Around 8:30 PM, Yan Ziruo finished her workout at the Blue Sky Fitness Club and returned to her residence at Zuimo Court.

She saw the light on in her brother’s bedroom and pushed the door open. To her surprise, she found Yan Feifan doing a handstand, his body ramrod straight against the wall. His face was flushed red, and his hands were planted firmly on the floor.

“Feifan, what are you doing?”

“A new workout method?”

Yan Feifan bent at the waist, brought his feet to the floor, and stood up.

He took a few deep breaths and said, “I was thinking about a surgical plan for a patient. I couldn’t come up with a good solution, so I figured I’d try looking at it from a different angle.”

Yan Feifan explained with a straight face before changing the subject. “Sis, you’ve been going to the gym for a while now.”

“Found your target yet? A blind, rich, handsome guy?”

“Don’t even ask!”

Yan Ziruo plopped down on the bed, looking quite dejected. “There were these two guys who seemed pretty decent. They were quite enthusiastic toward me, too.”

“They were handsome, had great gym bodies, and from the way they dressed, they seemed pretty stylish.”

“But that coach, Nie Qing, privately told me their goal in coming to the gym was to find a sugar mama.”

Yan Ziruo sighed softly. “Later on, when I told them I was just borrowing the place at Zuimo Court and was only a regular finance employee at the Affiliated Hospital, they cooled off considerably, just as I’d expected.”

Yan Feifan couldn’t help but laugh. “There are a lot of fakes and phonies out there these days. You really do need to be more careful, Sis.”

“It’s not that easy to trick me!”

Yan Ziruo said smugly, then immediately put on a pitiful expression. “My dear brother, I haven’t had dinner yet.”

“I’m really, really hungry.”

Yan Feifan chuckled. “Sis, you’re in luck tonight.”

“I had a late lunch, so I haven’t had dinner either. I’m starting to get a little hungry myself.”

He went to the kitchen and got busy.

It was too late to make anything complicated.

Yan Feifan stir-fried some green peppers and eggs, then some shredded pork with asparagus, and also boiled two bowls of noodles…

Yan Ziruo, who had changed into her pajamas and was lounging on the sofa watching TV, saw the dishes and noodles her brother brought out. With a look of disdain, she said, “Feifan, we’re pretty well-off now.”

“Eating something so plain and simple is kind of beneath us, you know.”

Yan Feifan ignored her and started eating by himself. Soon enough, however, a pair of chopsticks joined the fray, fighting him for the food.

“Not so beneath you anymore?” Yan Feifan teased.

“A girl’s gotta eat when she’s hungry! I’ll fill my stomach first and worry about it later.”

Yan Ziruo retorted righteously, then said with some excitement, “Feifan, six million in project funding, a twenty-percent research stipend… even if you only take half, that’s still six hundred thousand!”

“Plus, you can expense some meals, transportation, and office supplies from the project budget, hehe…”

With a wistful look, Yan Ziruo said, “Feifan, you don’t need many, just one medical research project like this a year, and we’ll be living the good life.”

Yan Feifan chuckled. “Sis, stop daydreaming. We can’t expect to get that lucky all the time.”

“Don’t be greedy.”

Yan Ziruo smiled too. “Well, human desire is endless. When you were in a coma, I often thought that as long as you woke up, I wouldn’t care how hard or tiring life was.”

“But now? Naturally, I want more.”

“Hey, speaking of which, little brother…”

Yan Ziruo’s tone suddenly turned serious as she warned him, “About how you use this project’s funds, you should ask for Mr. Wang’s opinion first.”

“He’s also a participant in this project and has a lot of experience in all aspects. Six million is enough to attract attention and get people thinking. Don’t give anyone an opening to use against you.”

Yan Feifan grunted in agreement. “I’ll ask him, Sis.”

After a pause, he spoke again. “This weekend, Mr. Tian will probably come over for a check-up and to talk about Xiaoyu!”

“A check-up?”

Yan Ziruo asked with concern, “Is Mr. Tian feeling unwell somewhere?”

Yan Feifan shook his head. “He said that at his company’s physical today, the doctor recommended he get a few extra elective tests.”

“I didn’t think a few of the tests were necessary, so I told him to come see me for a check-up instead.”

Yan Ziruo said, “Oh,” and added, “Some so-called hospitals are starting to play games, tricking people into getting more tests.”

She then smiled. “Mr. Tian is probably just getting the check-up on the side. The real reason he’s coming is to talk about Xiaoyu.”

“After all, the high school entrance exam is a big deal.”

Yan Ziruo thought of something else and said tentatively, “You know, Feifan, with this project’s research stipend, our family’s cash reserves will be over a million.”

“I can’t just keep buying stuff for myself. Is there anything you particularly want?”

Yan Feifan thought for a moment. “You already buy me plenty of clothes and shoes. Other than that, I’m not really lacking anything.”

“Sis, just buy things for yourself.”

Yan Ziruo suggested again, “How about I buy you a luxury watch?”

“That mechanical watch you have was a gift from our uncle when you graduated and started working. It only cost two or three thousand yuan.”

“Now you’re a big name among the doctors at the Affiliated Hospital. Wearing a luxury watch would be perfect for you.”

Yan Feifan shook his head again. “There’s no need. That watch is fine. It’s not broken at all and keeps time well.”

“Besides, Sis, you know I don’t really wear a watch much these days.”

‘That’s true.’

Ever since her brother had woken up, she couldn’t recall seeing him wear the watch from their uncle again.

Looking at her brother’s still somewhat thin wrists, Yan Ziruo had a realization. “Tomorrow, I’ll take that watch to a repair shop and have the band adjusted for you.”

“Don’t! I’ll put the weight back on in a little while.”

Yan Feifan then smiled. “I’ve gotten used to not wearing a watch after all this time. It’s a hassle to take it on and off for surgeries and experiments at the hospital anyway.”

“Feifan, there must be something you want, right?”

Yan Ziruo couldn’t help but say it outright, “Your birthday is coming up soon, you know.”

Yan Feifan understood now and chuckled. “We never used to celebrate birthdays. Why are you so concerned about it now, just because you celebrated yours once?”

He then gave a sly grin and said, “Actually, Sis, there is one gift I really want.”

“What is it? As long as it’s possible, your big sister will definitely grant your wish!” Yan Ziruo vowed, her face full of conviction.

“The gift I want is for my sister to become a little more diligent with the house cleaning, the kitchen work…”

“My dear brother…”

Yan Ziruo cut Yan Feifan off and said with a perfectly straight face, “I suddenly feel that our fine tradition of not celebrating birthdays is actually quite nice. We should definitely keep it up!”

She put down her chopsticks, let out a small burp, and said, “I’m full. Remember to clean up the dishes and the kitchen…”

Yan Feifan was speechless…

After cleaning up the dishes and the kitchen, Yan Feifan returned to his bedroom to continue thinking about the patient’s treatment plan.

It was a case file sent to him by the neurosurgeon, Zheng Ling.

The patient was a sixty-nine-year-old man from Jingcheng.

Inside his cervical spinal canal, a dense cluster of tumors had grown, resembling a bunch of tiny grapes.

Yan Feifan had simulated several approaches, but the results were all quite grim…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep