After chatting for a while, Xue Rui decided to go find Lin Ruoxi.

Before he left, Xue Rui asked Xie Jianfeng a question: "Dad, was it difficult to get the approval paperwork for our family’s restaurant?"

Hearing this, Xie Jianfeng was clearly lost in thought.

"No wonder... it was so easy..." Xie Jianfeng muttered.

...

Xue Rui wandered aimlessly through the hospital, his heart filled with emotion.

From Xie Jianfeng’s reaction, Xue Rui understood instantly.

Although Gu Qingshan and Xie Jianfeng had their misunderstanding, they lived in the same city, and Gu Qingshan had still secretly helped his childhood friend.

It was just that both of them were too stubborn, and neither was willing to be the first to speak.

It wasn’t until the old photograph Lin Ruoxi found had, by a twist of fate, ended up in Gu Qingshan’s hands that everything was resolved.

Two good brothers, estranged for over a decade because of a small misunderstanding...

’Some things should just be asked about clearly,’ Xue Rui thought. ’It’s better than guessing wildly.’

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lin Ruoxi pushing the old woman out. They were on the third floor of the outpatient building.

He took the escalator down and walked over to them.

"Dr. Zhang, how is the situation?" Xue Rui asked.

"Oh, I’m just an intern. You don’t have to call me ’Doctor’."

The intern was secretly delighted to be called that by Xue Rui.

"You’re all professionals. I can’t make heads or tails of these forms," Xue Rui said.

"To be honest, there’s a lot I don’t really understand either, and some test results won’t be out until this afternoon..."

"The old woman’s indicators aren’t great, but aside from her diabetes, there are no major problems. She’ll be fine after a period of rest."

"Also, this student, Lin Ruoxi, is far too thin. She’s 173 centimeters tall but weighs only 46 kilograms. According to the normal BMI index, a healthy weight for her should be at least 55 kilograms."

The intern relayed all the results he had analyzed.

Xue Rui poked Lin Ruoxi’s cheek with a serious expression. "Did you hear that? Even the doctor says you’re too thin. You have to eat more from now on."

"Mm..." Lin Ruoxi nodded obediently.

’I feel like I’ve already gained a bit of weight recently,’ she thought, ’but I guess Xue Rui still doesn’t think it’s enough.’

Holding a handful of test reports, Lin Ruoxi’s mind was racing.

When her grandmother had surgery last year, she had come to a major hospital once. People from her village had come to help then, too, but they had all been running around in a chaotic panic.

But today was different. Although there were many tests, everything went exceptionally smoothly. She knew it was all because of Xue Rui.

She stole a glance at Xue Rui, then, afraid of being caught, quickly turned her head away.

"Xixi, be a little more open," the old woman said suddenly.

"Mm..." Lin Ruoxi responded.

"I have to give these forms to the department heads. The final opinion comes from them, not me. What I said doesn’t count for much, so just take it with a grain of salt," the intern said sheepishly.

"There are still a few more tests. After those, you can go home."

Xue Rui nodded and accompanied Lin Ruoxi and her grandmother to finish up.

Vascular Surgery Department.

The old woman was undergoing a routine check-up.

Xue Rui stood to the side, boredly looking at the educational diagrams on the wall. He suddenly remembered something.

He’d bragged to Ren Jun that he would get his younger aunt to wear black pantyhose.

"Being a doctor really isn’t easy. My maternal uncle is also a doctor, and he has occupational hazards."

Xue Rui casually remarked to the middle-aged female doctor beside him.

"Yes, sometimes we’re too busy to eat, so our stomachs and cervical spines aren’t in good shape..." the female doctor sighed.

"That’s why they call you ’angels in white,’ sacrificing yourselves for the people."

"My younger aunt is a teacher. I’m worried she’ll get an occupational illness too. Is there any way to prevent it?" Xue Rui asked with a worried look.

The female doctor thought for a moment. "A teacher? Their problems are probably similar to ours. Teachers stand a lot... Varicose veins would be one."

"What are varicose veins?" Xue Rui had never actually heard of this condition.

"That patient at the door has them." The female doctor pointed.

Xue Rui followed her finger and saw a woman who was pulling up her pant leg to adjust the sock she was wearing.

Xue Rui’s expression turned grim. The sight was truly shocking.

The blood vessels on the woman’s leg were bulging out in clusters. It was a deeply unsettling sight.

"What kind of socks are those? They’re so weird," Xue Rui muttered.

"Compression stockings. They reduce venous pressure and also have a preventative effect."

’These terms are too damn technical,’ Xue Rui thought, ’I don’t get it.’

But since it was about the legs, an idea popped into Xue Rui’s head. "Doctor, can pantyhose help prevent it?"

The female doctor was taken aback. Not many people asked this kind of question.

She thought for a moment. "Generally, no. The pressure is too low."

"But it can’t hurt, right?"

"It doesn’t do any harm, but the best prevention is to exercise more."

Hearing this answer, Xue Rui nodded in satisfaction.

’Anyway,’ he thought, ’the doctor didn’t completely deny that pantyhose were useless.’

Therefore, he decided to take it as "it’s beneficial." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

...

They had a huge stack of test forms, and by the time they finished everything, it was already past eleven. Ren Jun took them out for a meal.

For convenience, Xue Rui just pointed to a "big plate chicken" restaurant on the side of the road.

He specifically ordered a five-spice flavor for the old woman, while the three of them shared a large spicy portion.

Lin Ruoxi couldn’t handle spicy food very well, but she remembered Xue Rui telling her to eat more. So she kept putting more on her plate, her tongue sticking out from the heat as she frantically fanned it with her hand.

"Boss, five more orders of the spicy flavor to go."

Xue Rui went to the back kitchen and shouted the order, then brought a bottle of soda for Lin Ruoxi.

PSSSH. Xue Rui twisted off the cap and handed it to Lin Ruoxi.

"Th... thank you," Lin Ruoxi said, her tongue practically tied in knots.

She quickly took a few gulps. It was cold and stung her throat a little, but it was much more comfortable than before.

By the time she put it down, half the soda in the bottle was gone.

She just felt her stomach was full of gas, all bloated and gurgling.

She looked up at Xue Rui, only to find him staring right at her.

Suddenly, she realized something was wrong and quickly covered her mouth.

But it was too late.

A small burp escaped, and Lin Ruoxi’s face instantly turned red all the way to her ears.

In a fluster, Lin Ruoxi buried her face in her bowl and took a few more bites, before she started sticking her tongue out again...

Xue Rui and Ren Jun watched Lin Ruoxi with broad smiles, thinking how this girl was both dorky and adorable.

After the meal, Ren Jun drove the two of them to the school gate.

"Uncle, if something comes up at the hospital, come pick us up again," Xue Rui called out.

"No problem. Your uncle said he’d contact me if anything happens."

Ren Jun waved and left to take the old woman home.

It was lunchtime, and the students were all moving in one direction: toward the cafeteria.

Even in the security booth by the gate, a guard was holding a lunchbox, getting ready to go to the cafeteria.

"Sir, don’t go to the cafeteria," Xue Rui called out to the guard.

He gave Lin Ruoxi a look, signaling for her to give the takeout boxes of big plate chicken to the guards.

"We went out for a bit and happened to buy a few extra meals on our way back. Here, take them," Xue Rui said with a smile as he walked onto campus.

Inside the security booth, there were a few middle-aged guards in uniform. It looked like they were getting ready to take turns going to the cafeteria, but hadn’t left yet.

Xue Rui’s timing was perfect.

"Oh, we couldn’t possibly."

The guard looked at the condensation on the takeout boxes. ’These must have just been cooked,’ he thought.

"There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Lin Ruoxi, put these on the table for these gentlemen," Xue Rui instructed.

"Mm..."

Lin Ruoxi didn’t understand why Xue Rui wanted her to give food to the security guards.

But since Xue Rui had told her to, she did as she was told.

She opened the bag and placed the boxes on the table inside the booth, one by one.

Xue Rui took out a tissue and pretended to wipe the sweat from Lin Ruoxi’s brow;

in reality, he was deliberately brushing her hair back.

The guards stared blankly, captivated by the fleeting glimpse of Lin Ruoxi’s stunning face.

’Such a beautiful girl, going out of her way to bring them food.’

They had never imagined a scene like this would happen to them. Their hearts swelled with a sweet feeling.

"Thank you, student Lin Ruoxi," one of the middle-aged guards said.

Xue Rui smiled. ’Good, they remembered her name,’ he thought.

He said his goodbyes to the guards and led Lin Ruoxi onto the campus.

His goal was simple: to ensure Lin Ruoxi could come and go from campus without any trouble.

He wanted to get them familiar with her face beforehand.

The casually gifted food wasn’t worth much, but it was the thought that counted, and that often leaves a stronger impression.

Paired with that fleeting glimpse of a beautiful face, Xue Rui believed that few men would forget her.

"What about the tanghulu?" Lin Ruoxi asked curiously.

Xue Rui hadn’t just gotten takeout; he had also bought some tanghulu.

’Weren’t those for the security guards?’

"Oh, these..."