, Mai Xiaomai let out a resigned chuckle, picked up the red rose on the table, lowered her head to smell it, and involuntarily recalled the black-clothed man's motions of smelling a rose. Lifting her gaze, she saw him laughing and chatting with the gentle woman, without the coldness he showed towards her before.
Sitting behind her, Feng Qinglang had overheard every word of her conversation with Chen Dadao.
Learning that she worked as a forensic doctor, a job that people typically shy away from, he found the situation even more intriguing.
Seeing Chen Dadao scared off, he also stood up, approached Mai Xiaomai, and asked, "Miss Xiaomai, may I sit here and enjoy a pleasant meal with you?"
Mai Xiaomai looked up to see him, and was slightly taken aback, "I don't know you that well."
"Strangers once, friends twice. Didn't we just get acquainted? A little more chatting, and we'll be old friends,"
Feng Qinglang didn't wait for her permission and sat down on the chair opposite her, batting his flirtatious, peach-blossom eyes at her, "Don't you think?"
"Heh—"
Mai Xiaomai laughed, "You were behind me just now. You heard what I said, didn't you?"
***