"You guess?" Long Xingyue hummed a little tune as she returned to her office. Teasing Shu Lanzhou was a rare amusement. Despite the girl's exceptional skills in medicine, she was surprisingly slow in certain areas.
Shu Lanzhou turned her head with a pout. "Fine, if you won't tell me, I won't tell you about Han Weicheng's condition either. I'm leaving."
Seeing her turn and walk away, Long Xingyue couldn't help but click her tongue. "You little brat, since when did your temper get so fiery? Come back—I'll tell you."
Shu Lanzhou lit up and eagerly ran back. "Coming, coming!"
Back in the office, she poured herself a cup of tea, sipping it while giving Long Xingyue a nosy, gossip-hungry look.
Long Xingyue laughed at the sight of her. "You're a department head now, leading your own team, yet here you are acting like a child. Aren't you worried someone might see you?"
"But that's only in front of you. To you, I'll always be a kid." Shu Lanzhou smiled and sat across from her.
Long Xingyue put away her grin and got down to business. "Xiang Hua got dragged into this because of Han Weicheng. Apparently, Han's research applications were repeatedly denied until Xiang helped push them through."
"Now that Han's research has gone south, Xiang is naturally being investigated too. But as long as he wasn't directly involved, it shouldn't be a big problem. He should be able to return once everything's cleared."
Shu Lanzhou looked skeptical. "You really think he can come back that easily? I wouldn't be so sure."
"Who knows?" Long Xingyue sighed. "With him gone, my workload has doubled. I can hardly find time to step into the lab anymore."
Shu Lanzhou chuckled. "You sound disappointed. Don't tell me you want him to come back?"
"Honestly? He's not a bad guy. Capable too. Otherwise, my father wouldn't have kept him around in the first place." Long Xingyue was quite candid.
"If you ask me, as long as it's not a matter of serious wrongdoing, I can tolerate it. With him around, I can focus more on traditional medicine research."
"Especially now that the new acupuncture clinic at the National Hospital just launched—there's way too much on my plate."
Shu Lanzhou paused. "But have you thought about this? If your foundation isn't solid, all your efforts could go to waste. Instead of constantly being on guard, wouldn't it be better to solve the problem once and for all?"
"Heh... young people always think in absolutes." Long Xingyue waved dismissively.
"People change. Who really stays loyal forever? Even those I personally mentored could betray me, let alone others."
"Rather than starting from scratch with someone new, I'd rather stick with Xiang Hua. At least he's somewhat reliable and capable."
Despite her words, Shu Lanzhou didn't agree.
"Uncle Long, I still believe in repaying sincerity with sincerity. Director Xiang made a mistake—that's why he's under investigation. Even if you don't want to replace the leadership, you'll have to."
"If you're afraid of trouble or future risks, the best approach is to choose someone you already understand from the start—it'll save you the trouble of adapting later, don't you think?"
Long Xingyue waved her hand. "We'll see. I need to think this over carefully. Anyway, how's Han Weicheng doing? Is he awake? How's his condition?"
Shu Lanzhou tapped her fingers on the table. "Not awake yet, but he's close. No signs of organ failure. I just came to let you know—please have the nurses keep a closer eye on him. I'm worried he might wake up in the middle of the night."
"You're afraid he'll escape?" Long Xingyue chuckled. "Don't worry, the police are stationed there, and I'll have others watching too. He won't get away."
"..."
Escape was only part of the concern. What worried Shu Lanzhou more was the potential complications once he woke—his body had been behaving strangely lately.
Leaving Long Xingyue's office, Shu Lanzhou planned to head straight home.
But just as she reached the hospital entrance, someone stopped her—a young man in athletic gear with a baseball cap, radiating youthful energy.
He wore a bright, sunny smile and held a large bouquet of roses.
"Dr. Shu, thank you for saving me. I was wondering if I could treat you to a meal?" Zhang Zhecai looked at the woman in front of him—she was even more beautiful than he'd imagined.
Not the stunning-at-first-sight type, but the more you looked, the more likable she became.
He had heard she was several years older than him, but to him, she still looked like a girl.
Shu Lanzhou blinked in confusion. "And you are?"
"Oh! I should introduce myself. I'm Zhang Zhecai—Zhang Chengyou's son." He handed the flowers toward her, not caring if she remembered him or not.
"I know my father did a lot of harm to you all, but that wasn't my intention. I didn't understand what was going on between the Zhangs and the Mus. Now I realize I misjudged everything."
"Especially you, Dr. Shu. Even knowing we were being hostile, you still saved me without hesitation. That's a kindness I'll never forget."
"Sis—can I call you sis?" Zhang Zhecai looked at her pleadingly. "I promise I'll never bother the Mu family again. Please forgive me, okay?"
Shu Lanzhou dodged the roses and sneezed, turning her head. "Could you take those flowers away? The smell is overpowering."
She sneezed again.
"You're mistaken," she said calmly. "I didn't save you because I was forgiving—I'm a doctor. I would've saved anyone in that situation. It had nothing to do with your identity."
"Your promise doesn't mean much to me. Whether the Zhangs continue targeting the Mus or not, we don't care—we've always acted with a clear conscience."
"I heard your mother was taken in by the police. Instead of going to post her bail, you come running to me? Kind of makes me question your intentions."
"So tell me, are you here to ask me—or the Mu family—to get your father out, or your mother?"
Zhang Zhecai had expected to be rejected, but not like this. Shu Lanzhou's words didn't just shut him down—they tore off his face and stomped on it.
"That's not…" Hugging the roses back to his chest, he said, "Come on, Sis, don't be so harsh. My parents were taken in because they broke the law."
"I'm trying to make amends, to thank the one who saved me. What did I do wrong? What ulterior motives could I have?"
Shu Lanzhou nodded. "Alright. As long as you're not trying to cut corners to free them. But… you're pretty unfilial."
She clicked her tongue and waved him off as she started crossing the street.
"Your parents should be punished if they broke the law—but your mother's situation is just a mistake. She could be bailed out. You didn't even think of that, did you?"
"Zhang Zhecai, I saved you because it's a doctor's duty. You weren't dying, so don't call it a life-saving favor."
"Go home. Don't come looking for me again."
"Damn it!" Zhang Zhecai, hot-blooded as he was, couldn't take the insult. He flung the roses aside and gave them a kick. But moments later, unwilling to give up, he ran back to pick them up and dust them off before chasing after her.
"Dr. Shu, I didn't mean anything else—please, hear me out?"