Shen Hua still had an IV drip on his hand, so he asked Zhao Dong to help him get the phone over. He first called Tao Ji Xing and briefly told him about his physical recovery before they exchanged New Year's greetings and hung up. Thinking that Xiong Wen Bin should be at home preparing for the New Year, Shen Hua directly dialed Xiong Wen Bin's home phone number.

  "Hello, who's there..."

  It was Xiong Danni who answered the phone, with a voice that had the laziness and softness unique to young mothers, making people feel comfortable in their hearts.

  "It's me, Shen Huai."

  "Ah, Shen Huai, how are you?!" Xiong Danni's tone suddenly rose a bit, with some undisguised surprise, saying, "We heard this afternoon that you were sick and we were all worried to death."

  To be honest, Shen Hua was a bit dissatisfied with Ming for not coming to visit him or even calling to ask about his condition after learning that he was ill, but after hearing the concern in Xiong Danni's words, his dissatisfaction dissipated.

  "It's nothing major, just the heavy snow these past few days has made disaster relief and prevention a bit exhausting. After sleeping for a while at the hospital, I suddenly felt invigorated." Shen Hua said with a smile.

  Then Shen Huai heard Xiong Danni shouting to her dad on the phone: "Dad, Shen Huai called from the hospital..." Although Xiong Danni covered the receiver with her hand, Shen Huai still faintly heard Xiong Danni's conversation with her mom.

  "How's Shen Huai doing? Nothing wrong, is there?"

  "He seems quite spirited when speaking, so he should be fine. Why not let Zhou Ming borrow a car to pick up Shen Hui and bring him over for New Year's Eve dinner, then send him back to the hospital?"

  "There's no need to go through so much trouble, just wait until after the new year and you can still visit him in the hospital."

  Shen Huai knew that Bai Su Mei didn't seem particularly eager to talk to him, so he wasn't surprised by her words. He then heard Bai Su Mei say on the other end of the phone: "Dai Ling, look at your dad, he's playing chess with Zhou Ming and might not have heard..."

  Shen Huai only then realized that Xiong Dailing had also been standing beside her sister all along.

  Shen Huai thought that perhaps Xiong Dailing knew about his past misdeeds at the Provincial Economics Academy, and knew what kind of person "he" was.

  Although Shen Huai kept telling himself that having Chen Dan was enough, when Xiong Dailing showed him affection before, he deliberately avoided her. But feeling Xiong Dailing's coldness towards him, he couldn't help but feel a little lost.

  Shen Huai's heart was filled with a mix of emotions: Was it really in men's nature to be greedy and never satisfied?

  Xiong Wenbin answered the phone and said, "Oh, your illness has scared us to death. Secretary Tan has also called several times to ask about your condition..."

  "Let Director Xiong and Secretary Tan worry. Actually, there's nothing much, these days of snow disaster relief have been a bit exhausting, I don't have experience, couldn't adjust the rhythm of work well. Come to think of it, you and Secretary Tan must be exhausted too?"

  "It's okay, we've finally gotten through this difficult period. With the Spring Festival travel rush and heavy snow cutting off all transportation, it wasn't until today that things started to ease up a bit. Secretary Tan is also feeling a bit unwell," said Xiong Wenbin over the phone. "Is everything really alright? If there's anything uncomfortable, please don't try to tough it out..."

  "It's really nothing, just called over to wish Director Xiong a happy new year..."

  Shen Huai knew that Zhou Ming was at Xiong Wenbin's house, but he didn't have the intention to greet Zhou Ming, so he hung up the phone and directly dialed Tan Qiping's home phone.

  Tan Qiping's voice was also hoarse, it seems that Xiong Wenbin said Tan Qiping's body is not feeling well, not just an excuse. Speaking of which, Shen Hua's hearing has been exceptionally good since his illness, and then he faintly heard Tan Jingjing shouting Su Kaiwen's name in another room over the phone.

  Shen Huai knew that Su Kaiwen had not left Donghua and was still staying at Tan Qiping's home for the Spring Festival.

