Chapter 49

The next day at work, the nurse came to find Lin Yuxi and said that Tan Xingchen’s eyes were uncomfortable again. 

Lin Yuxi was busy conducting a fundus examination for a patient and said without looking up, “Her eyes have been fine for a long time, there’s no need to bother with her.” 

“She insists she feels unwell, claiming she’s about to go blind, and wants you to take a look,” the nurse said, feeling helpless due to the young lady’s antics. She pleaded, “Doctor Lin, could you please take a quick look?” 

Lin Yuxi replied, “I’ll go check on her once I finish up.” 

The nurse left gratefully. 

After finishing the examination, Lin Yuxi went to Tan Xingchen’s ward. 

As soon as she opened the door, she saw Tan Xingchen sitting on the bed, happily eating pre-washed and cut fruit. Upon seeing Lin Yuxi, she cheerfully exclaimed, “Sister Yuxi, you’re here!” 

She didn’t look like someone who was unwell at all. 

Lin Yuxi said, “Do you get itchy if you don’t stir up trouble for a day?” 

Tan Xingchen didn’t respond and instead glanced over at the sofa. 

Lin Yuxi looked over and then noticed the man sitting on the sofa. 

He stood up, his demeanor refined and warm. Dressed in a deep brown coat with a high-neck cashmere sweater underneath, he politely nodded to her, “Doctor Lin, hello, I’m Xingchen’s older brother, Tan Yu.” 

Lin Yuxi was taken aback for a moment, “Hello.” 

Tan Yu approached her and extended his hand, saying, “She has quite the temper and has troubled you during this time.” 

Lin Yuxi politely shook his hand and then let go, saying, “She indeed knows how to stir up trouble.” 

Tan Yu smiled, “I’ve been on a business trip lately, and she often mentions you. She really likes you.” 

Lin Yuxi stared at him for a moment, “Um, I feel like I’ve seen you before. Have we met?” 

Tan Yu replied, “I was classmates with Yanjing.” 

“Oh.” 

That probably meant he had been to the Zhou family’s place and might even have attended their wedding. 

Lin Yuxi felt a bit socially anxious; she struggled to keep a conversation going beyond three sentences with strangers. After saying “oh,” she fell silent. 

For some reason, the atmosphere felt oddly like a blind date. 

Tan Xingchen sat on the bed, her eyes rolling back and forth between the two, and then she exclaimed, “Oh! Brother, didn’t you bring a gift for Sister Yuxi?” 

Tan Yu playfully tapped her on the back of her head and handed her a paper bag he had taken from the sofa. 

Lin Yuxi waved her hand, “Our hospital has a policy against accepting gifts.” 

“It’s just a cup, nothing expensive,” Tan Yu said, opening the box inside to show her. “I passed through Jingdezhen on a business trip, and Xingchen insisted she wanted a gift, so I bought some back.” 

It was indeed just a cup, with a beautiful ice crack pattern at the bottom, and Lin Yuxi actually liked it quite a bit. 

Fearing it might be inconvenient for her to accept, Tan Yu kindly suggested, “Just consider it a gift from Xingchen.” 

“Come on, accept it!” Tan Xingchen urged. “If you don’t, my mom will come to give you an Hermes bag again tomorrow.” 

Lin Yuxi accepted it, saying, “Then I’ll take the cup. Thank you, it’s really beautiful.” 

Tan Xingchen was finally discharged from the hospital, and the entire ophthalmology department became much quieter. 

The new results for the promotion assessment were quickly announced. 

As news of the reassessment spread, the reasons behind it were widely speculated, yet those directly involved were surprisingly tight-lipped. The Director even explicitly forbade discussions among the staff, as if trying to hide something. 

Within the hospital, discussions hinted that it was related to Doctor Lin and Doctor Su from the ophthalmology department. 

Everyone was clear about the rivalries among colleagues in various departments, and it was no secret that the Director had shoved a relative who graduated from a third-rate college into the hospital. 

Moreover, when comparing the new results with the previous version, the issue became evident. 

“What else could it be? It turns out there’s some kind of shady deal! If Su Cheng can be promoted with her level, how come Doctor Lin can’t be promoted? Don’t even mention Doctor Lin; I disagree with this!” 

“This spot should have belonged to Doctor Lin in the first place! I say our hospital really needs to address this kind of corruption!” 

After the results were publicized, whenever Lin Yuxi ran into doctors from other departments, they would sincerely congratulate her. 

Initially, Lin Yuxi was worried that the incident would spread, and she would again be the center of gossip during breaks. 

But strangely, not a single rumor leaked out. 

This was good; Lin Yuxi felt much more at ease. She returned to her office and proactively said, “How about I treat everyone to dinner tonight?” 

Su Cheng had been in a particularly bad mood these days, sporting a face that looked like the world owed her eight million, and no one dared to cross her. The office had grown much quieter, with only the sound of her slamming folders. 

“What’s there to be proud of?” Su Cheng rolled her eyes, “Who cares about your dinner!” 

