RDCAB 9

Rebirth on the Doors to the Civil Affairs Bureau

Chapter 9 Aiming to be More Spoiled

Translator: Xefielle

Editor: Jessamy

***


Outside the conference room of the hospital

"Xia Feng, your proposal was quite good. The hospital will consider it carefully," Dr. Cui said, nodding.

"Thank you, President!"

"The two American experts also expressed their interest in your new treatment for the tumor, and said they would be interested in working with us," Dr. Cui continued.

"President, I will continue to work hard."

"Young people sure are energetic!" Dr. Cui nodded and left.

At this time, Shao Yifan, who was hiding in a corner, came out and heard Dr. Cui's parting words: "Young people are energetic, President Cui praised you a lot. It seemed that your publication will go well this time."

"What did you do yesterday?" Xia Feng looked at Shao Yifan.

"Yesterday I was singing karaoke. It was too noisy, and I didn't hear your initial phone call and when I called you back later, you said you didn't need help." Shao Yifan remembered Xia Feng called him yesterday but couldn't get through. He only saw the texts asking for help later in the night. "But I see you managed to finish it in time."

"If Yu Dong didn't help, I reckon I'd still be sorting through my data."

"Really?" Shao Yifan was shocked to hear Yu Dong helped. "Does she know medicine?"

"She helped me translate my data into English," Xia Feng explained.

"She's that smart? There are a lot of technical terms in it," Shao Yifan said incredulously.

Xia Feng was too lazy to explain further, so he walked towards their office.

"What are you going to do?" Shao Yifan hurried to catch up to Xia Feng and said, "I heard what the president just said. You might have to travel to the United States to collaborate."

"Not necessarily, many people in the hospital are scrambling for a place in New York's Edward Hospital, I might not necessarily get chosen." Xia Feng shook his head.

"How can that be, other people rely on hospital recommendations, but you directly showed your face in front of American experts. Didn't the president just say that the other side is very interested in your new treatment idea." Shao Yifan said.

"Let's talk about it later." Xia Feng put down the documents he was holding and picked up the medical files on his desk. "I'm going to see some patients."

When Shao Yifan saw Xia Feng had no intention of stopping and was going to see his patients, he exclaimed: "You spent the whole night sorting through your data, and literally finished a 2 hour presentation recently. How are you not sleepy!"

"Yu Dong helped me organize the data, saving me a lot of time. I managed to sleep a few hours this morning, I feel fine," Xia Feng said. "The patient in bed 5 isn't looking good. I can't relax."

"Oh, look at this public display of affection!" Shao Yifan exaggerated.

"What are you talking about?" Xia Feng ignored Shao Yifan and left the office.

It was already 6:00 p.m when Yu Dong woke up with a headache and her biological clock in disarray. She stayed in bed for a few minutes before managing to feebly get out of bed.

When she went into the kitchen to get some water from the refrigerator, she found a post-it note on it.

'Although it's summer, it’s bad to directly drink ice water. There's honeyed water I made on the table, drink that if you're thirsty. And I cooked some egg fried rice, microwave it when you get hungry.

P.S Thank you for helping me with my files!

--Xia Feng. '


Yu Dong smiled, took the post-it note, heated the fried rice, then entered the living room with her food and honeyed water.

After eating, Yu Dong felt much better.

Suddenly her phone rang.

Yu Dong looked at her phone screen and saw the caller to be her brother, Yu Song.

Yu Dong suddenly felt morose as she held her phone. She had been happily living for more than a month since her rebirth. She never called home, never thought about it, but now that she was confronted with this situation, she became afraid.

Before Yu Dong's rebirth, her family's urging to get married reached unprecedented heights when she turned 28. Even her older brother, who always ignored family affairs, joined in and pressured her.

Yu Dong often got pulled aside and lectured about it. That marriage was so integral to life, how this relationship was similar to the relationship between the left hand and right hand. How her likes or dislikes were not relevant when picking a man.

Yu Dong remembered one time when she went home for a visit, she happened to bump into Yu Song who came back from work. When he saw her and opened his mouth, the first thing he said to her was: "What the hell are you going to do? Being so picky, do you think you're still in your early 20s ah, thinking you're so high and mighty. You think we're willing to take care of you? If it weren't for the fact that you're my sister, I wouldn't even bother with you. Look at you, every day you get older and older. Did you not think that everyone else has already married out except you?"

Then her mother, who was usually picky said, "The last man was good, you complained he was a little short at 166 cm, but you're only 158 cm anyway. Any taller and he'd be a tree. You also complained about his low salary, but it's not like you can't live with 3000 yuan a month. Better than nothing."

Even her father finally said, "I beg of you, stop being picky and get married quickly."

After all that? Yu Dong doesn't dare to go home, she didn't want to listen to such words and quarrel with her family. She started to celebrate New Year's alone, watching the overcrowded Shanghai slowly become an empty city, tens of millions of reunions happening elsewhere, sleeping in a hotel at 30 years old, only to call home and still end up scolded.

In those years, home was a place Yu Dong couldn't go back to.

No matter how close she was with her loved ones, in the end, they became a miserable existence.

So she began to dread festivals and holidays.

Yu Dong didn't even dare visit her hometown, because even the street next to theirs knew of a girl who can't marry out of her home!

The phone stopped, and after a while, it rang again. Yu Dong gathered her courage and connected the phone.

"Answer your phone!" Her brother's voice roared, "What have you been doing lately? You didn't really marry your boyfriend did you?"

"No!"

"No? Because you ran away from home with your suitcase, mom got sick." Her elder brother yelled again, then asked: "Where are you? What are you doing now?"

"Work, love."

"What? You found a job?" Yu Song said, "It's good your boyfriend's family doesn't disagree with the marriage, but at least bring him back first. Don't be in such a rush marrying when you're still young."

