Chapter 26

When Qin Chuan returned to the doctor's station, he was already suffering from a sore back and aching waist. He had been busy all day, conducting experiments and then rushing to perform several hours of emergency treatment. Although he was young, he wasn't made of iron. Plus, he had worked a late shift the previous day. By this point, he was extremely drowsy and didn't even notice the system ding.

He slumped onto the table and fell asleep immediately.

"Doctor Qin..." Jiang Lingling came over with a bag of late-night snacks, only to see Qin Chuan sleeping on the table.

"Lingling, you're too good to Qin Chuan. What delicious food did you bring? Let me help Qin Chuan eat it," Gao Zhanting said with a smile.

"Sister Zhanting, why are you teasing me?" Jiang Lingling took out a box from the bag and handed it to Gao Zhanting.

"Do I get a share too?" Gao Zhanting took it without hesitation.

"Everyone gets a share," Jiang Lingling said with a smile.

"What? Is Lingling trying to take Director Cheng's position? This should be Director Cheng's job!" He Xuedong said with a laugh.

"Who? Who wants to take my position? Is it you, Xuedong?" Cheng Guanhua walked in.

Qin Chuan sat up, rubbing his eyes: "Aren't you all tired yet? I worked a late shift last night and I'm so sleepy now."

"Someone brought you late-night snacks, and we're just enjoying them too," He Xiaokang said with a smile.

"Why can't all this food shut your mouth?" Gao Zhanting rolled her eyes at He Xiaokang.

"Oh, so much delicious food. I'm just hungry too," Cheng Guanhua didn't hesitate, walked into the department, and joined the young people, grabbing a skewer of meat and stuffing it into his mouth.

"Usually, we doctors advise patients not to eat street food because it's unhygienic. But can we really control our own mouths?" Gao Zhanting said with a smile.

"That's true. It's not our fault we can't control our mouths. After a busy day, it's great to have a chance to relax and eat something warm. Who cares about hygiene at that moment?" He Xuedong said, eating with large bites, his words muffled.

Gao Zhanting slapped He Xuedong's hand: "That's enough. Leave some for Qin Chuan. He's the main person here."

"Qin Chuan himself isn't in a hurry, so why are you?" He Xuedong pulled his hand back but kept his eyes on the bag in Jiang Lingling's hand.

Jiang Lingling was anxious inside but didn't want to say it out loud.

"Qin Chuan is my brother. Can't I protect him? Or do you think I only call you Sister Zhanting and protect you?" Gao Zhanting said.

"I'm afraid of making you sound old," He Xuedong scratched his head.

"Doctor Qin, have some?" Jiang Lingling handed the bag to Qin Chuan.

Cheng Guanhua said with a smile: "Everyone has worked hard today. After eating, take a good rest. I'm full and will go back to sleep."

Cheng Guanhua left.

Gao Zhanting looked at Cheng Guanhua's back and said: "This iron rooster!"

"Xiao Gao, if you have the guts, say it to his face," He Xuedong said.

"I'm too lazy to say it. Do you really think I'm afraid?" Gao Zhanting said.

"Thank you." Qin Chuan took the bag from Jiang Lingling, laid out the food on the table, and said, "Have you eaten yet? Let's eat together."

Jiang Lingling nodded happily, moved a chair, and sat next to Qin Chuan to eat.

"Hey, why isn't Wu Xiaoming here? Everyone in the department is here, but he's not," Gao Zhanting said.

"He has an uncle who is a deputy director. If you had an uncle like that, you wouldn't come either," He Xiaokang said.

"How do you know that?" Gao Zhanting asked.

"This guy greeted Deputy Director Zheng when he finished his shift this morning, calling him uncle. He even left in Deputy Director Zheng's car. It's said that after Director Ye retires, Deputy Director Zheng is likely to take over," He Xiaokang said with a smile.

"Wow! Your information is quite reliable!" Gao Zhanting said.

"I have a classmate who works at the Health Bureau. It's said that Deputy Director Zheng has a strong backer in the Health Department. If everything goes well, Director Ye might be transferred to a department in the Health Department, and then Deputy Director Zheng will take over," He Xiaokang said.

"No wonder he's so arrogant! He just hangs around in our emergency department. We work ourselves to death, and he acts like an outsider. Even Director Cheng turns a blind eye. Now I understand," Gao Zhanting said.

Jiang Lingling wasn't very interested in what He Xiaokang and the others were saying. Her focus was entirely on Qin Chuan: "I didn't know what you like to eat, so I bought some random things."

"I'm not picky. Thank you. I had your breakfast this morning and now your late-night snacks. I should treat you one day," Qin Chuan said.

"No need," Jiang Lingling felt happy inside.

"What do you mean no need? It's a must. How about tomorrow? You're on leave tomorrow, right? Qin Chuan is also on leave. You two can go shopping, watch a movie, and have dinner. That would be very romantic," Gao Zhanting said.

Jiang Lingling blushed deeply, feeling very shy.

Qin Chuan, being a boy, didn't feel much and said with a smile: "Sure. Jiang Lingling, are you free tomorrow?"

"Free, free," Jiang Lingling said quickly.

"Great, I'll take you to a movie tomorrow, and then we'll have dinner," Qin Chuan said.

"Okay," Jiang Lingling's voice was very soft, and her face was flushed red.

"I'll call you tomorrow," Qin Chuan said.

It was already very late, so Qin Chuan didn't go home and stayed in the hospital dormitory for the night. When he woke up, it was already past nine.

"Oh no, I said I would go out with Jiang Lingling this morning!" Qin Chuan quickly got up, washed up, and rushed out.

Fortunately, he had a couple of spare sets of clothes in the changing room. Emergency doctors usually keep one or two sets of clothes there in case of emergencies, so they have clean clothes to change into. Even though they wear work uniforms, they can't go around in just a shirt and pants.

When Qin Chuan walked into the department, Jiang Lingling had already prepared breakfast and had been waiting for a long time.

"Did you wait long? Why didn't you call me?" Qin Chuan said.

"Not long, I just got here. I didn't want to disturb your rest. You haven't had a good night's sleep for a few days," Jiang Lingling said.

"Okay, let's go together then?" Qin Chuan ignored the winks and nods from the others. He did have a good impression of Jiang Lingling. Although they weren't at the level of a romantic relationship yet, it wouldn't hurt to develop it. During his time as an emergency doctor, Qin Chuan had also realized a problem: doctors really don't have time for a passionate romance or to pursue romance. Maybe finding a colleague was the best choice.