In the consultation room, as Chen Fan's silver needles were applied, the old man's facial muscles twitched violently. Although it looked terrifying, with each twitch, the old man's crooked mouth and askew eyes improved.
After a moment, a trickle of black blood flowed from the old man's nose.
As this thick black blood flowed out, the old man's previously cloudy eyes gradually cleared.
"Old sir, what number is this?" Chen Fan asked, holding up one finger in front of the old man.
"One," the old man responded in a hoarse voice.
A smile spread across Chen Fan's face as he removed all the silver needles from the old man's head.
Hearing the commotion in the consultation room, Qi Shanshan and the other two, who were standing at the door, returned.
When they saw the old man looking at them, and his facial expression returning to normal, they excitedly hurried to the old man's wheelchair, their faces filled with astonishment.
"Dad, how are you feeling now?" Qi Shanshan asked hurriedly.
"I feel much better. Thank you all for your hard work," the old man said weakly, looking at the three of them.
"It's not hard work, Dad. As long as you're alright, that's the best thing for us three," tears welled up in Qi Shanshan's eyes.
Qi Shanshan's husband also choked up and said, "It's good that Dad is awake. Shanshan, don't cry. We have to celebrate properly today."
"Yes, Sister, we have to celebrate properly today. I'll call the sky restaurant and book a private room," Qi Dahai chimed in.
Qi Shanshan wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and nodded.
Then, the three of them pushed the old man's wheelchair out of the consultation room, completely ignoring Chen Fan, who had cured him.
Zou Wei, standing by Chen Fan, looked at him with embarrassment and quickly chased after Qi Shanshan, saying, "Ms. Qi, curing the old sir is all Dr. Chen's achievement. Shouldn't you at least thank Dr. Chen?"
Qi Dahai said dismissively, "Why thank him? Isn't it a doctor's duty to treat illnesses and save lives?"
"This..." Qi Dahai's words left Zou Wei speechless.
Chen Fan didn't mind. He disinfected and put away the silver needles, then glanced at Qi Shanshan and the others, saying, "Ms. Qi, don't forget our agreement."
A playful smile curved Qi Shanshan's lips. "Don't worry, Dr. Chen, I won't forget."
With that, the three of them pushed the old man and walked out of the consultation room.
"What ungrateful wretches! Even a dog knows to wag its tail when you save it. They didn't even say thank you. Dr. Chen, where did these people come from? They have no manners!" Zhao Qianqian, who had finished bandaging a patient's wound, said indignantly.
Zou Wei's face turned red. He stood there unsure of what to do, as these were people he had brought.
"If they donate fifty million, it's more practical than saying thank you to me," Chen Fan said indifferently.
Zhao Qianqian looked at Chen Fan and sighed, "Dr. Chen, you're too honest sometimes. It's unlikely they'll keep their promise. They didn't even say thank you, let alone donate fifty million."
Chen Fan smiled calmly. Only he knew that they would definitely donate the fifty million.
"Dr. Chen, about today's matter..." Zou Wei hesitated, his expression troubled.
Chen Fan already had some friction with him. Zou Wei was trying to curry favor with Chen Fan and wanted to learn medicine from him.
But he never expected that the people he brought today would offend Chen Fan again. Now Zou Wei felt like crying, wishing he hadn't taken on this task.
"It's fine. You should head back to the hospital. If anything comes up, just contact me," Chen Fan instructed.
"Yes, Dr. Chen," Zou Wei nodded quickly and then left the surgical consultation room.
Zhao Qianqian asked, "Dr. Chen, who is Director Zou? Is he your friend?"
Chen Fan didn't want them to know he was an external expert at Longgang Hospital, so he replied, "Sort of."
"Dr. Chen, do you know where Dr. Liu went? He was supposed to be on duty this morning, but I haven't seen him yet. I had to do his rounds for him this morning. Wasn't he usually very proactive? Why didn't he come to work today? I checked with the hospital, and there's no record of him taking leave," Zhao Qianqian then asked Chen Fan.
"Perhaps something came up at home and he went back," Chen Fan naturally wouldn't mention what happened last night.
The reason he came to the hospital so early was because he knew Liu Qianze would definitely not come to work. He was worried about any emergencies at the hospital, as they were the only two surgeons there.
Chen Fan worked until eight in the evening before driving away from the hospital.
He went to a Sichuan restaurant in the urban village, bought some food for Qin Shuran, and then headed towards his rental apartment.
However, as Chen Fan arrived downstairs, he ran into the landlady. "Dr. Chen, you weren't home? No wonder no one answered when I knocked earlier."
Chen Fan frowned slightly. Wasn't Qin Shuran at home? Had she gone out?
"There might be no one at home. Do you need something?" Chen Fan asked.
"Nothing else, just that the water bill is due. Fifty yuan. You can pay tomorrow too," the landlady replied.
Chen Fan took out fifty yuan from his wallet and gave it to the landlady.
After the landlady accepted the water bill, Chen Fan went upstairs and opened the door. He was about to call Qin Shuran once he got home, to ask where she had gone. He was quite worried that she wasn't back so late.
He opened the door and walked into the room. Seeing the brightly lit room, Chen Fan shook his head helplessly. "This little girl, she doesn't even turn off the lights when she goes out. Doesn't she know she's wasting electricity?"
Chen Fan placed the food on the table, then heard the sound of running water.
"Did she forget to turn off the water when she left too?" Chen Fan, still helpless, walked towards the bathroom.
"Click!"
Chen Fan opened the bathroom door.
However, the next second, Chen Fan froze.
Because he found that in the steamy, misty bathroom, a figure stood there. With long hair cascading down, her slender and fair body was completely exposed before him.
Instantly, Chen Fan's mind went blank.
"Ah—!"
"Chen Fan! You came in without knocking again!"
From the bathroom, an enraged scream erupted.
And the figure in the bathroom was none other than Qin Shuran!
"Yes, yes, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were home."
Hearing this voice, Chen Fan stood at the door, flustered, and apologized to Qin Shuran.
Qin Shuran hurriedly covered herself, her face flushed with shame, and glared at Chen Fan angrily. "Chen Fan, before you apologize, can you close the door! Are you done looking?!"