Refusing Catherine's "kind offer" to join them for dinner, Du Fei shot her an annoyed glance and left with Liu Shishi.
Watching Du Fei and Liu Shishi depart, Luo Wenwen looked helplessly at her best friend and sighed, "Hey, Catherine, what you just said is likely to cause trouble for Du Fei. While I'm your good friend, I also think you went a bit too far. Du Fei helped you, and this is biting the hand that feeds you."
"It's fine, I'll compensate him properly when we're together in the future," Catherine replied, which stunned Luo Wenwen.
What?
Did she hear that right?
"Catherine, are you sure you know what you're saying??" Luo Wenwen was almost speechless after hearing her best friend.
She was telling Catherine that her words might cause Du Fei's girlfriend to misunderstand and even lead to an argument. Yet, Catherine dropped a bombshell, saying she'd compensate him when they were together. Luo Wenwen wondered if she was hallucinating or if Catherine had lost her mind and was talking nonsense.
Catherine, sensing Luo Wenwen's thoughts from her gaze, smiled and said, "I know what I said might displease Du Fei's girlfriend. But if she suspects her boyfriend and throws a tantrum just because of a few words from me, then she's nothing more than a pretty face, unworthy of Du Fei. When they break up, Du Fei will realize that I'm the one most suitable for him in every way!"
After this declaration, Luo Wenwen was left dumbfounded, utterly at a loss for words. Come to think of it, what Catherine said made a lot of sense. Firstly, Du Fei was a skilled doctor. During patient consultations, some physical contact was inevitable and perfectly normal. If Liu Shishi were to fly into a rage or get upset with Du Fei just because of Catherine's words, then she would indeed be an unreasonable girlfriend.
Secondly, from the perspective of a friend or an outsider, while Liu Shishi might have an edge in appearance, Catherine's family background was far superior. If Du Fei were to get together with Catherine, it would undoubtedly be a massive boost to his future career, potentially saving him decades of struggle. Thinking this through, Luo Wenwen could only sigh and say no more. As for what would happen next, she didn't want to get involved and decided to let Catherine sort it out herself.
...
After pulling Du Fei away, he started to regret it. This was a classic case of good intentions gone unrewarded. He hadn't expected any repayment from Catherine for helping her with a sensitive condition; after all, saving lives was his duty as a doctor. But now, Catherine had dug a huge pit for him, leaving him at a loss for how to explain things to Liu Shishi.
"Shishi, actually I..."
Du Fei struggled for a long time, finally mustering the courage to tell Liu Shishi everything. Based on his understanding of Liu Shishi over the years, he believed she wasn't someone who would fly off the handle without reason. He was confident she would understand if he explained clearly. However, when Liu Shishi stopped and turned to look at him as he spoke, Du Fei suddenly hesitated. A curvaceous and beautiful woman had spoken about her intimate contact with him in such an ambiguous tone. Most women would have lost their temper on the spot. Liu Shishi's restraint until now was a testament to her good temper. Could his explanation truly make her forgive him? Du Fei was momentarily indecisive.
"You're not yourself right now. In my impression, my boyfriend Du Fei has always been decisive and never hesitant or wishy-washy," Liu Shishi said before Du Fei could speak further.
Her words jolted Du Fei, and he suddenly realized he had been caught in a mental loop. He was so preoccupied with how to explain to Liu Shishi that his relationship with Catherine was purely that of a doctor and a patient. Why was he overthinking it so much? With this thought, Du Fei felt much lighter.
"Shishi, actually I met Catherine through Gong Chengbin, and later..." Du Fei then recounted how he met Catherine inadvertently while helping Gong Chengbin pursue a girl, and later discovered she had a rather peculiar illness. While explaining, Du Fei, as a doctor, naturally knew to keep his patient's privacy. So, he only briefly touched upon it. He mentioned meeting her a few more times, always at Gong Chengbin's insistence. After finishing in one breath, Du Fei felt a great sense of relief.
"Oh, you're done? I understand," Liu Shishi nodded calmly after Du Fei finished, indicating she had heard him.
Huh?
Her reaction was perhaps too calm. While Du Fei knew his girlfriend was very understanding, this reaction still exceeded his expectations. Seeing Du Fei's expression, Liu Shishi said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "What, did you expect me to fly into a rage and have a public argument with you? Would that make it seem more normal to you?"
"No, no, no!" Du Fei shook his head and waved his hands. "I didn't say that."
Liu Shishi took Du Fei's arm and said, "Alright, after all that commotion, I'm starving. Let's find a place to eat and fill our stomachs first."
"How about we still go for hot pot?" Du Fei suggested. After all, Liu Shishi had mentioned wanting hot pot when they arrived at the shopping mall. Now that the storm had passed, he figured it was better to go back for hot pot rather than ponder what else to eat.
To his surprise, as soon as he spoke, Liu Shishi's large, watery eyes fixed on him. "Sure, let's go to Chuanwazi for hot pot, and sit at the same table as Catherine and them. What do you think?"
Of course, he didn't think it was a good idea. The grip on his arm and a faint aura of danger told him he had just said the wrong thing.
"No, no, I don't want hot pot. What's so good about it? I saw a flyer earlier, there's a Hong Kong-style restaurant up ahead that looks pretty good. How about we check that out?" Du Fei, with strong survival instincts, sensed something was wrong and immediately tried to salvage the situation.
As the murderous aura disappeared and the pressure on his arm lessened, Du Fei finally let out a sigh of relief, his heart returning to its normal place. Even though Liu Shishi seemed unfazed, she was still a woman. He realized he would have to be more careful with his words in the future to avoid unnecessary trouble. Du Fei thought to himself.