Everyone chatted and laughed as they returned to the courtyard. At this time, Boss Hu and Gao Chujing had already gotten up. Although Boss Hu was thin, he seemed to be in good health, leisurely fanning himself with a folding fan while watching cartoons with Thomas Xu and the others. On the other hand, Gao Chujing, though robust, looked a bit weak; he had a pale face from a hangover and sat dazed at the table, his eyes slightly glazed over.
"Lao Gao, you really slept soundly! I bet even if a zombie came to carry you away last night, you wouldn't have woken up!" Cao Mei said, walking over to the table with two large paper bags, shaking her head as she glanced at him.
"Haha~ Mei Jie, don't underestimate him. He's a 'oily sleeve cadre' who has passed the 'alcohol test.' He drank the most last night, so it's normal for him to sleep in now!" Thomas Xu lifted his head from behind the screen and laughed heartily at Gao Chujing.
"Oh dear~ I really overdid it last night. You guys were out there killing and having gun battles, and I didn't even know!" Gao Chujing lifted his head wearily, looking at William Guodong and the others who were coming in one after another. He then smiled and stood up, extending his hand towards William Guodong, saying, "Hehe~ You must be the new friends. I am Gao Chujing from the United Front Work Department of Jiangcheng City Committee!"
Gao Chujing habitually mentioned his previous workplace, but it seemed that William Guodong and the others didn't react, and they all came up to shake hands with Gao Chujing, introducing themselves with the titles they used in normal society before.
"Oh, Gao Ge, what a coincidence! I am very familiar with Minister Ryan from your place. Last time during the New Year, our families even gathered together!" Marcus Kai came up with a surprised expression, shaking hands with Gao Chujing while saying, "I'm Marcus Kai, the law firm I run is called Zhi Cheng. If you ever need anything, just let me know, don't be shy. I have some capabilities in public security and law!"
Gao Chujing was also smiling broadly, waiting to receive the business card as usual. He nodded and looked towards Marcus Kai's wife, but at that moment, Ryan Tingyu looked like a village girl, carrying a basket full of sweet potatoes, and she was covered in mud from Marcus. Feeling embarrassed, she looked at her husband and said shyly, "A Kai, what do you need a business card for now? Besides, you didn't even bring your car!"
"Hahaha… Lao Gao, are you guys putting on a show? You're killing me!"
Jiao Jiao, who walked in behind, saw the awkward expressions on their faces and immediately burst into laughter, pointing at Gao Chujing and Marcus Kai, laughing so hard she could hardly breathe.
"Uh…" Marcus Kai's face immediately turned red with embarrassment, and he awkwardly said to Gao Chujing, "Gao Ge, I thought we were on vacation in the countryside!"
"Hahaha… Don't mind it, don't mind it. I also drank too much last night and still haven't sobered up!" Gao Chujing also looked embarrassed but still politely urged Marcus Kai and the others to sit down comfortably.
"Hehe~ Marcus, it seems like you often deal with these officials. You must have to do quite a few shady things for them every year, right?" Thomas Xu said, taking a bag of peanuts that Bingbing handed over, eating while looking at Marcus with a grin.
"Who wouldn't say that!" Marcus nodded. At this point, he had nothing to be coy about. After sitting down, he spoke frankly: "Generally, high-ranking officials wouldn't come looking for us. But just like that minister with Gao Ge, he's neither a big nor a small official, and he also serves as the deputy director of the People's Congress. If he wants to take a mistress and fight for custody of the children with his original wife, he naturally has to come to us. We've also dealt with some cases where people break up with their lovers and need to sign agreements!"
"Haha~ I said that day, Minister Ryan's face looked like a big clown after being caught. He even said it was just because he drank too much and got scratched by branches. Turns out he wanted to divorce his first wife!" Gao Chujing became excited upon hearing the private matters of his former leader.
"That old guy, even if this doomsday doesn't happen, he's bound to fall sooner or later!" Marcus shook his head disdainfully and said, "He's about to retire in a few years, yet he still won't settle down. All his dirty laundry is basically in his original wife's hands, and his mistress has quite a bit of information too. I was really busy mediating between them during that time; it gave me a headache. If it weren't for the sudden world doomsday, the discipline inspection commission would have found him long ago!"
