Chapter 29, Second Update

"I was wrong, I was wrong, please spare me." Yuan Li's eyes were swollen and red, with tear tracks on her cheeks. Her mouth quivered as she bitterly begged the fierce woman in front of her through her tears.

Tian Shuyun was stunned, her head buzzing.

"Beating someone in public!"

"These two women are too much, bullying a young girl."

"Let's report them to the authorities."

The canteen was stuffy, and the hot wind blew in the irritation of the scorching sun. The ceiling fan creaked, blowing hot air onto people's faces, making many who were already in a bad mood even more furious at the public display of slapping.

Compared to the short Yuan Li, Qin Yao and Tian Shuyun were taller. Qin Yao's face was too delicate and glamorous, making her appear overwhelmingly arrogant next to the petite and innocent Yuan Li.

Qin Yao gave Yuan Li a meaningful look and coldly said, "You will pay the price for what you have done."

Some people get arrogant when given an inch, thinking the whole world revolves around them. Unfortunately for them, they kicked an iron plate this time.

Qin Yao turned and left the canteen. She sat on a bench in the hospital, took out a fountain pen, and wrote an article titled — "Self-Criticism Letter."

At two o'clock in the afternoon, when all staff started work, Qin Yao stood in the most conspicuous position, gathered a group of people, and announced she was going to read her "Self-Criticism Letter."

The news of a pretty nurse reading a self-criticism was a big event. Some people hobbled out on crutches to see it, making the scene extraordinarily lively.

"Be careful, your splint is just applied."

"Why are you here with a dislocated arm?"

"I'll get treated after watching."

A bone doctor was on the scene and reset the dislocated arm, hearing the "wah-wah-wah" cries.

Qin Yao stood in the middle of the crowd and, seeing that most people had arrived, took a loudspeaker and began reading her self-criticism letter: "Dear comrades, good afternoon. I am Qin Yao, a new nurse. This afternoon, I am making this self-criticism with a heavy heart."

"What I am criticizing myself for is—bullying a thief."

"...On [Date], Nurse Li Fangfang lost fifty yuan in her dormitory. According to her, she suspected Nurse Tian Shuyun—"

Qin Yao wrote down everything that happened that day. Her words were not beautiful, but the narrative was full of twists and turns, like telling a story.

The people who came to watch her make a self-criticism were now engrossed in the plot of solving a case.

When Qin Yao revealed that the fifty yuan was found in the newspaper layer of the bedside table, it was like a thunderbolt in a clear sky, and the high-pitched trumpet in operas blared. In the crowd's gasps, the drama reached its climax.

It was unclear who started it, but clapping erupted at the hospital entrance.

"This incident should have been left in the past, but Yuan Li keeps looking at me with tears in her eyes, as if I wronged her. Yes, I did bully her. I found out the truth about her stealing money and hurt her feelings. Here, I criticize myself for that and say sorry to her."

"But next time, I would make the same choice. In this world, we cannot wrong a good person, nor can we let a bad one go. Doing something wrong should have punishment. I am glad Comrade Li Fangfang got her precious fifty yuan back."

Everyone applauded again.

At this point, no one spoke. Stealing fifty yuan was not a small amount; it was a month's salary or even several months' for an ordinary person. A bicycle cost just over a hundred yuan, and stealing a bicycle was a serious crime. Fifty yuan was also a huge amount, enough to land one in prison.

Yuan Li, standing in the crowd, turned pale and, under the gaze of others, covered her face and cried. Some people around her softly comforted her.

At this moment, although she regretted it, she didn't take it seriously.

She had made many mistakes before, and as long as she cried pitifully, others would forgive her. She believed this time would be the same, especially since Li Fangfang had forgiven her first and chosen not to pursue it.

However, iron handcuffs were placed on her wrists, and no amount of tears could change that.

Even if Li Fangfang forgave her, the crime happened in the Military Hospital, and the hospital had to hold her accountable for her criminal behavior.

Yuan Li was dismissed, and the police took statements from everyone present that day. With plenty of witnesses and evidence, the crime was undeniable.

Even though Li Fangfang forgave her, Yuan Li was still sentenced to prison and labor reform.

"You thief, how dare you feel wronged? People like you need ideological education."

Afterward, the hospital awarded Qin Yao a "Courageous and Just Award" and a five-yuan bonus.

"Yaoyao."

As Qin Yao walked downstairs with the bonus in an envelope, a young man called out to her. The hot wind brushed her face, and the man wore a brand-new white coat with a hint of deep blue at the collar.

The man, wearing glasses, looked proper and refined, exuding a scholarly elegance. His voice carried an indescribable intimacy when he called Qin Yao.

This male doctor was Zhou Fangyu, the "yard god" Qin Yao used to have a crush on. He had a fiancée, Zeng Manli, with whom he had an on-again, off-again relationship for several years. He was recently transferred to the island's military hospital.

