CHAPTER 294: CHAPTER 294: NO MORE SPECIAL TREATMENT FROM NOW ON

Qin Xiao was sleeping in the car during the first half of the night. When he woke up and saw that it was already past 2 a.m., he got out of the car and walked to the inpatient building.

By the latter half of the night, when people are most exhausted, he was worried, wanting to be closer to Xiao Li without letting her know how concerned he was. So, he only stayed downstairs and didn’t go upstairs to find her.

He wouldn’t have called out to her if he hadn’t seen Xiao Li running out of the inpatient department alone.

Because there’s an internal passageway from the inpatient department to the emergency room, Xiao Li was on duty and didn’t go to the emergency department to receive any patients, so she wouldn’t normally leave her department, much less run outside the inpatient department.

After hearing Xiao Li’s words, Qin Xiao understood why she ran down; she realized he hadn’t left. "It’s your first night shift, and I wanted to check your heart rate, so I stayed here. How did you know I hadn’t left?"

Knowing that Qin Xiao was worried and intentionally staying there for her, Xiao Li softly hugged him, "Uncle, I made you worried!"

Qin Xiao chuckled, "Isn’t worrying about you my duty? Why did you come down here alone? Don’t you know it’s not safe at the hospital at night? Don’t go running off alone again next time!"

Xiao Li nodded, "I know! But I heard from Xiao Wenjing that you were down here, so I wanted to find you, otherwise I wouldn’t have come down!"

Qin Xiao raised an eyebrow, "Xiao Wenjing saw me?"

"She just got back from a call, and when she returned, she saw you standing here and texted me.

I originally wanted to look from upstairs, but the floor is too high, and the trees are too big, so I couldn’t see anything!

Uncle, I can’t leave the department for too long; why don’t you come up to the department and rest for a while?" Xiao Li invited.

Qin Xiao nodded, "Okay."

Hand in hand, they returned to the respiratory department. Yue Wenwen had just washed her face to stay awake, and when she turned around, she saw the two of them entering the department door.

Honestly... even on a night shift, you have to watch others being all lovey-dovey. At that moment, Yue Wenwen felt it was better to be on a night shift with Doctor Fang.

In her mind, Yue Wenwen mocked them; she didn’t dare to do it face-to-face. Although she didn’t feel as nervous around Qin Xiao as before, she wasn’t brave enough to mock him yet!

"Professor Qin, good morning!" Yes, it’s the early hours, so ’good morning’ isn’t a problem!

Qin Xiao nodded, "Good morning!"

"Well, Professor Qin, you and sister sit here first, I’ll go check the wards." Yue Wenwen said, ready to slip away.

Xiao Li called back, "Come back! Why are you running? The patients are sleeping well at this time. Are you trying to wake them all up by making rounds now? Besides, the nurse checked every room just half an hour ago, take this time to rest a bit!"

Yue Wenwen sat back at her desk with a smile, "Sister, I’ve slept enough. Since I started night shifts, I’ve never slept this much in one night.

But you haven’t slept all night, why don’t you go take a nap!

Wait, that’s not right, now that Professor Qin is here, you won’t be able to sleep, so I’ll go sleep instead!"

Saying this, Yue Wenwen didn’t nap there but went straight to the nearby rest room to sleep.

Once Yue Wenwen left, Xiao Li and Qin Xiao could finally have a quiet chat.

"Uncle, you’re staying up with me on my night shift, how can I focus on my work?" Xiao Li said playfully, holding Qin Xiao’s hand.

Qin Xiao chuckled softly, "Not in the future, it’s just your first night, nobody knows how your body will handle it, so I was inevitably worried.

But now it seems your body is fine, your heart rate hasn’t changed much, so I can ease up in the future."

Xiao Li raised an eyebrow, "Then next time I have a night shift, you’re not allowed to stay downstairs waiting."

Qin Xiao nodded, "Alright. Do you want to sleep for a bit?"

Xiao Li shook her head, "I’m not sleepy now, the sleepiest time has passed."

In the past, Xiao Li found she got sleepy between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. during night shifts, but now that time was over, and she wasn’t sleepy anymore.

"If you’re not sleepy, I have something to tell you."

"What?"

Xiao Li stood up to pour a cup of hot water for Qin Xiao. Qin Xiao took it and drank a sip. "Nini, the day after tomorrow I need to go on a business trip, I will be gone for about ten days."

Xiao Li was surprised, "A business trip?"

No wonder Xiao Li was surprised. In all the years they’d been together, Qin Xiao had never been on a business trip!

"Yes, previously when there were business trips for the lab, Zhang Yang was sent. This time, it was originally planned for him to go too, but his partner is coming, and he wants to stay to be with them. He said if I sent him on a trip again, he’d end up single forever.

He’s been working hard these years, and this trip abroad is to bring in new equipment, I can’t trust anyone else to do it.

So I have to go myself!"

Xiao Li nodded, "I understand, even though I don’t want to be apart from you for so long, from what you said, it’s time to give Zhang Yang a break to spend time with his partner. He’s only a bit younger than you, yet he’s still single, it is time to worry."

Qin Xiao laughed, "Yes, he is indeed anxious now, let’s not talk about him.

The day after tomorrow I’m going on a business trip, it will take around ten days. I was thinking of buying an apartment near the hospital, so after your night shift, you can rest there instead of going back to the villa, saving you the commute time to rest."

Xiao Li shook her head, "No need, you’re only gone for ten days, it’s too extravagant to buy an apartment just to make it easier for me."

"What’s extravagant? The apartment will be there even if we don’t use it later! Real estate appreciates over time." Qin Xiao said with a smile.

Xiao Li shook her head, "Come on, we already have enough vacant properties; we don’t need another just for appreciation.

I know you want me to rest well, and when you’re home, you come to pick me up, and I can sleep in the car.

If you’re not home, the driver comes to get me, I can also sleep in the car.

Also, if you really want me to rest nearby, I can stay in the apartment opposite the lab! That place is also vacant, and it’s not far from here to the lab either!"

Qin Xiao only remembered the apartment opposite the lab after Xiao Li mentioned it, that place could indeed work.

"So would you rather go home or stay in the apartment opposite the lab?"

Xiao Li replied without a second thought, "Go home, I’m used to it. If I sleep somewhere else, I might not get used to it."

Time slipped by as the two chatted, and the sky outside was beginning to lighten.

Seeing it was almost 6 a.m., Qin Xiao stood up, "You will be busy soon, I’ll wait for you in the car downstairs."

Xiao Li nodded, "Okay."

After Qin Xiao left, Xiao Li went to the rest room to wake up Yue Wenwen, who came over rubbing her eyes, "Sister, being on night shift with you is so nice!"

Xiao Li glanced at her, "Don’t think I’ll look after you like this every day. I let you sleep extra tonight because you didn’t rest well the night before. You won’t have this treatment in the future!"