There used to be a small meeting room on the second floor of the hospital's administration building, near Li Chu's office, but it's no longer in use.

Director Qin from the logistics department assigned this room to one of Li Chu's staff members.

However, it can't be used today; that's why we arranged for someone to clean it up.

Seeing that it was already lunchtime, Li Chu didn't rush to leave. He arranged for Tian Jun to take the group to the cafeteria for lunch, and then strolled over to Ding Qiunan's office by himself.

"Honey, what are you busy with all day? Every time I come over, you're always there writing and drawing."

"You think everyone is like you, bored all the time? I have a lot of things to do here. If you don't have anything to do, go out and have some fun."

Ding Qiunan retorted without even looking up.

Hey, this woman, she just spouts whatever comes to mind. What do you mean by "go out and play"? Are you kidding me?

Li Chu ignored her and walked over to sit down on the desk.

"The higher-ups sent a few people to monitor me."

His words made Ding Qiunan's hand tremble, and she tore the letter to shreds.

She looked up at her man, surprised, and asked, "What's going on? Why are they spying on you?"

"What else could it be? They're about to start drug trials over there."

"You mean, the higher-ups are afraid you have some kind of private dealings with those foreign pharmaceutical companies?"

"Yeah, of course I'm worried. Just take salary for example, how much do I get in a month with all my salary and subsidies?"

"Hmm..." Ding Qiunan silently calculated in her mind before saying, "Adding the fifty from the Academy of Sciences, it's a little over five hundred."

"Exactly. Look at those pharmaceutical companies, they talk about hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars all the time. At my current salary, I wouldn't earn that much even if I lived for another hundred years. So the higher-ups must be worried that I'll be corrupted by sugar-coated bullets."

"If that's the case, then don't agree to those companies' requests. They want you to do the work, but they don't trust you. Why should they?"

Ding Qiunan was a little angry. She didn't care about the salary at all, since her family hardly spent any money these days. No matter how much she received, it was all saved in the bank. She really didn't value it anymore.

But she can't accept a man who doesn't trust her.

Looking at his wife's tense little face, Li Chu found it somewhat amusing.

He got off the table, walked behind her, and began to massage her shoulders.

"You don't need to stand up for me. No one can feel at ease about this kind of thing. It's just a normal work arrangement."

This time, they assigned me a translator, an assistant, a driver, and even a car. Actually, it's a good thing; it puts the higher-ups at ease, and I feel more at ease myself. Otherwise, what if I accidentally say something wrong?

"So many people have been arranged? What about Xiao Tian? Will he not be allowed to drive anymore?" Ding Qiunan tilted her head back and looked up at her husband.

"Xiao Tian will still drive for me. The new driver is mainly for them."

"That's alright. Otherwise, I really wouldn't be used to a sudden change of personnel, especially since I have to stay at home at night."

"The person you're talking about monitoring you, is that the translator?"

"Of course, but I doubt she'll make it."

Why do you say that?

"She doesn't seem to know anything about medicine, especially traditional Chinese medicine. Who knows if she can translate it well?"

While Li Chu and Ding Qiunan were discussing the translator, in the lounge where Tian Jun usually stayed, Zhao Zhijun was also constantly asking him about Li Chu's work and life habits.

Ever since Tian Jun bent down to pick up a thermos from the ground to pour water for them, revealing the pistol tucked into his waistband, Li Yunli had been feeling uneasy.

She recalled the words her superiors had spoken when they sent her to act as an interpreter for Dean Li.

"Comrade Li Yunli, that's why we've sent you to work as a translator for Comrade Li Chu. Don't be fooled by the fact that those pharmaceutical companies are willing to spend money on drug trials now; who knows what dirty tricks they might be up to behind the scenes. So, you need to be prepared."

Mental preparation? Prepare for what? What else could it be but being prepared for something to happen at any time?

"Sir, if there is any danger, I will protect Dean Li immediately."

This was Li Yunli's response to her superiors at the time. As she thought, if her superiors told her to be mentally prepared, it meant they wanted to protect Dean Li at all times.

Unexpectedly, the leader burst into laughter after hearing what she said.

"I didn't say you had to protect him. Just protect yourself. He's been on the battlefield and survived countless near-death experiences. You want to protect him? Are you kidding me? Just don't be a burden."

The leader's words left Li Yunli somewhat bewildered. Had he been to the battlefield? Given Dean Li's age, he shouldn't be like that!

Seeing Li Yunli's bewildered expression, the leader knew she couldn't understand something and didn't offer her any further explanation.

The ringing of the bell outside brought Li Yunli back to her senses.

At this point, Tian Jun stopped talking to Zhao Zhijun and took them to the cafeteria for lunch.

On her way to the cafeteria, she met Dean Li's wife, the director's wife, for the first time.

Compared to the photos she had seen before, Director Ding herself seemed to look younger.

Her fair and delicate skin made her look nothing like a forty-year-old woman; she looked more like someone in her twenties.

After greeting Ding Qiunan, Li Yunli couldn't help but ask, "Director Ding, are you really forty years old?"

"I was born in 1940, and I'm 42 years old this year."

Hearing Ding Qiunan's clear voice, Li Yunli was a little dazed. What kind of couple were they?

The man was almost fifty, but looked like he was in his thirties. The woman was even worse; she was in her early forties, but looked like a recent college graduate, with not a single wrinkle on her face.

"Director Ding, you look so young."

"Really? Thank you for the compliment!"

Women, after all, are concerned about their appearance, but Ding Qiunan was still somewhat wary of this translator who was clearly sent by her superiors to supervise her man.

Li Yunli could sense that Director Ding seemed to have some resistance towards her. She knew that he must have guessed that this was part of the reason why the higher-ups sent her here.

However, there was nothing they could do about this. Although it was called supervision, it was actually a form of indirect protection for Li Chu by his superiors.

At least with her as a translator who has no vested interests by my side, there won't be any misunderstandings later on.

The Fairy Tree Romance