CHAPTER 67: 067 LOVE RIVAL APPEARS?

(Thanks to my good friend 08a for the gift of encouragement)

DING! Postoperative Fever Patient task completed.

Earned 500 experience points and 300 proficiency points in Diagnostic Skills.

After the final examination, the system prompt was also released.

"Didn’t the diagnosis confirm it? You even discovered it so quickly. Why the long face?" Shi Lei glanced at him.

"Nothing, just a sudden toothache. Boss, give me a hint, how many surgeries are scheduled for tomorrow? What kind are they? I need to prepare," Liu Banxia asked.

Of course, it wasn’t a real toothache. He was heartsick that all those experience points had gone to waste. How much had he lost in the past two days? It was probably enough to level up again.

"How do you think it should be treated?" Shi Lei continued.

"Shouldn’t we call Respiratory or Thoracic Surgery... Uh... It’s not that serious yet, so surgery isn’t necessary. We should just admit them to the ICU and use thrombolytic drugs, right?" Seeing Shi Lei glare at him, Liu Banxia quickly corrected himself.

"I’ll check if there’s a bed available in the ICU. In the meantime, you should hurry over to the Emergency Department and lie low," Shi Lei said.

"Boss, just tell me, how many surgeries are there tomorrow? How much can we earn? I’m about to miss my Huabei payment," Liu Banxia said pitifully.

"Heh heh, I’m not going to tell you. What can you do about it?" Shi Lei said with a grin, then walked away leisurely, his hands clasped behind his back.

This made Liu Banxia quite frustrated. Although money was important, he was more concerned about being the chief surgeon. He was afraid that if there was only one surgery, even if he could participate, it would be more like a sightseeing tour than actual practice.

Although he was itching to know, he knew Shi Lei’s temper very well. If Shi Lei didn’t want to tell him, there wasn’t just no door, there wasn’t even a window.

He was on call in the Emergency Department yesterday; today, he was just making a guest appearance.

"Sister Wang, why haven’t I seen Liang Xiaolin?" Liu Banxia casually asked.

"I think she has surgery today, so she didn’t come over. I was off yesterday. Why can’t you stay out of trouble for a bit?" Wang Ying said with a smile.

"Sigh... the tree wants to remain still, but the wind will not cease. Sister Wang, you must be well aware of the actual situation. Do you think this is my fault?" Liu Banxia said with a wry smile.

"Forget it, it’s hard to sort these things out. Qi Wentai seems to be in a bad mood. Did you two argue again?" Wang Ying asked.

"No. It’s just that during rounds, he made a misdiagnosis in front of Director Zhou, so I guess he lost face," Liu Banxia shook his head.

"I’m just a guest today. I’ll follow your orders, Sister Wang. I’ll do whatever you ask. I promise I won’t cause any trouble for you, Sister Wang. I know the atmosphere in the Emergency Department has been a bit tense lately."

"Good. Go read your book for now. I’ll call you when things get busy," Wang Ying nodded.

Liu Banxia glanced over, feeling quite pleased. It seemed the hospital administration was really planning to make moves regarding the Emergency Department. His earlier probing question had likely hit close to the mark. His estimation of Head Nurse Wang Ying also had to rise several notches. She clearly wasn’t an ordinary head nurse; even Zhou Shuwen had to treat her with respect.

He took out a textbook and continued to read.

In fact, he was a bit of an anomaly in the Second Hospital. However, since not many people liked being on call in the Emergency Department, no one brought it up.

While he was engrossed in his reading, Xu Dan ran over. The number of patients needing dressing changes had increased, so Liu Banxia had to step up and practically hold the fort. Once he got busy, he couldn’t stop. Even though he was fast, he couldn’t keep up with the sheer number of patients.

That’s how it was sometimes; patients would arrive in droves. By the time he finished with this wave of patients, he looked at the clock and saw it was already 12:26 PM.

Even though he had worked so hard for so long, his proficiency in Dressing Change Skills hadn’t increased at all, but his Suturing Skills proficiency had risen by 137 points.

"Alright, go get something to eat. I just grabbed a quick bite," Wei Yuan said as he walked in.

"Dr. Wei, why don’t you go eat properly? I can still hold on. There are no patients for now, it’s fine," Liu Banxia said.

"Go ahead. My appetite hasn’t been great these past few days," Wei Yuan shook his head.

"Brother Yuan, is something the matter? Maybe I can help you think it through," Liu Banxia asked.

"It’s just some trivial family matters. You should go eat," Wei Yuan said with a smile.

Liu Banxia didn’t press further, knowing Wei Yuan didn’t want to talk about it.

As soon as he arrived at the cafeteria, he was stunned. In a corner, Liang Xiaolin was eating with a man he didn’t recognize. And from the way she was smiling and laughing, they seemed to be having a very good time.

For some reason, Liu Banxia felt a pang of jealousy. Even though he only saw the man’s back, he could tell he looked quite well-off; his suit also appeared to be a designer brand.

"Dr. Liu, still getting a custom stir-fry today? There aren’t many dishes left." As Liu Banxia walked to the counter, Zhou Qiang, the cafeteria owner, asked with a smile.

"No way. If I get another custom stir-fry, I’ll have to wash dishes for you to pay it off. One meat dish, one vegetable dish, a small bowl of soup, and about 250 grams of rice will be enough," Liu Banxia said casually.

"No need to be so formal, Dr. Liu. Add a Four Happiness Meatball for Dr. Liu. It’s on the house," Zhou Qiang said.

"Oh, Boss Zhou, why are you being so generous today?" Liu Banxia asked curiously.

"It’s really hard to make much money off you. You’ve given me a lot of business these past few days. If the soup isn’t enough, you can have more; we have unlimited refills," Zhou Qiang said with a straight face.

"Hah, still as stingy as ever. You’re so generous with the cheap soup; why don’t you offer unlimited refills on the fried pork pieces instead?" Liu Banxia teased back.

"Don’t say I didn’t warn you, you better be careful. That beautiful doctor calls the Chief Director’s grandson ’Brother’ very affectionately. They’re very close. Looks like you’ve got a rival," Zhou Qiang leaned closer to the window and whispered.

"That guy is the Chief Director’s grandson? I heard he went abroad a few years ago, didn’t he?" Liu Banxia asked in surprise.

"Well, he couldn’t stay abroad forever, could he? So he’s back. Don’t be discouraged; I think you and that pretty doctor make a good pair," Zhou Qiang said.

Liu Banxia waved his hand. "Stop trying to play matchmaker. You know my situation perfectly well. I’m going to eat first; it’s been a long morning."

Although he said so, after he sat down with his tray, his eyes kept glancing in that direction.

He hadn’t seriously considered this before. His acquaintance with Liang Xiaolin had been rather dramatic. Although the girl had a habit of glaring fiercely at times, likely due to her condition, her somewhat dorky manner was also quite cute.

A love rival? He was giving himself too much credit. Those two actually looked like a good match. The grandson of the Chief Director! No wonder Liang Xiaolin could be directly mentored by Vice Director Li during her residency.

Compared to him, the only thing he currently had going for him was perhaps his looks, and even then, he wasn’t that much better. He tried to comfort himself with these thoughts, but the feeling was still a bit sour. He couldn’t even taste the flavor of the complimentary Four Happiness Meatballs.

His constant peeking in their direction eventually caught Liang Xiaolin’s attention. She shot him a fierce glare. Startled, he quickly lowered his head and shoveled rice into his mouth.