Rongda Hospital, third floor ward.
As Yang Xiaoxian packed Liu Xinyao's things, she said smugly,
"Xinyao, aren't my class notes amazing! See if you'll ever doubt me again!"
"You're so thoughtful," Liu Xinyao felt a warmth in her heart and smiled. "Tell me, how do you want me to thank you?"
"Treat me to a big meal!" Yang Xiaoxian blurted out. "I want a McDonald's Big Mac, Pizza Hut's bacon and sausage pizza, KFC's Old Beijing JR roll... and also, Jialing Legend's Maoxuewang, Dafengshou's large crispy fish hot pot..."
Liu Xinyao was both amused and exasperated:
"You glutton! What else can you think of besides food?"
Yang Xiaoxian tilted her head, thought for a long time, and said with a troubled expression:
"I really just want to eat right now, what should I do? I'm so hungry! Xinyao, how about we go eat?"
With that, Yang Xiaoxian grabbed Liu Xinyao's bag in one hand and pulled her hand in the other, heading out of the ward. Yang Xiaoxian wasn't tall, but she was quite strong, and Liu Xinyao was pulled forward involuntarily. She said helplessly,
"Xiaoxian, what kind of meal is this, at this hour?"
"If you're hungry, you should eat! Who says you can only eat at mealtimes?" Yang Xiaoxian released Liu Xinyao's hand and reached for the hospital room door.
Just then, the hospital room door was suddenly pulled open from the outside.
"Ah!" Yang Xiaoxian was startled and cried out. When she saw who it was, her face immediately fell, and she snorted coldly, asking, "What are you doing here again? Are you trying to take advantage of our Xinyao?"
Chen Yang was taken aback by her abrupt question, but after their encounter a couple of days ago, he was immune to Yang Xiaoxian's fierceness. This time, he simply ignored her, his gaze passing over Yang Xiaoxian and landing on Liu Xinyao's face. He asked with a smile, "Oh! So you're being discharged?"
"What business is it of yours whether Xinyao is discharged or not?" Before Liu Xinyao could answer, Yang Xiaoxian retorted, her displeasure palpable.
Chen Yang turned his head, staring intently at Yang Xiaoxian's face. Chen Yang's gaze was blatantly aggressive. Yang Xiaoxian felt a little uneasy under his stare, and, trying to appear fierce but actually weak, puffed out her not-so-obvious chest, asking:
"What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen a beautiful woman before?"
"Tch...you? Beautiful woman?" Chen Yang couldn't help but chuckle. "Brother, forgive my poor eyesight, I really didn't see it. I'm staring at you because I'm worried about you..."
Yang Xiaoxian, oblivious to the teasing undertone of "brother," instinctively asked:
"Worried about what?"
Chen Yang looked at Yang Xiaoxian's rather pretty face again and said seriously:
"I'm worried about your future child! Judging from the current situation, your child's genes can only be salvaged by your future husband...but how unlucky must that person be to become your husband!"
Having grown up in the capital in his previous life, Chen Yang inherited the sharp tongue of the people of Beijing, and his sarcasm could be infuriating. Yang Xiaoxian froze for a moment before realizing the sarcasm in Chen Yang's words. Her face flushed red, and she jumped up, shouting, "Damn it! I'll fight you to the death!"
Seeing the situation escalating, Liu Xinyao quickly grabbed Yang Xiaoxian from behind, trying to calm her down:
"Xiaoxian...don't be impulsive!"
Chen Yang glanced at Yang Xiaoxian's small body, still wriggling in Liu Xinyao's arms, and turned to Liu Xinyao, saying,
"Xinyao, now that you're discharged from the hospital, that's perfect. I was just looking for you to go with me to submit the paper to Professor Yan..." "The manuscript's been out for two days already, you should give it to him as soon as possible to avoid delays."
Liu Xinyao looked at the flailing Yang Xiaoxian and said with difficulty,
"Look at this... how are we supposed to go?"
Chen Yang suppressed a laugh and said,
"Alright, I'll wait for you downstairs! You get this guy sorted out as soon as possible!"
With that, Chen Yang turned and left the ward, only to hear Yang Xiaoxian shout behind him,
"Pervert! Don't let me see you again, or I'll definitely teach you a lesson!"
Chen Yang didn't even pause, his figure disappearing at the top of the stairs in the blink of an eye.
