Flower City's Peerless Divine Doctor

That Wednesday afternoon.

Li Chen was off from work and resting at home when Shan Qingxuan gave him a call.

"Doctor Li, aren't you working today?"

From her voice, Li Chen detected a hint of crying and quickly asked, "Miss Shan, I'm off today. What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"No... I'm fine, you go on with your resting, I won't bother you anymore." Shan Qingxuan said in a suppressed voice.

"It's no bother. I'm just lazing around, got nothing going on. Are you at the hospital?" Li Chen pressed on.

Though she claimed to be fine, Li Chen could tell from her voice that something was definitely up.

And her mood was awful.

He promptly told her to wait at the hospital entrance and hurried out the door.

He took a cab, stopped at the hospital entrance, and saw a BMW 530 parked by the roadside.

Sitting in the car was Shan Qingxuan.

He opened the door and sat in the passenger seat.

She was still dressed exquisitely, with a white chiffon blouse on top and a black skirt below that reached her knees, revealing segments of her fair, flawless legs.

Her hair was done up in large, elegant curls and pinned at the back of her head, fashionable yet graceful.

Her fair, oval face slightly made up, was dazzling.

However, her eyes were red, as if she had just cried.

And she wasn't holding a child.

It looked like she had run out after a fight at home.

"Miss Shan, what happened? Why have you been crying? Did someone bully you?"

"Your father-in-law? Did your creepy father-in-law touch you again?"

Li Chen asked.

Thinking of her sleazy father-in-law, that was his first thought.

"Doctor Li, I... sob..."

Shan Qingxuan had just started speaking when she burst into tears again.

Her delicate body lunged towards Li Chen, crying pitifully and heartbreakingly.

Li Chen was momentarily stunned.

He put his hand on her back, gently patting it.

A rich, fragrant scent wafted into his nostrils, exceedingly pleasant.

Meanwhile, he felt two firm mounds pressing against his chest, stirring wild thoughts.

Damn it!

This was a real test!

But seeing Shan Qingxuan crying her heart out, how could he be aroused? He set aside those confusing thoughts, continued patting her back, and comforted her.

"Miss Shan, stop crying. What exactly happened?"

"Is it about your father-in-law? If so, let's go back, and I'll stand up for you."

Li Chen said firmly, feeling a rush of heat in his head.

"No..."

Shan Qingxuan shook her head, still leaning on Li Chen, sobbing.

She cried for quite a while, as if venting her feelings, before gradually calming down.

Rising from Li Chen's embrace, their eyes met, and her fair, oval face instantly blushed.

Coming to her senses, she felt a wave of shyness.

She couldn't quite explain why, but seeing Li Chen made her emotions crumble.

Maybe it was because he knew the things she'd buried in her heart and was reluctant to show others.

"Doctor Li, since last time, he hasn't touched me again, but his temper has gotten a lot worse. He criticizes me for this and that at the drop of a hat."

"I told my husband, asked them to go back, and that I would take care of the child alone, but my husband just wouldn't agree. He told me to endure and not to stoop to their level."

"But he's getting more and more excessive, not just scolding me but also the child, calling the kid worthless. It was too much to bear, so I ended up arguing with him and ran out."

"My heart's a mess, I feel awful, and I didn't know who to talk to, so I turned to you. You don't mind, do you?"

After hearing her out, Li Chen silently sighed to himself.

Being a woman isn't easy sometimes.

Married to a man, in this house, that man is her only support.

But when that man can't be counted on, it really feels helpless.

He thought about her sleazy old father-in-law again, who took advantage of his daughter-in-law without success and then, out of spite, deliberately made things difficult for her. What a sorry excuse for a human.

Looking at that beautiful face streaked with tears, he felt a pang of heartache.

Instinctively, he raised his hand, wanting to wipe away her tears.

He hesitated for a moment, then let his hand drop.

He chuckled and said, "Don't mind at all, we're good friends, right? I'm actually flattered that you thought of me."

"Oh yeah, you can just call me Li Chen outside the hospital; no need to call me Doctor Li."

"Li Chen... Li Chen, you're really a good person!"

Shan Qingxuan stopped crying, her beautiful face squeezing out a smile, "We're about the same age, so just call me Qingxuan or Xuanxuan. Miss Shan sounds so awkward."

"Alright, I'll call you Xuanxuan then, and you call me Li Chen."

Li Chen laughed heartily.

Shan Qingxuan's face turned even redder.

The nickname Xuanxuan had only been used by her parents and her husband before.

Hearing Li Chen call her that made her heart inexplicably flutter, but she just nodded her head without saying no.

In the car, there was a brief silence.

The two of them just gazed at each other, the air between them growing tense with ambiguity.

Looking at her delicately flushed oval face and tempting red lips, Li Chen's heart raced uncontrollably, heat surging upwards from the pit of his stomach.

As if possessed, he found himself leaning forward.

Shan Qingxuan panicked, quickly regaining her composure and sitting back in her seat.

"Umm...Li Chen, it's been so long since I've been out shopping, and I really don't want to go back right now. Can you keep me company for a while?"

"I don't want to go back, and I don't want to see him."

A shy voice near his ear snapped Li Chen out of it.

He smiled awkwardly, "Sure! I'd be delighted to assist such a beautiful lady."

Shan Qingxuan turned her head, her face blooming even redder.

He started the car and drove to the commercial district.

Parking the car, the two entered the mall together.

A man and a woman shopping together, not much difference in age, often mistaken by clerks as a couple.

At first, Shan Qingxuan blushed and explained, but eventually, there were too many assumptions, and she simply stopped correcting them.

Shan Qingxuan's spirits gradually improved, her face smiling more and no longer looking so sad.

"Xuanxuan, you should come out more often, don't keep yourself cooped up at home. You'll get sick from being indoors too much."

"Steps out more, and you'll feel better. All your ailments will disappear."

Li Chen added from the side.

"I'd love to, but I have to take care of the baby, and besides, the baby cries a lot and is shy around strangers. It's not convenient to bring him along when I'm on my own," sighed Shan Qingxuan softly.

"You can always ask me, you know. Kids seem to like me; I can hold him without making him cry," Li Chen said with a smile.

"The kid does seem to like you."

Shan Qingxuan glanced at Li Chen, "But wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?"

She was also curious why she felt a growing fondness towards Li Chen, not realizing it herself.

"It's no trouble at all. I'm usually quite free," Li Chen replied with a nonchalant smile.

The two chatted and laughed, and as they passed a lingerie store, Shan Qingxuan hesitated before entering.

...