Chapter 13

He was always busy, so busy that he couldn’t even spare half an hour to talk to her. 

 It was rare to have the chance to sit face-to-face and discuss the matter of their divorce. 

But Lin Yuxi was reluctant to break the rare moment of tenderness. 

“Nothing,” she said. 

Maybe next time. 

Next time, she’d bring it up. 

Zhou Yanjing chuckled softly. “Nothing? Then why did you call my name so sweetly?” 

Lin Yuxi felt a slight warmth in her ears and didn’t know how to refute his words. She had only called his name what was so sweet about that? Unless he thought his own name sounded sweet. 

“Aren’t you a bit full of yourself?” she said. 

Raising an eyebrow, Zhou Yanjing replied, seemingly justified, “Is this the first day you’ve realized I’m full of myself?” 

As he spoke, his hand reached toward her waist, as if he intended to pull her closer. 

But an ill-timed phone call rang out, abruptly breaking the rare moment of harmony between them. 

Lin Yuxi picked up her phone. It was her colleague, Xiao Cui, from the hospital. 

“Dr. Lin, we’ve received a car accident victim at the hospital. The patient has an eye injury, and the situation is pretty complicated. Director Qiu specifically asked for you. Could you come take a look?” 

The situation sounded urgent. Lin Yuxi replied without hesitation, “I’ll be right there.” 

After hanging up, she looked at Zhou Yanjing. “I have to go to the hospital.” 

Zhou Yanjing withdrew his hand. “Go ahead. Let Old Liu drive you.” 

Lin Yuxi quickly changed and rushed to the hospital. The meeting room was already full of people, with neurologists and neurosurgeons holding a consultation. 

In one of the chairs by the wall sat a dignified middle-aged woman with reddened eyes from crying likely the patient’s family. 

Su Cheng was also present, though her expression wasn’t great. 

 Director Qiu, seated at the head of the table, gestured to Lin Yuxi when she arrived. ” Lin Yuxi, come over and take a look at these scans.” 

Director Qiu had previously been the head of the ophthalmology department and had taken a liking to Lin Yuxi when she first joined the hospital. 

Without wasting time, Lin Yuxi carefully studied the patient’s CT scans and offered her analysis. 

“The trauma from the car accident likely caused severe compression and bruising. There’s evidence of hemorrhaging and swelling in the optic nerve and its sheath, which is being compressed in the narrow optic canal.” 

As soon as Lin Yuxi finished speaking, the middle-aged woman urgently asked, “Will this affect her vision?” 

Her voice was choked with emotion. 

Lin Yuxi first inquired, “Is the patient conscious?” 

“Still unconscious,” Xiao Cui replied. 

With the patient in a coma, they couldn’t assess the extent of vision loss on their own, leaving the diagnosis up to the doctors. 

The optimal window for treating optic nerve injuries is within 24 hours. Missing that window could result in permanent blindness. 

Lin Yuxi didn’t hesitate. “Given the extent of the optic nerve damage, I believe immediate surgery is necessary. Since the patient also has an intracranial hematoma, it would be best to perform optic nerve decompression during the craniotomy.” 

Director Qiu nodded as he listened, his tone carrying a hint of approval. “Exactly what I was thinking.” 

Su Cheng suddenly stood up, knocking her chair aside, and stormed out with a dark expression. 

Lin Yuxi glanced at her briefly. Xiao Cui leaned in to explain quietly, “Su Cheng was the first to assess the patient’s scans when they came in. She suggested waiting until the patient woke up to decide on surgery. But as soon as Director Qiu arrived, he said the surgery should be done immediately.” 

Lin Yuxi shook her head. “She made a misjudgment.” 

“We can’t predict when the patient will regain consciousness. Missing the optimal treatment window would make it much harder to save her vision.” 

“Not to mention, a second surgery would only cause more harm to the patient.” 

“You said exactly what Director Qiu did!” Xiao Cui looked at her with an expression bordering on admiration. 

“That’s why the family no longer trusts Su Cheng. And since Director Qiu specifically asked you to perform the surgery, I bet she’s fuming.” 

Lin Yuxi didn’t care about Su Cheng’s feelings. The unconscious patient needing urgent treatment was the priority. 

Director Qiu’s personal involvement in the consultation underscored how serious this surgery was. 

After quickly discussing the treatment plan with the neurologists and neurosurgeons, Lin Yuxi wasted no time in preparing for surgery. 

The family anxiously waited outside the operating room. Xiao Cui reassured them, “Director Yuan is away for a conference, but aside from him, Dr. Lin is the most skilled and steady hand in our ophthalmology department. You can trust her, Mrs. Tan.” 

Mrs. Tan clasped Lin Yuxi’s hand, her tearful eyes filled with desperation. “Dr. Lin, please take care of my daughter.” 

Perhaps because she had grown up alone, without loving parents, Lin Yuxi always felt a pang of envy when she saw parents so devoted to their children. 

She gently squeezed Mrs. Tan’s hand and offered a reassuring smile. “Trust me.” 

Xiao Cui added, “Dr. Lin never makes empty promises. If she says trust her, the surgery will be a success!” 

The craniotomy was performed by the top neurosurgeon, who successfully removed the subdural hematoma and damaged brain tissue. Once the location of the optic nerve canal was confirmed, Lin Yuxi, under the microscope, used a micro-drill to open the patient’s optic nerve canal and relieve the pressure. 

The surgery was a success, thanks to the seamless collaboration of all the doctors. By the time Lin Yuxi emerged from the operating room, it was nearly 2 a.m. 

The patient was moved to the intensive care unit for observation, and Lin Yuxi finally allowed herself to relax. After hours of intense focus, she only now realized her head was throbbing with pain. 

Touching her forehead, she realized she was running a bit of a fever. She must have caught a chill earlier at the Shi family’s place. 

Old Liu, who had been waiting outside the hospital, called. “Ma’am, it’s very late. Are you done with work?” 

Lin Yuxi wasn’t sure if it was the headache, the fatigue, or the reluctance to return home and face Zhou Yanjing.  

His sudden tenderness, and the looming threat of divorce it all left her unsure how to respond. 

“It’s too late. I won’t be going back. I’ll just rest in the on-call room.” 

Her voice carried a slight nasal tone, prompting Old Liu to ask, “Are you coming down with a cold?” 

“I’ll be fine. The hospital has medicine.” 

After hanging up, she returned to the on-call room, took two fever-reducing pills with water, and quickly fell asleep. 

The next morning, when Lin Yuxi arrived at her office, she found a large bouquet of flowers and a luxury-brand handbag on her desk. 

A gift from Zhou Yanjing? 

That was her first thought, but she quickly dismissed it. 

It couldn’t be him. 

Just as she was about to ask Xiao Cui where the flowers and gift had come from, she heard a snide voice from behind. 

“If I’d known, I would’ve volunteered for night duty yesterday. Rich people sure are generous Hermès, no less. I’m so jealous.” 

“Yeah, right,” Su Cheng rolled her eyes. “With Director Qiu backing her, there’s no way you’d get a chance.” 

Xiao Cui shot her an even bigger eye-roll. “You couldn’t handle it even if it was handed to you. You made a bad call, and now the family doesn’t trust you. Who can you blame?” 

Ignoring the bickering, Lin Yuxi asked, “Did Mrs. Tan send these?” 

Xiao Cui nodded. “Her daughter woke up. All her vitals are normal.” 

She leaned in conspiratorially. “Dr. Lin, do you know who she is?” 

About to do her rounds, Lin Yuxi glanced at the patient’s file on her computer, showing no interest. “No idea.” 

“The little princess of Ronghua Pharmaceuticals!” Xiao Cui was practically glowing with excitement. “Half the equipment in our department comes from Ronghua!” 

“No wonder Su Cheng was so eager yesterday. She was trying to cozy up to the family but failed. Look how mad she is now.” 

Of course, Lin Yuxi knew of Ronghua Pharmaceuticals, a giant in the pharmaceutical industry. 

But no matter how wealthy a patient was, it made no difference to the doctor. 

When Lin Yuxi entered the patient’s room, Mrs. Tan was seated by the bedside. She had stayed up all night, looking tired but still in good spirits. 

“Dr. Lin, thank you so much for everything you did yesterday.” 

Lin Yuxi set down the handbag. “I was just doing my job. There’s no need to be so generous. I’ll keep the flowers, but I can’t accept the gift.” 

“It’s nothing, really, just a small token. Please accept it.” 

As they were politely going back and forth, the patient suddenly spoke up. “So, it’s you.” 

Even with her right eye bandaged and her face marred by scratches, it was clear the young woman was pretty. 

She had other injuries as well, including a fractured leg, and was glaring at Lin Yuxi from the bed. 

“So you don’t dare take the gift, huh? I told my mom, but she wouldn’t listen. Your hospital has rules, doesn’t it? 

If you dare accept private gifts, I’ll report you.” 

It seemed this girl had a knack for setting traps. 

Lin Yuxi caught the sarcasm in her tone. “Do we know each other?” 

The girl’s expression darkened further. “You don’t remember me?”