After Chen Yang left, the furious Yang Xiaoxian calmed down. Liu Xinyao let go of Yang Xiaoxian's hand. Yang Xiaoxian sat angrily on the edge of the bed, straightening her disheveled clothes as she complained:
"Xinyao, why did you hold me? He said such awful things! And you were protecting him!"
Liu Xinyao's face inexplicably flushed. She spat and said reproachfully:
"What do you mean I was protecting him? You were acting like you were on steroids! Did you think I'd just stand by and watch you rush in? Your little body isn't even a match for one of his hands!"
"Oh! He wouldn't dare hit a woman, would he?" Yang Xiaoxian exclaimed in surprise.
Liu Xinyao suppressed a laugh and said leisurely:
"Didn't you hear him call you 'brother'? In his eyes, you're a real man! Pure and simple!"
"Xinyao! Even you've become corrupted!" Yang Xiaoxian stomped her foot in exasperation, then asked after a moment's thought, "You're not really going to abandon me and go find Professor Yan with him, are you? If you dare, I'll go back to the dorm and spread rumors about your despicable behavior of prioritizing romance over friendship!"
"What do you mean by prioritizing romance over friendship! That sounds awful!" Liu Xinyao retorted, "Chen Yang is right this time. Professor Yan takes the thesis very seriously, and we should give him the first draft as soon as possible."
After thinking for a moment, Liu Xinyao asked helplessly:
"Xiaoxian, what's going on between you and Chen Yang? You always argue whenever you meet! Are you two enemies from a past life?"
"Who told him to have such a foul mouth?" Yang Xiaoxian replied unhappily. "Isn't it because you always act like you're on fire? If you don't stand up to him, why would he bother with you?" Liu Xinyao's words were quite fair this time. Although Chen Yang's words weren't pleasant either, both arguments were caused by Yang Xiaoxian's own bad attitude.
However, Yang Xiaoxian found these words rather harsh. She stood up abruptly, stared intently at Liu Xinyao for a long time, and then pouted, saying:
"Xinyao, I think you might have really fallen for his charm! I've never seen you speak up for a boy before!"
Two blushes appeared on Liu Xinyao's pretty face, and she was filled with shame and anger. Yang Xiaoxian had really wronged her. Liu Xinyao didn't have any romantic feelings for Chen Yang; on the contrary, because of the MMS incident that day, Liu Xinyao was quite disgusted with Chen Yang's character. But after she fainted that day, Chen Yang painstakingly carried her to the hospital, running errands and buying fruit, yet she was cold towards him. He felt a pang of guilt.
"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm on the side of reason. I'll help whoever is right!" Liu Xinyao retorted, then waved her hand dismissively. "Alright, I'm not going to argue with you anymore! I'm going to the administration building. If you're hungry, go find something to eat yourself!"
Chen Yang lingered downstairs at the hospital for a while. He took out a cigarette, about to light it, but then remembered he was in a hospital, and reluctantly put it back. Just as he was feeling bored, his phone rang.
Looking at the number, it was Guan Weiping calling. Chen Yang quickly answered.
"Hello, Director Guan!" Chen Yang said politely.
"Chen Yang, hello!" Guan Weiping's voice was warm. After the greeting, he went straight to the point, asking, "The house you bought hasn't been transferred to your name yet, right?"
"Not yet! I'm planning to do it in the next couple of days." Chen Yang felt a little strange, wondering why Guan Weiping would ask such a question. "Transferring property ownership is a real hassle, requiring several trips back and forth!" Guan Weiping said. "It just so happens that Deputy Director Xie of the Municipal Housing Management Bureau, who oversees the real estate transaction center, came to the Provincial Party Committee today on business. I spoke to him, and he said you should remember to see him when you're transferring the ownership; some procedures can be simplified."
"Thank you so much, Director Guan!" Chen Yang was overjoyed. Just as Guan Weiping said, transferring ownership of a second-hand house, while not difficult in itself, was incredibly time-consuming. From checking the housing records to issuing the new property certificate, there were several procedures, each taking anywhere from seven to fifteen working days. Time was Chen Yang's biggest concern; the Hengxiang demolition was imminent, and he needed to get everything done before the official announcement.
Guan Weiping's actions were like a godsend.
Chen Yang knew that Guan Weiping had specifically gone to speak on his behalf, and presumably, he already knew about the demolition and was thus helping Chen Yang out.