"Damn, it would be great if there were no doomsday! Once he's gone, our deputy minister will definitely move up. I'm qualified enough; as long as I make some moves, the deputy minister position will be mine!" Gao Chujing slapped the table in frustration, sighed heavily, and then looked at Marcus's partner, Ryan Tingyu, blinking and saying, "Marcus, your partner looks really familiar. Does she work in a hospital?"
"Yes, she works as the head nurse in the obstetrics and gynecology department at Jiangcheng People's Hospital. Have you met her?" Marcus nodded, somewhat surprised.
"Oh~" Gao Chujing suddenly elongated his tone, carefully sizing up Ryan Tingyu a few times, then leaned over, squinting at her and asked, "Do you know Jiang Yinghong?"
"I know her. Yinghong is a colleague of mine at the hospital. You are…" Ryan Tingyu looked at Gao Chujing with some confusion, trying hard to recognize him, but it seemed she couldn't figure out who he was.
"I'm her friend!" Gao Chujing said lightly, but then turned around and pressed down on Gao Yuanyuan, who was about to speak, gently patting his daughter's little head and saying, "Yuanyuan, you watch the movie well. Adults are talking, so don't interrupt!"
"Oh~ Old Gao, are you reminiscing about an old lover?" Boss Hu shook his folding fan and chuckled, but seeing Gao Chujing's dark expression looking at him, Boss Hu chuckled awkwardly a couple of times and turned his head back to the computer.
"You work in the obstetrics and gynecology department?" Thomas Xu suddenly exclaimed. Seeing Ryan Tingyu nod in surprise, he immediately jumped up and asked, "Then you must assist in deliveries, right?"
"I can't do that, I'm just a nurse!" Ryan Tingyu quickly shook her head. What kind of nurse would assist in childbirth? At most, she understood the general principles.
"That doesn't matter, anyway, you definitely know more than the average person. Come with me quickly!" Thomas Xu excitedly rushed over and grabbed Ryan Tingyu's arm, saying to the astonished Marcus Kai beside him, "Old Marcus, I'm borrowing your wife for a bit!"
"..." Marcus Kai almost choked on Thomas Xu's words. How could a wife be borrowed?
As he spoke, Thomas Xu didn't care about the awkwardness of his words and pulled Ryan Tingyu to a corner of the yard. There, Lu Jia was hanging the clothes that Thomas Xu had washed on a wire. When she saw Thomas Xu rushing over, her face suddenly turned red, and she lowered her head, mumbling, "What are you here for?"
"I…" Thomas Xu moved his lips, and his excitement vanished in an instant. He irritably scratched his head, then remembered he was still holding someone's hand. He quickly brought Ryan Tingyu in front of him and pointed at her, saying, "Sister-in-law, this is Dr. Ryan, oh no, I mean Nurse Ryan, or rather the head nurse. She specializes in obstetrics and gynecology, so if you have any questions, just ask her!"
"Okay, I understand!" Lu Jia glanced at Ryan Tingyu and gently nodded, thenHe said to Thomas Xu with a faint smile, "You may leave now. Some things are too sensitive to discuss here."
"Oh…" Thomas Xu replied weakly. Just as he was about to turn around, he stopped again, glanced at Ryan Tingyu beside him, and stepped forward to whisper to Lu Jia, "Sister-in-law… I really didn't mean to do that last night. Please don't be mad at me, okay?"
"What should I do then? Burst out laughing?" Lu Jia shot Thomas Xu a blank look, stuffed all the clothes he had given her back into his hands, and said somewhat angrily, "Aren't you leaving? Do you want everyone to know about it?"
"I… I'm leaving!" Thomas Xu turned around dejectedly, said a word of trouble to Ryan Tingyu, and slowly walked away with his head down.
"Is Thomas Xu okay?" Ryan Tingyu noticed something was off with Thomas Xu and cautiously asked Lu Jia.
"Don't pay attention to him!" Lu Jia glanced at Thomas Xu's back with a complicated expression, then turned to Ryan Tingyu and said, "Sister Ryan, my condition has been worsening these past two days…"