Chapter 10 – Indirect Kiss

Bai Mu Ning officially joined Sanwen Hall as a staff member. On his first day, he gave a self-introduction and toured Sanwen Hall.

Sanwen Hall had two floors. The first floor mainly consisted of consultation rooms, a waiting area, a pharmacy, and a kitchen.

Upstairs were VIP consultation rooms, primarily used for acupuncture, massage therapy, and moxibustion treatments.

Sanwen Hall offered a wide range of services, covering almost every project related to traditional Chinese medicine.

Among them, programs aimed at weight loss and beauty for women were the most popular.

Nowadays, people of all ages have begun to prioritize health maintenance, and in this regard, Sanwen Hall was doing an excellent job with a broad audience.

As they walked, Zhuang Yumian introduced the main services of Sanwen Hall to Bai Mu Ning.

There were five main consulting doctors. Only Chen Haonan and Wen Jing were the youngest; the other three were aged between fifty and eighty.

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After the brief introduction, Zhuang Yumian went off to attend to other matters, and Bai Mu Ning wandered around casually.

His job was relatively relaxed. The arowana didn’t need to have its water changed or be fed daily, meaning he didn’t have work to do every day.

Feeling a bit guilty about earning a salary for seemingly doing nothing, Bai Mu Ning looked around for work, not wanting to appear too idle.

What if they discovered he wasn’t very useful and fired him? Bai Mu Ning decided he needed to create his own value.

Thus, wherever help was needed, he would go.

When the pharmacy was too busy, he went over to help boil medicine.

When children who came with their parents misbehaved, Bai Mu Ning would perform simple magic tricks to coax them.

If a consulting doctor ran out of water, he would also help refill it with hot water.

However, he only refilled water for others and firmly avoided brushing up his presence around Wen Jing.

Wen Jing disliked him. If he annoyed people and got fired, that would be bad.

Sanwen Hall provided both lunch and dinner. After lunch, Zhuang Yumian and Bai Mu Ning would hide in the break room and play duo game together.

Among everyone at Sanwen Hall, Bai Mu Ning was closest to Zhuang Yumian, so he would ask her whenever he had any questions.

Zhuang Yumian was five years older than him and had already been working at Sanwen Hall for three years.

“Yumian-jie, why doesn’t Dr. Wen have any interns?”

Bai Mu Ning had noticed that whenever a consulting doctor saw patients, there would always be a few interns standing around learning. Chen Haonan even had two interns, yet Wen Jing had none.

“Dr. Wen doesn’t like taking on interns. There was once an intern who fell in love with him, clung to him every day, and eventually made a scene by attempting suicide by slitting his wrist. Probably to avoid such incidents, he decided not to take any interns anymore.”

“But he still teaches others what he knows. He’s not stingy about it.”

No wonder Wen Jing hated his pestering so much. So that was the backstory.

Thinking back to the night he got drunk and kept calling Wen Jing, Bai Mu Ning realized that although Wen Jing was annoyed, he still answered the call. It must have been because he was worried something might happen to him.

Still, Bai Mu Ning couldn’t help but complain, “Oh my god, is he really that charming? Everyone falls for him?”

Zhuang Yumian glanced at Bai Mu Ning and smiled, “Isn’t it you who knows best how charming Dr. Wen is?”

Bai Mu Ning, who had once confessed to him: “…?”

Fair point.

“Yumian-jie,” Bai Mu Ning looked around carefully to make sure no one was nearby before saying, “That time, I really lost a dare. Please stop teasing me.”

Lately, he kept encountering social death moments so frequently that Bai Mu Ning was developing a stress response. Whatever he wanted to say, he had to look around first and make sure no one else was around before daring to speak.

He was terrified of saying something and having the person involved overhear it. He really didn’t want to go through that again.

In the evening, Chen Haonan organized a welcome dinner. He was the kind of person who couldn’t sit still and was always looking to arrange something fun.

After a full day of work, it was necessary to gather for a meal to wash off the feeling of being stuck at work.

The younger staff loved Chen Haonan’s arrangements, while the older ones automatically chose not to participate, and among those not participating was Wen Jing.