Lin Yuxi didn’t even look at her, “I didn’t plan to bring you along, so don’t overthink it.” 

Su Cheng:  

In their department, treating colleagues to dinner after a promotion was a tradition. Xiao Cui raised her hand, “Then I want something expensive!” 

Other colleagues chimed in, “Your promotion was so convoluted; you have to treat us to a big meal to celebrate.” 

“Sure thing,” Lin Yuxi smiled, “I’ll treat you all to whatever you want.” 

Just then, Doctor Chen, who had been silent, chimed in, “Doctor Lin, who exactly is your husband? He’s so impressive that even the Director has to give him face.” 

His father-in-law was the head of the medical department, responsible for promotion assessments, so he naturally knew that the incident had something to do with someone backing Lin Yuxi, which forced the Director to remove Su Cheng. 

But the Director had only told him that they couldn’t afford to offend the person behind Doctor Lin in the ophthalmology department without revealing who it was. 

As soon as he said this, everyone immediately turned their attention to Lin Yuxi. 

Her husband was too mysterious; no one in the department was not curious about him. 

Su Cheng was particularly eager to spill the beans, wanting to tell everyone that Lin Yuxi’s seemingly innocent demeanor was just a facade and that she was quite scheming. She didn’t know how she managed to marry into a wealthy family. 

Keywords like Zhou family’s second son and Heng Tai Bank were already on the tip of her tongue, but having been warned by the Director, she had to keep her mouth shut, almost suffocating from the effort. 

Lin Yuxi glanced at Doctor Chen, who had jokingly teased her at a drinking party last time, only to be scolded by Sister Man, who said he resembled a piece of cow dung. 

Lin Yuxi replied indifferently, “Just like you, a man.” 

“I can’t compare to your husband,” Doctor Chen said with a hint of insinuation. “No wonder Doctor Lin looks down on ordinary men like us. If I were as good-looking as you, I’d also find a rich man to marry.” 

He had transferred to the ophthalmology department from another department, and at first, he had been very attentive to Lin Yuxi. Later, seeing that she didn’t engage with him much, he couldn’t help but feel a bit resentful. 

Clearly having a wife, yet he liked to curry favor with other beautiful women. After being shut down by Lin Yuxi, he privately flirted with the pretty nurses, and the girls in the department didn’t think highly of him. 

But since he had a powerful background, no one dared to provoke him, except for Sister Man, who was straightforward and never indulged him. 

“Don’t be so bitter. It’s obvious you have a crush on Doctor Lin, but she doesn’t care about you. Just look at how sour you are. If the men’s restroom didn’t have mirrors, you’d go into the women’s restroom to check yourself out and not know who you are!”  

“Hahaha!” 

Doctor Chen wasn’t particularly handsome but loved dressing up, wearing only brands like Balenciaga and Givenchy, but they were all knock-offs. 

This comment successfully amused all the female colleagues in the office: “Sister Man, you’re so funny.” 

Doctor Chen’s face turned red, glaring at Sister Man before grabbing a patient file and leaving. 

That evening, during Lin Yuxi’s treat, only her close colleagues attended. She took everyone to a seafood buffet with a decent per capita cost, and afterward, they went to sing karaoke together. 

In the middle, Lin Yuxi was called by Xiao Cui to go to the restroom. Xiao Cui had a stomachache and moved slowly. Lin Yuxi washed her hands at the sink, dried them, and while waiting for her, stood against the wall, playing with her phone. 

Suddenly, she felt uncomfortable, as if a pair of eyes were watching her from somewhere. 

She looked up and scanned the surroundings. A waiter carrying drinks passed by in the corridor, and the wailing voices from the private rooms on either side were heard, but she didn’t see any suspicious figures. 

“I shouldn’t 

have eaten so many crabs just now,” Xiao Cui came out, holding her stomach, and asked when she saw Lin Yuxi’s expression, “What’s wrong?” 

“I felt like someone was staring at me just now.” 

Xiao Cui immediately looked around: “No one is here.” 

Lin Yuxi looked away: “It might have been an illusion.” 

“Help me a bit; I’m feeling faint,” Xiao Cui leaned weakly against Lin Yuxi, who supported her as they walked toward the private room. “Otherwise, you should just go back and take some medicine.” 

“I haven’t sung the songs I chose yet.” 

“Do you have the energy to sing like this?” 

After playing for a while, Xiao Cui didn’t want to leave, but her stomach hurt too much, so she had no choice but to obediently return with Lin Yuxi to get her bag. 

Lin Yuxi helped her hail a cab and watched it drive away before turning back inside. 

The door of the KTV pushed inward. As Lin Yuxi grabbed the doorknob and tried to push the door, a strong force pulled it inward from inside, dragging her forward as the door swung open. 

She didn’t fall, as she was holding onto the door, but someone beside her reached out to steady her, grabbing her arm. 

Lin Yuxi looked up; the man had a somewhat amused expression as he stared at her and said, “Be careful.” 

This person Lin Yuxi remembered him. 

Wei Bin. She had seen him at Jiang Nan’s welcome dinner last time.