Chapter 238: Doctor and Patient?

While Bian Suwen stood frozen in place, Wang Haoran calmly reached out, retrieved his wallet from her hands, and slipped it back into his pocket.

Due to the angle, neither Qiu Qianwei nor Lin Chen had seen the photo inside the wallet.

Bian Suwen didn’t expose him either. Her gaze wandered, her voice light and misty. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She was obviously referring to the photo she’d just glimpsed.

“You saw wrong,” Wang Haoran replied casually, brushing it off.

But Bian Suwen didn’t believe a word of it. She had seen it clearly—it was definitely a photo of her.

Why would he carry her photo after all this time?

Could it be… he still hadn’t let go of the past?

【Ding! Female lead Bian Suwen’s favorability toward Host has increased by 5. Current favorability: -55 (Resentment)】

So, playing the emotional card

did

have some effect.

Wang Haoran smirked inwardly.

That photo did not end up in his wallet by coincidence—it was a calculated move. And dropping the wallet right in front of her? Also deliberate. The goal was simple: stir her memories, remind her of what once was.

Because of their complicated past, he couldn’t treat Bian Suwen like the other female leads. The only way to win her over was to reignite the flame of what they once shared.

The photo was the spark.

And judging from the 5-point favorability bump, the strategy was working.

“You should throw it away,” Bian Suwen said after a brief silence. Her tone was cold, distant.

That kind of response didn’t surprise Wang Haoran. Even with the progress, her favorability was still sitting at -55. There was a long road ahead if he wanted to bring her back to how she used to feel.

From the side, both Qiu Qianwei and Lin Chen looked increasingly confused.

“You two… know each other?” Qiu Qianwei asked, unable to make sense of the strange tension between them.

Bian Suwen gave a flat reply. “He was my patient once.”

“Just a patient, huh?” Lin Chen immediately relaxed.

Lately, Wang Haoran had been getting

way

too cozy with the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Sisters. At that dinner a few days ago, both Qiu Qianwei and Sixth Sister had even sided with him, and Fifth Sister had started looking at him differently.

With Third Sister now back, Lin Chen had been hoping for backup. But the exchange between her and Wang Haoran earlier made him anxious—it had sounded like they might have history.

Thankfully, it was “just a doctor-patient relationship.” That put Lin Chen at ease.

After all, Third Sister wasn’t just anybody—she was a living legend in the medical world. If she took his side, he wouldn’t have to worry about Wang Haoran anymore.

“You treated him before?” Qiu Qianwei looked at Bian Suwen with a touch of concern. “Was it serious?”

“Nothing major,” Bian Suwen replied flatly. “Just a bit of weakness.”

Wang Haoran’s brow twitched.

According to the “original memory,” he’d been bitten by a venomous snake during a wilderness outing and nearly died. Bian Suwen treated him, and he made a full recovery.

But now she was painting it as “just weak”? That was

clearly

said with some subtle malice.

As expected, Lin Chen jumped in, grinning like a devil. “What, is he impotent or something?”

Bian Suwen gave a faint, enigmatic smile—but she didn’t deny it. To the others, that smile said everything.

So yeah. Weak.

Lin Chen lit up like a Christmas tree and turned to Wang Haoran with exaggerated innocence. “Big bro, do you have a girlfriend?”

Wang Haoran squinted at him, unsure of the angle. “What if I do? What if I don’t?”

Lin Chen grinned wickedly. “If you do, I imagine things aren’t going great between you two. And if you don’t—well, I guess that explains it.”

Wang Haoran saw right through him. “Children shouldn’t poke their noses into adult matters.”

Lin Chen burst out laughing. To him, this was a total win. He even glanced smugly at Qiu Qianwei to see how she’d react.

Sure enough, she was giving Wang Haoran a strange look.

Lin Chen was ecstatic.

Now that Seventh Sister knows he’s weak, even if she likes him, she probably won’t want have to do anything with him. Good job, Third Sister!

He was already crafting victory fantasies in his head.

But in truth, Qiu Qianwei’s thoughts were entirely different.

Weak?

She had experienced him firsthand. Not only was he not weak… he was frighteningly strong.

Of course, Lin Chen couldn’t read minds, so he continued to revel in his imagined triumph.

Snapping back to reality, Qiu Qianwei said, “It’s almost lunchtime. I’ve made a reservation. Let’s go eat.”

Wang Haoran picked up the luggage and followed the group into the car.

Soon, they arrived at a restaurant.

The group was led to a private room and took their seats around the table. A waiter arrived with menus.

Wang Haoran reached out to take the menu, but Lin Chen immediately interjected.

“This isn’t like the other day when the dinner was for you. Today’s about welcoming Third Sister back. She should order first.”

Still salty about getting scolded last time for grabbing the menu too eagerly, Lin Chen jumped at the chance to reassert himself.

Wang Haoran gave him a look. “Little guy, you’re acting out again.”

As expected, Qiu Qianwei frowned and scolded Lin Chen. “Xiao Chen, I told you last time—don’t be rude to Big Brother. Did you forget already?”

Lin Chen’s face fell slightly. He looked helplessly at Bian Suwen for backup.

“Seventh Sister, Xiao Chen didn’t mean anything by it. Don’t be too hard on him,” Bian Suwen said gently, then shifted her gaze to Wang Haoran.

Her tone cooled.

“In the end, it doesn’t matter what we eat. What matters is who we eat with. I don’t have much of an appetite today, so I’ll just go along with whatever.”

Qiu Qianwei and Lin Chen obviously weren’t the target of that passive-aggressive remark.

The meaning was clear—seeing Wang Haoran killed her appetite.

Lin Chen caught the subtext and assumed she was standing up for him. He was practically dancing in his seat.

But Qiu Qianwei had her doubts. She studied Bian Suwen and Wang Haoran with suspicion. Her female intuition told her—this wasn’t just a “doctor and patient” thing.

As the one being targeted, Wang Haoran didn’t seem fazed. He took the paper and pen from the waiter and jotted down a list of dishes.

Qiu Qianwei and Lin Chen followed suit, adding a few of their own favorites.

Bian Suwen, true to her words, didn’t order anything.

Wang Haoran handed off the paper, and they waited.

Roughly ten minutes later, the food arrived.

Bian Suwen remained calm, her expression unreadable—until she glanced down at the dishes. Her eyes flickered with surprise.

Every single one of the dishes Wang Haoran had ordered…

Were her favorites.

She had never said a word. Neither had anyone else. And yet, each dish sat before her, perfectly arranged, as if someone had read her thoughts.

Her gaze drifted, almost involuntarily, toward that handsome face sitting across the table.