At first, when Bai Mu Ning heard about the dinner, he was a little worried about not getting along with Wen Jing. But when he heard Wen Jing wouldn’t be coming, Bai Mu Ning brightened up. Now he could have fun without restraint.

The only group dinner Bai Mu Ning had ever attended before was after graduating from high school, during their farewell party.

In university, the class monitor had organized a few gatherings too, but Bai Mu Ning declined them because they had to AA.²Split the bill.

Their AAs were too expensive, five or six hundred per person, who could afford that?

If he went twice a month, he would be surviving on air by the next month.

The others could boldly ask their families for money, but if Bai Mu Ning had no money, he had to find a way to earn it himself and earning money was the hardest part.

Bai Mu Ning didn’t want to live a life where he had to put on a facade just to fit in, so every time the class monitor invited him, he refused.

Because of this, Bai Mu Ning was labeled as antisocial. Later on, Li Anche also stopped attending and specifically stayed with Bai Mu Ning to be antisocial together.

The dinner was held at a hotpot restaurant located just across the street in a shopping mall. Chen Haonan asked everyone for their opinions and decided on a hotpot. He had even booked two tables in advance so they wouldn’t have to wait.

A large group headed over together. Chen Haonan walked alongside Bai Mu Ning, asking him how his day had gone, whether he had gotten used to everything, and if he felt unhappy about anything.

Chen Haonan was like a warm-hearted big brother, showing genuine concern for Bai Mu Ning’s first day of work.

What kind of godly boss was this, no airs of superiority, actually caring about people, and most importantly, generous without making empty promises.

Bai Mu Ning smiled happily and said, “Sanwen Hall is wonderful. I really like it here.”

“As long as you like it.”

By the time they arrived at the hotpot restaurant, it was already packed. Every table was full, and the servers were busily weaving back and forth.

The spicy broth in the pot was boiling, the hot steam mixed with the scent of chili making people cough uncontrollably.

Bai Mu Ning coughed a couple of times, and Chen Haonan, who was sitting next to him, asked with concern, “Xiao Ning, can’t handle spicy food?”

“I can handle it,” Bai Mu Ning replied. It was just that he hadn’t eaten spicy food in a long time, so the smell made him a little uncomfortable.

Chen Haonan turned to talk to someone else, glanced at their phone, and muttered, “Why isn’t Old Wen here yet to bring me my phone? Without a phone, I feel like I have zero sense of security.”

No wonder Chen Haonan kept fidgeting like he had hemorrhoids, turns out he was bored without his phone.

But soon, Bai Mu Ning caught onto the key point: Wen Jing was coming.

Sure enough, Wen Jing showed up to deliver Chen Haonan’s phone. However, his face looked terrible, and he coldly threw out a “Don’t let this happen again” before preparing to leave.

But Chen Haonan wasn’t about to let him go that easily. He dragged Wen Jing over and forced him to sit down in the empty seat right next to Bai Mu Ning.

Bai Mu Ning immediately straightened his back, feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles.

At this moment, he seriously suspected that Chen Haonan had asked Wen Jing to deliver the phone as part of some evil plot.

Chen Haonan returned to his seat, grinning brightly. “Alright, now that everyone’s here, let’s raise a glass to welcome Xiao Ning to Sanwen Hall!”

Chen Haonan was about to pour Bai Mu Ning some alcohol when a slender, fair hand reached over and blocked him.

“What alcohol? Drink juice instead!”

The tone left no room for negotiation. Chen Haonan snorted, “You’re even managing this?”

Wen Jing picked up Bai Mu Ning’s water cup and poured him a glass of mango juice.

He leaned in and spoke in a very low voice: “I want to sleep well tonight and not be disturbed.”

“…?”

Was he throwing shade at me!!!

Wasn’t it just that one time when he got drunk and recited pi to Wen Jing?

Did he really have to remember it so clearly?

In the end, Bai Mu Ning drank mango juice just like Wen Jing and he didn’t touch alcohol.

After raising their glasses to celebrate, everyone began eating.

Bai Mu Ning took a bite of the shrimp paste and noticed that Wen Jing’s and his own cups were placed side by side.

