Seeing the person in front of her, Qian Duoduo’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Mr. Lu, are you here to see a traditional Chinese doctor too?” She paused, remembering how he’d mentioned poor sleep outside her neighborhood gate that morning.
She had even recommended a hospital and doctor to him. Suddenly, she put two and two together. “Because you can’t sleep well?”
“Mm.” Lu Qiming nodded.
He was usually swamped with work during the week and couldn’t find time, but since he happened to be free today, he came to get checked out.
“What about you?” Lu Qiming’s gaze unconsciously traced her features, finally landing on her lips, which were painted with lipstick. “Are you not feeling well?”
“My grandpa’s been coughing a bit these past few days. I brought him for a check-up.” Qian Duoduo pointed casually at the long line ahead. “We’re trying to schedule a CT scan.”
“Need any help?” Lu Qiming offered.
“No, no,” she quickly waved her hands, smiling. “There’s nothing I need help with. Are you here to pick up medicine? The Chinese pharmacy is to the left of the registration hall.”
Lu Qiming stayed put and replied, “I just handed in the prescription. The pharmacy said it’ll take an hour.”
“That long?” Qian Duoduo frowned in confusion. “But usually when I pick up medicine, it takes no more than twenty minutes.”
Lu Qiming explained, “I live in the staff dorms, not very convenient, so I asked the hospital to decoct the herbs.”
“Oh.” Qian Duoduo suddenly understood. “If they brew it first before giving it to you, then yeah, that’ll take longer.”
“Which means I can keep you company.”
“……”
He said it so calmly and naturally, like they were old friends, that for a moment, Qian Duoduo didn’t know how to turn him down.
At that moment, the middle-aged woman behind her grew impatient and frowned. “Miss, move up. Are you leaving that big gap for someone to cut in?”
“Sorry.” Qian Duoduo snapped back to reality and realized there was now a gap between her and the line ahead.
She quickly apologized and stepped forward.
Just a step away, Lu Qiming caught sight of the tips of her ears turning red from embarrassment.
Her skin was so delicate, it looked like vermilion had melted into boiling water, spreading out in soft streaks.
“Give me the form. I’ll wait in line for you,” he said.
Qian Duoduo froze and looked up at him, her eyes full of surprise and confusion.
“An elderly person shouldn’t be left alone,” Lu Qiming said calmly, then suddenly smiled. “You go keep him company. Leave the appointment to me. I’ve got nothing else to do while I wait for my medicine anyway.”
Since they met, Qian Duoduo had rarely seen Lu Qiming smile.
Her impression of him was always upright and steady, serious and stern, with a touch of old-fashioned formality that didn’t quite match his age.
But she had to admit, his smile was striking— there was a kind of untamed, natural charm to it.
To put it plainly, it made him seem youthful.
“But…” Qian Duoduo hesitated.
“I know what you’re worried about.” Lu Qiming looked at her calmly and said, “Even if things can’t develop further between a man and a woman, it’s still okay to be friends.”
Qian Duoduo was momentarily speechless.
Lu Qiming went on matter-of-factly, “Friends help each other. You don’t need to feel any pressure.”
It was true— her parents and teachers had always taught her that “having more friends means more paths in life.” There was nothing wrong with what he said.
And besides, having one more good friend was never a bad thing.
As she mulled it over, her phone rang and pulled her back to the present.
She glanced at the caller ID and quickly answered. “Hello, Grandma?”
“Duoduo, are you done over there?” Her grandmother sounded a little flustered on the other end. “Your grandpa just went to the bathroom, and when he came back, he couldn’t find his social security card. Isn’t that frustrating! I’m thinking of going back to look for it…”
“Got it, Grandma. Don’t worry, I’ll be right there.” After calming her down, Qian Duoduo hung up.
At a moment like this, she didn’t have time to keep struggling with the decision.
Taking a deep breath, she exhaled and shoved the CT form into Lu Qiming’s hands with a smile. “Then I’ll trouble you, Mr. Lu. Call me when it’s scheduled. I owe you a meal next time.”
She trusted Lu Qiming—he was a reliable PLA officer. Leaving the appointment task to him, she felt at ease.
After briefly explaining a few things to him, she left.
Hospitals didn’t distinguish between weekdays and weekends— seven days a week, they were always packed.
During holidays, with fewer doctors on shift, patients tended to crowd into the same departments, making things feel even more chaotic and noisy than usual.
