Chapter 308: Making Amends, Crossing Paths

She lifted her head, those big dark eyes locked onto Zhou Can.

“You really want to apologize?”

“Does it look like I’m faking it to you?”

Zhou Can met her gaze head-on, not shying away in the slightest.

They say the eyes are the window to the soul. Facing her so openly, without flinching, that alone showed how sincere he was.

“Forget the fancy dinner at Xiya Hotel. I can’t take that kind of trouble, and honestly? The cost alone is enough to scare me off. If you really mean it, you should know what I actually want!”

She gave Zhou Can a long, quiet look, her tone finally softening first.

Zhou Can, of course, wasn’t clueless enough to think she wanted him to ask her out.

“So you’re after interview material?”

He tested the waters as he asked.

“Valuable interview material.” This was her living, after all, and naturally what mattered most to her.

“Any restrictions on the type?”

He pressed for details.

“No limits. If you hear anything in that area, just let me know.” Honestly, her request wasn’t so demanding.

It seemed like her anger was all on the surface—a little sweet talk and the air between them warmed instantly.

At the very least, she wasn’t giving him the cold shoulder anymore.

“Deal! I’ll keep an eye out, and as soon as I catch wind of anything, you’ll be the first to know, Reporter Mu.” Zhou Can handed her the toolkit back. “Thanks for all you’ve done for me behind the scenes!”

He even gave her a formal bow.

The sudden gesture took her completely by surprise.

“See you!”

The next moment, Zhou Can’s mood flipped just like that. He turned and left without a hint of hesitation.

Since she wouldn’t go out for dinner, his only option was to help her nail some big news story.

Lingering here making small talk just wasn’t his style.

“Who asked you to thank me anyway? Seriously!”

She muttered behind him, but her face finally broke into a faint smile—softer than before.

Clearly, Zhou Can’s earnest apology and gratitude finally untied the knot in her chest.

Thinking about it, she really had gone out of her way to promote Zhou Can—the literally unknown newcomer. The press release she wrote was packed with positive things about him. The station heads could spot her good intentions a mile away.

Of course they’d block her on that.

And listening to the photographer, Old Qin, it was clear she’d taken plenty of flak helping Zhou Can.

It wasn’t hard to figure out—so she’d pushed back hard, fighting for every word, just to get the story through when her boss wanted changes. She’d paid a price for his sake.

So this morning, she’d been all excited to share the good news, only for Zhou Can’s attitude to slap her right in the face.

No wonder she was in a terrible mood.

Now that Zhou Can lowered his pride, apologized, and coaxed her, she finally got to release all her pent-up frustration. That old grudge melted away instantly.

Old Qin, watching Zhou Can’s back as he walked away, couldn’t help sighing, “You’re just going to forgive him, just like that? That’s not your style, Bigshot Reporter Mu. Last time Boss Wang the sponsor invited you out, didn’t he pop an eighty-thousand-yuan bottle of wine?”

He’d honestly thought there’d be a fancy meal tonight. But Reporter Mu let Zhou Can off the hook right away.

“Boss Wang was only scheming after me; you can’t even compare him to Dr. Zhou. Dr. Zhou’s the decent type—I’d feel bad bleeding him dry. Besides, do you even know how little a trainee doctor makes? If I really made him pay for an expensive dinner, how would he survive?”

Mu Qing shot back.

“Hey! Don’t tell me that kid’s managed to sweet-talk you. How come you’re always sticking up for him, trying to see things from his side? I just wanted to help you vent after everything you went through!”

Old Qin was her colleague and had watched her whole behavior shift with his own eyes.

“That’s called being kind, got it?”

She defended herself with a grin.

“I think you’re worrying for nothing. Earlier, when I joked about asking him to buy us dinner at some hotel—whether I said it’d be eighteen grand a meal or nearly eighty thousand for a fancy bottle—the guy didn’t even blink. With my experience, maybe he’s some hidden rich guy.”

Old Qin had his own theories.

“Hidden rich guy? You need to lay off the novels and TV dramas! I’m heading home to write up my press release. Don’t forget to send me all the photos and videos from today!”

She waved her soft, slender right hand, the colorful wristbands and her fair arm clearly visible.

“Hey, you can’t expect the horse to run without feeding it! I haven’t even had dinner yet!” Old Qin called after her.

“Sort it out yourself!”

Without even looking back, she tossed the words over her shoulder and left.

Judging by the spring in her step, she was definitely in a much better mood.

Let’s leave Zhou Can heading back to the hospital cafeteria for dinner aside for now.

