This year's rainfall seems particularly heavy. After a night of fierce winds and torrential rain, there's still no sign of the precipitation letting up.
With weather like this and such geographical conditions, looking at the hazy, undulating mountain ranges, the Hospital Director's opinion is that it's not advisable to travel.
Everyone understands the Hospital Director's meaning. Fangquan City and even the towns and villages in the counties below are all mountains upon mountains, rivers between rivers. It had already rained several times in the past few days, and now it's starting again.
To be honest, if it keeps raining like this, it's not a good sign.
Liao Zhiping, holding his breakfast tray, found Su Anxi sitting quietly eating her breakfast. Both had been busy with their own tasks this morning, and he hadn't had a chance to speak with her yet.
A hangover plus having something on his mind had almost caused him to make a wrong diagnosis for a patient. Indeed, drinking leads to mistakes, mistakes!
Su Anxi lifted her eyes to glance at Liao Zhiping, who had sat down opposite her, and asked lightly, "Sobered up from the drink?"
"Su Anxi." Liao Zhiping looked around at the people nearby, confirmed it was safe, leaned forward, and beckoned to Su Anxi with his hand. "Come here, come here."
"What are you up to?" Su Anxi gave Liao Zhiping a puzzled look and ignored him.
Liao Zhiping leaned in even closer, lowering his voice almost to a whisper. "I'm asking you, what did you do to me last night?"
Su Anxi chewed on her steamed bun wrapper, casually asking, "What do you mean, what did I do?"
"Did you do anything that would betray my wife?" Liao Zhiping wore the expression of a wronged little wife, making Su Anxi really want to hit him.
"Can you speak like a normal person?"
Liao Zhiping took a breath, his voice even softer, like a spy exchanging secret codes. "When I woke up this morning, I wasn't wearing anything, and my hands and feet were tied. Do you know how much effort it took me to untie myself? Su Anxi, only you could do something like this. Don't deny it!"
Su Anxi, who had just taken a sip of porridge, nearly spat it out when she heard Liao Zhiping say his hands and feet were tied, but instead, she choked.
She coughed, put down her spoon, composed herself, and then looked up at Liao Zhiping with a calm and collected expression, explaining seriously and earnestly, "Last night, it was Xu Yu who helped you take off your clothes. As for tying you up, I think he probably couldn't stand you anymore…"
As Su Anxi spoke, she recalled last night. Xu Yu had gotten angry with her because she wanted to enter the room. If she had gone in, she would have seen this person in front of her naked. She immediately shuddered in disgust.
"Why couldn't he stand me?" Liao Zhiping, seeing Su Anxi drift off while speaking, quickly asked.
"When we were bringing you back last night in the taxi, you mistook him for your wife—hugging, touching, and kissing him. Do you think he could give you a good look?" Su Anxi continued.
Upon hearing this, Liao Zhiping's mouth twitched, and his expression changed dramatically, as if he were recalling hugging, kissing, and touching his wife last night.
He swallowed hard, filled with regret, and muttered bitterly, "It's all your fault. I originally wanted to help you get Xu Yu drunk. Who knew…"
He couldn't even finish his own sentence, blaming himself for having poor alcohol tolerance yet still trying to show off.
Seeing Liao Zhiping's indignant expression, Su Anxi secretly smiled. This wasn't the first time he had been messed with by Xu Yu, but it was hard to imagine that the now serious and proper Captain Xu would still do such childish things.
…
After breakfast, the medical team left a few people at the Armed Police Hospital, while another group split up and went down to various military units to provide medical treatment for the officers and soldiers.
Su Anxi and Liao Zhiping, the golden duo, were assigned to go to the Armed Police Special Operations Team camp. The two exchanged glances, each with their own ulterior motives, and neither seemed particularly eager to go.
However, the orders had been given. Xiao Wang, the nurse who couldn’t join their team, looked at them with regret and envy, saying, "Dr. Su, you’ll get to see the handsome captain. Aren’t you happy?"
