Chapter 222

Perhaps because the story was long, Dong Dongxing's expression changed slightly after he sighed.

Dong Dongxing had a standard pockmarked square face, covered in freckles, the dense concentration of them no different from his high school days, making him look hazy and indistinct.

And to speak of Dong Dongxing's experiences and encounters over the past two years, that made Fang Ziye sigh even more at the impermanence of human affairs.

Dong Dongxing originally had an ex-girlfriend; they had gotten engaged, taken wedding photos, booked the wedding hotel and banquet, and so on.

They were just waiting to send out the invitations; even Dong Dongxing had posted photos in his Moments.

However, Dong Dongxing discovered that his ex-girlfriend and her first love, who couldn't even be called her ex-boyfriend, had gotten mixed up together, in what was supposedly a farewell to youth.

That time, Dong Dongxing, as a civil servant, had a social engagement; he happened to be accompanying his boss to sing as part of an investment promotion team, and they ran into each other face-to-face; at that time, his ex-girlfriend was still hiding.

Dong Dongxing had a task at hand, and since his ex-girlfriend had walked out of the hotel, he estimated there was no need to go ask what had happened; her intimately linking arms explained everything.

Dong Dongxing had been with her for over three years; he had met all her relatives; the brothers or cousins worthy of her linking arms, none of them were this person.

That night, Dong Dongxing's mood was terrible; in retaliation, he randomly found someone nearby and hooked up...

That was Dong Dongxing's current fiancee; one shot hit the mark, and now the child is one year old and can stand.

It's just that Dong Dongxing wrangled with his ex-girlfriend for a good long while, to the point that their business got mixed up too many times.

Dong Dongxing forced his own ex-girlfriend to go resolve her family actively calling off the engagement, to ruin her reputation, but she refused, dragging it out until the beginning of this year, when she finally confessed to her family herself...

As the man, Dong Dongxing dragged his feet unconcerned; moreover, he was a civil servant, and without having registered marriage with his ex-girlfriend, he went ahead and registered with his current wife first; only on the level of social morality had he not yet completed the divorce procedures with his ex-girlfriend's family...

"These melons, are they something I can listen to?"

"You and your current sister-in-law, was it really a spur-of-the-moment hookup? However I hear it, I don't believe it." Fang Ziye poured Dong Dongxing a cup of water; having eaten his fill of melons, he fed Dong Dongxing to relieve his dry mouth.

"Don't say you don't believe it; I don't believe it myself."

"That night when we were singing, I had a bit to drink, didn't pay attention to anything. Thought we just hooked up and went our separate ways." Dong Dongxing spoke up to here, then didn't continue.

Because now he and his wife were already married, the way the two of them met might not be honorable.

"Don't mislead me. If you don't want to say, there's actually no need to say it; I always feel that you and sister-in-law absolutely didn't just meet that night." Fang Ziye wasn't a child anymore.

Someone nearby, that's still believable?

"Anyway, same meaning; this isn't important."

"So, it's like this now; in the future if you see that other person, there's no need to call her sister-in-law either; I estimate now, she and I won't have any dealings until we die of old age."

"Do you know why?"

"Because I asked a friend to secure the surveillance evidence from the hotel." Dong Dongxing said.

Dong Dongxing, after graduating with a bachelor's degree, passed the civil service exam; although he was only in the Agricultural Bureau's office with low authority, his connections were slightly more solid than his ex-girlfriend's social network.

This kind of thing securing evidence, Dong Dongxing could still find drinking buddies to help accomplish.

"Then you're really bad."

"You insisted on making your ex-girlfriend confess; if you had just hinted a sentence or two, she might not have been too embarrassed, at most just saying she fell for someone else..."

"But you dragged it out without proceeding to the next step, and didn't give an explanation; you're really bad." Fang Ziye smiled a non-smile.

One can imagine, the two of them had originally reached the stage of printing invitations, and Dong Dongxing's side suddenly stopped with no news, and he didn't give many explanations either; calls were just met with "go ask her."

Fang Ziye felt she would probably be pestered to death by calls from the three aunts and four aunts.

"Then it's none of my business. Mine counts as falling in love again after being single!" Dong Dongxing spoke, and his wife walked in.

Carrying a fruit platter, and drinks.

"Industry Brother, I've long heard him mention you many times; this is the first time meeting. Originally last New Year we planned to invite you to eat together, but you went to Han City after New Year." The woman should be a couple years younger than Fang Ziye and the others, only twenty-three or twenty-four now.

Not exceptionally beautiful, but belongs to the quite handsome category.

Mainly she looks like she has a rather virtuous feeling, medium build, slightly plump.

"Sister-in-law, when you hold the wedding, I'll definitely attend. You're not in a rush to go back today, right?"

"Shall we go out for a meal together later, convenient? Or do you need to accompany Auntie?" Fang Ziye actively stood up, pulling out a chair while asking.

Fang Ziye didn't have to be on duty today, so he was free.

Moreover, having seen Dong Dongxing's daughter, he definitely had to give a red envelope!

Fang Ziye didn't have many high school friends to begin with; five years of university he just studied, basically no friends, so the friends Fang Ziye cared about were just these two.

