Chapter 389: An Unexpected Encounter After Work

Now that the dust had settled, she’d probably wrapped up everything in the department by now.

Her first order of business after work was to thank Zhou Can.

She’d just become department head, so there was no shortage of colleagues—plus a few well-informed classmates and friends—sending their congratulations. Even in the midst of all that, she still messaged Zhou Can as soon as she clocked out, which said a lot about where he stood in her heart.

“Don’t mention it, Sister Yan! Anything you need, just call me.”

Zhou Can sent her a quick reply.

No need for any of that congratulatory fluff.

The closer you are to someone, the more you drop the formalities.

“Ok!”

She just replied with an emoji. Clearly, she was swamped.

Zhou Can started up his car, ready to head home. Now that Su Qianqian wasn’t so busy at work, she was looking forward to having him home early every day.

He didn’t have to cover shifts in Cardiothoracic Surgery these days, and his hours in the Emergency Department were regular. No night shifts for now, just some rare early-morning ones.

Zhou Can’s car rolled slowly out of the parking garage and joined the line heading out the back entrance.

It was the evening rush. Cars were everywhere.

Traffic crawled.

As his car eased past the hospital’s back gate, his eyes narrowed. Not far ahead, two people were struggling with each other—and one of them was his operating room nurse, Qiao Yu.

“So she’s dating someone? She hid it well.”

Zhou Can had never heard any rumors of her having a boyfriend.

But that sort of thing was personal. He’d never pry.

The guy tugging her was tall, with wildly dyed hair and a flashy, edgy look. He drove a fire-engine red convertible sports car.

He was forcefully trying to pull her into the car. Qiao Yu looked like she was desperately resisting.

Something about this wasn’t right.

Zhou Can hit the brakes, ignoring the blaring horns behind him, and jumped out of his car.

“Hey, man, don’t rough up a lady.”

His words were still polite enough.

Couples argued and made up all the time—nothing unusual there.

From the looks of it, they’d probably had a fight and he was trying to make it up to her.

“Who the hell are you? Get lost, this is between me and my girlfriend. None of your business.” The guy was full of attitude.

Just that rich-kid arrogance in his voice put Zhou Can off.

“He’s not my boyfriend! Dr. Zhou, help me!”

Qiao Yu shouted frantically.

She seized the moment and stomped hard on the guy’s foot.

“Ow…”

The man yelped and jumped in pain, letting go immediately.

“Qiao Yu, you bitch! How dare you stomp on me… damn it!”

Clutching his foot, he sucked in a breath and lunged for her again. By now, a crowd had gathered, but no one stepped in.

Frightened, Qiao Yu ducked behind Zhou Can.

“You’d better move or I’ll take you down too!” The man growled and threatened Zhou Can.

Zhou Can acted like he didn’t even hear him.

“You’re asking for it! You want a beating, huh?”

Next thing Zhou Can knew, the guy actually swung at him with an open palm.

To try flexing on Zhou Can—now that was looking for trouble in all the wrong places.

Zhou Can reacted in a flash, grabbing the man’s wrist and smacking him four times across the face. The rapid slaps rang through the air.

“Watch your mouth, unless you want everyone to know how badly you were raised.”

When he finished, he shoved the man away. The guy staggered and hit the ground.

Zhou Can turned to Qiao Yu, who was still shaking behind him. “What’s going on here? He knows your name, so I’m guessing you know him.”

“He’s a creep. Total psycho. About two months ago, he came to the Emergency Department as a patient when I was working a night shift. I injected him and took care of his wounds, then he started stalking me…”

Qiao Yu was trembling, terror written all over her face.

Sometimes, a nurse being pursued by a patient could turn into a lovely romance. Other times, it was a nightmare.

Like that punk on the ground.

“Don’t you usually leave through the main entrance? Why are you at the back today?”

Zhou Can was still trying to figure it out.

“After I became a full nurse, I applied for a spot in the dorms here—same building you used to live in.” Mentioning it made her a little shy.

Smart as he was, Zhou Can got her meaning right away.

“Alright, I get it. So, you never dated this guy—he just tried to force you into his car, right?”

He asked her again.

“Exactly! He’s a creep—a maniac!” She rarely cursed, but she’d clearly been scared out of her wits and was furious.

