Chapter 313: Chapter 313: Fond of Him in the White Lab Coat

Mr. Sang Senior must have been tired from fishing all afternoon because, after having dinner upon his return, he seemed quite weary and decided to retire to his room early. “You guys have fun.”

“Okay, Grandpa, just give us a call if you need us,” Sang Qiao said softly.

“I will,” Mr. Sang Senior replied with a smile, and without another look back, he headed to his room.

Four young people were left sitting in the room and checked the time; it was only seven o’clock in the evening.

Meng Jiahe had been having too much fun these past few days. Asking her to go back and lie down at this hour was impossible; she was truly restless. “How about we play cards? It’s boring to go back and lie down so early.”

“We don’t have any cards here,” Sang Qiao said as she bent down to search, finding none in the drawers or on the desk.

“No problem, I’ll buy some! I just saw them for sale in the supermarket downstairs outside.”

“Okay.”

Meng Jiahe hurried downstairs, where Shangguan Yuan was still in the kitchen, slicing fruit.

With cheerful steps, she entered the supermarket, grabbed a deck of cards from the counter, paid for them, and headed out the door.

Just as Meng Jiahe was about to go upstairs, she bumped into Sang Qingran not far away, his gaze falling on her. Today, Sang Qingran was dressed in casual clothes, which made him seem less aloof than when he wore his white coat.

At that moment, she suddenly realized that she might never have truly liked Sang Qingran.

Initially, she had only been attracted to Sang Qingran in his white coat.

“Ah He, long time no see,” Sang Qingran said, taking a step forward. It had only been a few months since they had last seen each other, but everything had already changed.

He had restrained himself from checking on Meng Jiahe’s situation, knowing well that he didn’t like her and had planned for them to miss each other.

Yet, now that Ah He was with someone else, he couldn’t help but reminisce about the times she had chased after him, always eager to smile at him.

“Mm,” Meng Jiahe nodded, then attempted to walk past him.

Sang Qingran quickly stepped in front of her, blocking her way, “You and Shangguan Yuan… ”

“What’s it to you who I’m seeing? We aren’t even friends, so I don’t think I owe you any answers here,” she said, instinctively taking a step back to avoid any physical contact with him.

Hearing those cold words, Sang Qingran paused for a moment, then his fist loosened powerlessly. This was exactly what he had once hoped for.

But now, he felt a sense of regret and reluctance.

“I… I didn’t come here for Qiaoqiao this time, nor do I have any work requiring me to be here, Ah He, I… ”

“Stop, I’m not interested in hearing you say that you came for me. I have a boyfriend now, and I hope you won’t take my past infatuation with you to heart. I was only seeing a shadow of someone I used to like in you, not because I liked you.”

Although Meng Jiahe was smiling, her words were utterly heartless.

When she liked someone, she gave them a sense of security.

Leaving that statement behind, Meng Jiahe prepared to stride away.

Sang Qingran, out of reluctance, followed her. He had always thought that it was because of himself that they had missed out on their relationship.

But now, Meng Jiahe had cruelly told him that she had never loved him.

“Ah He, what do you mean by that? Have you never liked me at all?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m sorry for any misunderstanding you might have had. I’d ask you not to bother me anymore. My boyfriend would be jealous if he saw us,” she said as she scanned him with a cold look, unable to identify the feeling in her heart.

It was strange. Whenever she was fixated on achieving something or gaining someone’s affection, things often went in the opposite direction.

When she gave up on that thing or person, they would want to come back to her.

“…Okay,” Sang Qingran suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

He stood in place, watching Meng Jiahe’s figure become distant, clearly understanding whether or not Ah He had ever loved him.

He had missed her completely.

It was his own hesitation and cowardice that had led to this, but in a way, it was for the best–it at least did justice to Qiaoqiao; he had not gotten involved with anyone close to her.

Sang Qingran thought protectively of his own life and suddenly realized he hadn’t accomplished anything besides studying medicine.

He always treated the people around him with the sharpest of attitudes, Qiaoqiao included, and Ah He as well. He had lost them both.

If only…

Forget it, there are no ifs.

–

–

After Meng Jiahe bought the cards and went upstairs, her mood was clearly not as merry as before; Sang Qingran’s appearance had affected her somewhat.

“What’s wrong?” Shangguan Yuan could immediately tell something was up with Ah He.

After all, her excitement had been evident on her face just before.

“Nothing, let’s play cards. How do we do this with an extra person?” Meng Jiahe forced a smile to appear as if nothing was wrong.

“You guys play,” Si Chenli said indifferently, moving to the side to sit down.

“Alright, let’s play.” Meng Jiahe opened the new pack of cards, ready to shuffle.

Seeing that Ah He really didn’t seem like talking, Shangguan Yuan didn’t want to spoil her mood for playing cards.

They played Landlord, and every time it was Ah He’s turn to be the landlord, she would blindly call for it, regardless of the quality of her cards.

As a result, after several rounds, Meng Jiahe had lost the most.

This only added insult to injury for her already sour mood.

After losing the eleventh hand, Meng Jiahe put down her cards, “Let’s not play anymore, it’s time to rest.”

“Okay, can you tell us now what exactly happened?” Sang Qiao asked with a light laugh, putting down her own cards as well.

Shangguan Yuan’s gaze was also affectionately fixed on Ah He.

Under their intense scrutiny, Meng Jiahe, who normally couldn’t keep things to herself, was even more unable to hold back.

“I bumped into Sang Qingran when I went to buy the cards. He was in his casual wear.”

At the mention of that name, Sang Qiao’s expression remained unchanged; she had an inkling of what had happened.

Shangguan Yuan suddenly grew anxious, “The person you used to like? Why is he here?”

“How should I know? But I made it clear to him that I have a boyfriend now. I never liked him. It’s just… complicated,” Meng Jiahe explained while concealing her true feelings.

“If you never liked him, why does it feel complicated?” Shangguan Yuan was pacified by the words “I have a boyfriend,” but still wasn’t satisfied with the last part of her admission.

Why feel complicated for someone who wasn’t even a first love?

“It’s because he wasn’t like what you had imagined, and you start questioning why you liked him in the first place,” Sang Qiao calmly interjected, clarifying the perplexities Meng Jiahe had had. With this explanation, Meng Jiahe had a moment of clarity accompanied by guilt.

“Exactly! It’s that feeling, probably also a bit of self-reproach, so that’s why I’m feeling down. After all, the relationship between Qiaoqiao and Sang Qingran…”