A miraculous doctor descended from the heavens.

After reading the letter Peng Liangpei left for him, Gu Feng sat there blankly for a long time without moving.

He had already forgotten what heartache felt like.

But when it surged back again, he realized that it was still just as excruciating.

That feeling is like being trapped alone in a desert, scorched by the blazing sun, slowly drying out the moisture in your body, even your blood is being baked dry – a cruel experience.

The feeling was like wild grass growing wildly in the wilderness. The more you tried to uproot it, the more it tangled and coiled, densely filling your heart, a thousand threads that you couldn't untangle, a mess as tangled as if being cut by a knife.

The feeling was like a dull knife, slowly dissecting all the worries that had accumulated over the years, revealing only bloodstains and old scars, a bitter experience.

The feeling was like spilled vinegar, sour all over the chest, leaving no trace of sweetness, fragrance, or pleasure. Tears fell aimlessly, carrying all the grievances and sorrow, breaching the last bastion of reason.

The taste was like countless tiny aphids gnawing at the tender flesh, wriggling and spreading endlessly.

"...Gu Feng, Gu Feng! Gu Feng, what's wrong?"

In a daze, it seemed like someone was calling him. Was the woman in front of him, looking anxious and calling his name softly, Peng Jingpei?

He instinctively wanted to open his arms and pull her into his embrace.

But after calming down, she realized that the person in front of her was not Peng Liangpei, but Shi Yurou.

The hands that had just been extended fell limply back down.

Shi Yurou was startled by his action; the hug came too suddenly, and she was not prepared at all.

Just as she was hesitating about how to respond, Gu Feng had already put his hand down, slowly stood up, and walked out blankly.

Shi Yurou was not quite sure what had happened.

Looking at Gu Feng and Dean Peng's expressions, and then at the room that suddenly seemed much emptier, she could vaguely guess that someone had left.

It was a young and beautiful woman. This was clearly a woman's room; judging from the furnishings and decorations, she couldn't be very old.

Looking at Gu Feng's distraught appearance, it was clear that this woman was extremely important to him.

Who hasn't been young?

Although Shi Yurou is not very old, she has been through a marriage and is considered an experienced person.

She could somewhat understand Gu Feng's feelings at this moment.

It was nearly evening when the two left the Peng family's house. The rain outside had stopped sometime earlier, the sky had cleared, and the fog had dissipated.

The setting sun cast its golden rays upon the remaining water stains on the ground.

Moods can sometimes be contagious.

Once in the car, seeing Gu Feng leaning against the seat looking sullen, Shi Yurou's initial good mood, which had been lifted by the clearing skies after the rain, also faded.

I probably won't feel like cooking tonight.

She checked the time; it was almost lunchtime. She asked Gu Feng, "Are you hungry? Let's go out and get something to eat."

Gu Feng, however, leaned there like a piece of wood, without reacting at all.

Shi Yurou sighed inwardly, and couldn't help but feel envious of the woman who left without saying goodbye.

For a man to be so deeply concerned, that must be incredibly important.

Gu Feng neither nodded nor shook his head at her suggestion.

She decided to take matters into her own hands and drove to a Hunan restaurant famous for its spicy food.

Gu Feng probably needs a strong stimulus to wake up.

"Lao Ji Hunan Cuisine Restaurant" is known for its spicy dishes, but it's always a popular place to eat.

With a population of over ten million in Shenzhen, there are bound to be quite a few people who enjoy "torture." It happened to be lunchtime, and the main hall was already packed, with only the high-end private rooms with minimum spending requirements remaining empty.

However, this was exactly what Shi Yurou wanted.

When it comes to dining, she prefers to choose lively places, but her own seat must be quiet and undisturbed. As for the price, she never cares.

Shi Yurou is a woman who is particular about her life and has a lot of taste.

The fact that she could stay quietly in the Su family's small building and even promised Su Man'er to take care of Gu Feng left everyone wondering what had gotten into her. This was really unlike her usual style.

She has always loved spicy food, and the spicier the better.

But she didn't have this kind of enjoyment before.

Because of my health condition, the doctor advised me to avoid all foods that are sour, spicy, fried, stir-fried, deep-fried, fatty, or fishy.

During the years she was ill, she almost never ate meat, and her life was very simple and bland, just like a nun.

But now things are much better. Her illness has been cured. Doctor Gu also said that her constitution was weak and she had some tendency to be malnourished. As long as she has a good appetite, she can eat as much whole grains and cereals as she wants.

