After giving the fat man some instructions, Yu Zhiming and his sister filled the car with gas and once again set off on the road south to Jinling.
Their departure was carefree; you could say they flicked their sleeves and left, not taking so much as a cloud with them.
Of course, the man and woman whose miserable pleas and screams still echoed would certainly not have agreed.
Back on the road, Yu Zhiming took the wheel.
Yu Xiangwan was in charge of getting some rest.
Their Baojun SUV was quite spacious.
When the back seats were folded down, they connected with the trunk. With a mattress pad laid out, it became a makeshift bed, large enough for an adult to lie down and rest.
Having just been part of the dramatic rescue of a kidnapped child, Yu Xiangwan was far too excited to feel the least bit sleepy.
However, she knew she would have to be the primary driver for the latter part of the journey through the night.
’There are thousands of roads, but safety is always the number one rule!’
Yu Xiangwan knew that if she caused an accident from drowsy driving and her precious treasure, Yu Zhiming, got so much as a scratch, their parents and older sisters would tear her apart.
Yu Xiangwan tugged at the thin blanket, adjusted the small buckwheat pillow, and tried to force her mind to quiet down...
When Yu Xiangwan opened her eyes again, she noticed the light outside had changed significantly, and the car had slowed considerably.
"Fifth Brother, are we in Jinling?"
"We’ve crossed the Yangtze River Bridge and entered the city proper. According to the GPS, we’re about twenty minutes away."
Hearing that, Yu Xiangwan quickly sat up. She put away the blanket, pillow, and mattress pad, then restored the seat to its upright position.
After finishing all that, she sat in the back seat, combed her hair, and then wiped her face with a wet towelette.
"Fifth Brother, what time is it?"
"Did you contact them?"
"Ten minutes to one. I did. Someone is meeting us at the hospital entrance."
Yu Xiangwan murmured in acknowledgment and looked out the window, noticing there were still quite a few cars on the road.
She could also see some pedestrians on the sidewalks.
"The nightlife in southern cities really is something else."
Yu Xiangwan remarked, "It’s one in the morning on a weeknight, and there are still this many cars and people out."
"The nights in Binhai are probably even livelier than in Jinling, right?"
Then she remembered. "Then again, I forgot you don’t like crowds, Fifth Brother."
"Hey, Fifth Brother..."
Yu Xiangwan leaned forward, resting against the back of the passenger seat. "Should I go to Binhai ahead of you and scout out a quiet, suitable place to rent?"
"We could even renovate it for better soundproofing."
Yu Zhiming said thoughtfully, "Let’s talk about it after I go to Binhai for the assessment next week."
Yu Xiangwan nodded, then said with a spark in her voice, "Fifth Brother, why not just go all in? Use that two-million-yuan settling-in allowance to buy a place in Binhai directly."
"It’s a waste of money to renovate a rental."
Yu Zhiming chuckled. "Sis, with Binhai’s insane housing prices, two million won’t get you anything decent."
"Besides, a top-tier benefits package like that isn’t so easy to get."
"I’ve looked at their talent recruitment criteria. The highest-tier package is for medical experts who have been working and researching for at least ten or twenty years."
Yu Xiangwan giggled. "I have faith in you, Fifth Brother. You can do anything..."
As the siblings were talking, the car pulled up to the main gate of Jinling Gulou Hospital.
Just as Yu Zhiming hit the brakes, he saw a tall man in his twenties or thirties approaching and waving.
He unlocked the passenger side door and let the man get in.
"Hello, I’m Xiao Hua. We spoke earlier..."
Xiao Hua suddenly trailed off.
He looked at Yu Zhiming in the driver’s seat, then at Yu Xiangwan in the back, and asked tentatively, "Which of you is Expert Yu from Lu Province, here to treat my sister?"
Yu Zhiming saw the unconcealed doubt on the man’s face and knew his youth was unconvincing.
It was a natural reaction.
Yu Zhiming replied softly, "I am Yu Zhiming. I wouldn’t presume to be called an expert, just a simple doctor."
"The person in the back is my sister and assistant, Yu Xiangwan."
After a brief pause, he added frankly, "Mr. Xiao, I understand your doubts about my age and ability."
