(Thank you, dear reader 141014155050288, for your rewarding encouragement. Special thanks to my friends: 'Moon Runners', MKLLBBROSE, and 'Village Guardians' for your monthly passes and support.)

This wasn't Liu Banxia's first visit to Langtaosha. He couldn't deny that he shared a significant bond with this place. Now that he and Qiaoqiao were dating, he believed it was all probably fated. This place might even be where his destiny began.

He had obtained the system right here at Langtaosha. Initially, he had been celebrating when he got zapped. Today, he was returning to where it all began. Naturally, many emotions filled his mind.

Life and encounters are so unpredictable. Back then, what worth did I have that others could value? All credit went to the system.

"Why are you gawking? Let's get in," Qiaoqiao chimed in, seeing Liu Banxia constantly looking around after getting out of the car.

"Just wondering, can I enjoy free services when I come back in the future?" replied Liu Banxia casually.

Qiaoqiao rolled her eyes at him. This guy sure talks nonsense. Even if they weren't dating, she wouldn't charge him for a bath.

"Hello, Dr. Liu."

As soon as he stepped into the lobby, several servers came running to greet him, startling Liu Banxia.

"Shoo, shoo, go away. Don't cause trouble," Qiaoqiao frowned at them.

The servers were taken aback. They knew from their last hospital visit that Dr. Liu was a good friend of their boss. Why did their greetings annoy her now?

Actually, it was Qiaoqiao who had misunderstood. She assumed they already knew about her relationship with Liu Banxia. It was a classic case of a guilty conscience, though what she felt guilty about was unclear.

"Shall we shower first and then enjoy a nice meal?" Qiaoqiao asked after shooing everyone away.

"Haven't you heard the old saying? 'Don't shave after a full meal; don't bathe when starved.' There's medical reasoning behind this too. So, first we eat, then we bathe. After that, we can have some tea and snacks," Liu Banxia suggested.

Qiaoqiao frowned. "Why? Why can you relate everything to medical knowledge? Are you mocking people?"

Facing Qiaoqiao's rapid-fire questions, Liu Banxia couldn't help but laugh. He didn't know why, but he rather enjoyed seeing Qiaoqiao get feisty like this.

"Are you going to explain or not?" Qiaoqiao was getting vexed.

"'Don't shave after a full meal' because once you're full, your blood goes to your stomach to help digest the food. Shaving requires you to bow your head, and you could easily get low blood pressure when raising your head," Liu Banxia explained with a smile.

"The principle behind 'don't bathe when starved' is similar. Bathing also consumes energy. If you're hungry, it's easy to feel faint. Actually, whether it's shaving or bathing, you shouldn't be too full or too hungry. Having some food in your stomach is just right."

Qiaoqiao wrinkled her nose. It seemed the explanation did make sense.

Then, Liu Banxia bent his arm and offered his elbow to Qiaoqiao. The meaning was clear: now that their relationship was official, she should take his arm.

Qiaoqiao, who had been so spirited just moments before, now hesitated, looking troubled. Finally, she gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, and despite her blushing face, she took his arm.

It was a simple gesture, perhaps the most basic one for couples. Many couples were practically inseparable, as if they were conjoined.

Yet, this simple gesture instantly caught the eyes of all the servers in the Langtaosha lobby.

What was going on? Their boss and Dr. Liu were together? This was highly unusual.

"It's all your fault! You're driving me crazy!" As they walked further in, Qiaoqiao murmured under her breath, her hand occasionally pinching his arm.

Liu Banxia wasn't bothered; instead, a sense of happiness washed over him. It came suddenly, even more intense than when he had decided to pursue Qiaoqiao.

Their small interactions amused Liang Xiaolin and Qing Kewa, who were following behind. Clearly, the two of them hadn't found their rhythm yet; they were still so awkward with each other.

Although he'd visited Langtaosha before, he had never been to the restaurant.

Langtaosha offered two kinds of tickets. The one he had bought last time was a small package just for bathing. There was also a larger package that included an overnight stay and breakfast.

Lunch and dinner here cost more than at an average mid-range restaurant, something Liu Banxia couldn't have afforded back then.

"Order whatever you want. Don't feel obliged to be polite with me. And do you want to have some drinks?" Qiaoqiao asked them as they took their seats.

"Sure, I don't have anything else to do anyway. I'll have a bottle of beer. After a bath and a bit of rest, it'll metabolize out of my system. I'll be fine to drive," nodded Liu Banxia.

"Haha! Then let's drink happily!" Qing Kewa exclaimed.

"Why do you love drinking so much?" asked Liu Banxia.

Qing Kewa nodded. "Alcohol is better than water."

There was no reasoning with this girl. Being Russian, her alcohol tolerance was truly impressive. She'd gotten quite drunk the last time they had skewers because she'd mixed her drinks.

They quickly decided on the dishes. Liang Xiaolin and Qing Kewa didn't hold back on Qiaoqiao's tab. After all, this was Qiaoqiao's place, and they were familiar with her generous character.

The first dish brought out was a large iron platter of braised bones, made from a recipe bought from Zhou Li and prepared on-site.

