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

"Dean, that guy..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Tao wanted to explain to Zhao Guosheng.

Chen Ping waved his hand, telling Wang Tao to shut up, and then put down his chopsticks.

"Dean, it was me who did it. He hit Liu Mazi with his car and tried to grope Cui Ying. I couldn't help myself."

Chen Ping briefly recounted what had happened that afternoon.

After hearing this, Zhao Guosheng's expression softened considerably. "Alright, as long as we don't make the first move, I'll know what to do if the higher-ups ask."

"But if something like this happens again, try to be patient and don't give anyone a handle to use against you. If they want to take action again, find a place without surveillance cameras."

Upon hearing Zhao Guosheng's words, Chen Ping smiled.

Wang Tao exclaimed in shock, "Dean, what do you mean? You want us to beat up that bastard?"

"I told Dr. Chen to do it, not you. Can you compare to Dr. Chen?" Zhao Guosheng glared at Wang Tao. "Dr. Chen's action was a heroic rescue; what do you look like?"

"I'm just trying to save my mother from a tiger's wrath..." Wang Tao said.

Zhao Guosheng was stunned and didn't react for a moment.

Wang Jianguo, Liu Wei, and the others all burst into laughter.

Chen Ping laughed too, "Wang Tao, you're quite cultured, but that's 'strangling a tiger to save the father,' not 'strangling a tiger to save the mother,' you know."

"Sister Cui Ying is my teacher's wife, I just made a few minor changes," Wang Tao said with a smile.

It was only then that Zhao Guosheng realized that Wang Tao had changed all the idioms.

"Wang Tao, if you keep talking nonsense, I won't let you eat."

Cui Ying glared at Wang Tao, but there was no anger on her face; instead, she had a smile on her face.

"I'm not going to say anything more, I'm not going to say anything more..." Wang Tao lowered his head and hurriedly ate his rice.

Zhao Guosheng noticed the bandage on Chen Ping's hand and asked with concern, "Is your hand alright? Does it need stitches?"

Chen Ping shook his head. "It's just a scrape; it'll be fine in a couple of days."

"That's good!" Zhao Guosheng nodded. "Everyone, hurry up and eat. After you finish eating, go home as soon as possible, because it's getting dark early now."

Everyone fell silent and began to eat.

After the meal, the people in the cafeteria gradually left.

Wang Tao rode his old-fashioned bicycle out the gate, Liu Wei followed behind pushing his electric bike, Zhao Guosheng checked the lock on the clinic door, and Wang Jianguo slowly walked out of the courtyard with his hands behind his back.

Zhou Jie and Sun Xiaoyan returned to their dormitory. They were both a little tired today because Li Fang hadn't come.

The courtyard gradually quieted down, and the moon rose above the poplar treetops, casting a thin layer of silvery-white light on the stone table.

Chen Ping didn't go back to his dormitory after leaving the cafeteria. Instead, he sat down at a stone table, lit a cigarette, and the smoke was as thin as a veil in the moonlight. It drifted for a couple of moments before being dispersed by the night breeze.

When Cui Ying came out, she was holding a glass of water. She sat down next to him, placed the glass on the stone table, and didn't drink it.

The two of them just sat there, neither of them saying a word.

The wind blew from the other side of the mountain valley, making the poplar leaves rustle, and a few withered leaves swirled and fell onto the stone table.

The two sat quietly, listening to the birdsong and the chirping of insects.

After a long silence and stalemate, Cui Ying finally couldn't hold back any longer.

She turned her head, her gaze falling on Chen Ping's profile, her voice soft and gentle, tinged with a hint of probing: "You... don't you have anything you want to ask me?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ping slowly raised his eyes, looked at Cui Ying who was filled with trepidation, and gently shook his head.

A faint smile played on her lips: "I don't have anything to ask. You have your past, and I have mine."

He didn't inquire about Ding Peng's background, their past, or her family's attitude.

Chen Ping didn't want to ask anything, nor did he have the right to ask.

Everything was up to Cui Ying to decide. Whether to leave the health center or continue her relationship with Ding Peng was entirely her own right.

Chen Ping would not put any pressure on Cui Ying.

Looking at Chen Ping's relaxed and composed demeanor, Cui Ying felt a mix of emotions. All the words she wanted to say were swallowed back down.

The two fell silent again. The evening breeze was still blowing, but the atmosphere had become somewhat oppressive.

A few minutes later, Cui Ying's cell phone suddenly rang, breaking the silence of the courtyard.

The screen lit up, and the caller ID showed it was my mother.

Cui Ying frowned slightly, a hint of helplessness and exhaustion flashing in her eyes. She stood up and quickly walked towards the dormitory not far away, closing the door behind her.

The dormitory doors and windows weren't closed properly, and from a distance, Chen Ping couldn't hear exactly what Cui's mother said on the other end of the phone, but he could clearly hear Cui Ying's suppressed rebuttal, her tone stubborn yet deeply powerless.

The argument continued intermittently, and the content was predictable without much thought: news of Ding Peng's visit that afternoon had reached her family, who then brought up old issues again, pressuring her to compromise and back down.

Chen sat calmly on the stone bench, his expression serene, yet his mind was clear.

Just as Cui Ying and her daughter were arguing, Chen Ping's own phone suddenly rang.

He looked down and saw that the caller ID showed it was Cui Ying's father.

Chen Ping was slightly taken aback, somewhat surprised.

He didn't have much interaction with Cui's father, and the latter had never called him on his own initiative.

After a brief hesitation, he pressed the answer button and said softly, "Uncle Cui."

The voice of Mr. Cui, calm yet somewhat distant, came from the other end of the phone. His tone was polite, but every word conveyed a sense of distance: "Chen Ping, I'm sorry to bother you."

"It's alright, Uncle, please go ahead," Chen Ping said calmly.

After a two-second silence, Mr. Cui slowly spoke, his words blunt and cruel: "Xiao Chen, I've always known you're a good kid, kind-hearted, and a skilled doctor. When I was in trouble before, you were the one who saved me. Our family will always remember this kindness."

Chen Ping didn't interrupt, but listened quietly.

"But gratitude is one thing, feelings are another."

Mr. Cui's tone shifted abruptly, becoming firm, "You and Yingying are really not a good match. I hope you will stop bothering her in the future."

A look of understanding flashed across Chen Ping's eyes; it was indeed because of Ding Peng.

Ding Peng returned to China and deliberately caused trouble at the health center. He must have contacted the Cui family immediately afterward, or perhaps the Cui family's parents learned of the situation from elsewhere and their minds wavered instantly.

After all, Ding Peng came from a privileged family and had returned from studying abroad, making him their most desirable son-in-law.

It was only because Ding Peng was abroad and it was uncertain whether he would return to China that they gradually acquiesced to their relationship with Cui Ying.

Now that Ding Peng has returned, everything has changed.

Chen Ping calmly countered, "Uncle Cui, are you saying this because Ding Peng is back?"

Mr. Cui on the other end of the phone visibly paused, stammering and avoiding a direct answer, only repeatedly emphasizing, "You don't need to ask why, in short, you two are not suitable."

"We will not let you down for all the help you've given to our family and everything you've done."

"I'll consider that two million a gift to you. If it's not enough to build the medical center, you can ask, and we can make up the difference. I only ask that you give up on Yingying."

The implication of being paid off is blatant and glaring.