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

"Ten thousand yuan, is it really necessary?" Cui Ying said, somewhat puzzled.

After all, 100,000 yuan isn't even enough for her pocket money.

"Sister Cui Ying, you're a rich woman, so 100,000 yuan is nothing to you, but for others, 100,000 yuan is a huge sum of money," Wang Tao said.

"Hmph, Dr. Chen helped him get that 100,000 yuan back. If I had known he was this kind of person, I should have let Zheng Kai beat him up a few more times!"

After Li Fang finished speaking angrily, she glanced at Wang Tao and said, "Men are all the same."

Wang Tao quickly picked up the bowl to cover his face and muttered, "Sister Fang, don't generalize. I'm a good person. If I had a girlfriend, I would definitely treat her like a grandmother."

Liu Wei muttered something under his breath, but Zhao Guosheng kicked him under the table, and he swallowed his words.

Chen Ping felt a little uncomfortable listening to Li Fang's words.

How did things turn out like this in just a few days?

He helped secure that 100,000 yuan. Zheng Kai was the one who physically assaulted the person, but he was the one who negotiated the price down from 5,000 to 100,000.

If he hadn't helped, Xu Feng probably wouldn't have received a penny, wouldn't have been able to rent a house in Siping Township and settle down, and Sun Xiaoyan wouldn't have gone to his place every day after work.

100,000 yuan is not much, especially for an adult. How could it make someone change so quickly?

Or rather, for Xu Feng, who was a laborer, 100,000 yuan was an astronomical figure.

But it's not like you'd change your mind just because you have a little money, is it?

Chen Ping didn't think Xu Feng was a bad guy at heart who just wanted to play with Sun Xiaoyan. Otherwise, he wouldn't have pursued Sun Xiaoyan for so many years and even worked to pay her tuition.

However, people can change, and perhaps this 100,000 yuan became the starting point for Xu Feng's psychological change.

"Sigh..." Chen Ping sighed helplessly.

"Okay, stop talking. You don't even want to go home after dinner?"

Zhao Guosheng waved his hand, signaling everyone to stop discussing it.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing. Young people these days treat relationships like children playing house. They argue today and make up tomorrow. Who knows, maybe in a few days Xu Feng will regret it, buy a bouquet of flowers, stand at the door and apologize to Sun Xiaoyan, and the two of them will be all lovey-dovey again," Wang Jianguo chimed in.

Li Fang snorted, picked up a piece of braised pork, put it in her mouth, and chewed it with gritted teeth. "If he really dares to come, I'll have Liu Mazi kick him out."

"Alright, shut up!" Zhao Guosheng glared at Li Fang.

Everyone fell silent and began to eat!

After the meal, everyone gradually dispersed.

Wang Tao pushed the old bicycle out of the courtyard gate, with Liu Wei following behind. The two of them were still whispering about Sun Xiaoyan.

Li Fang came out of the pharmacy carrying her bag, glanced towards the backyard, shook her head, and walked away.

Liu Mazi led Ma Zhihao on a patrol around the yard, then gave Zhang Pangzi a few instructions, telling him not to sleep while on night duty.

Chen Ping called out to Cui Ying, who was walking towards the dormitory.

The two walked side by side to the stone table under the poplar tree. The moonlight washed the stone tabletop white, and the poplar leaves rustled softly overhead. A few withered leaves drifted down and landed on the stone bench.

"I went to your house before I came back from the city today."

Chen Ping brushed the fallen leaves off the stone bench and gestured for Cui Ying to sit down. "Your mother asked me to tell you not to hold a grudge against your father. She said that although he says he doesn't care, he's actually asking around everywhere."

Cui Ying lowered her head, her fingers lightly tracing the name on the edge of the stone table. The moonlight shone on her profile, making her expression indistinct.

After a long pause, she finally spoke, her voice a little hoarse, "When I said I wanted to cut ties with him, it was just something I said in anger, but I was really anxious at the time. You don't have many connections in Tianhai City, and you even found my dad, but he kept making excuses. I was very angry."

"Your dad has his difficulties too. The disciplinary committee isn't a business connection you can get close to. As soon as he heard it was a case involving the disciplinary committee, he asked several people, and they all shook their heads. This matter is more complicated than you think; it's not something that money can solve."

