After showering and changing clothes, Lin Jie walked side by side with An Kexin on the path leading to Zhujia Port.

After an awkward silence, Lin Jie asked, "Have you been well lately?"

An Kexin chuckled softly and said, "My father has recovered well and has taken over most of the company's affairs!"

"With my father as a strong support, I feel completely relaxed now, I eat well, sleep well, and couldn't be better."

She turned to Lin Jie, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Do you think I should be drowning my sorrows in alcohol every day or crying into my pillow every night?"

"No, I never thought that, really never thought that!" Lin Jie explained insincerely, "As long as you're doing well, I am relieved!"

An Kexin noticed Lin Jie's discomfort, moved a little closer, and whispered, "Our previous relationship was purely physical without any feelings involved. Are you... a bit reluctant to let me go?"

Lin Jie hurriedly said, "How could I be! After all, I was the one taking advantage, I just feel a bit guilty towards you..."

"Haha..."

An Kexin laughed somewhat exaggeratedly and said, "Your thoughts are a bit old-fashioned. It's hard to say who takes advantage and who loses in these matters..."

After a meaningful "oh," she added with a hint of seduction, "If you need anything in the future, you can still come to me. That promise from that night is valid for the long term, and can be fulfilled anytime..."

She added, "Rest assured; I won't cling to you, nor will I affect your relationship with Li Ting."

Lin Jie immediately felt a surge of warmth rising from his lower abdomen, his face slightly flushed, and muttered, "Kexin, don't tease me!"

"I'm not teasing you; I'm telling the truth!" An Kexin said earnestly!

"Dr. Lin!"

"Dr. Lin!"

Fortunately, by this time, they had entered Zhujia Port, and the residents they encountered along the way greeted Lin Jie politely!

With his mind distracted, Lin Jie's thoughts gradually waned.

They soon walked into Zhang Family Seafood's courtyard, where Aunt Zhang greeted them with a smile and said, "Dr. Lin, Miss An is here too. I just received a large crab this morning; I'll steam it for you now."

Lin Jie politely said, "Just make a few simple dishes; we still have things to do this afternoon!"

"I know, I know!"

Aunt Zhang gratefully said, "Daya working as your assistant is her job; the clinic pays her salary every month. You gave her more money, quite a lot, we really don't know what to say."

For Xiaoxiao's surgery, Lin Jie gave Zhang Daya twenty thousand.

This money was partly to reward her for her hard work as a surgical nurse and also essentially to pay for the meals he had been having at Zhang Family Seafood for so long.

Lin Jie smiled and said, "Zhang Daya assisting me is outside her regular work at the clinic. That money is overtime pay, which she deserves."

"Besides, this money ultimately comes from the patient, not out of my pocket."

Aunt Zhang said gratefully, "But in reality, it's still your own money, we all understand this."

Lin Jie and An Kexin sat in a private room on the second floor, and Aunt Zhang swiftly served a few cold dishes before heading to the kitchen to prepare hot dishes.

Despite her good background, An Kexin wasn't particularly picky and enjoyed the food from this street-market-like restaurant with great appetite.

After eating a bit, Lin Jie put down his chopsticks and said, "You mentioned you had something important to discuss with me. Can we talk about it now?"

An Kexin also put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth with a wet wipe she brought along, saying, "After my father's brain tumor surgery became known, besides friends and relatives coming to visit, many others came to inquire for information!"

"These people were naturally blocked by my father, but..."

An Kexin's face showed difficulty as she said, "Last night, someone approached my father. The energy and connections behind this person made my father hesitant to refuse easily. Lin Jie, I came here this time to discuss this matter with you on behalf of my father."

"My father said that ultimately, the decision is up to you!"

Anything that could trouble An Weize was naturally not a small matter. Lin Jie's heart sank as he calmly said, "Tell me, what exactly is the matter?"

An Kexin softly said, "The person is someone within the system, has a decent position, but has a tumor in the brain, hoping to leverage my father's connections to have you perform the surgery."

Lin Jie was taken aback and asked, puzzlingly, "Since it's someone within the system, with a decent position, then he has considerable power and should have access to public healthcare and whatnot."

"For them, going to the University Affiliated Hospital or a big hospital in the Capital City to find a well-known neurosurgeon should be very easy. Why approach your father?"

An Kexin sighed and said with a wry smile, "If things were as easy as you said, it would be simple. The main issue is that this person cannot openly have the surgery; he wants to have it done in secret!"

"Why?" Lin Jie pursued!

An Kexin softly explained, "Lin Jie, you might not fully understand the life of people within the system!"

"The place where this person is located is about to undergo a significant adjustment, and now is a crucial time for higher-level assessments."

"If, at this time, word gets out that someone is unwell and requires surgery, not to mention climbing higher, even maintaining the current position could be at great risk."

"For people like them, working within the system, every rank has an invisible age ceiling!"

"Missing one round of promotions could mean falling behind step by step, missing out on a lifetime of career advancements. So, at this critical moment, he does not want news of his surgery to be known to others, especially his competitors."

Lin Jie came to a bit of realization and asked, "What kind of tumor?"

An Kexin tapped her phone a few times to bring up a set of cranial CT images and handed it to Lin Jie.

After looking through them, Lin Jie discovered that the person's tumor had a diameter of about two centimeters, with smooth edges, a benign tumor. However, the tumor was positioned near the brain's visual center.

"Is this person about to go blind?" Lin Jie inquired.

An Kexin nodded, "Indeed, when an expert acts, it's evident. The person's vision has already started to blur due to tumor pressure, and it's becoming hard to hide."

Lin Jie pondered for a moment and asked, "Did he threaten your An Family?"

An Kexin shook her head, "No, but the family behind this person has fairly close ties with our An Family. To put it simply, as a business, we often seek a big tree to provide shade and shelter."

"Their development benefits us with intangible profits, and this is why my father finds it hard to refuse."

Lin Jie gently tapped the phone and asked back, "Do you want me to take on this surgery or not?"

An Kexin hesitated for a moment, pressed her lips, and said, "Although my father said it's entirely up to you, Lin Jie, I hope you can take it on!"

"To be frank, my father has grand ambitions this time; he wants to completely reorganize the company's equity structure, which will affect many people's interests and might face considerable backlash."

"If we can have the full support of the family behind this person, then the Weize Group will smoothly overcome this hurdle!"

Lin Jie thought for a moment and said, "All along, I've had a good impression of your An Family. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together; this person must be decent too."

"I'll take on this surgery!"

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