After finishing her meal, He Zhilan felt she was almost recovered and wanted to ask the doctor if she could be discharged from the hospital. Staying in this hospital was different from when He Teng was admitted; she did not have his military benefits to cover the bills. Hospitalization was expensive, and she naturally wanted to save money where she could.
Just as He Zhilan was preparing to speak with the doctor, Gu En and the school doctor walked in, one after the other.
"We just came from the doctor’s office. You’re finally fever-free. Stay in the hospital tonight, and if you don’t have another fever, you can go back to school tomorrow morning. Now that you’ve been up and about, I suspect you want to return to school. It’s safer if you stay in the hospital overnight," the school doctor advised, realizing her intentions.
The school doctor’s words effectively silenced He Zhilan.
"Young lady, don’t be reckless. You’re weak. Even though your fever has subsided, we can’t be sure that it won’t spike again like it did during the day. It’s better to stay in the hospital where a nurse can check on you every few hours," he warned.
Gu En, noticing He Zhilan’s concern, chimed in, "I’ve already paid your medical bills. Since the doctor advised as such, just rest and stay put. If you go back to school and get a fever again, then my Brother Lan Li is going to reprimand me for not taking good care of you!"
"I’ll pay you back tomorrow." He Zhilan didn’t have any money on her at the moment.
"Pfft. A few bucks is nothing to me," Gu En dismissed with a grimace.
"Even if it’s a penny, I have to pay it back. I can’t let you pay just because I’m sick."
He Zhilan was firm in her stance. Even the school doctor found her argument sound and added his two cents: "When it comes to money, we have a saying - ’Even brothers need to clear their accounts.’ It’s important to settle debts and not take advantage of others."
The thought of spending money on hospitalization made He Zhilan’s heart ache. Her expenses had already gone up during this period. Although she had repaid Jiang Biyun’s money when He Teng received his salary, and Bian Xiulin and Lin Chan had insistently paid for meals when He Teng was in the hospital, the daily commute for nearly a month was adding up to a significant cost. Plus, He Zhilan didn’t have much money to begin with. So the mere thought of these medical expenses was deeply distressing.
Keep in mind, her meals at school only cost a few cents a day!
The school doctor, having finished his shift, didn’t stay much longer. But Gu En, unbothered and unhurried, pulled up a chair next to He Zhilan and asked, "Are you not going to tell your brother that you’re sick?"
"My brother is still recovering from his own injuries. It’s just a fever for me, and there are nurses here. It’s not a big deal. If I tell him, he’d worry unnecessarily and run around," He Zhilan shook her head, "I’m fine, alone in the hospital. I’ll go back to school tomorrow morning. You should go."
Gu En laughed outright, "Do you think that I plan to stay with you all night? You’re overthinking. I’m just waiting for someone to come pick me up. Tonight, Lan Song is hosting a dinner and drinks. I couldn’t be bothered to drive, so I left my car at the hospital and asked the household driver to take it back."
"Lan Song?" He Zhilan glanced at Gu En, "Didn’t you dislike him before?"
"I did, and I still do. But compared to Liu Jiang, Lan Song is much more likable. At least he knows how to please people, unlike Liu Jiang who is just foolish." Gu En