Chapter 360: Returning to the Provincial Capital: A Night of Family and Duty

Back in the provincial capital, Zhou Can and Su Qianqian returned to his apartment by Baying Lake.

Usually, Su Qianqian and Wei Fang were the main ones living there.

Wei Fang had rented a one-bedroom unit on the first floor of another building so her grandma could stay with her.

As Su Qianqian’s celebrity continued to rise, security had become a real concern. Fortunately, the capital was relatively safe—so long as she kept a low profile and had a professional bodyguard, things were under control.

“Can, it’s rare for both of us to have the day off. I’ll head out to buy some groceries and cook for you tonight! You barely ate a thing at lunch before rushing to the hospital to save Huanhuan.”

Feeling sorry for her boyfriend, Su Qianqian pulled out snacks for Zhou Can to tide him over.

“Sounds great! It’s been ages since we went to the market together!”

Zhou Can agreed happily.

Qianqian was not just beautiful—she could really cook. Zhou Can’s dream life was to finish work, take her hand, stroll through the market, shop for food, and make dinner together.

That simple, ordinary routine made him feel true warmth—a feeling of home.

Su Qianqian cherished every single moment they shared as well.

Having met his parents this time, their relationship was even more solid—moving in together was just around the corner.

“Wei Fang, you’ve been gone five days. You should visit your grandma first! When we finish cooking, we’ll call you over to eat—and save a plate for your grandma too.”

Zhou Can paid attention to little details like this, winning hearts and making Wei Fang even more loyal to him.

“Thank you, boss! Thank you, ma’am!”

Wei Fang thanked them both with a big smile.

“Who are you calling ma’am?” Su Qianqian said shyly.

“You’ve already met the boss’s parents, and you two are this close. Calling you ma’am just feels right!” Though usually stone-faced, Wei Fang had grown comfortable enough around them to joke back.

She was finally bold enough to tease them a little.

“Well said, well said! You’ll get a bonus this month.”

Zhou Can burst out laughing.

Su Qianqian’s cheeks turned even redder, and she pinched him hard.

“Ma’am, let’s go! Time to shop for groceries!”

Zhou Can took her hand, and they left together.

With him around, five or six bodyguards wouldn’t be necessary. Even three or four tough guys couldn’t stand up to Zhou Can.

At the market, Su Qianqian picked out all his favorite foods. It was a small gesture, but it moved Zhou Can deeply.

She really treated him well.

With two bulging bags of groceries, Su Qianqian walked home grinning from ear to ear like a little girl.

“Darling, if you could shop with me every day, cook at home and live together, that’d be wonderful! After meeting your parents and seeing how loving they are, I really want a home of my own too.”

It seemed something had changed in her on the way home.

Her desire to settle down felt more urgent than ever.

“That’s easy! Tonight, I’ll stay over and keep you company.”

Zhou Can’s heart was pounding—tonight, they’d finally share the same bed.

It had taken two long years to get here—no easy feat.

“Mm!”

She agreed, a little shy but without protest.

Zhou Can was over the moon. If he wasn’t weighed down with groceries, he’d have hugged her right there.

They went back, rolled up their sleeves, and cooked dinner together.

Su Qianqian’s cooking was flawless, every dish bringing Zhou Can incredible satisfaction.

Wei Fang was especially filial. She made sure to bring food to her grandma before eating herself. Only after Zhou Can and Qianqian finished did she return.

Maybe she was leaving them a little private time on purpose.

After dinner, Zhou Can looked forward to the evening ahead, pulling Su Qianqian close on the couch to watch TV.

After eating, Wei Fang busied herself cleaning up, putting the dishes in the dishwasher.

With Qianqian’s improved finances, they’d upgraded a lot of their appliances.

Zhou Can hugged his beloved watching TV, but his mind was clearly elsewhere.

Su Qianqian seemed to sense what he was thinking. Her cheeks stayed rosy, and she looked adorably shy.

“I’m going to take a shower! Hours in the car have left me wiped out.”

She got up, grabbed fresh clothes from the bedroom, and headed to the bathroom.

Left on the couch, Zhou Can played with his phone. Yet with his head full of distractions, not even his favorite medical books could hold his attention.

Just then, his phone rang.

It was his cousin.

It was close to eight at night—his cousin should have arrived in the provincial capital with Uncle by now.