"The father and daughter should just let it go after their argument. It's such a blessing to have parents to look after you."

As Chen Ping spoke, his expression became somewhat downcast.

He grew up without parental supervision and longed to be scolded by his parents, but unfortunately, that was never possible.

Cui Ying looked at Chen Ping, remained silent for a moment, and then asked, "How is Su Meng's situation now?"

"It's nothing serious. The municipal party secretary has agreed to get involved and inquire about it. It shouldn't be a big problem."

Chen Ping smiled and said.

"You're really something, managing to get connections even with the municipal party secretary," Cui Ying said with a playful smile. "If something happened to me, would you go to such lengths for me?"

"meeting……"

Chen Ping said without hesitation.

Cui Ying smiled, feeling quite pleased with herself. Chen Ping's decisive action just now proved that she held a place in his heart.

At the very least, he's now on the same level as his ex-wife, Su Meng.

Cui Ying was happy to have a place in Chen Ping's heart. She knew that feelings couldn't be rushed, and that moral blackmail was unacceptable.

Feelings need to be cultivated slowly, accepted gradually, and developed gradually...

Cui Ying tucked a stray strand of hair that had fallen to the side of her face behind her ear. Just as she was about to say something, a crying sound suddenly came from the direction of the dormitory not far away.

The crying wasn't loud, muffled by the pillow, but in the quiet of the night, it could be heard clearly even through a wall.

It was Sun Xiaoyan's voice, crying intermittently, with Zhou Jie's low voice trying to persuade her, but it was impossible to hear what she was saying.

The more they tried to comfort her, the louder she cried, until it turned into sobbing uncontrollably.

Chen Ping and Cui Ying exchanged a glance, then stood up and walked towards the girls' dormitory.

Zhou Jie's dormitory door was ajar. Chen Ping knocked twice on the door frame. Zhou Jie opened the door, saw the two of them, breathed a sigh of relief, and stepped aside to let them in.

Sun Xiaoyan lay face down on the bed, her hair disheveled and her pillow soaked.

She heard footsteps and looked up, her face covered in tears, her eyes swollen shut. When she saw Chen Ping and Cui Ying, her sobs subsided a little, but her shoulders were still shaking.

Chen Ping squatted down by the bed, not saying anything comforting, but simply asking softly, "Are you hungry? Aunt Li saved some food for you, it's warming up in the steamer."

Sun Xiaoyan buried her face in the pillow and shook it, without saying a word.

"Xiaoyan, I know you're feeling bad right now, like you misjudged someone and that all your previous persistence was a joke."

Chen Ping's voice was calm and unhurried, "But let me tell you, you haven't misjudged him. It's true that he helped you pay your tuition, it's true that he worked to support your schooling, and it's true that he rode his bicycle for more than ten hours to Siping Township just to see you."

"Back then, Xu Feng had no money. He gave you the best he had. That was his true self. The 100,000 yuan changed him, but that was his problem, not yours. You didn't do anything wrong."

Sun Xiaoyan's shoulders gradually stopped shaking, but her sobs continued, only much milder.

Cui Ying sat down on the edge of the bed, took a tissue out of her pocket and put it in Sun Xiaoyan's hand, her voice gentle and soft, "Xiaoyan, you're still young, you'll meet better people in the future. Now that you've cried it out, get up tomorrow, wash your face, brush your teeth and go to work properly."

Sun Xiaoyan clutched the wad of tissues, tears still streaming down her face, but finally spoke, "I know you're all right, but I just can't get over it right now."

"If you can't get through it, just take it one step at a time. Nobody's forcing you to be optimistic today."

Chen Ping stood up and glanced at Cui Ying.

Cui Ying understood and stood up as well.

The two walked to the door one after the other. Zhou Jie chased after her and whispered, "Sister Cui Ying, Dr. Chen, don't worry, I'll stay with her. She'll be fine."

Cui Ying nodded and gently closed the door.

The moonlight was strong in the courtyard, making the poplar leaves shimmer with a silvery-white light.

Cui Ying stood at the door, looked at Sun Xiaoyan's closed door, sighed softly, and turned to walk towards her dormitory.

Chen Ping also returned to his dormitory. He knew that in this situation, only he could come to terms with it; no amount of persuasion from others would help.