"But if I wasn’t sufficiently confident, I wouldn’t have driven all this way overnight just to make a fool of myself."
Hearing this, Xiao Hua immediately apologized. "Dr. Yu, I’m sorry. That was shallow of me. I judged you by your appearance."
He then changed the subject. "My sister is an older mother-to-be, and she had a very hard time conceiving this child. Please, Dr. Yu, I’m begging you to use your miraculous skills to treat her."
"If you succeed, the Xiao Family will reward you handsomely."
Yu Zhiming’s expression was dead serious.
"As a doctor, I give my all to every patient."
"Mr. Xiao, if you would please give us directions..."
Following Xiao Hua’s directions, Yu Zhiming navigated the sprawling grounds of Gulou Hospital, eventually parking in a lot near the Obstetrics and Gynecology building.
The three of them walked briskly toward the building.
Just then, a woman in a white lab coat with glasses and ear-length short hair jogged past them.
A few steps past them, the woman suddenly stopped and turned to look at Yu Zhiming, her face breaking into a joyful expression.
"Yu Zhiming, I thought I recognized you from behind! I can’t believe it’s really you."
Yu Zhiming’s delight was also plain to see as he quickened his pace to meet her.
"Su Tong, long time no see! You’ve gotten even more beautiful!"
The young woman, Su Tong, pushed her glasses up her nose, touched her cheek, and said with a grin, "Yu Zhiming, since when did you learn to flatter people with lies?"
"Sigh. I’m so busy all day I don’t have time to put on makeup, and I’m always pulling all-nighters. How could I possibly have gotten more beautiful?"
She looked at Yu Xiangwan, who had walked up to Yu Zhiming’s side, and asked, "Is this your girlfriend, Yu Zhiming?"
"She’s my twin sister, Yu Xiangwan."
Yu Zhiming then introduced her to his sister. "Sis, this is my university classmate, Su Tong. She’s in the combined Master’s-PhD program at Jinling University Medical College now."
"Hey, Su Tong, what are you doing here?"
"Nice to meet you, Sister Yu!"
Su Tong first greeted Yu Xiangwan before explaining to Yu Zhiming, "I’m doing my internship here while collecting data for my doctoral thesis."
Yu Xiangwan returned the smile, though her eyes were carefully and critically sizing Su Tong up.
’A slightly round face, almond eyes, a small nose, thin lips, and a somewhat sallow complexion.’
’Overall, she was more than just cute but not quite beautiful. She barely met the standards for a potential sister-in-law.’
’As for her figure...’
’She was a bit short, a full head shorter than Yu Zhiming, maybe 1.6 meters tall at most.’
Yu Xiangwan’s gaze flicked downward.
’Though it was hard to tell under the lab coat, she figured they were probably modest...’
Su Tong asked, "Zhiming, I thought you were going to apply for grad school after you went back home. What happened? I never heard anything about it."
Yu Zhiming chuckled. "Once I started working, I was completely swamped. I had no time to study for the exams."
Su Tong nodded. "That’s true. New doctors are constantly running around in circles. There’s really no time to prepare for grad school."
"It’s just such a shame you’re not applying."
Not wanting to press a sore spot, Su Tong changed the subject. "Anyway, what brings you to Gulou Hospital?"
"I’ve been interning here for a while now and I know a lot of the doctors. Maybe I can help!"
Yu Zhiming gave a slight smile and said vaguely, "I’m here to see a patient. I don’t need any favors..."
Seeing Yu Zhiming so engrossed in conversation with his old classmate, Xiao Hua, who was waiting at the side, grew restless.
He interjected, "Dr. Yu, my sister..."
Before Yu Zhiming, who had been interrupted, could respond, Su Tong jumped in. "Zhiming, I have to go."
"I just got word that the Obstetrics department has invited a master physician from some small town. They say he has a unique, unparalleled specialty."
"I’m going to observe. I can’t miss it."
She made a "call me" gesture and said hurriedly, "Whoever finishes up first, give the other a call."
"Zhiming, Sister Yu, I’ll treat you to a meal and show you around Jinling City later..."
Without waiting for Yu Zhiming to reply, Su Tong dashed into the building, her words drifting back to them.
"Don’t you dare disappear on me! I’ll be waiting...!"