PD Chapter 38: Hospital Riot

Because some mischievous guy had Wen Xunchuan almost facing his first-ever tardiness at work, he quickly threw on his clothes, did a rushed wash-up, and hurried out the door. Before leaving, he kept feeling like he forgot something but, after checking himself over, couldn’t find anything missing. So he grabbed his car keys and dashed out.

More irritating than being late was hitting every single red light on the way. During one of these endless waits, he adjusted his collar and smoothed out his messy hair in the rearview mirror, only to notice the dark red kiss marks covering the side of his neck. He rummaged through the glove compartment, found a small bandage, and stuck it on his neck in front of the mirror. But the thumb-sized bandage was hardly enough to cover the massive marks that dog He Linzhou had left all over his neck.

As Wen Xunchuan drove down the hospital road, he saw a crowd gathered outside from a distance. Several cars were blocked off by people, and squinting, he caught a few distinct patches of white among the crowd.

Seeing this, he more or less guessed what was going on. He drove around to find a parking spot, secured his car, and walked into the throng of people.

Sure enough, at the front of the crowd, a few burly men in white mourning clothes were holding a banner with red letters on a white background at the hospital entrance. Nearby, a woman holding a child was screaming into a loudspeaker, crying her heart out. Having worked in the hospital for so many years, Wen Xunchuan was used to these situations. Realizing he was already ten minutes past his shift, he didn’t pay much attention and hurriedly pushed through the crowd of onlookers to enter the hospital through the side gate near the security booth.

Seeing him approach, Grandpa Wang, the gatekeeper, asked, “Running late today, huh?”

“Yeah, overslept.” Wen Xunchuan signed in while asking, “What’s going on at the entrance?”

“Oh, an elderly patient with a sudden heart attack was brought in last night. The family found out too late, and by the time he got here, the old man was already at death’s door—didn’t even make it into the operating room…” Grandpa Wang paused, lowered his voice, and leaned in. “Guess how much they’re asking for?”

“How much?” Wen Xunchuan capped the pen, glancing up as Grandpa Wang held up three fingers.

“Three hundred thousand?”

“Three million.” Grandpa Wang clicked his tongue. “Unbelievable.”

Since the negotiations obviously didn’t go well, the family showed up early to make a scene.

Wen Xunchuan glanced out the window at the men with grim faces, feeling a bit uneasy. He reminded, “Be careful, Uncle Wang.”

“Will do, don’t worry,” Grandpa Wang patted his shoulder. “You better get inside before Dr. Li catches you.”

When Wen Xunchuan sneaked into the consultation room, he didn’t run into the director. Urology was a relatively quieter department, and since it was a weekday and there was a ruckus outside, the waiting area was practically empty.

After changing, he went to the break room for a cup of water, carrying it as he strolled to the information desk.

The young nurse behind the counter, secretly playing on her phone, looked up in surprise when she saw a figure standing in front of her and quickly put her phone away.

“Hello, can I help you with something?” She looked up, relieved to see it was Wen Xunchuan. “You scared me.”

Taking a sip from his silver thermos, Wen Xunchuan teased, “Caught playing on your phone during work hours? That’s a 200 yuan fine.”

The young nurse shot back, “Late for clinic by even a minute is a 20 yuan fine. Dr. Wen, didn’t you come in twenty minutes late today?”

“Ugh.” Wen Xunchuan clutched his chest, feigning pain. “Heartbroken.”

The nurse laughed, her eyes drifting to the red marks on his neck. She asked in surprise, “Whoa, what happened to your neck?”

“Hmm?” Wen Xunchuan rubbed his neck, making up an excuse. “Oh, an allergy.”

The young nurse, clearly not doubting his words, showed concern. “You should see dermatology. That looks scary.”

Wen Xunchuan raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a hint of pity. “You need to stop obsessing over virtual characters and get a real boyfriend.”

“Pfft.” The nurse, unimpressed, pulled out her phone to continue gaming. After a pause, she looked up and reminded him, “Oh, don’t forget the 10:30 meeting with Dr. Li. He specifically told me to remind you.”

“Got it.” Back in his consultation room, Wen Xunchuan finally remembered what he had forgotten in his rush out the door that morning—the report for the meeting.

Thinking it over, he took out his phone and called He Linzhou. After several rings, a drowsy voice finally answered, sounding groggy: “Hello…”

From He Linzhou’s tone, it seemed this might be a lost cause. Since he couldn’t go back for the report himself, Wen Xunchuan carefully chose his words, politely asking, “I left a brown envelope with a stack of documents on my desk. Could you bring it over if you’re free?”

“Huh?” He Linzhou’s voice was thick with sleepiness. “Is it urgent?”

“Very. I need it soon.”

There was a rustling noise over the phone, like fabric brushing against fabric.

To his surprise, He Linzhou agreed rather straightforwardly, “Alright, I’ll head over now.”

Only about half an hour later, He Linzhou’s call came through.

“Your hospital’s main entrance and side entrance are both blocked. I can’t get in.”

Wen Xunchuan walked toward the exit, saying, “Hold on a bit. I’ll come down to get it.”

As he stepped out of the clinic building, he was immediately hit by the deafening blare of a loudspeaker near the entrance. A woman’s mournful wails came from the poor-quality speaker, sharp and grating.

Rubbing his ears, Wen Xunchuan quickened his pace.

He pushed open the iron gate by the security booth, which had a white banner hanging on it, and was immediately confronted by a man in mourning clothes who grabbed the collar of his white coat, snarling, “You’re a doctor, right? You’re a doctor?”

As he held onto him, he turned and shouted to his companions, “Brother Biao, there’s a doctor out here. Come over!”

Frowning, Wen Xunchuan tried to push the man’s hand away, patiently saying, “We’ve already reported to the higher-ups, please try to calm down…”

“Calm down my ass! Black-hearted hospital! Pay up!” The man’s spit nearly sprayed onto Wen Xunchuan’s face.

Struggling to hold back his anger, Wen Xunchuan reasoned, “I understand you’re upset as the family, but please let go, and we can talk properly. This isn’t going to solve anything.”

“Understand? What the hell do you understand?” A burly man glared at him, storming over. “If your father died in the hospital, would you understand? Pay up and stop wasting my time!”

Hearing this, Wen Xunchuan’s expression immediately darkened. He was done being polite, raising his arm to brush off the man’s grip with a cold tone, “Compensation matters are something for you and our upper management to discuss. I’m just a small-time doctor; I don’t make these decisions.”

The burly man shoved him hard in the chest, unreasonable as ever. “If things were settled, would I still be here?”

Wen Xunchuan straightened his crumpled collar, looking up with a cold gaze. “Then take it to the police, or if that doesn’t work, go to court. What’s the point of making a scene here?”

The man’s face twisted in surprise, clearly not expecting this soft-spoken doctor to talk back. His expression turned ugly, his eyes bulging with rage, and he raised his fist. “What did you say? Go on, say it again!”

Wen Xunchuan narrowed his eyes, ready to block, but a hand reached out from behind, grabbing the raised arm before he could.

Unnoticed, He Linzhou had squeezed his way through the crowd. Looking down at the man who turned to stare at him, his gaze was sharp and cold. He leaned in, his voice dangerously low, “Try laying another finger on him, and see what happens.”