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

Cui Ying's hands were soft, with long, slender fingers. Her fingertips were slightly cool, but her palms were warm.

She didn't pull away, letting him hold her hand, and looked up at him.

The moonlight shone on her face, making her eyes bright. Her lips were slightly pursed, and she said nothing, but her eyes clearly showed that she was waiting for something.

Chen Ping looked into her eyes, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

He could feel his palms starting to sweat, and the effects of the alcohol in his head dissipated considerably.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then didn't know what to say.

Tell me you like her?

They say he's only been divorced for a few months, and he still hasn't sorted out all the mess in his heart?

He said that her family was so well-off, and that he, a divorced man who left with nothing, was not good enough for her.

These words circled on his lips, but got stuck in his throat; not a single word came out.

He let go.

"sorry."

His voice was a little hoarse. He took a step back, almost stepping on the pebbles on the edge of the flower bed, and then turned and walked quickly toward his dormitory.

As I pushed the door open, the doorknob slipped in my hand and hit the door frame with a dull thud.

He stood leaning against the door without turning on the light, his heart pounding, the warm, soft touch still lingering in his palm.

He raised his hand and rubbed his face, cursing himself under his breath, his voice so low that only he could hear it.

In the courtyard, Cui Ying stood still, looking down at the hand that Chen Ping had grabbed, and the corners of her mouth slowly turned up.

The arc wasn't large, but it was clearly visible in the moonlight.

She picked up her mug, took a sip of tea, glanced at Chen Ping's closed door, muttered "coward" under her breath, and then turned and went back to her dormitory.

The light went out quickly as the door closed.

The next morning, the canteen was bustling with activity. Aunt Li cooked a pot of congee with preserved egg and lean pork, and steamed two baskets of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), the pleats of which were pinched as beautiful as flowers.

As everyone arrived one after another, Wang Tao was the first to sit down, chopsticks already in his hand, his eyes fixed on the steamer of buns, which were shining brightly.

Li Fang came out of the kitchen with a bowl in her hand, glanced at him, and said, "Not everyone's here yet." Wang Tao awkwardly put down his chopsticks.

Just as we were finishing our meal, we heard footsteps coming from the courtyard gate.

Sun Xiaoyan walked in from outside, her hair neatly tied up, her face flushed, and her eyes bright.

She walked to the cafeteria entrance, peeked inside, and greeted everyone in a clear voice: "Good morning, Dean Zhao; good morning, Dr. Chen; good morning, everyone."

Zhou Jie put down her chopsticks, looked up at her, and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"

"I've already eaten out." Sun Xiaoyan smiled slightly, her lips curving naturally, a stark contrast to her cold and aloof demeanor when she first arrived at the health center.

Li Fang, holding a bowl of porridge, nudged Wang Tao next to her with her elbow and whispered, "Look at her, she's no longer the cold beauty she used to be."

Wang Tao, with his mouth stuffed with steamed buns, mumbled something, but was glared at by Li Fang and shrank back down.

Chen Ping looked up at Sun Xiaoyan, said nothing, and continued peeling his tea eggs.

Cui Ying sat down next to him, took a sip of tea from her mug, her gaze lingered on Sun Xiaoyan's face for a moment, and she slightly curled the corners of her mouth before lowering her head to continue drinking her porridge.

After arriving at work, Chen Ping first went to the wards for a walk.

The man with liver cancer leaned against the headboard, looking better than he had a couple of days ago. His face had regained some color, and his eyes were no longer as cloudy as before.

Chen Ping took his wrist and felt his pulse. The pulse was much stronger and more regular than a few days ago, but upon closer inspection, his brows furrowed slightly.

The pulse has a weak and floating quality, unlike the steady pulse that should be present during a normal recovery. It sounds more like the kind of weak and excessive pulse that comes after excessive physical exertion.

He released his grip and looked into the man's eyes.

The man averted his gaze, looked out the window, and coughed twice, feigning an attack.

Chen Ping glanced at the woman standing by the bed. The woman had her head down, her hands fidgeting with her clothes, her face showing embarrassment and shame, and her ears were red.

Chen Ping sighed inwardly.

He'd seen that kind of expression countless times in all those years working at the hospital.

He stood up and whispered to the woman, "Sister, come out for a moment."

In the corridor, Chen Ping leaned against the wall and lowered his voice.

His tone was not harsh. "Big sister, you know about big brother's illness. Although he has improved a lot now and his strength has recovered somewhat, liver disease is most aggravated by overexertion, especially this kind of physical exertion."

"He looks energetic now, but that's just a facade; his underlying health is still weak. I told you last time that we shouldn't have sex during this period, but you didn't listen."

The woman's face flushed instantly, from her cheeks all the way to the roots of her neck, and she gripped the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands.

Her lips trembled several times, and her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible. "Dr. Chen, I'm sorry, it was our fault. He insisted on doing it yesterday, and when I said no, he got upset, saying I didn't care about him anymore and that it was bad for a man to hold back for too long. I couldn't persuade him otherwise, so we did it in the end."

As she said this, she looked up at Chen Ping, then quickly lowered her head again, her voice even softer, so soft that Chen Ping had to strain his ears to hear her. "But Dr. Chen, it was just yesterday; I've been holding back all this time. I promise I'll never let him touch me again. I promise. If he touches me again, I'll go sleep in the next room."

After listening, Chen Ping was at a loss for words.

When people are well-fed and warm, they start to think about sex. Now that the man's condition is improving and he's in a better mood, he has no worries, so he's started thinking about those kinds of things.

He looked at the woman in front of him, her face showing genuine guilt and embarrassment, but deep in her eyes was a barely perceptible hint of caution, as if she was afraid that he would refuse to treat her man if he got angry.

Chen Ping sighed, his tone softening slightly, "Sister, I'm not saying you can't have a normal married life. He has needs, and so do you; I understand that, it's only human nature."

"But now is really not the time. He looks energetic now, but that's because I've been using medication and acupuncture to keep him healthy. His foundation isn't solid yet. In another ten days or so, when his body has recovered a bit more, we can have a moderate session, but it can't be too long or too intense."

The woman nodded vigorously, repeatedly saying, "I promise, I promise," as if she wanted to write a guarantee for Chen Ping and put her fingerprint on it.

Chen Ping waved his hand to stop her from saying anything more, turned around and went back to the ward. He then reminded the man to rest and take his medicine on time. The man nodded repeatedly, but his eyes flickered with guilt and remorse.

As Chen Ping emerged from the ward, he heard a woman's hushed, scolding voice behind him, clearly audible through the door: "I told you not to do it, but you wouldn't listen! Look at you, it's always you who insists on doing it, and now the doctors know about it. Where do I put my face now?"

"I'm never letting you do that again! If you cause trouble again, I'll have Dr. Chen give you a shot in that thing, and see if you dare do it again!"

"I'm not doing it anymore, I really am not doing it anymore..." the man promised.