Chapter 468: Misunderstandings and Office Rumors

“We’ve already done pretty much all the basic imaging tests. What else are you planning to add?”

Director Tang Fei was clearly swayed by his suggestion, already prepared to follow Zhou Can’s advice and arrange more tests for the child.

But before that, they’d definitely have to give the family a thorough explanation.

“Let’s do a capsule endoscopy for the small intestine, mainly focusing on segments two through six. Just to add, this might not be the final test. If the results surprise me or something new shows up, we might need to run more tests after that.”

Zhou Can gave her a heads-up in advance.

Communicating with the family was always a delicate process, and you had to leave yourself some room.

“Okay, I’ll go talk to the family now. When the results come back, I might have to trouble you to take another look.”

She was a decisive person.

Once she decided to accept Zhou Can’s recommendation, she acted right away.

Of course, everyone here was an adult, but Tang Fei’s enthusiasm also probably owed something to the family’s background.

There’s a saying—no one gets up early for nothing. That’s doubly true for adults.

With that, their conversation was about wrapped up.

“Call or message me anytime if you need anything. I’m heading out now.”

Zhou Can got up to say goodbye, hoping to get home a bit earlier. It was already close to eight at night. He’d planned to leave work early to have dinner with Su Qianqian.

Instead, he’d been busy all the way till now.

At least there was no surgery scheduled this evening. Otherwise, even dinner at eight might’ve been a stretch.

“Thank you for all your hard work helping Pediatrics, Dr. Zhou. If we get to the bottom of the child’s illness, I promise I won’t let your contribution go unrecognized.” Director Tang Fei was sharp and knew how to handle people.

She’d called Zhou Can after hours to help with a consult, and he stayed for almost an hour.

There had to be some acknowledgment.

Otherwise, next time she tried to ask for Zhou Can’s help, it’d be a lot harder to convince him.

Speaking, she got up to walk him out.

It was a sign of her respect and appreciation for Zhou Can.

As he opened the office door, Zhou Can glanced back and waved. “No need to walk me out!”

But Director Tang Fei’s expression suddenly changed, her eyes fixed on the hallway. A scruffy-looking middle-aged man stood there, face cold as ice, staring right at them.

Zhou Can noticed too and turned to look.

He could clearly sense hostility in the man’s eyes.

His first impression? The man was completely unconcerned with appearances. He wore filthy blue jeans, equally dirty sneakers, and a leather jacket thrown over a stained white T-shirt.

His hair was long and a mess, like a bird’s nest.

Thick black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, and his stubble showed he hadn’t shaved in at least two weeks.

He held something that looked like a slip of paper in his right hand.

Zhou Can looked closer—it seemed to be two movie tickets.

His left hand carried a shopping bag. Wait, that was a Zhou Dah Fu jewelry store bag.

A guy like this just didn’t fit in at a hospital.

Given how tense doctor-patient relations had become, with violence against medical staff so common, Zhou Can stayed on high alert.

“Director Tang, that guy looks off. Be careful—don’t get hurt. If you want, I can walk you out and call security to check him out.”

Zhou Can dropped his voice, concerned for Director Tang Fei.

“No need. He’s my husband. He never visits me at work, so seeing him here today is a real surprise. Go on,” said Director Tang, stepping toward the man.

“Old Zhang, what are you doing just standing out there? Come find me in the office!”

She walked over while greeting him warmly.

Her tone sounded affectionate.

Looked like their marriage was going strong.

But Zhou Can still felt uneasy. He really hoped trouble wouldn’t break out between them. Snow Yan had already been hurt because of a misunderstanding—if Director Tang Fei ran into similar trouble, no female colleague would ever want to be alone with him again.

Tang Fei’s husband had definitely given him a hostile look. Zhou Can could always tell when someone was on edge—the result of years of martial arts training.

“I wouldn’t dare. Didn’t want to interrupt you two.”

Her husband’s tone was frosty.

