Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Cutting Ties with Su Tang

Su Tang kissed him and ran, giving Lu Xiao no chance to react.

Lu Xiao wanted to chase after her, but he just stood there, stunned and at a loss.

’How does it feel like Su Tang has me wrapped around her little finger again?’

Back home, Su Tang had already washed up quickly and was lying in bed, reading a book.

Lu Xiao watched her little movements, how she would sneak a glance at him from time to time, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly.

’And here I thought she really didn’t care. Turns out, it was all an act.’

But Lu Xiao didn’t call her out on it. It was normal for a young woman to have a bit of a temper. If he exposed her, he’d be the one to suffer.

When Lu Xiao returned after washing up, he found Su Tang had fallen asleep sitting up against the headboard, the book still in her hand.

Lu Xiao dried his hair, knelt by the side of the bed, and gently pulled the book from her grasp.

The book’s cover was in Chinese, but when Lu Xiao glanced inside, it was filled with foreign words he couldn’t recognize.

’It’s probably one of Su Tang’s medical books,’ Lu Xiao figured. He tucked the book into a drawer and locked it to keep it from prying eyes.

After adjusting Su Tang into a more comfortable sleeping position, Lu Xiao waited for his hair to dry before lying down.

Lying next to her, Lu Xiao couldn’t help but think of that light, fleeting kiss.

It stirred him up, leaving him flustered and restless.

The next morning, Su Tang walked into the military district hospital feeling a little sweet inside.

She had thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep, but surprisingly, even with things on her mind, she’d slept soundly enough.

’That Lu Xiao… His ears were bright red, yet he still pretended like nothing happened. He’s just… so incredibly reserved.’

She shook her head, trying to cast those intimate images from her mind.

After the incident with the poisonous herb, the hospital had originally planned to suspend her. It was Vice Director Jiang Kang and the director who had fought hard on her behalf.

Thanks to her solid professional knowledge, Su Tang was allowed to stay. As long as she got through her final month of internship, she would become a full-time employee.

She changed into her white coat and had just sat down behind her new desk to organize patient files when there was a knock on the consultation room door.

It was Zheng Jinxin. She wore a brand-new nurse’s uniform, her hair was combed meticulously, and her face was radiant from just having returned from off-site training.

It had been a while, and Zheng Jinxin looked like she had undergone a complete transformation.

“Doctor Su, good morning!”

Zheng Jinxin’s voice was crisp. She handed over a folder. “These are the training materials from the trip. The director wanted you to have a copy.”

“Thank you, Nurse Zheng. Did the training go well?”

Su Tang took the folder and looked up with a smile, but her gaze suddenly sharpened.

Before she could finish her sentence, she saw the person following behind Zheng Jinxin.

It was Wang Jianfeng, Sister-in-law Zhang Cui’s husband.

Wang Jianfeng was holding a small white paper bag for medicine from the hospital pharmacy.

Wang had a smile plastered on his face, but his eyes were glued to Zheng Jinxin. His voice dripped with a deliberate attempt to curry favor. “Nurse Zheng, look at you, so busy right after getting back. I brought you this medicine to save you a trip to the pharmacy.”

As he spoke, he tried to stuff the small paper bag into Zheng Jinxin’s hand, his fingers “accidentally” brushing against the back of her hand.

Zheng Jinxin quickly pulled her hand back, a flicker of imperceptible awkwardness crossing her face before she resumed her professional smile.

“Brother Wang, you really don’t have to trouble yourself. I can get it myself.”

She took the medicine bag without even looking at Wang and simply nodded at Su Tang.

“Doctor Su, you’re busy. I’ll go do my rounds now.”

With that, she walked out, her pace a little quick.

It was obvious that Wang’s actions had made Zheng Jinxin very uncomfortable—so much so that she didn’t even have time to make a few snide remarks at Su Tang.

Wang’s gaze followed Zheng Jinxin’s back until she disappeared around the corner of the hallway, only then did he reluctantly look away.

