CHAPTER 198: 198 FIERCE QIAOQIAO

"Dr. Liu, I’m quite curious. Are you really going to stick with this? Do you intend to clear this matter up with the patient’s family?" Officer Xu asked curiously as they sat in the police car.

Liu Banxia nodded. "This matter must be handled impartially. In the eyes of ordinary people, our hospital is always seen as very assertive, but sometimes that’s really not the case."

"Actually, this isn’t the first time I’ve been beaten. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been cursed at. It’s just that this group today went too far, so I must insist on seeing this through."

"I have responded to similar situations before; disputes like this in hospitals are quite common," Officer Xu said.

"Sigh... I can only say that people’s minds are too complex these days. Sometimes, the patient’s family just thinks that since the person died in the hospital, it must be our hospital’s fault," Liu Banxia sighed.

"Actually, if it’s a proper lawsuit, we aren’t afraid. We have surveillance footage in the emergency room, and an autopsy can be performed. Whether we delayed the rescue or it was due to the patient’s own condition, the matter would be very clear."

"What we fear are those professional agitators who show up with banners and engage in irrational harassment. It’s precisely this fear that fuels this unhealthy trend. They think they can get something out of it, and if you don’t give it to them, it’s absolutely unacceptable."

"I don’t even know how the hospital will handle this. I hope the hospital can be a bit firmer. We can’t keep indulging these bad habits. Otherwise, who would still dare to become a doctor, who would still dare to save people?"

"Take today’s incident, for example. If I hadn’t clarified the situation to the patient’s family and instead sent the patient directly to the operating room for debridement, this family would definitely cause trouble later."

"They would likely say we engaged in excessive medical treatment. They’d claim the patient was already in such a severe condition with no hope of resuscitation, yet we forcibly sent him to the operating table, making him suffer more. Not only would they refuse to pay the treatment fees, but they’d also demand compensation from us."

"Things like that actually happen?" Officer Xu asked, genuinely curious.

"Why wouldn’t they? Actually, we face similar predicaments," said Liu Banxia.

"When family members are present, we must obtain a clear stance from the patient or their family. Otherwise, there will be a lot of wrangling."

"Aren’t you in the same boat? When you’re apprehending suspects, if the suspect gets into a car accident or breaks a leg, they might turn around and sue you."

That really struck a chord with Officer Xu. Real-life situations are just like that. How can you clearly grasp the appropriate limits when pursuing a criminal suspect? It’s not uncommon for police officers to face complaints and lawsuits.

When they arrived at the police station, giving their statements was a very simple matter. The facts were clear; they just had to recount what had just happened.

However, those three individuals were resolute in not apologizing. Their reasoning was simple: even if they threw the first punch, there was a cause-and-effect relationship. Besides, Liu Banxia had fought back and injured them too.

"I told you at the hospital, these are two separate matters. If you believe the hospital is at fault, you can sue the hospital. But you cannot assault people," Officer Xu stated.

"You assaulted Dr. Liu right in front of me; that’s wrong. Dr. Liu also said that if you apologize and pay three hundred yuan in compensation, the matter will be closed. If you refuse to apologize and compensate, he might actually sue you."

"’Afraid of him? He treated my brother to death! We’re going to make the hospital compensate us!’" one of the young men said.

"You need to think carefully. The medical dispute has no bearing on the fact that you just assaulted someone. The fact that you injured someone is very clear. If Dr. Liu sues you, you will definitely lose the case," Officer Xu said.

"’Even if we lose, we’ll accept it. At most, we’ll pay compensation. Apologizing is impossible,’" said another young man.

Officer Xu sighed. This attempt at mediation had failed again. Next, it would depend on Liu Banxia’s decision. It wasn’t a serious assault, so they couldn’t impose administrative penalties on these three.

"Liu Banxia, where are you? Officer, has Liu Banxia left yet?" Before Officer Xu could go over and explain the situation to Liu Banxia, two young women walked in from outside.

The newcomers were none other than Qiaoqiao and Wang Xiaoyan.

"Are you Dr. Liu’s family?" Officer Xu asked.

"’Not family, we’re his friends. We heard he got into a fight, so we came to check on him,’" Qiaoqiao said.

Officer Xu nodded and smiled. "Follow me, he’s in the room inside."

"What are you two doing here?" Liu Banxia was surprised to see Qiaoqiao and Wang Xiaoyan.

"Tsk, tsk. Look at you, all smug, huh? What were you saying back then? Going on and on at me about this and that. Didn’t you end up in a fight too?" Qiaoqiao said, hands on her hips, looking utterly triumphant.

Liu Banxia rolled his eyes. "How can my situation be the same as yours? This was legitimate self-defense, witnessed by Officer Xu. I’m the victim here, you know? Aren’t you going to comfort me at all?"

"’Or what? Should I find some people to beat those guys up for you?’" Qiaoqiao said fiercely.

COUGH, COUGH.

