Chen Xiao knew well that with his own strength, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack to find Gou Shunquan and He Sha in the vast Central Hospital, even though they had been fired, their connections were still deeply entrenched. Looking at the cigarette butts left where Gou Shunquan and the other two had been, he frowned slightly and said without hesitation:
"Director Luo, can you personally arrange for the security department's real-time surveillance to help me find Gou Shunquan and He Sha? If I'm not mistaken, they are probably in cahoots with those thugs who stormed the hospital to deal with me."
"Gou Shunquan and He Sha, who were fired a few days ago?"
Luo Qingping realized the seriousness of the matter after it happened. Now, upon learning that Gou Shunquan and He Sha might also be involved, he dared not delay any further and said without hesitation:
"Dr. Chen, please rest assured. I'll check now and guarantee you a satisfactory explanation!"
He then hung up the phone hastily.
Chen Xiao was still uneasy. After thinking about it, he decided to bypass Yan Su and Jun Dao and call Long Aotian directly.
As soon as the call was connected, Long Aotian on the other end of the line excitedly said:
"Chen Xiao, I was just about to call you with good news! After layers of testing and trials by the dual medical systems of the Northern Border Army and the Southern Navy, the Sumeru Mustard Paste has indeed lived up to its reputation as the 'Kidney Stone Buster' and 'Pain Relief Miracle Drug.' It has been swiftly approved as a top-tier military medical drug. From now on, your company can proceed with large-scale production with peace of mind, and I will immediately arrange for the special approval of all related procedures for its market launch..."
Chen Xiao was only concerned about Chen Qing's safety at this moment. Without waiting for Long Aotian to finish speaking, he directly asked:
"Dragon King, is my mother truly under comprehensive secret protection by the military? Will she be in danger if any criminals try to harm her?"
Long Aotian on the phone replied without hesitation:
"The Northern Border Army is absolutely responsible for the personal safety of you and your family."
Chen Xiao's face darkened slightly:
"Is that true? I've encountered two trouble-makers consecutively since yesterday. The first one was your precious grandson, whom I can't be bothered to mention. The second one happened just over ten minutes ago. Why didn't the protection you promised appear?"
Long Aotian on the other end of the line also looked a bit embarrassed, his tone quite innocent:
"But the key issue is that both groups of troublemakers were defeated by you without exception. Since your personal safety was not threatened, there was no need for the protection to appear."
"This..."
Chen Xiao was momentarily speechless and didn't know how to retort. After thinking about it, he hung up the phone with a wry smile. He then sent a message asking Leng Shan to secretly protect Chen Qing from the shadows, finally feeling a little at ease. He returned to examination room number eight to see the patient whom Xu Jingyin was trying her best to pacify.
Although the patient was very displeased with Chen Xiao, the attending physician, for suddenly leaving, he couldn't resist the comfort of the beautiful and graceful Xu Jingyin, nor the miraculous healing of Chen Xiao. When he left, he was not only beaming with joy and expressing his gratitude, but he even said that he would definitely introduce his friends and family if they fell ill.
"Phew—"
Xu Jingyin, who was clearly socially anxious, finally sent the patient out with a trembling heart and breathed a sigh of relief. She then nervously asked Chen Xiao:
"Dr. Chen, Auntie should be alright, right?"
As she spoke, her eyes welled up slightly, her expression filled with concern for Chen Xiao's mother.
"No."
Chen Xiao's heart warmed, and he answered with full confidence and crispness. He said this not just to comfort Xu Jingyin, but also to comfort himself.
"Then..."
Xu Jingyin hesitated to speak, her face gradually showing self-reproach. She carefully explained:
"Was that strange patient named Ye angry and left because I was too slow in dispensing the medicine? I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to. It's mainly because the Chinese medicine pharmacy was undergoing a temporary inspection, and there was a shortage of staff, which caused quite a delay. When I returned, the elevator unfortunately malfunctioned and was urgently shut down..."
Before Xu Jingyin could finish speaking, her phone suddenly vibrated with a "buzz buzz buzz."
She had always been strict with herself, believing that answering personal calls during work hours was inappropriate, especially in front of Chen Xiao. She was immediately startled and frantically took out her phone, intending to hang up.
However, when she saw the caller ID, she didn't know whether to hang up or answer, and suddenly became flustered.
Beside her, even Chen Xiao looked anxious and couldn't help but say with a wry smile:
"What are you thinking? Answer it!"
"Th-thank you."
Xu Jingyin's gratitude towards Chen Xiao was overflowing. For a moment, she even forgot to get up and move aside. She quickly answered the phone in front of Chen Xiao and said cautiously:
"Dong... Sister Dong, has my grandmother fallen ill again?"
Before Xu Jingyin could finish speaking, a young woman's anxious crying came from the other end of the line:
"Jingyin, your... your grandmother's condition has suddenly worsened, and she's unconscious. She urgently needs a blood transfusion at the city hospital. Although I contacted an ambulance immediately, I'm helpless. I don't even have a thousand yuan in my pocket, let alone arrange for her to be admitted to the hospital for emergency treatment. Hurry and think of a solution, woo woo woo..."
The woman who called was Miao Dongdong, a neighbor from Xu Jingyin's hometown and also a village doctor at the village clinic. Her medical skills aside, her angelic beauty and devilish figure, which were no less than Xu Jingyin's, were famous throughout the surrounding villages. Moreover, she was kind-hearted and helpful, and often helped take care of the elderly, empty-nest Mrs. Xu.
