Chapter 200 - 199: A Glimmer of Hope

Chapter 200: Chapter 199: A Glimmer of Hope

It was nearly 5:00 PM in the Medical Affairs Department of Huashan Hospital.

Director Yang Mai, who was working overtime, was on a call with Dean Li Yao.

"Director Yang, I saw the accident surveillance video you sent me."

"Are you sure the person who was blown away by the explosion was Dr. Yu Zhiming? Was he injured?"

Yang Mai replied in a somber tone, "Dean, I’ve already confirmed with the police who handled the scene. It was Dr. Yu."

"Director Qi said Dr. Yu’s injuries aren’t serious."

"Apparently, the pregnant woman was pinned to her car seat by a long, thin piece of bamboo, like a nail. Dr. Yu saw that the baby could still be saved and decisively performed a C-section."

"It seems that baby wasn’t fated to die."

Yang Mai sighed, then continued, "Dean, the video is clear proof of how critical the situation was at the time."

"Dr. Yu was just moments away from..."

"Dean, this incident is great promotional material. Should we launch a publicity campaign?"

After a moment of silence, Li Yao’s voice came through the phone again. "What are Dr. Yu’s thoughts on this?"

Yang Mai said slowly, "They say some reporters wanted to interview him yesterday at noon, but Dr. Yu refused."

"Dr. Yu said it was just part of a doctor’s duty and nothing special."

Li Yao hummed in understanding over the phone. "Dr. Yu is a truly dedicated doctor."

"Becoming too famous might not be appropriate for a young doctor like him who is still in his formative years."

"Since he’s unwilling to publicize this and make a name for himself, let’s just downplay the incident."

Yang Mai replied softly, "Understood."

Li Yao continued slowly, "Dr. Yu has only been with us at Huashan for a month and a half, but it’s been one event after another."

"Director Yang, for a young doctor like Dr. Yu—one with high moral character, exquisite medical skills, and a great future—our hospital must do everything we can to care for and protect him."

"We must try our best not to let all sorts of messy business affect Dr. Yu’s normal work and studies..."

Throughout the day, Yu Zhiming, who was feeling slightly under the weather, enjoyed everyone’s attentive care.

Zeng Yan showed off the signature skills of the Guangshen people, simmering a nourishing "pretty soup" for Yu Zhiming. It was a squab soup with yam and poria that took over three hours to prepare.

Gu Qingning, who had just returned from outside, brought back four dishes and a soup suitable for a patient, all packed in an insulated food container.

Not to be outdone, Fu Xiaoxue also showed her care by washing her hands, going into the kitchen, and cooking a small, simple bowl of vegetable noodles for Yu Zhiming.

Besides all the food and drink, Yu Zhiming, whose body was aching, also enjoyed massages from Gu Qingning, Fu Xiaoxue, and Zeng Yan.

Yu Zhiming had a very pleasant and comfortable day.

In Yu Xiangwan’s words, even a wealthy landlord couldn’t have it better than this.

At 6:00 PM, Yu Xiangwan drove Fu Xiaoxue and Zeng Yan back to their school...

"Zhiming, have some fruit!"

Sitting on the sofa, Yu Zhiming lifted his eyes to see Gu Qingning gently placing a plate of sliced apples, bananas, kiwis, and other fruits on the coffee table.

He speared a slice of apple with a toothpick and put it in his mouth.

Gu Qingning sat down next to Yu Zhiming and picked up a piece of kiwi with her toothpick.

"Zhiming, about the favor your second sister asked for, Dean Gu said he can step in and handle it. Getting a doctor’s position at a regular Grade A Class 3 public hospital won’t take much effort."

Yu Zhiming shook his head. "No, that’s not necessary. Her request is unreasonable, and we don’t need to fulfill it."

"My dad said that getting a promotion this way isn’t the right path. Sooner or later, you’ll end up in a police station."

"We need to completely crush this idea of hers."

Gu Qingning murmured an "oh" and asked softly, "I’ve noticed that Sister Xiang Wan also has a pretty strong opinion of your second sister."

"Is your second sister’s relationship with you all that bad?"

Yu Zhiming said slowly, "I wouldn’t say it’s bad. My second sister... she’s hard to describe."

"My parents never gave up on treating my eyes, so our family’s financial situation was always quite tight."

"If it weren’t for my eldest sister and brother-in-law working tirelessly to support the family, my second and third sisters would have had to drop out after middle school to go work, just like my eldest sister did."

"You could say that the only reason any of us managed to finish college is because of my eldest sister and brother-in-law’s sacrifices."

Yu Zhiming ate another piece of fruit.

"Aside from me, my second, third, and fourth sisters all deeply respect our eldest sister and brother-in-law."

"After my second sister graduated from college, she quickly found a boyfriend and got married within a year."

"After that, she only looked after her own little family."

Hearing this, Gu Qingning began to understand.

Yu Zhiming added, "My second sister was good to me, too. During the two years my vision was recovering, she spent quite a bit of money on me."

"In the end, it was all about money."

"It was only after I graduated from college and started working that our family’s financial situation saw a significant improvement."

"From that point on, I went from being a burden on my sisters to being a source of support."

Yu Zhiming said with a chuckle, "Qingning, you have no idea. Being seen as a burden for so many years... the pressure on me was pretty immense."

Gu Qingning noticed the forced look of relief on Yu Zhiming’s face and was suddenly reminded of his superhuman hearing.

