Sometime after 8 p.m., Qin Fang took his leave after getting a detailed account of the matter from Yu Zhiming.
Yu Zhaoxia remarked thoughtfully, "With something like this, those two families must have reached a private settlement where each got what they wanted, right?"
"Is there really any need to pursue it to the very end?"
Yu Xinyue, her sense of justice overflowing, retorted, "Big Sis, if a law was broken, it’s not something the two families can just negotiate away."
"If it’s always like this, won’t the world just belong to the rich? Does having money mean you can do whatever you want?"
"Isn’t that right, Fifth Brother?"
Having been called out, Yu Zhiming grunted in agreement before adding, "The law isn’t beyond human sentiment, but there are lines that must not be crossed."
"Those two families were so blatant about it. I bet they’re in for some serious trouble."
Yu Xinyue retorted out of habit, "I’m not so sure about that."
"Doesn’t the law require evidence? And what about being innocent until proven guilty? If there’s no hard evidence, and those two families get their stories straight and refuse to budge, and then pay off everyone else..."
"...it’s really hard to say what the outcome will be."
"What’s real can’t be faked, and what’s fake can’t become real!"
Yu Zhiming replied without much conviction, then looked toward Yu Zhaoxia.
"Big Sis, what about dinner? I’m hungry..."
A short while later, Yu Zhaoxia had Yu Zhiming’s dinner ready and brought it out to the living room coffee table.
The dishes included mu shu pork, celery stir-fried with beef, braised beltfish, half a salt-cured duck, and a bowl of bitter melon and egg soup.
The main dish was a large plate of freshly pan-fried dumplings.
All these dishes were exactly to Yu Zhiming’s liking, and on top of that, he was truly starving.
For a while, his chopsticks flew across the dishes as he ate voraciously.
Yu Zhiming took a large gulp of the bitter melon soup to wash down his food, then glanced toward his big sister, nodding with his eyes toward Fu Xiaoxue’s tightly shut bedroom door.
He lowered his voice and asked, "Big Sis, how did Xiaoxue do on the first day of her college entrance exams?"
Yu Zhaoxia sighed softly. "We didn’t dare ask."
"She probably didn’t do very well. She had a sour look on her face all through dinner and barely ate a thing."
"I’ll only put up with her for these next couple of days."
She said indignantly, "As soon as the exams are over, I’m going to find an excuse to give her a good spanking just to let off some steam."
Yu Xiangwan’s eyes lit up, and she asked eagerly, "Big Sis, could you really bring yourself to do it?"
"If you can, count me in!"
"We can make it a tag-team effort?"
Yu Zhaoxia suddenly had no desire to humor her sister.
Yu Xiangwan pouted, then turned to Yu Zhiming. "Fifth Brother, about those two bottles of red wine—I had an expert take a look. He said they’re an aged vintage from France’s Chateau Cheval Blanc."
"He said the market price is around six or seven thousand a bottle."
Yu Zhiming said, "Oh," and mused, "Let’s give one bottle to Deputy Director Wang from obstetrics tomorrow. He drinks red wine."
"We can’t have him pull strings for us and get nothing in return."
"As for the other bottle, take it to Binhai and give it to Dr. Qi."
He then added, "Fourth Sister, the assessment date has been set. It’s next Thursday."
"Fourth Sister, you, me, and Xiaoxue..."
Remembering his eldest sister was beside him, Yu Zhiming asked, "Big Sis, do you want to come to Binhai with us for a bit?"
Yu Zhaoxia chuckled. "There’s a ton of stuff to do at home."
"I’ll sit this one out. Once you all are settled in Binhai, there will be plenty of other chances."
"Oh, and maybe Xiaoxue shouldn’t go either. You’re going to Binhai on business, not for a vacation."
Yu Zhiming smiled. "It’s okay. I’ll be busy with my own thing, and Fourth Sister will be free."
"Besides, Xiaoxue isn’t a child anymore. She doesn’t need constant supervision."
After a brief pause, Yu Zhiming instructed Yu Xiangwan, "The three of us will leave next Wednesday and come back on Sunday."
"You arrange the round-trip tickets and the hotel. Once we’re in Binhai, I don’t care where you and Xiaoxue go for fun."
Yu Xiangwan rubbed her thumb and index finger together and giggled. "Fifth Brother, as long as the funds are in place, I’ll make sure all the arrangements are perfectly comfortable for you."
Yu Zhiming snorted and started calculating aloud, "Round-trip high-speed rail tickets for three people will be two thousand. Three nights in a hotel, two rooms..."
Yu Xiangwan cut in, "Fifth Brother, you have high standards. You’ll definitely want to stay in a nice hotel, right? Say, a thousand a night?"
"Three days of food, drinks, and entertainment, plus shopping and buying some gifts... that’s got to be at least a thousand a day, don’t you think?"
Yu Zhiming waved his hand. "Fourth Sister, I’ll give you ten thousand. If you spend more than that, it’s coming out of your own pocket!"
"No problem!"
Yu Xiangwan held out her right hand in front of Yu Zhiming.
"Pay up, boss!"
Yu Zhiming gave Yu Xiangwan’s palm a light slap. "Get it yourself," he chuckled.
"And while you’re at it, get another sixty thousand for Big Sis..."
Yu Zhaoxia was stunned. "Why sixty thousand for me?"
