Chapter 15: Meeting Shan Ye

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Lin You still had her doubts

“If nobody likes her, why doesn’t the battalion commander request her transfer?”

Dr. Liu responded, “Rank counts for a lot. The battalion commander and the squad commander would love for her to leave.”

Xiao Nan added, “But she just won’t go. And since she’s capable, the battalion commander turns a blind eye to it.”

Lin You guessed there might be something keeping her here. “Maybe there’s someone she likes?”

Xiao Nan and Xiao Bei exchanged glances, surprised at her insight, and looked to Dr. Liu.

Dr. Liu, being older, responded quickly. “Shan Ye likes her.”

Xiao Nan and Xiao Bei almost clapped at Dr. Liu’s quick thinking.

Without much thought, Lin You blurted out, “Shan Ye? The one the head nurse likes? She likes him, he likes her… but what about her?”

“She’s still figuring it out,” Xiao Nan replied quickly.

“Love triangles are the worst.” Lin You shook her head.

The three, who were trying to relax, thought, “It’s actually a five way tangle, including you and the squad commander.” But since she hadn’t caught on, they sighed in relief, only for her to ask again.

“What did she mean by what she said to me earlier?”

“She’s jealous of your beauty. Just ignore her,” Xiao Bei said.

Dr. Liu concluded, “She can like whoever she wants. We don’t care. We just don’t like her.”

With their opinions stated, they each found excuses to leave.

Lin You thought Dr. Liu had a point, whoever she liked had nothing to do with her. But her attitude was unpleasant. “Soft and delicate? I’m rarely even sick!*”

Despite sensing they were hiding something, Lin You couldn’t guess that Qionghua liked Qin Lang.

In the treatment room, the three were sighing in relief, saying, “Phew, she didn’t catch on!”

Later that evening, Xiao Nan and Lin You walked towards the family housing area.

Xiao Nan, being lively, was someone Lin You really liked. They both lived in the housing area, especially on nights they weren’t on duty.

Suddenly, Xiao Nan stopped, whispering, “See that tall man talking over at the training ground?”

Lin You nodded, signaling she saw him.

“That’s Shan Ye.”

Lin You observed closely, seeing that he was well over 180 cm tall. Even from a distance, her intuition told her he was good looking.

“He seems like a good match for Qionghua.”

“Dr. Lin! The head nurse is just as good as Qionghua!”

“Oh, right, sorry! That slipped.”

“If you keep talking like that, I won’t care if you’re the squad commander’s fiancée I’ll get mad!”

Xiao Nan playfully tickled her, making Lin You laugh and promise she wouldn’t do it again.

As someone approached, they quickly straightened up.

From afar, Qin Lang and the battalion commander watched from a window.

“Seems like Dr. Lin’s adapted quickly, making friends at the clinic,” the battalion commander remarked.

“My wife might get jealous. Just the other day, she was asking why Dr. Lin hadn’t visited.”

Qin Lang chuckled. “Tell her I’ll bring Dr. Lin over tonight.”

“Can you bear to let her go?”

They shared a laugh, and Qin Lang thought back to Lin You’s bright smile, glad she had companions who could keep her from feeling lonely. He made a mental note to test if she was ticklish later.

Back at home, Lin You had just set dinner on the table. After their meal, Qin Lang couldn’t resist trying out Xiao Nan’s tactic, tickling her. Lin You’s laughter filled the room, and she found herself giving in to his every request a trick Qin Lang would come to rely on.

After dinner, Qin Lang held her in his arms, content, and completely forgot about his promise to visit the battalion commander’s wife.

Later, as they lay together, Lin You thought about asking him about Qionghua, Shan Ye, and the head nurse’s complicated relationship, but she was simply too tired.

Days in the medical clinic were calm, the occasional surgery being simple. With this group of friends, Lin You’s days were filled with joy and relaxation. She even forgot Professor Song’s reminders.

It wasn’t until Qin Lang summoned her to the operations room one afternoon that she remembered she had forgotten to call her.

Professor Song, hearing Lin You’s cheerful recounting of her time and colleagues, was glad for her. Qin Lang, seated nearby, watched her with a smile, occasionally adding in his own comments, which made Lin You want to playfully slap him but think twice when he threatened to tickle her.

After promising not to forget again, she hung up.

Seeing she wasn’t fully satisfied, Qin Lang explained, “We can’t keep the line busy here. It affects the entire station. Next week, I’ll take you to town to call her.”

Lin You’s eyes sparkled with excitement, making him promise not to forget.

As they exited the command area, a tall, robust man saluted them and greeted, “Commander, good evening, ma’am.”

Lin You thought he looked familiar but didn’t recognize him and glanced at Qin Lang for help.

“He’s Shan Ye,” Qin Lang clarified.

Lin You stopped to take a closer look. Although his skin was tanned, he had a handsome face with sharp features and bright eyes. Tall and strong, he was good looking, though not as commanding as Qin Lang.

Turning to him, she praised, “Hello, you’re really handsome.”

The comment left both men staring at each other in surprise.

Qin Lang thought, Does she mean Shan Ye is good looking because she thinks I’m not?

Shan Ye thought, “What kind of compliment is that? Who calls a man “pretty” anyway?”