Chapter 16

When Lin Qimian returned to the ward, Xu Yueliang’s last IV bag had just run dry.

She sat on the edge of the bed. The moment she saw Lin Qimian step into the room, her gaze locked onto her.

Lin Qimian approached, removed the needle, pressed down on the site to stop the bleeding, and coiled up the tubing. Xu Yueliang opened her mouth several times before finally blurting out anxiously as Lin Qimian turned away, “Doctor Lin, how’d it go?”

Lin Qimian kept busy with her tasks without turning around. “How’d what go?”

Xu Yueliang hopped off the bed and hurried after her, sticking right to her heels like a shadow—north if Lin Qimian went north, south if she headed south.

When Lin Qimian bent down to rummage in a drawer, Xu Yueliang was too close to dodge and bumped straight into her leg.

“Ah, sorry, sorry, Doctor Lin! I…” Xu Yueliang flailed in panic, her expression pitiful. “I wasn’t watching where I was going…”

“If I actually had a tail this long, it’d be weirder if it didn’t bump into you.” Lin Qimian handed her the file folder. “Go settle the bill. No need to come back to the hospital tomorrow.”

Xu Yueliang quickly rifled through the receipts inside. “Doctor Lin, you only charged the VIP Ward for today!”

“Oh, really?” Lin Qimian furrowed her brow. “Strictly speaking, that’s all the VIP service you got—today’s portion.”

“No.” Xu Yueliang shook her head, her resolve firmer than it had ever been. “Three days means three days—charge me for all three. Doctor Lin, print the bill for the regular room fees from before too. I’ll pay right now.”

Lin Qimian slipped her hands into her pockets and studied her.

In those few seconds of silence, Xu Yueliang shed none of her usual messy tears, nor did she betray a hint of hesitation.

“Not calling it too pricey anymore?” Lin Qimian asked.

Xu Yueliang fired back two crisp, resounding words: “Worth it.”

Lin Qimian tilted her head. “But I was the one who dragged you here on the first day.”

Xu Yueliang suddenly leaned forward from the waist, drawing close to Lin Qimian and whispering so only they could hear, “Truth be told, I think we should only charge for the last two days. Day one was a free trial—the rest was all my idea.”

Lin Qimian murmured, “Mm…”

Xu Yueliang arched a brow, locking eyes with her in perfect conspiratorial sync. “But with this mess blowing up, we can’t give anyone ammo to use against us.”

Us?

Lin Qimian burst out laughing. “What mess?”

Xu Yueliang stomped her foot. “Doctor Lin, you don’t have to shoulder it all alone—I saw everything! I don’t know the full story between you all, but workplaces are a jungle everywhere, full of petty snakes… ahem… Anyway, I can’t fix the other stuff, but for the records, we’ll make them squeaky clean and above board. If you need a witness, just call me. I’ll back you up on anything—even a few… white lies if it comes to that. We’re all grown-ups here, you know how it is.”

Xu Yueliang’s little mouth ran on and on until even she started blushing at her own rambling.

Her fair skin made the flush all the more vivid—a soft pink creeping up from her cheeks, blooming into a vivid red at her ears. In the light, the faint tracery of blood vessels was almost visible.

All that chatter, her scheme that she thought so clever and worldly-wise, sailed straight in one ear and out the other for Lin Qimian. In the end, her mind held onto just one thought.

She’s so cute, Lin Qimian mused.

Even back in Middle School, my taste was spot on.

“Doctor Lin, Doctor Lin…” Xu Yueliang called softly. “You get what I’m saying, right?”

Lin Qimian nodded. “Crystal clear.”

Xu Yueliang hesitated. “So… this works?”

Lin Qimian smiled faintly. “Works just fine.”

Xu Yueliang lit up, her eyes curving into happy crescents. Before the blush could deepen, she put some distance between them. “Then don’t forget about me, okay?”

Lin Qimian blinked but said nothing.

Xu Yueliang clutched the file folder and made a quick circuit of the room. She slung her bag over her shoulder, wiped down the table, and even neatly folded the blanket on the bed.

“Alright then…” She waved to Lin Qimian, who was still lingering in the room. “See you later, Doctor Lin. Off to pay the bill.”

