Chapter 76 Sincerity

But she could only grit her teeth and speak.

"It's like this, regarding the previous... the rumors about your work ability... and those bad rumors, I... I only heard about them later. It's all that Zhang Aihong's fault! She came to our hospital and spread nonsense, and I wasn't careful enough to believe that scoundrel's words..."

"I might have said something unintentionally that upset you. I came here today specifically to apologize; I'm truly sorry."

Her apology lacked sincerity and focused entirely on shifting blame to Zhang Aihong, portraying herself as a "gullible person."

Nan Zhiyi listened quietly, her face expressionless.

She turned to Zhao Yaqin, who was trying not to laugh, and said, "Sister Yaqin, could you do me a favor and go to the next few departments to see who else is there? Ask them to come over and tell them that Dr. Lu has something important to say to everyone in the publicity department."

"Okay!" Zhao Yaqin understood immediately and walked out quickly.

Lu Linlang's face turned ashen instantly. She hadn't expected Nan Zhiyi to be so disrespectful and pull this stunt!

A ringing sound filled her ears, and she could only suppress her anger.

"Zhiyi, what... what do you mean by this? Can't we just talk this out in private?"

"In private?" Nan Zhiyi looked at her, her eyes filled with clear doubt. "Dr. Lu, the rumors were spread publicly, so it's better to apologize publicly as well. Otherwise, people might say that I, Nan Zhiyi, am unforgiving, or... that Dr. Lu's apology wasn't sincere enough."

Soon, Zhao Yaqin arrived with several colleagues from other departments, and the entrance was crowded with onlookers.

Everyone looked at Lu Linlang with curiosity, her face pale.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lu Linlang found herself in a difficult situation.

She was furious; Nan Zhiyi was deliberately humiliating her, going too far!

But then he thought of his father's rage and Gu Xiao's warning.

She could only suppress her immense humiliation and grit her teeth to repeat the same line to even more people. Her voice was hoarse, and she said the last "I'm sorry" with extreme difficulty.

People around whispered among themselves.

"Oh, so it was Zhang Aihong who was behind this all along..."

"Dr. Lu is really unlucky to have been harassed by that kind of person..."

"However, a face-to-face apology shows sincerity..."

"Tsk, Dr. Lu doesn't look too good..."

Nan Zhiyi listened without showing any emotion. She nodded and said, "I understand. Dr. Lu, I appreciate your apology. If there's nothing else, please leave. We need to start our afternoon work."

She didn't say the word "forgive," she just waved her hand casually.

Lu Linlang's face burned.

Nan Zhiyi's nonchalant attitude was more embarrassing to her than any scolding.

She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug deep into her palms, barely managing to maintain her last shred of dignity. She turned stiffly and quickly left the propaganda department.

Her retreating figure, radiating immense humiliation, brought a brief silence to the office and surrounding area.

Zhao Yaqin couldn't help but laugh out loud.

She walked over to Nan Zhiyi's table in a few steps, making no attempt to hide her smugness: "Zhiyi, your move was brilliant! Look at her face just now, tsk tsk, it was blacker than the bottom of a pot! Now that's it, let's see how she can pretend to be that gentle, virtuous, and modest lady in front of me! From now on, she'll have to take a detour when she sees us!"

Nan Zhiyi tidied up the documents on the table, then gently shook her head: "Never mind, Sister Yaqin. She apologized, and I heard it. Let's just let this matter go."

She neither gloated like Zhao Yaqin nor relentlessly pursued Lu Linlang.

For her, Lu Linlang's apology was more like a formality she had to go through; she had done it, she had received it, and that was enough.

Continuing to argue will only make you seem petty and could easily lead to more trouble.

All she wants now is to live a quiet life and do her job well.

Seeing her like this, Zhao Yaqin also suppressed her smile and patted her shoulder: "Okay, I'll listen to you. Let's turn the page and have some peace and quiet."

She understands Nan Zhiyi, knowing that she is not weak, but rather that she has learned to let go of certain things after experiencing trials and tribulations.

Nam Ji-yi returned to work.

The tasks in the publicity department are numerous and varied, including writing materials, proofreading manuscripts, and organizing study sessions. She does these tasks meticulously and with high efficiency.

Section Chief Li observed this and nodded in approval.

A few days later, in the evening, Gu Xiao told her in advance that he would be working overtime that night.

Nan Zhiyi took Zhao Yaqin to the stir-fry window of the government canteen.

She specially ordered two rare meat dishes: braised fish and lion's head meatballs, along with two vegetarian stir-fries.

This was considered quite good food at the time.

Zhao Yaqin said repeatedly, "Zhiyi, you've gone to too much trouble!"

"Sister Yaqin, don't be shy, please sit down." Nan Zhiyi pulled out a chair for her.

"I've been wanting to treat you to a meal to thank you for helping me find a job, and also... for everything that happened before, you've always been on my side."

Zhao Yaqin readily sat down.

"Why say all this! We've known each other since we were kids, do you think I don't know what kind of person you are? No need to thank me, from now on, let's just live cleanly and honestly, isn't that better!"

"Okay, I'll have to rely on Sister Yaqin to take care of me from now on. I'll toast you."

Nan Zhiyi poured two cups of tea, using tea instead of wine.

Zhao Yaqin laughed heartily and readily clinked glasses with her, "To our ever-improving future!"

Once all the dishes were served, without waiting for Nan Zhiyi to be polite, Zhao Yaqin picked up a shiny lion's head meatball and put it in her mouth, squinting her eyes in satisfaction.

The two ate and chatted in a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere.

They reminisced about the fun they had in the compound when they were young, and also talked about their current jobs.

Zhao Yaqin mentioned Li Weidong and a few others, remarking that Li Weidong was still the same carefree and easygoing person he always was.

Upon hearing this, Nan Zhiyi asked curiously, "Sister Yaqin, you and Brother Weidong?"

Zhao Yaqin blushed slightly, a rare occurrence for her. She nodded, "Weidong said... he'll come to my house after he advances to the next level... my parents don't know yet..."

As she spoke, a hint of worry appeared on her face. "My mom has recently been telling me to go on blind dates."

Nan Zhiyi didn't ask her and Li Weidong why they didn't tell their parents first, after all, every family has its own problems, and she had heard about them.

The conflict between the Li and Zhao families cannot be explained in a single sentence, and the matter between Zhao Yaqin and Li Weidong is destined to be anything but smooth sailing...

She used serving chopsticks to place a piece of fish maw into Zhao Yaqin's bowl, saying, "Nothing is more important than eating. Don't think about those things now... There's always a way out!"

Zhao Yaqin has always been an optimistic person, so she didn't dwell on it anymore.

"I know there's no use thinking about it now; what's important is to live each day to the fullest. Here, you eat too!"

The meal was simple, yet exceptionally comforting.

After finishing their meal, it was already completely dark, and the two said goodbye at the entrance of the cafeteria.

Nan Zhiyi rode her bicycle towards the residential compound.

The September night breeze carried a slight coolness, dispelling the daytime heat.

The crescent moon hung in the sky, and the stars shone brightly.

She rode her bicycle along the starlit path, and suddenly she missed Gu Xiao terribly…