That afternoon, Liz wheeled Hesta back to the ward. Before leaving, she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right—did Tulan come by this afternoon?"
"No." Hesta shook her head. "Did you see her here?"
"Yes... I ran into her by the underground elevator when I came over this afternoon. She said she was here to visit you."
Hesta thought for a moment. "Maybe she got the wrong ward?"
Liz looked surprised. Surely not.
"But she definitely hasn't come to see me today," Hesta said. "Why don't you ask over at Ligo's?"
"I was just about to go," Liz said with a smile. "Ligo's been doing better lately. Maybe the two of you can be discharged together."
Under the gloomy sky, Chiba drove alone to Tanyi City Hall. The moment she looked up, she spotted someone waiting for her in the distance—the deputy secretary-general of the municipal secretariat.
"Mr. Arong!" Chiba rolled down her window and greeted him warmly. "You came to receive me in person? I'm honored."
The middle-aged man across from her seemed somewhat reserved. He had been nervously fiddling with the cufflink on his wrist.
After Chiba spoke to him, he cleared his throat and replied politely, "We didn't expect Miss Chiba to deliver the documents personally. Otherwise, we should have sent a car to pick you up."
"It was just a quick trip. No need to make such a fuss."
The car shut down with two chirping beeps. Chiba got out, clutching a bundle of documents, and quickly walked over to Mr. Arong.
Mr. Arong's gaze could not help following the document bag in Chiba's hands. He stepped aside and gestured for her to proceed. "This way, please."
The two passed through City Hall's tall, broad corridors. After walking past rows of gray-white stone pillars, they entered the