After finishing their meal, the group went to settle the bill, but the server informed them that it had already been paid.
Yu Kexin smiled lightly. “It must have been Zhili.”
Yu Qingyu remained silent, while Lou Yunting frowned slightly, his tone tinged with displeasure. “It’s not like we can’t afford it. He’s meddling unnecessarily.”
Yu Kexin shot him a reproachful glare.
She had once harbored resentment toward Huo Zhili as well, but over time, she had gradually let it go—breakups and reconciliations were common in relationships. It was just a pity that the son-in-law she had always favored had ultimately slipped away.
As they left the restaurant, Yu Qingyu sat in the back seat, quietly gazing at the shifting night scenery outside the window.
Yu Kexin turned to look at her. “Starting work the day after tomorrow?”
“Mm, I’ve already adjusted to the time difference,” Yu Qingyu replied softly.
Lou Yunting gripped the steering wheel, his gaze sweeping over the rearview mirror.
“Take care of yourself. Health is the foundation. Only by staying healthy can you keep doing what you love.”
Yu Qingyu nodded. “I know, Dad.”
Yu Kexin looked at her daughter, her voice filled with concern.
“Why not rest a few more days? I can’t bear to see you jump straight into work as soon as you’re back.”
“If I’m at work, I won’t be interrupting your and Dad’s time together,” Yu Qingyu teased with a smile.
“We’re an old married couple now,” Yu Kexin said with a helpless laugh.
Lou Yunting’s stern features softened slightly. “Being an old married couple doesn’t stop us from being affectionate.”
Yu Qingyu couldn’t help but chuckle. “Dad, could you pull over up ahead? I don’t want to be fed any more ‘dog food.’”
Yu Kexin laughed out loud. “What’s wrong with having it once in a while?”
Yu Qingyu sighed in resignation. “It’s more like all the time.”
The family of three chatted and laughed along the way, the atmosphere light and warm.
Upon arriving home, Yu Qingyu went straight upstairs to her room.
After dinner, Huo Zhili had been working overtime at the company.
His phone suddenly lit up with a message from his mother, Li Sheng—just four short words: How was the blind date?
He picked up the phone, his fingertips lightly tapping the screen as he sent a voice message, his tone calm.
Not interested in dating for now, Mom. No need to arrange any more.
After a pause, he added another voice message: Don’t worry, I won’t disturb her.
With his keen insight, how could he not guess Li Sheng’s urgency in arranging blind dates for him? It was simply to keep him from bothering her.
After sending the messages, he casually set his phone aside, leaned back in his office chair, and closed his eyes to rest, an indescribable stillness enveloping him.
Li Sheng did not reply further.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xiwen, his blind date from earlier that day, had easily obtained his phone number and WeChat ID and promptly sent a friend request.
It was past eleven at night when Huo Zhili finally packed up and left the company.
Settling into his car, he opened WeChat and glanced at the unexpected friend request. His gaze swept over it indifferently before he chose to ignore it, showing no intention of responding.
Upon returning home, he immediately noticed the pair of women’s shoes placed in the entryway and knew that Huo Songyi had come over.
The servant, seeing him enter, quickly bowed in greeting. “Young Master Huo.”
Huo Zhili gave a slight nod and asked in a low voice, “Has my sister arrived?”
“Yes, she’s been waiting for you upstairs,” the servant replied respectfully.
Just as Huo Zhili was about to head upstairs, Huo Songyi, dressed in a pink two-piece pajama set, hurried over to meet him, her eyes curved into a smile and her tone cheerful.
“Brother, you’re finally back!”
Huo Zhili glanced at the clock on the wall and raised an eyebrow slightly. “It’s so late, why aren’t you asleep yet?”
“I drank a cup of milk tea during the day, and now I don’t feel sleepy at all.”
Huo Songyi stuck out her tongue and casually explained.
As soon as she finished speaking, she held her phone up to Huo Zhili. On the screen was a picture of a limited-edition bag, and her tone carried a hint of coquettishness:
“Brother, I really love this bag, but it’s out of stock in physical stores. Can you help me?”
Huo Zhili gave it a quick glance, his tone indifferent. “If it’s out of stock, just wait.”