Yu Xiangwan quickly explained, "Big Sis, this is to pay you back for the money for this apartment. And it’s not just you. Fifth Brother said he’s going to pay back Second and Third Sister, too."
Before Yu Zhaoxia could refuse, Yu Xiangwan rattled on, "Big Sis, Fifth Brother isn’t the same person he used to be."
"He’s going to be making big money soon. A mere sixty thousand is nothing, so there’s no need for you to feel awkward about taking it."
Yu Zhiming picked up the conversation. "Big Sis, Xiaobo is only two years younger than me. Once he gets a girlfriend, he’ll need to buy a house and get married, won’t he?"
"Xiaoxue’s university tuition is also a significant expense."
"Big Sis, just take this sixty thousand for now."
"Once I start making more money, I’ll give you more."
"Fifth Brother..."
Yu Zhaoxia was at a loss for words, feeling as if her little boy had finally grown up. Her nose tingled, and her eyes started to well up.
Just then, Yu Xiangwan emerged from Yu Zhiming’s bedroom with the money.
She shoved the cash directly into Yu Zhaoxia’s arms.
"Big Sis, besides Mom and Dad, Fifth Brother listens to you more than anyone. He treats you the best, too. It makes sense, since he drank your milk when he was little."
"It’s only natural for him to respect you like a second mother, so just take the money and don’t worry about it."
Yu Xiangwan’s words earned her an angry glare from Yu Zhiming.
Yu Zhaoxia, however, went straight to action, landing several hard slaps on Yu Xiangwan. WHACK! WHACK!
"Yu Xiangwan, you’re just asking for a beating, aren’t you?"
Yu Xiangwan quickly dodged away, saying plaintively, "It’s not like it’s some shameful secret. Why does everyone react so strongly every time I bring it up?"
The "drinking milk" incident Yu Xiangwan mentioned referred to a serious accident Yu Zhiming had suffered as a child.
At the time, Yu Zhiming was said to be on the verge of death, completely unable to eat anything.
At the time, it had been less than six months since Yu Zhaoxia had given birth to her eldest son.
Following the advice of the elders, she tried breastfeeding the two-year-old Yu Zhiming.
To everyone’s surprise, it worked.
After being breastfed for more than half a month, Yu Zhiming’s body finally began to recover, and his life was no longer in danger.
Afterward, once his body recovered but he had lost his sight, Yu Zhiming became Yu Zhaoxia’s little shadow, following her everywhere she went...
After dinner, Yu Zhiming went back to his room and sat at his desk, flipping through the latest medical journals.
He still felt a little apprehensive about the talent acquisition assessment next week.
After all, his foundational medical knowledge was relatively weak, and the colleagues he typically worked with were of average skill.
Yu Zhiming knew that in terms of depth and breadth of experience, he couldn’t compare to the young doctors in major hospitals in big cities, who were constantly immersed in a cutting-edge environment.
These were disadvantages born from his environment, and there was little Yu Zhiming could do to change them. All he could do was read more and see more to better prepare himself.
Sometime after 11 p.m., Yu Zhiming received a video call from Su Tong.
On the screen, Su Tong looked a little tired and seemed to be walking.
"Done with work for the day?"
Su Tong hummed in affirmation. "All done, and I’m exhausted. I heard that the monitoring data for the fetus was excellent all day."
"Zhiming, you really saved him."
Yu Zhiming chuckled. "When Yu Zhiming is on the case, a cure is guaranteed."
"Look at you, so smug!"
A smile spread across Su Tong’s face. "Zhiming, what you said about going to work in Binhai—is that for real?"
"Which hospital?"
"Huashan Hospital!"
Yu Zhiming added, "I have to go for their on-site talent acquisition assessment next week. I’ll only get in if I pass."
Su Tong said, "Oh," then her eyes immediately widened.
"Talent acquisition?"
"Not a regular competency exam for new hires?"
"Zhiming, since when are you considered ’specialized talent’?"
Yu Zhiming flashed a wide grin, flicked his hair back with a smug flourish, and said, "I’m the classic example of ’still waters run deep.’ When I make my move, I shock the world."
"Ah, Su Tong, don’t say I never gave you a chance. I happen to be single right now."
"It’s not too late for you to make a move."
Yu Zhiming watched as Su Tong pretended to gag at the screen.
A moment later, Su Tong’s expression turned serious.
"You narcissist, fess up. What did you do with the quiet, considerate, and understanding Yu Zhiming I used to know? Did you eat him?"
Yu Zhiming’s smile widened. "How could that be? I’m still the same old me. I haven’t really changed that much."
Suddenly, a smile bloomed on Su Tong’s face.
"You’re much more outgoing now, and more confident. It’s a change I like!"
As they chatted, they caught up on what a few of their former classmates were doing.
"Oh, Zhiming, do you remember Gao Yun? The girl everyone agreed was the most beautiful in our year?"
Yu Zhiming nodded, and Su Tong continued excitedly, "I heard she’s in Binhai too, working as a pharmaceutical sales rep."
"I hear she’s doing really well for herself. Now that you’re going to Binhai as a ’specialized talent,’ you might just be able to catch her eye."
"This is your chance to win the fair lady, Zhiming!"
For some reason, her words left a sour taste in Yu Zhiming’s heart...