Monday and Tuesday flew by, and soon it was Wednesday.

After completing two intraspinal tumor puncture and injection surgeries in the morning, Yan Feifan checked on Tang Zheng’s recovery.

This examination was performed in an operating room and involved removing any transplanted muscle bundles, nerves, and blood vessels that had failed to take.

Yan Feifan had anticipated this possibility during the initial surgery and had transplanted ten percent extra muscle bundles.

However, no extra nerves or blood vessels had been transplanted; it was strictly a one-for-one replacement.

After a surgical examination lasting nearly thirty minutes, Yan Feifan had removed a total of thirty-one pale muscle bundles, which accounted for roughly two percent of the total transplant volume.

The transplanted nerves and blood vessels were all found to be in good condition.

This result boosted Yan Feifan’s confidence considerably.

He readjusted the drip lines delivering nutrients and medication, sutured the incision, and had his assistant take Tang Zheng back to the sterile ward…

Around two in the afternoon, Yan Feifan was in his office at the Little Red House, where he met with the scheduled arrivals: Zhao Xiaoting, Wu Qize—the owner of Lingnan Cultural Investment—and his eighteen-year-old daughter, Wu Siyong.

The moment he saw them, Yan Feifan’s attention wasn’t drawn to Wu Siyong’s unremarkable, average-looking face, but to her complexion.

Yan Feifan had already reviewed Wu Siyong’s file. She was currently five-foot-seven and weighed about 116 pounds, with looks he’d rate a six or seven out of ten.

Furthermore, the first thing people tended to notice were her prominent cheekbones, which gave the impression that she was acerbic and difficult.

After seeing Wu Siyong’s photo, Yan Feifan’s gut reaction had been that she was perfectly cast as a villainous side character who wouldn’t survive past the second episode.

Seeing her in person, Yan Feifan realized her complexion was terrible.

It was sallow and dull, without a trace of a healthy glow.

Yan Feifan noticed another detail.

The girl was wearing slim-fit jeans, and whether she was walking or standing, he could tell from her strained posture that she was consciously trying to keep her knees together and her legs perfectly straight.

‘Not a severe case of bow legs!’

Having made his assessment, Yan Feifan asked Wu Siyong directly, “Are you crash dieting? How long have you been at it?”

“Mr. Yan, my daughter is losing weight, but she isn’t crash dieting…”

It was Wu Qize who answered, explaining, “Mr. Yan, my daughter has loved the stage and performing since she was little, but I used to be against her entering the entertainment industry.”

“But I couldn’t change her mind, so I gave her a challenge.”

“She had to get her weight down from over 154 pounds to under 121 within six months through exercise and a healthy diet.”

“Mr. Yan, it took her less than four months to successfully bring her weight down to where it is now.”

Yan Feifan asked skeptically, “Mr. Wu, haven’t you noticed how terrible your daughter’s complexion is?”

“This doesn’t look like the result of exercise and a healthy diet.”

Wu Qize nodded, his voice laced with self-reproach. “Her complexion is truly awful. To be honest with you, Mr. Yan, whenever I’ve seen her, she’s always been wearing light makeup.”

“Today is the first time in months I’ve seen her without any makeup, and I was shocked myself.”

“She said it’s because she has been nervous about the surgery and hasn’t been sleeping well for the past few days.”

Wu Qize asked worriedly, “Mr. Yan, that’s not it, is it?”

“Just a few nights of poor sleep from worry wouldn’t cause such a dull, lifeless complexion.”

Yan Feifan explained bluntly, then turned his gaze to Wu Siyong, who stood there with a tense expression, her lips pressed together in silence.

“Miss Wu, with a complexion this bad, I suspect you may have even developed bow legs due to osteoporosis.”

“Without your health, you have nothing—and that includes your dream of becoming a star.”

Wu Qize also urged her anxiously, “Yong, whatever is going on, just tell Mr. Yan!”

“Your health is the number one priority.”

“And I promise, if you tell the truth, I won’t punish you. I’ll give you whatever you want, okay?”

“You really won’t punish me?” Wu Siyong finally spoke.

Wu Qize raised his right hand. “I swear it. I absolutely will not punish my Yong. Mr. Yan can be my witness.”

