The Devoted Female Supporting Lead and the White Moonlight’s Sister Got a Happy Ending (GL) - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Don’t Test Me

“You’re too modest. To be able to gather so many people together to accomplish one goal is already remarkable,” Shao Peiran said. “Not to mention, what you’re doing is saving lives.”

From childhood to adulthood, He Baizhou had walked almost entirely amidst flowers and applause. Yet, hearing this polite-sounding compliment from Shao Peiran, she couldn’t help but blush. Turning her head, she said, “You’re exaggerating. I’m only… doing a few small things within my power.”

“You might not know this, but I fell gravely ill once when I was a child. For a long time after that, I was very repulsed by hospitals; the smell of disinfectant made me feel terrible. But as I grew older, I developed a different perspective.” He Baizhou lamented, “The hospital wasn’t what brought me disaster. On the contrary, it was the place that gave me a new life.”

“Is that the original intention behind opening your hospital?” Shao Peiran was genuinely surprised.

It wasn’t strange for wealthy people to invest in any industry. A hospital is an asset, and at times, it can serve as a platform for social networking. After all, no matter how rich or powerful you are, everyone is equal before disease. By controlling high-quality medical resources, one naturally gains a continuous stream of connections.

She hadn’t expected He Baizhou’s reason for opening the hospital to be this.

However, she knew a bit about the situation of private hospitals in China. Because they lack government subsidies, they must charge high fees to maintain operations and turn a profit. Consequently, private hospitals essentially serve the wealthy.

Thus, she took He Baizhou’s words with a grain of salt.

The car soon arrived at the destination. After the two were seated, various types of seafood were brought to the table one after another.

In truth, one shouldn’t choose seafood when treating someone unfamiliar to dinner. After all, having to pick apart the shells by hand isn’t particularly elegant. Even if one does serve it, they usually have staff assist on the side so the guests can simply enjoy the meal.

But Shao Peiran clearly had no such intention. She skillfully put on gloves and picked up the tools to begin de-shelling a butter crab.

He Baizhou disliked the social pleasantries of the networking scene and felt this was better, so she also reached for the gloves. Seeing this, Shao Peiran looked up to confirm her movements were skilled—she had clearly practiced—and said with a smile, “Eating this kind of food is only fun if you do it yourself.”

“Doing it yourself has its own meaning; having someone help has its own pleasure,” He Baizhou said subtly.

She actually didn’t like such troublesome food, feeling that the time spent didn’t quite balance out the enjoyment gained. However, this didn’t stop her from having mastered the technique of de-shelling seafood, nor did it stop her from grasping the meaning behind Shao Peiran’s words at this moment.

Because watching Shao Peiran enjoy herself, she seemed to derive a bit of pleasure from it too.

Except as she watched, her gaze drifted from Shao Peiran’s fingers upward, landing on her face. Shao Peiran had her eyes lowered, focused intently on her tools and the body of the crab. In her silence, she looked somewhat serious. This earnestness toward food made her seem quite cute.

Thinking of food, He Baizhou’s gaze landed on Shao Peiran’s earlobes.

Perhaps because today was a formal business occasion, she was wearing a pair of black studs. He Baizhou thought of the “bell pepper” earrings still in her possession and couldn’t help but wonder: if they hadn’t come directly from the venue—if Shao Peiran had had the chance to go home and change her accessories—would she have put on shrimp or crab-themed earrings and a necklace just for this seafood meal?

She felt like it was exactly the kind of thing the other woman would do.

Thinking of such a scene, a bit of a smile appeared on He Baizhou’s own face.

Her gaze was almost undisguised, falling straight on Shao Peiran so boldly that it was impossible to ignore.

Though the look was pure and devoid of any messy ulterior motives, and Shao Peiran didn’t feel particularly offended, she still set down her tools and looked up to ask, “Does today’s food not suit your appetite?”

Their gazes met in the air. Only then did He Baizhou seem to realize it was inappropriate to stare so intently. She quickly averted her eyes, fumbling to continue de-shelling the lobster on her plate.

“No, not at all, these are very good,” she answered vaguely.

She kept her head down, her earlobes burning slightly, only hoping that Shao Peiran hadn’t noticed her gaffe, and even more so that she wouldn’t pursue it.

Fortunately, Shao Peiran was indeed very considerate. Seeing her retract her gaze, she continued with the crab in her hands. She used the tools with ease and soon had an entire crab completely disassembled, the meat piled in the shell like a beautiful little mountain.

She divided the crab meat in half and pushed it toward He Baizhou. “Eat more.”

He Baizhou was startled and hurriedly waved it away. “No, no, no, I can do it myself.” What had she done to deserve Shao Peiran doing this for her?

“Eat. I have more here,” Shao Peiran said teasingly. “Just don’t stare at me so longingly!”

Whoosh. He Baizhou felt a wave of heat rush from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, leaving her entire face thoroughly flushed.

In a daze, she seemed to hear Shao Peiran chuckle.

Considerate? Not at all. Yet for some reason, hearing that chuckle, aside from the endless embarrassment, a bit of joy suddenly sprouted in He Baizhou’s heart. She even felt that if her awkwardness could make Shao Peiran laugh, it was worth it.

While her thoughts wandered, He Baizhou resolutely finished de-shelling her lobster, divided it in half, and handed it to Shao Peiran.

For the rest of the time, she behaved herself, barely daring to look up at Shao Peiran. It wasn’t until the meal was over and they were leaving the restaurant that He Baizhou snapped out of the tense atmosphere and realized her back was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

As the night breeze hit her, she felt as if her entire being had been blown through.

However, this also woke her up completely. Seeing Shao Peiran walking toward the parking lot, she immediately remembered she still had the task of adding her as a friend.

Fearing that something else might go wrong if she delayed, she braced herself and took out her phone after getting in the car. “By the way, you left your earrings at my place last time. When you return to China, I’ll return them to you, alright?”

That wasn’t actually what she had planned to say, but she felt that asking to add her as a friend directly was a bit abrupt. However, after the words were out, He Baizhou couldn’t help but give herself a mental thumbs-up.

By mentioning the earrings, adding her as a friend became “justified” and less strange. Plus, she could take the opportunity to find out if the other woman had plans to visit China soon.

Shao Peiran had, of course, discovered she was missing something long ago, but it wasn’t important or particularly valuable, so she hadn’t cared much. She hadn’t expected He Baizhou to have kept them safe. She nodded with a smile. “Then thank you.”

“Then let’s exchange contact info to make it easier to coordinate,” He Baizhou said immediately.

Because there was a “justification,” she didn’t directly show her QR code as she had anticipated. She thought to herself that if Shao Peiran didn’t use these chat apps, she might even get her phone number directly.

Regrettably, as Shao Peiran took out her phone, she asked familiarly, “Is WeChat okay?”

“Sure.” He Baizhou opened her QR code with a hint of disappointment. “You scan me.”

The friend request notification sounded. He Baizhou accepted immediately and returned to the home screen. Seeing the other woman now sitting in her contact list, she finally felt completely at ease.

With a flick of her finger, she pinned the chat window to the top.

Then, sweeping her gaze downward, she saw the hospital work group and staff like Gao Yiwen were also pinned. Finding them suddenly an eyesore, she unpinned them one by one. Now, she wouldn’t have to worry about anyone else’s messages stealing the spotlight.

After doing this, He Baizhou clicked into Shao Peiran’s “Moments.”

Food, food—it was all various types of food. As He Baizhou flipped through the photos, she couldn’t help but wonder: this must be Shao Peiran’s private account, right?

Even though she still didn’t know exactly what she did for a living, being on her private account was great.

While she was engrossed, Shao Peiran’s voice rang in her ear. “Which hotel are you staying at? I’ll drop you off.”

He Baizhou snapped out of it, quickly turned off her phone, and put it away. She could scroll through the Moments later; right now, the real Shao Peiran was in front of her, which was obviously more important.

She gave the name of the hotel, though she felt a bit disappointed. Going straight back after dinner clearly didn’t feel like a date. However, she couldn’t find any other excuse, so she sat obediently in the car until Shao Peiran dropped her at the hotel entrance.

Stepping out, He Baizhou turned to say goodbye to Shao Peiran, only to find the other woman had also just gotten out of the car and closed the door behind her.

“You…” He Baizhou was momentarily confused.

Shao Peiran smiled at her. “Aren’t you going to invite me up for a seat and a cup of tea?”

The tips of He Baizhou’s ears began to redden again. She knew exactly what that phrase meant, but she didn’t think Shao Peiran was that kind of person, nor did she want their relationship to progress to that stage in such a muddled way.

However, meeting Shao Peiran’s gaze, she couldn’t bring herself to say no.

Shao Peiran had already tossed the car keys to the staff and was leading the way toward the hotel entrance. He Baizhou stood dazed for a moment before walking fast to catch up.

She caught up with Shao Peiran in the brightly lit hotel lobby. Without thinking much, she grabbed the other woman’s arm.

“Hmm?” Shao Peiran turned her head.

Under the bright lights, He Baizhou discovered that Shao Peiran’s studs weren’t pure black, but a very deep purple. When caught by the light, they reflected a beautiful glow. And the shape of the studs was actually two tiny blueberries.

This discovery made He Baizhou’s mind wander for a moment.

But at the same time, it made her reach a decision.

She tightened her grip on Shao Peiran’s arm. When she spoke, she found her voice was dry and hoarse; it took several tries to make a sound.

“Please don’t test me like this,” she said softly, staring into Shao Peiran’s eyes.

Support The Devoted Female Supporting Lead and the White Moonlight’s Sister Got a Happy Ending (GL)