“Mm. See you.”

Xu Yueliang left the ward. In less than ten minutes, she’d be gone from the hospital altogether.

She could get her stitches out in another couple of days, but all her medical records were kept with Fang Huizhen.

She was Doctor Fang’s patient. Before today’s chaos erupted, Lin Qimian had managed to keep her close by for a few days. But now, the hospital’s internal network had to be abuzz with gossip. Lin Qimian had no intention of dragging Xu Yueliang any deeper into it.

She didn’t even want those rumors touching her.

Lin Qimian headed to the break room and emptied the cabinet of all her locked-up snacks into a bag, slinging it over her shoulder to take home.

Later that evening, Fang Huizhen called and told her that Peng Xiaoshuai had submitted his resignation.

“Mm,” Lin Qimian said. “There are still two very promising interns this year. Have Director Wang send one over to you.”

Fang Huizhen hesitated for a moment before finally saying, “Little Lin, Xiaoshuai brought the application to my house himself. A grown man like him, blubbering and sniffling, telling me he’s sorry to you and begging you not to hold it against him.”

“How could I hold a grudge?” Lin Qimian replied. “We hardly exchanged a few words at the hospital. Outside of it, I’d walk right past him on the street and not even recognize him.”

Fang Huizhen said, “Well, that’s good, that’s good. He’s young, bound to make mistakes now and then…”

Lin Qimian didn’t respond. Those were her true feelings; how others chose to interpret them was beyond her control.

Someone like Peng Xiaoshuai was like a splatter of bird droppings she occasionally stepped in—just clean it off, and move on. Hardly worth holding a grudge over.

Who holds a grudge against bird shit?

After hanging up, Lin Qimian sent a few messages back to her proxy lawyer.

Right before bed that night, the lawyer informed her that the evidence gathering was complete and the post had been taken down from the backend.

Lin Qimian replied with 【Thanks for the hard work】, then switched over to another WeChat page.

Jiaojiao’s Moments showed no updates. She refreshed the page, but still nothing.

Scrolling back through the feed, Lin Qimian figured it was probably because classmate Jiaojiao had already exceeded her monthly Moments quota.

Lin Qimian tossed her phone aside, switched off the light, and lay in bed, gazing at the play of light and shadow filtering through the window for quite some time.

The city’s light pollution was so bad that only on clear nights when the moon hung bright in the sky could she remember that the night was meant to be a vast, star-strewn canopy.

The next day marked the start of a new week and a fresh round of work.

Lin Qimian arrived at the hospital as usual, but Zhenzhen had beaten her there. By the time she walked in, Zhenzhen had already straightened up the desk and brewed a pot of tea.

Lin Qimian pulled out her chair, and Zhenzhen jiggled the cup in her hand. “Teacher Lin, want to give this a try? It’s some top-shelf tea I snagged from my dad—smells incredible.”

“Sure, I’ll try it,” Lin Qimian said, never one to turn down kindness from such an adorable young woman.

“You got it! I’ll brew you a cup.” Zhenzhen carefully took the cup from her.

“Thanks,” Lin Qimian said with a smile.

While Zhenzhen was off brewing the tea, Doctor Fang happened to pass by the door of her clinic room and gave her a friendly wave.

A few nurses strolled by her door, chatting idly but shooting furtive glances inside.

Lin Qimian quietly took in the colorful parade of human behavior in this little corner of the world. When Zhenzhen returned with the cup, Lin Qimian took a whiff. “This is good tea.”

Zhenzhen beamed. “Teacher Lin, when you handle it, it just hits different. My dad always rags on me for brewing tea in a thermos.”

“That’s enough flattery for today,” Lin Qimian said. “We’ve got five minutes before shift starts. Want to talk about something else? Your call.”

Zhenzhen immediately dropped her voice and leaned in close. “Teacher, that post is gone.”

Lin Qimian said, “Mm. My doing.”

Zhenzhen went on. “Peng Xiaoshuai didn’t show up at the hospital today. Word is he quit.”

Lin Qimian said, “Mm. His own doing.”