“I’ll call the cops and let them handle this scumbag!”

Zhou Can pulled out his phone and dialed 110.

The hospital security guard walked over just then.

“Is that your Mercedes? Please move it, you’re blocking the way!” the guard said to Zhou Can.

Before Zhou Can could answer, cries of alarm rippled through the crowd.

“Run!”

“Get out of here!”

As the bystanders shouted, Zhou Can looked over—just in time to see the guy he’d slapped four times pulling a massive, foot-long watermelon knife from his car and charging straight at him.

“I’m gonna kill you today!”

Whoever this guy was, he was totally out of control. Not only had he tried to force a girl into his car in broad daylight, now he was coming at Zhou Can with a knife.

Unless he was mentally unstable, chances were his family was powerful.

“Zhou Can, run!”

Even though she was terrified, Qiao Yu instinctively stood in front of Zhou Can, wielding her shoulder bag like a shield.

“When did I ever need a woman to stand up for me? Get back behind me.”

Zhou Can pulled her behind him, his tone full of unshakable confidence.

The security guard anxiously waved at his coworker across the street for help, but he was unarmed and clearly not planning to jump in either. Honestly, he’d never intended to get involved.

Instead of backing off, Zhou Can stepped forward—meeting the knife-wielding attacker head on.

Swish!

The man hacked viciously at Zhou Can’s head.

A thug like this paid no thought to consequences, swinging to kill. He was probably used to getting his way.

There was a good chance he was spoiled rotten by his family, raised like a little emperor.

But Zhou Can was no pushover. Facing an attack this wild and clumsy, he sidestepped, grabbed the attacker’s knife hand, and drove his knee into the guy’s gut.

Then, with a sharp elbow to the temple, Zhou Can finished him off. Each move was precise and swift.

The punk let out two shrill cries before his head lolled sideways and the knife clattered to the ground.

As soon as Zhou Can let go, the man collapsed, half-conscious.

“With skills like that, you really thought you could come at me with a knife?”

Zhou Can looked down on him with nothing but disdain.

The crowd broke into cheers and even applause.

When there’s a villain, people almost always side with what’s right. After all, most folks are good at heart.

At that moment, Qiao Yu looked at Zhou Can as if he were a battle god.

In her eyes and heart, he’d never seemed so tall. Facing danger, he’d pulled her behind and strode forward, which left her awestruck by his heroism.

He was like a hero swooping in from the sky.

The security guard’s eyes went wide, completely stunned by Zhou Can’s moves. His coworker took a while before finally rushing over with a riot fork.

When things really got serious, the hospital’s security didn’t exactly shine.

Zhou Can picked up his phone again and called the police.

There was a precinct less than three hundred meters away.

Once they heard someone was rampaging with a knife and trying to abduct a girl, the police came fast.

Zhou Can moved his car aside, making way for the traffic behind.

With Zhou Can subduing the attacker, not a single honking driver rushed him anymore; instead, he got looks of admiration.

Frankly, after seeing Zhou Can handle himself in a fight, no one in the line of cars wanted to pick a bone with him.

After taking statements at the scene, the officers took the attacker to the station for further action.

“Let me take you back to the dorm.”

He turned to Qiao Yu, who was still badly shaken.

“Okay!”

She walked to his car in a daze.

Zhou Can opened the back door for her.

Only the lady of the house ever got the front seat—he had his reasons.

Even inside the car, she was still trembling.

“It’s over. He’ll be locked up for a while, you don’t have to be afraid.”

His voice was soft, trying to comfort her.

“Yeah.”

Seeing her in that state, he guessed she’d need some time to recover.

Zhou Can drove her to the staff dorms at the hospital.

“Have you eaten yet?”

He asked with concern.

“I have.”

She nodded.

“Still feeling scared?”

He could only try to comfort her with words—physical contact was out of the question.

He figured that a hug would definitely help her feel better, if only it was appropriate.

“Thank you for saving me! I’m doing much better now.”

She got out of the car.

“Bye!”

Qiao Yu waved as she shut the door. Only then did she realize Zhou Can drove a Mercedes.

“Head up to your room, and don’t overthink it. You’re safe now.”

He called after her.

“Okay!”

She obediently made her way into the dorm building, soon vanishing inside.

