Liao Zhiping had glanced at Su Anxi for what felt like the nth time, but these repeated glances were like a movie scene on loop—each one looking exactly the same as the last.
At this moment, she remained expressionless, calmly and unhurriedly taking medical instruments out of the medical kit.
Earlier, Qiu Dongyuan had led them to the medical room, asked them to wait, and then, while rolling up his sleeves as if steeling himself for something, disappeared from their sight. The whole scene felt like he was heading off for a showdown.
"Nurse Fang, could you check if the team doctor has arrived?" Su Anxi looked up at Nurse Fang and said to her.
"Sure." Nurse Fang replied before leaving the medical room.
Seeing Nurse Fang leave, Liao Zhiping finally sidled up to Su Anxi and remarked with a double meaning, "Even their team doctor here is just like their captain—needs to be invited!"
Su Anxi put down what she was holding, raised her head to look at Liao Zhiping, and said nonchalantly, "He's the military doctor for the Special Forces Team. You know what they say—'one takes on the color of one's company.' How could he be any different?"
"Su Anxi, don't you think…"
"What?"
"Ever since you reunited with Xu Yu here, you've become increasingly sharp-tongued."
"Liao Zhiping." Su Anxi called his name without even looking at him, a faint, insincere smile tugging at the corner of her eyes as she said, "Go to… the room next door."
Liao Zhiping knew Su Anxi's attitude toward Xu Yu bothered her, but after all these years, even if they couldn't be lovers, couldn't they at least be friends?
And during dinner yesterday, everyone was still chatting and laughing!
Wait, last night's dinner—thinking of this, a sudden clarity struck him like a bolt of lightning. He had been feeling like he was forgetting something, and now he realized he hadn't asked about what happened afterward. He rubbed his chin with his right thumb and forefinger, chuckling softly.
"Hey, speaking of last night, I was basically blackout drunk, but you and Xu Yu were still sober. What exactly happened between you two in the end? It couldn't be… you know…"
Su Anxi narrowed her eyes slightly—a clear warning sign. He quickly laughed and said, "Judging by how reluctant you were to come today and Xu Yu's attitude, I can guess nothing much happened between you two last night."
"Doctor Liao, come help me test this needle." Su Anxi said, pulling a disposable syringe from the medical kit.
Liao Zhiping hurriedly stood up, waved his hands, and stepped back, accidentally bumping into the team doctor who had just walked in. He turned around and quickly apologized, "Sorry, sorry."
The team doctor was a man in his fifties, slightly plump in stature. If not for the white coat, truth be told, he looked more like someone from the mess hall.
"No worries, no worries. I'm the one who arrived late. I should be the one apologizing." The team doctor was indeed different from what they had imagined—friendly and approachable.
Since he was an elder, Su Anxi quickly stepped forward and introduced them, "Hello, I'm Su Anxi, and this is Liao Zhiping. The one who called you over earlier was Nurse Fang."
"My surname is Zhang, given name Ming. Just call me Old Zhang." Zhang Ming said, handing the list in his hand to Liao Zhiping. "These are the soldiers' physical examination reports. They have quite a few health issues, big and small. Our medical equipment and expertise here can't compare to what you have in the big cities. We can handle minor illnesses, but if it's a serious problem, it really gives us a headache. These kids are so tough and resilient, sigh… Thank you so much for coming."
Liao Zhiping, upon hearing this, sensed a hint of emotion and quickly shook his head, saying, "You can't say that. In terms of experience, you veteran doctors are the ones who truly excel."
"Looking at Doctor Liao and Doctor Su, both so young, you're the ones to be admired as the rising generation," Zhang Ming glanced at the two before him and smiled.
Su Anxi listened to the mutual flattery between the old and the young, once again affirming Liao Zhiping's skill of being able to chat with anyone. In his past life, he must have been a mute.
Thinking this to herself, she reached out and pulled the stack of medical records from Liao Zhiping's hands, flipping through them. When she came to Xu Yu's file, she unconsciously furrowed her brows, just as the door was knocked.
She closed the medical records and looked at the newcomer—it was Qiu Dongyuan.
