Official title: Refused to stay at the university, started his career in a rural town.

Yang Fan put on protective clothing and a mask, and followed the doctor into the intensive care unit.

The door closed gently behind me. The only sounds in the intensive care unit were the ticking of the instruments and the pungent smell of disinfectant mixed with medicine.

Qi Tongwei lay on the hospital bed, his body covered in tubes, with green waveforms jumping on the screen of the electrocardiogram monitor at the head of the bed.

Hearing footsteps, Qi Tongwei opened his eyes.

When he saw Yang Fan, his eyes lit up, and he struggled to sit up.

As soon as my shoulder left the pillow, cold sweat broke out on my face, and my arm went limp, causing me to fall back onto the bed.

Yang Fan took two quick steps and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Lie down, don't move."

Qi Tongwei took a few breaths, his pale lips moving slightly. "Senior brother, I didn't expect you to come."

His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against sheet metal, each word uttered with a breathy quality, "Where did you get this information?"

Yang Fan sat down on the chair by the bed and looked at Qi Tongwei. He had lost a lot of weight, and there was a fresh scab under his left eye. His mouth was still swollen, but his eyes were bright.

He had never seen that kind of light before at Yantai Mountain—it was hope!

"I ran into Secretary Gao Yuliang when I went to the school a while ago. Secretary Yuliang mentioned your situation." In this environment where the testing equipment was constantly beeping, Yang Fan kept his voice very low.

"Before the holiday, I heard about the meeting of the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission, where Secretary Liang specifically mentioned the undercover work. As soon as I heard that, I guessed it was you. I asked my senior colleague from our city's Political and Legal Affairs Commission to inquire, and that's how I found out you became a hero."

Yang Fan paused, his mouth feeling a little dry. "Tongwei, you're a hero now!"

Upon hearing the word "hero," Qi Tongwei's eyes, which had been dim, suddenly lit up with a sky full of stars.

He clenched his fist, and a small amount of blood flowed back from the IV needle in the back of his hand, but he didn't seem to feel it at all.

"Yes, senior brother, I'm a hero!" His voice was still hoarse, but every word seemed to burst out from his chest.

"I can go to the capital now, and I can finally give back to my fellow villagers!"

A thin blush rose on her pale face, and the swelling at the corner of her mouth hadn't subsided, but her smile made her whole face look relaxed.

That joy wasn't just for the moment; it was the feeling of someone who had been submerged for far too long finally grasping at a straw that would allow them to float to the surface.

Yang Fan originally wanted to tell him about this incident, how a judicial assistant inexplicably found out about the undercover agent, and how someone was put into a drug dealer's den without even receiving systematic training.

But Qi Tongwei couldn't listen to anything right now, and his face was pale and his body was weak.

Looking into his eyes, which shone with boundless light, Yang Fan swallowed all his words.

Now he himself is also doubting whether Qi Tongwei will really be able to be transferred to Beijing in this lifetime.

After all, Han University had already warned Professor Liang Lu. Although Secretary Liang Qunfeng's speech at the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission meeting could not clear the doubts about him, it certainly meant that he would no longer openly deal with Qi Tongwei.

As for Chen Yanshi? With Liang Qunfeng's tacit approval, how could he possibly cause any trouble within the Handong political and legal system? Does he really think Liang Qunfeng is just a figurehead?

But Yang Fan didn't know if the original story was like this.

"Tongwei, you also graduated with a master's degree and started with the rank of deputy section chief. This time, with your meritorious service and award, you're guaranteed a full section chief position."

He leaned down, his arms braced on the edge of the bed, looking into Qi Tongwei's eyes. "Is it worth risking the honor of being shot three times for a future with no certainty of success?"

His voice was very low, but his enunciation was heavier than ever before.

"What kind of place is the capital? It's a place where hidden talents abound! When you get there, what is a combat hero? Who in any level of government doesn't have a few medals on their hands? You'll have to risk your life to fight through this huge wave and fight for a shore that you don't even know where."

Qi Tongwei remained silent for a long while, his gaze passing over Yang Fan and fixed on the ceiling. The liquid in those tubes was still flowing.

Then his lips moved. "Senior brother, but Chen Yang—she hasn't been home for over two years because of me. She spent the New Year alone; she's waiting for me!"

He turned to look at Yang Fan, his eyes reddening. "If I don't go, how can I face her? She can't go back to Handong!"

Yang Fan clenched his fists on his knees, then relaxed them.

Oh shit.

He suddenly felt like cursing. Who should he curse? He should curse himself.

A girl who would give up her home for you is waiting for you in a city that isn't her hometown, waiting for you to gradually and steadily reach the shore.

Given this kind of relationship, could you say "never mind"?

He asked himself the question for ten seconds.

No.

Yang Fan leaned back in his chair and sighed heavily. "Whatever you say."

But he still had to say one last thing.

"Tongwei, if the organization meets with you and asks why you want to go to Beijing—" He paused, "you absolutely cannot say it's for Chen Yang."

Qi Tongwei was stunned, his brows furrowing into a deep furrow.

He seemed never to have thought about this question; he wanted to go to the capital because Chen Yang was there.

But he also understood why he couldn't say it, yet he couldn't get anything out after trying for a long time.

Yang Fan looked at his blank expression and his mind raced, but he still couldn't solve the problem.

Handong nurtured you, you made contributions in Handong, and now you turn around and say "I want to go to the capital"? Which leader wouldn't feel disgusted? When honors are taken out of the archives, even the biggest medals will be covered in dust.

Two so-called top students from Handong University were both stumped by this question in the intensive care unit.

Suddenly, Yang Fan tapped his finger on the back of the chair. "If you can't think of a good reason yourself—you can ask Professor Gao Yuliang."

Qi Tongwei was stunned for a moment. After a while, the hand that was pricked by the needle moved, and his eyes seemed to have caught something.

The glass window suddenly made two noises.

Yang Fan looked up and saw the round-faced nurse outside, fully covered in protective gear. She pointed to her watch and then to the door, indicating that it was time.

Yang Fan gave an OK sign. He stood up and gently pressed his palm on Qi Tongwei's shoulder, the pressure very light even through the protective suit.

"Tongwei, think it over carefully." He took two steps towards the door, then turned back to look at Qi Tongwei. "Handong might be more suitable for you."

The door to the intensive care unit closed behind him. Yang Fan took off his protective suit, threw his mask into the trash can, leaned against the wall of the corridor, and stared at the tightly closed iron door. The ticking of the instruments was blocked by the door, leaving only the hum of the fluorescent lights in the corridor.

He didn't know if he was saying those words to Qi Tongwei or to himself.

Maybe we don't need to think about it so much.

Many things have changed in this lifetime.

Liang Qunfeng slammed his fist on the table at the provincial level, Han Baotian held an all-staff meeting overnight, and Zhang Hongsheng vowed to take down the drug trafficking group within a week—unlike in his previous life, Qi Tongwei was not alone in the drug den this time.

Someone was pulling him away, though those people were mostly trying to clear themselves of suspicion.

But it's still pooping.

But what about Chen Yanshi? What role did that old chief prosecutor, Chen Yanshi, who kept saying "young people should rely on themselves," play?