  Tan Qiping said some affirmations about the disaster relief work in Meixi Town over the phone, and also reminded Shen Hua to take care of his body, but Shen Hua still couldn't hide his disappointment...

  It's one thing to anticipate it, but another to directly feel Tan Qiping's change in attitude towards himself.

  Shen Hua knew that from now on, Tan Qiping might regard him as a capable and helpful subordinate in consolidating his power and creating political achievements, but the early closeness and concern for him like an elder to a younger generation had faded away.

  Tan Qiping has been drifting in the officialdom for half his life, Shen Huai thought that he should not have any unrealistic fantasies about him, but the lost emotions still could not be suppressed and came up, he was a bit unable to argue, whether this was his emotion or the emotion of the previous Shen Huai.

  Shen Hua hung up the phone after wishing Tan Qiping a happy new year, and smiled at Zhao Dong who had been sitting silently beside him all along. He couldn't help but smile again, but he still couldn't shake off the heaviness in his heart.

  At this time, the mobile phone on the bedside table rang, and Zhao Dong handed it over to Shen Hui.

  Shen Huai saw that it was Sun Ya Lin's phone call. As soon as he picked up, he heard her loudly complaining on the other end of the line: "Where did you run off to?"

  "Where are you again?" Shen Huan heard the sound of wind on the other end of the phone and knew that his cousin Sun Yalin was outdoors.

  "Outside your dormitory," Sun Yalin said, "the New Year is really quiet!"

  "Alright, come to the hospital with me for New Year's Eve; I'm getting an IV here." Shen Hua didn't expect Sun Ya Lin to rush back from Nan Yuan Hotel to find him in Mei Xi Town, and after asking about Zhao Dong's room number, he told Sun Ya Lin to hurry over.

  Just after hanging up the phone with Sun Ya Lin, Shen Hui was thinking about whether to call Zhou Yu to express his gratitude, when he heard Yang Hai Peng's voice coming from the corridor outside the door: "Be careful not to break anything..."

  Zhao Dong didn't call to tell Yang Haipeng, Shen Huai thought that Yang Haipeng might have learned about his illness from Xiong Wenbin, sat up and looked at the door, not knowing what Yang Haipeng meant by saying don't make a mess of things.

  Yang Haipeng pushed open the door and came in, holding a large stack of things in his hand. Seeing Zhao Dong on the hospital bed, he complained: "Zhao Dong, you really are something! This matter couldn't be told to me? I had to call Lao Xiong to wish him a happy new year before I knew that Shen Huai was ill."

  "It's not a big deal, it's just the New Year, I wanted to have some peace in the hospital," Shen Hui said, looking at Yang Haipeng's hands holding a large stack of things, and asked, "What are you bringing all this stuff for?" Before he finished speaking, he saw Yang Haipeng's wife walking in with their four-year-old son, who was still holding a small stainless steel pot...

  "Old Bear said that the ward conditions are quite good. I think we can hide here to eat New Year's Eve dinner, and we shouldn't be driven out, right?" Yang Haipeng asked.

  Shen Huai's heart was also moved, a rare emotion he had felt in this period of time.

  "Hai Peng is really thoughtful, I was worried about how to get Shen Huan to my house for the New Year's Eve dinner...” Zhao Dong helped bring out the bowls, plates, wine and dishes, as well as a small electric stove.

  Sun Yalin drove over quickly and saw that Shen Hui was still in good spirits, saying: "What's wrong with you staying in the hospital? Do you know how much you'll lose by staying here? When I called from your dormitory just now, I saw seven or eight people carrying things wandering around the alley..."

  Shen Huai didn't expect that his cousin, Sun Ya Lin, who had been working in the country for less than half a year, would be so perceptive about the local customs and even use this to mock him. Shen Huai naturally wouldn't try to win Sun Ya Lin's sympathy by telling her about his fainting spell. Just then, his phone rang, and seeing that it was an unfamiliar number, he didn't have the energy to bicker with Sun Ya Lin, so he answered the call first.

  "Shen Huai, it's me."