Only after she left did Zhou Can finally relax and drive away.

He was glad he’d been in the right place at the right time; who knew what might have happened to his surgical nurse otherwise. The world felt way too cold-hearted sometimes.

Given what he’d seen, that scuffle had been going on for a while already.

With all those witnesses, not one person stepped up—just watched as that guy tried to drag a girl into his car.

For Zhou Can, this was just a little detour in his life, nothing more.

…

Next morning, Zhou Can did rounds in the inpatient ward as usual, double-checking on every patient. That patient from the urethral dilation procedure was now ready for discharge.

Five new surgery cases had come in just the day before.

With only four official beds and three already occupied, and five new patients to handle—how was the department supposed to make it work?

There’s a lot of science behind those numbers.

Beyond the official beds, there were makeshift ones lined up in the corridor. They called them temporary beds.

That’s how the Emergency Department managed things.

After finishing rounds, he headed into the operating room to start a new day.

Qiao Yu was already there, prepping the instruments and medications. All nurses had a bit of OCD—just take a look inside their workrooms and you’d see.

Every item was sorted, every drawer had its assigned things.

If any careless doctor mixed up the order inside…

Even just moving a single small vial meant the nurses would tear the place apart to double-check everything. It was both safety protocol and habit.

And if anyone tossed used gloves around in the OR, even the regular nurses would come for a chat.

“Qiao Yu, you alright today?”

Zhou Can asked, genuine concern in his voice.

“I’m much better. Still a bit rattled thinking back. I already bought pepper spray and a stun baton online—next time I meet a creep, I’ll hit them with it!”

For a young woman, finding a job in a big city alone wasn’t easy.

Learning to look out for yourself was a lesson every girl needed.

Luo Shishen shivered slightly after hearing that.

He glanced at Qiao Yu, a little afraid.

Just two days ago, he’d probably been entertaining thoughts about her. After being turned down, he’d gotten bitter. Now, after hearing her solution to dealing with creeps, he wouldn’t dare bother her again.

He didn’t want to end up pepper sprayed and in pain.

“Getting self-defense gear is a good idea. But honestly, what happened yesterday is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, most people follow the rules. I was worried about you not being able to work, but you’re clearly doing fine.”

Zhou Can began to scrub in and pull on sterile gloves.

In theory, anything above your waist was considered sterile in an operating room.

That’s why you opened the surgery doors with your feet.

“I’ll need to step out at eleven, so let’s get through the urgent surgeries first.”

Today was Dr. Hu Kan’s memorial service. As his protégé, Zhou Can needed to say a final farewell, seeing him off. After the service, the burial would follow.

Many leaders and doctors from the hospital would probably attend.

…

Zhou Can worked straight through until late morning, then finally stepped out of the operating room.

He’d asked Dr. Xu for today off yesterday.

“Zhou, want to go together?”

Dr. Xu called out.

“Sure!”

Teacher and student left together, leaving Dr. Fu Chachun in charge.

Dr. Xu was planning to grab a cab, but Zhou Can stopped him.

“Teacher, I’ve got a car.”

“Young folks know how to live! Just finished your residency and already bought a car?” Dr. Xu shook his head.

“Heh, got a lot of help from family. My resident’s salary wouldn’t pay for it, that’s for sure.”

Zhou Can kept quiet about his company.

They reached the underground garage, and Dr. Xu was shocked to see Zhou Can’s ride was a high-end Mercedes. “What do your folks do for a living? Must be something big to afford a car like this.”

“My family runs a food processing plant back in the county.”

This time, Zhou Can didn’t hold back.

“No wonder you can afford such a nice car. Rich family, but you still work hard. You’re definitely one of the rare, outstanding rich kids.”

Dr. Xu nodded with approval.

“Teacher, you never bought a car?”

They got into the car and set off for the memorial service.

“I make decent money now, about twenty grand a month. Some basic car wouldn’t be a stretch. But you know, back then I got myself in trouble. After paying a big fine, I’ve spent years trying to make up for it with the victims and their families.”

Dr. Xu closed his eyes for a moment, pain visible on his face.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought up such a difficult topic.”

Zhou Can had already decided long ago to help Dr. Xu with his past mistake. Hearing all this just made him more determined.