He’d showed up late—Director Zhang and the others were almost finished already.

“Dr. Zhou, want me to get you a meal?”

Ji You was delicately eating her dinner, but when Zhou Can walked over, she quickly stood to greet him.

“No, no, go ahead and eat! I’ll get my own.”

Zhou Can never acted like he was some little tyrant.

He lined up for food at the window, then brought his tray over to sit across from Ji You.

Nurse Chen Qingling and Dr. Pang were there too—both smiling as they greeted Zhou Can.

Especially Dr. Pang. Compared to the aloof way she’d treated him before, her attitude toward Zhou Can was completely transformed.

Probably ever since she almost caused big trouble trying to care for a pregnant woman in the resuscitation room, with Zhou Can covering for her. From then on, she’d become a lot warmer and more respectful toward him.

“Dr. Zhou, is that all you’re eating?”

Dr. Pang looked at him, actually concerned.

“I don’t like eating too much at dinner. Don’t want to end up with a big belly I can’t move!” Zhou Can joked.

“Ha! And here I thought only us women worried about eating too much! Dr. Zhou, you’re our deputy team leader, you need your strength for emergency cases. Eat up—you’ll need the energy for the unexpected!”

Middle-aged women could be pretty skilled with their words.

It sounded casual, but she was really complimenting him on his leadership.

“Rescues can’t depend on just me—it takes everyone working together. You three should eat more too!” Truth was, today had gone smoothly—no urgent cases at all.

He’d barely eaten a few bites when Director Zhang set her chopsticks down.

“I know everyone’s been working overtime lately, and our patient numbers have climbed. We’ve even pulled a few extra people just to handle the wards. Xinxiang Maternity and Child Hospital’s outpatient department got a tough patient today. She’s still under observation, not formally admitted yet, but from the initial doctor’s report, her case is hard to diagnose. After dinner, they’d like us to consult.”

No sooner had Director Zhang finished then the other specialists in the room agreed immediately.

“Let’s go to the conference room now—no sense making them wait any longer.” Obviously, Director Zhang knew everyone would say yes.

Things like this—unless someone really lacked social skills—were basically a given.

Even if you couldn’t help, just listening in would be worthwhile.

If nothing else, you gained their gratitude and a learning experience.

“Xiao Zhou, finish up and come to the conference room! We’ll head over first.” Director Zhang clearly valued him, reminding him specifically before leaving.

Zhou Can was a heavy hitter when it came to those difficult diagnoses.

He’d even occasionally outclassed Director Zhang Bihua with a critical insight.

“Alright, I’ll be there in a sec!”

Zhou Can sped up to finish his food.

As a doctor, sometimes you knew full well it was bad to eat too fast, you knew staying up late or irregular meals were unhealthy… But there was no choice. Everything was for the patients.

Working overtime was just routine.

Especially in critical care or the operating room—meals felt more like a battlefield.

By the time he finished eating and hurried to the conference room, the place was already full of doctors from Xinxiang Maternity and Child Hospital and Tuyu. Most were department heads.

They were already deep in discussion about the patient.

Zhou Can walked in, but the senior doctors from Xinxiang Maternity and Child Hospital barely noticed him.

Most just glanced his way and looked back.

“Xiao Zhou, come sit next to me—I saved you a spot!” Director Zhang Bihua clearly thought a lot of him, actually making space right by her side.

Zhou Can had hoped to slip quietly into the back row, but could only smile helplessly and head over.

“Director Zhang seems to have high hopes for that young doctor. Who is he?”

A short, somewhat stout woman in her sixties—clearly a leading expert at Xinxiang Maternity and Child Hospital—spoke up.

Her seat was next to Director Zhang Bihua, both front and center.

Etiquette mattered a lot here—status and ability determined your seat.

Those with seniority and skill sat up front.

“Let me introduce you. This is Zhou Can, an outstanding trainee doctor from Tuyu Hospital.”

Zhou Can gave a polite bow to the assembled doctors from Xinxiang Maternity and Child Hospital.

“As a junior, please guide me.”

He made sure to act humble—that was who he was.

Humble, eager to learn, respectful to all.

“Xiao Zhou, this is Professor Hu Wanjun, Director of Gynecology at Xinxiang Maternity and Child Hospital. She’s famous for her expertise in gynecological diseases—some even call her the hands of a goddess. She’s also highly skilled at treating rheumatoid arthritis.”

Given Director Zhang’s glowing introduction, this elderly woman with graying hair had to be someone with real weight.

