The storage capacity of Jinfang Pharmaceutical’s warehouse was already limited, and after being scorched by Cao Yu’s hundred-thousand-yuan check, it was barely enough to hold the medicinal herbs from one truck.
However, Chen Xiao remained unfazed. He directly instructed Leng Shan to brazenly barge into the neighboring Xingwang Chinese Herbal Wholesale Company to clear out their storage. By the time dawn broke, the nearly thirty large trucks brought by Lin Zhengyang had finally been unloaded. Jin Yongping, her daughter Xia Qianqian, Lin Meiqi, and Wu Huixian had also arrived for work early.
Upon seeing the warehouse reduced to a charred ruin, everyone was shocked and inquired about what had happened between Leng Shan and Luo Lin the previous night. Jin Yongping, in particular, burst into tears on the spot, blaming herself for going home to sleep the night before.
Chen Xiao calmly consoled them, saying:
“Aunt Ping, don’t be sad. As the saying goes, a blessing in disguise. If it weren’t for Cao Yu’s fire last night, we wouldn’t have been able to so righteously send the nearly thirty million yuan worth of Chinese herbs Lin Zhengyang just delivered to the neighboring Xingwang Chinese Herbal Wholesale Company for storage!”
Following this, upon learning from Leng Shan and Luo Lin that the latest supersonic armed helicopter developed by Mingzhu City, the "Raptor 3rd Generation," had even been deployed to help fight the fire, Jin Yongping and the others were left speechless, filled with awe. However, the outspoken Xia Qianqian couldn't contain her indignation, waving her small pink fists and exclaiming:
“Chen Xiao! Next time someone dares to bully Jinfang Pharmaceutical, you command the Raptor 3rd Generation to blow up their ancestors’ graves!”
Chen Xiao sensed the awe in everyone’s eyes. Wu Huixian, who had grown up with him, was even stealing glances at him with a peculiar look. To prevent further speculation and to avoid exposing the Northern Border Army, he quickly feigned nervousness and lied:
“Classmate Qianqian, don’t talk nonsense. Be careful of words bringing trouble. The Raptor 3rd Generation is a vital asset for national security. Even I don’t know why it suddenly appeared and helped fight the fire, let alone command it.”
Rather than believing Chen Xiao could command the Raptor 3rd Generation, everyone naturally preferred to believe his lie.
As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Huixian couldn’t help but nod repeatedly and say:
“National treasures must not be slandered in any form. Qianqian, you must never speak carelessly again. Besides, Chen Xiao grew up with me. If he had the authority to command the Raptor 3rd Generation, wouldn't I know?”
Having witnessed the Raptor 3rd Generation firsthand, Leng Shan and Luo Lin felt their hearts finally settle. They nodded in unison, echoing Wu Huixian:
“Right! Right! Yes, yes, yes! The Raptor 3rd Generation must have just been passing by.”
“Then that’s terrible!”
Xia Qianqian’s face turned pale, and she said nervously:
“What if the Cao father and son find out that the Raptor 3rd Generation isn’t under Chen Xiao’s command? Will they still be willing to have their company’s warehouse occupied by our medicinal herbs?”
Chen Xiao was speechless, and he said with a wry smile:
“I’m not foolish enough to admit I can’t command the Raptor 3rd Generation in front of the Cao father and son. Besides, they were the ones who acted guiltily first. They’re the ones who should be afraid, not dare to question anything!”
Fearing that the outspoken Xia Qianqian might say something even more shocking, Chen Xiao paused and then urged everyone to continue preparing the medicinal paste. He, in turn, used the excuse of being late for work and rushed off in Zhou Wannong’s Porsche towards the Central Hospital.
It was still early before work, and the emergency department hall of the Central Hospital was quiet. There were more cleaning staff than patients waiting to register. However, Xu Jingyin was already there, quietly sitting at the desk in examination room eight, diligently organizing medical records.
She had delicate features, fair skin, and an elegant demeanor. Moreover, she possessed a stunning figure, her loose nurse uniform unable to conceal her impressive curves. Even her back alone exuded an unparalleled beauty.
Working alongside such a beautiful woman, Chen Xiao, despite having been awake for two days and two nights, suddenly felt incredibly energized. As he changed into his white coat and clocked in, he felt the breeze was pleasant and the morning light was bright.
However, the shy and timid Xu Jingyin was not as at ease as when they were alone before. She suddenly stood up and carefully handed Chen Xiao an old but clean tote bag, stammering with her head bowed:
“Dr. Chen… this… this is the dumplings my brother specifically asked me to bring for you. I hope… I hope you don’t dislike them.”
“I don’t dislike them! Of course, I don’t!”
Chen Xiao was already starving, his eyes seeing stars. He had originally planned to go to the cafeteria for a meal before work, but his eyes lit up. He quickly took the tote bag and opened the exquisite bento box inside.
The aroma of the plump dumplings emanating from the bento box made him even hungrier. As he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat heartily, he casually asked:
“By the way, has your brother been feeling any better these past couple of days? I’ll make some time in a few days to go to your place and continue acupuncture for him…”
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Xiao’s face suddenly darkened because he distinctly noticed a small box of Shenbao tablets inside the tote bag.
Xu Jingyin noticed Chen Xiao’s displeasure and, forgetting to mention her brother Xu Jingwen’s condition, quickly explained in a small voice:
“Dr. Meng… Dr. Meng said you have poor kidney function and need to… eat more Shenbao to supplement.”
Chen Xiao mechanically chewed the fragrant, yet clearly tinged with a faint herbal taste, pork dumplings. His face darkened further:
“Then why add over a dozen Chinese herbs like yam, cistanche, and fleeceflower root into the pork dumplings? Kidney-boosting pork dumplings?”
“Ah? You can taste that too? I… I started preparing the filling yesterday so that these herbs wouldn’t affect the taste of the dumplings. Jingwen… Jingwen tried them and didn’t taste anything.”
Xu Jingyin was greatly surprised and instinctively lowered her head further:
“Of course… of course, it’s also to help you supplement your kidneys. You look very pale, perhaps you… you were up to something again yesterday during your day off?”
“I…”
Chen Xiao felt like crying but had no tears. He continued with a dark expression:
“If you really want to help me supplement, you might as well let me touch the Gu Queen tattoo on your back!”
A few days prior, he had accidentally discovered in Xu Jingyin’s rented room that the Gu Queen tattoo on her body could enhance his physical strength, and he had been secretly coveting it.
“Ah?”
Xu Jingyin instinctively took a few steps back, her pretty face instantly flushing red. She covered her back with her hand, nervously saying:
“We’re… we’re at work. You… you mustn’t mess around.”
As she spoke, her eyes welled up with tears, looking like she was about to cry at any moment.
“If you’re afraid I’ll mess around, then stop trying to supplement my kidneys. I’m young and strong; I don’t need any supplements.”
Chen Xiao was helpless and could only continue to bury his head in the dumplings.
He had to admit, Xu Jingyin’s cooking skills were truly superb. The pork dumplings with added Chinese herbs became more and more delicious as he ate them. Chen Xiao even drank all the soup in one go and still felt unsatisfied. He couldn’t help but say, half-jokingly:
“Nurse Xiao Xu, you made too little. How about I come to your place for lunch after work?”
Xu Jingyin, with a wary expression, tidied up the bowls and chopsticks:
“You… you first promise that you’re just coming to my place to eat dumplings, not to take the opportunity to touch… touch me, otherwise my grandmother will be angry.”
“I promise.”
Chen Xiao said with a wry smile.
Just then, a middle-aged woman with a grim expression walked into examination room eight with a dark face. It was Jiang Xiuzhu, who had spent a few days in prison at Juxian Mountain Prison.
