When Xie Zhecheng's car stopped at the entrance of "Yundingge", the twilight was turning the glass curtain wall into a gentle amber color.

He walked around to the passenger side and opened the car door. The moment Yu Jiuyuan stepped out of the car in her high heels, the evening breeze lifted the hem of her beige coat, revealing a wine-red velvet dress underneath.

“My mother is already inside.” Xie Zhecheng gently brushed her wind-blown hair aside, and both of them paused when his fingertips touched her earlobe.

He withdrew his movements naturally, his tone as calm as ever, "She deliberately ended her surgery early today."

When Yu Jiuyuan looked up, she met his gaze from behind his glasses.

Those eyes, which were always covered with a layer of frost, now held a subtle warmth, like the quietly flowing water beneath the surface of a winter lake.

She curved her lips into a smile, suppressing the slight unease in her expression: "It seems I have to perform well and not disappoint Aunt Xie's kindness."

The private room was warm and inviting. Xie's mother, dressed in a dark green cheongsam, possessed a gentle yet capable air, typical of a doctor. When she saw Yu Jiuyuan, her eyes lit up: "This must be Jiuyuan, right? She's even more outstanding than Zhecheng described."

"Auntie, you flatter me." When Yu Jiuyuan sat down, she naturally moved her chair half an inch closer to Xie's mother, creating a distance that was both intimate and respectful. "I often hear Xie Zhecheng mention you, saying that you are a legend in the medical field."

Mother Xie was amused, and the fine lines at the corners of her eyes softened with warmth: "This child, all she knows is talking about me behind my back. Here, try this bird's nest soup. I specially asked the kitchen to stew it for you; it's good for girls."

Yu Jiuyuan thanked her and accepted the spoon, then gently stirred it with the silver spoon.

The bird's nest was stewed until it was smooth and creamy, and the sweetness was just right; it was clear that a lot of thought had been put into it.

When she looked up, she met Xie Zhecheng's gaze. He was pushing a plate of peeled shrimp paste in front of her, the sharp spines on the shrimp tails carefully trimmed off.

This detail caused her fingertips to pause slightly.

Hsieh Che-cheng's perfectionism is never superficial; his thoughtfulness is always hidden in these precise details. For example, the intelligent medical system he designed has every parameter repeatedly calculated, making it so reliable that it puts people at ease.

"I heard you're working on an intelligent surgical system?" Xie's mother refilled her tea. "I looked at the data Zhecheng gave me, and its stability has already exceeded international standards."

“The main reason is Xie Zhecheng’s excellent technical skills.” Yu Jiuyuan scooped up a spoonful of bird’s nest and said sincerely, “From algorithm logic to hardware adaptation, he followed up on almost the entire process. He even personally tested the chips sent by the supplier three times.”

Xie Zhecheng tightened his grip on the teacup.

He was used to hearing others praise his talent and meticulousness, but this was the first time he had heard such specific affirmation from Yu Jiuyuan.

She even remembered the details of his chip testing; those trivial things that he thought no one would care about, she had actually seen them all.

"He's just too serious." Xie's mother gave her son a reproachful look, but her eyes were full of pride. "Last time, in order to test the system's anti-interference ability, he stayed in the laboratory for three days and three nights and even forgot to eat."

Yu Jiuyuan looked at Xie Zhecheng and noticed that his ears were turning red.

This usually calm and composed perfectionist revealed a touch of naivety under his mother's teasing, like snow melting in the sun, exuding a rare softness.

“Being serious is a good thing,” she said softly. “Especially in the medical field, the more serious you are, the more protection patients have.”

Xie Zhecheng looked up and met her smiling gaze.

Those eyes, which always carried a sense of calculation and detachment, now reflected his image clearly like a glass cup filled with warm water.

He suddenly felt as if his heart had been gently bumped by something, a sensation that was even more disorienting than the beeping sound when the system passed the test.

Halfway through the meal, Xie's mother received an emergency call and apologetically left the table early.

Only the two of them remained in the private room. The neon lights outside filtered through the gauze curtains, casting dappled shadows on the tablecloth.

“Your mother is very gentle.” Yu Jiuyuan broke the silence by playing with the silver spoon in her hand.

“She wasn’t like this before.” Xie Zhecheng’s voice lowered. “She only gradually became gentle after my father passed away.”

This was the first time he had brought up personal matters on his own initiative. Yu Jiuyuan didn't press him for details, but simply listened quietly.

“He was also a doctor, and he contracted the virus during a surgery abroad.” Xie Zhecheng’s fingertips slid along the rim of the cup. “I was only ten years old at the time, and I always felt that the hospital hadn’t protected him well, so I made a scene and threatened to smash up the dean’s office.”

He paused, looked at Yu Jiuyuan, and said with a hint of self-mockery in his eyes, "I later found out that the problem was with the sterilization system of the medical equipment. So I initially learned this just to... prevent this kind of thing from happening again."

It turns out that his almost obsessive perfectionism concealed such a heavy original intention.

Looking at his tightly pursed lips, Yu Jiuyuan suddenly understood his obsession with "stability" and "precision." It wasn't indifference, but a protective shell built with rationality, protecting both himself and others.

“Xie Zhecheng,” she suddenly spoke, her tone serious, “the system you created will definitely change the fate of many people.”

Xie Zhecheng paused for a moment.

He looked into her clear eyes, where there was no pity, no sympathy, only pure recognition, like a precise beam of light that illuminated the most hidden corner of his heart.

A favorability rating of 77 is like a lake surface where a pebble has been thrown in, suddenly creating a clear ripple.

He could feel something hard melting, and this confirmed to him more than any parameter curve that the woman before him was entering his world in a way he had never expected.

“The data report,” he suddenly changed the subject, his voice sounding somewhat unnatural, “has the academic committee responded yet?”

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