"Brother?" Yu Dong suddenly asked, "If I break up with my boyfriend and end up not marrying, will you dislike me?"

"What nonsense are you spouting? Is that man bullying you? You tell me, brother will find him!"

"No, I was just asking."

"That's no good, if you're being bullied, tell me. And pay attention to your surroundings, a girl out in the big city alone has to pay extra attention to her safety. And don't wait for mom to get angry before calling home!"

"Brother? If you and our parents are so against me getting married, what kind of boyfriend do you think I should look for?"

"Why are you asking this?" Yu Song said, "We never had any real objections towards you marrying. But we've never even met your boyfriend, and we always hear from others that you're working hard to earn money to buy things for him. We never hear anything about what he does for you. That's why we're uneasy, afraid you're being bullied. You have to find a good man, someone worthy of my sister."

"Brother, would you always think so?"

"Of course." Suddenly she heard another voice on the other end, someone seemed to be calling out to him. Yu Song hastened to tell her: "Call home sometime later, and bring your boyfriend back on New Year's Day."

After she hung up, Yu Dong felt tears suddenly falling. How long has it been since her brother spoke to her with such affection?

"What's wrong?" Xia Feng returned home and found Yu Dong crying on the sofa, making him distressed.

Yu Dong wiped her tears and said, "I’m alright. I called home, and my brother scolded me."

Xia Feng remembered she ran away from home and comforted her: "It's alright. Your family won't stay angry for long, when you go back for a visit, they'll surely let it go."

"Un." Then Yu Dong asked, "Did your conference go well today?"

"It went perfectly." Xia Feng smiled. "You helped me a lot."

After translating Xia Feng's documents the whole night, Yu Dong naturally knew the presentation was about cancer research. So she said, "It was nothing. If your research succeeds, it'll benefit millions of people and save countless lives."

"That's the dream, but I don't know if I can actually make it happen."

"Yes, you can!" And it won't even take long, just 10 years.

"Yes! Before penicillin was discovered, even inflammation was incurable, so I should be more confident." Xia Feng laughed.

Yu Dong laughed with him.

Xia Feng noticed Yu Dong was still in her pajamas, so he reminded her: "Aren't you going to work?"

Yu Dong blinked and looked towards the clock. It was past 10:00 p.m., how long did she talk with her brother on the phone?

"Ah?? I don't have time to talk to you, I need to quickly change!"

After hastily changing, Yu Dong came out and saw Xia Feng by the front door.

"Are you going out?" Yu Dong asked doubtfully.

"I'll take you to work!"

"No, no, the bus stops right at the gate," Yu Dong refused. "And you stayed up all night and worked all day. You're on 24-hour duty again tomorrow, you have to get some rest."

After that, she brushed past him, opened the front door and left.

Xia Feng looked on, but in the end, he didn't chase after her.

Yu Dong went on to host Midnight Phantom, but perhaps because of her recent thoughts regarding her brother, the songs she played tonight had a lonely mood. On the computer in front of her, a bunch of listeners sent messages begging her to change to happier songs as the previous songs made them all want to cry.

Yu Dong thought about it, then played a song about making a fortune.

Suddenly a lot of people sent messages scolding Fish Jelly, wondering if she had brain damage.

Yu Dong felt a lot better all of a sudden.


……


Xia Feng, who had just finished showering, suddenly heard the sound of pattering outside his window. Looking out, he saw it was raining.

Did Yu Dong bring an umbrella?

It was 12:30 a.m., Xia Feng took a book and sat by the window to read.

Suddenly, a dull thunder roared, and the rain became heavier. Xia Feng looked at the clock again, 1:30 a.m. He put his book down, picked his car keys on the table, changed slippers and headed to the underground garage.


……


After her live broadcast, Yu Dong stepped out of the station only to find it drizzling outside. How come it rained?

The bus stop opposite the road was 200 meters away, she could only run over.

Yu Dong brought her bag on top of her head for cover and was about to run. Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice cutting through the sound of rain. Turning, she saw a figure holding an umbrella.

"Xia Feng?" Yu Dong was surprised.

Xia Feng saw her bag on top of her head, smiled and brought it back down. Laughing, he said, "You were planning on running out like this?"

"Ah?" Yu Dong was still too shocked to see Xia Feng.

"Why are you so surprised?" Xia Feng was confused with Yu Dong's behavior.

"You...why are you here?"

"If you're not letting me drop you off, then I'll have to pick you up," Xia Feng said.

"Didn't I say there was no need?"

"You don't always have to act so brave, my mom used to say girls who act a little more spoiled are more attractive." Xia Feng handed Yu Dong another umbrella and said, "Come on, the car is this way."

Yu Dong took the offered umbrella, but didn't open it, continuing to look at Xia Feng like a fool. This was the first time someone picked her up from work, the first time someone told her to be more spoiled.

"I don't know how to be spoiled." Yu Dong suddenly said.

Xia Feng was stunned, laughed then said, "It's alright. It's easy to learn."

Yu Dong stared at the umbrella in her hand, then looked up at Xia Feng who stood in the rain. Finally, she put the umbrella into her bag and walked directly into Xia Feng's umbrella, hugging his arm.

"You're not using the umbrella?" Xia Feng wondered.

"Who brings two umbrellas when picking up a girl on a rainy night? Having one umbrella is sweeter!" Yu Dong shuffled closer to Xia Feng, whether she was afraid of getting wet or found Xia Feng to be warm, he didn't know.

Xia Feng looked down at Yu Dong and saw her ears flushed. He smiled and walked away with Yu Dong.

If you're in a bad mood on a rainy day, may someone always hold an umbrella for you!


*** 

help, I'm drowning in all the fluff


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