Wu Siyong glanced at her father, then at Yan Feifan, and lowered her head.

“At first, I exercised like crazy and ate the healthy meal plan from the nutritionist. I stuck with it for a month, but I saw no results at all.”

“So then… then…”

In a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, Wu Siyong mumbled, “I… I resorted to a more extreme weight-loss method.”

“What method?” Wu Qize couldn’t help but ask.

“Um… um… roundworm eggs!” After saying this, Wu Siyong hung her head so low it nearly touched her chest.

Standing to the side, Zhao Xiaoting gasped in surprise.

“I’ve heard of this bizarre, extreme weight-loss method, but I never thought someone would actually use it.”

Zhao Xiaoting looked Wu Siyong up and down. “Losing over thirty pounds in three months… I guess you could say the method is pretty effective.”

She then asked curiously, “So, during that time, were you still eating the healthy meal plan?”

Yan Feifan coughed, cutting off Zhao Xiaoting’s question, and looked at Wu Qize.

“Mr. Wu, given the circumstances, you first need to get your daughter a full physical and have her dewormed. After that, she’ll need time to recover her health.”

“If you still want to proceed with the plastic surgery, come back in a month after she’s fully recovered.”

Wu Qize nodded profusely. “Yes, yes, of course! I’m so sorry to have troubled you, Mr. Yan…”

After seeing the Wu father-daughter duo out, Yan Feifan turned to Zhao Xiaoting, who had stayed behind. “Something you need?”

Zhao Xiaoting giggled. “I took a half-day off from the academy, so I’m in no hurry to get back.”

“How about you let me treat you to dinner tonight?”

Yan Feifan refused. “I have plans tonight. I have to attend an important shareholders’ meeting.”

Zhao Xiaoting sighed in disappointment. “Every time I see you, you’re always so busy.”

“Oh, by the way, Feifan, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“That Mr. Wu promised me something huge. He guaranteed me a role as the second female lead, at the very least, in one of his film or television projects.”

Yan Feifan made a noncommittal sound and said in a deadpan voice, “Zhao Xiaoting, I’m not going to give him a discount just because he’s giving you a leg up.”

“The surgery fee will not be reduced by a single penny.”

Zhao Xiaoting chuckled. “This Mr. Wu isn’t afraid you’ll ask for more money.”

“Actually, he made a point of letting it slip that he had invested a lot of money in that former superstar, Xiao Wenjin.”

Yan Feifan was slightly taken aback. Zhao Xiaoting continued, “He said his contract with Xiao Wenjin included a clause covering damages for any major losses caused by misconduct.”

“The very day Xiao Wenjin was arrested, his company took immediate action, applying to courts all over the country to freeze and seize Xiao Wenjin’s assets.”

“From what the police have let slip, Xiao Wenjin is involved in something far more serious. There’s no way he’s getting out.”

“Mr. Wu said that because he acted so promptly and decisively, his losses are manageable.”

Zhao Xiaoting analyzed the situation. “Feifan, Mr. Wu asked you to operate on his daughter and then leaked this information to me. He’s probably signaling that he wants to be on friendly terms with you.”

Yan Feifan just smiled. “It’s not up to him whether we become friends or not. But since I’ve accepted his daughter as a patient, I will naturally do the best job I possibly can…”

Around four in the afternoon, Yan Feifan left the Little Red House and headed for the neurosurgery department, accompanied by Feng Jian.

As he walked quickly, he passed by medical staff, patients, and their families in the hallways.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Yan Feifan caught a blue figure stumbling toward him.

Yan Feifan was instantly on alert, quickly replaying the image in his mind.

A woman in a sky-blue, form-fitting tracksuit appeared clearly in his mind’s eye.

Recognizing her face, Yan Feifan realized he had just lost his bet with Duan Yu.

It was the same woman from the fender-bender the other day.

He watched as she tripped her right foot with her left and came barreling toward him, unable to stop.

Yan Feifan’s first instinct was to get out of the way.

But to make it look convincing, the woman had genuinely tripped herself. Judging by her momentum…

If Yan Feifan moved, she would take a nasty fall, landing flat on her face.

And the hospital grounds were paved with unforgivingly hard surfaces…

His resolve softened. He took a quick half-step back and extended his arms to catch the woman…

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