Happy? Not at all. They had parted on bad terms just last night.
"How about we ask Vice President Zhang to switch people?" Liao Zhiping suggested. Su Anxi’s eyes lit up, and she nodded in agreement.
With that, the two of them, unusually in sync, prepared to go find Vice President Zhang together, but they were stopped by Xiao Wang and Dr. Liu.
Dr. Liu smiled and said, "It’s no use, Dr. Su, Dr. Liao. When Vice President Zhang assigned the personnel, he said you and Dr. Liao are more suitable for the Special Forces Team’s medical treatment. More importantly, Dr. Su, you know Captain Xu, so it’ll be easier to communicate."
Xiao Wang immediately chimed in, "Most importantly, Dr. Su, you’re the only female comrade who isn’t interested in Captain Xu and his team."
Su Anxi couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. "Is that really how they choose?"
Liao Zhiping chuckled and looked at Su Anxi, patting her shoulder with an air of finality. "Let’s go, Dr. Su, the one who’s not interested."
Su Anxi pursed her lips. What else could she say? Follow orders, of course!
The car carrying Su Anxi, Liao Zhiping, and their accompanying nurse, Fang, soon stopped outside the barracks of the Armed Police Special Operations Team. The sentry asked them to wait a moment and immediately called to notify the leadership.
Sitting in the car, they looked at the gloomy weather. Rain poured down as if it were free.
With a glance, they could see the overlapping mountain ranges, dark and oppressive, weighing heavily on their hearts and leaving them feeling gloomy and listless.
"We’re definitely going to run into him later. Whatever you do, don’t bring up last night’s incident," Liao Zhiping instructed Su Anxi.
"We’re here to work," Su Anxi turned to look at Liao Zhiping, calmly reminding him, "Keep work and personal matters separate, Dr. Liao."
The clerk ran out and led them inside.
As soon as they got out of the car, they could hear the sound of shouting slogans in the distance. Liao Zhiping followed the clerk toward the comprehensive building and asked, "They’re still training in such heavy rain?" "Yes," the clerk replied in a measured tone.
After leading the three of them into the reception room, the clerk poured each of them a cup of tea. His dark face wore a particularly earnest smile as he said, "Please wait a moment, our political instructor will be here shortly."
"Alright," the three nodded and smiled.
The clerk also nodded with a smile and walked out with steady, proper steps.
Not long after, a tall man entered, a gentle smile on his face. Two shallow dimples softened his sharp features.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Qiu Dongyuan stepped forward and politely shook hands with each of them. His combat boots were soaked with rainwater, leaving two wet footprints with every step he took. He pointed out the window and smiled, "The team members are training, so we might have to wait a bit."
Liao Zhiping smiled and shook his head. "No problem. Can we go take a look?"
Qiu Dongyuan nodded. "Of course, of course. I’ll take you there."
Su Anxi secretly rolled her eyes at Liao Zhiping, her expression making it perfectly clear: looking for trouble where there is none.
At the entrance, the sounds had been faint and indistinct, but now, stepping onto the training ground, the resounding shouts were deafening.
Rain poured down, washing over the earth. Armed police soldiers, stripped to the waist, their muscles taut and bulging, lifted logs with one hand before setting them down again, repeating the motion hundreds of times.
They paid no heed to the torrential rain blurring their vision or soaking their skin, each roar seeming capable of tearing through the sky.
On the other side, a group of soldiers crawled through a muddy pit, practicing takedowns and combat in the mire. Their camouflage training uniforms were indistinguishable from their original colors, and every inch of their skin, from their hair down, was caked in mud, yet they refused to yield.
Further away, at the training tower, various climbing and rope descent drills were underway. From a distance, the small figures resembled Spider-Man scaling walls and leaping between rooftops.
Liao Zhiping watched with fascination, but Su Anxi glanced around, noticing that the person she was looking for wasn’t there.
