While Bian Suwen was lost in thought, Wang Haoran discreetly retrieved his wallet and slipped it into his pocket. Due to his angle, neither Qiu Qianwei nor Lin Chen noticed the photo inside.

Bian Suwen didn’t point it out, but she asked in a detached manner, “What do you mean by that?” Clearly, she was referring to the photo in the wallet.

“You must be mistaken,” Wang Haoran replied casually.

Bian Suwen didn’t believe him. She had clearly seen it was a photo of herself. But why was he carrying her photo? Could it be that he still couldn’t let go of the past?

[Ding, the heroine Bian Suwen’s favorability towards the host has increased by 5, current total favorability is -55 (resentment).]

It appeared that appealing to emotions was making some progress, Wang Haoran thought.

The photo of Bian Suwen was deliberately placed by Wang Haoran before coming to the airport; dropping the wallet at Bian Suwen’s feet was no accident. The goal was to evoke memories of their past together.

Given their complex history, typical approaches wouldn’t work with Bian Suwen. What Wang Haoran needed was to stir up the feelings they once shared.

The photo was a step in this direction. Judging by the 5-point increase in favorability after she saw the photo, it was indeed effective.

“Just throw it away,” Bian Suwen said after a moment of silence, her voice still distant as she addressed Wang Haoran.

Wang Haoran anticipated her cold tone. Even though her favorability had slightly increased, it was still at -55 (resentment). Rekindling Bian Suwen’s old feelings would take time.

“Do you two know each other?” Qiu Qianwei and Lin Chen, puzzled by their cryptic conversation, asked.

Facing their curious gazes, Bian Suwen replied indifferently, “He used to be my patient.”

“So, just a patient,” Lin Chen felt slightly relieved.

Recently, Wang Haoran had been getting close to the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Sisters. During their last dinner, both the Sixth and Seventh Sisters supported him, and even the Fifth Sister seemed interested. With the Third Sister present now, Lin Chen hoped she would take his side. When he overheard Bian Suwen and Wang Haoran’s conversation, he worried they might have a connection that would make the Third Sister also favor Wang Haoran.

However, upon learning that Wang Haoran was merely a former patient of the Third Sister, Lin Chen was reassured. Bian Suwen was a famed divine doctor with remarkable skills. If she sided with Lin Chen, he wouldn’t need to worry about Wang Haoran.

“Third Sister, did you treat him before? What was the illness? Was it serious?” Qiu Qianwei asked with concern for Wang Haoran.

“It’s nothing serious, just a bit of weakness,” Bian Suwen replied indifferently.

Her words caused Wang Haoran’s eyebrows to twitch. In his “memory,” he had been bitten by a venomous snake while in the wild and was poisoned. After Bian Suwen’s treatment, he made a full recovery. Her remark about weakness was clearly an intentional jab.

Indeed, Lin Chen burst out gleefully, “Is this guy… weak in the kidneys?”

Bian Suwen merely smiled slightly without answering. However, to others, that enigmatic smile seemed like a confirmation.

Weak indeed…

Lin Chen’s face lit up with a mischievous smile as he asked Wang Haoran, “Big brother, do you have a girlfriend?”

Not understanding Lin Chen’s angle, Wang Haoran replied ambiguously, “What if I have a girlfriend? What if I don’t?”

Lin Chen, brimming with glee, laughed, “If you have a girlfriend, you probably don’t get along well, right? If you don’t have a girlfriend, then it doesn’t matter.”

Realizing Lin Chen’s mockery, Wang Haoran countered, “Adults’ matters are not for children to worry about.”

Lin Chen laughed harder, believing he had struck a nerve. He turned his head to gauge the Seventh Sister’s reaction.

He noticed Qiu Qianwei looking at Wang Haoran with a peculiar expression, likely due to Bian Suwen’s comment.

Seeing this, Lin Chen was overjoyed. Now that the Seventh Sister knew Wang Haoran was supposedly weak, even if she felt fondly towards him, perhaps she’d lose any romantic interest. The Third Sister had done him a favor.

Lin Chen daydreamed about these scenarios.

In truth, Qiu Qianwei was thinking: Weak? Not weak at all, actually, he’s incredibly strong…

Of course, Lin Chen couldn’t read her mind, so he didn’t know what Qiu Qianwei was truly thinking.

Qiu Qianwei returned to her senses and said, “It’s time to eat, let’s go to the restaurant. I’ve already made a reservation.”

Wang Haoran gathered his luggage and joined Qiu Qianwei and the others in the car.

Soon, they arrived at a restaurant.

Wang Haoran and the others were led to a private room where they sat around a table. A waiter presented the menu.

Wang Haoran promptly took the menu from the waiter’s hand.

“This meal isn’t like last time when we treated you. It’s to welcome my Third Sister, so she should order first,” Lin Chen said, still smarting from being reprimanded previously, and seized a chance to redeem himself.

Wang Haoran glanced at Lin Chen and smiled, “Little one, are you being impolite again?”

Lin Chen instinctively tensed up and glanced at the Seventh Sister, as Qiu Qianwei admonished him, “Xiao Chen, I told you before not to be rude to big brother. Have you forgotten?”

Lin Chen felt slightly dejected upon being scolded and looked to the Third Sister, Bian Suwen, for support.

“Seventh Sister, Xiao Chen wasn’t wrong; why scold him?” Bian Suwen said to Qiu Qianwei. She then gave Wang Haoran a cold look and softly remarked, “It’s not the food that matters, it’s the company. I’m not very hungry today, so it doesn’t matter what we order.”

As relatives, Qiu Qianwei and Lin Chen understood this wasn’t directed at them. The implication was clear: seeing Wang Haoran had ruined her appetite.

Lin Chen interpreted this as the Third Sister siding with him.

Qiu Qianwei, on the other hand, regarded the Third Sister and Wang Haoran with suspicion. Her intuition told her their relationship wasn’t merely doctor-patient.

Despite being the target, Wang Haoran remained unfazed. He took the paper and pen from the waiter and jotted down some dishes.

Then, Qiu Qianwei and Lin Chen each ordered their favorite dishes.

Without an appetite, Bian Suwen didn’t order anything.

Wang Haoran handed the order slip to the waiter and waited for the food to arrive.

After about ten minutes, most of the dishes were served.

Bian Suwen maintained a calm demeanor, but she couldn’t help being surprised upon seeing the dishes on the table.

All the dishes Wang Haoran ordered were… her favorites.

Her thoughts led her gaze to the handsome face beside her.