Seeing An Lude's expression, Duan Jiahe became even more suspicious that the deputy commander might be secretly in love with Dr. Liu Xinlan.

Xu Qianli stared down at the piece of pork rib that Liu Xinlan had placed in his bowl.

What does this mean? Is it some kind of signal she's sending?

"I'm off today. I didn't get a holiday because I was on duty during the Spring Festival. I'll be on vacation for the next week," Liu Xinlan said.

"That's...that's great." Xu Qianli was so excited he couldn't speak.

Liu Xinlan lowered her head and ate a bite of rice.

A moment of silence!

This was the first time Xu Qianli had received a response.

My heart leaped with excitement.

I was absolutely thrilled.

Liu Xinlan noticed why Xu Qianli was so quiet today.

As he always has, he would have continued talking along with what she was saying.

"If you have no objections, you can talk to Lu Chen when you have time. There are still two days left this weekend, so we can prepare the ingredients in advance," Liu Xinlan added.

"We really need to treat them to a meal. There are so many people in our team!" Xu Qianli said in surprise.

Liu Xinlan added, "How about I go to the city tomorrow and they buy some candy to thank us for the spare ribs today?"

"No need, they won't starve anyway." Xu Qianli's reply left Liu Xinlan feeling a pang of disappointment.

When she lost her appetite, she looked up and saw Fang Guiyan staring at her as if she wanted to devour her.

"Are you very familiar with Comrade Fang Guiyan?" Liu Xinlan asked curiously.

“It feels very familiar, it’s always felt so familiar,” Xu Qianli replied while eating.

After hearing this, Liu Xinlan's mind went blank.

"You're both around the same age, aren't you considering getting together?" Liu Xinlan's expression was very unnatural.

After asking the question, she pursed her lips and lowered her head.

She was looking forward to Xu Qianli's answer, but Xu Qianli's answer also frightened her.

Xu Qianli laughed and said, "Don't talk nonsense. That will cause controversy. Her family background is so good, how could she possibly like someone like me!"

I'm internally complaining!

After pursuing him for so many years, it turns out that her words implied she wanted to set him up with someone else. It seems that Liu Xinlan really doesn't like Xu Qianli.

Liu Xinlan silently lowered her head and ate her food.

The atmosphere became awkward!

Liu Xinlan didn't know why, but she felt inexplicably sad.

Did he think that he was not good enough for Fang Guiyan because of his poor background, which is why they didn't get together? Or did Xu Qianli never like Liu Xinlan at all?

This made Liu Xinlan lose her appetite again.

Xu Qianli thought that Liu Xinlan's attitude towards him would change because she was beginning to accept him, but he did not expect that she would still be just as indifferent.

"So, someone like me, with a bad background, would you also think I'm not good enough for you?" Liu Xinlan felt more and more upset as she thought about it, so upset that she directly questioned him.

Xu Qianli didn't immediately understand what Liu Xinlan meant.

He stared blankly at Liu Xinlan.

Seeing Xu Qianli's reaction, Liu Xinlan seemed to have gotten the answer she wanted, and silently lowered her head to eat.

The moment she lowered her head, her nose stung and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.

It turns out that Xu Qianli doesn't like him.

Xu Qianli realized what was happening and saw Liu Xinlan lower her head and remain silent. He hurriedly explained, "I don't have parents either. We are all the same. What's there to be ashamed of?"

"I'm not talking about that identity, I'm talking about that..." In the end, Liu Xinlan couldn't say it.

"Xinlan, something bad has happened! Something's happened at the hospital, we need to go back right away!" Chen Xiaohua came over, panting, and said to Liu Xinlan.

"Has something happened to the patient?"

"Um."

Liu Xinlan immediately put down her chopsticks and ran away.

"Help me tidy up," Liu Xinlan said to Xu Qianli, before disappearing from sight.

"Don't worry." Xu Qianli watched her walk away, feeling inexplicably sad.

"Wait, Comrade Xiaohua." Even though he was sad, Xu Qianli still called out to Chen Xiaohua and packed another meal for Liu Xinlan so that Chen Xiaohua could take it back to her.

Liu Xinlan rushed back to the hospital. The soldiers who had been transferred from other places needed emergency surgery to save their lives.

After the surgery, it was past midnight. Liu Xinlan was starving. When she returned to her office, her stomach started to hurt from hunger.

I sat on the stool, opened the drawer, and wanted to find some dried sweet potatoes to eat.

"It's over!" Chen Xiaohua came in carrying a box of food. "Look what this is?" Chen Xiaohua said with a smile.

Liu Xinlan was immediately moved: "Xiao Hua! You're so kind."

"Eat up. I've kept it warm for you all night, but it probably won't be hot enough at this hour. Just eat it with some hot water." Chen Xiaohua had been watching over Liu Xinlan's lunchbox all night, keeping it warm in a basin of hot water, changing the water several times in between. "I just took it to the small cafeteria on the first floor to heat it up."

"Great!" Liu Xinlan opened the package; there were pork ribs, potatoes, and some greens. "And meat too, that's wonderful."

They ate with a satisfied expression; it was so delicious.

Chen Xiaohua watched Liu Xinlan eat so happily.

Sitting to the side, I was filled with envy.

"This was prepared for you by Xu Qianli. He asked me to get it from the cafeteria. After putting in that small half bowl of ribs, he also got a serving of ribs stewed with potatoes. He was worried that you would be hungry and have nothing to eat. He was thinking about you all the time. He even finished off the leftovers from your cafeteria meal."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xinlan realized that it was something she had eaten, and that Xu Qianli had eaten it.

Chen Xiaohua paused when she saw Liu Xinlan.

He rested his hands on his face, stared at Liu Xinlan, and teased, "You really don't like him?"

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!