Super Doctor - Chapter 37

The two of them walked out, and Xu Ze closed the rolling shutter door before following Sun Lingfei into the night. The streetlights had already been turned off, leaving the surroundings pitch black. Seeing Sun Lingfei still swaying slightly as she walked, Xu Ze asked with concern, “Are you okay? Do you need me to support you?”

“I’m fine. I’m much better than yesterday, just a bit weak still,” Sun Lingfei shook her head and smiled gratefully at Xu Ze. “It’s not far, just up ahead. I’ll be fine.”

Sun Lingfei’s place was indeed close, just 200 meters away in the Qingyuan Community. They took the elevator up to the 15th floor, and Sun Lingfei handed Xu Ze a pair of plastic slippers, apologizing with a smile, “Sorry, we don’t usually have male guests here, so you’ll have to make do with these.”

“No problem,” Xu Ze nodded with a smile, taking off his sneakers and slipping on the slippers. He was secretly relieved that he had showered before coming out yesterday; otherwise, wearing the same socks all day would have been unbearable.

Sun Lingfei’s apartment was a two-bedroom, two-living-room unit. It wasn’t very large, but it was exquisitely decorated. The living room had a beige fabric sofa, a glass coffee table with iron accents, and a flat-screen TV, which made Xu Ze quite envious.

There were plenty of rental properties near Xingda University, but the prices in the Qingyuan Community, located right by North Lake, were shockingly high. A well-decorated apartment like this, though not large, would cost nearly 2,000 yuan a month to rent.

It seemed Sun Lingfei’s family was quite well-off. Xu Ze sighed inwardly, thinking that even if he worked part-time for a month, he’d have to save every penny just to afford a single room in a place like this.

“Make yourself at home. I’ll check the kitchen to see if there’s anything to eat,” Sun Lingfei nodded at Xu Ze and headed into the kitchen.

A series of banging sounds came from the kitchen, and after a while, Sun Lingfei emerged with an embarrassed look on her pretty face. She smiled awkwardly at Xu Ze and said, “The dumplings and buns in the fridge are all gone. There are other things, but I don’t know how to cook. Looks like we’ll have to settle for instant noodles.”

Seeing Sun Lingfei’s flustered expression, Xu Ze chuckled inwardly and raised an eyebrow. “What’s in the fridge?”

“Wait, you can cook?” Sun Lingfei’s eyes lit up as she looked at Xu Ze in surprise. It wasn’t common for guys to know how to cook. Could Xu Ze actually have this skill?

When Xu Ze nodded with a smile, Sun Lingfei was genuinely excited. She absolutely hated instant noodles, and she was really hungry now. She eagerly grabbed Xu Ze’s hand and pulled him into the kitchen, happily opening the fridge. “Hmm… we have eggs, cucumbers, bitter melon, potatoes…”

As she spoke, she turned to Xu Ze and noticed he looked a bit awkward. Only then did she realize she was still holding his hand tightly.

Her face flushed slightly, and she quickly let go, laughing sheepishly. “You take a look. I’m counting on you now. I really don’t want to eat instant noodles…”

Xu Ze glanced inside the fridge and saw plenty of ingredients, including a large bowl of leftover rice. His eyes lit up, and he smiled at Sun Lingfei. “Alright, go rest in the living room. Dinner will be ready soon.”

“Okay… thanks!” Sun Lingfei nodded curiously, watching Xu Ze’s confident expression. She was still a bit skeptical about his cooking skills, but she hoped whatever he made would at least be edible.

Xu Ze took out a few eggs, cucumbers, bitter melon, potatoes, and a small bunch of scallions from the fridge. He washed and chopped the vegetables with ease, then started cooking. In just a few minutes, the first dish was ready.

The aroma wafting from the kitchen made Sun Lingfei’s stomach growl. Unable to resist, she tiptoed to the kitchen door and watched Xu Ze’s tall figure skillfully maneuvering the spatula. Her eyes sparkled with admiration. This Xu Ze is really something. Not only is he good-looking, but he can also cook like this?

“Alright, time to eat!” Not long after, Xu Ze brought out a few dishes and placed them on the dining table. He then brought over two bowls of golden fried rice and called over the already drooling Sun Lingfei.

Hearing Xu Ze’s call, Sun Lingfei hurried over. She was amazed to see three dishes and a soup on the table: scrambled eggs with bitter melon, stir-fried cucumbers, shredded potatoes with vinegar, and an egg drop soup. All the dishes looked and smelled fantastic.

She had expected Xu Ze to make at most two simple dishes and hadn’t set her hopes too high. But now, just by the appearance and aroma, she could tell the food was going to be delicious—far better than what her roommate Li Xiaorui usually cooked.

Without hesitation, she took the chopsticks Xu Ze handed her and picked up a slice of cucumber. After a few bites, she was completely convinced. She looked up at Xu Ze with admiration. “Xu Ze, you really can’t judge a book by its cover. I had no idea you were such a good cook. You’re way better than my roommate Xiaorui.”

“I’m alright. I’ve been cooking at home since middle school. These years of practice aren’t for nothing,” Xu Ze replied confidently, taking a bite of the bitter melon and nodding in satisfaction.

Both of them were starving, so they didn’t bother with small talk. They dug in, and in no time, the dishes were wiped clean.

Looking at the empty plates, Sun Lingfei leaned back in her chair, patting her stomach with a sigh. “Finally, I’ve made up for missing a whole day’s worth of meals yesterday.”

But then she gave Xu Ze a pitiful look. “Xu Ze, if I gain weight tomorrow, you’re responsible for it…”

After this meal, Xu Ze and Sun Lingfei had grown much closer, and the initial awkwardness was gone. Xu Ze laughed, “Responsible? Of course, I’ll take responsibility. Having a campus beauty like you is something I’d dream of… haha…”

“Pfft… I didn’t expect you to be such a smooth talker. I thought you were a serious guy…” Sun Lingfei rolled her eyes playfully, her charming expression making Xu Ze momentarily lose his composure.

However, Xu Ze didn’t let his thoughts wander. Although Sun Lingfei was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful girls he had ever met, in his heart, she was just a lovely and attractive girl. After the emotional trauma he had recently experienced, his heart had been deeply buried, and he wasn’t one to easily fall for someone again.

Since that incident, he had vowed never to let himself be so vulnerable again. The heart-wrenching pain was something he never wanted to relive.

Of course, the task of cleaning up couldn’t be left to the patient. Xu Ze spent about ten minutes washing the dishes and tidying up the kitchen and living room.

Watching Xu Ze skillfully working in the kitchen, Sun Lingfei smiled to herself. Xu Ze really is different from the other guys at school. He seems so much more down-to-earth…

When Xu Ze came out, Sun Lingfei’s smile was much more relaxed than before. “Xu Ze, thanks so much for everything.”

“No problem. You’re the patient, so you need to rest. Of course, I can’t let you do these things,” Xu Ze shook his head with a smile.

After eating and drinking their fill, it was time to sleep. Sun Lingfei yawned and checked her phone. It was only a little past 4 a.m., and there were still about two hours until dawn. After a moment’s thought, she looked at Xu Ze, who was also struggling to stay awake, and said with a smile, “Xu Ze, it’s still early. Why don’t you take a nap in my room?”