Turns Out I’m the Villain They’re Supposed to Redeem? [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 26

Perhaps because Li Xuzhi had given prior instructions, or perhaps because Huo Yuwan’s previous performance at school had genuinely impressed Wen Jinyuan, Huo Yuwan was personally mentored by her during the internship.

Learning under the guidance of a top-tier elite lawyer at a prestigious red-circle law firm, Huo Yuwan’s growth was remarkably rapid.

The summer vacation was almost over, but the complaint letter she had sent earlier had yet to receive any response. Huo Yuwan, concerned about the matter, decided to call the complaint hotline again one day.

The staff member who answered the phone was polite and professional, but the back-and-forth exchange revealed little useful information.

Reviewing the email she had sent earlier and consulting additional materials, Huo Yuwan finally realized the problem. Her previous way of thinking had been too narrow and simplistic. After gaining experience from real cases during her internship, she looked up the relevant legal provisions and decided to change her approach.

First, she called Huo Yushuang to confirm some details. After receiving an affirmative response, Huo Yuwan revised the complaint letter and sent it not only to the Education Department but also to several local news websites focused on public welfare.

After completing these steps, Huo Yuwan carefully broached the topic with Wen Jinyuan during lunch one day.

Initially, Huo Yuwan thought Professor Wen might consider her actions frivolous, as her recent online searches had revealed that many rural and town schools across the country faced similar issues. However, most of the discussions were limited to public complaints, and so far, no school administrator had been penalized for such practices.

Some parents recognized the fees as unreasonable, but their concerns raised in parent group chats often went unaddressed. The school would respond with vague, repetitive statements, and in the end, parents would drop the issue for the sake of their children.

But Huo Yuwan had no intention of remaining silent like the majority. Since she had taken notice, she was determined to see it through to a resolution.

After listening, Wen Jinyuan did not immediately offer an opinion. Instead, she asked Huo Yuwan to detail the steps she had taken so far. Huo Yuwan explained her two attempts at sending complaint letters. When Wen Jinyuan learned that Huo Yuwan had shifted her focus to the hygiene and safety of the school cafeteria in her second letter, she smiled approvingly.

Rather than solely emphasizing the irrationality of the fees, redirecting the focus to food safety, a matter directly impacting students’ health, was more appropriate and would better facilitate the application of legal measures in subsequent actions.

Finally, Wen Jinyuan offered guidance on future steps and provided some assistance, including contact information for journalists who collaborated with the law firm.

Encouraged by this support, Huo Yuwan felt motivated and decided to return home over the weekend to gather more detailed evidence.

After all, her goal extended beyond just the hygiene and safety of the cafeteria.

…

After organizing the logical flow of the case she had observed in court that day and reviewing the relevant legal provisions, Huo Yuwan glanced at the darkening sky outside the window. She stood up, stretched, shut down her computer, and prepared to leave.

This task had actually been assigned by Wen Jinyuan for completion over the weekend, but since Huo Yuwan had planned to work overtime, she used her after-hours time to finish it ahead of schedule.

When Huo Yuwan left the office building, it was already 8:30 p.m. She placed her bag in the back seat of the car, started the engine, and drove toward a nearby hospital.

The law firm’s official working hours ended at 5 p.m. That morning, Li Xuzhi had mentioned she would be performing an important surgery in the afternoon, which would take a long time. She had told Huo Yuwan not to wait for her after work and to drive back to the apartment alone, as she wasn’t sure when the surgery would end and planned to take a taxi back by herself.

But Huo Yuwan didn’t want to go back alone out of boredom, and she also worried about Li Xuzhi’s safety taking a taxi by herself at night. Unwilling to leave her, Huo Yuwan decided to work overtime at the law firm. Now that she had finished her tasks, she headed to the hospital to wait for Li Xuzhi to finish work.

Over the past two months, Huo Yuwan had frequently visited the hospital to see Li Xuzhi, so the nurse at the station recognized her and informed her that Dr. Li was still in the operating room, suggesting she wait in the office.

Nodding in thanks, Huo Yuwan made her way to Li Xuzhi’s office, familiar with the route.

As she turned a corner, the elevator doors opened, and a middle-aged man in a white coat stepped out, locking eyes with her.

Huo Yuwan paused for a moment, inwardly annoyed at how she always seemed to run into Li Xuzhi’s father whenever she came to the hospital.

Despite her thoughts, she politely greeted him, planning to slip away quickly since he likely didn’t recognize her. After a respectful nod and addressing him as “Dean Li,” she hurriedly pushed open the door to Li Xuzhi’s office.

She couldn’t quite explain the sudden, inexplicable sense of guilt that washed over her.

Outside, Dean Li took a few more steps before slowly realizing that the young woman who had greeted him looked familiar, he had seen her around the hospital quite often lately.

Maybe she has a relative hospitalized, he thought, not paying it much mind.

But when he belatedly turned to look at the office door from which the sound of opening and closing had come, his brow furrowed slightly.

That was his daughter Li Xuzhi’s office.

Stopping by the nurse’s station to check the day’s surgical records, Dean Li noticed that Li Xuzhi was still in the operating room.

“Seven hours already?” he murmured, frowning at the recorded start time of the surgery, 1 p.m., nearly eight hours ago.

The nurse on duty knew he was referring to the surgery led by Li Xuzhi and confirmed it.

It was no secret in the hospital that the new Dr. Li was the dean’s daughter. Both father and daughter were experts in cardiac surgery. The younger Dr. Li had interned at the hospital years ago and had even performed complex heart surgeries back then. Many were surprised when she didn’t return to the hospital after graduation.

