"Li Ting, it looks like you really enjoy these little meatballs! Here, have some more if you like!"
With boundless enthusiasm, Lin Jie emptied the remaining half of the meatballs into Li Ting's bowl!
"Thank you, thank you for being so thoughtful, giving me so many. Although I'm still on a diet, your enthusiasm, Lin Jie, makes me very, very touched!"
If only Li Ting hadn't been gritting her teeth when she said that, it would have been perfect.
Not to be outdone, she picked up a dish of somewhat charred-looking fish and said, "Lin Jie, I noticed you kept eyeing this braised fish. We're at home, no need to be shy. If you like it, eat up, Miaomiao and I won't fight you for it!"
With those words, she placed the dish of fish in front of Lin Jie.
This was clearly mutual torment, but Lin Jie had no other option; since he started it, he had to let others finish it. He could only brace himself and eat a few pieces of fish.
At that moment, he suddenly noticed Lin Miao kept her head down, only picking at the tomato and egg dish in front of her, ignoring the other dishes.
Lin Jie curiously asked, "Miaomiao, the braised fish, the meatballs, and the braised pork, I noticed you haven't touched a single chopstick on them?"
Lin Miao glanced at Lin Jie and Li Ting, timidly saying, "Tingting said she wanted to try my cooking, so I wanted to show off and made these big dishes... but... but I overestimated my skills a bit."
She chuckled awkwardly, saying, "When I tasted them out of the pot, although they were a bit unpalatable, I can guarantee... they are cooked, and you won't get an upset stomach!"
Lin Jie was speechless, giving Lin Miao a glare, and said, "Cooked and won't cause an upset stomach, your cooking standards are really high! Never mind, let's not eat this anymore. I'll cook some wontons for all of you!"
Lin Miao hurriedly put down her chopsticks, pleading pitifully, "Brother, cook a bit more, I didn't eat much at lunch!"
Her pitiful look made Lin Jie feel a bit reluctant, saying sympathetically, "Alright then, cooking requires some talent, and it seems you're a bit lacking in that area."
"There are so many restaurants nowadays, and takeout is very convenient, so it doesn't matter if you can't cook."
Li Miao stuck out her little tongue, wearing a smug expression, saying, "Maybe I really don't have a knack for cooking; in the future, I'll trouble Brother to cook, and I can give you massages."
"I don't have a knack for cooking either, Miaomiao, so I'm with you, there's no need to feel bad!" Li Ting shouted!
Lin Miao shot Li Ting a sidelong glance, proudly saying, "I'm different from you; I have an all-capable brother, while you only have a mischievous little brother."
Li Ting feigned anger, saying, "Lin Miao, if you keep bragging, I might reluctantly lower my boyfriend standards and steal your brother!"
"Go ahead, steal him if you want!"
Lin Miao continued bragging, "A brother is always a brother, but his girlfriend can change anytime. No matter what, I'm always the one he loves the most."
Lin Jie finished cooking the wontons, and the three of them had dinner again. After tidying up, it was almost nine o'clock.
Recalling the owners' meeting scheduled for the evening, Lin Jie said, "Miaomiao, the owners' meeting is at nine, we should head out soon. Li Ting, why don't you come along too? I doubt the meeting will last long."
Reclining on the sofa like a lazy little cat, Li Miao rubbed her slightly protruding belly and lazily said, "Brother, I don't want to go to the meeting; the neighbors will all know each other eventually anyway. With so many people gathered, I might mix them up."
Seeing her unwillingness to go, Lin Jie didn't insist and instructed Li Ting to stay home with her, then left on his own.
The meeting location was in the rooftop garden!
Setting foot here for the first time, Lin Jie was amazed to discover this hidden gem!
With a swimming pool, lawns, a cabin, retracted parasols, and various landscape plants, it was truly an excellent location for hosting parties and gatherings.
At this moment, over a hundred people had already gathered on the rooftop, holding glasses filled with wine or beverages, or plates with exquisite pastries, engaged in conversations in pairs or groups of three or five!
It felt more like a PARTY, rather than a meeting.
Feeling somewhat puzzled, Lin Jie soon saw Li Haoxiang approaching, dressed in a business suit.
"Everyone is busy, so the annual owners' meeting has become the time when everyone gathers the most, to exchange feelings, and perhaps discuss some affairs or collaborations."
Pointing at the people in the rooftop garden, Li Haoxiang continued explaining, "Not only are there the owners' families here, but also friends of owners and even those who specifically sneak in to network."
He checked his watch and said, "The timing is right, let's go! We've prepared everything in advance; the meeting is brief, roughly involving voting and counting votes."
Lin Jie followed Li Haoxiang westward through the crowd, passing a simple flower and wood fence on the way to the other end of the rooftop.
It was a standard tennis court, with nearly a hundred people already gathered there.
After signing the register, Li Haoxiang excused himself and left, smiling warmly and greeting each person.
Ling Jie glanced over the crowd, noticing that most of them were middle-aged, with varied heights and builds and different styles of clothing, but they all exuded a deep-seated confidence and ease, appearing to be successful individuals.
Just then, as a delicate fragrance wafted by, a feminine voice reached Lin Jie's ears, "Lin Jie, we meet again, you really put me in a bind!"
Turning slightly, Lin Jie recognized Hu Xinyi from Kangning Hospital!
She was wearing a simple black dress, her hair tied in a loose bun at the back of her head, exuding a lazy elegance. However, her expression of resentment, along with those words, suggested that Lin Jie had somehow wronged her in the past.
Frowning slightly, Lin Jie replied indifferently, "For that quintuple syndrome infant patient, you were the first I contacted at Kangning Hospital, and you were the one who refused."
"I'm not talking about that. I am now convinced that the real reason for my lagging in the competition for the dean's position is you!"
Hu Xinyi took a step forward, naturally hooking her arm around Lin Jie's, and whispered into his ear, "Because of you, my uncle's medical skills have distinctly improved, allowing him to win Mr. Tan's surgery; I, on the other hand, refused that infant patient out of narrow-mindedness; moreover, using your surgical plan, my uncle invited Dr. Amos!"
Lin Jie's eyebrows furrowed still tighter as he asked, "How did Dr. Amos's involvement end up related to me?"
Hu Xinyi let out a light hum, saying, "You might not be aware, Dr. Amos agreed to come because he saw traces of Dr. Siselda in my uncle's surgical plan."
"Sadly, he came in high spirits but left disappointed. Now you understand, right?"
For a moment, Lin Jie was silent, comprehending that his knowledge of cranial surgeries stemmed from Dr. Siselda!
At such a level of medicine, each surgery bears a strong individual style, and it's not surprising to be recognized by others.
"Lin Jie, you might not know yet!"
Hu Xinyi murmured, "My uncle isn't as straightforward as he appears. He didn't acknowledge your involvement to Dr. Amos, merely claiming that the surgical plan was a serendipitous idea of his own."
Not seeing any obvious change in Lin Jie's expression, Hu Xinyi hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I also know a bit about the night your sister got injured. However, what puzzled and intrigued me the most is, instead of any hospital, the place you took her to in the end was..."
"...the Weize Building at Henglong Plaza!"
"This piqued my interest greatly; I later discovered that Mr. An Weize was also transferred from the Weize Building to the University Affiliated Hospital, followed by inexplicable reports of a successful surgery by a foreign expert."
Feeling the slight tremor from Lin Jie's body, Hu Xinyi smiled smugly, blowing gently into his ear, "Lin Jie, your current apartment originally belonged to An Kexin!"
"See, I know quite a lot, right?"
"If all these things were connected, I have a very bold conjecture!"
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