A moment later, Liao Zhiping caught Su Anxi’s eye, and she followed his gaze to see Xu Yu, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
Amid the curtain of rain, the man stood in a hazy silhouette. Dressed in his training uniform and cap, he was drenched from head to toe. His handsome face was mostly hidden beneath the brim of his cap, from which droplets of water occasionally fell. His pants clung tightly to his long legs, faintly outlining the contours of his muscles.
Just as those infatuated nurses had said, he was like a walking hormone—wherever he stood, he became the center of attention.
But what they didn’t know was that even before he exuded such intensity, this man had always commanded focus wherever he went.
He didn’t seem to notice the small group standing under umbrellas. Casually picking up a whistle, he blew it sharply, spat it out, and shouted, “Squad leaders, assemble your teams. Target location: shooting range. The last squad to arrive will perform an armed water crossing.”
“Yes, sir!” the squad leaders snapped to attention and replied in unison.
Su Anxi and Liao Zhiping exchanged a glance before turning to Qiu Dongyuan. “Instructor, what’s going on?” they asked.
Qiu Dongyuan had already informed Xu Yu about the medical team’s arrival to conduct physical examinations and provide treatment for the soldiers. He had asked him to make arrangements, so why was everyone heading to the shooting range?
“Captain Xu,” Qiu Dongyuan called out loudly, waving him over. “Come here for a moment.”
Xu Yu was reviewing the assessment sheet handed to him by Xia Junnan when he looked up and spotted Su Anxi standing beside Qiu Dongyuan in the distance. At the same time, Xia Junnan’s delighted voice reached his ears. “Isn’t that Dr. Su?”
Xu Yu raised the clipboard and tapped Xia Junnan on the head, his tone indifferent. “So happy to see her? Want to go say hello?”
“No need, Captain,” Xia Junnan replied, recognizing from Xu Yu’s expression that it was best not to provoke him. On the training ground, Captain Xu was a devil who could make you cry—definitely not someone to cross.
“Then get lost.”
“Yes, sir!”
With that, Xia Junnan jogged off to catch up with the squad, while Xu Yu strode over, clipboard in hand.
Su Anxi watched as Xu Yu walked with long, steady strides, upright and poised. It was as if he had been completely reborn. She used to say he had no backbone, always slouching and lazy.
But now, seeing him march forward with such confidence, it was truly impossible to look away.
Xu Yu stopped before the group, his gaze sweeping casually over them. When his eyes met Su Anxi’s, his expression remained calm and detached. He then turned his attention to Qiu Dongyuan. “Training is underway. If there’s something, make it quick.”
"This is the medical team, several military doctor comrades. Did you forget I told you we'd be giving the team members physicals today?" Qiu Dongyuan hated how Xu Yu couldn't even bother with basic courtesy—who was he making that sour face for?
"That's all?"
"Yeah!" Qiu Dongyuan shot Xu Yu a look, but the brat didn't even glance his way.
Xu Yu's gaze lingered on Su Anxi's face for a long moment before he faintly curved the corner of his mouth, though his tone left no room for refusal.
He said, "Dr. Su, apologies, but you might have to… wait." The last two words seemed deliberately emphasized.
With that, he straightened his expression and turned to leave briskly, ignoring Qiu Dongyuan's calls from behind.
Qiu Dongyuan had always been helpless with Xu Yu, but today the guy was acting especially odd. Usually, he might be distant with outsiders, but at least he cooperated. What was going on today?
"Su Anxi." Liao Zhiping leaned in and whispered, "Can I take this as mixing personal matters with duty?"
Eagle-eared Qiu Dongyuan suddenly widened his eyes and looked at Su Anxi. "Ah, so you're Su Anxi?"
Su Anxi nodded. "Didn't I introduce myself?"
Qiu Dongyuan chuckled. "Right, right, we did forget to introduce ourselves."
Well, that explained the guy's unusual behavior…