Siheyuan: I will never tolerate gambling and drugs!

Morning courtyard

Xu Lin got up early this morning because he was about to have a major physical examination, and he needed to finalize the details with Li Xiaoli from the HR department. His bicycle wouldn't be repaired until this afternoon, so he needed to get up early to make it on foot.

After Xu Lin finished washing up and went out, he ran into Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong, who were leaving together.

"Hey Lao Yi, I didn't slap you yesterday, did I? How come you woke up this morning with a bruised and swollen face?" Xu Lin teased jokingly.

Xu Lin was unaware that the previous night, Yi Zhonghai's affair with Jia Zhangshi had been mistaken for his affair with Tan Shi by Xu Damao, Sha Zhu, and Jia Dongxu, resulting in Xu Damao catching him in the cellar, putting a sack over his head, and giving him a severe beating. That's why he asked that question. If he had known, he would definitely have asked Yi Zhonghai how he could bring himself to do that to someone like Jia Zhangshi.

Yi Zhonghai ignored Xu Lin, snorted, and left the courtyard with Liu Haizhong. Xu Lin didn't want to make a fool of himself by following them to strike up a conversation, but Liu Haizhong, standing beside him, was incredibly curious.

"Yeah, Lao Yi. I just remembered, when Lao Yan and I were at your house yesterday, you didn't have these injuries on your face. What happened to you?"

"It's nothing, I dreamt I was fighting with that little bastard yesterday, and in my excitement I fell off the bed..." Yi Zhonghai made up a flimsy excuse to brush off Liu Haizhong.

Liu Haizhong scratched his head, his brows furrowed. He could tell that Yi Zhonghai didn't want to say the reason. But looking at the injuries on Yi Zhonghai's face, Liu Haizhong felt a sense of déjà vu, though he couldn't quite place them...

After thinking for a while, Liu Haizhong couldn't remember anything, so he shook his head and gave up trying to recall. Then he followed Yi Zhonghai straight to the steel rolling mill.

When Xu Lin arrived at the infirmary, Ding Qiunan had already cleaned it and was sitting quietly on one side of the desk, looking at the medical records that Xu Lin had previously arranged on the table.

The morning sunlight filtered through the window, casting dappled golden rays that fell on the top of her dark hair, creating a soft, velvety edge.

Ding Qiunan was wearing the white coat that Xu Lin had given her yesterday. Because she had been cleaning in the morning, she had rolled up the sleeves to her forearms, revealing a section of her fair and slender wrists. Her fingertips rested lightly on the pages of the medical record, and she turned the pages as if afraid of disturbing something.

Xu Lin walked quietly, remaining silent as he stood at the doorway, carefully observing Ding Qiunan, whom he had always yearned for but never betrayed in the original story. In the original work, she and Qin Huairu were essentially similar characters; both could easily have had better lives, yet they were always tightly bound.

Xu Lin gazed at Ding Qiunan's clean and gentle profile. Her nose was small and straight, her lips a pale pink that would unconsciously purse slightly when she was focused. Her eyelashes were long and thick, trembling gently as her gaze moved, like two butterflies about to take flight. The smell of disinfectant on the table had faded, mingling with the light, refreshing scent of soap wafting from her hair.

Xu Lin's deliberately soft footsteps still startled her. She looked up abruptly, nearly dropping the medical record in her hand. She quickly reached out to catch it, her cheeks flushing a light red, like a ripe peach. Her eyes were clear and bright, like mountain spring water, carrying a hint of unexpected panic, and a touch of shy embarrassment.

She said softly, "Director Xu, you're here. I noticed these medical records were a bit messy, so I helped you... I tidied them up and looked through them a bit."

As she spoke, her fingertips unconsciously traced the edges of the medical record. That hurried little movement only made her appear even more clean and clear, like a daisy blooming in the wind on a field ridge, without makeup, yet possessing a heartwarming and simple beauty of youth.

Xu Lin smiled and walked over. "It's nothing serious. It's just the two of us in the infirmary. I'm the boss, and you're the second-in-command. No need to be so careful. I've got your back. What are you afraid of?"

