Chapter 346: Chapter 343: Presenting a Silk Banner
After taking the call, Zhang Hao immediately regretted it.
Xia Jing had already arrived at the hospital entrance and insisted on him coming out to meet her.
The hospital was not a hotel; there was no need for a greeter.
But he couldn’t stand up to Xia Jing’s persistent nagging, so Zhang Hao stepped out of his department anyway.
Lin Wan and Qin Miaoke exchanged glances upon witnessing this scene.
"Lin Wan, what do you think is going on with Mr. Zhang lately? Doesn’t he have a girlfriend? Why is he still getting so close to other women?"
Lin Wan threw up her hands, "I don’t get it either. Maybe it’s a common problem for good-looking people. Even though they’re taken, there’s still a bunch of women throwing themselves at them."
Qin Miaoke pulled Lin Wan aside, "Lin Wan, do you know how long Mr. Zhang has been dating his girlfriend?"
Lin Wan had only half-understood this issue, and it wasn’t right to answer casually.
Whether it was right or wrong, it would be seen as spreading rumors and causing trouble.
"Not sure," said Lin Wan.
"I think the two of them have a very close relationship. They must have been together for quite some time."
"At one point, I almost crossed the line with Mr. Zhang, beyond just friendship."
"But at that time, he seemed to deliberately avoid me, which kept me from succeeding."
"However, Lin Wan, you’re luckier, at least you’ve had a few unforgettable experiences with Mr. Zhang."
Hearing Qin Miaoke say this, Lin Wan felt even more depressed.
"Don’t talk like that, I’d rather not have those experiences now."
The past memories were things that Lin Wan now preferred not to recall voluntarily.
Qin Miaoke could tell that Lin Wan’s expression was off.
"Lin Wan, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up a painful subject. I won’t mention it again."
Even if it was a painful memory, it was Lin Wan’s own misfortune in meeting the wrong person; it was not something Qin Miaoke could be blamed for.
At the hospital entrance, Zhang Hao waited left and right but couldn’t see Xia Jing.
He messaged her to ask where exactly she was, but there was no reply.
As time went by without a sign of her, Zhang Hao’s patience dwindled, and he couldn’t keep the patient waiting any longer.
Just as he was about to turn around, he heard Xia Jing’s voice.
"Mr. Zhang, wait a moment."
Zhang Hao turned around and saw Xia Jing running over, taking three steps at a time.
The crucial part was that she was holding something in her hand.
"Didn’t you say you were at the entrance already?"
"I was at the entrance, but then I realized I forgot something in the car, so I went back to get it."
Xia Jing had a clear memory of the location of the Traditional Chinese Medicine department on the second floor, east side of the hospital. She grabbed Zhang Hao’s hand and headed straight to the second floor.
Upon reaching the department entrance, Xia Jing unfurled the item she was holding; it turned out to be a banner.
Zhang Hao was somewhat surprised by this gesture, as all he did was take Xia Jing’s pulse and prescribe some medicine for her stomach ailment.
Any other doctor could have done the same; it was hardly enough to merit the gift of a banner.
Xia Jing held the banner high, parading around the department to make sure everyone knew why she was there.
Lin Wan recognized Xia Jing immediately and surmised that this woman’s relationship with Zhang Hao was no ordinary one.
However, Lin Wan’s reaction was muted; she just stood aside, quietly watching.
"Mr. Zhang, thank you. If it hadn’t been for you, my sister could have died."
Xia Jing held the banner up to Zhang Hao’s face.
"Mr. Zhang, please accept it. You are our family’s lifesaver."
Looking at the words on the banner, Zhang Hao reluctantly accepted it.
"A doctor’s benevolence should not stand idly by in the face of death, especially since that hospital was not able to provide prompt treatment at the time."
"I did that solely out of professional ethics. If I were not a doctor, even if I wanted to save someone..."
"I probably wouldn’t have had the ability. I’ll accept this silk banner, but if there’s nothing else, I need to get back to work."
Xia Jing did not expect Zhang Hao’s words to be so unfeeling.
"Mr. Zhang, I came to present you with this silk banner. Shouldn’t you take a photo with me?"
"Or show some appreciation? Are you that eager to send me away?"
Zhang Hao turned his head and glanced at the patients waiting outside.
He said to Xia Jing, "Do you see those people? They are all waiting for me to treat them."
"If I hadn’t gone to find you, at least one patient would already know the status of their condition by now."
Xia Jing could tell that Zhang Hao was deliberately trying to embarrass her.
But she was no three-year-old girl who could be easily intimidated.
"Treating patients isn’t urgent at this very moment. After all, they’ve already been waiting for so long."
"What’s the harm in waiting another two minutes? I took a day off specially to bring you this banner, so I am much more sincere than they are."
Having no other choice given her persistence, Zhang Hao relented.
Fortunately, a colleague helped them take a photograph together, which was at least presentable.
Xia Jing looked at the photo and smiled contentedly.
"That’s more like it. If I need Mr. Zhang’s assistance again in the future, I hope Mr. Zhang will be generous. I won’t disturb your work any longer; I’m leaving first."
Watching Xia Jing leave satisfied, Zhang Hao carelessly tossed the silk banner aside.
Seeing this, a colleague couldn’t help joking, "Mr. Zhang, someone brought you that silk banner, how can you treat it like that? Don’t chill a patient’s heart."
"If you like it, you can take it. Otherwise, don’t talk nonsense in front of me," Zhang Hao said.
Knowing Zhang Hao’s attitude, the colleague knew better than to bother him.
After work, Zhang Hao left through the back door of the hospital; he didn’t want to run into Xia Jing accosting him again.
There was nothing between the two of them, but her actions made it increasingly seem as if there was something.
When he got home, Zhang Hao did not mention anything about what had happened during the day.
But feeling guilty, he specifically went to the supermarket downstairs before going up to his apartment to buy He Qianhui’s favorite peaches.
The peaches’ blushing tender flesh indicated that they must taste good.
Upon entering his home, He Qianhui was busy preparing dinner in the kitchen.
He saw her holding a knife, chopping something on the cutting board.
"What are we having for dinner tonight that requires your personal touch?"
"Didn’t you want to eat lamb meatball soup? I decided to make it today. When I was at the market, I saw the lamb was really fresh, so I bought some."
Seeing that dinner was not ready yet, Zhang Hao took out the peaches and placed them in the sink to soak in salt water.
From the corner of her eye, He Qianhui spotted the peaches and a happy smile appeared on her face.
"Today I saw that the peaches were not cheap."
"Even if they are expensive, as long as you want to eat them, I would beg on the streets just to get you one."
"Besides, it’s not like we are that poor, right?"
He Qianhui, tilting her head, continued to chop the meat. After about an hour, dinner was finally ready.
However, He Qianhui didn’t seem too keen on eating. She just held a peach in her hand, nibbling on it absentmindedly.
Zhang Hao, on the other hand, devoured bowl after bowl of lamb meatball soup.
"Your cooking is really good. Now I won’t have to worry about what to eat every day."