Zhenzhen continued. “So I’m thinking some folks must’ve fled the scene out of guilt.”

Lin Qimian glanced up at her. “You just now figure that out?”

“Whoa—” Zhenzhen let out a yelp.

The shock and thrill of piecing together the truth.

Then she slammed her palm down on the desk. “What a nutjob!!! Total idiot! Moron! **…”

Lin Qimian glanced toward the door. “Dean Zhang.”

Zhenzhen froze mid-breath. “Hic…”

Dean Zhang stood there awkwardly, unsure what to do with his hands. He shifted his weight from foot to foot. “Uh, Little Lin, could you come by my office for a bit…”

Zhenzhen went rigid, her face scrunching up in horror. Dean Zhang hurriedly added, “To discuss our new comprehensive department.”

“Got it,” Lin Qimian said. “I’ll swing by once I wrap up here.”

Dean Zhang nodded and departed.

Zhenzhen buried her face in her arms on the desk. Lin Qimian sipped her tea for a while until the clock ticked over, then rose and headed to the dean’s office.

The moment she stepped inside, Dean Zhang said urgently, “Leave the door open—door open.”

He seemed even more eager to avoid any hint of impropriety than she was.

Lin Qimian left the door standing wide. Dean Zhang rubbed his hands together and actually discussed the new department for a bit, soliciting her thoughts.

Lin Qimian offered a few of her own ideas. Abruptly, Dean Zhang changed tack. “This repair center we’re launching is going to take up an entire floor in the New Building. It won’t be long now. We’ll hold a full-staff meeting to roll it out. So, what do you say we go ahead and announce your role as the investor at that time?”

“Ah, I see.” Lin Qimian smiled. “I don’t think it’s really necessary.”

Dean Zhang grew anxious. “You funded an entire building for us. I can’t let you make such a massive contribution to the hospital without even getting any recognition for it…”

Lin Qimian was utterly sincere. “Dean Zhang, I truly don’t care about titles.”

She meant every word, and she understood exactly what he was getting at.

Under normal circumstances, they could have kept it quiet. But now, with this whole mess blowing up, the posts could be deleted and people disciplined, yet the rumors were already flying. To put a real stop to them, they had to tackle the source.

For instance, by publicly revealing Lin Qimian’s identity—letting everyone know she was the daughter of the president of the renowned Lin Sen Construction. That soaring new building at Youhai, along with the state-of-the-art restoration center soon to rise, had all come out of her family’s pocket.

What gave Lin Qimian the right to climb the ranks at the hospital so steadily? What allowed her to hold onto that aloof, almost otherworldly detachment? If some people refused to believe she’d earned it through sheer talent, then tell them something they couldn’t deny.

—Lin Qimian was a shareholder at Youhai.

A major shareholder.

In their eyes, that meant she could lord it over everyone and do exactly as she pleased.

And Lin Qimian did precisely that. If she didn’t care about something, she let it go. If she didn’t want it, she passed. Dean Zhang couldn’t sway her, and sweat beaded across his forehead.

He couldn’t sit still any longer. He paced back and forth, grasping for excuses and arguments. When nothing worked, he clapped his hands and laid his cards on the table, baring his very last defense.

“Little Lin, I’m begging you.” Dean Zhang’s voice was thick with desperation. “You might not care, but I do! I chased my wife for eight whole years before we finally had a happy home and two kids. And now she won’t even let me through the door!”

“I got back from my business trip yesterday and had to crash at the hospital.

“She says she can’t make heads or tails of what men say—what good are they anyway?

“She told me she buys it, and everyone else had better too. Which guy doesn’t go for young and pretty?

“I couldn’t face your dad even if I rarely get to see President Lin. But I need to see my wife! It’s been three days! Three days without laying eyes on her!”

Three days.

That was a long time.

Lin Qimian’s fingertips closed around the phone in her pocket, turning it over in her palm.

If Xu Yueliang came in for her stitch removal and they crossed paths, it would make it about three days.

But if she missed her this time, who knew how many more three-day stretches it would be.

She felt a pang of sympathy, the kind that hits close to home.

Lin Qimian nodded at last. “All right. Go ahead and announce it.”