“Ha, ‘hand of a goddess’ is far too much. That’s just the patients being dramatic. Dr. Zhou, please have a seat. Discussing this case will be a great learning opportunity for young doctors—you should listen in.”

Everyone loves a little public praise.

Director Zhang Bihua’s compliments had Professor Hu Wanjun smiling until wrinkles lined her eyes.

Clearly, she hadn’t realized how capable Zhou Can really was—just figured he was someone Director Zhang was mentoring.

If his seat hadn’t been a special one, she probably wouldn’t have bothered talking to him.

The Xinxiang Maternity and Child Hospital group included six doctors, all at least forty and sitting up front.

On Tuyu Hospital’s side, there were ten in the first row.

These were the primary physicians in solo clinics—Du Leng and Zhou Can included.

That much alone showed how Zhou Can’s standing had risen.

Gao Jian and Yang Chan had started their training at Tuyu Hospital alongside Zhou Can. Frankly, Gao Jian had the better credentials, even got personal attention from Director Tan in Internal Medicine.

Yang Chan also earned special mentorship from the likes of Director Zhang Bihua.

Yet neither even qualified to sit up front—stuck in the second row. That’s how much higher Zhou Can now ranked.

“Xiao Zhou, you can take a look at the patient’s basic info and the test results first.”

After he sat down, Director Zhang passed some files over to Zhou Can.

The patient was a 38-year-old woman. Originally a farmer out in the country—did all the usual chores, planting, washing, cooking. After she married and had kids, she moved to the city with her husband at 27 to look for work.

Neither of them had education past middle school and no real skills, so they only found the simplest jobs.

Her husband worked at a construction site, she washed dishes at a restaurant.

Over the years, she changed workplaces several times—always dishwashing, waiting tables.

A little over two months ago, out of nowhere, her left calf started aching. The pain wasn’t that bad, but after long periods of sitting or squatting, it became especially obvious when she stood up.

She thought she was just tired and didn’t pay much attention.

A week later, she struggled to walk one day and ended up breaking a stack of dishes. That’s when she finally decided to see a doctor.

Not a major hospital, though—just the local clinic near her home.

After three days of IV drips, she felt some relief and went back to work at the restaurant.

But just a few days later, things got worse again.

At its worst, she couldn’t even walk.

But raising her left leg made the pain clearly better.

Her health issues were already wrecking her job and daily life, so she switched clinics. Through a friend, she visited a traditional doctor and got herbal meds to take home.

The herbal medicine actually helped a lot.

But she thought it was too expensive, stopped after less than two weeks, and ten days ago the symptoms returned. This time, her right calf joined the left in aching.

Worried about having a serious illness, she saw an ad for free expert checkups at Xinxiang Maternity and Child Hospital, took sick leave, and rushed over.

For some reason, she didn’t get a free expert consult—she ended up paying for a regular doctor visit.

There could be politics between Xinxiang Maternity and Child Hospital and the Tuyu experts behind this.

Xinxiang wasn’t going to let all the tough cases go to Tuyu Hospital. If the visit reason wasn’t clear or the case wasn’t extra tricky, they’d guide patients toward their own doctors.

Right now, the patient had intense pain, couldn’t get comfortable at all—both legs ached terribly.

The usual protocols were followed: B-ultrasound, blood work, urinalysis—all basics any general doctor would do right away.

“First left leg pain, then the right too. Now, both legs hurt badly—a sharp, burning, stabbing pain that gets worse when she moves them. Pressing her nerves caused pain during the physical exam…”

After reading all the test results, Zhou Can naturally pieced together a timeline of the illness in his mind.

It kept getting worse, spreading steadily.

On the ultrasound, there was an abnormal shadow in the blood vessels.

Barely needing to think, Zhou Can almost instantly concluded that this was probably a venous thrombosis.

He’d seen his share of deep vein clots.

Once a clot forms and you don’t act fast, it can float down the blood vessel, making things even worse.

He had no idea exactly what herbal prescription she’d been given, but if it eased the symptoms, it was likely a clot-busting formula.

Western medicine isn’t the only option for blood clots.

Traditional medicine is just as effective—think acupuncture to restore circulation, and now many herbal remedies focus on dissolving clots.

Unfortunately, with money tight, the patient quit the herbs early.

Maybe if she’d kept taking it for another couple of courses, she could’ve been cured.

Usually, vein clots are more forgiving than arterial ones. An artery clot—like a stroke or heart attack—can kill in an instant, leaving no time for rescue.

Plus, the drip treatments in the local clinics probably didn’t actually treat the root problem.

More likely, the painkillers and antibiotics just took the edge off for a while.