Yesterday, Long Xiaolin, under the guise of the Dragon King, had released Ye Qingtian, and Leng Shan, Jiang Xiuzhu, and even Li Bingxue had all been released as well.
For the past few days, Jiang Xiuzhu had been held in solitary confinement in a small cell at Juxian Mountain Prison. She couldn’t figure out for the life of her why she had been inexplicably imprisoned. After being inexplicably released without even being interrogated, she naturally assumed she had been misunderstood. After all, if the charge of seriously interfering with the Dragon King’s medical treatment had been established, she wouldn’t have been released so quickly.
“It’s all Chen Xiao, that little bastard, who indirectly caused this! If I hadn’t gone to find him with Leng Shan at the time, I wouldn’t have inexplicably surrendered myself to prison!”
She hated Chen Xiao to the bone. From yesterday to today, she had finally waited for Chen Xiao to start work and immediately came to cause trouble.
Seeing that Jiang Xiuzhu’s intentions were hostile, Xu Jingyin’s face instantly turned pale. She nervously invited Jiang Xiuzhu to sit down.
“Hmph!”
Jiang Xiuzhu snorted and directly pushed away the chair Xu Jingyin had brought over. Then, she glared fiercely at Chen Xiao, baring her teeth and shouting:
“Chen, you’ve caused me so much harm! If you don’t kneel down and apologize to me today, I’ll make you leave Central Hospital forever!”
Chen Xiao was not afraid at all and said with a playful expression:
“Vice President Jiang, didn’t I hear you were undergoing reform at Juxian Mountain Prison these past few days? How did you get out so quickly? Could it be you escaped? No! For the safety of the entire hospital, I must quickly call Director Luo of the security department to send you back.”
Xu Jingyin quickly whispered to dissuade him:
“Dr. Chen, the rumors about Vice President Jiang surrendering herself to prison these days are mostly false. When she returned to work yesterday, she said she had taken leave. Besides, if she had really gone to prison, how could she have gotten out so quickly? And how could she continue to hold the position of administrative vice president? You can’t just act recklessly just because Director Luo is your relative!”
Chen Xiao was dumbfounded:
“When did Director Luo become my relative?”
Xu Jingyin said with difficulty:
“The day before yesterday, you pricked a patient’s face with a needle, but Director Luo said that patient was mentally unstable. If he weren’t your relative, would he have lied to help you?”
“……”
Chen Xiao was completely speechless.
The examination room eight was small, and even their hushed whispers couldn’t escape Jiang Xiuzhu’s ears. For a moment, Jiang Xiuzhu became even more triumphant and arrogantly said:
“Chen Xiao, Chen Xiao, so your backer at Central Hospital is Luo Qingping? Hmph! If you don’t hurry up and kneel down and kowtow to me, I’ll make sure to fire him too!”
Chen Xiao was slightly angered and said coldly:
“You keep talking about firing me. Jiang Xiuzhu, have you gone stupid from eating prison food these past few days? Aren’t you afraid of ending up like Gou Shunquan and He Sha?”
Jiang Xiuzhu had indeed learned that Gou Shunquan, He Sha, and four others had been fired. However, relying on her position as administrative vice president, she had been accustomed to acting unscrupulously for many years. Coupled with her rage, she was not afraid of Chen Xiao’s threat and said with disdain:
“Hmph! Gou Shunquan is merely an administrative director, and He Sha is just a small head nurse. As for Song Hongzhang and the other two, they are insignificant transparent figures. You could fire them by relying on Luo Qingping’s influence, but can you fire me?”
As she spoke, she even took out her phone from her pocket and dialed Luo Qingping’s number, her tone becoming even more arrogant:
“Director Luo, I heard you and Chen Xiao are relatives? He’s now threatening to have you fire me. Come on, I’m in examination room eight right now. You get over here immediately and try to fire me!”