When Zhang Zhaoyuan came back, he saw Bai Xiao’s hospital room was empty.
Nurses occasionally passed by Bai Xiao’s ward, casting sympathetic glances at her.
Zhang Zhaoyuan didn’t understand the meaning behind those looks.
Sympathy? Pity, with a mix of anger?
What had Bai Xiao done?
Carrying a bunch of boxes in his hands, Bai Xiao suddenly smelled the aroma and immediately got up.
"You finally came back. If you hadn’t come sooner I would have starved to death, becoming history’s first patient to die of hunger."
Bai Xiao scrambled up.
Zhang Zhaoyuan opened the lunchbox, set up the table for her, and handed her the chopsticks. The steak had been carefully sliced by the chef, and all the other items didn’t need any special utensils—a minor detail that Zhang Zhaoyuan had taken note of so that someone could make adjustments in advance.
"Then eat up fast!"
He shoved the chopsticks into her hands.
"What did you do to rile up those nurses? The looks they’ve been giving you seem off to me."
As Bai Xiao wolfed down her food with big bites, Zhang Zhaoyuan was astounded. This Bai Xiao was really unladylike—not in the way that made one uncomfortable to watch, like smacking lips while eating, talking with a mouth full of food, or having sauce smeared all over the face, which could be sickening.
It was the kind of devouring storm speed; yes, she ate very fast yet gracefully. She didn’t appear sloppy at all, but the food was disappearing at an invisible rate.
"Slow down, be careful not to choke," he warned.
Bai Xiao swallowed the last bite of her steak—a super-sized portion that seemed to occupy only a tiny corner of her stomach.
The taste was just too good!
It looked like Dr. Xue really was a gourmet, having a clear understanding of flavors. At that moment, she felt a bit regretful. Had she refused too quickly? After all, Dr. Xue’s Ruiyin Hospital was ranked first in Modu. Was she being a bit ungrateful?
But selling herself for food? That wasn’t Bai Xiao’s style; she was no foodie like Lin Xiang.
"Well! I managed to drive away three specialists, and after indiscriminately lashing out at the others, they all left one after another."
A moment of glory!
Zhang Zhaoyuan looked at her like she was a monster.
These were nearly the top tutors, getting any of them as one’s supervisor could be life-changing; countless top hospitals would compete for her, with all sorts of resources readily available to these professors’ students—a dream for all Medical College students.
And yet, Bai Xiao had rejected them!
He raised a finger.
"You’re awesome!"
What kind of oddball was this?
Bai Xiao saw Zhang Zhaoyuan’s gesture, then bowed her head and continued to eat heartily. Had she missed a fortune?
After the meal, Zhang Zhaoyuan cleaned up the lunch boxes, only to see Bai Xiao had gotten down from the bed and was packing her things.
It wasn’t much, just a backpack.
"What are you doing?" he inquired.
"I want to be discharged. There’s nothing wrong with me; I just fainted for a moment, which was due to overexertion and nothing else. Look how strong and hearty I am," she said.
Zhang Zhaoyuan disagreed, "Discharge isn’t up to you. If the doctor doesn’t agree, you can’t leave."
When Bai Xiao was admitted, she looked as though she was on death’s door, a sight that pained anyone watching. Although she was now bouncing around lively, that didn’t rule out potential lingering aftereffects.
"Then I’ll go find a doctor."
Bai Xiao went to the doctor’s office, where the staff had already finished their shifts, leaving only the resident doctors.