Getting another three hundred bucks for nothing, who could possibly ask for more!

Lu Meiqin didn't care about whether it was three days or not; she felt genuinely relieved once Song Jianshe left.

Wen Ran could clearly sense her mother's happiness, which couldn't be faked.

Spending Song Jianshe's money and using his ration tickets and meat coupons without a single pang of guilt, their meals had also become much better than before.

Shen Nanzheng didn't come again, but that evening, Director Wei and Teacher Liu came together.

Teacher Liu had tagged along precisely to avoid suspicion and also to chat with Lu Meiqin, striving to bring about Wen Ran and Shen Nanzheng's marriage as soon as possible.

While the others were chatting animatedly, Director Wei cleared his throat and asked Wen Ran, "Did you go to the Gao family by yourself to call off the engagement on the day Song Jianshe left?"

Wen Ran had long anticipated that Director Wei would have questions. As a man of some standing, even if others didn't know about the Gao family's troubles, she was certain he had already caught wind of it.

Unflustered, she replied, "I didn't want to trouble you all, so I went by myself after getting off work. The Gao family seemed a bit off that day, as if they were desperately in need of money. When I said I could only give them a part of it for now, Director Gao's wife accepted it anyway. She also gave me the agreement she had signed with Song Jianshe, and the engagement is voided. The installment payment was just a lie I told Song Jianshe; it's simply that because he made my mother suffer so many grievances, I wanted to squeeze a bit more benefit out of him for her."

Her words were half true and half false, and Director Wei didn't harbor any further doubts.

If anything, he increasingly felt that this girl and Shen Nanzheng were a perfect match—both were black-sesame-paste-filled sweet dumplings, dark-hearted inside.

How interesting.

After pondering for a moment, he said, "You told me the truth to prove your trust in me, and I'm very glad. Rest assured, I won't spread it around, and I certainly won't tell Song Jianshe behind your back. If you need anything at the factory in the future, just speak up. Anything the factory can manage, we definitely will."

"Thank you so much, Uncle Wei."

Wen Ran expressed her sincere gratitude.

She had known that telling a portion of the truth would win her favor.

Most importantly, talking to people like them required no effort; a single hint was all it took.

However, while he said he wouldn't spread it or tell Song Jianshe, she wondered if he would tell Shen Nanzheng!

She wasn't afraid of him telling him; in fact, she somewhat hoped he would.

What Shen Nanzheng had seen was merely her facade—he didn't know she harbored so much scheming!

If, knowing all this, he still chose her unwaveringly, then she would be willing to spend the rest of her life with him.

popping the last piece of chocolate into her mouth, a surge of anticipation welled up within her.

Of course, what she looked forward to even more right now was Fu Kaiyu's next move.

Tomorrow would be the third day since Song Jianshe's departure, and she heard he had been behaving well at home; he should be coming to look for her soon.

Things went just as she had anticipated. The next morning, as she left for work and just stepped out of the residential compound, she was intercepted by Fu Kaiyu, who had been waiting on the side.

Looking nervously around the entrance like a thief, Fu Kaiyu shoved a neatly newspaper-wrapped package into her hands.

With a solemn expression, he said, "I'll pay back three hundred yuan on behalf of Uncle Song first. From now on, he will pay you ten yuan every month."

At that moment, Wen Ran suddenly felt a twinge of envy for Wen Xin.

At least right now, Fu Kaiyu was truly willing to sacrifice for her.

Accepting the money, she asked, "Aren't you afraid your parents will beat you?"

"Even if they beat me, I'll take it. In any case, I won't let Xin Xin marry a fool. Hurry up and write a receipt; once you take the money, you can't go back on your word." Fu Kaiyu glanced at the entrance again, perpetually terrified that his parents might suddenly rush out to confront him.

Wen Ran shot him a sidelong glance. "Do you think I'm like you? Even children find going back on their word beneath them."

She tucked the money into her bag and wrote the receipt at top speed.

Money could only be considered truly yours once it was in your hands.

Fu Kaiyu looked over the receipt and added, "You need to tack on a couple more sentences guaranteeing that you won't change your mind later."

If Wen Ran wanted to go back on her word, she would do so even with a guarantee; if she didn't want to, she wouldn't need one to stay true.

Since Fu Kaiyu simply didn't trust her, she didn't bother wasting time.

She added the two sentences he requested.

Only then did he leave, holding the receipt with a look of satisfaction.

She was quite satisfied as well. She had effortlessly pocketed another three hundred yuan—who would even bother looking for a bicycle after a windfall like that!

She hopped onto her bicycle and hurried toward the hospital.

Nothing was more important than work; it allowed her to realize her own value while remaining independent and self-reliant.

Her work at the hospital was becoming smoother by the day, and her relationships with Jin Baoli and Ruan Ling were growing closer.

These two were absolute characters; whenever they got together, they simply had to take a few jabs at each other to feel at ease.

Jin Baoli was also a stubborn soul who had insisted on treating her to meals for quite a while, only stopping when Wen Ran declared that if she offered another treat, they wouldn't be friends anymore.

Although the three of them bought their meals separately, they always ate together.

You ate from my plate, and I ate from yours, sharing everything without distinction.

It was quite joyful, too.

Recently, Ruan Ling had been frequently interacting with He Jinyan and loved sharing the amusing anecdotes between them with the others.

Bringing up the time she tricked He Jinyan into coming to Zhongshan Park to examine a patient, Jin Baoli asked with curiosity, "Ruan Ling, I still can't wrap my head around it—how on earth did Dr. He fall for your trick?"

"Maybe it's because he thinks I'm cute!" Ruan Ling smiled, revealing shallow dimples.

"Blech~" Jin Baoli feigned a gag. "You're how old and you're still acting cute? Are you sure Dr. He wasn't just pitying you?"

Ruan Ling: "..."

Wen Ran pursed her lips and smiled. "You had Dr. He examine a cat that day; what are you going to have him examine next time? You can't just keep tormenting one poor cat, can you?"

Ruan Ling propped her chin in both hands. "You've got a point. Why don't we torment my third older brother next time!"

Jin Baoli rolled her eyes. "Please, your mother is the director of the hospital. Pretending you were afraid your mother would find out about examining cats and dogs made sense, but you don't need an excuse to examine your third brother, do you?"

Ruan Ling had already made up her mind to use her third brother as an excuse. Lowering her voice, she asked, "Are there any illnesses that are inconvenient to bring to the hospital, ones that can't let my mother find out, or that you'd be too embarrassed to let her know about?"