Once inside the private room, a waiter followed us in to take our order.

Gu Feng remained frozen in place, like a wooden statue.

Shi Yurou readily accepted the menu and, without even glancing at the dishes handed to her by the waiter, rattled off a string of dishes: Dong'an Chicken, Braised Shark Fin, Steamed Assorted Cured Meats, Whole Duck in Bread, Spicy Winter Bamboo Shoots, Braised Chestnuts with Cabbage Hearts, Five-Element Immortal Chicken, Jishou Sour Meat, Pagoda-Shaped Pork Kidney, Pork Belly, and Rock Sugar Lotus Seeds.

These dishes are considered classics of Hunan cuisine.

These were all foods that Shi Yurou had longed to eat for a long time, but had never dared to.

Now that she finally had the chance, she not only didn't complain about ordering too much, but also felt it wasn't enough.

Dishes were quickly served one after another, filling the table to the brim.

Shi Yurou originally thought that Gu Feng would lose his appetite because of the departure of his beloved, and was about to persuade him to eat something, but she saw that he had already picked up his chopsticks and was wolfing down his food.

Yes, nothing is more important than eating.

Shi Yurou secretly admired Gu Feng's honesty, but at the same time laughed at herself for worrying unnecessarily.

Without saying anything more, he quickly picked up his chopsticks and began to savor the Hunan cuisine he had been longing for for so long.

As the saying goes, no feast is complete without meat, and no banquet is complete without wine.

Faced with such a large table of delicious food, Shi Yurou felt it wouldn't be quite right without wine. To make matters worse, the waiter was enthusiastically recommending all sorts of drinks, chattering on and on about obscure brands she'd never even heard of.

Her patience wore thin, and she waved her hand impatiently: "Three bottles of Wuliangye from the last ten years."

The waiter was clearly taken aback. He wanted to say something, but seeing that Shi Yurou had already waved for her to leave, he had no choice but to leave dejectedly.

Why? Because the drinks the customers ordered weren't the kind from which they could get a commission.

Shi Yurou's sudden craving for so much alcohol—is there something else going on? Is she trying to use the alcohol to…get her way with someone? Or…?

The wine was served quickly.

Shi Yurou was going to drive after dinner, so she naturally didn't drink any alcohol. The alcohol she ordered was entirely for Gu Feng.

She picked up a bottle of wine, opened it, and was pouring it for Gu Feng when her phone rang.

She poured him a full glass before answering the phone.

"Hello." While answering the phone, Shi Yurou didn't stop what she was doing. She gestured to Gu Feng, indicating that he should drink and not worry about her.

Gu Feng really had no time to pay attention to her at the moment, and unceremoniously buried his head in eating meat and drinking wine.

"Oh, it's Village Chief Qian. Hello, hello." Shi Yurou forced herself to cheer up and exchanged pleasantries with the village chief on the phone.

“…………”

"Eating? I'm eating right now. With one of my... friends."

“…………”

"Oh, is that so? Would it be convenient for you and Director Huang to come over? I'm at Lao Ji Hunan Cuisine Restaurant."

“…………”

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

“…………”

After hanging up the phone, Shi Yurou's polite demeanor crumbled, replaced by obvious anger. "These nouveau riche, they're insatiable! They gave gifts, they accepted money, and the contract was supposed to be signed tomorrow or the day after, but they changed their minds at the last minute!"

Gu Feng had already drunk his third cup of wine.

Hearing Shi Yurou's words, he didn't ask any questions, but his eyes revealed some doubt.

"It's about the land allocation for building a pharmaceutical factory," Shi Yurou explained. "The land I had my eye on belonged to their original production team, but it's now under the village committee's jurisdiction. The rent, the term, and every detail of the contract were all agreed upon. Now they're saying the local villagers don't agree to build a pharmaceutical factory there. Humph, making up so many excuses, all they want to do is make more money. Actually, I know that getting anything done requires a lot of effort and dealing with all sorts of people. It's not that I care about the money; I'm just fed up with their insatiable, never-satisfied faces."

After she finished speaking, Shi Yurou realized that Gu Feng had only glanced at her and hadn't said anything.

She immediately felt a pang of regret, wondering why she had started nagging like a complaining woman.

They even attracted those two troublemakers.

If I had known this would happen, I would have just given them a few more coins and that would have been the end of it.