Chapter 6.1 Go See Her

Min Ting replied to her curtly with two words: “You’re welcome.”

A few seconds later.

Min Ting sent another message: “I’m going on a business trip this weekend. I might be there for a while. Are you free tomorrow or the day after? I’ll come to see you.”

Shi Miao, who had no surgeries scheduled for tomorrow afternoon but was fully booked the day after, replied: “Let’s have dinner tomorrow night.”

Min Ting: “Okay.”

Shi Miao turned off her phone and tossed it onto the bed. After a quick wash, she sat at the simple desk by her bedside. The sole perk of being the resident on duty was having the duty room all to herself.

The water in the vase at the corner of the desk hadn’t been changed in two days, and the petals were visibly wilting.

The flowers had been gifted by the family of a discharged patient to the head nurse a few days ago—a vibrant and colorful bouquet. The head nurse had placed the arrangement on the workstation, but when Shi Miao passed by, the nurse had casually plucked a few stems and handed them to her. “Take them to your duty room; it’ll brighten the place up.”

Two roses and four unnamed smaller flowers were trimmed and placed in a cut-up water bottle with half-filled water. These blooms were the only bright spots in the drab duty room.

Shi Miao changed the water in the vase and sat back down at her desk, flipping open a professional textbook she hadn’t finished reading.

By eleven at night, the ward had grown quiet. The room wasn’t very soundproof, and faint sounds of banter and laughter came from the larger duty room next door.

After reading for an hour, Shi Miao turned off the lights and lay down on the bed fully clothed.

She hadn’t been asleep for more than three hours when a call jolted her awake.

Half-asleep, she forced her eyes open, groped for her phone by the pillow, and answered groggily, “What’s wrong?”

Speaking as she got out of bed, she turned on the light and slipped into her shoes.

Jiang Yang: “Can you come upstairs? Bed 57.”

“What’s going on with Bed 57 now?”

“Normal post-op pain, but the family insists otherwise.” Jiang Yang urged, “Hurry up!”

After hanging up, he took a deep breath in the hallway.

A minute ago, the family had unceremoniously kicked him out of the room, scolding him as an incompetent doctor.

In the elevator, Shi Miao buttoned her white coat and quickly tied up her long hair.

Outside the door of Bed 57’s room, Jiang Yang stood with his hands on his hips, fuming like a puffed-up pufferfish.

Shi Miao glanced at him, her eyes seeming to say, Why are you just standing here?

Jiang Yang, with a sour expression, ignored her questioning look.

He stayed put, determined to witness the woman who had insulted him as an incompetent doctor eat her words. How dare she call him that!

Without addressing him, Shi Miao entered the patient’s room to check on the situation.

Shao Sixuan was leaning over the patient’s bed, holding the elderly man’s hand. “Grandpa, it’s okay. The doctor will be here soon.”

Hearing the door open, she turned her head. When she saw Shi Miao, her face darkened instantly. She snapped, “Didn’t I ask for Director Gu? Don’t you understand what I’m saying?”

Jiang Yang stepped forward before Shi Miao could respond. “Director Gu isn’t on duty tonight.”

“That’s your problem!”

Jiang Yang opened his mouth to argue further, but Shi Miao tugged at his arm, pulling him back with a look that told him to stop.

She addressed Shao Sixuan calmly, “Another attending physician will be here shortly. Let me first check if the patient is in any immediate danger.”

With that, Shi Miao nudged Jiang Yang out of the room and instructed him to contact the on-call attending physician.

Reluctantly, Jiang Yang left to call the attending physician on the third shift that night, though it truly wasn’t necessary to involve someone at that level.

Ignoring Shao Sixuan’s attitude, Shi Miao examined Mr. Shao’s vitals. As Jiang Yang had said, it was unavoidable post-operative pain. She reassured Shao Sixuan, “There’s nothing to worry about. He’s fine.”

Shao Sixuan scoffed coldly.

A few minutes later, another attending physician arrived. Shao Sixuan’s demeanor finally softened.

After a check, the attending confirmed, “He’s fine.”

Shao Sixuan replied indifferently, “Thank you for your trouble.”

Jiang Yang, still waiting for this arrogant woman to apologize to him, found himself utterly ignored by her.

“Jiang Yang, let’s go,” Shi Miao called.

The three of them left the room.

The attending physician, Dr. Sun, stepped into the elevator, and Jiang Yang apologized, “Dr. Sun, sorry for dragging you out in the middle of the night.”

Dr. Sun smiled. “No big deal. Even if you hadn’t called me, Dean Jiang would’ve been on the phone with me in a few minutes.”

Earlier that morning, the attending physicians had discussed Bed 57’s surgical plan in a meeting. Everyone knew who was admitted to that bed.

Meanwhile, the late-night snack Jiang Yang had ordered arrived. He enthusiastically invited Dr. Sun, “Dr. Sun, join us for a bite.”

Dr. Sun waved him off. “I’m too old to indulge. You young people enjoy.” He returned to his duty room to rest.

Shi Miao wasn’t one for midnight snacking either and headed back to her own room.

Jiang Yang called after her, “Dr. Shi, hold up. I’ve got a question.”

Shi Miao paused, looking at him expectantly.

Jiang Yang, still puzzled, asked, “That Shao Sixuan gave you such an attitude. How are you not angry? Not even a little?”

Shi Miao tucked her hands into her pockets. “Why would I bother with a patient’s family member? If I had a loved one in the hospital, in pain and unable to sleep, and I didn’t know much about medicine, I’d want an expert to give me some peace of mind too. Wouldn’t you?”

Jiang Yang fell silent.

“As for Shao Sixuan’s lofty tone,” Shi Miao continued after a brief pause, “you talk to me with the same attitude every day. I’m used to it. If I got angry about that, wouldn’t I be mad all the time?”

With that, she turned and left.

Jiang Yang stood frozen with his late-night snack, only snapping out of it after she was long gone.

The incident with Shao Sixuan shouting at her didn’t weigh on Shi Miao’s mind. Back in her duty room, she lay down and was asleep in less than two minutes.

The next morning, she performed surgery and didn’t finish until 1 p.m. After grabbing a meal at the hospital cafeteria, she returned to her department.

Several high-end fruit gift boxes were piled on the desks, a total of eight boxes.

Her colleague informed her, “These are from Bed 57’s family. They said to share them. Oh, and someone claiming to be the patient’s granddaughter came to apologize to you, but when she heard you were in surgery, she left.”

Shao Sixuan came to apologize?

Unlikely.

“Dr. Shi, the family of Bed 57 is here to see you,” a nurse called from outside.

Shi Miao turned around to see a graceful figure step through the door, dressed in a simple white sleeveless dress. It wasn’t Shao Sixuan but Shao Siwen, Ye Xicun’s girlfriend.

Shi Miao had wondered before if they were related. Now it seemed they were.

Shao Siwen’s voice was gentle as always. “Dr. Shi, I’m sorry. My cousin has been spoiled and doesn’t know how to speak properly. Grandpa told me about last night. He didn’t want to scold her in front of others because he couldn’t bear to see her so worried. Please be patient with her.”

Shi Miao replied calmly, “It’s nothing. You didn’t have to go to the trouble of these fruits.”

Shao Siwen smiled. “It’s just a small token. We’ll be relying on you all for a while yet.”