Liang Xiao rarely returned home, but as soon as she reached the door, she heard the voice of her foster mother, Zhao Fang, from inside.
"Nowadays girls' eyes are up on their foreheads. Our Xiao Chen is such a good catch, yet she can't find anyone!"
"Give me a break, with our family's conditions, who would want that?" Liang Chen complained loudly. "No house, no car, even a shotgun wedding no one would agree to."
"Xiao Chen, we're not..." Before Zhao Fang could finish, she seemed to have an idea. "Your sister! I saw your sister's bankbook the other day, she has 300,000 yuan in there. Let's take that to buy you a house!"
"Exactly, she'll get married sooner or later, why keep so much money? Besides, as an adopted daughter, she owes our family!"
From inside, Liang Xiao could hear her foster parents plotting to take advantage of her, making her head spin.
It was true she was adopted, but over the years, her tuition and living expenses all came from her scholarships and part-time jobs.
Not only did she never ask her family for money, they would even try to take what little she had.
She wasn't overly protective of her brother, but what they said today truly chilled her heart.
Liang Xiao clenched her fists and turned to leave.
As soon as she went downstairs, a message came from a colleague, reminding her to go for a follow-up on her breast lump.
Liang Xiao replied: "I know, I'm going now."
The other person: "Oh right, the guy I introduced you to before happens to be a breast specialist doctor. Go make an appointment with him, you can date while you get checked out."
Liang Xiao tugged at the corner of her mouth: "Alright."
The other: "Take this one seriously, I promise my buddy is nothing like that scumbag Zhou Su, trust me!"
Seeing that name again, Liang Xiao bit her lip hard.
She didn't reply, directly exiting the chat and making an online appointment.
At the hospital, it was her turn very quickly.
It was just a bit awkward having a male doctor examine that area for the first time.
After closing the door, the doctor sitting across from her took her previous check-up report, glancing at it before looking up at her.
"How long has this been going on?" He had a pair of beautiful, deep-set eyes behind his transparent, wire-rimmed glasses.
His voice was low and somewhat detached, giving off a rather cold impression.
Yet even with his mask on, Liang Xiao could tell he was very good-looking.
"About half a year, I guess." She regained her focus, her gaze falling on the doctor's name tag.
— He Qingxuan.
"Take off your clothes." He Qingxuan pushed back his chair and walked towards the side partition. Seeing Liang Xiao frozen in place, he reminded her coolly, "I'm a doctor, just a routine examination."
Liang Xiao's face flushed red as she hurriedly went inside, even noticing her hands trembling as she undid the buttons on her shirt collar.
He Qingxuan stood to the side, his cold eyes fixed on her slender, pale neck.
Liang Xiao's cheeks reddened as she quickened her unbuttoning, soon exposing her shirt...
His movements were neither too light nor too forceful, just a standard examination procedure.
But his fingers radiated far more warmth than the man himself.
After the examination, Liang Xiao's entire body had an abnormal rosy flush.
She quickly got dressed and walked over to the desk.
"Go pay the fee first, then get a breast ultrasound done. Bring the report back to me after." He Qingxuan gave simple instructions, but seeing Liang Xiao still standing there, he couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly. "Anything else you don't understand?"
"This might delay your time a bit...I'm a colleague of Jiang Yuanyuan's. My name is Liang Xiao, and this is my resume." As she spoke, she quickly took out her resume from her bag and placed it on He Qingxuan's desk.
He Qingxuan raised his eyebrows, somewhat surprised for a moment.
However, he didn't show any particular expression.
"There are still patients after you, you should go out first."
"Sorry!" Reminded like that, Liang Xiao hung her head in embarrassment and rushed out of the consultation room with her registration slip.
He Qingxuan glanced at the resume on the desk, casually flipping open the first page.
The photo showed Liang Xiao looking exquisite, a graduate from Lan University, currently teaching Chinese at No. 1 High School in Lan City.
Not bad in all aspects...
Half an hour later, Liang Xiao came back in with the ultrasound report.
He Qingxuan examined it carefully.
"Routine breast lump, just take medication and come back for regular check-ups. Pay attention to work-life balance, avoid getting angry." He handed the report back to Liang Xiao.
Liang Xiao noticed his rather indifferent attitude, probably understanding that he wasn't too impressed with her.
But it didn't matter, these things couldn't be forced.
"Thank you, Doctor He." Liang Xiao curved her lips slightly, about to take back her resume and leave.
At that moment, He Qingxuan took off his mask, revealing a face of devastating beauty. "Your colleague did mention my situation, right?"
Liang Xiao looked at him steadily. "She said a bit."
Back then, Jiang Yuanyuan had only said he was her childhood friend's buddy, never having contact with other women besides her. An honest, reticent guy.
But she didn't mention how handsome he was.
He Qingxuan glanced at his watch. "There's still an hour until the Civil Affairs Bureau closes, should be enough time."
Liang Xiao was stunned for a moment, not comprehending at first.
Until she saw He Qingxuan taking off his white coat, she finally realized. "You want to get married...to me?"
"Isn't getting married the goal stated on your blind date resume?" He Qingxuan rarely showed a faint smile.
Earlier while waiting for the next patient, he had glanced through her profile, with the last section briefly describing her family situation.
An adopted daughter, self-supporting - essentially without a natal family.
That point matched his criteria for a spouse quite well.
"That's true, but..." The words were on the tip of her tongue when Liang Xiao recalled what her foster mother Zhao Fang had said. She couldn't help but feel this might be a good opportunity to get married. "I agree."
Seeing her nod in agreement, a hint of surprise flashed in He Qingxuan's eyes.
But since they had already reached this point, it didn't matter to him if she wanted to back out.
"Go downstairs to pay the fee and get the medication first. Meet me at the parking lot in ten minutes."