When he turned to Su Tang, his face put on that perfunctory, polite expression again. “Doctor Su is busy, I see. I’ll be going now.”

He rubbed his hands together and also turned to leave the room.

The door closed. Su Tang sat in her chair, clutching the folder, her fingertips feeling a little cold.

Zheng Jinxin’s discomfort and Wang’s fawning, clingy behavior left a bad taste in Su Tang’s mouth.

Then she thought of Sister-in-law Zhang Cui’s submissive demeanor, how she was so worn down by hardship that she looked ten years older than her peers.

When had Wang ever shown such attentiveness to the wife from his arranged marriage?

A flare of inexplicable anger ignited in Su Tang’s chest.

’The only time a man behaves is when his picture is hanging on a wall!’

When the bell rang for the lunch break, Su Tang didn’t head to the small cafeteria as usual. Instead, she walked straight toward the large mess hall in the family residential area, which served cadres and their families.

She was holding in a head of steam and specifically chose this time, when the lunch rush meant the place was crowded and full of gossip.

The mess hall was bustling with noise. People were lined up at the food service window, the long tables were packed, and the clatter of bowls and chopsticks mixed with a cacophony of voices.

Su Tang, carrying her tray of food, scanned the room with a sharp gaze and, sure enough, spotted Wang at a table in the corner.

He was speaking animatedly to a few others at his table, his face flushed with excitement, spittle flying.

Su Tang composed herself, and carrying her tray, walked toward that corner.

She stopped by Wang’s table, a fake smile spreading across her face. Her voice was neither loud nor soft, just loud enough for the surrounding tables to hear. “Well now, Brother Wang, you’re here too?”

Wang was right in the middle of an exciting part of his story and looked up, annoyed at being interrupted.

When he saw it was Su Tang, his brow furrowed immediately. His tone was stiff. “Doctor Su? Is there something you need?”

“Nothing major.”

Su Tang slowly placed her tray on the table and sat down in the empty seat diagonally across from Wang, her movements deliberately graceful.

“It’s just that I saw you at the hospital earlier, delivering medicine to Nurse Zheng. I just wanted to thank you for your hard work.”

She picked up her chopsticks and gently poked at the food on her plate, her voice carrying clearly even though she didn’t raise her eyes.

“Nurse Zheng just got back from her training, and there you were, Brother Wang, so eagerly delivering her medicine. You’re so thoughtful. Anyone who didn’t know better would think Nurse Zheng was a member of your family.”

“Does Sister-in-law Zhang Cui know about this?”

SMACK! With a sharp crack, Wang slammed his chopsticks down on the table.

His face instantly turned the color of pig’s liver, and the veins on his forehead bulged. He shot to his feet, pointing a finger at Su Tang’s nose, his voice trembling with rage. “Su Tang! What the hell are you spouting?!”

The entire mess hall fell silent in an instant, all eyes focused on the corner.

Wang was shaking with anger, the fury in his eyes practically shooting out like flames.

Su Tang sneered. ’I wasn’t speaking loudly. Is he shouting like this because he’s afraid people *won’t* hear?’

“Stop trying to stir up trouble! Our family’s business is none of an outsider’s damn business!”

He whirled around, his gaze sweeping fiercely over the crowd.

Su Tang said nothing, just calmly ate her meal. After some time, she saw Zhang Cui hurrying over.

The moment Zhang Cui heard that Wang and Su Tang were arguing in the mess hall, her heart tightened.

’Why would Su Tang be arguing with Wang? It could only be because of me…’

A warmth spread through Zhang Cui’s heart, but her immediate reaction was pure nervousness, which was why she had made a point of bringing Lu Xiao with her.

“Zhang Cui!”

“You listen to me! From now on, you’re forbidden from associating with this kind of malicious, foul-mouthed person! Cut off all contact! Do you hear me?! If I ever see you with her again, see if I don’t…!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep