86: Going the Extra Mile

"Really? Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?" Although Su Hanyan verbally asked if it would be too much trouble, her actions showed no sign of hesitating to trouble him. "Keep going straight from here, take a turn, and we'll be there! Then... I might need a few minutes to talk; will you wait for me?"

"Wait?"

"Yes." Su Hanyan smiled sheepishly. "Don't we have to go back together? Since Dr. Jin already played the hero, might as well go all the way!"

Jin Chen chuckled silently.

"Oh, you can laugh!" Su Hanyan found it quite surprising.

"I'm not poker-faced. Why wouldn't I laugh?"

"Because every time I see you, you're either frowning, pale, extremely tired, or just plainly annoyed, always looking like strangers shouldn't come near you." Su Hanyan was straightforward, saying whatever came to her mind.

"Occasionally." Jin Chen brushed it off with two words.

It wasn't something he wanted either. During his episodes, the pain and irritability were beyond what an ordinary person could understand.

"I say... Doctor!" The leader among the hoodlums who now felt the crushing force said, "Can you install this arm back for me?"

"Find someone else to do it." Jin Chen was only interested in disassembling, not assembling.

[lol, i love him actually]

"But... I'll be in pain all night!"

"Yeah. Consider it punishment!" After that, he turned to Su Hanyan and said, "Let's go to the printing factory!"

...

At the printing factory, Su Hanyan went straight to find the person in charge and explained her purpose.

The person in charge explained that they were currently very busy and couldn't spare the time to print what she needed, hoping she would understand.

Su Hanyan had to get this done. After much persuasion, the person in charge expressed their helplessness, explaining that many organizations needed printing by the end of the year, and some schools even required printing for winter vacation assignments, making time extremely tight.

Jin Chen stood at the workshop door, watching the two negotiating not far away, his gaze falling on Su Hanyan's profile, observing quietly for a while.

Just as he was lost in thought, Su Hanyan turned to look at him, disappointment evident in her eyes.

Jin Chen collected his thoughts and walked over, asking, "What's wrong? Any issues?"

Shaking her head in disappointment, Su Hanyan replied, "The printing won't work out. They're too busy to spare the time."

"Is it urgent?"

"Yeah."

"I'll give it a try."

"You think you can?"

"Maybe."

Su Hanyan stepped back and waited. Jin Chen exchanged a few words with the person in charge and then they both entered the workshop. In a short while, the workshop supervisor called her over.

"Come, I'll do an extra shift for you because of Dr. Jin's face. Tomorrow, by noon at the latest, okay?"

"Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!"

Exiting the printing factory, Su Hanyan thanked Jin Chen, "Thank you so much for today! Otherwise, I wouldn't know how terrible today could have been!"

"No need to thank me."

"How did you manage to convince him to print the things for me just now?" Su Hanyan was curious.

"I happen to know him. I recently operated on his wife."

"No wonder. Thank you, Dr. Jin!"

"You don't have to thank me." Jin Chen thought for a moment and said, "But if you really want to thank me, I won't stop you!"

"Sure, how do you want me to thank you?" Su Hanyan smiled.

"Here." Jin Chen shamelessly extended his hand, slightly swollen at the joints. "It hurts a bit. I have surgeries all day tomorrow, and I'm worried it'll affect me."

[i love a man that knows and says what he wants. go bby]

"Should I massage it for you?" Su Hanyan immediately thought of that.

87: Striking a Chord

This struck a chord with Jin Chen, who was already considering how to bring it up.

Since she brought it up, he gladly accepted, "Sure."

Su Hanyan didn't think too much about it. After all, as someone who transmigrated into this world, she didn't hold the conservative thoughts of the 1980s, such as strict separation of men and women.

Moreover, this was indeed a surgeon's hand, and its dexterity determined the precision of an operation.

Su Hanyan gently held Jin Chen's hand, her fingers lightly massaging the slightly swollen joints, watching as a soothing blue glow covered the painful area, gradually easing away the discomfort.

Jin Chen had seen all kinds of people and touched all kinds of skin in the operating room. Yet, when Su Hanyan's fingers lightly massaged his joints, he felt a strange sensation in his heart.

Her palm was soft, her fingers smooth—nothing like the hands of a female worker in a state-owned enterprise.

Compared to this gentle touch, what he felt more was comfort and tranquility.

Every time he came into contact with her, he felt the pain and screams in his ears fading away, replaced by an unprecedented peace in his heart. Even though he was exhausted from standing in the operating room all day, at this moment, he felt none of it.

On the contrary, he felt a surge of strength filling him, driving away his weariness.

He was curious and intrigued.

This was a miraculous secret, and the woman before him was a miraculous woman. And only he knew about these two miracles.

The glow in the palm of his hand gradually faded. Su Hanyan knew she had completed the healing; the pain and discomfort should be gone now, with only time needed for the wound to fully recover.

"How does it feel?" she asked.

"Much better."

"That's good." Su Hanyan smiled at him. "I owe you one for your kindness. If there's anything you need help with, feel free to ask!"

Jin Chen hesitated slightly. "Alright. Next time, treat me to a meal."

Su Hanyan hesitated, "Um..."

"Not willing?" Jin Chen noticed her hesitation.

"No, it's not that. I'm willing, of course! But it has to be next time." After all, she was still in debt this month. She could only afford to treat him after she received her salary and tutoring fees at the end of the year.

"Okay." Jin Chen glanced at his wristwatch. "It's 11 o'clock. You should go back."

"Flag down a taxi." Su Hanyan suggested, "It's not easy to get one on this road. We have to walk to the main road."

"No need." Jin Chen said, "I have a car. Come with me!"

Su Hanyan didn't expect to be so lucky tonight. Since Jin Chen had a car, she didn't refuse. Without much thought, she decisively followed Jin Chen.

They crossed the narrow long street and, upon reaching the intersection, saw a small car parked by the roadside.

Jin Chen opened the car door and gallantly invited Su Hanyan inside.

Outside, the cold wind blew, but inside the car, it was much warmer. Su Hanyan, exhausted from a busy day, soon found herself dozing off.

When she woke up, they were already at the factory gate.

"We're here. Get off." Jin Chen reminded her.

Su Hanyan rubbed her slightly sleepy eyes and got out of the car, thanked him again, and walked towards the factory gate.

Looking at the closed gate, she made a bold decision to climb over the fence.

Under Jin Chen's gaze, Su Hanyan casually vaulted over the gate, waved to him, and slipped along the wall, disappearing into the night.

88: Not by Chance

Su Hanyan was in a good mood, humming a tune as she returned to the dormitory.

Zhu Lin asked her where she had been so late. Su Hanyan recounted what had happened today.

Zhu Lin sighed with relief that the doctor arrived just in time; otherwise, Su Hanyan could have been in big trouble. Society these days was quite chaotic, and it would be best for her not to wander around late at night.

Su Hanyan nodded in agreement.

She was about to go to the water room to wash up with a basin and kettle when suddenly a question crossed her mind: how did Jin Chen appear so timely? Didn't he already go home on the bus earlier?

Strange...

...

Jin Chen drove back to the residential compound of the medical school and parked the car outside. Seeing that his grandmother hadn't gone to bed yet, he walked over and gently embraced her thin, frail shoulders. "Grandma, it's so late and the weather's cold. Why aren't you resting inside? What are you doing out here?"

"Grandma's old, I don't need that much sleep. But you, I just saw you drive out..." Jin Yan's heart ached for her beloved grandson.

She always paid attention to his every move. Whenever he felt uncomfortable, she could tell.

Tonight, when he drove out, it definitely wasn't a coincidence.

"It's not like that, Grandma."

"Don't deny it." Jin Yan looked up at the bare tree branches, her eyes unavoidably moistened. "Chen Chen, tell Grandma, is your condition getting serious again? Serious to the point where you can't rest?"

Her heart ached for her grandson, who had suffered from this strange illness. If not for this strange illness, he wouldn't still be unmarried at twenty-five or twenty-six.

"Is it really?"

"I'm not lying to you. Look at me, do I look uncomfortable?" Jin Chen lowered his eyes.

This matter was beyond his comprehension. For now, he didn't know how to explain it to his family, so he decided to tell a little white lie to his grandmother.

Jin Yan carefully examined her grandson's face for a while. Indeed, his complexion looked much better than when he had just left. The heavy fatigue seemed to have dissipated a lot.

"Alright, alright! Go back home and rest while you're feeling better now. Sleep in tomorrow since you don't have to work or get up early. Is that okay?"

Jin Chen smiled and nodded. "Okay."

Watching her grandson look so obedient and well-behaved, Jin Yan couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

He was such an outstanding child given to her by heaven, but he had always been tormented by this strange illness. If not for this illness, he might have already found a girl he liked and married her.

She didn't know when her precious grandson would meet the girl he liked and whether that girl could bring happiness to Jin Chen.

...

The next morning, Su Hanyan was late to work.

Yes, she did it on purpose.

When she arrived at the office, Chief Niu had a stern face, Jiang Kuo and Lin Qingyu were both busy working at their desks without daring to lift their heads.

To Su Hanyan's surprise, Vice Chairman Qiao and Qiao Shasha from the union were also present, along with several unfamiliar faces from the union who Su Hanyan vaguely recognized as typists.

"Chief Niu, Vice Chairman Qiao," Su Hanyan greeted.

"You finally decided to show up?" Chief Niu hadn't said a word yet, but Vice Chairman Qiao spoke first. "Everyone in this room is catching up on their work. Where were you? I even told Chief Niu that if you didn't come, I'd send someone to your dormitory to fetch you."

89: Photographic Memory

"Alright, at least you're here! You're late today, so it's a strike and a fine," Chief Niu said without delving deeper into the matter. After all, catching up on the articles was more pressing at this moment.

Su Hanyan pursed her lips and smiled. "Vice Chairman Qiao, if it wasn't for Qiao Shasha causing trouble yesterday, there wouldn't be so many people here early this morning to catch up on the articles!"

"What are you trying to say?" Qiao Chunhua's face darkened as she looked at Su Hanyan, who she had long considered a thorn in her side. "Su Hanyan, don't try to be clever. Qiao Shasha didn't do it on purpose. The problem is already here, so let's resolve it. Are you going to keep picking at this matter?"

Qiao Chunhua clearly showed favoritism towards Qiao Shasha, her own niece. In the factory, there were plenty of nepotistic relationships; she wasn't the only one.

Who wouldn't protect their own family?

"Vice Chairman Qiao!" Chief Niu, who knew Qiao Chunhua's difficult temperament, frowned at her handling of the situation. "This issue was caused by your union. Let's not argue anymore. Once this matter is resolved, everyone will be fine. If this ends up affecting the inspection, none of us will have it easy!"

Qiao Chunhua looked extremely displeased and rolled her eyes in Chief Niu's direction.

Chief Niu scolded Su Hanyan again after speaking with Vice Chairman Qiao. "You're here now, so why aren't you working? Do you have nothing better to do than talk? I haven't even punished you for yesterday's fight in the hallway!"

"Chief!" Su Hanyan grinned mischievously. "I don't need to catch up today! I worked overnight last night and finally finished the articles. I went to the printing press early this morning and managed to get them printed! After much persuasion, they finally agreed to print them, and we can pick them up at the factory newspaper this noon."

"Really?" Chief Niu looked at her incredulously.

"Yes!"

Everyone in the room stopped their work, and the gloomy expressions instantly turned into joyful ones. Finally, they wouldn't have to catch up on this annoying task.

"You did all of this by yourself last night?" Chief Niu confirmed again.

"Yes," Su Hanyan smiled shyly. "I have a good memory, so I remember everything I write! People used to call it a 'photographic' memory! It's like memorizing things by rote! But sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't..."

There was no choice; she had to brazenly lie and embellish herself. How else could she explain it?

She certainly couldn't let people know about her 'golden finger,' could she? Otherwise, she'd either be targeted, treated as a freak, or worse, become a specimen in a national laboratory experiment.

She really didn't want that.

"That's great!" Chief Niu exclaimed in relief, her complexion instantly improving. She looked at Su Hanyan with much warmer eyes. "Oh my, I didn't realize our Publicity Department had such talent! You've worked so hard. We'll cancel the morning's punishment. Jiang Kuo will go pick up the newspapers at noon today, and you can take the day off and rest well in the dormitory."

"Really? Chief!"

"Of course!"

"In that case, I won't stand on ceremony."

"No need for that! I'll even give you a commendation for overtime!"

Su Hanyan happily accepted and walked out amidst everyone's joy and admiration. Her overtime had liberated everyone else, and though they envied her, there was absolutely no discontent or complaint.

90: Heart Fluttering

Upon hearing the news, even Qiao Chunhua and Qiao Shasha breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, the consequences could have been severe.

With that settled, everyone dispersed to do their own things.

Su Hanyan returned to her dormitory and luxuriated in a nap under the warm covers! When she woke up, it was already noon, and her stomach was rumbling. It was just in time for lunch at the cafeteria.

Carrying her tray, she queued up and got herself a steaming plate of braised pork with cabbage and vermicelli, along with a large steamed bun. Finding a relatively quiet spot with fewer people, she sat down.

"Leader Su, the recent issue of the factory newspaper was really good!"

"Thank you, Leader Su, for including my good deeds! Hehe!"

...

Su Hanyan smiled and greeted them, "Thank you for your compliments! It's because your deeds were touching that they were selected!"

It seemed the factory newspaper had been distributed, and the feedback among the workers was positive. Chief Niu must be quite satisfied now, right?

She sat down and started eating, taking a couple of bites. Suddenly, she felt a shadow over her, blocking the light. When she looked up, she saw Zhou Ningkai sitting across from her with a tray in hand.

Su Hanyan subtly frowned. Why him again?

"Su Hanyan..." Zhou Ningkai smiled broadly, his bright eyes fixed on her. "The factory newspaper you released was very impressive."

Su Hanyan inwardly snorted: Do you even need to tell me? Everyone just told me that!

Nevertheless, she put on a polite face and smiled faintly. "Thank you."

"I saw it, and I was in a prominent position!" Zhou Ningkai said excitedly. "I didn't expect Su Leader's photography skills to be so superb. You made me look better than in real life!"

"You're welcome." Su Hanyan kept stuffing her mouth with food.

She didn't want to exchange too many words with Zhou Ningkai. She just wanted to finish her meal and leave.

At that moment, several girls appeared at the cafeteria entrance. They were all wearing work uniforms with rolled-up sleeves and carrying trays, chatting animatedly about today's factory newspaper.

"Hey, did you all see it? That young college student from the Technology Department, Zhou Ningkai! I told you our factory hired talent, right? I've seen him a few times before. He really is tall and handsome, like a prince from a fairy tale!"

"I saw him, I saw him! I've never seen such a handsome man before!"

"He graduated from college, right?"

"He must be very capable, or else he wouldn't have joined the Technology Department right after graduation!" A sweet and gentle voice chimed in. She smiled, her mind filled with the image from the factory newspaper.

The man in the factory newspaper was indeed young and promising, with striking looks—a full brow and large eyes, a face that could only belong to someone extraordinary.

"Of course! He's the talent our factory recruited! I've only seen him before, but now everyone in the factory has seen him. How many girls' hearts do you think he's stolen?"

"Oh, the agony!"

"Qu Shan, what are you agonizing about? Don't tell me you like him?"

Qu Shan nodded proudly, "It was love at first sight! Unfortunately, he's not interested in me! But..."

She glanced around at the other girls, "Zhiqiu, your appearance is outstanding. Maybe he'll notice you!"

[aiya, here we go smh]

"Yeah, yeah! Zhiqiu is so gentle!"

"Yes, and so diligent! She's like a charming sea snail girl! I think we should send Lin Zhiqiu to approach Zhou Ningkai!"

Lin Zhiqiu blushed at being teased, "You guys, stop it~"

HODDEOKI's note
i apologize for the late update! i am taking care of my college enrollment this week. i don't think i can stick to regular updates but please be reassured i'll update/upload translated chapters every week or as soon as i can. lots of love x