The Aloof Doctor Says One Thing and Means Another

A flirtatious, teasing, wolfish pianist x a chaste, beautiful, brilliant doctor

An unconventional second-chance romance / an unconventional marriage-first romance / four-year age gap / the female lead is slightly younger

Pei Zixu is a French-trained pianist who's made a name for herself.

She smiles at everyone, but in private she's wilder than her music. Bristling with thorns, she lets no one touch her heart.

Shen Jishu is the youngest chief resident in the cardiothoracic surgery department.

She never hesitates at the operating table. Once she's done, she takes off her gloves and leaves, as if there's a pane of cold glass between her and everyone else.

Three years ago, they had a reckless affair.

They were wildly intimate, but never once called it a relationship.

Shen Jishu was far more passionate in bed than she was in everyday life. Pei Zixu was wilder still, her long, nimble piano-playing fingers constantly teasing her, beckoning her closer for a kiss.

But by dawn, they couldn't even touch the hem of each other's clothes.

The day Pei Zixu learned that Shen Jishu already had someone else in her heart, she walked away without hesitation. If there was never going to be a chance, why keep holding on?

Three years later, they run into each other at a matchmaking dinner.

The Shen family wants to use the Pei family's connections to get out of a medical dispute. It doesn't matter that Pei Zixu spends the whole year touring the world.

The Pei family is worried no one can keep their daughter in line. The excellent Dr. Shen is the obvious best choice.

After three years apart, Shen Jishu is still so cool and composed that not a drop could spill, and so polite it makes Pei Zixu want to flip the table.

In front of both families, Pei Zixu runs the tip of her high heel provocatively over Shen Jishu's trouser leg under the table, grinning brightly.

"A doctor as excellent as you must have no shortage of marriage prospects, right, Dr. Shen?"

Shen Jishu slowly lifts her eyes.

"I'm missing a wife who can treat me with respect and courtesy, Miss Pei."

They register their marriage, move in together, and enter a marriage of convenience, each getting what they need.

After the wedding, Shen Jishu keeps to the rules as always, playing the part of the perfect live-in roommate.

Until one night, Pei Zixu comes home late, reeking of alcohol.

The living-room lights are off. Shen Jishu, who should have gone to bed early to prepare for surgery, is waiting for her in the dark, with a bowl of congee kept warm on the table.

Pei Zixu leans against the doorframe. "Dr. Shen, I don't remember the agreement saying you had to provide me with a late-night snack."

Shen Jishu says nothing. She walks over and deftly takes the keys dangling from Pei Zixu's hand.

Their fingertips press tightly together.

The steadiest, coldest hands in the whole hospital tremble ever so slightly at the touch of Pei Zixu.

At last, the cold glass in Shen Jishu's eyes begins to crack. Her voice is low and hoarse.

"The agreement didn't say you could come home at two in the morning smelling of someone else's perfume, either."

Pei Zixu slips out of her grasp and takes off her coat and blouse, one piece at a time. "Have you still not opened the gift in our room?"

She spreads her arms. "Dr. Shen, take another look. Whose scent is this, really?"

Edited and saved on June 1, 2026 (The story has changed genres. If you don't like the new story, please remove it from your favorites. Sorry.)

Theme: Be a good person and respect people's feelings