"Teacher, you were looking for me?"

Upon hearing the voice and seeing Xiao Ganghao enter through the door, Lin Jie pointed to the seat in front of his desk and said, "Sit down, I need to talk to you about something."

After saying this, Lin Jie paused, unsure of how to begin.

Seeing Xiao Ganghao sitting upright with expectation in his eyes, Lin Jie frankly said, "From the perspective of An Kexin, I am Zou Manqing's cousin-in-law. Zou Manqing's mother is my aunt."

"Last night, this aunt told me something, said that your mother and Zou Manqing..."

At this point, Xiao Ganghao's face turned ugly, and he said awkwardly, "Teacher, I am aware of the issues between my mother and Manqing."

He sighed and said, "My mother is somewhat dissatisfied with Manqing, thinking she is a bit pampered and lacks the ability to manage the household."

"However, I believe that after the engagement, my mother will respect my choice and accept Manqing."

"Honestly, I think Manqing's performance is quite good."

"Although there are many things she doesn't know how to do, she's been trying hard to learn and is making progress every day."

"I just didn't expect my mother to be so stubborn, unwilling to truly accept Manqing."

Noticing his words were somewhat in defense of Zou Manqing, Lin Jie asked further, "I also heard that recently your mother has been frequently inviting a girl to your home?"

Xiao Ganghao lightly nodded and said, "Yes, that is true. But every time I go home, I go with Manqing. If I really can't avoid it, I use my work shifts at the hospital as an excuse not to go home."

"So you are aware of your mother's true intentions?" Lin Jie questioned in a displeased tone.

Xiao Ganghao didn't dare look Lin Jie in the eyes, lowered his head, and softly said, "Yes, I know."

Lin Jie tapped the desk with his fingers, and in a deep voice, he said, "Considering that I officiated your wedding with Manqing and have a close relationship with both of you, I can't just turn a blind eye to the issues between you."

"Xiao Ganghao, things have escalated to this point, you cannot continue to be vague."

"The longer it drags on, the deeper the damage will be. You must make a decision."

He snorted coldly, "As for how to resolve it, that is up to you."

"Convince your mother, break up with Manqing, or something else? Ultimately, how you decide, I can't give you an answer like I would for your medical queries. This is, after all, your life."

"Alright, go back, think carefully, and resolve this issue promptly."

Lin Jie spoke in an understanding manner because he himself didn't have a good solution.

If he did, he would have already strongly instructed Xiao Ganghao on what to do.

Xiao Ganghao stood up, bowed slightly to Lin Jie, and apologized, "Teacher, I'm sorry for troubling you. I will resolve this matter as soon as possible."

Watching Xiao Ganghao leave with his head down, Lin Jie suddenly felt that being without parents was not so bad; at least he didn't have to mediate complicated in-law relationships…

In the afternoon, around three o'clock, Lin Jie received a call from An Kexin.

"Ajie, apart from a few on duty, the company and hospital have started their official holiday. How's Mengjiao doing?"

Lin Jie replied, "The person has been caught without any bad consequences. She has almost recovered from the incident and is currently making dumplings with Miaomiao and Nannan."

He laughed and added, "Even though they say they are making dumplings together, all the mixing, kneading dough, and rolling the dumpling skins are actually done by Mengjiao alone."

An Kexin hummed softly on the phone and said, "Ajie, we need to take the nude photo incident seriously."

"This is definitely a burden on Mengjiao."

"As Anlin Hospital and Anlin Charity Fund grow, Mengjiao will rise with them, and this burden might be mentioned from time to time."

She insightfully noted, "A colleague with jealousy, a partner seeking private gain, or a frustrated beneficiary could all bring this up to attack or threaten Mengjiao."

The darker side of human nature is something Lin Jie has heard plenty about in the hospital.

He understood that the scenarios An Kexin described could indeed happen, and he asked, "Kexin, do you have any good strategies to deal with this?"

"There's no good strategy!"

An Kexin said helplessly, "We can only hope Mengjiao remains strong, faces the past head-on."

"When she can treat this matter lightly and laugh it off, others won't be able to use it against her."

She continued, "I will have a good talk with her, reassure her of our support. We all support her, which should alleviate some of her concerns and bolster her courage."

"Oh, and let me tell you one more thing."

"The designer we met yesterday named Wu Xiaoyue, after further communication this morning, we are quite satisfied with her proposals and ideas, and have signed an agreement hiring her to design a complete visual identity system for the hospital."

Lin Jie agreed, "I also think she's quite good, quite talented."

He then asked, "Any new response regarding the cancellation of cooperation with the institute?"

An Kexin snorted lightly and said, "The other party might be feeling flush with cash, or perhaps doesn't want to completely sour relations with us—they've replied saying they'll execute the breach terms fully according to our contract."

Lin Jie laughed, "While not what we wanted, it's essentially free money. With the Spring Festival holiday here, we can take the opportunity to network a bit."

"Kexin, you can reach out to some people from this institute through Dr. Lei Jun."

An Kexin determinedly said, "Ajie, just wait for the good news."

"I will definitely poach a few key technical staff and develop better products to outdo them..."

After hanging up, Lin Jie tidied his desk and left the office.

He went to Yao Henan's ward, and the scene before him made him shake his head.

Zhang Xiaoxiao, Ling Mengjiao, Lin Miao, and Yao Henan's faces and bodies were covered with flour.

Quite a bit of flour had also been scattered on the ground.

The dumplings laid out on the steamer cloth on the side table were varied in size and looked quite odd.

Only around thirty dumplings were uniform in size and reasonably presentable.

Lin Jie couldn't help but criticize, "In times of scarcity, you'd get a whipping for wastefulness like this."

Lin Miao giggled as she approached him, suddenly reaching out to touch Lin Jie's face.

Lin Jie naturally dodged, but just as he escaped Lin Miao's frontal attack, another hand sneakily struck, touching his left cheek squarely.

Seeing Ling Mengjiao step back victoriously with a smile and hearing Yao Henan's laughter from the sink, Lin Jie reluctantly joined in their playful antics.

After a round of teasing, a mobile ringtone interrupted them.

Realizing it was just past four o'clock, Lin Jie knew it was the scheduled call, so he gestured for everyone to stop the antics and let Zhang Xiaoxiao answer the phone.

After a few exchanges on the call, Zhang Xiaoxiao handed the phone to Yao Henan.

"Daddy..."

When Yao Henan exclaimed in delight, Lin Jie, Ling Mengjiao, and the others quietly left the ward...

The New Year's Eve dinner in the ward began at five-thirty in the evening. The dishes were ordered from a restaurant, and the main course was the dumplings made by Ling Mengjiao and the others.

They chatted and laughed, creating a very cheerful atmosphere.

Especially when several students still in the hospital, Fang Huanru, Ma Hongmin, Zeng Yang, and others joined in, making the atmosphere more lively.

But around seven o'clock, the hospital alarm suddenly sounded, indicating a Black Alert.

At the same time, Lin Jie, Fang Huanru, Ma Hongmin, Zeng Yang, and others' phones simultaneously received the hospital's situation announcement.

At the tourist hotspot Binjiang Road, where visitors were viewing lights and fireworks, a major stampede occurred. Estimated casualties numbered over a hundred, and a large influx of patients was being sent to the hospital.

All doctors present at the hospital immediately went into emergency mode, preparing to treat the incoming stream of patients.

Lin Jie stood up and said in a deep voice, "Let's go, the moment of test has arrived, bring out all your skills!"

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