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

Chen Ping stepped into Cui Ying's dormitory, and the door closed gently behind him.

The room was quiet, with a faint scent of soap lingering in the air.

He didn't sit down, but stood straight by the door, his posture taut and his expression slightly embarrassed.

Cui Ying stood by the window, her eyes still red from crying, and the tear stains on her face not yet wiped away.

She looked at Chen Ping quietly without saying a word, and only their soft breathing could be heard in the room.

After a long silence, Cui Ying finally spoke, her voice still a little hoarse and very soft.

"Chen Ping, do you believe me?" Cui Ying asked.

Chen Ping looked up at her, his gaze calm, revealing little emotion.

I believe you.

He spoke decisively and with a firm tone, but the rift in his heart, maliciously provoked by Ding Peng, remained there, impossible to erase or suppress.

He knew that his verbal belief was instinctive and rational, but the unease and doubt in his heart had already quietly taken root.

Cui Ying was too insightful and understood Chen Ping too well at this moment.

She saw through his inner turmoil at a glance, the hesitation hidden in his eyes, and the unspoken estrangement behind his seemingly unwavering belief.

Cui Ying looked at Chen Ping, and then asked.

"Do you like me?"

Chen Ping was suddenly stunned, and stood frozen in place.

He remained silent for a few seconds, then slowly nodded without saying a word.

My feelings for you are real; they've never been fake.

But this affection is now shrouded in a layer of gray, heavy and suffocating.

Seeing him nod, Cui Ying forced a faint, bitter smile.

"I know you have something on your mind, but I don't blame you."

"Ding Peng deliberately spread rumors to disgust you, just to create a rift between us. He succeeded halfway."

"But I can assure you, every single thing he said was a lie."

"We have never had any inappropriate relationship, let alone lived together."

I won't force you to dispel your doubts immediately. I will prove it to you.

After speaking, Cui Ying gently wiped away the tears on her face, suppressing all her grievances and vulnerability. She instantly composed herself and regained her usual calm and efficiency.

"I'm going to work!"

She stopped dwelling on the argument and stopped indulging in her emotions. She turned around, strode out of the dormitory.

Chen Ping watched her nimble back as she walked away, his heart clenching with pain. After a moment of silence, he followed her out.

The two returned to their posts and continued their work.

However, it was obvious to everyone that an invisible barrier had formed between the two.

For the rest of the morning, the health center was quiet and the atmosphere was particularly oppressive.

Before I knew it, the morning's work was over, and it was lunchtime.

One by one, everyone put down their work and walked together towards the canteen.

As Li Fang, Sun Xiaoyan, Zhou Jie, and Wang Tao walked, they looked around and noticed that someone was missing from the group.

"Huh? Where's Cui Ying? I haven't seen her." Li Fang asked first.

Everyone looked around, but the clinic, pharmacy, corridor, and office were all empty; there was no sign of Cui Ying at all.

Wang Tao scratched his head: "I didn't see her when I got off work just now. I thought she went to the cafeteria first."

Zhou Jie also shook her head: "There's no one in the accounting office. I just went there."

In an instant, a sense of panic rose in everyone's heart.

This morning, Ding Peng publicly spread rumors and humiliated Cui Ying, who was already in a very bad mood due to her intense crying. Now that she has suddenly disappeared, everyone can't help but wonder.

"Won't something bad happen? Will Sister Cui Ying do something rash?" Sun Xiaoyan muttered softly, her voice full of worry.

These words made everyone's hearts sink even deeper.

Chen Ping, who had been standing silently to the side, felt a sudden jolt of panic when he heard the crowd's discussion.

Without saying a word, he turned and ran quickly toward the dormitory in the backyard, pushing open Cui Ying's dormitory door.

The dormitory doors and windows were wide open, the beds were neatly made, the desks were clean, and the room was completely empty; there was no one there at all.

He took out his phone, his fingertips trembling slightly, and dialed Cui Ying's number.

A cold, discreet voice quickly came through the receiver: The number you dialed is currently switched off.

Shut down.

Chen Ping's unease intensified instantly, and he could no longer calm himself down. He turned around and ran towards the outside of the health center.

"Master, where are you going? It's time to eat."

Seeing this, Wang Tao shouted at Chen Ping.

"You guys eat first, I'll go find Cui Ying!" Chen Ping said as he ran.

"I'll go with you!" Wang Tao said, wanting to go with Chen Ping.

"We're going too..." Li Fang, Zhou Jie, and Sun Xiaoyan also wanted to go.

"Alright, none of you go. Go eat quickly, you have to go to work this afternoon. I can go by myself."

Chen Ping stopped the crowd and then ran out of the health center.

He remembered the place Cui Ying often went to to relax, and first she ran all the way to the back mountain.

The woods behind the mountain were quiet and empty, with the wind rustling the leaves, and not a single person in sight.

He rushed to the pond where Cui Ying loved to sit quietly. The pond was calm and the banks were empty; there was still no trace of Cui Ying.

He searched along the country lanes several times, looking everywhere he could—the ridges between fields, the paths, the shade of trees—but to no avail.

The sun rose higher and higher, the midday sun was dazzling and scorching. Chen Ping was covered in sweat from running, but his heart was getting colder and colder, and he was getting more and more panicked.

What he feared most was the humiliation he suffered that morning and his own hesitation, which had driven Cui Ying into a dead end.

It wasn't until the afternoon when Chen Ping finally returned to the health center, his steps heavy and dejected.

"Master, have you found Sister Cui Ying?" Wang Tao asked when he saw Chen Ping return.

Chen Ping shook his head and said nothing.

"Dr. Chen, Aunt Li has saved some food for you, go and eat!" Li Fang said.

Chen Ping shook his head again, then walked into the consultation room somewhat absentmindedly.

Seeing this, Zhao Guosheng also entered the consultation room. "Dr. Chen, since we haven't found Cui Ying, should we call the police?"

"No need, the person just disappeared, the police won't accept it, let's wait and see."

"If you still can't see Cui Ying by tonight, call the police!"

Chen Ping said.

Zhao Guosheng nodded, turned and left the consultation room.

After leaving the consultation room, Zhao Guosheng instructed Wang Tao, "Wang Tao, keep an eye on your master; he's in a very bad mood."

"Understood, Dean!" Wang Tao nodded.

For the rest of the afternoon, Chen Ping was completely lost in thought.

He sat at the examination table with medical records and prescriptions in front of him, but his eyes remained unfocused and wandering, unable to concentrate at all.

When patients ask him questions, he often gets distracted and his reactions are a beat slow.

While worrying about Cui Ying's safety, he was also preoccupied with the morning's argument, Ding Peng's vicious words, and the crack in his own heart.

Worry, self-blame, confusion, and frustration—a myriad of emotions tangled together, pressing tightly against his heart.

Chen Ping spent the entire afternoon in a daze, each minute and second an unbearable torment.