When Gu Fei saw Xu Fenli finally come out with her luggage, he let out a sigh of relief.
He had been worried that she would soften again, deceived by Gu Dalei’s crocodile tears, and back out at the last minute. If that happened, there really wouldn’t be anything he could do about this foolish woman.
Gu Fei: “Insecurity is both an insult to oneself and a burden on the other person. I don’t want to belittle myself, nor do I want to put pressure on him.”
The neighbor gave a dry laugh, thinking, Isn’t this guy a little too arrogant, self-absorbed, and shameless?
Gu Fei: “I know I’m not good enough for him. In many ways, I fall short. That’s why I’ll simply do my best in the areas where I can match him.”
His phone buzzed with a WeChat notification.
Gu Fei glanced at the screen. It was a message.
Gu Fei: Prosecutor Lin, do I have your approval to proceed?
Lin Hening: Approved.
Xu Fenli’s eyes were red—clearly, she had been crying.
Gu Dalei was a man who could be both ruthless and submissive. He could wield a knife to fight someone, yet also kneel and beg loan sharks for mercy. Gu Fei figured he must have cried his heart out, desperately pleading for Xu Fenli’s forgiveness. But this time, she finally stood her ground.
Without wasting a second, Gu Fei took Xu Fenli back to the city.
His adoptive mother was willing to take her in, but the second floor of the restaurant was too small for them all to live in, and it wasn’t convenient either. The next day, Gu Fei went out to find a place. There were plenty of “For Rent” signs in nearby apartment windows, but the rent in that area was too high. He had no choice but to go through an agent to look further out. Fortunately, they found a place with a great layout, a decent size, and a very reasonable price. Gu Fei signed the lease on the spot and moved in with Xu Fenli.
That evening, Gu Fei called Lin Hening. The first time, there was no answer, so he didn’t call again and focused on setting up the new home with Xu Fenli.
An hour later, Lin Hening called back.
Lin Hening: “Good evening, almost boyfriend.”
Gu Fei was briefly stunned before the corners of his lips curled up. “Are you off work, almost boyfriend?”
Lin Hening chuckled. “Sorry, I fell asleep and didn’t hear the call. I’m still at the office.”
Gu Fei’s voice softened. “What time do you get off?”
Lin Hening had never heard Gu Fei speak so gently before. The sound of it made him dazed for a few seconds before he lazily replied, “Not sure… working late tonight.”
The closer it got to the holidays, the more work piled up. After a few more exchanged words, Lin Hening had to get back to work.
The office was silent except for the rustling of pages and the occasional exhausted coughs.
Lin Hening told the colleague with two kids at home to head out first. She laughed and shook her head. “If none of you are leaving, how can I?”
A glance at his watch showed it was nearly 10 PM. That’s when he realized—he hadn’t had dinner yet. He asked without much hope, “Is there still food in the cafeteria?”
Lin Hening sighed. “Ninety percent chance, no.”
The colleague with kids refused to give up. “And the remaining ten percent?”
Lin Hening: “A pot of cold soup leftovers.”
“…Might as well eat instant noodles,” she groaned.
Lin Hening was usually too focused when working to notice hunger. But now that someone had reminded him, he finally felt it—damn, I’m starving!
Then again, after starving for a while, the hunger dulled. He didn’t feel much discomfort—just a little weak.
He didn’t want instant noodles, and he was too lazy to order takeout. Maybe he’d just wait until breakfast.
Just then, Xiao Wei ran into the office, footsteps loud and urgent, carrying two large bags of food. “Shifu, you are my real shifu!”
Lin Hening blinked. “?”
“The delivery guy left this at the front desk, and they passed it to me. Shifu, you’re amazing—I’m about to cry!”
The bags were placed on the table, and everyone crowded around.
A large portion of braised chicken, a large portion of sweet and sour ribs, a large portion of curry beef brisket, a large portion of garlic broccoli—meat, veggies, and even an “anti-cancer star” dish. In total, ten dishes and one soup covered half the desk. The aroma alone was enough to make their souls ascend.
The starving coworkers had tears in their eyes. “Lin Jian, you’re incredible—we could cry!”
Lin Hening: “…”
The colleague with kids, practically seeing stars from hunger, joined the others in cheering for Lin Hening. Then she grabbed a bowl of rice and started devouring the food.
Lin Hening quickly checked his phone.
At the top of his WeChat messages was a text from Gu Fei:
Gu Fei: Did the food arrive?
Gu Fei: I wasn’t sure how many people were in your office. Is it enough?
Gu Fei: If not, I’ll send another batch over.
“Holy crap, these ribs are amazing!”
“I swear, this is the best braised chicken I’ve had in my entire life.”
“Lin Jian, where did you order this from? Give me the name—I’m never eating anywhere else!”
The others were too busy stuffing their faces to say anything more.
The office had turned into a feast fit for starving ghosts.
