He Chaochao, on the verge of tears, pleaded,
"Dr. Chen, I'm new here and my eyes are full of mud. I truly had no intention of offending you. For the sake of our colleague relationship, please be magnanimous and forgive me? Oh, and Mr. Song, the richest man, is prepared to give me a million yuan. If you help me out of this predicament, I'll split it with you afterward..."
Chen Xiao interrupted him with utter disdain,
"Did your head get caught in a door? You think fifty thousand yuan is enough to make me forgive you and help you?"
"I..."
He Chaochao was clearly taken aback that Chen Xiao didn't even care about fifty thousand yuan. He was momentarily speechless, then, with a pained expression, said,
"Then... eighty thousand? Ninety... ninety thousand is also fine."
He certainly didn't believe Chen Xiao had the ability to save Song Kaichao. His current desperate plea to Chen Xiao, disregarding his image, was merely to divert the anger of Song Wanliang and Song Xiangyu towards Chen Xiao.
However, he mused, what if Chen Xiao, like a blind cat catching a dead mouse, accidentally saved Song Kaichao? Wouldn't it be great to get a share of the money?
Chen Xiao couldn't be bothered to decipher He Chaochao's sordid intentions. He stated directly,
"Dr. He, you probably don't know this, but my condition for treating Song Kaichao wasn't money at all. It was for him to kneel and beg in the waiting hall outside. Unfortunately, he refused. Since you've recklessly gotten involved, you can go and kneel for him outside!"
He paused, then added with a smile that wasn't quite a smile,
"Money is irrelevant. I just want to have some fun..."
To Chen Xiao's utter astonishment, before he could even finish speaking, He Chaochao, who had been kneeling and kowtowing at his feet moments before, scrambled out of the room and, with a thud, knelt in the bustling waiting hall.
He Chaochao had already been terrified by Song Kaichao's status and the formidable, cool-looking handgun in Song Wanliang's hand. He completely ignored the dozens of curious glances cast his way. As he knelt, he repeatedly kowtowed towards examination room number eight, his voice cracking as he wailed,
"Dr. Chen, I know I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong. Please forgive me..."
At the same time, a panicked Song Wanliang rushed into examination room number eight, his voice choked with tears as he pleaded,
"Dr. Chen, my father was in the wrong first. I shouldn't make things difficult for you, but he's really not doing well. And... and he was actually about to kneel and apologize in the waiting hall as you requested, but... but he fainted as soon as he knelt down. He's in examination room number two right now..."
Before he could finish, he made a gesture as if to kneel before Chen Xiao.
A man of honor has his pride, and as a member of the Northern Frontier Army, he possessed unyielding resolve. He hadn't knelt even when he was shot.
But Song Kaichao, his adoptive father, had raised him and his sister Song Xiangyu with immense kindness. He had no choice but to kneel.
"Brother Long Ya, please don't."
Seeing Song Wanliang's genuine emotion, Chen Xiao couldn't bear it. He quickly supported Song Wanliang, who had already knelt on one knee,
"On your account, I can help, but I can only guarantee he doesn't die. Is that acceptable?"
"Really... really? Thank you! Thank you, Dr. Chen!"
Song Wanliang was both shocked and overjoyed. His emotions completely broke free. Huge tears instantly streamed from his reddened eyes. As he spoke, he broke free from Chen Xiao's grasp and knelt down properly, kowtowing repeatedly. Then, he eagerly got up and led Chen Xiao out.
He Chaochao, still being gawked at by dozens of people, saw Chen Xiao heading towards examination room number two and finally felt a slight easing of the knot in his stomach. He then covered his face with his hands and bolted towards the restroom, his expression darkening, muttering inwardly,
"Chen Xiao, even I am helpless with Mr. Song's condition. You taking over now is no different than being my scapegoat! Afterward, if the Song family can't kill you, I won't let you live easily either!"
As He Chaochao fled, the waiting hall, already abuzz with whispers and hushed conversations, erupted into a cacophony of voices, with all sorts of opinions, both favorable and unfavorable, echoing endlessly.
"What's going on with that unfamiliar doctor named He Chaochao on the work badge? Why is he kneeling and kowtowing in public? He's utterly disgraced his ancestors. How will he dare show his face in public again?"
"The Dr. Chen mentioned by Dr. He seems to be Chen Xiao from examination room number eight. It looks like he offended Chen Xiao. After all, it's well known that Chen Xiao was just an intern at the Central Hospital not long ago. His appointment as a consulting physician is entirely due to connections and favoritism. He has a very strong backing, and he's also violent and lecherous, truly the biggest cancer of the Central Hospital."
"Nonsense! Dr. Chen is not only young and handsome, but also kind, and more importantly, his medical skills are heaven-defying. He cured my dysmenorrhea just the other day, otherwise, I wouldn't have brought my girlfriend here to register today. Anyone who dares to spread rumors about Dr. Chen again, watch out, I'll rip your mouth apart!"
"Exactly! Dr. Chen has already entered examination room number two. It must be that the patient encountered by the fellow named He Chaochao is difficult, and he had also offended Dr. Chen, which is why he's kneeling and apologizing in public! In short, no matter how you slander Dr. Chen, it won't stop this young lady from being his admirer!"
"From what I know, He Chaochao has been a licensed physician practicing at the First Affiliated Hospital of Provincial Medical University for several years. If even he is helpless with this emergency patient, how can Chen Xiao, who's only in his early twenties, treat him? Ladies, even if you want to fawn over Chen Xiao's looks, don't be blind!"
Amidst the rising tide of discussions, dozens of eyes gradually converged on the closed door of examination room number two.
Many men present were jealous that so many women were speaking up for Chen Xiao, and they were all young and beautiful. Some even scrambled to the door to eavesdrop on what was happening inside, eager to witness Chen Xiao's incompetence and embarrassment. The crowd grew, and in the blink of an eye, the doorway was completely blocked.
However, the soundproofing of the examination room was too good, and the scene was too noisy. Apart from hearing the various defenses and praises from the beautiful women around him, they couldn't hear anything from inside.
In the tense atmosphere of examination room number two, two nurses who had been slandering Chen Xiao to everyone they met suddenly saw Chen Xiao enter with Song Wanliang. They immediately became nervous, regretting why they hadn't followed He Chaochao when he ran off earlier.
Of course, they weren't afraid of Chen Xiao, but rather of Song Kaichao's status as the richest man and the handgun in Song Wanliang's pocket.
However, the thought of witnessing Chen Xiao taking the blame for Song Kaichao's death due to unsuccessful treatment made them exceptionally excited. Their gaze towards Chen Xiao gradually shifted from fear to unconcealed schadenfreude.
One of them, named Li Haiying, couldn't hold back her sarcasm and said,
"Dr. Chen, Mr. Song's condition is beyond saving. Since you are his doctor, you should take responsibility for the unsuccessful treatment, rather than wasting more time!"
"Damn it! Shut your stinking mouth!"
Song Xiangyu, who had been crying and wailing beside Song Kaichao moments before, suddenly exploded in anger. She slapped Li Haiying across the face.
Li Haiying, though furious, dared not speak. She could only cover her face and glare venomously at Chen Xiao.
"Serves you right!"
Chen Xiao had no intention of letting Li Haiying off the hook so easily. He reached into his pocket for his acupuncture needles, then put them back, saying with a smirk,
"Nurse Li, please quickly prepare two thousand acupuncture needles for me and Nurse Ma. And be quick about it. If you delay Mr. Song's rescue, you will be held responsible. Heh."