“Brother~” Huo Songyi reached out and grabbed his arm, gently shaking it.
“You travel on business often, right? Can you bring it back for me from abroad? Please, my dear brother.”
Huo Zhili calmly withdrew his arm, his tone still unperturbed:
“I’m not traveling on business anytime soon. Send it to Jiang Zhou and let him handle it.”
Then, he asked with some confusion, “Since when did you start liking bags?”
Huo Songyi lifted her face confidently. “I’ve grown up. People’s preferences naturally change.”
After saying that, she stopped pestering him, waved her hand with a smile, and said, “Brother, you should rest early too. I’m heading back to my room.”
With that, she turned and hurried back to her room.
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed in a flash.
Yu Qingyu had been back at work for nearly half a month.
Previously just an attending physician, she had successfully been promoted to associate chief physician thanks to her solid professional skills, her doctoral degree, and her advanced studies at Johns Hopkins.
Her outpatient hours were fixed on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, while the rest of her time was almost entirely spent in the operating room.
That afternoon, she was still in the outpatient clinic. Just after finishing a follow-up consultation with a patient and about to call the next one, the landline on her desk suddenly rang.
She pressed the speakerphone button, and the nurse’s urgent voice immediately came through the receiver:
“Associate Chief Yu, the emergency department has sent over a patient with a severed finger. The chief is currently in surgery and can’t step away. We need you to come and perform the surgery now.”
“Understood.” Yu Qingyu replied calmly, without a hint of panic. She casually picked up her phone and stood up to leave.
Pushing open the door of the consultation room, she quickly instructed the nurse on duty outside: “Call Dr. Liu immediately to take over my outpatient shift. I need to go to the emergency department for surgery.”
“Right away, Associate Chief Yu!” The nurse promptly responded and went to make arrangements.
Yu Qingyu left the outpatient building, walking briskly and purposefully as she hurried toward the emergency department.
Upon arrival, she wasted no time. She immediately performed pre-surgical disinfection and efficiently changed into sterile surgical attire.
When she entered the operating room, the patient was already lying on the surgical bed, agitated due to the severe pain.
Yu Qingyu quickly stepped forward to assess the condition. The patient had suffered a mechanical injury, resulting in the complete severance of the right thumb. Fortunately, the severed finger was intact and suitable for replantation.
“Prepare the anesthesia.” After confirming the situation, she issued the instruction in a steady voice, calm and professional.
The young patient on the bed was in so much pain that his forehead was covered in cold sweat, his face pale. He asked in a trembling voice:
“Doctor, after my finger is reattached, will it be able to return to how it was before?”
Yu Qingyu, wearing a medical mask that revealed only her cool, determined eyes, held an anesthesia needle in her hand. While making pre-surgical preparations, she reassured him:
“The immediate priority is to preserve the severed finger. As long as post-operative recovery goes well and blood supply functions normally, it should largely regain normal function.”
Seeing the patient instinctively turn their head to look at the surgical site, she immediately reminded softly, “Turn your head to the side, don’t move.”
With that, she leaned over and precisely injected anesthetic around the patient’s disinfected severed finger.
The intern doctor nearby quickly stabilized the patient’s arm, whispering, “It might hurt a bit, please bear with it.”
This finger replantation surgery was extremely challenging, lasting a full three hours before concluding smoothly.
Exhausted, Yu Qingyu walked out of the operating room, removed her surgical cap dotted with fine beads of sweat, and saw Jiang Zhou waiting in the hallway.
Jiang Zhou immediately stepped forward, greeting politely, “Miss Yu!”
Yu Qingyu glanced up slightly, her tone carrying a faint weariness from the surgery, “The patient inside—is he one of your people?”
“He’s an employee of our financing partner. I’m here to assist with follow-up matters and the situation,” Jiang Zhou quickly explained his purpose, his tone tinged with concern. “Will his finger recover normally?”
“The severed finger has been successfully reattached. The extent of recovery will depend on post-operative care.”
Yu Qingyu responded briefly, her steps not pausing. “I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Miss Yu!” Jiang Zhou promptly stepped aside, speaking respectfully.