89: Wow, playing this big!

"A friend got injured yesterday, so I went to the Leistede Research Institute."

Lu Fan's heart skipped a beat, but he feigned composure as he picked up the stack of documents and began flipping through them.

Sheng Aiyi leaned forward slightly and pressed further, "And then? How long did you stay at the Research Institute?"

Lu Fan didn't look up, keeping his tone as flat as possible. "I ran into Big Sister Hu Lan. She's leaving the Shanghai, so we chatted for a while."

"I didn't pay attention to the exact time, but it was late at night anyway."

"And after that?" Sheng Aiyi's question followed immediately, giving him no room to breathe. "Where did you go after leaving the Research Institute?"

Lu Fan closed the file and looked at her with a relaxed expression. "Then? Then I came back~~"

He deliberately elongated his tone, trying to sound natural.

A probing curve touched the corner of Sheng Aiyi's mouth as she asked seemingly casually, "Where's the car you drove out yesterday?"

"Such a flashy car, yet I haven't seen it today."

"Oh, that Martin? I'm not quite used to driving a new car yet, and it got a few scrapes, so I sent it for repairs..."

The relaxed look on Lu Fan's face faltered for a moment, and he unconsciously touched the tip of his nose.

That Martin DB5 was currently covered in scars; it was his biggest weakness.

If anyone saw it, they would know at a glance that he was the one who killed Zhang Fayao.

"Sent for repairs? Where? Where's the repair slip?" Sheng Aiyi interrupted him, her tone becoming even more aggressive.

Lu Fan hadn't expected Sheng Aiyi to notice even this. Facing her rapid-fire questioning, he finally couldn't take it anymore.

His tone carried the irritability of being offended. "I say, Eldest Miss Seventh Sheng, are you conducting a census?"

"Where did I go yesterday? Who did I see? What car did I drive? What exactly are you trying to achieve by asking all this?"

"Do I need to report every single one of my private matters to you?"

Lu Fan's voice grew heavier, attempting to use slightly dissatisfied rhetorical questions and the boundary of "private matters" to interrupt her questioning and shift the focus.

Faced with Lu Fan's counter-questions, Sheng Aiyi's determination to get to the bottom of things didn't diminish in the slightest.

Her eyes were full of suspicion as she straightened her back and continued to press, "I just want to know where you went last night."

Lu Fan stood up abruptly, the facade of warmth on his face instantly vanishing.

In its place was a sharp edge, like someone backed into a corner.

He didn't answer Sheng Aiyi's question, but instead took a step toward her.

His gaze became highly aggressive, and his voice was low, carrying a hint of deliberate playfulness. "Miss Sheng,"

He deliberately slowed his pace. "Who... do you think you are, meddling so much in my business?"

Sheng Aiyi was stunned by his sudden transformation and blunt counter-question.

Lu Fan continued to close in until he could almost feel her breath.

He leaned down slightly, his gaze locking onto her flustered eyes, while an ambiguous curve formed at the corner of his mouth.

"On a long night, when one is unable to sleep..."

"Seventh Miss Sheng, what do you think a normal adult man like me would be doing?"

He paused intentionally, his eyes glancing downward before his finger gently tilted up Sheng Aiyi's chin.

His tone carried a suggestive hint. "Why don't you come over tonight? I'll let you experience exactly what I was doing last night."

This was no longer just flirting; it was blatant provocation.

The air froze instantly. Sheng Aiyi hurriedly covered her chest, her cheeks turning as red as a monkey's bottom in a split second.

The interrogation she had been so certain of got stuck in her throat. Caught off guard by this sudden teasing, she fled in a panic.

Women~~ they're soft all over, except for their stubborn mouths.

With Sheng Aiyi gone, Lu Fan began to focus on his work. Chen Liting's cotton had to be delivered; there was no time to lose.

So he called him directly, instructing him to make sure a warehouse capable of storing 5,000 tons of cotton was cleared by 8 PM tonight.

Once finished, he took Zhao Chengqiang to the Reister Research Institute. He had to check on Ah Fu's condition.

Just as Lu Fan reached the door to Ah Fu's ward, he was stopped by the Director, Dr. Reister, who had been waiting for a long time.

This British gentleman was uncharacteristically excited, his eyes burning with fervor and his breathing somewhat hurried.

"Lu, I've finally caught you!"

Reister grabbed Lu Fan's arm as if afraid he would run away. "I've been thinking about this for a long time. I have a bold request!"

Lu Fan stopped. "Old Reister, just say it. Why are you being so hesitant?"

"Start a class! Lu, you must start a training class!" Reister's tone was excited and beyond doubt. "You must teach your surgical techniques,"

"especially the skills for handling complex trauma, rapid hemostasis, and precision suturing, to the doctors in our Research Institute."

"This concerns countless lives; you can't keep it to yourself!"

Facing such a heavy moral obligation, Lu Fan frowned slightly and immediately shook his head. "Old Reister, you know me. I don't have the time."

"Time can be found! You set the course schedule!" Reister refused to give up, speaking rapidly. "Once a week,"

"no, once every two weeks is fine! Even if you only cover the core points and demonstrate key techniques."

"You must understand, your techniques combined with penicillin will greatly increase the survival chances of soldiers coming off the battlefield."

Hearing the words "battlefield" and "soldiers," Lu Fan's eyes flickered slightly, and he fell silent.

Chinese soldiers suffered heavy casualties during the Battle of Shanghai, largely because their medical capabilities were far too weak.

He needed a systematic and reliable medical team, and perhaps this was the opportunity.

"Starting a class... isn't completely out of the question." Lu Fan finally spoke, but he set a condition. "I have a requirement."

"Name it! I'll do my best to meet any requirement!" Reister's eyes lit up.

"A friend of mine is preparing a hospital in Changsha and needs qualified clinical doctors."

"I can start this training class. But in exchange, your Leistede Research Institute must conduct targeted standardized residency training for clinical doctors for me."

"They can build a solid theoretical foundation here, and their later practical experience can be gained at the hospital in my Industrial Zone."

"The numbers and duration, we can discuss in detail."

Reister was stunned for a moment. He thought it would be something much bigger, but training some clinical doctors was simple.

"Deal!" He shook Lu Fan's hand vigorously, fearing he would back out. "Lu, don't worry! I'll oversee it personally!"

"I will definitely train the best candidates with the most solid theoretical foundations and the greatest potential for you."

"The training class is settled then. I'll go prepare the venue and the list of trainees immediately!"

Lu Fan nodded. "Alright. I'll have someone follow up with you on the specific details in a couple of days."

He pulled his hand away and pointed toward the ward door. "I'm going to see Ah Fu first."

"Good! Good! You go ahead!" Reister stepped aside, his face beaming with satisfaction.

Lu Fan changed his clothes and entered the sterile ward. The multifunctional glasses showed that Ah Fu's condition was rapidly improving.

The weight on his heart was finally lifted. Seeing that Ah Fu was still asleep, he sat quietly to the side to keep watch.

With nothing else to do, Lu Fan opened the document Sheng Aiyi had left behind.

One look was all it took to give him a shock.

After finishing it, he couldn't help but gasp, whispering softly, "Good heavens, they're playing for such high stakes!"