Lin Hening couldn’t resist snapping a picture of the scene and sending it to Gu Fei.
Gu Fei: Did you eat?
Lin Hening chuckled and sent a picture of his own meal.
Gu Fei: Eat more, and don’t forget to drink the sea cucumber soup.
“This food is amazing, but it’s missing some chili.”
“Yeah, it’s not authentic without spice. But that garlic broccoli is packed with flavor, and the tomato eggplant is seasoned perfectly!”
“It’s a bit mild—Lao Li, bring out your Lao Gan Ma chili sauce!”
Lin Hening happened to love garlic-flavored vegetables and tomato-seasoned eggplant. Since his stomach wasn’t great, he avoided spicy and overly salty foods.
His heart felt warm. Soft.
A sip of soup sent warmth all the way down his throat to his stomach.
—
While Lin Hening was feeling warm and fuzzy, Xia Zhile, on the other hand, was feeling downright miserable.
Since stepping into the new calendar year, misfortune seemed to cling to Xia Zhile—nothing was going his way.
The deputy director title, which he had thought was almost guaranteed, slipped through his fingers. According to some insider gossip, the frontrunner was now his competitor. As soon as this news spread, the opportunistic bootlickers in his department wasted no time cozying up to the new favorite.
Furious, Xia Zhile punched the wall and called An Nian to vent. He ranted about how that guy Liu had no real ability, had only gotten into Ruitan Hospital through connections, and instead of improving his medical skills, spent all his time brown-nosing the department head. Every time he saw the hospital director, he acted like he was meeting his long-lost father, practically groveling at his feet.
Xia Zhile despised people like that—people who had no self-respect and were eager to be lackeys. Disgusting!
The so-called deputy director title was just licked into place!
An Nian was equally indignant and tried to comfort him before excitedly sharing some good news: “The author I’m managing just made it onto the bestseller list! The company even publicly praised me. Let’s celebrate tonight!”
He had just lost his title, and An Nian wanted to celebrate?
And besides, wasn’t An Nian’s family the one that owned the publishing house? Was getting praise from his own family really worth celebrating? Normally, Xia Zhile wouldn’t mind, but after being beaten down by nepotism at work, hearing An Nian smugly talk about how a certain coworker was “foolish to even try competing” lit a fire inside him.
A sudden wave of resentment against the privileged elite surged in Xia Zhile’s chest.
“That coworker of yours has been working there for over ten years, right? And you’ve only been in the industry for a few?”
An Nian froze. “Xia Zhile, what are you trying to say?”
Xia Zhile realized he had said the wrong thing, but he was in a bad mood and didn’t feel like backtracking. He brushed it off and hung up the phone.
The very next second, his phone started blowing up like it had a virus—ding ding ding ding nonstop.
He declined the call. It rang again. He declined. It rang again. Finally, he had no choice but to answer. “An Nian.”
“Xia Zhile, are you calling me a nepotism hire? Are you saying I don’t deserve my success?”
“How could you say that about me?!”
“Every achievement I have, I earned! You’re making it sound like I stole something!”
“I can deal with others misunderstanding me, but you—how could you think that?”
He just wanted some peace.
Xia Zhile turned off his phone and didn’t turn it back on until evening.
The moment he did, an explosion of notifications flooded in, making his head throb.
WeChat was packed with unread messages—question marks, exclamation points—so many that his eyes hurt just looking at them.
He and Lin Hening were both the type to stay calm even during arguments. Even if they fought, they would naturally give each other space to cool off afterward—no one would pester the other.
An Nian’s behavior, though? Xia Zhile couldn’t handle it.
The An Nian he once knew—gentle, understanding—was changing, becoming more and more emotionally unstable.
His excessive dependence and clinginess meant he was always calling, always texting, at all hours. Once, Xia Zhile had been in a meeting, so he put his phone on silent. When he finally checked it later, the screen was flooded with unread messages. He called An Nian back, and An Nian, sounding hurt, said, I thought you didn’t want to talk to me anymore.
At the time, Xia Zhile felt guilty and comforted him for a long time.
He used to enjoy feeling “needed”—it satisfied his protective instincts. But once or twice was nice; ten or twenty times became exhausting.
And An Nian noticed.
Whenever Xia Zhile showed even the slightest impatience, An Nian would immediately demand, What do you mean? Are you getting tired of me?
One time, after finishing surgery, Xia Zhile checked his phone and saw 99+ unread messages. Before he could respond, An Nian called and immediately interrogated him:
“Where are you? Why didn’t you answer my calls? Are you with Lin Hening?”
Ever since An Nian had caught him meeting Lin Hening at a café, he had developed a paranoia—constantly suspicious, constantly anxious.
An Nian had been crying when he accused him, sobbing uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face. Xia Zhile couldn’t bear it, so he patiently reassured him over and over, promising he would never meet with Lin Hening in private again, that they had long since blocked each other, that there was no chance of rekindling anything.
