Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Nan Mu’s injuries were severe. Fearing that Xu Yang might not be able to provide the necessary care, Yu Jingtong came over specifically to give him instructions. “The abdominal wound was caused by a knife, so he must avoid any strenuous movement. Don’t let him sit up too often; keep him lying flat like this. If he needs to use the restroom, you must support him. Don’t let him exert any force himself, or the sutures in his abdomen might tear repeatedly…”

Yu Jingtong spent three or four minutes listing precautions alone. Xu Yang kept his pen moving, taking diligent notes.

“Other than that, there isn’t much else,” Yu Jingtong added after a moment of thought. “If there’s anything you’re unsure about, ask first. Don’t take matters into your own hands.”

With that, she pushed open the ward door and called out, “Panpan!”

A young nurse in her early twenties came running over immediately.

“Dr. Yu, do you need help with something?”

Yu Jingtong gestured for Panpan to come closer and looked at Xu Yang. “If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask Panpan first. Panpan, this is the patient’s assistant, Xu Yang. When you have a moment, check on this ward more often. Keep an eye on the patient’s recovery and explain any precautions to him.”

“Sure thing, Dr. Yu. Don’t you worry.”

===

Initially, Panpan had been quite nervous when she was assigned to care for the patient in Private Ward 503. She had heard many seniors say that the entire seventh floor of Inpatient Building 2 was comprised of private wards, and those who stayed there were either incredibly wealthy or highly influential.

The patients there were used to a lifetime of luxury and flattery, so they tended to look down on everyone. They treated nurses like their own domestic servants, ordering them around without a shred of politeness. On top of that, being ill made them irritable, leading to frequent outbursts of temper. While nurses expected to encounter difficult patients, the ones on that floor were considered the worst of the worst.

Back then, she had been somewhat naive and asked her seniors curiously, “If they’re so arrogant and overbearing in the hospital, doesn’t anyone do anything about it?”

Her seniors laughed at her. “Who would? Those people hold high positions and have power and money. You youngsters are just too simple-do you actually believe what the department heads and the Director say? In front of us, of course they’ll say they’re fighting for our rights. But if you actually get into a conflict with those people, the higher-ups will be too busy begging for mercy themselves to speak up for you.”

“It’s the 21st century… is it really still that dark? Aren’t they afraid of public opinion?”

Her seniors burst into laughter. “Silly girl. You see one or two exposed scandals online and think every injustice in the world can be brought to light? Don’t be foolish! What you see is only what they want you to see. What they don’t want you to see is suppressed so deeply you’ll never get a glimpse of it. To put it bluntly, if a story actually breaks, it’s either because the person involved wasn’t that powerful to begin with, or there’s an even bigger power behind the scenes trying to take them down.”

“Exactly. In short, don’t be too naive. Avoid conflict with those people whenever possible. If they want to curse at you, let them. Just endure it and it’ll pass. If you really cross them, a quick end would be a mercy. The real fear is when they use a ‘soft knife’ to wear you down-not letting you die, but not letting you live either. They’ll grind away your spirit and your dignity until you’re eventually forced to kneel at their feet and apologize…”
Panpan felt a sense of unease at the words. “What era are we living in? Those older nurses are making it sound so terrifying. Does that kind of thing really happen? How come I’ve never encountered it before?”

“It’s normal that you haven’t. You were a student before this; who could you have possibly met? Besides, everyone’s social circles are fixed. You belong to a certain circle, and the people you know are from that same circle. Everyone is more or less on the same level, so who could really push anyone else around? Anyway, just remember: money and power are effective no matter the era or the place. There’s no such thing as an impossible task, only chips that haven’t been negotiated properly.”

It was precisely because she had listened to these “pearls of wisdom” from her seniors that Panpan had been worried the patient in Room 503 would be picky and difficult to serve. But to her surprise, the patient in 503 had been in a coma at first, and since waking up, he had been working constantly. Aside from her daily rounds to change his dressings and give him injections, there wasn’t much else for her to do. It was actually much more relaxed than working in the general ward.

As they spent more time together, her initial anxiety gradually faded, and she regained her usual composure.

“What time is it? Why are you still working? You need more rest; staying up late isn’t good for your wound recovery.” When Panpan went for her evening rounds, she pushed the door open to find the two men still buried in work.

“Yes, yes, you’re right.” Xu Yang was actually exhausted, but seeing his boss still reviewing reports, he hadn’t dared to bring it up. Now that Panpan had spoken up for him, he naturally chimed in, “President Nan, why don’t you look at the rest tomorrow?”

In reality, they didn’t need to be this busy. It was mainly because Nan Mu had been away from the company for a week, and the backlog of affairs was simply too much. Xu Yang had already handled everything he could, but there were some things he couldn’t manage-things that Nan Mu had to review personally.

Nan Mu glanced at the time. “Alright, let’s call it a day.”

Seeing that the patient was being cooperative, Panpan left after completing her routine check.

Xu Yang, meanwhile, was reporting Nan Mu’s condition over the past few days to Qiu Ziyu.

Qiu Ziyu was afraid of disturbing Nan Mu’s rest, so he didn’t dare call him directly. He called Xu Yang every time instead. If he knew Nan Mu was still being such a “Workaholic King” while lying in a hospital bed, he would definitely scold him.

“He’s recovering quite well… Right, Officer Qiu, don’t you worry…”

Nan Mu overheard the conversation. Once Xu Yang hung up, Nan Mu couldn’t help but ask, “What has he been busy with these past two days? I haven’t seen hide nor hair of him.”

“Officer Qiu didn’t mention it,” Xu Yang speculated. “But I imagine he’s busy with that big case from a few days ago?”

“What case?”

“The one I saw on the news. They said a body was found buried at the foot of Lion Mountain, claiming someone committed murder and dumped the corpse there. It’s caused quite a stir, and all the media outlets are racing to report on it. It’s a total mess. So, I’m guessing Officer Qiu and his team are probably getting a headache over this case.” Xu Yang’s words served as a reminder to Nan Mu.

Since his return, he had been injured, and aside from a brief chat with Qiu Ziyu about his own injuries that day, he had forgotten to mention other important matters.

Thinking of this, he could no longer lie still. Taking advantage of the gap while Xu Yang went out to wash up, he dialed Qiu Ziyu’s number.