Chapter 9: Yielding  

After work, Wen Li and Cheng Yu drove together to the dinner venue.  

They encountered traffic on the way, so they arrived slightly later than the hospital director and the others.  

“What kind of important figure is this that even the director is personally attending the dinner?” In the past, it was usually the deputy director who led such gatherings.  

Cheng Yu shook her head. “No idea. But whoever can make the director take it this seriously must be a big shot.”  

The two politely knocked on the door before pushing it open. Wen Li’s apology caught in her throat as she stared in surprise at the man seated at the head of the table, directly facing the entrance.  

He was turned slightly to the side, speaking to the person beside him. At this moment, he appeared mature, composed, and exuded an undeniable presence—completely different from the man who had nestled sleepily against her that morning, his hair tousled.  

He wore the same black casual shirt he had on when he left home, lean but not scrawny, radiating an aloof, untouchable aura that made others hesitate to approach.  

Noticing the two frozen at the door, the director smiled and waved them in. “Traffic jam, right? No worries, come on in.”  

Shen An looked up at the sound, and their eyes met—six in total. Wen Li remained composed, though she hadn’t expected the dinner they’d mentioned to be the same one.  

Cheng Yu wished she could vanish on the spot.  

Shen An, however, was far more at ease, leaning lazily against the back of his chair as he watched the newcomers.  

The director made introductions. “This is Mr. Shen, who just returned from abroad. This is Dr. Ye. And these two are our hospital’s talented young doctors—Dr. Wen and Dr. Cheng.”  

Wen Li offered a faint smile. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Shen. Dr. Ye, we know—he’s Cheng Yu’s and my senior.”  

Shen An raised an eyebrow. So she was familiar with Ye Shen but pretended not to know him?  

Wen Li shot him a pleading look. This dinner was clearly one where the director had something to ask of Shen An, and she didn’t want to flaunt their marriage so openly.  

Cheng Yu quietly followed suit. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Shen. Hello, Senior.”  

Ye Shen stifled a laugh as he glanced at Shen An’s displeased expression. “No need for formalities. We’re all friends here. Take a seat.”  

Wen Li and Cheng Yu found empty seats. Dr. Lin from the emergency department leaned over and whispered, “That Mr. Shen is the Young Master of the Shen family—Sea City’s wealthiest. I never expected today’s guest of honor to be him. I’m a little nervous.”  

Wen Li and Cheng Yu responded with vague hums of acknowledgment. Who could possibly know Shen An better than they did?  

Cheng Yu thought to herself that she was nervous too—her little secret might not stay hidden much longer.  

“Li Li, if you found out I’ve been keeping something from you, you wouldn’t be mad, right?” Cheng Yu whispered tentatively.  

Wen Li eyed her guilty expression. “Did you secretly get married and have a kid behind my back?”  

“Nothing like that. But what if I were the heiress of a wealthy family?” Cheng Yu pressed further.  

She and Wen Li had been college classmates for eight years, roommates for eight years, completed their combined bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs together, and now worked at the same hospital. They were inseparable. Yet, for various reasons, she had hidden her true identity from her.  

Wen Li joked, “Oh, as long as you’re not the daughter of the city’s wealthiest family.” The actual wealthiest man in the city was sitting right across from her.  

Cheng Yu let out a dry chuckle. Half right—she was the niece of the wealthiest family.  

After a few formal remarks from the director, the dinner officially began. Glasses were filled with alcohol—except for Shen An’s, which held plain milk.  

When toasts were made, he merely took a small sip of milk in acknowledgment. It was as much face as he was willing to give.

After three rounds of drinks, the dean asked curiously, “I never expected someone as young as President Shen to be so health-conscious.”

He had attended countless dinner gatherings, but this was the first time he’d seen someone continuously sipping milk.

Shen An held his milk glass, his handsome eyes shimmering with amusement as he glanced at Wen Li, deliberately or not, saying, “Taking care of my health, preparing for a baby.”

Ye Shen, sitting beside him, couldn’t help but snort, thinking to himself: You’re such a show-off.

Wen Li avoided eye contact, her gaze darting around everywhere but at him.

Ye Shen nudged Shen An under the tablecloth: “Alright, tone it down. My junior sister is embarrassed.”

Ignoring Ye Shen, Shen An said to the dean, “The emergency and neurology department equipment is readily available in our hospital’s warehouse—no issue there. As for orthopedics, the equipment needs to be shipped from Berlin, and customs clearance might be tricky.”

Only then did Wen Li turn her attention to Shen An. The newly released equipment from Germany was the most advanced globally and notoriously hard to procure. But their Second Hospital was a public institution—it wasn’t that they lacked purchasing rights, but rather the funds. The hospital simply couldn’t spare the budget for such equipment right now.

No wonder the dean had turned to this financial benefactor across the table, hoping for a donation!

Ye Shen silently mourned for his junior sister in his heart. This old fox—there was no need to ship anything from Berlin. Three units had just been stocked in the warehouse last month.

“Dr. Wen, surely it’s not too much to ask for a toast?” Shen An’s deep eyes gleamed.

“Not at all. It’s only proper.”

Wen Li played along, pouring herself a glass of red wine before standing and stepping over to Shen An’s side, leaning in slightly.

Shen An, seated in his chair, straightened to meet her, bringing them so close they were nearly touching.

Only Cheng Yu and Ye Shen at the table knew they were married, watching the scene unfold as if with omniscient amusement.

Cheng Yu discreetly snapped a photo of them with her phone—so charged with tension!

“Pretending not to know me?” Shen An murmured in a voice only she could hear.

“Special circumstances. Don’t make this hard for me,” Wen Li whispered back.

Her slight concession was enough to unravel Shen An. He clinked glasses casually and let her off.

Ye Shen saw it all, covering his mouth to stifle a laugh. Pathetic—couldn’t even hold your tough act for two more minutes?

As the dinner neared its end, Wen Li, having drunk quite a bit, quietly told Cheng Yu she needed to use the restroom outside.

“I’ll come with you. I’ve had my share too.”

After excusing themselves, the two headed to the restroom together.

On her way out, Wen Li was called back.

The familiar voice gave her pause. Turning, she recognized the person and asked in surprise, “Song Xingzhou? When did you return?”

“Just a few days ago. I wanted to settle in before reaching out, but fate brought us together today.” Song Xingzhou seemed thrilled to see her.

As he stepped forward, Wen Li instinctively retreated to maintain distance.

“If there’s nothing urgent, there’s no need to seek me out. I have things to attend to—I should head back.”

Her aloofness unsettled Song Xingzhou. “Lili, are you still upset with me? I’m back for good this time.”

Wen Li shook her head calmly. “I was never upset. You made choices for your future—I understand that. Whether you stay or go, you don’t owe me an explanation.”

“Lili, please don’t shut me out like this. You know—you’ve always been the only one in my heart.” Regret filled Song Xingzhou’s eyes.

Cheng Yu couldn’t take it anymore and sneered, “I say, Mr. Returnee Song, stop acting all sentimental, will you? If you really couldn’t let go of Lili, you wouldn’t have left the country without a word back then. Now it’s too late—our Lili is married.”

“Married? Who did you marry? We’re both doctors. No one could be more compatible than us,” Song Xingzhou said stubbornly.

Accompanied by a mocking chuckle, a lazy voice chimed in, “Well, I’m a patient. Doctors and patients make an even better match.”