Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Zheng Jinxin Is Back

Lu Xiao was on temporary leave this time and went back after being home for just a couple of days.

However, he told Su Tang that the hospital at his base was currently being expanded, so they might be able to reunite there soon.

Su Tang was delighted to hear this news. After all, it meant she could leave her current hospital and no longer have to face Su Xinyao.

Su Xinyao hadn’t done anything to her yet, but Su Tang’s intuition told her otherwise.

She hadn’t come with good intentions and was watching her like a hawk.

This day, Su Tang went to work at the hospital. The past couple of days had been relatively light.

When there were no surgeries, Su Tang would review patient files.

But she hadn’t expected to run into someone so unexpected at the hospital entrance.

“Doctor Su, you look surprised to see me.”

Zheng Jinxin walked toward Su Tang, a faint smile on her face.

“I’m back from my advanced training. I learned quite a lot while I was away.”

Su Tang didn’t extend her hand, so Zheng Jinxin awkwardly retracted her own.

In the past, Zheng Jinxin might have made a few sarcastic remarks.

But now, after her time away, she had learned to be more composed.

“Speaking of which, I should be thanking you, Doctor Su.”

Zheng Jinxin crossed her arms, looking at Su Tang with a smile.

Su Tang didn’t say much, merely giving a slight nod.

“There’s no need to thank me. Could you move, please?”

The woman was blocking her path, and Su Tang couldn’t get by.

Zheng Jinxin had imagined a thousand different things Su Tang might say, but she never expected this.

“Doctor Su…”

“If you don’t move, I’ll be late for surgery.”

Su Tang glanced at her and said coldly.

She had no interest in listening to Zheng Jinxin’s nonsense. It was always the same old tired lines.

Zheng Jinxin’s composure immediately began to crack.

She had assumed Su Tang would at least exchange a few fake pleasantries, but instead, she was treated like a pillar blocking the way.

“Fine. Doctor Su is a very busy person.”

Zheng Jinxin forced a smile, twisting the corners of her mouth as she stepped aside. “After you.”

Su Tang didn’t spare her another glance. She walked off with quick, steady strides, the hem of her white coat trailing in the wind.

Zheng Jinxin stared at her back, gritting her teeth so hard they could have shattered.

She had spent the last few months of her training holding in her resentment, plotting how she would one-up Su Tang upon her return. But in their very first encounter, she was politely but firmly shut down.

’What a phony!’

She cursed inwardly.

But she’d gotten smarter now. The fake smile quickly returned to her face. ’No need to rush. There’s plenty of time.’

Su Tang really did have a minor surgery to attend to. Once she changed her clothes and entered the operating room, she put Zheng Jinxin’s passive-aggressive nonsense out of her mind.

That was just how she was. When she was working, she had to finish the task at hand, even if the sky were falling.

This was also the reason for Su Tang’s strong professional skills.

There was a life on the operating table. Nothing else mattered more than that life.

For the next few days, things at the hospital were calm.

There was no movement from Su Xinyao’s side either, but the string of tension inside Su Tang never loosened.

Zheng Jinxin, on the other hand, truly had become more composed. She could now manage a nod with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes when she saw Su Tang, and she no longer approached her with pointless chatter.

This afternoon, there weren’t many outpatients.

Su Tang was looking down, organizing patient files, when Nurse Xiao Liu poked her head in. “Doctor Su, Nurse Zheng is asking you to go take a look at the patient in consultation room 3.”

The tip of Su Tang’s pen paused.

’Zheng Jinxin can’t handle it? And she’s asking for me by name?’

Her heart skipped a beat; her intuition told her this wasn’t a simple matter.

’Zheng Jinxin just got back from her training. This is prime time for her to show off. Would she really admit she can’t handle something?’

“What’s the situation?” Su Tang put down her pen.

“It’s an elderly man who’s had a fever and cough for several days.”

“He came in before and was prescribed medication, but his family says it didn’t help. In fact, his cough has gotten worse, and there seems to be blood in his phlegm. They’re making quite a scene. Nurse Zheng said it might be a difficult case and asked for you to take a look, given your experience.”

Su Tang understood.

’Zheng Jinxin wants to push me out to take the fall.’

’If this is a truly difficult case, or if the family is hard to deal with, it’s the perfect opportunity to make me lose face.’

’Worst-case scenario, I could even lose my job.’

“Alright, I’ll go take a look.”

Su Tang stood up, laughing coldly to herself.

’Zheng Jinxin’s little schemes haven’t improved one bit.’

When she entered consultation room 3, she saw exactly what she’d expected: an old man, his face red and neck strained from coughing, while his wife stood beside him, anxiously wiping away tears.

There was also a middle-aged man, likely their son, his expression dark as he yelled at Zheng Jinxin.

“What kind of hospital is this! He’s only gotten worse after taking your medicine! If his condition is delayed, I’ll hold all of you responsible!”

Zheng Jinxin stood to the side, wearing a perfectly crafted expression of distress and apology.

Her eyes lit up when she saw Su Tang enter, and she quickly said, “Doctor Su is here! Doctor Su is the most skilled doctor in our hospital. Let her take a look at your father; she’ll definitely be able to solve the problem!”

Her tone sounded like praise, but in reality, she was just putting Su Tang on the spot.

Su Tang couldn’t be bothered with her. She walked straight to the patient. “Sir, please don’t worry. Let me take a look.”

She asked her questions with extreme care: when he started feeling sick, what medicine he took, the color of his phlegm, and if he felt uncomfortable anywhere else.

She then carefully listened to his lungs and examined his throat.

The family members were still complaining that the prescribed medicine wasn’t working. Su Tang picked up the previous prescription and glanced at it.

The medication was a standard cough suppressant and anti-inflammatory. Based on the symptoms alone, there didn’t seem to be a major issue.

But Su Tang felt that something wasn’t right.

Her gaze lingered on the prescription for a few seconds before she carefully examined the old man’s complexion and fingernails. Suddenly, an idea struck her.

“Sir, have you recently changed medications? Or rather, before our hospital prescribed you this medicine, were you taking anything else?”

The old man was coughing and couldn’t answer right away.

His wife remembered. “Yes, yes! My husband had some joint pain a while back, so the local clinic prescribed him some Prednisone. He took it for a few days and felt better, so he stopped. Then he got this cough and fever, so we came to this big hospital.”

Su Tang immediately knew what was going on.

She picked up the prescription slip and pointed to one of the antibiotics. “The problem might be here. The drug on this prescription shouldn’t be taken with the Prednisone he was taking before.”

“They interact negatively, which can cancel out the effects of the medication and might even make his cough worse, causing the blood in his phlegm.”

The consultation room fell silent in an instant.

The family members’ eyes went wide. The fake smile on Zheng Jinxin’s face froze completely, her complexion turning deathly pale.

“Then… then what do we do?” the family member asked anxiously.

“Don’t worry, I’ll write you a new prescription.”

Su Tang picked up her pen and swiftly wrote a new prescription, explaining as she did.

“Stop the previous medication and use this one instead. Also, given his age, the persistent coughing isn’t good for his lungs. I’m adding a nebulizer treatment to help relieve it more quickly.”

Her voice was steady and reassuring.

The family left with the new prescription, thanking her profusely. Before leaving, they shot a fierce glare at Zheng Jinxin.

Only Su Tang and Zheng Jinxin remained in the consultation room.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep