“Brother, take that invitation back. I’m not going to Miss Kong’s birthday banquet.”
Zhan Haoyu picked up the invitation and said, “You’re right, it wouldn’t be convenient for you. I’ll pass it to Old Nine. He can show his face so the Kong family knows the Zhan family sent someone.”
Zhan Yue nodded repeatedly.
Old Nine didn’t have a girlfriend yet, so he was the perfect choice. Even though Old Nine was a year younger than Miss Kong, it didn’t matter if the woman was slightly older.
Ninth Young Master: …I don’t want an older woman–younger man relationship!
His own brothers were too ruthless. Whenever they didn’t want to attend something like Miss Kong’s birthday banquet, they dumped it on him just because he was the youngest!
The two brothers chatted a while longer, then Zhan Haoyu left.
At the same time, at the Zeng house.
The Zeng family lived in a five-storey self-built house right by the street. The ground floor was commercial space, but instead of renting it out, they ran their own small clinic. Whenever neighbours had headaches, fevers, or minor ailments, they came straight to the Zeng clinic.
The Zeng clinic charged modest fees, the whole family were doctors, they examined patients carefully and treated everyone kindly. As a result, many people came here for small complaints. They only sent patients to the big hospital for serious conditions. Otherwise, anyone who knew about the Zeng clinic trusted their medical skills completely.
There were several residential estates nearby, and the street had heavy foot traffic.
Zeng Xiaoya had just finished weighing medicine for one patient when another person walked in. This time it wasn’t a patient. It was her senior from university, Lin Jian, carrying a large bouquet of flowers.
“Second Uncle Zeng, Second Aunt, hello.”
Lin Jian first greeted the couple who were seeing patients. Second Uncle Zeng had resigned from the hospital years ago and opened the family clinic with his wife helping to dispense medicine.
Because the whole Zeng family lived in the same building, Zeng Xiaoya worked night shifts at the hospital. In the mornings, when the clinic was busy, she came downstairs to help. The flow of patients had slowed down now, and she was about to finish with this patient and go upstairs to rest when Lin Jian appeared.
“Lin Jian, you’re here. And this is…?”
Second Uncle Zeng’s eyes lit up when he saw the bouquet. Good lad, he’s finally making a move.
Lin Jian and Zeng Xiaoya had attended the same medical university. He was two years ahead of her, her senior classmate. He now ran his own clinic about a ten-minute drive from the Zeng clinic.
He came to the Zeng clinic often. When he had free time he asked Second Uncle for medical advice, and when the clinic was busy he helped see patients and dispense medicine. Everyone knew perfectly well how he felt about Zeng Xiaoya. It was an open secret.
He just hadn’t formally confessed yet.
Because Zeng Xiaoya always treated him coolly, Lin Jian hadn’t dared to speak up.
After two years of building goodwill with the Zeng family, he had decided to confess to her today.
He had heard that a classmate of hers who worked at the same hospital had feelings for her too.
Worried she might be taken by someone else, he finally felt a sense of urgency.
Lin Jian’s face turned slightly red. He was 173 cm tall, average height for a man, a little chubby, with ordinary looks, but he had a good temperament. His family background, however, was not as good as Zeng Xiaoya’s.
His parents were farmers. He had chosen to study medicine because when he was young his father fell seriously ill. Seeing his father suffer, he vowed to become a doctor.
After graduating he had worked in a hospital for a while, then decided to open his own clinic.
The money to start the clinic had been borrowed from his elder brother, but he had long since paid it all back.