  Upon hearing Chen Dan's voice, Shen Hui felt a warm current injected into his heart and asked: "Where are you calling me from?"

  "I'm calling from the public phone in Hetang Town. I came to town with Xiao Li and Chen Tong to buy some things, so I took the opportunity to call you," said Chen Dan in a gentle voice on the phone. "Have you been taking care of yourself? You looked quite pale the day before yesterday, you need to take care of yourself. Is your throat feeling any better?"

  "You can tell I'm much better now just by listening to me talk," Shen Huan said, "I'm with Haipeng, Zhao Dong and my cousins."

  "Is it Chen Dan?" Sun Yalin asked.

  When Sun Yalin reached out to answer the phone, Shen Hui hurriedly handed it over, fearing that if Sun Yalin accidentally revealed her hospitalization, Chen Dan would not be able to rest at home for the New Year.

  Shen Hua was with Zhao Dong, Yang Haipeng and Sun Yalin, and then heard Sun Yalin's voice. Chen Dan, who didn't want to make the relationship public, handed the phone over to Xiao Li and Chen Tong, letting them wish Shen Hua a happy new year.

  "Tsk, tsk," Sun Ya Lin never forgot to stab Shen Hua with her sharp tongue, "I've never seen you be so gentle with any woman before. Has your conscience grown back?"

  "Come over and have some hot pot, or you'll be left alone in the hotel room feeling cold and desolate. You're not grateful enough to even shed two tears, but instead you mock me with a cold smile. Who's the one without a conscience between us?" Shen Huan heard Chen Dan's voice and his previously listless mood disappeared instantly. He had the energy to bicker with Sun Ya Lin again, and then said to Zhao Dong, "Call in the nurse to help me switch the needle to my other hand, I can't even grab food with my left hand..."

  There is a deputy secretary of the municipal party committee and a deputy district head of Tangzhai District who are taking care of things, as long as they don't tear down the ward, Shen Huai can do whatever he wants inside without any consequences.

  The hospital conditions were very simple, but Yang Haipeng brought a small electric stove with several clean dishes and meat, plugged in electricity can be used as a hot pot to eat; Shen Huai originally thought he would spend the New Year's Eve night in the cold and quiet hospital, but did not expect to be able to gather around the hot pot.

  They had the reunion dinner around the electric stove hot pot, and Shen Hui also gave Yang Haipeng's son some lucky money. Then, Shen Hui asked Yang Haipeng and Zhao Dong to head back first. Especially Zhao Dong, who was busy until the end of the year and hadn't even had a chance to visit his fiancée's father, Xiao Jian, to give him New Year's gifts.

  Sun Yalin was also afraid of the cold, and when she returned to her hotel room, she continued to accompany Shen Hua in his hospital room, watching with great interest as he lay in bed answering various New Year's greetings and phone calls. During a lull, she sighed: "I didn't think that as a ninth-grade official, you would have so many people fawning over you."

  "In the country, there is a saying 'it's better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix', which is also due to the lack of supervision over power in the country. As long as you work hard to become the top leader, whether it's the director of a bureau or the secretary of a municipal party committee, or even the town party committee secretary that you look down on, there isn't much difference in essence. They all have someone above them controlling them, but within their own territory, they can be quite arrogant and tyrannical, bullying the good people, oppressing men and women... how about it, are you envious?" Shen Huai said with a smug expression.

  "Acting so arrogant and self-righteous, forget it!" Sun Ya Lin pulled over a chair, sat down at the edge of the bed with her legs crossed, stretching out her waist lazily, completely disregarding Shen Huai's boastful display.

  Shen Huai couldn't help but feel that Sun Ya Lin's figure was sexy, even if he knew she liked women. He thought it was a pity. Before he could take another look, the hospital room door was knocked on from outside.

  The nurse usually just knocked twice and then pushed the door open, Shen Huan wondered who would come to the hospital at this time, shouted: "Please come in." But saw that Zhu Li was carrying a basket of things and pushing the door to enter, followed by Zhu Yi, whose face was as cold as frost...