’He must have overheard a lot of private discussions among relatives and friends.’

’How he must have felt back then...’

Gu Qingning couldn’t help but feel a surge of pity for him. She said with a light smile, "Zhiming, it looks like your hard times are finally over."

"With your earning potential, you’ll soon be able to provide your whole big family with a prosperous and wonderful life."

Yu Zhiming chuckled. "Yep, I’ll work hard, earn money, and buy luxury cars and villas."

Gu Qingning asked with a smile that made her eyebrows curve, "Does this mean you already have plans for that one million yuan?"

Yu Zhiming shook his head. "No special plans. My parents and sisters don’t need money for anything right now."

"Fourth Sister and Xiaobo’s startup doesn’t need any further investment, so I’ll just save the money as a reserve fund for now."

Yu Zhiming added wistfully, "Since I’ve come to Binhai to build my career, I’ll definitely have to buy a house."

"And it can’t be a small one."

"I’m the only son in the family, so my parents will definitely live with me in the future."

Gu Qingning couldn’t help but ask, "Sister Xiang Wan said your aunt and uncle aren’t willing to live in their house in the county town, saying they’re not used to it."

"They’d move to Binhai to live with you?"

Yu Zhiming scratched his head. "Well... ultimately, it’s up to my parents."

"They might not come, but I can’t not be prepared."

Gu Qingning chuckled in agreement. "That’s true. As the only son, you definitely have to fulfill your filial duties."

Yu Zhiming continued his calculations aloud, "If Fourth Sister’s startup succeeds, that’s one thing. If it doesn’t, I’ll have to prepare for her house and dowry, too."

"My parents are getting old. I need to be the one to support them."

Gu Qingning’s eyes sparkled. "Zhiming, you’re the model of ’other people’s little brother.’ I want one too!"

Yu Zhiming chuckled. "My Fourth Sister and I aren’t just twins, we’ve been through life and death together."

"What do you mean?" Gu Qingning asked, full of curiosity.

Yu Zhiming said slowly, "It’s a secret between me and my Fourth Sister, but it’s fine if I tell you."

"In the summer when I was thirteen, my Fourth Sister and I went to play at a reservoir not far from our village."

"I accidentally slipped and fell into the reservoir..."

Gu Qingning interrupted, "Sister Xiang Wan saved you?"

Yu Zhiming chuckled again and said softly, "She did jump in to save me, but she ended up making things worse."

"If it weren’t for her, I would have climbed ashore quickly."

"Because of her, I swallowed a bellyful of water and struggled for ages before I managed to drag her to the bank."

"After we got ashore, we both hugged each other and cried our eyes out."

"We were afraid of getting a beating when we got home, so we decided to hide the fact that we fell in the water. We waited for our clothes to dry on our bodies before we went back."

Yu Zhiming recounted it lightly, but only he, who had experienced it firsthand, knew how dangerous it had truly been.

He had been completely exhausted and had fallen into despair when suddenly, a point of light appeared in his otherwise pitch-black field of vision.

Hope sparked in Yu Zhiming, and some strength returned to his body. He dragged his sister along as he swam toward the point of light, finally reaching the shore just before his strength gave out.

Yu Zhiming had suspected more than once.

That his vision was able to recover was very likely due to that life-or-death stimulation affecting the blood clot in his brain.

Gu Qingning murmured, "So you really did go through a life-and-death experience together. The fact that Sister Xiang Wan jumped into the water to save you without a second thought is enough to deserve sharing wealth and fortune with."

She said, her face full of anticipation, "Zhiming, it’s rare for you to tell me so much about your family, and you even told me a closely guarded secret."

"Zhiming, are you about to confess your feelings to me?"

Yu Zhiming turned to look into Gu Qingning’s bright eyes and said, "Qingning, don’t overthink it. I’m just helping us get to know each other a little better."

"Aside from being an exquisite physician, dashingly handsome, kind-hearted, and responsible, I’m pretty much all flaws."

"For example, I’m from the countryside, my foundations and background are basically nonexistent, and I have heavy burdens to bear."

Gu Qingning tried hard to hold back a smile. "Zhiming, I don’t mind any of that in the slightest."

"I’ll tell you what, I’m a card-carrying member of the ’looks-first club,’ and your physique and appearance perfectly match my aesthetic."

"I don’t care about the other things, like your medical skills or your background."

"I just like that you’re handsome."

Yu Zhiming gave her a look of disdain. "Gu Qingning, you’re really overthinking this, aren’t you? I told you, I was just letting you get to know me better."

"At most, this is like two strangers on a blind date giving their self-introductions. Nothing has even started between us yet."

"I don’t have any feelings for you yet."

Gu Qingning chuckled. "How can you say nothing has started? Even by your own logic, today counts as the start of our blind date."

Yu Zhiming scoffed. "Think whatever you want. In any case, I really don’t have any feelings for you."

"Really? None at all?"

Gu Qingning moved her face closer to Yu Zhiming’s and asked, "Yesterday, when I threw myself under you to cushion your fall without a second thought, you weren’t moved at all?"

Facing Gu Qingning’s scorching gaze, Yu Zhiming didn’t quite dare to meet her eyes and stood up as if to escape.

"It’s time for me to read and study. Don’t bother me."

Watching Yu Zhiming quickly walk into the bedroom, Gu Qingning excitedly pumped her little fist.

’The first stroke has finally been written! It shouldn’t be long before I win him over, ho ho...’