Wen Jing was left-handed, so he placed his cup on the left side. Meanwhile, Bai Mu Ning, being right-handed, habitually placed his cup on the right. Since there was already limited space on the table due to all the dishes, their cups ended up pressed against each other, looking quite intimate.

Still upset over Wen Jing’s earlier insinuation, Bai Mu Ning’s rebellious side kicked in, and he personally moved his cup to the left side.

Seeing the two cups now separated by a wide distance, Bai Mu Ning felt much more comfortable.

Chen Haonan was a social cow, always keeping the conversation lively and managing to make everyone laugh.

At one point, Chen Haonan started talking about his name. It turned out the name wasn’t the one his parents originally gave him; he had it changed later.

Back then, the Young and Dangerous movies were popular, and Chen Haonan also had dreams of living a hot-blooded life. Since his surname was Chen, he begged his parents to let him change his name.

Of course, his parents refused. After all the effort they had put into choosing his original name, how could they accept their son wanting to change it on a whim? They flew into a rage and gave him a long lecture about it.

Even after breaking three back scratchers over him, they still couldn’t beat the idea out of him.

In the end, worn down by his relentless nagging, they finally went to the police station and got his name officially changed.

Such a small matter, yet Chen Haonan told it in such an animated and vivid way that everyone was completely drawn in.

However, Bai Mu Ning didn’t understand what the new name meant, or what it had to do with Young and Dangerous.

Chen Haonan paused and asked, “You’ve never watched Young and Dangerous?”

Bai Mu Ning, chewing on a piece of tripe, shook his head. “What’s Young and Dangerous?”

The confusion on his face seemed completely genuine, leaving Chen Haonan momentarily stunned.

“My god, I forgot you’re from the 2000s generation. No wonder you don’t get it.”

At that moment, Zhuang Yumian, who was sitting across from him, started explaining what Young and Dangerous was.

Only then did Bai Mu Ning finally understand—Chen Haonan had admired the characters in the series and decided to change his name because of them.

Now he fully understood why Chen Haonan’s parents had beaten him. They weren’t wrong.

Chen Haonan added, “Don’t be fooled by how serious Old Wen looks now. Back in school, he was a total rebel, he was practically the king of the school.”

Before Chen Haonan could finish, Wen Jing coldly cut him off, warning, “Can’t you shut up even while eating?”

“Alright, alright, I won’t air your dirty laundry,” Chen Haonan quickly switched the topic.

Bai Mu Ning was actually quite curious about how Wen Jing had been rebellious as a child; just imagining it made him find it amusing.

He chuckled quietly to himself, then lifted his right hand to take a big gulp of mango juice.

The butter hotpot grew spicier the more he ate. Bai Mu Ning felt the area around his lips go numb—it was almost like he couldn’t feel them anymore.

Even after drinking a large mouthful, the spiciness didn’t seem to subside. As he was about to take another sip, Bai Mu Ning noticed Wen Jing’s gaze.

Wen Jing had been watching him all along, wearing an expression that was difficult to describe. Bai Mu Ning had no idea what was wrong now.

Irritated, Bai Mu Ning thought to himself, ‘What’s so interesting about watching someone drink?’

It’s not like I’m drinking your juice.

Wen Jing continued to stare at him, so Bai Mu Ning simply finished the drink in one go. “What are you looking at? Never seen a handsome guy drinking before?”

Wen Jing finally withdrew his gaze, the corner of his mouth pulling into a strange smile as he said, “Never seen a handsome guy who likes drinking my juice.”

“…?”

“Waiter, could you bring me another glass, please? Thanks.”

“…?”

Bai Mu Ning grew even angrier inside. How is it your cup?

Who are you slandering?

But when his eyes dropped to the table on his left, he spotted a half-finished glass of mango juice sitting there.

At the table, only he and Wen Jing were drinking mango juice—everyone else was drinking alcohol.

Since he had already emptied his cup, whose half-finished cup was that?

Realization suddenly hit. Earlier, he had moved his mango juice to the left side, but the cup he had just finished had been on his right—the side where Wen Jing’s mango juice had been placed.

Bai Mu Ning’s face flushed a deep red, and once again, he wished he could just dig a hole and hide inside.

Would Wen Jing think he had deliberately wanted an indirect kiss?