He arrived at an inconvenient time, and since Qin Yao was out at sea, Zhou Fangyu didn't meet her, only knowing she was also on the island and had become a nurse there.

Zhou Fangyu had another fight with his fiancée. He saw going south as an opportunity, but Zeng Manli didn't want to go and threw a tantrum. Unable to bear it, Zhou Fangyu came south alone, postponing the wedding.

Zeng Manli gave him the cold shoulder, and they verbally annulled their engagement.

Knowing that Qin Yao, who admired him, was on the island, Zhou Fangyu's feelings were complicated and expectant. Although Qin Yao was chubby, she was very pretty, with a soft, fleshy body like a beautiful marshmallow.

When he arrived on the island, he didn't meet Qin Yao immediately but instead hit it off with another unmarried female doctor named Xue Yu. Xue Yu was only delicate-looking, but she had high academic qualifications, a higher salary, and was only two years older than him.

At first, Zhou Fangyu only consulted Xue Yu for learning, and they got along well, gradually developing an ambiguous relationship. The hospital staff also teased them about it.

Zhou Fangyu calculated that even without Zeng Manli, being with Xue Yu would be a perfect match. He was satisfied with all of Xue Yu's conditions and believed she would not embarrass him if brought home.

At this time, Qin Yao arrived at the hospital.

Zhou Fangyu was embroiled in a nebulous relationship with Xue Yu and, dreading Qin Yao would entangle him, deliberately shunned her. But when he chanced upon the slimmer Qin Yao, his eyes nearly popped out.

Qin Yao had lost weight, and she was still as beautiful as ever, no, even more beautiful. She was an extraordinary beauty.

Dressed in a white nurse's uniform, from a distance, her skin appeared translucent and radiant. Zhou Fangyu knew that she had fair skin since childhood, making the blue veins under her skin easily visible, which made her look stunning.

A ripple of emotion crossed Zhou Fangyu's heart. He deliberately walked past Qin Yao, waiting for her to approach him.

But Qin Yao acted as if she didn't know him, ignoring him completely.

By now, the entire hospital knew that Qin Yao was dating Captain Gu. Zhou Fangyu had inquired about Gu Cheng's reputation and knew that he was an excellent catch, but he was twelve years older than Qin Yao!

A sour feeling welled up in Zhou Fangyu's heart. Qin Yao was trying to marry a "good match," attaching herself to a man much older than her.

"Captain Gu is a bit older now," Zhou Fangyu disagreed inwardly. He deeply understood that a man's handsomeness was never about his appearance, but rather his status. A man who was just slightly more decent-looking than the average man, once given a title like regimental commander or commissar, would be considered handsome.

—And he himself was the true definition of "handsome."

Hearing the call of "Yaoyao," Qin Yao turned around to see Zhou Fangyu. Her eyes narrowed slightly, giving him a cold, serious look.

When she came to her senses, Qin Yao realized that the expression she had just shown was exactly like Captain Gu's.

Was this the so-called "being close to vermilion makes one red, being close to ink makes one black"?

Zhou Fangyu was startled. Was this still the silly chubby girl from his memories? She had now become a cold and stunning beauty.

Qin Yao, with her arms crossed and her chin slightly raised, asked, "Do you have something to say to me?"

"Yaoyao... do we really have to talk like this?" Zhou Fangyu wore a hurt expression. "Yaoyao, our relationship is different from anyone else's."

Qin Yao felt like rolling her eyes, disgusted by the words of this mama's boy who was a central air conditioner.

"Yaoyao..."

Another deep, magnetic voice cut over Zhou Fangyu's. Qin Yao turned her head to see a man in a white military uniform standing not far away, his cold eyes and straight posture exuding an imposing presence.

Gu Cheng walked over and stood in front of Zhou Fangyu, his arms crossed, looking down at the man before him.

Seeing him, Qin Yao instantly brightened, finding his cold, superior attitude increasingly adorable.

—Poisonous.

Ever since Qin Yao had tricked him into saying he liked her, Captain Gu had taken on that superior attitude, and Qin Yao thought she would grow to dislike him more and more. However... in the end, she was the one who was enchanted.

Just thinking about this cold face once using a squeaky voice to call her sister was bizarrely cute.

She didn't understand the concept of "moe from a gap."

The moment Zhou Fangyu saw Gu Cheng, he guessed his identity. He was shocked by Gu Cheng's appearance and aura, but after a brief moment of stunned surprise, Zhou Fangyu immediately reacted.

He took out two handkerchiefs from his pocket. "Yaoyao, these are the handkerchiefs you gave me before. Now... I return them to you."

As he said this, there was a look of three parts reluctance and seven parts desolation in Zhou Fangyu's eyes.