It was nearly 10 p.m. when An Kemeng gently opened the door and tiptoed inside, only to find her father and sister sitting in the living room.

Faced with their concerned gazes, An Kemeng said softly, "Dad, Sister!"

She dashed over to An Weize and sat down beside him, speaking in a coquettish voice, "Dad, didn't you and Sister say you were discussing things in the study?"

An Weize let out a soft grunt, "If we weren't here guarding, you'd sneak into the house and then falsely claim you've been back for a while, wouldn't you?"

An Kemeng gave an awkward smile and began to explain, "I've always been a good girl. The reason I came home late this time is that I went to Lin Jie's house to express my gratitude, and had dinner there as well!"

An Kexin frowned and asked, "Gratitude? Gratitude for what?"

"For Lin Jie agreeing to my request and helping Teacher Xu treat his son…"

An Kemeng vividly recounted the details of Xu Bin's son's condition, Lin Jie's treatment plan, and Chen Shi's special reminder tonight.

"Dad, Sister, Teacher Xu said that over the years, he's taken his son to various experts to no avail."

"Now, Lin Jie has provided a definite treatment plan. He's amazing."

At this point, An Kemeng's expression saddened, and she pouted, "I bet Teacher Xu will be giving me extra lessons frequently now. It's so annoying."

An Kexin and An Weize exchanged a glance, and said, "Kemeng, go wash up and get some rest; you have school tomorrow!"

An Kemeng nodded, got up, and said, "I'm going to wash up. Dad, Sister, you two should get to bed early too."

"Hey…"

An Kemeng called her back and asked, "How did you get home? By taxi, or…"

"Lin Jie drove me back."

An Kemeng giggled and sat back down again, "Lin Jie drives fast and steady, and he even bragged about winning a car race."

"Lin Jie must be bragging; he's only learnt to drive not that long ago."

An Kexin obviously didn't believe Lin Jie's words, and asked again, "Kemeng, your birthday is a little more than half a month away. How would you like to celebrate?"

An Kemeng thought for a moment and said, "You and Dad are busy this year, so there's no need to specially celebrate my birthday."

"Well… just invite Uncle's family, Lin Jie, and Miaomiao for a meal!"

An Kexin nodded slightly and said, "Just inviting Uncle's family is enough."

"Better not invite Lin Jie and Miaomiao; they are sensitive about birthdays…"

An Kemeng suddenly realized and exclaimed angrily, "Lin Jie and Miaomiao are such good people, yet there are such heartless, selfish parents in this world. It makes me furious."

An Weize gently patted her hand, "There are all kinds of people in this big world."

"Your Brother Lin Jie has overcome all hardships now, so there's no need to worry. Go and rest quickly; your sister and I have more to discuss."

As An Kemeng left for the second floor, An Weize's expression turned stern, and he said, "It was only after Kemeng said that I understood…"

He snorted, disdainfully, "Why Director Zhao, against his usual self, is so enthusiastic about treating me to dinner tomorrow."

"It's clear his target is Lin Jie, trying to connect to Lin Jie through us!"

An Kexin pondered for a moment, "He's been stuck at the Deputy Director level for years now, trying to advance in the renowned Affiliated Hospital. He certainly needs a prestigious honor!"

"Dad, how do you plan to handle him tomorrow?"

An Weize chuckled, "Why handle? I'll just tell the truth."

"Our relationship with Lin Jie now is that we need him more than he needs us!"

"Director Zhao will understand that with a little thought. Besides, considering Lin Jie's current reputation and status, who could force him?"

"If Director Zhao wants to ride on a prestigious name, he'll have to pay a price in exchange. All I can do is honestly convey his terms to Lin Jie."

An Kexin smiles slightly, "Lin Jie truly is exceptional. Just casually helping Kemeng once stirred up such a commotion, attracting so much attention."

An Weize chuckled, "When you think about it, it's quite normal."

"The cases that get sent to Lin Jie are mostly troublesome diseases that no other experts can handle, or high-difficulty surgeries."

"For these cases, every one that Lin Jie handles should easily translate into a high-quality paper based on his treatment plan."

Humbly proud, An Kexin exclaimed, "These cases one after another truly consolidated Lin Jie's reputation."

"I've tried to estimate him as highly as I could, yet he keeps surpassing my expectations."

"Once Anlin Hospital officially opens, just Lin Jie alone will be able to boost the hospital's reputation…"

Seeing An Kexin's joy, as if she stumbled upon a great treasure, An Weize found it amusing.

A thought stirred in his mind, and unable to hold back, he tentatively asked, "Kexin, it seems like Kemeng talks about Brother Lin Jie all the time, and holds deep admiration for him, and…"

Lowering his voice slightly, An Weize said, "Your uncle says Lin Jie's health is extraordinarily good; he's never seen a heart transplant patient who went through a several-hour surgery and recovered so swiftly overnight."

"Lin Jie's heart is also a perfect match, so your uncle believes Lin Jie's lifespan might surprise us…"

An Kexin slightly frowned, interrupting with some displeasure, "Dad, don't tell me you're trying to bring up Kemeng again…"

An Weize snorted, "Kexin, with Kemeng acting the way she does, I fear she's long since been fond of Lin Jie."

"No way. Kemeng just sees Lin Jie as a brother, not in that way…"

"How can you be so sure?" An Weize asked with sharp eyes!

"Of course I'm sure. Kemeng knows… knows…"

Averting her eyes guiltily, An Kexin said, "Kemeng has confided in me; of course, I'm sure."

Seeing An Kexin's slightly unnatural expression, An Weize paused in silence, and insinuated, "Feelings cannot be forced; I am well aware of that."

"Kexin, you may call me realistic and cunning, but when evaluated comprehensively, Lin Jie is indeed an exceptionally good son-in-law candidate."

An Weize warned, "I can see this, and others can certainly see it too. If they have the chance, they won't miss it."

"Kexin, sometimes opportunities are fleeting, and once missed, they can't be found again!"

An Kexin gazed intently at An Weize for a moment, bit her lip, straightened up, and asked, "Dad, if you have something to say, just say it. No need to beat around the bush."

Upon seeing this, An Weize didn't hesitate and directly asked, "Kexin, what exactly is your relationship with Lin Jie?"

Having decided not to hide anymore, An Kexin thought for a moment and said, "Let's say it's a romantic relationship!"

"What do you mean by a romantic relationship? Isn't it a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship?"

Before An Kexin could reply, the confused An Weize understood when he probed further.

Anger surged within him instantly, and he shouted, "Did that bastard coerce…"

"Dad, it's not what you think."

An Kexin hurriedly explained, "Lin Jie wanted me to publicly become his girlfriend, but I was unwilling."

"Our current relationship is my insistence and not his desire."

An Weize couldn't understand, and asked urgently, "Kexin, you've completely confused me."

"Do you not like him? Then why be with him? If you are together, why insist on not making it public?"

"Kexin, are you worried about something?"

...…

PS. During this time, a family member's health was poor, making it busy for me, so the update schedule was a bit unstable!

The surgery was done the day before yesterday, and staying up these two nights messed up my thought process, leaving little time for writing, hence the fewer updates, sorry about that.

I will continue without further delays, aiming for two updates, and expect to resume normal updates by next Tuesday or Wednesday.

Apologies again!!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.