She finally squeezed into a direct elevator and arrived at the third floor of the outpatient building.
In the waiting area of the specialist clinic, she found her grandparents pacing nervously.
“We just used the social security card when registering. How could it just disappear?” Her grandmother frowned, laying out all of Grandpa’s IDs and wallet on the bench, going through them one by one. “Think carefully. Did you take it out and leave it somewhere while in the restroom?”
Grandpa looked miserable and replied, “I don’t have dementia. Why would I take the social security card out in the bathroom?”
“You’re getting more and more confused with age. At this rate, you’re not far from dementia!”
“I don’t want to argue with you.”
The two of them bickered nonstop.
Qian Duoduo quickly walked over with a smile. “It’s okay, Grandpa, Grandma. Maybe it just fell out while you were getting something. People don’t usually pocket stuff like social security cards— they’ll hand them in to the lost and found. I’ll go ask.”
Reassured by their granddaughter’s words, the two elders finally settled down and nodded.
Five minutes later, Qian Duoduo came back.
“Found it! Found it!” She beamed, waving the card at her grandparents. “It was by the sink. A cleaning lady just picked it up and turned it in.”
Grandma took the card and let out a huge sigh of relief. “Thank goodness for you. If not, your grandpa and I wouldn’t know what to do.”
“Exactly, Duoduo.” Grandpa patted her shoulder with emotion. “Now that you’re grown, your grandma and I are getting old and useless.”
“You’ve been getting awfully sentimental lately.” Qian Duoduo helped her grandma organize Grandpa’s documents and carefully put them into her own bag.
She grinned teasingly at him. “Been losing too many games of mahjong lately?”
That made Grandpa laugh, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes unfolding with his smile. He scoffed, “Get outta here.”
After tidying up, Grandma Qian suddenly remembered something. “Duoduo, didn’t you go to schedule your grandpa’s CT? Is it done?”
“Not yet,” Qian Duoduo replied. “There were too many people at the registration counter.”
Grandma looked puzzled. “Then why’d you come back? Won’t you have to line up all over again later?”
“I ran into a friend— he’s holding my spot.”
“Oh, that’s convenient then.” Grandma smiled and didn’t ask further.
After helping her grandparents recover the card, Qian Duoduo planned to head downstairs to find Lu Qiming.
The two of them were at best just ordinary friends.
She’d asked him for help out of necessity, but now that she was free, she felt it would be shameless to continue imposing.
But as luck would have it—
Just as Qian Duoduo was waiting for the elevator, the doors opened with a “ding,” and a tall figure stepped out.
“Oh,” Qian Duoduo smiled. “I was just about to come find you. Mr. Lu, did you manage to schedule the appointment?”
“Yeah.” Lu Qiming handed her an empty CT film bag with a printed appointment slip inside.
“Thank you, thank you.” Qian Duoduo took it with both hands, hurriedly expressing her gratitude. “I really appreciate it… Did you get your medicine?”
Lu Qiming shook his head. “No rush.”
At that moment, Grandma Qian, seated in the waiting hall, had already noticed them by the elevator.
Her eyesight wasn’t great, so she couldn’t clearly see the person her granddaughter was speaking with.
But the tall, striking frame and upright bearing stood out even from a distance.
Grandma squinted slightly and immediately guessed: this must be the “friend” who helped Duoduo hold her spot in line.
After a few seconds of deliberation, she cleared her throat and called out loudly, “Duoduo!”
“Just a second.” Qian Duoduo whispered to Lu Qiming and jogged over. “What is it, Grandma?”
A smile tugged at the corners of Grandma’s mouth. She lifted her chin slightly. “That’s your friend, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Call him over to sit for a bit,” Grandma said with a grin. “He’s been standing in line for you this whole time— his legs must be tired.”
Qian Duoduo choked, deeply embarrassed. “That’s not necessary… I’ll treat him to a meal later.”
“You child. He helped you, and now you’re trying to send him off without even offering a drink of water?” Grandma frowned and tapped her lightly on the head. “Go on, buy a bottle of water.”
Grandpa, sitting beside her, chimed in slowly, “Your grandma’s right.”
With the two elders ganging up, Qian Duoduo had no choice but to give in.
She walked back toward the elevator.
Sure enough, Lu Qiming was still standing exactly where she’d left him— tall and straight, with a long neck.
