However, Zhang Zhaoyuan being here was really inconvenient.
But they meant well, and this time it was his classmate who had brought him to the hospital. Out of both emotion and reason, he should be filled with gratitude and couldn’t just send the person away.
Bai Xiao looked at his phone, inconvenient or not, he had to make the call.
He sat down at the desk.
Picking up the phone, he dialed a long-distance call. The hospital had internal lines, and connecting to the outside required an operator, but the treatment at the senior cadres’ ward was different, the operators connected him immediately.
The phone rang a few times before someone answered.
"Second brother!"
"Second brother? And second sister-in-law too! Comrade! Who are you looking for?"
Clearly, the person on the other end was not An Zhiyuan.
Bai Xiao glanced at the wall clock.
It was already eight o’clock.
That was the time they had agreed upon.
An Zhiyuan was a very punctual person.
"I’m looking for Chief An!"
"Who are you? You are Doctor Bai, aren’t you?" The man on the other end obviously had realized by now.
"Chief An isn’t here, he went on a business trip yesterday, and it has been almost two days since he left. I’ll notify him the moment he returns," said the man on the other end.
Of course, the person on the other end knew who Doctor Bai was. Chief An’s dearly beloved wife.
Who didn’t know about Chief An’s unshakable eight o’clock phone calls?
The hospital administration really was something. The couple had just gotten married, and they had separated them. That was just cruel, separating a couple like that, putting them in a difficult position.
"Thank you, when will he be back?" Bai Xiao knew not to ask about An Zhiyuan’s assignments, as that was the rule. Their assignments were confidential work, not even family members should inquire about it.
"I really don’t know."
Alright! That kind of answer actually meant he didn’t know.
Chief An’s rank didn’t require him to report to others all the time.
He hung up the phone.
He felt a bit disappointed, his dear second brother An was on a business trip.
Ah, the imagined warmth could not be realized.
"Who is Chief An?"
Zhang Zhaoyuan asked, puzzled.
"He is my..."
"Bai Xiao!"
"Uncle! How did you get here? And grandma, grandpa, Flying Snow, why are you all here?"
Bai Xiao looked up and saw a whole family surge into the ward, and he was startled, especially when the old lady saw him and rushed over! The tears that streamed down her face were a far cry from the ferocity she used to feign injuries for scams.
"Grandma, don’t be like this, I’m fine, really, if you don’t believe me, I’ll call the doctor in a moment to ask."
"Don’t patronize me, thinking I don’t know. You were on TV, it was so dangerous, your whole appearance had changed, even your lips were purple. So many people were attending to you, do you think your grandma is blind?" The old lady, holding Bai Xiao’s hand, looked him over. He seemed no different, but she was still worried.
Bai Xiao led his grandmother to the sofa, while Zhang Zhaoyuan stood up—faced with so many of Bai Xiao’s relatives, he was quite at a loss.
Yu Shaoyan glanced at Zhang Zhaoyuan and nodded, "You must be the student who brought Bai Xiao to the hospital, right? Thank you, on behalf of Bai Xiao’s grandparents, for your kind help. This child always pushes himself too hard." Thinking about the documentary that aired on TV, Yu Shaoyan’s heart was heavy.
It was extremely dangerous at the time.
No one else knew, but how could he not know? In front of the nation, Bai Xiao truly had been risking his life.
"No need to thank me, I just did what I had to do. Bai Xiao is a fine person," said Zhang Zhaoyuan sincerely.
Back then, Bai Xiao had genuinely earned his deep respect. That figure of him, even now, would occasionally spring to mind—his fearless courage was truly beautiful.