Great, now the misunderstanding was set in stone.

Who says only women get jealous? Men can outdo them any day.

Zhou Can hesitated, debating whether he should explain on Tang Fei’s behalf, but in the end, let it go.

He was afraid he’d only make things worse.

Best to let her explain to her husband herself when they got home.

……

The next day at the hospital, as Zhou Can was doing his rounds, Ye Tingting whispered to him, “Is it true you were in Director Tang’s office for over an hour yesterday, and her husband caught you two?”

Zhou Can’s eyes went wide. “Even you heard about that?”

Ye Tingting looked rather smug. “Don’t underestimate me! I’ve been a nurse here for over seven years. There’s not much in this hospital that escapes my ears.”

Nurses loved to gossip. They had discreet group chats and always shared the latest news.

When it came to information, nurses and the cleaning ladies were neck and neck.

Most cleaning ladies were in their forties and, if anything, loved gossip even more. They were just like the old ladies you’d find in rural towns or apartment blocks.

But their status was much lower, and their jobs and hours couldn’t compare to the nurses.

Their schooling was pretty limited, too.

So while the cleaning ladies’ gossiping skills were impressive, their info wasn’t as up-to-date as the nurses’.

Many young doctors and male nurses didn’t understand workplace politics and liked to vent to nurses. What they didn’t realize was, complain in the morning and your words might be all over the hospital by the afternoon.

Even if the nurse didn’t use your name, she’d say, “Even one of our doctors said something about that chief.”

If word reached the right ears—like a leader looking for something specific—it wouldn’t take long to hunt down the culprit.

By then, you’d be in real trouble.

Don’t believe all that talk about generals having horses running on their foreheads or prime ministers having big hearts.

Many department heads and head nurses are extremely petty. As for administrative heads, bad-mouthing them is career suicide.

And if things go bad for just you, that’s not even the worst case.

More likely, the admin will make life tough for your whole department.

Here’s a real example: Dr. Luo in Emergency had a patient try to jump the queue during his clinic.

Dr. Luo told him off, insisting he wait his turn.

The man glared at him and said, “You like following the rules, huh? Fine.” Then he left without going to the back of the line.

That afternoon, the hospital’s infection control staff did a surprise inspection of the Emergency Department.

They found issues all over the place, as you’d expect.

Director Lou was confused—Emergency was always broke and didn’t have much to offer!

The admin team was usually very lenient with Emergency.

Surprise inspections were rare.

If they got too strict, Emergency—already swamped and often abused by families and patients, with the lowest salaries—might just quit en masse.

So, the admin folks had an understanding. They hardly ever asked the Emergency Department to do anything extra.

Even if they had to, they’d always give a heads-up first.

That way, Emergency could prep for the inspection.

Hardly any busy departments could pass a real surprise infection control check.

If they found problems, the department would lose points, get fined, or even lose out on bonuses.

Director Lou found out it was a deputy director from the infection control office who’d tried to skip the line. After being scolded by Dr. Luo, that’s how the unexpected inspection happened.

Later, Director Lou took Dr. Luo to apologize in person, and things finally blew over.

When Zhou Can started in Emergency, Dr. Luo specifically warned him to keep his eyes open. Be extra polite to anyone trying to cut in line.

Most people who push their way through have some kind of pull.

“Did Director Tang and her husband fight afterward?”

Zhou Can didn’t dare ask Tang Fei directly, so he took the chance to check with Ye Tingting.

“Word is, her husband bought her a diamond ring and two movie tickets. Yesterday was their wedding anniversary, and he was hoping for a romantic night. Instead, he found you with her in the office for over an hour, got furious, and threw the movie tickets and ring at her, then stormed off.”

At work, unless you really hate someone, you try not to embarrass them.

Her husband had that engineer vibe, probably the quiet type—not one to get angry easily.

For him to lose it like that, throwing her gifts on the hospital floor, he must’ve been really upset.