Even if he had no money, giving a token red envelope was necessary.

"Ziye is already a Doctor now, a Doctor at Han City University, this share."

"In the future, as long as Professor Fang slightly lifts us up, we'll be able to hang around Enshi casually." Dong Dongxing spoke glibly.

"Industry Brother's grades have always been good, 211 undergrad, 985 master's and doctorate, a top student. Definitely a bright future ahead."

"Industry Brother, don't be so polite; I can do it myself."

"Mommy." The woman was just speaking when a little girl ran in from the doorway.

"..."

In the end, it was still Dong Dongxing who had time to accompany Fang Ziye out for late-night snacks.

Fang Ziye paid, but Dong Dongxing directly slapped Fang Ziye's hand, forcing Fang Ziye to accept the transfer back, only then stopping: "Really, what are you being polite with me for?"

"Wait until after you graduate, then you give money; if I frown, I'll change my surname to follow yours."

"It's not much money, you're being too serious." Fang Ziye said.

"Okay okay, alright, let's not talk about it."

"I have to go back and watch the kid; just now my wife messaged saying the daughter is looking for dad. She can't handle it alone. Too clingy."

"Sigh." Dong Dongxing wore a face full of smiles, sighing, his whole person's temperament cheap and roguish.

"How about this, let's make a deal; you and sister-in-law make another one, give this laughing girl to me, I'll bite the bullet and let my parents raise her." Fang Ziye said hatefully.

"If you can persuade sister-in-law, I can persuade my parents, say she was an accident."

"Scram!" Dong Dongxing naturally wasn't willing.

"Then refuse the Versailles!"

"Want me to introduce you to a few? My circle and your sister-in-law's teacher circle have plenty of good-looking girls, all university graduates with stable jobs." Dong Dongxing asked.

"I have a girlfriend, but she went overseas." Fang Ziye also said with a smile on his face.

Dong Dongxing's expression was particularly conflicted: "Then, wish you good luck."

"My mother-in-law's situation, you take a look and help out a bit if you can!" Dong Dongxing only said this sentence right before leaving.

"All that's easy to say."

……

When Fang Ziye returned home, it was already around nine in the evening.

Luo Tingzhu, separated by nearly twelve hours of time difference, had already gotten up after ward rounds, drilled into the operating room, heard she wouldn't be out until around one, then would transfer to the laboratory, busy as could be.

After sending Fang Ziye a message, there were no other messages.

Fang Ziye didn't reply either.

Instead, he was reading the journal reply letter his fellow trainee Jie Han sent him for the draft publication.

"Congratulations! (Congratulations)"

Just this one line was enough for Fang Ziye to know all the content; reading the follow-up carefully, Fang Ziye read word by word.

Especially the first author name "fangzy" — that was himself; however he looked at it, it felt satisfying.

And this article was his own solid, bit-by-bit accumulation, not something traded from elsewhere.

So the other two articles' co-first-author publications didn't make Fang Ziye as happy as this paper's publication.

A 28+ IF (Impact Factor) article — just this one was enough to settle his job's precursor preparation; any other preparations were merely icing on the cake.

Basically, no university or teaching hospital in the country would refuse a first-author PhD holding a twenty-eight-point impact factor, and a basic research original article at that.

"Settled! ~" Fang Ziye sent Jie Han two characters.

Text, not an emoji.

One exclamation mark, one unsure-if-formal tone particle mark, expressing Fang Ziye's mood.

"If it were earlier it would've been even better, then it could be written directly into previous achievements, Master's grant application would probably have some competitiveness."

"But it's not too late either."

"Master's Outstanding Youth Fund defense, this article can definitely be used."

"As long as he gets the Outstanding Youth Fund, did you see? Both the school and the hospital posted official account articles, they'll pay extra attention to this kind of talent."

"Then our group's project funding won't be a worry." Jie Han snickered.

"I haven't followed any announcements these past few days; getting it is a good thing! Not getting it is also a good thing, we can't expect too much either."

"Outstanding Youth and Distinguished Youth — all disciplines nationwide compete simultaneously, the pressure is still especially great." Fang Ziye said.

Fang Ziye was already lying on the sofa, the air conditioner already going strong.

The cool breeze carried away the heat on his body, making Fang Ziye feel the surroundings had become extremely tranquil.

"That's true too."

"Senior Brother, thanks for the hard work, bringing me and Jie Han such a big article!"

"Not to mention other things, my and fellow trainee's first-class scholarships are absolutely no problem. If luck's good, we might even snag a national scholarship."

"Then we'll treat Senior Brother to a meal!!!" Jie Han sent three exclamation marks in a row.

"All good." Fang Ziye smiled and replied.

Just then, Fang Ziye's door was suddenly knocked.

"Knock knock knock!"

"Wait a sec, who is it?" Fang Ziye asked with a smile as he went to the door, but no one spoke during the process.

And not until Fang Ziye pulled open the door did he see the person standing at the doorway was precisely the mysterious Teacher Zu.

He held a plate, set down cut watermelon, smiled at Fang Ziye; though he didn't speak, the meaning was obvious — he came to eat melon with Fang Ziye.

(Chapter End)