This was a medium-sized private hospital.
Not far away was a Class-Three Grade-A hospital with more comprehensive facilities.
Meng Ruozhao couldn't understand why she had chosen this hospital for her surgery back then.
Given her current personality, if she needed surgery, she would surely opt for a more authoritative hospital.
But this wasn't the right time to dwell on that.
The smell of disinfectant mingled with the cold air from the air conditioner, creating a suffocating atmosphere.
She took a deep breath and tried to sound as sincere as possible as she began to recite the lines she had prepared.
"Director Liu, to be honest, this report is very important to me."
"I'm planning to get married and have a baby soon, so I'd like someone to take a look at my previous medical records to see if it will affect my future fertility."
Although she didn't like lying,
Sometimes, lies could save a lot of trouble.
Especially in this situation, most medical staff would understand.
Sure enough, the young nurse immediately gave her a sympathetic look.
"Are you having trouble conceiving? You can actually make an appointment at our gynecology department for a comprehensive check-up."
Working in the hospital, they had heard all kinds of stories.
Some young girls had had bad luck in love when they were young. They had had to have an abortion after an accidental pregnancy, which had left them with health problems and made it difficult for them to conceive later.
The young nurse assumed that Meng Ruozhao was in a similar situation.
This pre - assumed sympathy made Meng Ruozhao feel uncomfortable, but she had to play along - showing a hint of embarrassment.
Director Liu frowned slightly. After a moment of thought, he spoke in a matter - of - fact tone.
"Miss Meng, I understand how you feel, but the hospital's regulations cannot be easily violated."
"How about this? You can fill out an application form first, explaining in detail the reason and purpose of your inquiry."
"If the review is approved, we will arrange for you to view the relevant records as soon as possible."
Meng Ruozhao was a bit anxious. She had never dealt with such a situation before and didn't know if this was really the proper procedure.
When she had checked online yesterday, people had said that she could just bring her ID to access the records.
Seeing her hesitation, Wu Qian beside her spoke up.
"Director Liu, could you please make an exception? You can see that the report has the hospital's seal on it."
Director Liu looked embarrassed. "Ladies, it's not that I'm being unreasonable. This is the hospital's rule."
"But don't worry, the review process won't take long. It will take at most one or two days."
Although Meng Ruozhao hadn't expected to have to come back again, she could accept it.
Who would have thought that Wu Qian would speak up again.
"Director Liu, she is the eldest daughter of the Du family. Could you please think of a way?"
Upon hearing the name "Du family", Director Liu's face changed slightly.
Of course, he knew the influence of the Du family in the local area, and he was a bit hesitant.
But Meng Ruozhao felt extremely uncomfortable.
Wu Qian seemed to be subtly using the Du family to put pressure on Director Liu.
But wasn't this just exposing her identity?
She had been back for half a year and had searched for her name online.
But she could hardly find any information.
Obviously, the Du family had strictly protected her information.
She didn't want to be exposed.
She didn't want to break the existing peace because of such a thing.
She glanced at Wu Qian unhappily.
Wu Qian seemed to realize that she had overstepped. A look of embarrassment flashed across her face.
Seeing that she had lowered her head and stopped talking, Meng Ruozhao finally spoke.
"Director Liu, don't listen to her nonsense. I'm just an ordinary person. I can't claim any relation to the Du family."
"I'll just follow the normal procedure. I'll fill out the form, and I'd appreciate it if you could help with the review as soon as possible."
After filling out the form and leaving the hospital, Meng Ruozhao looked at Wu Qian, who was still following her.
"Miss Wu, I'm going shopping now. Are you coming with me?"
Wu Qian hesitated.
Du Feng had asked her to follow Meng Ruozhao to the hospital today to see if she had really lost her memory and if there was anything she was hiding.
Judging from her behavior in the hospital, there was nothing strange about her.
"I won't follow you. Here's my contact information. Before the truth comes out, if you need anything, Miss Meng, please contact me."
Wu Qian also knew that she had been too hasty and had upset Meng Ruozhao.
This was their first meeting, and there was no need for her to ruin the relationship.
So when Meng Ruozhao gave her an opportunity to back down, she naturally took it.
Meng Ruozhao added her contact information. Just as she was about to hail a taxi on the street, she heard a surprised voice.
"Sister, what are you doing here?"
Then, the voice turned worried.
"Are you sick? No wonder you didn't go to the store."
Meng Ruozhao turned around and saw Pei Jiangmu in sportswear, carrying a bag of fruits and walking towards her against the light.
It seemed that he had just come out of the hospital too.
"No, I came here for something. What about you? Why are you here?"
Pei Jiangmu shook the bag of fruits in his hand and showed a gentle smile.
"My teacher is in the hospital. I was sent by his wife to bring him some food, but he gave me all these instead."
Saying that, he sized Meng Ruozhao up and down.
Seemingly satisfied that she wasn't sick, he finally relaxed.
Actually, when Meng Ruozhao and Wu Qian had entered the hospital, he and Qi Yu had been standing behind a pillar on the second floor.
Qi Yu had already sent him Meng Ruozhao's itinerary for today and had quickly arranged for a "teacher" who was in the hospital.
He had come to the hospital but had deliberately stayed out of sight.
It was not until he saw her walking out disappointedly that he slowly came downstairs from the second floor.
Qi Yu had followed Director Liu to his office.
He had followed Meng Ruozhao from behind.
At the entrance, after seeing her part ways with that woman,
he immediately quickened his pace and called out to her with just the right amount of surprise in his voice.
Her surprised expression was enough to show that she had no idea that she had fallen into a pre - arranged "encounter".
At this moment, he shook the bag in his hand and smiled at her, lowering his head slightly.
The sunlight shone on his whole body, making him look gentle and harmless.
Meng Ruozhao's ears felt inexplicably hot.
She avoided his gaze, nodded, and turned around to continue hailing a taxi, but he gently grabbed the cuff of her sleeve.
"Sister, where are you going next? I... I don't have anything to do. I can give you a ride."
His fingertips brushed against her wrist ever so slightly, the warmth more intense than the disinfectant in the ward.
But he let go quickly, so quickly that Meng Ruozhao didn't find it inappropriate.
This time, Meng Ruozhao didn't lie. "I want to visit my alma mater."
Pei Jiangmu's pupils suddenly contracted.
Alma mater?
Did she remember something?
Why was she going to the hospital and then the school?
But on the surface, he remained calm and continued to smile, looking innocent and harmless.
"Where did you go to high school, sister? Maybe we're alumni."
And the next second, Meng Ruozhao's answer almost made his smile falter.
Meng Ruozhao said, "I went to No. 1 High School in the city."
Pei Jiangmu of course knew that school.
It was the worst high school in the city. Not only were the academic results poor, but the students there were also from all walks of life.
Even without knowing Meng Ruozhao's past, just looking at her, it was hard to associate her with that school.
She was elegant, well - behaved, articulate, and intelligent...
No matter from which aspect, she didn't seem to be from such a school.
This Du Feng, even if he was Zhaozhao's biological father, really deserved to die.