“My luck must be at an all-time low. Trouble seems to follow me everywhere.”

Zhou Can shook his head with a bitter smile.

He’d suggested they leave the office door open, but Tang Fei thought it was unnecessary. It wasn’t like there was anything going on between them.

But misunderstandings are born from carelessness and coincidence.

Lately, Zhou Can felt like a magnet for bad luck.

And the worst part was, there was no one he could complain to.

Both Director Xueyan and Director Tang Fei were victims. But so was he.

“You have no one to blame but yourself. Popular people get into more trouble. Don’t you know the saying? Want to hear what everyone’s saying about you at work?”

Ye Tingting stifled a laugh.

She seemed to enjoy seeing Zhou Can at a loss.

“Go on, laugh it up. Think I won’t let your husband misunderstand you next? So what are people saying about me?” Zhou Can glared at her.

Of course he cared what his colleagues thought—it was a big deal in a place like this.

“The ladies call you the most requested man in the hospital, and say you’re the most dangerous doctor. Any married woman who gets too close risks making her husband jealous. Apparently, if your guy gives you the cold shoulder, just let Dr. Zhou help and he’ll snap right out of it.”

Ye Tingting wasn’t the least bit afraid of his threats.

After hearing what the female staff said about him, Zhou Can nearly fainted.

What kind of reputation was that, even?

“I’d better get out of here before I cause you any more trouble.”

Zhou Can believed that only the wise saw through rumors.

There was no good way to clear things up—best let time wash it all away.

But from now on, he’d be much more careful when alone with female colleagues. Leave the door open or bring someone else.

“Hey, you haven’t checked my wound yet! Can I be discharged? Lying here day after day is driving me crazy.” Ye Tingting was a hardworking woman.

She just couldn’t sit still.

After getting stabbed by a patient’s family and being stuck in bed so long, she’d long since grown restless.

The workload in Emergency was heavy as it was.

Seeing how busy her coworkers were, she felt even guiltier.

Another nurse might be glad for a few extra days in bed.

After all, it counted as a workplace injury. She’d keep getting paid like normal.

Medical and nutrition expenses were all reimbursed.

“With how strong you sound, I can tell you’re mostly fine. Why rush to be discharged? Your wound’s so serious, you should take it easy. Once you’re back, no one will cut you any slack.”

Still, Zhou Can carefully checked her wound.

“I just can’t help myself. I already feel nearly recovered. My mom’s the only one who won’t stop worrying.”

Ye Tingting looked toward her mom, who was carrying over a basin of hot water.

“Your wound is healing well, but I’d recommend another five to seven days of rest. Nursing isn’t easy work. If you get bored, read a book or do some studying—it could be a good thing.”

That was Zhou Can’s professional opinion.

If she returned to work now, her wound might easily split open again.

Out of concern, his advice was entirely for her good.

“Hear that, Dr. Zhou says another week! You always insist on leaving, but what if something happens at work? How could I stand it?”

At that, her mother started to cry.

That’s how many older women reacted.

“Don’t worry, Auntie. She just needs another week of rest. If the hospital isn’t comfortable, she can recuperate at home.”

Zhou Can knew exactly what Ye Tingting was thinking.

Hospital beds in Emergency were precious, and she didn’t want to take up space if she wasn’t in danger.

After all this treatment, it was fine for her to finish recovering at home.

“Alright, discharge me today and I’ll rest at home for a week.”

Ye Tingting said to Zhou Can.

“Dr. Zhou, my daughter doesn’t know how to take care of herself. Please look out for her!” Her mother looked at him pleadingly.

“Don’t worry, Auntie. I promise to look after her. The hospital air is stuffy and noisy—home might be even better for her recovery. Give her some nutritious food, but don’t go overboard.”

Zhou Can did his best to reassure her mother.

A doctor’s words did carry weight.

Her mother agreed after that.

As for the discharge paperwork, Zhou Can just needed to let someone know.