CHAPTER 329: TANGLED HEART 329

"Do you want to come in and stay for a while? I still need to talk to Shi Lei about some things," Liu Banxia asked after arriving at the emergency center of the Second Hospital.

Qiaoqiao shook her head vigorously. "No, I’ll just stay in the car."

Liu Banxia knew she hadn’t yet adjusted to her new identity, so he let her be. He himself hadn’t fully accepted his own new role either; they were both novices.

"Oh, why are you back so early?" Shi Lei was quite surprised to see Liu Banxia walk in.

"The surgery today went very smoothly, so it finished a bit early. But I can’t work tonight; I’ve had a drink," Liu Banxia said.

"Teacher Liu, is this the food you brought for us? I guess we can only have it as a late-night snack," Xu Yino said.

"A late-night snack is fine. I’ll ask the cafeteria to prepare it later." Liu Banxia finished speaking and then looked at Shi Lei. "Boss, I need to talk to you about something."

Shi Lei nodded and followed Liu Banxia to his small office.

"The Flying Blade surgery today ran into some issues. I’m telling you as a heads-up." Liu Banxia then recounted the little episode from earlier that day to Shi Lei.

After hearing the account, Shi Lei also frowned deeply; this matter directly affected his interests. He had bought a house and borrowed money; he was counting on this to quickly recoup the funds.

"Boss, I don’t know if this incident is related to me," Liu Banxia said, glancing at him.

"You don’t need to tell me that. Related or not, it’s a wake-up call for us. If someone actually reports this, we won’t be able to clear our names," Shi Lei said.

"That’s basically it. I’ve already spoken to Old Qiu, and I have to go over to their place for a bit later," Liu Banxia said.

"Anyway, I’ve decided to observe for now. Unless it’s a truly solid connection, I won’t be going over to perform surgeries for the time being. Our workload here will gradually pick up anyway. Let’s wait until things stabilize."

Shi Lei nodded. "I feel the same way. I’ll call Chief Director Xu later and discuss this matter with him."

With the message conveyed, Liu Banxia felt a burden lift from his heart.

What he feared most was Qin Hai’s shadow lurking behind this incident; that would mean he had inadvertently caused trouble for Shi Lei. It wasn’t that he had a persecution complex; Qin Hai genuinely had investigated Jinshui District Hospital.

Although Xu Chengjun was the Chief Director of Jinshui District Hospital, not everyone there listened to him. What if Qin Hai had received news and was instigating patients behind the scenes? Could there truly be no such possibility at all?

"Alright, let’s go. Back to Linyu Villa," Liu Banxia commanded as soon as he got into the car.

"I’m so frustrated; why does it feel like I owe you everything?" Qiaoqiao muttered.

After saying this, her expression tensed up again, still because she hadn’t settled into the role of a girlfriend. Or rather, she didn’t even know how to; she’d never had a boyfriend before.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Liu Banxia would occasionally steal glances at Qiaoqiao. Actually, she looks quite cute like this, he thought.

"Why are you always looking at me?" Qiaoqiao asked fiercely.

"I’ve never had a chance to look at you properly before. Obviously, it wouldn’t be right for me to keep staring; you’d definitely beat me up," Liu Banxia said.

"Absolutely," Qiaoqiao replied without hesitation.

"There won’t be any domestic violence in the future, will there?" Liu Banxia asked.

"What domestic violence?" Qiaoqiao asked curiously.

"Just don’t beat me. Don’t hit my face; it affects the patients’ mood. Don’t hit my hands; it affects my ability to perform surgery," Liu Banxia said seriously.

Qiaoqiao rolled her eyes at him. "Am I that kind of person? I’m actually very reasonable."

"Sigh... I have a girlfriend now. It feels like a dream. When we go to the Qiu family, you should come in and sit for a while too. Bring Tang Dou; let her play with Tiggie for a bit," Liu Banxia said.

Qiaoqiao’s nerves, which had just begun to relax, tensed up again.

She knew that if Liu Banxia went, etiquette dictated she should accompany him. But she couldn’t help feeling it would be somewhat awkward and difficult to handle.

Driving with a mind full of such thoughts, Qiaoqiao focused on the road while Liu Banxia dozed off in the passenger seat.

Today’s surgery had also been very long, but he had managed to get through it without taking the Peiyuan compound. This proved that his physical fitness had indeed improved a lot.

First, they arrived at Qiaoqiao’s place. Tang Dou greeted him cheerfully. Then, he put on Tang Dou’s harness and leash and strolled leisurely towards the Qiu family home, with Tang Dou in tow.

Qiaoqiao, following behind, felt incredibly frustrated again. Tang Dou’s cheerful demeanor was clearly an act of high treason! Doesn’t she know who her actual owner is?

"I thought you might not be able to come for a while. I didn’t expect to see you twice in one day," Qiu Huaili joked.

"I had a few drinks tonight and can’t go to work, so I thought I’d come over to your place to unwind and, incidentally, enjoy some of your good tea," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"Hug, hug."

Doudou, who had been toddling around with Tiggie on the floor, walked over with his little arms outstretched, his tiny legs moving.

Liu Banxia had thought the little fellow wanted him to pick him up, but to his surprise, Doudou turned and threw his arms around Tang Dou’s big head, his face beaming with happiness.

