"She's dealing with some family matters these days, so she took leave!" Li Jingyi replied. Hearing Xiao Lin mention the elusive doctor, Li Jingyi mischievously said, "Little Lin, don't say I didn't warn you. You're better off not provoking her, so just steer clear if you can!"
Xiao Lin was even more intrigued, asking, "Why's that? I wasn't planning on provoking her!"
After over three hours of interaction, Li Jingyi had a preliminary understanding of Xiao Lin's character. He seemed a bit carefree, taking things lightly. This demeanor made him seem like he wanted to get along with everyone. The doctor not on duty today was not only infamous in the campus hospital but also throughout Yanjing University, and even among universities and hospitals across Yanjing. She was reputed for being flirtatious, even earning the nickname of a "bus" by many.
"She's the famous spicy beauty, hailed as the number one flower across Yanjing's universities and hospitals. She's twenty-seven and changes boyfriends daily!" Li Jingyi looked at Xiao Lin with some pity, saying, "Little Lin, don't say I didn't warn you. She's dumped at least hundreds of men if not over a thousand. While I know you're exceptional, she's quite a fickle woman. I don't want you to fall into her charms and end up with nothing!"
"Sis, don't worry. I'm a master at walking through a sea of flowers without getting entangled. I won't easily fall for a flirt!" Xiao Lin chuckled.
"Yes, you walk through flowers untouched because you only touch flowers, not leaves!" Li Jingyi teased, rolling her eyes at Xiao Lin. Though they had known each other for just over three hours, it felt like he was her younger brother whom she'd known for years.
"..." Xiao Lin was speechless. Even Sister Jingyi was starting to tease him, prompting Xiao Lin to reflect on himself.
The three nurses had been busy since the morning, running between the injection room and pharmacy, leaving no time to see the new doctor in the emergency room. Now, finally seeing Xiao Lin in person, even though they had heard about his good looks and deeds since joining the hospital, they were still awestruck.
"How is he? Handsome enough to shake the heavens and earth, right?" Xiao Ning said smugly, feeling extremely satisfied with the stunned expressions of her three colleagues. "Xiao Mei, didn't you just say you've seen nearly a thousand handsome men? How does Dr. Xiao compare?"
"Alright, Dr. Xiao will be working in our emergency room from now on. No need to worry about not having time to see him!" Li Jingyi chuckled.
"I admit, I've only seen one handsome guy!" Xiao Mei earnestly looked into Xiao Lin's eyes as she spoke.
Getting teased by girls in succession, Xiao Lin, despite his thick skin, felt a bit embarrassed. It seemed he still needed to refine himself.
Xiao Lin didn't think he was particularly handsome, maybe just a tad better looking than the number one on Huaxia's new celebrity handsome list this year. To his surprise, he found himself saying, "I'm not the most handsome. If you saw my buddy, you'd probably faint!"
"Is there really such a person? Let us faint every day then!" Xiao Mei joked cheerfully.
They all laughed as they went out for lunch, as if they'd been colleagues for years, even though Xiao Lin had joined less than four hours ago.
Since they had to work in the afternoon, they didn't choose a fancy place. They just ordered a few dishes at a small restaurant near the university gate and didn't drink at all.
By the time the meal was over, it was almost three o'clock. Without any time to rest, they returned to the campus hospital to work. However, upon arriving at the emergency room, they were all dumbfounded—nearly thirty students were sitting at the entrance, and judging from their attire, they were not freshmen but students in their sophomore year or above.
"What's going on?" Xiao Mei asked.
Li Jingyi looked thoughtfully at Xiao Lin, feeling like she had seen this kind of scene before. Was it three years ago? Or five? Oh yes, it was five years. That time, on the first day of school, it was Dr. Xia Xue's first day in the emergency department. Back then, most of the students coming to the emergency room were boys. Now, most were girls—the gender had simply switched.
Thinking back, Li Jingyi's mind wandered to that time five years ago, during the second semester. Dr. Xia Xue began dating, changing boyfriends daily. She earned the "bus" nickname within half a semester. Since then, Xia Xue left an impression of being quite frivolous both at work and in life.
Maybe we all misunderstood her! Li Jingyi thought silently. Since Xia Xue's arrival, Li Jingyi, once dubbed the hospital's top beauty, lost that title to Xia Xue, even though she was already married with children in elementary school. Hence, there was a subtle resentment towards Xia Xue, never questioning her motives for such behavior. But today, Li Jingyi was so happy, finding herself seeing Xia Xue's actions from a broader and more understanding perspective.
Since Xia Xue gained the "bus" nickname, the emergency department returned to calm, and Xia Xue rarely brought any boyfriends to the hospital. It was rumored that Xia Xue became aware of colleagues' discontent with her private life, so she dared not have her boyfriends pick her up. However, hospital colleagues still believed that Xia Xue's nature hadn't changed and that she switched men faster than clothes. Some even spotted her dancing wildly on DJ stands at nightclubs.
"Sister Jingyi, why are you spacing out? What's going on today?" Xiao Ning was also puzzled. Having worked at the campus hospital for almost three years, it was her first time seeing so many patients. Could they all have been food poisoned?
Li Jingyi finally came back to her senses, smiled wryly at Xiao Lin, and said, "What do you think?"
"Are they all here for Dr. Xiao?" Xiao Mei asked.
Li Jingyi didn't answer and walked forward. Seeing the situation, Xiao Lin was at a loss too. Could it be that his handsomeness had reached a level that shocked the heavens?
Believe it or not, as Xiao Lin walked past the girls, every gaze locked onto him, and Xiao Lin almost ran into the emergency room office.
Back in the emergency room, Li Jingyi said with a wry smile, "Little Lin, I think you'd better not come for a few days. This is just the first day. I suspect that if it continues by tomorrow, the hospital lobby won't be enough for the line."
"Isn't that a bit exaggerated?" Xiao Lin was startled. "Are students these days really so bold?"
"You'll find out soon enough!" Li Jingyi smiled faintly.
Busy, very busy, extremely busy!
That was the only thought in Xiao Lin's mind. And the girls coming in for urgent care today weren't like the students from the morning, some simply there to catch a glimpse of the handsome doctor. But most of these sophomore girls had minor illnesses like colds or stomachaches, and one or two had mild food poisoning from eating something unclean.
And after four in the afternoon, more than a few heat-stricken freshmen arrived, nearly breaking the emergency room doors.
Xiao Lin felt deeply frustrated at this point: Who was the despicable person that said the easiest job in school was the campus hospital's emergency department, where you only needed to prescribe painkillers, and that you'd hardly see more than ten patients a day?