Sent to the countryside, I turned the health center into a top-tier hospital.

The door opened a crack, and a fat man stood behind it, his shirt collar open, no tie, and his face flushed red, whether from drinking or something else, it was hard to tell.

He squinted and looked outside, saw Cui Ying, paused for a moment, and before he could speak, Chen Ping squeezed in from the side.

The room wasn't big, with a large bed, white sheets, a white duvet cover, and a bedside lamp on, casting a dim, yellowish light.

Su Meng lay on the bed, her shoes off, lying askew on the floor, one standing upright, the other fallen over.

Her trench coat was half unbuttoned, with two buttons undone, revealing a white inner layer underneath.

Her hair was scattered on the pillow, her face was an unnatural red, her lips were dry, her eyes were closed, her brows were furrowed, and her breathing was rapid and shallow.

Her hand rested on the edge of the bed, her fingers slightly curled. The ring mark on her ring finger was still there; it had only been a little over a month since the divorce, and the mark hadn't completely faded.

The fat man turned around, saw Chen Ping, and his expression changed from confused to clear-headed, and then from clear-headed to ugly.

He recognized Chen Ping, his lips twitched down slightly, he pulled up the open collar of his shirt and tried to button it, but after pressing the buttons twice without success, he put his hand down.

"Chen Ping? How did you get in?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an annoyance at being caught out, as if he were blaming someone for being there.

Chen Ping didn't look at him. He walked to the bedside, bent down, and pulled Su Meng's trench coat up to cover her exposed inner layer.

"How much did you give her to drink?" Chen Ping straightened up, turned around, and looked at the fat man.

His voice wasn't loud, and there was fire in his eyes, but it didn't come out; it was suppressed under his throat.

Chen Ping has now recognized the fat man as Qi Guofu, the director of the Health Bureau, who is also Su Meng's superior.

Chen Ping had attended the Health Bureau's annual meeting twice, so he knew Qi Guofu. Of course, Qi Guofu also knew Chen Ping.

Feeling Chen Ping's anger, Qi Guofu took a step back, leaning against the TV cabinet with his hands on the cabinet surface.

"Don't misunderstand, a few of us colleagues were having a good time today, and Su Meng had a couple of drinks. I brought her over to rest for a bit, I didn't do anything," Qi Guofu explained somewhat guiltily.

Chen Ping took a step forward, his eyes blazing with fury.

Chen Ping wasn't stupid; he knew exactly what Qi Guofu was up to.

Moreover, Chen Ping himself is a man, so he understands men's little thoughts.

If someone drinks too much, you can take them home; who would take them to a hotel?

Qi Guofu raised his hand from the counter, holding it in front of his chest with his palm facing outwards, as if he were blocking something.

He was probably afraid that Chen Ping would harm him.

"Chen Ping, let me tell you, don't do anything reckless. You and Su Meng are already divorced, and what she does now is none of your business. You have no right to interfere."

Qi Guofu's voice rose half an octave, but his voice was clearly weak. He held his hands in front of his chest and never lowered them.

Chen Ping clenched his fist, ready to strike.

"Chen Ping, I'm the director of the Health Bureau. Do you know what will happen if you hit me?"

Qi Guofu raised his hands to protect his head, threatening Chen Ping with his position.

Cui Ying walked in from the door and grabbed Chen Ping, who was about to explode in anger.

Cui Ying held up her phone, the screen lit up, recording was on, and the red dot was flashing.

She walked to the foot of the bed, pointed the camera at Qi Guofu, and then at Su Meng on the bed, recording the scene clearly.

"You're the director of the Tianhai City Health Bureau, right? What a high-ranking official. But if you take advantage of your female subordinate's drunkenness and bring her to a hotel, and then post that video online, how many trending topics do you think it will get?" Cui Ying said with a playful expression.

Qi Guofu's face turned pale, the kind of deathly pale that comes after someone has drained blood from your body.

He lowered his hand, opened his mouth several times, wanting to say something, but not knowing where to begin.

He glanced at Cui Ying, then at Chen Ping, and then at Su Meng lying on the bed, his Adam's apple bobbing several times.

"That's not what I meant. I just brought her here to rest. I didn't do anything," Qi Guofu forced a smile.

He knew what the consequences would be if the video were released.

If he really makes it to the trending topics, his family and his career will probably be ruined.

It could even attract an investigation from the disciplinary committee, and you might even end up in jail.

"Since you're here, then you can take care of Deputy Director Su. I'm leaving..."

Qi Guofu walked quickly toward the door, and as he passed Cui Ying, he turned slightly to the side, as if afraid of bumping into her.

He walked to the door, then stopped and said, "This is a misunderstanding," before opening the door and quickly leaving.

The footsteps in the corridor were hurried, twice as fast as a normal person's walking. After a few steps, he started jogging. The carpet absorbed most of the sound, but you could still tell he was running.

The door wasn't closed properly.

A cold draft from the corridor seeped in through the crack in the door, causing the curtains to flutter slightly.

Cui Ying put down her phone, walked to the door, and closed it.

She turned around and looked at Chen Ping.

Chen Ping stood by the bed, looking down at Su Meng.

Su Meng's breathing gradually became more even, but her brows were still furrowed. Her mouth moved slightly, and she seemed to be saying something in a very soft voice, as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

Chen Ping bent down to listen, but couldn't hear clearly.

He pulled the blanket up from the foot of the bed and covered her with it, tucking her arms under the blanket.

Her hands were very cold, as if they had just been taken out of the refrigerator.

Cui Ying looked at it for two seconds, walked over, took a bottle of mineral water from the bedside table, unscrewed the cap, and placed it on the bedside table.

She took another towel from the bathroom, wet it with warm water, folded it, and placed it on Su Meng's forehead.

Su Meng's brows relaxed slightly. Without opening her eyes, she mumbled a single word, which sounded like a sigh rather than a coherent sentence.

"You stay here and take care of her, I'll go back first."

Cui Ying's voice was very soft, her tone neither warm nor cold, revealing no emotion.

She took the car keys out of her pocket and placed them on the bedside table. "You can keep the car. Just drive it back when you're done. I'll take a taxi home."

Chen Ping turned around to look at her, opened his mouth as if to say something.

Cui Ying smiled and didn't let him speak.

"You don't need to explain, and I'm not angry. She lives alone and is so drunk that she can't be left alone. You stay and wait until she wakes up tomorrow before you leave."

After saying that, Cui Ying picked up her bag, walked to the door, opened it, and went out.

The footsteps in the corridor were light, unhurried, one step at a time, fading into the distance.

Then the elevator doors opened, closed, and fell silent.

Chen Ping stood by the bed for a long time.

He bent down and picked up Su Meng's shoes, which were lying on the ground, placing them side by side at the foot of the bed with the heels facing outwards.

He sat down on the chair next to the bed. The chair was made of cloth and was a bit soft. It was uncomfortable to lean back against, so he moved forward a little and straightened his back.

Su Meng turned over, facing him.

The blanket slipped down a little, and he reached out to pull it up. Her fingers moved slightly, touching the back of his hand, but she couldn't grab it and it slipped down again.

Her hands rested on the edge of the bed, her nails trimmed short, just like always.

He had been sitting in the chair for a long time, and he didn't know what time it was, but he couldn't take it anymore.

So Chen Ping slowly lay down on the bed without taking off his clothes, and just lay there, listening clearly to Su Meng's breathing beside him.