"Well, it seems my status is already much lower than these two dogs," Liu Banxia said helplessly.

"Haha, if it’s lower, it’s lower. Mine isn’t much higher either. Speaking of which, what’s going on with you two?" Qiu Huaili asked with a grin.

Hearing Qiu Huaili’s question, Qiaoqiao, who was already feeling a bit self-conscious, lowered her head.

"Old Qiu, why are you meddling in young people’s affairs?" Wang Jingxian said.

"Hehe, well, today is officially the first day Qiaoqiao and I are together. We’re both new to this and still a bit awkward," Liu Banxia said.

This made Qiaoqiao extremely anxious. What on earth was he saying? She balled up her little fist and lightly punched him.

"When I came back this morning, I was just mentioning this to Jingxian. We both think you two are quite a good match," Qiu Huaili said.

"When a couple builds a life together, all that really matters is that they get along. However, Qiaoqiao, you need to be mentally prepared; you can’t expect Banxia to spend most of his time at home. His work is that demanding."

"That’s fine. I’m actually more at ease when he’s not home," Qiaoqiao replied boldly.

After saying that, she immediately felt it might not have been the right thing to say, and worry creased her brow again.

"I just love Qiaoqiao’s personality. She’s so straightforward; she says whatever’s on her mind," Wang Jingxian spoke up.

Qiaoqiao glanced at Liu Banxia triumphantly, as if she’d found a powerful ally.

"Banxia, you look like you have something troubling you?" Qiu Huaili asked.

"You can tell?" Liu Banxia asked in surprise.

"Of course. After all, when I do business, the first thing I assess is the person," Qiu Huaili replied.

Liu Banxia nodded. It seemed his composure was still far from adequate. He then recounted to Qiu Huaili what had happened at Jinshui District Hospital that day.

"My goodness, how can there be people like that?" Qiaoqiao exclaimed, bristling with anger after hearing the story.

Qiu Huaili, however, didn’t appear overly indignant. "Actually, there are quite a few people like that nowadays. That’s why, no matter what you do, it’s crucial to have a contract. A contract provides a basis."

"However, I suspect the medical system involves too many complexities, and this issue isn’t so easy to sort out. Your decision is correct: observe the situation first and don’t walk straight into the line of fire."

"But I am rather curious. If patients come to your hospital for treatment, are they not reimbursed? Or how does it work? Aren’t there many requests for ’Flying Blade’ surgeons these days?"

Liu Banxia nodded. "The difference indeed lies in the reimbursement limits. Moreover, for conditions that fall under departments established in lower-level hospitals, the procedures to get treatment at a higher-level hospital are very complicated."

"Even though Jinshui District is also administered by Binhai City, if one’s health insurance is registered in Jinshui District, only treatment received at Jinshui District Hospital qualifies for normal reimbursement."

"Actually, this ’Flying Blade’ practice has been around for a very long time; it just wasn’t as prevalent as it is now. Long ago, experts were only invited when hospitals encountered particularly challenging cases or when important patients couldn’t travel to major hospitals for treatment."

"And that’s the crux of the current problem. In fact, if this issue gets blown out of proportion, it’s other patients who will suffer. Not all patients have minor conditions like appendicitis; some simply can’t endure such a long journey."

"Besides, beds in major hospitals are incredibly scarce nowadays. Our Emergency Center has only been open for three days, right? Yet, the internal medicine and surgical wards upstairs are already nearly half full. Some are patients we admitted, while others were transferred from the inpatient department."

"Just consider an ordinary patient’s travel expenses, accommodation and food costs while waiting for a scheduled procedure, and postoperative nursing fees. When you add all that up, it’s far more expensive than the ’Flying Blade’ fee at their local hospital."

"Anyway, since it has come to this, let’s just observe for now. I suspect this incident isn’t isolated. Whether Qin Hai is involved or not, it’s actually good that this has come to light. It’s better than getting entangled in irresolvable troubles later on."

"You guys really have it tough. The main problem is the lack of understanding," Qiu Huaili nodded.

"Take my last hospitalization, for example. Procedures in the proctology department are generally minor surgeries, right? But some patients can still develop complications at night. During those few days, I occasionally heard commotion outside, with people saying someone was bleeding."

"That’s quite normal. When you perform surgery, all sorts of situations can arise," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"Chatting with Brother Qiu has made me feel much better. Ming Yuan isn’t back this late? Oh, right, he lives near the school; I completely forgot."

"He usually only comes back here for a visit on weekend afternoons when he has a break, or stays over if he gets a longer break at the end of the month. Let him push himself this year. It doesn’t matter which school, as long as he gets into one," Qiu Huaili said.

"He’ll do great. Besides, he’ll have to come back and take over your business eventually," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

Qiu Huaili beamed; he loved hearing that. Whether Qiu Mingyuan wanted to or not, this was how it had to be.

They had returned quite late to begin with, and their visit tonight was mainly to relax and chat, especially since they had already seen each other that morning.

Liu Banxia and Qiaoqiao didn’t stay at their place for too long—less than an hour—then they took Tang Dou and headed home.

Watching their retreating figures, Qiu Huaili felt very gratified. He genuinely believed those two were a perfect match.