Chapter 43: Tired

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling too tired and want to rest?”

Xiong Daichuan asked with concern.

“I told you before not to push yourself so hard. How did you suddenly come around to it?”

Xiong Yibai did not look at her father. Her gaze drifted into the distance as she recalled the countless days and nights she had gritted her teeth through alone over the years.

She thought of the tension and exhaustion at the operating table, and also of the wind by the river tonight and the person who had taken her to break the rules.

After letting out a soft breath, she said, “I’m just tired.”

A mix of emotions surged in Xiong Daichuan’s heart. He stepped forward and gently patted his daughter’s shoulder.

At that moment, Xiong Yibai suddenly turned around and gave her father a light hug.

Xiong Daichuan froze completely. Then, a huge wave of surprise and bittersweet emotion washed over him.

His daughter had always been independent and strong-willed since childhood, especially after growing up. She had never shown such affection before.

He was utterly flattered.

“Little White, this… what’s going on? Is it… did someone else bully you? You have to tell Dad!”

Xiong Yibai quickly let go and stepped back.

“No. Dad, you should head back. It’s late. I’m fine now.”

Xiong Daichuan looked at his daughter, his heart melting into a puddle. That sudden hug from her filled him with energy and determination.

He was even tempted to rush back to the hospital right then to compile the dirt on Wang Jiancheng and report him.

He nodded repeatedly.

“Alright, alright. Dad’s heading back now. Get some rest soon! Remember, whatever happens in the future, you must tell Dad!”

Watching her father leave, Xiong Yibai closed the door and let out a soft sigh of relief.

She walked to the shelf and looked at the stern-faced Little White Bear. She reached out with a finger and gently tapped its nose.

At that moment, Xiong Yibai suddenly remembered something. She sent a message to Xiong Daichuan:

“Dad, I submitted a report letter to the hospital before, but it sank like a stone. Wang Jiancheng’s network in the hospital runs deeper than we thought.”

Xiong Daichuan replied instantly: “Got it, Little White. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it cleanly.”

Seeing the message, Xiong Yibai felt relieved. She turned and headed to the bathroom.

The next day, Xiong Yibai entered the hospital on time as usual.

However, a subtle atmosphere different from before permeated the air.

As soon as she stepped onto the floor of the Trauma Department, the front desk nurse stood up immediately. Her smile was more brilliant than usual—over twice as bright—and her voice was exceptionally enthusiastic.

“Good morning, Dr. Xiong!”

“Morning.” Xiong Yibai nodded slightly, without breaking stride.

On her way to the changing room, colleagues she encountered—whether familiar or not—greeted her proactively. Their attitudes were noticeably more respectful than before, even tinged with caution.

“Dr. Xiong, you’re here for work?”

“Dr. Xiong, had breakfast?”

When she put on her white coat and headed to the doctors’ office for the morning meeting, she faintly overheard hushed discussions from the break room:

“I never would have guessed… Dr. Xiong is actually the dean’s daughter…”

“She hid it so well; you couldn’t tell at all.”

“No wonder Director Wang fell so fast. He kicked an iron plate…”

“We have to watch what we say from now on…”

“She’s truly low-key, relying on real skills…”

The voices cut off abruptly as she approached. The nurses and residents inside saw her, embarrassment flashing across their faces before they forced smiles.

“Good morning, Dr. Xiong!”

They then scattered like startled birds.

Xiong Yibai’s expression remained unchanged, as if she had heard nothing. She walked straight into the office.

She did not like this special attention and distance brought by her changed status, but it was unavoidable.

After the morning meeting, she returned to her workstation to organize patient records.

Two doctors from other departments who had come over to chat seemed not to notice her and continued talking in low voices:

“Sigh, reincarnation is truly a technical skill. We slave away, but it’s nothing compared to having a good dad.”

“Exactly. I used to think she became an attending physician at such a young age through her own ability. Now… heh, who knows what’s going on behind the scenes.”

“For promotions and evaluations from now on, resources will definitely tilt toward her…”

At that moment, a figure burst into the office energetically. The newcomer had a head of signature curly short hair—it was Ren Queyue from the Emergency Department.

She had clearly come looking for Xiong Yibai and had heard every bit of that sour talk.

Ren Queyue’s fiery temper exploded instantly.

Before the two doctors could finish their snide remarks, she charged forward.

Without giving them time to react, her right hand swung fast and hard. With a crisp “slap,” it landed solidly on the left doctor’s face.

The doctor jerked her head to the side, her cheek instantly turning red. The surrounding buzz of discussion halted abruptly.

Ren Queyue’s voice was even harder than the slap:

“Watch your mouths! What’s with the sourness first thing in the morning? When Xiong Yibai got first place in her combined bachelor’s-master’s-PhD program, were you slacking in the on-call room or failing your exams?”

“Her residency shortening was approved by the expert panel after overseeing more than a dozen rescues and five complex surgeries. If you have that ability, get the expert panel to give you a green light too!”

The doctor on the right was shocked and angry, reaching out to intervene, but Ren Queyue shot her a glare.

“What? Want to stand up for her?”

She took half a step forward, closing in on them.

“No ability yourselves, so you hide behind and say she relies on her dad? Have some shame? Weren’t you chatting so merrily earlier? Cat got your tongues now?”

The slapped doctor clutched her face, neck stiff with shame and anger.

“Dr. Ren, you… how could you hit someone… We were just chatting casually…”

“Chatting casually?”

Ren Queyue’s eyebrows shot up, her finger nearly poking the other’s nose.

“I think you’re just itching for a beating from idleness! Instead of gossiping, go back and master your patient records. Don’t mess up handing hemostats during joint rescues again, forcing the Emergency Department to clean up your mess!”

Colleagues gathered around, eyes fixed on the two.

The doctors hung their heads, faces flushing and paling, their earlier arrogance gone. They clutched their faces and slunk out of the office with tails between their legs.

Ren Queyue huffed, walked to Xiong Yibai’s desk, and saw her calmly writing records. Irritated, she said:

“You just let them talk about you like that? Not even a rebuttal?”

Xiong Yibai looked up, her tone flat.

“There’s nothing worth rebutting. They’re free to think what they want. Facts won’t change because of a few comments.”

“You! Your temper is too good! People like that deserve to be cursed and slapped!”

Xiong Yibai tapped the record paper lightly with her fingertip.

“Didn’t you say last time that although your temper flares, you never hit women or kids?”

Ren Queyue retorted stubbornly: “I did say that! But are they kids? Or are the kids them?”

Xiong Yibai opened her mouth, the words on the tip of her tongue stuck in her throat. Looking at Ren Queyue’s righteous expression, she finally just sighed softly and murmured:

“…Full marks in logic.”