Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
It was early summer, and Yun Hua was full of lush greenery.
After spending all year gathering nutrients and strength, the spider plant did not take long to grow exponentially. It only took them a day to propagate so greatly that their stems and leaves filled up the corridors and foyers. As a result, Yun Hua Hospital looked like a tropical forest.
Like a feudal lord, the big white swan that was confined within a sixteen-feet radius of the fountain guarded the place ferociously, not allowing anyone to step foot in its territory. It did not allow anyone to come near it, whether it was patientsâ family members who were holding phones or cameras, or doctors wearing large white coats.
And today, Fragrance Yard finally got some relative peace and quiet.
Reporters and cameramen from all over the country held gigantic cameras had graced Yun Hua Hospital with their presence. There were also fans and members of Meng Xueâs fan clubs from all over the world. They were holding sparkly banners with âMeng Xueâ written on it. Some even had LED signs that read âBrother Shanyuâ.
The only difference was that the reporters and cameramen had no restraints when they traveled for news all over the world, and hence, they even tried to get into the operating theaters to collect information. The fans were a lot more disciplined. They stood quietly in the areas they had identified beforehand. Some stood in beds of spider plants, some stood in beds of devilâs ivy, while some stood between beds of spider plants and devilâs ivyâ¦
Some who had fallen victim to the large white swan squatted humbly around Fragrance Yard. They took photographs and uploaded them on Weibo.
Doctor Zhou was also taking photographs and uploading them on Weibo.
He kept replying to comments as he took photos and uploaded them on Weibo. He would even send voice messages through WeChat every now and then.
âOh my God, there are seriously a lot of people outside the hospital right now. All of them are looking for Ling Ran.â
âDoctor Ling? Doctor Ling was on night shift yesterday. Since they were unable to stop him in his tracks, all of them came to the hospital.â
âHis house? They wouldnât be able to find him there. Doctor Ling spends most of his time in the hospital. However, a lot of people headed to Lower Groove Clinic. I heard that all the shops in Lower Groove are doing very well, and everyoneâs really happy.â
âFrom what I can see, I donât think anyoneâs unhappy. Ling Ran wouldnât be unhappy either. He has always been very easygoing, hahahaâ¦â
Doctor Zhou was totally indulged in the conversation when a soft and hoarse voice suddenly rang out from behind him. âYou know Ling Ran?â
The moment Doctor Zhou turned, he saw that seven or eight young women and three or four young men had surrounded him.
Doctor Zhou was immediately drenched in cold sweat.
âWhich Ling Ran?â Even though Doctor Zhou had shamelessly lazed around the hospital for many years, he still felt very diffident when he was surrounded by a crowd of people like this. Moreover, a few of the young women looked quite pretty, and the make-up on their faces was even more exquisite than that of the pharmaceutical sales representativesââ¦
âHe definitely knows Ling Ran,â the young women immediately concluded.
Immediately after that, a young woman whose hair was tied into a bun put a foot forward. She raised her head and looked at Doctor Zhou. âWhere did Ling Ran go? If you guys donât hand him over to us, weâre not going to let things slide.â
âWhat can you do?â Doctor Zhou pretended to be unperturbed.
âWe can seek out the medical records of all your patients and ask the doctors in the team to check all of them.â One of the young women raised her hand and said.
Doctor Zhou chuckled and said nonchalantly, âThe Health Department has checked them countless times.â
âWe can report you for taking bribes.â
âBut I donât take bribes.â Doctor Zhou smiled. He used to be able to take bribes but now⦠doctors of the Emergency Department had no opportunity to take bribes at all.
The young woman smiled. âWeâll bribe you, then.â
âHuh?â Doctor Zhou did not expect the conversation to take such a turn. He started thinking long and hard about it.
âCome on, add me on WeChat. As long as you tell me where Doctor Ling is, weâll send you digital red packets, After we manage to find him, weâll send you more digital red packets.â The young woman tried to convince Doctor Zhou in an amicable manner.
For some reason, Doctor Zhou felt a little sad.
Back in the days, receiving bribes was a great source of income.