Only then did An Nian finally calm down, letting the issue drop.
Feeling dejected, Xia Zhile gazed out the window, and suddenly, his eyes widened in shock.
Down below, stepping out of a car—was Lin Hening!
Why was he here?
He didn’t look sick. He was walking briskly, full of energy.
Was he here to see me?!
Xia Zhile’s heart pounded wildly as he watched Lin Hening enter the inpatient building.
No, no, maybe he has another reason.
But… Lin Hening didn’t know anyone else at Ruitan Hospital.
So then—he must be here for me!
Xia Zhile stood frozen for a moment, then cracked his office door open just a bit.
The elevator dinged in the distance. A moment later, Lin Hening appeared at the entrance of the department.
He really did come for me?!
Xia Zhile suddenly felt flustered. What should he do? Should he go out to meet him, or wait for him to come in?
He was coming—he was getting closer!
A jolt ran through Xia Zhile’s body. He instinctively stood up straight, eyes locked on Lin Hening as he strode directly toward him.
What do I do? What should I say?!
Why was he here?
Lin Hening: “Xia Zhile.”
Could it be…?
Had my scolding at the café finally woken him up, making him realize he shouldn’t let himself sink so low?
And then—after deep reflection—had he come to the conclusion that I was still the one who truly deserved him?
Was he here to ask for a reconciliation?!
The more Xia Zhile thought about it, the more convinced he became.
But that made things tricky.
If Lin Hening really did ask to get back together, what would he say?
What about An Nian?
One was his untouchable white moonlight, the other his irremovable red cinnabar mole. It was an impossible dilemma—who was he supposed to choose?!
Lin Hening said, “Is Zhang Wangchun in a stable enough condition to answer my questions?”
Xia Zhile blinked. “Huh?”
Lin Hening shot him a glance. “Aren’t you Zhang Wangchun’s attending physician?”
Xia Zhile dumbly nodded. “Uh-huh.”
Lin Hening’s expression remained indifferent. “Just checking.”
Then he turned and left.
Xia Zhile was caught off guard. “Ah—!”
Following behind, Xiao Wei asked, “Master, what’s up with your ex?”
Lin Hening stepped into the hospital room and replied flatly, “Either took the wrong meds or forgot to take them.”
Zhang Wangchun, the father of Zhang Bin—the suspect in the Lotus Corpse Dismemberment Case—had been hospitalized after a heart attack. Lin Hening was there for questioning. The patient’s room was not only occupied by a pale and exhausted Zhang Wangchun but also an entire legal team, standing guard like an imperial escort.
After nearly two hours of legal tug-of-war, Lin Hening finally left the hospital room.
Xiao Wei asked, “Should we let Dr. Xia know?”
Lin Hening shot a cold glance at his seemingly brain-damaged apprentice.
Xiao Wei immediately shut up and hurried ahead to press the elevator button for his master.
Once inside the car, Xiao Wei began analyzing the case while Lin Hening buckled his seatbelt. As he looked up, he caught sight of a figure standing by a second-floor window in the outpatient department.
A single glance at that back was enough for him to recognize who it was.
Xiao Wei continued, “So Zhang Wangchun may not have been an accomplice, but he definitely covered for his son. He—Master? What are you looking at?”
“…Nothing,” Lin Hening said, looking perplexed. “I think I just saw Gu Fei.”
Xiao Wei thought for a moment. “The restaurant owner who crashed into your car?”
Lin Hening nodded. “The takeout you had last week was from his place.”
Xiao Wei’s eyes lit up with realization. He craned his neck to get a better look. “No way! So that’s him? Damn, talk about not judging a book by its cover!”
At first glance, you’d think he was just some street brawler—you’d never guess he was an incredible cook.
Great cooking skills usually implied dexterous hands, which in turn gave people the impression of someone homely and good at household chores. That image didn’t match Gu Fei’s build at all.
The sheer contrast was mind-blowing!
Xiao Wei mumbled in confusion, “But why would he be here?”
Gu Fei wasn’t some major franchise owner, just a small-time restaurant boss who drove a beat-up second-hand van. He or his relatives wouldn’t have any business being in a high-end hospital like Ruitan.
Then, a light bulb went off in Xiao Wei’s head. He declared confidently, “He must be here delivering takeout!”
Gu Fei stood with his back to the window, facing a woman in a white lab coat. They seemed to be talking.
Even from a distance, Lin Hening could tell the woman was beautiful—probably younger than Gu Fei.
He nodded thoughtfully, but didn’t dwell on it.
Xiao Wei boldly suggested, “Want to go say hi to Boss Gu?”
This time, Lin Hening didn’t shoot him a glare.
He actually did want to.
But duty called, and he didn’t have time.
Lin Hening simply said, “Let’s go. We need to visit the victim’s mother.”