"Well, the team members are ready. Let's begin!" Qiu Dongyuan glanced at the room full of doctors.
"Let's begin!"
With over a hundred soldiers in the Special Forces Team, conducting basic physical examinations and medical consultations one by one was truly a time-consuming task.
Unknowingly, it was time for lunch.
Su Anxi was explaining a spinal issue to a soldier when Qiu Dongyuan came looking for her. "Doctor Su, it's time to eat."
"Alright, I know," Su Anxi replied without turning her head, continuing to speak to the young soldier before her. "Although your issue may not seem serious now, I saw the intensity of your training today, as well as the unpredictable consequences of long-term missions…"
Qiu Dongyuan, seeing Su Anxi's serious and focused demeanor, wasn't in a hurry to leave. He had always known that Xu Yu's first love was named Su Anxi—something Xu Yu had revealed while drunk. Thinking about how fortunate that guy was in looks, his first love probably wasn't bad either.
Later, he had asked Xia Junnan what Doctor Su looked like. Xia Junnan had firmly replied, "Beautiful."
Expected yet unexpected, seeing her in person today was more than just "beautiful"—she was the fighter jet among beauties. No wonder Xu Yu couldn't forget her. A girl like this would be an insurmountable hurdle in anyone's heart!
"Instructor Qiu," Su Anxi called out after finishing her instructions to the young soldier, noticing Qiu Dongyuan still hadn't left.
"Ah," Qiu Dongyuan snapped back to reality and smiled. "Finished? Let's eat first."
Su Anxi smiled slightly, stood up, took off her doctor's coat, hung it on the back of the chair, and walked out of the medical room. As she passed by the neighboring room, she glanced inside—it was already empty.
"Where's Doctor Liao?" she couldn't help but ask.
"Doctor Liao went to the cafeteria first," Qiu Dongyuan replied.
Su Anxi nodded in understanding, following Qiu Dongyuan while silently grumbling to herself: Liao Zhiping, in your past life, you weren't just a mute—you were also a starving ghost.
"Oh, by the way, I just heard you discussing something related to traditional Chinese medicine, Doctor Su, but I heard you're in the emergency department!"
"My grandfather was a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, so I've studied it a bit too. When studying medicine, you have to learn a little of everything."
"So that's how it is!"
"…"
Chatting as they walked, they arrived at the cafeteria. It was unusually quiet, with the soldiers eating with their heads down, but when they saw Doctor Su appear at the cafeteria entrance, they all turned their gazes toward her, secretly elbowing their comrades beside them and exchanging glances.
Qiu Dongyuan coughed lightly against his lips and sternly shouted, "Do you even have any discipline? Eat properly."
Everyone immediately lowered their heads and started eating, leaving the cafeteria silent except for the clinking of chopsticks against plates.
"Sorry about that, these boys aren’t usually like this," Qiu Dongyuan said to Su Anxi.
Su Anxi followed Qiu Dongyuan to get her food, smiling indifferently. "I understand. After all, your Special Forces Team doesn’t have any female comrades."
Hearing this, Qiu Dongyuan glanced at Su Anxi with admiration. This girl really spoke frankly and straightforwardly—her personality was truly great! That foul-tempered Xu Yu really didn’t deserve her.
So, it’s true what they say—never speak of someone during the day.
Xu Yu had just finished feeding Xile and was walking to the cafeteria entrance when he paused mid-stride, one long leg frozen halfway through the doorway.
Right before his eyes, the scene unfolded clearly: Qiu Dongyuan and Su Anxi were standing side by side at the food station, holding their trays and scooping food for each other.
And… they were chatting and laughing.
He reached up, took off his training cap, and completed the remaining half-step firmly. As he passed behind Xia Junnan, he casually placed the cap on his head.
Then, naturally and without glancing sideways, he walked to the tray station, his long, distinct fingers casually picking up a tray before heading straight toward the two.
Qiu Dongyuan was enthusiastically serving food for Su Anxi when he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Before he could even turn around, a voice rang out—low, cold, and utterly devoid of emotion.
"Instructor Qiu, your wife asked you to call her back."