“Hai, are you in the city yet?”

Zhou Can asked.

“We got to Tuyu Hospital before seven.” Zhou Hai sounded a little tired.

“Good, so Uncle’s admitted?” Zhou Can asked.

They’d been at the hospital for over an hour now, and Uncle’s condition was serious. That should have been enough time to handle the paperwork.

“Don’t get me started! We’re still stuck outside the Emergency Department’s resuscitation room. At big hospitals, the queues are endless—just waiting in line took half an hour. I heard from other families that most departments close up early.”

His cousin let out all his grievances.

“You need to head for the Cardiothoracic Center. That’s the fast lane.”

Zhou Can knew the hospital’s intake procedures well.

Both the Emergency Department and the Cardiothoracic Center were open 24/7. The Emergency Department at Tuyu mainly worked as a triage station, taking in all kinds of patients, then handing them to the right specialists.

The Cardiothoracic Center was different—jointly run by the Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery departments, it dealt specifically with chest pain and heart problems.

“No luck. I asked a nurse and she told me to stay in Emergency.”

Back in the county, his cousin was at least a deputy division-level official in the health system. Here in the capital, his status meant nothing—he got no special treatment, no different from any ordinary citizen.

“Can, since you work here, is there any way to help Dad cut the line? The nurses and doctors from the County People’s Hospital are still waiting—they’re worried about leaving Dad unadmitted in case something happens.”

His cousin lowered his voice.

The County People’s Hospital had not only provided a special ambulance but also sent a doctor and nurse along to keep Uncle safe.

Normally, major hospitals wouldn’t send their own ambulances on such long-distance transfers.

Families usually had to pay big money for private ambulances.

They weren’t unlicensed per se, but hardly mainstream.

Some would operate under the hospital’s name and take cases the regular ambulances wouldn’t.

For instance, shuttling patients to bigger hospitals or back home—jobs regular ambulances refused.

Zhou Can knew Director Lu and Director Wang from the County People’s Hospital, and they’d gone out of their way to do him this favor.

This was why his uncle received so much help.

His cousin understood and was deeply grateful.

He’d never forget Zhou Can’s kindness.

He really had no other choice tonight—otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering Zhou Can.

“Keep your phone on. I’ll call, then head out—it’ll take me about forty or fifty minutes to get to the hospital.”

Zhou Can’s place wasn’t close to Tuyu Hospital.

Even with no traffic, it’d be nearly a fifty-minute drive.

“Alright, I’ll wait for you!”

Relieved that Zhou Can would help, his cousin finally relaxed.

After hanging up, Zhou Can sighed. So much for tonight’s plan with Su Qianqian. Just when she’d finally agreed, too—what a cruel twist of fate.

But with Uncle unable to get admitted, he had no choice but to step in.

“Qianqian, Qianqian!”

“What’s up?”

Hearing the urgency in his voice, Su Qianqian thought he just couldn’t wait any longer.

She muttered to herself that men really are all the same.

“My uncle can’t get admitted at Tuyu Hospital, so I need to go help sort things out. I can’t stay tonight—make sure you go to bed early.”

Zhou Can was full of reluctant regret.

But what could he do? His uncle had always looked after him. Now it was time to return the favor.

There’d be plenty more chances for him and Qianqian in the future.

That’s what he told himself, anyway.

He left the building, flagged a cab, and headed straight for Tuyu Hospital.

On the way, he called Director Lou from the Emergency Department.

He’d thought of calling Dr. Xu, but Dr. Xu only ran the Emergency Department’s operating room. Director Lou was the real leader—much more effective.

Calling the boss got things done.

The phone rang twice before it was picked up.

“Xiao Zhou, you wouldn’t call this late unless it’s something important!” Director Lou greeted him warmly.

“Sorry to bother you so late. My uncle had a heart attack, and the county hospital couldn’t manage. He’s been at Tuyu for over an hour, but can’t get admitted; could you help us out?”

Zhou Can explained the situation as simply as possible.

Director Lou was the no-nonsense type—hesitation only got you scolded.

“What’s your uncle’s name?”

“Zhou Guogan!”

“Leave it to me. I’ll handle it.”

With that, Director Lou hung up.

……

After talking to Zhou Can, his cousin still felt uneasy. This was a major provincial hospital—could Zhou Can really pull enough strings to get Uncle admitted?

