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

When the taxi stopped in front of Cui Ying's house, Chen Ping saw her standing under the osmanthus tree from afar. She was wearing a beige light jacket, her hair was tied in a low ponytail, she was carrying a small bag, and she was looking down at her phone.

Hearing the car stop, she looked up, smiled at him, opened the car door, and got in.

She brought in a cool breeze when she sat down, mixed with the morning dampness of the grass and trees and a faint smell of laundry detergent.

Chen Ping moved aside and said to the driver, "Sir, let's go." The car started again and turned out of the residential area onto the main road.

About two minutes after the car started moving, Cui Ying suddenly moved.

She leaned closer to Chen Ping, sniffing lightly as if she had detected something unusual.

Then she sat back down, turned her head to look at Chen Ping, her gaze direct, staring straight at him without saying a word or looking away.

Chen Ping felt a little uneasy under her gaze. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he made conversation, saying, "When we get to Xiao He's house later, shouldn't we buy her a gift? I wonder if she misses us?"

Cui Ying didn't reply, but just kept looking at him, as if waiting for him to take the initiative to explain something.

The street scenes outside the car window rushed past, row after row, and the shadows of trees and buildings flickered on his face.

Chen Ping glanced at her sideways, then turned back, unsure of what to do with his hands.

Seeing Chen Ping's expression, Cui Ying finally spoke up, "Did you go to see Su Meng last night?"

Whether Chen Ping didn't hear it or didn't know how to answer, he kept looking out the window and didn't say anything.

Seeing this, Cui Ying stopped talking and took out her phone, fiddling with it with her head down.

Neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere in the car became somewhat oppressive.

Chen Ping glanced at Cui Ying secretly, but because Cui Ying had her head down, Chen Ping couldn't see her expression.

After more than ten minutes, Chen Ping became a little impatient. He took a deep breath, as if he had made a great decision.

"After giving my statement last night, I took a taxi to Su Meng's house. She cooked me a bowl of noodles and we chatted about work for a while."

After saying that, Chen Ping felt much more relaxed and then waited for Cui Ying's questioning.

Cui Ying put away her phone and slowly raised her head to look at Chen Ping.

"Then why did you lie to me last night?" Cui Ying asked calmly.

Cui Ying's face showed no change in expression; she remained very calm.

"I..." Chen Ping opened his mouth, but couldn't say why.

"Are you afraid I'll get angry?" Cui Ying asked.

"Maybe..." Chen Ping nodded.

Seeing Chen Ping's expression, Cui Ying suddenly laughed, and she was very happy.

"What are you laughing at?" Chen Ping was a little confused.

"If you're afraid I'll get angry, that proves you care about me. If you didn't care about me, you wouldn't need to lie to me."

Cui Ying explained.

Chen Ping was stunned for a moment before he realized that yesterday's deception was because Cui Ying already had a place in his heart.

In fact, Chen Ping himself didn't know why, nor did he know how important Cui Ying was to him.

But perhaps it is these unintentional actions that reveal one's true inner self?

Chen Ping gave a wry smile. Without realizing it, he had indeed become very concerned about Cui Ying's feelings.

"You two didn't sleep together last night, did you?"

Cui Ying suddenly asked a question.

Chen Ping was taken aback, then quickly shook his head: "No, she gave me the key to my old apartment, saying I'd have a place to stay when I went to Tianhai City on business. So I stayed at that old apartment for one night."

"Don't be nervous. Even if you do live together, so what? You were husband and wife before, and you've lived together for so many years. It doesn't matter if you live together one more time or one less time."

"However, you need to take precautions to prevent your ex-wife from getting pregnant at this time, otherwise your only option will be to remarry her."

Cui Ying spoke casually, and there was no sign of anger on her face.

Chen Ping was completely shocked by Cui Ying's words. He never expected Cui Ying to be so avant-garde.

"I swear, we didn't sleep together," Chen Ping said solemnly.

"No need to swear, I believe you. I hope you won't lie to me in the future. I can accept anything."

"Besides, we're just colleagues now, and I have no right to interfere in your private life."

Cui Ying smiled slightly.

Cui Ying said this to Chen Ping because she didn't want to put any pressure on him.

She wanted Chen Ping to accept her little by little, and now this was a good start. At least in Chen Ping's heart, she already had a place for herself.

Chen Ping has begun to pay attention to his own feelings, and that's enough.

Cui Ying knew that pushing a man too hard often had the opposite effect.

"No more..."

Chen Ping smiled and looked out the window again.

After driving for more than twenty minutes, the car came to a steady stop at the entrance of Zhou Xiaohe's residential compound.

Chen Ping and Cui Ying got out of the car and went to the supermarket next to the entrance of the residential area to buy some gifts for Zhou Xiaohe.

When Chen Ping and Cui Ying came out of the supermarket, they were each carrying several bags.

A box of milk, a bag of fruit, several boxes of pastries, a set of stationery, and a fairy tale book were all specially chosen by Cui Ying for Zhou Xiaohe.

The two people carried their things to the entrance of the building. Chen Ping rang the doorbell, and Zhou Xiaohe's mother's voice came from inside, tinged with uncertainty: "Who is it?"

Cui Ying responded, "It's me, Cui Ying."

The door clicked open, and the two went up to the second floor. The door to room 203 was already open.

Zhou Xiaohe's mother stood at the door, wearing a floral apron and holding a handful of unfinished celery. When she saw Cui Ying and Chen Ping, a smile immediately spread across her face.

"Oh dear, come in quickly, come in quickly! Why didn't you tell me beforehand!"

She stepped aside to let the two into the house, then turned back and called out towards the inner room, "Xiao He! Look who's here!"

When Zhou Xiaohe ran out of the room, she was still holding a pen in her hand, probably doing her homework.

When she saw Cui Ying, she was stunned for a moment, then she seemed to be bounced by something, dropped her pen and rushed over, hugging Cui Ying's waist and burying her face in her chest.

Then, with a slightly trembling, nasal voice, she said, "Sister Cui Ying... why did it take you so long to come see me..."

Cui Ying was pulled back half a step by her hug. She looked down at the fluffy head in her arms, raised her hand and gently patted her back: "Here we are, don't cry, you're a grown woman now."

When Zhou Xiaohe lifted her head from her embrace, her eyes were red, but she didn't shed any tears; instead, the corners of her mouth turned up.

She let go of Cui Ying and saw Chen Ping standing next to her. She called out "Uncle Chen" and her excitement increased.