"Wh-what?"
Xu Jingyin felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Her head spun, and her body went weak as she collapsed despairingly into Chen Xiao's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
She had just paid her rent not long ago and couldn't even come up with five hundred yuan now, and she still had to cover her brother Xu Jingwen's living expenses for the rest of the month. She was even worse off than Miao Dongdong and had no hope, so how could she not break down?
Hearing Xu Jingyin's cries, Miao Dongdong on the other end of the line gradually calmed down. She said with a trembling voice:
"Jingyin, people will eventually grow old and die. Your grandmother has always been frail and sickly. The fact that she has lived to be nearly a hundred years old shows how filial you are as a granddaughter. Even if she passes away, she should do so with a smile. Moreover, even if her illness is treated with a blood transfusion, it will only extend her life by three to five months. There's really no need to continue spending money..."
Before Miao Dongdong could finish speaking, Xu Jingyin suddenly forced herself to stop crying and said resolutely:
"Sister Dong, you don't need to persuade me anymore. As long as there's a glimmer of hope, I will treat my grandmother! Please send her to the hospital immediately. I'll take care of the money problem. I definitely won't make things difficult for you."
With lives at stake, the immediate priority was to raise money. Xu Jingyin naturally didn't have time to thank Miao Dongdong. As she spoke, she hastily hung up the phone, and then with a "plop," she knelt in front of Chen Xiao, tears streaming down her face, and said:
"Dr. Chen, I... I'm truly at my wit's end. Can you lend me some money to treat my critically ill grandmother?"
Fearing that Chen Xiao would refuse, she immediately added after speaking:
"I won't borrow it for nothing, and I won't not repay it. As long as you can help me, I'll do anything you want, even... even touch the Gu Queen tattoo on my back."
For Xu Jingyin, voluntarily letting Chen Xiao touch the Gu Queen tattoo on her back was equivalent to selling herself to pay for medical treatment.
Before this, her grandmother and brother had fallen ill more than once, but she had never had such an extreme thought when she was desperate.
But facing Chen Xiao, she found that she couldn't control herself at all.
Perhaps... perhaps selling herself to Dr. Chen wouldn't be so bad? He was a bit fierce, but... but he was good-looking!
Chen Xiao, after hearing about the difficulties Xu Jingyin encountered on the phone, was contemplating how to help appropriately. Unexpectedly, he saw Xu Jingyin kneel down and offer herself. He was suddenly full of questions and, after a moment of stunned silence, helped her up with a wry smile:
"Nurse Xu, do you think I'm the kind of person who takes advantage of others' misfortune?"
Saying this, he handed the two-million-yuan check from his pocket to Xu Jingyin without even thinking.
Although two million yuan was a fortune that most people might not be able to touch in their lifetime, Chen Xiao was clear-headed. If it weren't for Xu Jingyin before, the lustful Ye Tiezhu might not have given it to him. Now that he was passing it on to Xu Jingyin to solve her urgent problem, he felt no heartache at all.
Moreover, when Xu Jingyin learned that Gou Shunquan and He Sha were going to kidnap Chen Xiao's mother, she immediately informed Chen Xiao and cried uncontrollably out of anxiety, showing extreme concern.
Putting himself in her shoes, how could Chen Xiao stand by and do nothing when Xu Jingyin encountered difficulties?
"Isn't this the check that strange patient gave you before, but you thought it was too little?"
Xu Jingyin was stunned and muttered in a low voice:
"I... I just wanted to borrow ten or twenty thousand yuan! With so much money, I'd have to let you touch me for a lifetime?"
"..."
Chen Xiao was speechless. After thinking for a moment, he pretended not to hear Xu Jingyin's muttering and said:
"By the way, what exactly is your grandmother's illness? If you trust me, you can let me take a look when her condition is slightly stable. Perhaps I can treat it!"
Xu Jingyin's expression dimmed, and she shook her head bitterly:
"My grandmother was diagnosed with leukemia when I was very young. It's incurable. The fact that she's alive today is entirely due to regular blood transfusions. Moreover, she adamantly refuses to leave Qing Shan Province, saying that if I force her to leave the province for treatment, she will die in a foreign land."
Chen Xiao was slightly surprised and said incredulously:
"I can understand an elderly person nearing a hundred years old not wanting to travel far for medical treatment, but relying solely on blood transfusions, to have leukemia for over ten or twenty years and still be alive? Has your grandmother cultivated into a spirit?"
In an instant, Chen Xiao became intensely interested in Xu Jingyin's grandmother.
But at this moment, he suddenly received a call from Bai Su, and she was even using the院长办公室's landline.
On the phone, Bai Su deliberately used a cold, business-like tone and said:
"Dr. Chen, please come to my office immediately."
As soon as she finished speaking, the call was directly hung up.
However, immediately after, Chen Xiao received a series of text messages from Bai Su:
"Oh my! My dear! Are you injured???"
"What is the security department doing? Why was I the last to know about your accident?"
"Will those thugs come back? Hurry and come over so I can see you. If you lose even a single hair, even if your mother doesn't fight me, I'll be heartbroken!"
"By the way, several vice presidents and department heads like Lin Chenggang are also here, spouting nonsense, saying they want to hold you accountable for gathering a crowd to fight and seriously damaging the hospital's image."
"But rest assured, with me covering you, no one can do anything to you!"