Looking at the patient’s record, Ebstein’s anomaly with an atrial septal defect, it was a highly difficult and intricate “heart repair” surgery.

Li Xuzhi had always been physically weak, with limited stamina. Years ago, standing for five hours in the operating room had been her limit. Just as Dean Li began to worry whether something might have gone wrong during the surgery, Li Xuzhi emerged from the operating room.

Removing her surgical cap and mask, she leaned against the wall, bowing her head slightly to catch her breath.

The surgery had been a success. She hadn’t failed the patient or their family. At that thought, Li Xuzhi pressed her lips together, then slowly steadied herself against the wall as she made her way out.

Her back was already soaked with cold sweat from the surgery. As she washed her hands, Li Xuzhi’s expression remained calm.

Since she had chosen to work at the hospital, she would not allow herself the slightest slack.

It wasn’t because of her father’s pressure, but because she felt responsible for her patients.

When she arrived at the nurse’s station, she ran into her father, who was on his way to the observation room. She gave a slight nod, holding a pen as she controlled her slightly trembling fingers to sign the document.

Noticing her arm trembling uncontrollably from exhaustion, her father merely glanced at it before looking away.

At least Li Xuzhi hadn’t disappointed him. That was his only thought upon learning the surgery had been successful.

“By the way, Dr. Li, Miss Huo is waiting for you in your office.”

Taking the record book, the nurse smiled and reminded her.

Li Xuzhi froze for a moment, then a faint, involuntary smile touched her lips. She lowered her gaze, her voice gentle. “Alright, I understand. Thank you.”

Watching her retreating figure, her father recalled the familiar young woman he had just seen.

“Who is Miss Huo?” he asked the nurse on duty.

…

When the office door opened, Huo Yuwan was sitting in a chair reading a book. Hearing the noise, she quickly stood up.

“Dr. Li.”

Noticing Li Xuzhi’s slightly pale lips, she pressed her own lips together and helped her sit down to rest.

“You must be exhausted, right? Let me give you a massage first. Once you feel a bit better, we can go home.”

Handing her a freshly poured cup of water, Huo Yuwan didn’t hesitate to kneel down, her warm palms pressing against Li Xuzhi’s calves through the thin fabric.

This wasn’t the first time she had waited for her to finish work. Li Xuzhi often performed surgeries, but they usually didn’t last this long. All Huo Yuwan could do was take on the responsibilities of driving and cooking dinner after work, hoping to let her rest a little more.

But today’s surgery had been longer than any before. Huo Yuwan trusted that Dr. Li would complete it successfully, yet she couldn’t help but worry about her well-being.

While waiting, she had looked up some massage tutorials online to relieve fatigue. Though her self-taught skills weren’t exactly professional, if they could help Dr. Li feel even a little more relaxed, it was worth it.

Taking a small sip of the perfectly warm tea, Li Xuzhi noticed her actions and flushed, shaking her head to urge her to stand up. “There’s no need, Yuwan…”

Recalling the online tutorials, Huo Yuwan kneaded her calf with controlled pressure, all while looking up to ask for feedback with concern.

“Does this feel good?”

The mix of soreness, pain, and slight comfort made Li Xuzhi’s ears burn bright red. She bit her lip and stayed silent.

Understanding, Huo Yuwan chuckled softly and continued massaging with both hands, applying just the right amount of pressure to help her relax.

“After your bath tonight, soaking your feet should help a lot,” she murmured as she worked.

Her fingers, hanging at her sides, were turning pale from the strain. Li Xuzhi’s ears were burning hot, yet she couldn’t resist lowering her gaze to look at Huo Yuwan’s focused expression.

The young woman’s hair fell over her shoulders, her light blue round-collar shirt with sleeves slightly rolled up, paired with black casual trousers, a simple yet polished outfit.

Li Xuzhi had helped her pick it out a few days ago while shopping together. Since Huo Yuwan often accompanied Wen Jinyuan to court, she could no longer wear the overly student-like clothes from before.

But in her heart, Huo Yuwan would look good in anything.

Gazing at her lightly furrowed brows from concentration, Li Xuzhi slowly raised his hand, his fingertips unconsciously landing between Huo Yuwan’s eyebrows.

Looking up somewhat bewildered, Huo Yuwan noticed Li Xuzhi retracting his fingers but didn’t pay it much mind. Instead, she smiled and said, “I ordered takeout from a restaurant near home for dinner. It should arrive right when we get back. After eating, Dr. Li, you should rest well.”

“Tomorrow is Saturday, and you’re not on duty this week. You can sleep in tomorrow morning. Lately, Dr. Li, you’ve had dark circles under your eyes,” she murmured casually, lowering her head.

Li Xuzhi’s complexion was truly pale, and Huo Yuwan didn’t want to push herself to cook a merely passable meal. Instead, she specifically ordered a nourishing soup to help replenish his health.

“Dark circles?”

A bit nervously covering his cheeks, Li Xuzhi touched the skin under his eyes, his face flushing with warmth again.

“Just a very faint layer. They’ll fade with proper rest.”

With clear, bright eyes, Huo Yuwan looked at the flustered Dr. Li, who was covering his face, and smiled reassuringly.

“Even with dark circles, Dr. Li is still beautiful.”

Meeting Li Xuzhi’s gentle, glistening gaze, Huo Yuwan averted her eyes somewhat awkwardly, lowering her head and softly adding.

Only in her heart did she silently think, How can Dr. Li be so adorable?