His light-colored down jacket didn’t dull his figure at all; instead of looking bulky or sluggish, he actually appeared more youthful and sunny compared to when he wore darker tones.
“I need to go buy something.” Qian Duoduo smiled softly. “Mr. Lu, why don’t you sit down and wait for me?”
“I’ll come with you. What do you need to buy?”
“No need.” Qian Duoduo’s face showed a trace of helplessness and embarrassment.
She raised a finger and pointed. “Go have a seat. My grandparents probably want to chat with you.”
Moments later, the elevator arrived.
Qian Duoduo stepped inside and happened to glance sideways just as Lu Qiming reached her grandparents and bent slightly to greet them.
Then the elevator doors closed, cutting off the view.
*
The hospital’s convenience store was in the basement of the inpatient building, a bit of a walk from the outpatient area.
Not knowing what Lu Qiming liked to drink, Qian Duoduo picked him up a bottle of oolong tea.
Light in flavor and good for health— perfect for someone who didn’t like sugary drinks.
After paying, she carried a bag of drinks and snacks back toward the outpatient building. On the way, she received a WeChat message from her boss.
Chang Zong: [Keep Tuesday night free. There’s a dinner.]
Qian Duoduo pursed her lips in annoyance and replied: [Sorry, Chang Zong, a family member is sick right now.]
Chang Zong: [This one’s for a government project. Lots of companies are competing. The official in charge saw your videos and liked you— he agreed to come only because you’re our signed talent. He just wants to meet you.]
Chang Zong: [Ms. Qian, you must come Tuesday night. Starting next month, we’ll bump your ad commission up to 10%.]
Then he sent over the dinner location and time.
Seeing there was no way to turn it down, Qian Duoduo responded with a sticker that said “Got it” and turned off her phone.
As a top-tier influencer, she usually had a lot of autonomy in the company. Chang Kai rarely scheduled dinners for her. But for one meal and a bump in commission? Worth it. Qian Duoduo felt it was a good deal.
Back on the third floor, only Grandma Qian was sitting on the bench. Grandpa and Lu Qiming were nowhere in sight.
Qian Duoduo glanced around. “Grandma, where’s Grandpa?”
“Bathroom.”
“My friend already left?” Qian Duoduo guessed, and inexplicably felt a bit relieved.
“He’s with your grandpa,” Grandma replied. Then she suddenly grabbed her granddaughter’s arm and pulled her close. Even though she lowered her voice, she couldn’t hide the excitement in her tone. “Girl, I asked just now— Xiao Lu works in the army, he’s an officer, and already a Second Lieutenant at such a young age!”
“Mm, I know that.”
“Just knowing doesn’t mean anything!” Grandma’s expression turned serious. “You need to seize the opportunity!”
Qian Duoduo took out a straw and opened a bottle of Wahaha for herself. “We’ve interacted before— it’s not a good match.”
“If even someone like him isn’t suitable, then who do you think is?” Grandma Qian was baffled. “This Xiao Lu seems like a great guy— steady and reliable, the kind you can build a life with. He even looks like a good match for you.”
Qian Duoduo replied, “Grandma, I already explained everything clearly to Mom. It’s not about him personally— it’s his job.”
“What’s wrong with his job?”
“Soldiers are too busy, their responsibilities are too heavy. I don’t want that kind of pressure.”
Just then, Grandpa Qian and Lu Qiming returned from the restroom.
Grandma fell silent, her expression full of regret and helplessness.
Qian Duoduo gently patted her grandmother’s hand in comfort, then stood up and handed the bag with the oolong tea to Lu Qiming with a bright smile. “Mr. Lu, I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got you oolong tea.”
“Thank you.”
Lu Qiming took the bag, glanced down at the watch on his wrist, and said, “It’s about time. Let’s go.”
“Hm?” Qian Duoduo looked up.
“The CT appointment is at 3:30. It takes five minutes to get downstairs, so we’ll arrive fifteen minutes early.” Lu Qiming, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, reached out to support Grandpa Qian by the arm. “Let me help you.”
Grandpa grinned from ear to ear, nodding enthusiastically. “Alright, alright.”
Watching the backs of Lu Qiming and her grandpa, Qian Duoduo’s gaze shifted slightly, and for some reason, the image of him holding a child at the military hospital flashed through her mind.
This man……
Really is kind of wonderful.