CHAPTER 80: CHAPTER 75: CAN YOU AFFORD THE BILL? (SEEKING VOTES!)

Xiao Lin lingered on the playground for a while, leaving at seven thirty, and ended up being a few minutes late to the hospital. However, the campus hospital has never been too strict. There aren’t many patients coming here, so doctors aren’t particularly keen on being punctual. Being less than thirty minutes late doesn’t count as being late, so no one said anything.

Maybe the novelty wore off, but today there were noticeably fewer students coming to the emergency room compared to a few days ago. It wasn’t as exaggerated as before. Because the emergency room gained some fame in the school these past few days, other departments received a boost, and now several students prefer to visit the campus hospital.

Along the way, many nurses took the initiative to greet Xiao Lin. Xiao Lin didn’t expect to be so popular and, rubbing his chin in a somewhat narcissistic manner, said, "Could it be that I’ve gotten more handsome again?"

He strolled into the office where Li Jingyi was handing a patient over to a nurse to be taken to the infusion room. As for the two doctors who came to assist yesterday, seeing that there weren’t many people in the emergency room today, and their departments were unusually busy with several patients early in the morning, so they didn’t come to help.

"By the way, Dr. Xiao, the director asked you to write a report about the patient you discovered yesterday and send it to the epidemic prevention station!" Li Jingyi said directly when she saw Xiao Lin come in.

"Okay! No problem!" Xiao Lin nodded. Even without Li Jingyi’s reminder, he knew the report needed to be written. Then he added, "By the way, Director Li, Xia Xue isn’t feeling well these days and might need to take leave from you!"

Li Jingyi looked at Xiao Lin, a trace of regret appearing in her eyes, but with patients around, she thought it wasn’t the right time to ask more questions. She nodded and said, "Alright, I got it!"

Although the students’ enthusiasm had faded, Xiao Lin’s excellent medical skills, along with his good looks, attracted many students with genuine health issues to seek his consultation. It wasn’t as hectic as the previous days, but neither was it as leisurely as he had heard it would be before coming here.

It remained busy until around ten o’clock. After the last patient was sent away from the emergency room, and with no more patients waiting outside, Li Jingyi finally turned to Xiao Lin and asked, "Dr. Xiao, I heard you left work with Dr. Xia last night?"

"Yes, is there anything strange about that?" Xiao Lin replied, with a trace of dissatisfaction in his tone.

Li Jingyi felt a bit of helplessness hearing Xiao Lin’s words, but she continued speaking in her elder capacity, "Dr. Xiao, you’re a young and promising doctor, and also very handsome. However, some women are not suitable for ordinary people like us!" Clearly, she was referring to Xia Xue.

Xiao Lin frowned, but considering that Li Jingyi meant well, he softened his tone and said, "Director Li, I understand your concern, but the Xia Family I know might be very different from what you’ve heard. I think she’s quite alright!"

Li Jingyi hadn’t expected Xiao Lin to directly bring up Xia Xue, causing her to smile awkwardly. She said, "Actually, I didn’t mean it that way. Yesterday, you saw Fatty Wang, right? I heard he’s quite influential. Xia Xue’s family seems to be very wealthy and influential too. We ordinary people can’t afford to offend people like them!"

Seeing that Li Jingyi was concerned for his well-being, Xiao Lin didn’t want to be too harsh. He nodded and said, "Director Li, I can handle it. You don’t need to worry about this. If there’s nothing else, I’ll head off to deliver the report now!"

"Go ahead, then," Li Jingyi sighed silently in her heart. In her view, even though Xiao Lin graduated from Harvard Medical School and would surely distinguish himself in the medical field, attracting many beautiful women, there was no need to pursue a woman with such a notorious reputation. Moreover, contending with what seems like a powerful rival doesn’t seem worthwhile.

After tidying up his things, Xiao Lin walked straight out of the hospital. Just as he was about to retrieve his car, a stretch limousine stopped at the hospital entrance. The doors opened, and out stepped two men in suits, clearly bodyguards. Their robust builds and commanding presence were quite noticeable.

The two bodyguards glanced at Xiao Lin, then walked toward him. One of the bodyguards asked politely, "Excuse me, are you Dr. Xiao Lin?"

Xiao Lin was puzzled. In Yanjing, apart from knowing the flamboyant Hua Qingyi, he didn’t know anyone of status. Nevertheless, he replied, "Yes, I am Xiao Lin!"

"Our boss would like a word with you," the bodyguard said politely.

Xiao Lin isn’t someone to throw unnecessary tantrums, especially since these bodyguards were polite. However, he was unwilling to meet someone without understanding the situation. He asked, "May I know who your boss is? Do I know them?"

"You may not know our boss, but you definitely know our miss. Her name is Xia Xue, and this is what our boss instructed us to say!" the bodyguard replied.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lin felt unnerved. He had only been with Xia Xue last night, and now her family was already looking for him. That was quick!

With things having reached this point, Xiao Lin had no choice but to say, "Lead the way, please." Internally, he felt a bit uneasy. After all, encountering the father-in-law so soon was unlikely a good sign. Surely, he wouldn’t say, "Since you’re living with my daughter now, I’ll hand her over to you."

The two bodyguards led Xiao Lin to the front of the limousine, then opened the car door for him, saying, "Please!"

This limo was quite luxurious, not like an ordinary car with seats placed horizontally but vertically arranged. From the outside, it didn’t seem very spacious, but upon seeing the interior, Xiao Lin thought to himself: it’s truly luxurious.

A middle-aged man sat in the car, appearing to be in his early forties. With a square face, he exuded an aura of dignity and authority. Xiao Lin wasn’t intimidated by the man’s presence, but given his own guilt, he couldn’t help but move cautiously as he got into the car.

"My bodyguards should have told you who I am, right?" The middle-aged man asked directly without any excess words once Xiao Lin was on board.

"Yes, hello, Uncle Xia!" Xiao Lin felt that the middle-aged man’s demeanor towards him wasn’t particularly friendly, though he still maintained the necessary courtesies.

"I won’t waste words. How much money do you need to leave Xia Xue? Write the amount on the check," Xia Xue’s father said, not even bothering with introductions. He tossed a checkbook and pen in front of Xiao Lin, displaying a rather domineering attitude.

Xiao Lin chuckled coldly and picked up the checkbook and pen thrown by Xia Xue’s father. As per Xia Xue’s father’s assumption, he wrote his desired amount on the check, then tossed it on the table, saying lightly, "If you can afford this sum, I’ll leave Xia Xue without a second thought!"