Chapter Ten: The Lingering Figure

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Deng Xiangwen brought the individuals back to the Public Security Bureau. Harassment of female colleagues could be a minor or major matter. He had initially intended to follow Boss Huo’s wishes and severely punish the two men, but before anything was decided, he received a call.

To his surprise, it was the Deputy Director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau calling. This was a high-ranking official he rarely had the chance to interact with in his life. He answered respectfully, furrowing his brow.

The Chen family?

Which Chen family?

It couldn’t be...

Deng Xiangwen swallowed nervously. Before he could gather his thoughts, the phone rang again.

After this call, his composure completely collapsed.

What kind of situation was this?

On one hand, he was told to just go through the motions and release the men, on the other, he was instructed to handle the matter seriously.

Being shrewd, after weighing the pros and cons, he decided to treat the matter seriously.

...

Huo Yixun had just returned to Shanghai City when Chief of Staff Zhang completed the investigation he had assigned.

Upon learning that Chen Hongbo came from a medical family, Huo pondered for a moment and said, “I recall the Second Military District Hospital is recruiting doctors?”

Chief Zhang nodded.

“Allocate two positions to Zhouxing Town Health Center.”

Faced with Huo Yixun’s directive, Chief Zhang was initially puzzled but soon caught on. A glint shone in his eyes as a sly smile appeared on his lips. “Should we let the health center in on something?”

Huo Yixun gave him a cold glance. “What does Chief Zhang want to reveal to them?”

The chief feigned innocence and awkwardly left the office.

As the summer disaster relief work wound down, the scorching heat gradually faded. Looking up, only the dim yellow light stood solitary in the night rain, evoking a sense of desolation and loneliness.

Huo Yixun hung up the phone, marking the end of the final disaster relief report.

By the time he finished washing and lay down, it was exactly ten o’clock at night.

Usually, he fell asleep quickly, but perhaps the noisy rain tonight kept him awake.

The increasing sound of rain outside resembled vividly the scene of rescuing that woman from the water.

Yet, quietly reflecting, a certain part of his body stirred.

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He refrained from touching it, attempting to force his eyes shut to sleep, but the more he tried, the more the woman’s image magnified in his mind.

From the start, Huo Yixun had sensed that Jiang Shiyi had approached him with some ulterior motive.

He resisted this deeply.

Thinking this through, the persistent figure finally began to fade from his thoughts.

Meanwhile, Jiang Shiyi had been too busy returning to the health center today to check her Heartbeat Score. Finally, at night, Wang Chuxin dragged her into a long, rambling discussion filled with romantic idealism.

Now that Wang Chuxin was on night duty, Jiang Shiyi finally had some time for herself.

She eagerly opened the system panel.

Looking up, she nearly fainted with disbelief. This was way off the mark!

She nearly swore out loud.

Suppressing her emotions, Jiang Shiyi stared at the meager 20 points on her Heartbeat Score and slowly regained her composure.

The first time was zero; the second and third times, she nearly got full marks.

The fourth time, which was last night, they were on the verge of starting a “procreation plan,” yet she only scored 20 points.

Jiang Shiyi immediately understood: Minister Huo must be into self-inflicted suffering.

Enjoying the torment of unfulfilled desire, huh?

Fine!

I’ll satisfy you then!

News of the recruitment at the Second Military District Hospital only reached Jiang Shiyi the next day. She felt as if even heaven was looking out for her; what reason did she have not to fight for this spot?

Moreover, it seemed destined. Normally, contract workers like her wouldn’t qualify for this recruitment.

Yet this time, the hospital leadership said that as long as all assessments were satisfactory, whether a formal employee or not, candidates could participate.

Hearing this, Jiang Shiyi was energized.

As long as she didn’t burn out, she would work herself to the bone!

What she didn’t know was that even if she hadn’t worked so hard, one of the spots would have gone to her anyway.

The health center’s leadership wasn’t foolish; they had heard of Chen Hongbo’s attempted misconduct toward Jiang Shiyi, and apparently, Chen Hongbo was still detained.

Besides, their health center was small; even the county people’s hospital might not qualify for a military district hospital recruitment spot.

Clearly, there was some ulterior motive behind this.

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Time swiftly moved into October. If Shanghai’s climate was usually hot and dry, now it carried the coolness of autumn.

That afternoon, the hospital leadership was to announce the selected candidates for the military district hospital.

The choice had narrowed to Jiang Shiyi and three other doctors.

During this period, Jiang Shiyi had gained considerable recognition for her professional skills.

However, the other three doctors were also outstanding, capable of performing many difficult surgeries with rich experience.

After multiple rounds of screening, the hospital leadership ultimately recommended Jiang Shiyi and another female doctor to the Second Military District Hospital.

Half a month later, the recommendation letters sent to the military district hospital received a reply. Jiang Shiyi and the other female doctor’s backgrounds were verified, and they were notified to report next Monday.

During this time, Jiang Shiyi made a trip back to her hometown to inform Zhou Huailing and the others clearly that she had been recommended to work at the city’s military hospital.

Proud to see their child succeed, her parents were naturally delighted. Zhou Huailing even painfully parted with money to buy Jiang Shiyi a cell phone, saying she worried about her going out alone and wanted her to call home immediately if anything happened.

By late October, the sky was clear and bright, a pure azure dotted with white clouds—a rare fine day.

When Jiang Shiyi arrived to report at the Second Military District Hospital, many people were already gathered outside, each holding their respective recommendation letters.

They chatted in small groups, forming little cliques.

The female doctor accompanying Jiang Shiyi, who had both envied and resented her before, now awkwardly started a conversation to ease the tension.

Jiang Shiyi, however, remained much more reserved toward her, knowing she had come here with one purpose: to win over Minister Huo, who seemed to enjoy self-inflicted suffering.

While she and the female doctor made small talk, she suddenly heard someone calling her.

Turning her head, she saw a man with glasses waving at her from a short distance.

He had an exceptionally refined appearance; his perfectly proportioned height and the serene expression between his brows gave him a gentle and elegant aura.

Jiang Shiyi quickly searched her mind for information about him and instantly understood.

He was a familiar acquaintance of the original owner, named Lin Yu.

They were actually relatives to some degree, but because Zhou Huailing had married the original owner’s father, their contact was limited, only occasionally chatting when Jiang Shiyi accompanied Zhou Huailing to her grandmother’s house.

Lin Yu approached and said, “I didn’t expect it really to be you. It’s been so many years—I thought I had mistaken you for someone else.”

Jiang Shiyi smiled politely. “I’m here to report.”

Compared to Jiang Shiyi’s politeness, Lin Yu’s tone was gentler.

“What a coincidence. I’m the one responsible for coordinating with you this time.”