c52: A Request from an Old Acquaintance

When he heard the news, the first thought that flashed through Yan Feifan’s mind was, ’Are they going to use those poor, unfortunate children for practice?’

’Isn’t that crossing a line?’

Perhaps guessing what Yan Feifan was thinking, Wang Chuan said softly, "Charity and philanthropy done with a pure heart and expecting nothing in return do exist, but such saints are rare, few and far between."

"Yan Feifan, if you don’t have the heart for it, I can just cancel this charity event that has ulterior motives."

"No, Mr. Wang, don’t cancel it!"

Yan Feifan quickly tried to persuade Wang Chuan, then took a deep breath and said, "The motives might not be pure, but for those children with facial deformities, this is a life-changing opportunity."

"I’m also confident that my plastic surgery skills, while still needing improvement, will produce results that are above average."

Wang Chuan smiled, but then his expression suddenly turned stern. "Since you know you still need to learn, what are you doing standing here like an idiot?"

"Get back to work..."

Even though it was Saturday, for Yan Feifan, it was still a busy day—and a rather miserable one at that.

Whether it was the commendation banner or the success of last night’s surgery that had set off Wang Chuan, Yan Feifan’s trauma treatment for accident victims this morning was met with constant, nitpicky criticism from him.

After nine in the morning, Yan Feifan was in Qin Ying’s medical research office, practicing suturing blood vessels with a millimeter-level diameter.

There, too, due to his repeatedly clumsy movements, he received a barrage of rebukes from Mr. Qin, giving him a firsthand taste of the strictness that earned Mr. Qin the fearsome nickname "Abbess Miejue."

After what felt like an eternity, he finally made it to noon. As soon as Yan Feifan stepped out of the emergency building, he saw Yan Ziruo and Tian Yu waiting for him outside.

"Sis, is the move finished?"

Yan Ziruo said with a smile, "Early this morning, Mr. Tian, Mr. Ge, Mr. He, and a few other young men came over to help."

"There wasn’t much to move. We used Mr. Ge’s pickup truck and got everything in one trip."

Yan Feifan walked toward Staff Cafeteria No. 1 with his sister and Tian Yu.

He let out a soft sigh and said wistfully, "If the commute weren’t so inconvenient, I really wouldn’t want to move."

Yan Ziruo also said, a little sadly, "I know. We’ve known so many of our neighbors for ten or twenty years. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them family."

"But spending two or three hours commuting every day is just too draining."

After a pause, she added in a cheerful tone, "Feifan, the neighbors also gave us a lot of housewarming gifts, mostly fruit, food, kitchen supplies, and bedding."

"And Mrs. Hao gave us a puppy."

Yan Feifan asked happily, "Is it from her Corgi’s litter?"

Tian Yu jumped in, "Mr. Yan, it’s one of the Corgi’s puppies! Its fur is red and white."

"It’s so fluffy, like a little furball. It’s so cute and fun to play with."

Yan Ziruo reached out and patted Tian Yu’s head, then said to Yan Feifan, "We have to go to Mr. Wang’s daughter’s birthday party tomorrow."

"I was thinking, his daughter is cooped up at home all day. Wouldn’t it be nice if she had a pet to keep her company?"

"Feifan, what do you think about giving her this puppy as a gift?"

Yan Feifan didn’t give it much thought and said nonchalantly, "You can decide on the gift, Sis. It’s up to you."

Remembering Wang Chuan’s nitpicking that morning, he added, "If he doesn’t invite us again, we’ll just pretend it never happened."

Tian Yu’s lips trembled as she said, reluctant to part with it, "Mr. Yan, Ruoruo, the puppy is so cute. Why do we have to give it away?"

Yan Ziruo explained, feeling a bit guilty, "Feifan has to get up before dawn and doesn’t get back until midnight. He needs his rest."

"If the puppy barks at night, it’ll wake him up..."

The three of them arrived at the cafeteria and got several dishes, making for a rather lavish meal.

Yan Ziruo opened a can of beer she had specially ordered and declared, "Let’s call this a celebration for our new home!"

"Come on, cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Tian Yu gravely lifted her soup bowl and lightly clinked it against the beer can in Yan Ziruo’s hand.

Yan Ziruo took a big gulp of beer, then sighed softly. "Feifan, guess who came looking for me this morning?"

"Who?"

Yan Feifan replied nonchalantly, then reluctantly lifted his own soup bowl and clinked it against Tian Yu’s, which she had been holding up the whole time.

"Deng Ye!"

At that name, Yan Feifan’s gaze sharpened.

"The finance manager from your old company?"

Yan Ziruo nodded lightly.

Tian Yu drank half her bowl of tomato and egg soup and asked curiously, "Ruoruo, who’s this Deng Ye person?"

"A former colleague of mine!" Yan Ziruo explained simply.

In truth, Deng Ye was more than just a former colleague.

As Yan Ziruo’s department manager, he had looked out for her quite a bit.