At that time, all doctors scrambled to carry out surgeries. This was because even though their income was very low, chief surgeons could get at least 200 to 300 RMB worth of bribes for each surgery. Sometimes, it could even go as high as 700 RMB or even 1,000 RMB. They could earn enough money in a day to rival their monthly salaries by receiving bribes courtesy of performing surgeries.
However, nowadays, to earn this much money, you would have to carry out freelance surgeries.
And ordinary attending physicians were not qualified for that.
The saddest part was that back in the day when doctors from other departments enjoyed a life of abundance, doctors from the Emergency Department got so little money that it was as if they were refugees among doctors. And now, even though the income of all medical staff had plummeted, doctors from the Emergency Department were still the poorest among them allâ¦
Doctor Zhouâs gaze became increasingly profound.
âSince I donât have much materially, I must become more mentally strong. Otherwise, itâs easy for me to fall into depressionâ¦â
âBe good, okay? I know that you would tell us where Ling Ran is. We wonât tell other people that we heard about his whereabouts from you.â Since the young woman whose hair was tied into a bun felt that she was not convincing enough, she gave the others a look. As a result, one of the young men came forward and coaxed Doctor Zhou in a gentle tone.
Doctor Zhou trembled violently and immediately returned to his senses.
âAbout thisâ¦â Doctor Zhou considered his words.
âWait!â The young woman whose hair was tied into a bun suddenly cut Doctor Zhou off. She glanced at her phone and said, âGroup 5 found him. He has just entered the parking lot. Oh, I heard that he was running really quickly and that he has a very nice body⦠He just entered the operating theater.â
After the young woman put the phone back inside her pocket, she shook her head and said to Doctor Zhou, âSorry, we donât need your help anymore.â
âThank you.â Doctor Zhou sighed in relief. He was feeling pretty stressed out, and this feeling of stress did not pale in comparison to what he felt during doctor-patient disputes.
âWeâll go get Ling Ran in the operating theater.â The young woman whose hair was tied into a bun threw her hands up in the air. She was in high spirits.
Doctor Zhou could not help but laugh.
âWhy are you laughing?â Another young woman who had a pretty face turned abruptly. And when she did so, she almost slapped Doctor Zhou across the face with her ponytail.
Doctor Zhou dodged her ponytail. There was a smile on his face. âYou guys canât enter the operating theater. How are you going to get him?â
âCanât we enter the operating theater?â The young woman with a ponytail turned to look at the young woman whose hair was tied into a bun.
The young woman whose hair was tied into a bun thought about it and said, âI heard that itâs okay for a few people to enter the operating theater at one time, as long as we change into the right clothes. But letâs forget about it. We shouldnât ruin Brother Shanyuâs reputation.â
âThatâs true. Butâ¦â The young woman with a ponytail pouted. âWe just want to see what that doctor looks like. Since heâs her private doctor anyway, whatâs wrong with us taking a look at him?â
Doctor Zhou could not help but throw shade at them. âThereâs so many of you. Who the heck dares to come out and meet you guys? What if you guys tear Ling Ran to shreds? No doctor would be able to stitch him back.â
âWeâll wait for him outside the operating theater.â The young woman whose hair was tied into a bun came to a decision. âWhen he canât stand being inside the operating theater anymore and comes out, weâll thoroughly interrogate him.â
Doctor Zhou froze before cackling. âGood luck to you guys, then.â
âDoes the operating theater have other doors?â The young woman whose hair was tied into a bun quickly came to her senses.
âIt does have a few doors. But it would be useless even if you guys wait in front of all of them.â Doctor Zhou smiled. âLing Ran is the type of person who can make a home out of the operating theater.â
âWe can also do that. Letâs see who gets tired first!â The girl with a ponytail flipped her ponytail once again. She wore an arrogant expression.
âGo ahead, then.â Doctor Zhou paused for a moment. As the legion of fans swiftly walked away, he could not help but ask rather curiously, âBy the way, arenât you guys Meng Xueâs fans? What good will you guys get out of seeing Ling Ran?â
âIf Doctor Ling is a despicable person, weâll become anti-fans,â said the young woman whose hair was tied into a bun. Even though her tone was nonchalant, there was a strong hint of bloodthirst in her voice.