“Sure,” Zheng Ren answered nonchalantly, displaying zero anxiety or tension.
Chief Kong felt a surge of confidence after seeing Zheng Ren’s honest expression.
Qin Liren had been transferred to the stretcher trolley by a staff member of the interventional radiology department, but in honor of the man’s ties with Bu Ruotian, Zheng Ren decided to deliver him back to the ward personally.
Zheng Ren also selected and printed a few representative snapshots from Qin Liren’s surgery.
He placed the films on the stretcher trolley and chewed the fat with Qin Liren, hands in his own pockets. After a while, Su Yun finished changing and followed Zheng Ren with his head lowered.
After Qin Liren’s bizarre trip down memory lane, he had slowly regained control of his emotions.
The longer he got to know Zheng Ren, the more he found the doctor calm and collected. The strength and confidence exuded by Zheng Ren during the surgery was so palpable that Qin Liren was able to sense it.
He knew he had made the right choice, despite still being a little shaken by the whole thing.
Thank goodness his wife had stopped him from going home…
When the stretcher trolley was pushed out the operating theater, Qin Liren’s wife, Bu Ruotian, and Bu Li were all waiting by the door.
To Zheng Ren’s surprise, there were a few others waiting outside that looked like news reporters in full gear. Leading them was a familiar woman in her thirties; who could it be…
Zheng Ren had trouble recognizing her but pretended to do so regardless, nodding his head to signal that he was busy.
Su Yun shot her a distasteful glance.
Meanwhile, Zheng Ren approached Qin Liren’s wife and smiled at Bu Ruotian. “The surgery went well.”
“That’s great, that’s great.” Qin Liren’s wife thanked him repeatedly with her hand on her heart.
Zheng Ren laughed. “It was no big deal. It’s all thanks to Uncle Bu.”
At those words, the corner of Bu Ruotian’s mouth curled upwards. He gave a slight nod, followed behind the stretcher trolley and walked back to the ward leisurely like an old man on a stroll.
“Mr. Bu, the surgery…” Zheng Ren slowed his gait to match Bu Ruotian’s, but before he could continue, Bu Ruotian interrupted him mid-sentence.
“Didn’t you just call me Uncle Bu?”
“Um…” Zheng Ren was caught off guard but recovered almost instantly. “Uncle Bu, the surgery was a success.”
“You did well.” Bu Ruotian complimented him with both hands behind his back as if praising one of his nephews.
Zheng Ren remained silent throughout the walk back to the ward.
When they reached their destination, Zheng Ren helped transfer Qin Liren to the bed before taking the films and inviting Qin Liren’s wife outside for a discussion.
They did not go to the doctor’s office. Instead, Zheng Ren stopped in a sunny corner of a corridor to explain the outline of interventional embolization to Qin Liren’s wife and Bu Ruotian.
The images he had taken were the exact visual representation of every key point in the surgery. Zheng Ren explained them in layperson’s terms, and although Qin Liren’s wife had no medical background, she was able to understand the entire process without any difficulty.
The simplicity of his language brought with it a sense of reliability.
When Zheng Ren ended his debriefing, she nodded and thanked him repeatedly.
After she returned to the ward, Bu Ruotian said, “Little Zheng, I owe you for this. Let’s have dinner tonight.”
“I’ll sit this one out. Would it be alright if Su Yun went in my stead?” His refusal came without hesitation.
Bu Ruotian’s expression shifted slightly.
“I have a high-profile surgery tomorrow that’s going to be livestreamed. I need all the rest I can get,” Zheng Ren explained with a smile.
Bu Ruotian was aware of the surgery, having asked around about Zheng Ren after their first meeting in Imperial Capital, but had not known that it was due tomorrow. Zheng Ren declining his offer was understandable. “I wish you all the best, then.”
“Thank you.”
“Little Su, accompany me for dinner tonight,” Bu Ruotian said to Su Yun.
Su Yun met Bu Ruotian’s eyes and nodded.
Bu Ruotian left them with both hands behind his back as Bu Li said blithely, “Dr. Zheng, I bet you only realized your endless potential after coming to Imperial Capital.”
Before Zheng Ren had the chance to answer her, she skipped to catch up with Bu Ruotian and they left together.
How strange. He had the impression that Bu Li was a smart, capable and mature person, and it was surprising to see her prance around.
As Bu Li vanished, the familiar-looking woman took her place alongside her team, surrounding him. “Dr. Zheng, I’ve finally found you.”
Su Yun knew how Zheng Ren struggled with facial recognition and stepped up to him, whispering into his ear, “Tang Xiu from Sea City Metropolis Daily.”
Oh, oh, oh…
Zheng Ren finally remembered her; he had led the emergency rescue for her father’s hepatic hemangioma rupture. After that incident, the lead editor of Sea City Metropolis Daily had visited them several times but had been intercepted and driven off by Su Yun’s acerbic tongue.
Why had she come all the way here to Imperial Capital?
“Nice to meet you, Editor Tang.” Zheng Ren extended his hand, finally being able to drop his pretenses.
Tang Xiu’s grip was cold but strong. Zheng Ren expected a brief shake, followed by an immediate release.
However, she grabbed his right hand with both of hers and shook it excitedly. She was very sincere, or rather… passionate.
“Dr. Zheng, we came across Dr. Fang’s assault on Weibo a few days ago. It filled us with indignation. We asked around and found out that you were at the scene and even joined in the rescue of Dr. Fang,” Tang Xiu explained.
Why was she talking about this? Hadn’t it happened a while ago?
From what he could recall, Fang Lin had been transferred out of the ICU two days ago. He had planned to visit the man after the prostate surgery, but now it had all been dragged to the forefront by Tang Xiu from Sea City Metropolis Daily.
“Oh, it happened by chance,” Zheng Ren said calmly, gently extracting his hand from hers.
Her grip was vice-like and it took several attempts to free himself.
Nonetheless, his movement made her aware of her gaffe. She blushed and laughed embarrassedly before saying, “My apologies, Dr. Zheng. I’m just too excited.”
“You guys flew all the way from Sea City for this?” Zheng Ren asked.
“Yes.” Tang Xiu quickly regained her composure. “Dr. Zheng, the assailant’s behavior triggered a wave of criticism from the public. Since you’re from Sea City and participated in the rescue of Dr. Fang…”
Back in her stride, she began to rattle off like a professional reporter.
Zheng Ren stared at her, baffled, trying to convey with his facial expression the fact that he was extremely busy and that she ought to leave if there was nothing important.
Standing behind Zheng Ren, Su Yun snorted loudly to interrupt Tang Xiu’s speech.
It startled her and she paused for a few seconds before continuing, “Dr. Zheng, I still feel responsible for the whole issue with my father and Wei Feng. I’m not trying to be self-serving here; I just want to bring some positivity to the general public.”
“Haha.” Zheng Ren smiled and said, “You’re doing well.”
Tang Xiu was stunned. She had interviewed lots of people throughout her years as a reporter.
None of them had been like Zheng Ren!
He had killed the conversation with a single laugh.