But only a few minutes later, the same nurse who’d helped them before hurried over.

“Bring the patient into the resuscitation room!”

Her attitude was completely different now, even helping push the gurney herself.

His cousin was thrilled—finally, Dad could get treatment. Zhou Can really was remarkable; just a quick call and even this frosty nurse had changed her tune.

The patients without connections had no choice but to keep waiting in pain, quietly lining up.

Connections could be life-saving in moments like this.

“Our Deputy Director Han will personally come to assess the patient. Please wait here for a bit.”

The nurse told his cousin.

“Thank you so much!”

His cousin breathed an enormous sigh of relief, shocked by the weight Zhou Can carried.

He’d managed to call in a department director for a personal consult at Tuyu Hospital—that was no small feat.

“Which hospital are you from?”

“We’re the paramedics from Xinhai City People’s Hospital ambulance!”

“That’s quite a distance from here! This must be far outside your hospital’s usual ambulance work, huh?” The nurse was really surprised.

“Ha, if this were any ordinary patient, we’d never have agreed. But this is Dr. Zhou Can’s uncle—our Director gave personal orders, we had no choice!”

The accompanying nurse was a bit of a gossip—she couldn’t help sharing everything.

But she knew her boundaries. It was only after seeing Zhou Can’s call result in immediate admission that she dropped his name—to build some goodwill.

“Oh, so you know Dr. Zhou Can! You should’ve said so! No wonder Director Lou called in person to make sure everything was handled quickly.” This nurse was none other than Ye Tingting.

She shuttled between the observation ward and the resuscitation room, always pitching in where needed.

Wherever help was needed, she was there.

“Hey, tell me—is Dr. Zhou Can really important at your hospital? Just curious, that’s all.”

“Do you mean his medical skills or his position?”

Ye Tingting chuckled.

“I know he’s skilled. I heard about him saving a heart patient at our County People’s Hospital—did a heart stent surgery in just minutes. I’m talking about his stature in your hospital!”

That nurse’s thirst for gossip was truly unmatched.

Truth be told, most women just love a bit of gossip.

“Dr. Zhou’s standing here is definitely high! Otherwise, there’s no way he could call Director Lou directly.” Ye Tingting praised Zhou Can with pride.

“Got it. Thanks for telling me! Too bad I’ve never actually seen Dr. Zhou—I only know he’s really young.” The nurse nodded, satisfied.

Just then, Deputy Director Han Changqing from Emergency Medicine walked in.

“Which one is Zhou Guogan?”

He asked as soon as he entered.

The resuscitation room had several beds, and it was crowded.

“Here, over here!”

Ye Tingting waved to get his attention.

“This is our Deputy Director Han from Internal Emergency.” She introduced him to the family.

It was only for Zhou Can’s sake that she went out of her way to do it.

“Let me see the test results.”

Han Changqing already knew the county hospital couldn’t handle the case—that’s why they’d transferred him.

After reviewing the results, he stayed calm.

“The patient’s condition is indeed severe. He’ll likely need to transfer to Cardiology tomorrow, but beds there are tight. He’ll have to wait until a spot opens up. For tonight, he’ll stay in the resuscitation room; I’ll personally oversee his meds.”

Han Changqing updated the family.

“Thank you, Doctor! I just needed to know Dad’s in the hospital—we were so worried about having to wait outside.” His cousin’s biggest fear was being stuck out in the hall.

It was true that hospitals have a duty to treat critical patients, but if treatment is delayed, the consequences fall on the family.

Cases of patients dying because help was too slow, and families suing the hospital, happened all the time.

But families who actually won these cases were rare.

And even if they did win, no amount of compensation could bring back their loved ones.

“You’re Dr. Zhou Can’s family. There’s no need to be so polite.” Han Changqing was very warm. “We’re handling the patient now—you can send the ambulance back.”

“Thanks again.”

The paramedics had wanted to leave long ago. They’d had to wait because Zhou Can’s uncle hadn’t been admitted yet.

All that waiting ended up being worthwhile.

At least they’d learned how much sway Zhou Can held at Tuyu Hospital. If Director Wang or Director Lu asked, they’d have good stories to tell.

His cousin saw the ambulance crew off, and stuffed a red envelope into each of their hands—even the driver’s.

Even so, hiring a private ambulance would have cost way more.