Upon hearing Xu Lin's words, Ding Qiunan chuckled, her earlier tension completely gone.

"A coworker will be coming for a checkup soon. Follow me carefully, take notes as much as you can, and write down any questions you have. Think about them carefully, or you can read a book. If you still don't understand something, ask me later. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand, Director Xu." Ding Qiunan nodded seriously. Xu Lin was very satisfied with Ding Qiunan's attitude. He suddenly thought that the second female leads in these TV dramas were all quite good. For example, in Xu Lin's opinion, Chen Xueru was much prettier than Xu Huizhen, and her figure was also...

Throughout the morning, Xu Lin patiently explained things to Ding Qiunan while diligently treating his coworker and recording medical records.

Before she knew it, the morning had passed. Ding Qiunan noticed that Xu Lin was still diligently recording medical records at lunchtime, so she went to the cafeteria to get him some lunch.

Ding Qiunan was queuing in the third canteen when she heard a greeting coming from behind her.

"Nurse Ding, what a coincidence, you're also getting food at the third cafeteria!"

Ding Qiunan looked at the person who spoke, her eyes filled with doubt.

"Who are you?"

"Hey, I'm Cui Dake, the one who got some disinfectant and gauze from the infirmary this morning! The one from the purchasing department, remember me?" Cui Dake cut in line behind Ding Qiunan with an air of familiarity and said with ill intent.

"Oh! It's you. Have you changed your colleague's bandage? If you don't know how, you can have your coworker go to the infirmary, I'll change it for him. It's still a bit hot, don't let it get infected and affect work." Ding Qiunan replied to Cui Dake with a mix of innocence and seriousness.

Cui Dake had completely forgotten about his colleague; the gauze and disinfectant were still in his pocket. Ever since he saw Ding Qiunan in the infirmary that morning, Cui Dake had been absent-minded all morning. It wasn't until he saw Ding Qiunan run to the third canteen for lunch that he snapped out of his daze and followed her.

"It's alright, I've already changed it for him. I checked his wound, it's just a simple abrasion, it'll heal in a day or two, thank you, Nurse Ding." Cui Dake made up lies without batting an eye. If his colleague, who was waiting for him to bring the medicine, heard him, he'd definitely poke a hole in Cui's calf and yell, "This is just an abrasion, your whole family is covered in abrasions..."

Reassured by Cui Dake's words, Ding Qiunan, who was in a responsible position, continued queuing without giving it much thought. She wasn't wary of Cui Dake's attempts to strike up a conversation behind her, and chatted casually with him.

After Ding Qiunan finished getting her food and left, Cui Dake chased after her and insisted on giving her two eggs. After Ding Qiunan refused for a long time, Cui Dake simply ran away, leaving Ding Qiunan with no choice but to take the two eggs back to the infirmary...

"Old Cui, I told you to freaking get some gauze, and you've been doing it all morning! What the hell have you been doing?" Nan Yi, who shared a dorm room with Cui Dake, yelled at Cui Dake as he returned with his lunchbox. After yelling, he noticed that Cui Dake was sitting there blankly, not saying a word, which piqued Nan Yi's curiosity.

"What's wrong? Have you lost your soul? Or did you encounter a ghost in broad daylight?" Nan Yi limped over and patted Cui Dake's shoulder twice.

After Cui Dake realized what was happening, he threw the gauze and disinfectant from his pocket over, then pushed the lunchbox over as well, saying absentmindedly, "You eat the food, I can't eat."

This left Nan Yi completely bewildered. He'd injured his leg while playfully fighting with Cui Dake over some food, accidentally puncturing it on a nail. And now this kid had generously given him the food he'd just bought without even touching it.

Nan Yi's curiosity grew even stronger. "What's wrong with you? You're making it impossible for me to eat in peace."

Cui Dake slumped dejectedly on the table, looking at Nan Yi listlessly. After a long pause, he finally managed to utter a single sentence.

"Old Nan, I think I'm in love..."