This also shows that Fang Hongda had a good impression of him—secretaries are often a barometer of a leader's likes and dislikes.
Chen Yang said:
"Director Guan, you've really helped me a lot! How about this, when you're free sometime, I'll treat you to dinner… Oh, and invite Director Kan out too, I haven't thanked him for what happened last time!"
"Okay! I'll let you know when I've made the arrangements!" Guan Weiping didn't hesitate and said directly.
Relationships only grow closer through frequent interaction and interaction!
Guan Weiping had many guesses about Chen Yang. He had fully witnessed Fang Hongda's huge change in attitude, and he knew that his status as a disciple of Mr. Bai Yan wasn't enough to warrant such attention from Fang Hongda. Especially Fang Hongda's change of mind, deciding to attend the unveiling ceremony of the modern agricultural demonstration park in Songping City, made Guan Weiping even more suspicious, because that was Chen Yang's hometown.
But Guan Weiping had a very good quality that leaders liked: caution. He could keep his mouth shut and never inquired about things he shouldn't know. Regarding Fang Hongda's decision to go to Songping City, Guan Weiping didn't even analyze or speculate; he simply focused on doing his coordination work without asking a single extra question, because he knew it was the Party Secretary's decision.
Guan Weiping firmly believed in one thing: following the boss's lead. Therefore, he used this opportunity to express his goodwill to Chen Yang.
"Third Brother, what are you doing here?" Chen Yang had just hung up the phone when Cao Xiao's teasing voice came from behind him. "For your illness, just find a telephone pole and call the number on it. Why bother going to the hospital?"
Chen Yang turned around and saw Cao Xiao and his roommate Chi Yunfei standing behind him. Chi Yunfei was as dull and wooden as ever, while Cao Xiao had a mischievous grin on his face.
"You're the one who wants to see the retired military doctor!" Chen Yang chuckled, annoyed. "I'm waiting for someone here, where are you guys going?"
"Internet cafe!" Cao Xiao said, looking dejected. "The construction near the dormitory seems to have cut the fiber optic cable, and the internet in the whole building is down. I was just thinking of playing a few rounds of LoL, but I had plans with everyone. I had no choice but to go to the internet cafe so as not to disappoint my comrades!"
"Take it easy! A little bit of gaming is fine, but too much is bad for your health, and excessive gaming will lead to your demise!" Chen Yang said with a laugh, then turned to Chi Yunfei, asking in surprise, "Second brother, you're not going to the internet cafe too, are you? That's not like you!"
Chi Yunfei pushed up his thick glasses and said:
"I'm going to look up some information..."
"Oh..." Chi Yunfei was a typical academic genius, or to put it simply, a bookworm. He could spend all day in the library, and he received countless awards and scholarships. Chen Yang couldn't believe he'd go to an internet cafe for entertainment, but going there to look up information was exactly his style. Chen Yang nodded in sudden realization.
At that moment, Liu Xinyao and a reluctant Yang Xiaoxian emerged from the building. The sunlight was a bit glaring, and Liu Xinyao, not fully recovered, looked slightly pale. She shielded her eyes with one hand, squinting at Chen Yang, and said,
"Let's go!"
Without waiting for Chen Yang, she coolly strode towards the administration building.
Yang Xiaoxian glared at Chen Yang, slightly raised her chin, and left without looking back.
Chen Yang quickly greeted the stunned Cao Xiao and Chi Yunfei, then hurried after Liu Xinyao.
Cao Xiao muttered to himself,
"Second Brother, am I seeing things? Was that Liu Xinyao? Isn't Third Brother's girlfriend Su He? This world is crazy... Wait, Liu Xinyao just came out of the hospital! Damn! Third Brother, could you have gotten her pregnant...?"
Cao Xiao muttered to himself for a while before noticing that Chi Yunfei was staring blankly at Yang Xiaoxian's departing figure, completely oblivious to his words. He couldn't help but pat him and whisper in his ear,
"Second Brother... Second Brother! What are you thinking about so intently?"
"Ah!" Startled by Cao Xiao's pat on the shoulder, Chi Yunfei blushed suddenly. "What is it, Fourth Brother?"
Cao Xiao looked at Chi Yunfei, then back at Yang Xiaoxian's retreating figure, repeating this several times until Chi Yunfei felt a chill run down his spine. Then, a meaningful smile appeared on Cao Xiao's face.
"Second Brother... you've finally figured it out!"