Members of the anesthesiology department arrived one after another, surprised to see Shi Wenli in their office so early in the morning.
They greeted him warmly, almost all asking the same question: "Good morning, Director Shi. What brings you here today?"
He answered repeatedly: "Bringing breakfast for Dr. Xu."
"Carry on." He left the anesthesiology office.
Xu Qinghe opened the insulated bag. Inside were two large boxes of scallion pancakes, a carton of milk, and a large box of cut fruit.
The milk was prepared just for her. The scallion pancakes and fruit were enough to share with colleagues who hadn't had breakfast.
Fang Yu immediately leaned in. "Quick, quick, open the scallion pancakes and let me smell!"
Xu Qinghe smiled. "There's enough today for everyone to eat their fill."
Other early-arriving colleagues also crowded around. Previously, they could only see neurosurgeons showing off scallion pancakes in gossip groups. Today, it was finally their turn.
"Don't eat yet, don't eat yet! Let me take a photo!"
"Dr. Fang, you're blocking me!" With that, someone pushed Fang Yu's head aside.
Several people took satisfied photos, then pulled up chairs and sat around Xu Qinghe's desk to eat.
After the first bite, they understood why the neurosurgery staff occasionally clamored for Director Shi's scallion pancakes.
After the second bite, they couldn't help exclaiming: "If Director Shi ever decides to quit neurosurgery, he could set up a breakfast stall at the hospital entrance and get rich selling scallion pancakes. If he sets up a stall, I'd quit my job just to hold the plastic bags for him."
Fang Yu burst out laughing. "Get out of here!"
"I'm serious. Someone like Director Shi can get rich doing anything. Look at the people in his research group—who hasn't advanced with him? As a boss, he's extremely generous and never stingy with resources."
Whenever Shi Wenli came up, there was always a lot to talk about.
They wondered what type of person he liked. He might not have a girlfriend, but he definitely had an ideal type.
"What kind of person did Director Shi like in college?"
"Who knows? None of us went to the same school as him."
Even if they had, they'd be several years apart, with no chance of knowing each other.
"Wu Xiaofeng should know Director Shi's ideal type."
"Oh right, they were alumni."
They only then realized that Wu Xiaofeng's name was a sensitive topic today.
Having brought it up, they started discussing how to help Xu Qinghe smooth things over with Wu Xiaofeng.
While eating her scallion pancake, Xu Qinghe received a message from Shi Wenli and wasn't paying attention to what they were saying.
"Dr. Xu?"
"Dr. Xu, what are you looking at so intently?"
After her colleague called twice, Xu Qinghe finally looked up from her phone. "What's wrong?"
Fang Yu said, "We were planning to give you some advice."
Xu Qinghe guessed. "About Wu Xiaofeng?"
Fang Yu nodded.
None of them had personal ties with Wu Xiaofeng. While they didn't fully understand his temperament, they could tell he wasn't easy to deal with.
Refusing his surgery's anesthesia sheet was even more humiliating than canceling the surgery outright—after all, canceling a surgery could be blamed on the patient's anesthesia risk, but refusing the anesthesia sheet felt personal.
They discussed among themselves: Xu Qinghe had a good relationship with Shi Wenli, and Shi Wenli was on good terms with Wu Xiaofeng. There were only a handful of people in the entire hospital that Wu Xiaofeng would show face to, and Shi Wenli was one of them.
"Maybe ask Director Shi to mediate? Don't let it get too tense. At least when you're assigned to Wu Xiaofeng's surgeries, you can save face."
Xu Qinghe thanked them and said, "No need."
Fang Yu kindly advised her: "I know you're true to yourself, but you can't completely ignore human relationships and social conventions."
They were also worried. "If the patient's family files a complaint, you'll probably be called in for a talk by the leadership today."
"It's fine," she said.
"You're really not worried."
Xu Qinghe wasn't worry-free, nor was she reckless. She just never spent too much time agonizing over the consequences of her actions.
She felt there was a difference between the two.
Overthinking wouldn't help anyway. She would deal with things as they came.
If given another chance to go back to ten minutes ago, when she first received the emergency call, she would still do the same.
Fang Yu had to reassure herself: "Forget it, heaven helps the good." She pointed at the scallion pancakes and fruit. "Director Shi is such a considerate person. If he hears about your conflict with Wu Xiaofeng, he'll definitely take the initiative to mediate."
Xu Qinghe said, "He won't."
"Huh?" Surprised by her certainty, Fang Yu asked, "Why?"
Xu Qinghe: "Because he knows me. He knows I don't care about such things."
Fang Yu savored those words—'Because he knows me. He knows I don't care about such things.' Maybe because she'd been shipping them too much lately, she actually found it sweet...