"The taste is about the same, but it seems a bit lacking in texture," Liu Banxia commented after taking a bite.

"Well, we can't help it. Sister Li always buys fresh meat on the bone from the market, while ours are standard procured chilled bones," Qiaoqiao said.

"But we're currently considering if we can source from those markets. It's quite challenging, as such markets are becoming rarer, mostly replaced by supermarkets."

Liu Banxia nodded. "True, but the taste still holds up. Your family also has restaurants. Using chilled fresh meat is somewhat safer; it helps avoid unnecessary complications."

"You don't have to aim for such high standards. It might be fine if you were experimenting at Jinbao, but let's forget it here. What you have now is perfectly fine, and you can still control the taste well."

"We'll see. The braised prawns here are also excellent, Linlin, make sure to eat more later," Qiaoqiao said.

"No worries, I won't be polite," Liang Xiaolin said as she bit into a bone.

"Neither will I," Qing Kewa chimed in.

She was even more hearty than Liang Xiaolin, gripping a bone in one hand and a beer in the other, alternating bites and sips. She was clearly enjoying her meal.

As for anything like a ladylike demeanor, she didn't care one bit. Her favorite food was meat; she only occasionally liked certain vegetables.

For today's meal, Qiaoqiao was truly treating her close friends. Soon, dishes like braised prawns, grilled lamb chops, steamed scallops, and abalone were served, not to mention an assortment of side dishes.

"You guys can make a feast like this?" Liu Banxia asked curiously.

"See? The aim is to eat well, drink well, and bathe well. That's our service motto," Qiaoqiao said with a broad smile.

"After our bath, let's go to the lounge on the Fifth Floor and relax a bit before heading home. That's the VIP lounge area; there are large and small rooms, and guests can choose for themselves."

Liu Banxia gave a thumbs-up. "You're doing a great job running your business."

"Hey? Why don't you give us massages today? Your massage skills are so good, our therapists here can learn from you. Oh, it's great that you're suspended! You can come here and work part-time," Qiaoqiao said excitedly.

"Agreed," Qing Kewa concurred.

Liang Xiaolin sighed heavily. She looked at Qiaoqiao, then at Qing Kewa, and could only shake her head.

She had to shake her head; she couldn't offer any other response.

This is Qiaoqiao's boyfriend, and she just casually offers him up to give everyone massages. And Qing Kewa? She doesn't care in the slightest. If he's giving massages, so be it.

Liu Banxia was also helpless. If their relationship hadn't been confirmed, he would have jumped at the chance. But now? Would he dare? Not even if he had ten times the nerve. What if Qiaoqiao remembered this one day and got upset?

Who knew what went through Qiaoqiao's mind? Anyway, she genuinely didn't think there was anything wrong with her suggestion and was actually quite pleased with herself.

Perhaps it was this meal as a foundation, plus the 'official announcement' when they walked in, but Qiaoqiao was much more relaxed than she had been during the day and was gradually reverting to her usual self.

"Don't forget, the Fifth Floor," Qiaoqiao reminded them after finishing the meal.

When Liu Banxia arrived at the changing room, he could tell he was receiving special treatment.

The attendants in the changing room had also received word from downstairs: Dr. Liu's relationship with Boss Qiaoqiao was now... 'complicated,' so they absolutely mustn't be remiss in their service to him.

Actually, Liu Banxia didn't really care about these things. He was, at heart, an ordinary person and didn't care for such ostentation; besides, he'd never had the opportunity for it in the past.

Once inside, Liu Banxia made a special trip to the sauna room to take a look. He didn't feel anything particularly special. Even if I wanted to investigate the origin of the system, it would be futile.

It had been some time since he'd last soaked in a proper bath. Whoever invented this form of recreation was a genius. Sinking into the pool felt truly comfortable.

His scattered thoughts returned to him, his mind still on the recent incident.

He wasn't a truly heartless or unfeeling person. It wasn't as if something happened, a result occurred, and then he'd just completely stop thinking about it. He didn't show too much disappointment, merely trying to prevent those who cared about him from worrying.

From now on, I really have to work diligently at the Second Hospital. This lesson was very profound. However, as for whether I'll continue to stay at the Second Hospital in the future... I'm currently a bit lost.

With a regular job, the earnings are fixed. How much can one get from a single surgery? His thoughts began to wander; he felt so stifled. Rather than continue like this, maybe I should jump to a private hospital in the future.

This idea just popped into his head for a few minutes, and then he suppressed it. That would certainly make me feel better, but it would be letting down the people who care about me.

Zhou Shuwen and Chen Zhenxing must have pulled some strings to help me land safely this time. Otherwise, would the information provided solely by Xu Chengjun have sufficed? That kind of evidence is useful if people say it's useful; if they say it's useless, it's not worth a damn.

Even if Zhou Shuwen hadn't said anything, I could imagine that Wang Guobin wouldn't have missed this opportunity at the hospital committee meeting. After all, I made a mistake, so receiving more, and more severe, punishment would have been justifiable.

Perhaps this is the downside of being part of the establishment. Once a problem occurs and things are escalated to a matter of principle, it really becomes unpredictable.