Officer Xu felt a throbbing in his temples. Dr. Liu was such a reasonable and understanding person; how could his girlfriend be so aggressive?

Qiaoqiao also realized that what she had just said seemed a bit off in this setting, so she obediently stood still and nudged Wang Xiaoyan.

"Officer Xu, please don’t take it to heart. This girl is just thoughtless; she says whatever comes to mind," Liu Banxia said with a wry smile.

"Just talk is fine, but don’t actually go find people to beat them up. They refuse to apologize and compensate, so we can only make a record. What happens next depends on your stance," Officer Xu said.

"Then I’ll just sue them. I’ll look into the procedure later. It’s just that I’m quite busy with work, and hiring a lawyer is too expensive," Liu Banxia said.

This was also a frustrating matter; everything requires resources. Even defending one’s legitimate rights costs money. He was so busy with his hospital work; where would he find the time to deal with all this? This wasn’t a hospital matter, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to ask the hospital’s legal department to help him resolve it. If he hired a lawyer, that would mean money for everything: drafting the complaint, collecting evidence, appearing in court. Although he might get the other party to pay corresponding compensation, in the current situation, the compensation would definitely not be higher than the lawyer’s fees.

"Dr. Liu is in this room." At this moment, another voice came from outside the door.

The door opened, and Qiu Mingyuan walked in.

"Why did you come too?" Liu Banxia asked helplessly.

"Sigh... I thought your injuries were serious. I was just showing off to my dad when I heard there was a fight in the emergency department. My dad had a premonition it was probably you," Qiu Mingyuan said.

"After I reported to him, he dispatched me. First, to check out the situation, then report back. What’s the plan of action?"

"There’s no particular plan. He just had surgery; why isn’t he resting properly? It’ll be harder for him to sleep at night now," Liu Banxia said helplessly.

"He couldn’t sleep. My little sister woke up, saw him lying there, and started pestering him to play," Qiu Mingyuan said.

"Your family’s company has lawyers, right? Lend him one; he needs to sue. We can’t use violence to solve problems; we need to use legal weapons to protect ourselves," Qiaoqiao said, then glanced somewhat guiltily at Officer Xu.

This amused Officer Xu, who said, "Alright, there’s nothing more for you here. You can leave after signing the documents. If you need to sue, you can come to us for the relevant materials. Definitely don’t go looking for trouble privately."

"Thank you for your trouble, Officer Xu. How will the young man who caused the accident be handled?" Liu Banxia quickly changed the subject.

"That will depend on how the judge sentences him; we can’t influence that. However, his family should be able to obtain the other party’s forgiveness. They’ve already contacted the victim’s family, who are from out of town and can arrive tonight," Officer Xu said.

"Wow, if he hadn’t woken up, it would have been really difficult to contact them," Liu Banxia said with feeling.

"There are too many transient people. Some don’t register with the local precinct station after renting a place. Alright, you can all leave now," Officer Xu said with a smile.

This could be considered a staggered departure, preventing them from encountering each other again. In the time they had been talking, the other three had already been allowed to leave.

"Are you sure you don’t need me to find someone to give them a warning or something? The guys under me are quite capable," Qiaoqiao said after they left the police station.

"Please, spare me the trouble. If you really want to comfort me, just let me go to Langtaosha for a good bath when I have a day off," Liu Banxia said.

"Hmph, what’s the big deal? Some people just need a good beating to learn their lesson, or they’ll never remember," Qiaoqiao said nonchalantly.

"Brother Liu, do you need a lawyer? If so, I can contact one," Qiu Mingyuan asked.

"Would that be convenient? Actually, my case is very simple; I could probably handle it myself," Liu Banxia said.

"It’s no trouble at all. We’ve had a long-standing collaboration with them. When I get back, I’ll contact him and have him come to the hospital tomorrow to get the details from you," Qiu Mingyuan said with a smile.

"Alright, then I won’t stand on ceremony. And you two? Are you going home or what?" Liu Banxia then looked at Qiaoqiao and Wang Xiaoyan.

"Why are you so stingy? We showed our revolutionary camaraderie by coming to see you, after all. The least you could do is treat us to a meal at your hospital cafeteria, right?" Qiaoqiao said, dissatisfied.

"Hey... why does Yanzi seem a bit down?" Liu Banxia asked.

"She’s troubled by love. She’s taken a fancy to a young man, but it seems he’s not that into her," Qiaoqiao said.

"Oh, you’re exasperating!" Wang Xiaoyan had no comeback for Qiaoqiao selling her out so easily.

"Don’t be upset. We’ll have a good meal at our cafeteria tonight," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

Actually, Liu Banxia was in a pretty good mood now. In Binhai City, he was essentially all alone. Now that this incident had occurred, these two young women and Qiu Mingyuan had all rushed over anxiously, warming his heart.

True friendship isn’t really about how long you’ve known someone. He hadn’t known them for long, but they could all be considered truly good friends.