Chapter 286: Uninvited Guest

Su Ruo gazed at Lu Zhan's kindly, affectionate face, knowing he could not have risen to this position if he were an amiable, approachable person.

Su Ruo understood that she was benefiting from Song Jingyu's reflected glory, which was why Lu Zhan showed her favor; this revealed how highly Lu Zhan valued Song Jingyu in his heart.

Su Ruo gratefully thanked Lu Zhan; since someone had voluntarily taken care of this, she would not foolishly insist on pushing forward.

After all, Hao Manru's status was what it was; given her current position, confronting Hao Manru's parents would still be somewhat troublesome.

After dealing with Hao Manru's matter, Su Ruo returned to the ward; Song Jingyu remained unchanged, showing no sign of waking.

This worried the entire department's doctors and nurses, for they knew how much the Army Commander cared about Song Jingyu.

If Song Jingyu never woke up, the consequences were unimaginable to them.

On the contrary, Su Ruo remained composed, personally attending to Song Jingyu's daily meals and living needs.

She showed no trace of worry or panic, as if she had long been convinced that Song Jingyu would surely awaken.

Su Ruo's demeanor naturally attracted much attention; some admired her courage and envied the steadfastness of their love.

But where there is praise, there is also criticism; some elderly women took issue with Su Ruo's behavior, deeming her shameless for consorting with a man before marriage and rushing to care for him like that.

In saying these things, they completely forgot that Su Ruo was not only Song Jingyu's girlfriend but also a doctor.

Even if the person lying here today were not Song Jingyu but another patient, Su Ruo would act the same way.

Upon hearing these remarks, Chen Dan was quite angry, but Su Ruo did not mind; the wise speak little, the foolish change readily—those people were not worth her wasting time on.

Chen Dan felt Su Ruo was absolutely right; arguing with those gossiping women, even if she won, would change nothing.

Chen Dan sometimes truly admired Su Ruo; though they were roughly the same age, Su Ruo seemed far more mature—at least Chen Dan could not achieve such calm composure.

If this happened to her, she would surely rush in without hesitation and tear apart those people's mouths.

Su Ruo merely wanted to smile and stay silent; this was not maturity but indifference—people unrelated to her found it hard to enter her heart, so she naturally experienced no emotional fluctuations and felt no anger.

But if those people dared to make a scene before her, that would be another matter.

No longer discussing the topic, Chen Dan looked anxiously at Song Jingyu on the bed and said, "What if he never wakes up—what then?"

Now there are plenty of people in the hospital waiting to see Su Ruo make a fool of herself; they think she is overreaching, waiting to see Song Jingyu never wake up, wondering how she will extricate herself.

Su Ruo knew the young lady was genuinely worried for her, and she smiled to comfort her: "Don't worry, he will surely wake up!"

Su Ruo had confidence in her medical skills and also in Song Jingyu; given his character, he would absolutely not allow himself to lie in bed like a cripple for life.

Upon hearing Su Ruo's words, Chen Dan felt inexplicably reassured; although almost everyone in the hospital was pessimistic about Su Ruo, she felt an inexplicable trust in her, as if whatever Su Ruo said would surely come to pass.

In the days that followed, Song Jingyu still had not awakened, but his vital signs gradually stabilized, even his excretory functions returned to normal, which let Su Ruo breathe a sigh of relief.

This indicated that Song Jingyu's body was slowly recovering; as for when he would wake, it was merely a matter of time.

But Su Ruo did not expect that, before Song Jingyu woke, an uninvited guest would arrive.

"Doctor Su, hello, I'm Zhang Wan, a doctor sent from Kyoto; from now on I will share responsibility for Commander Song's condition with you, hoping we can cooperate pleasantly and help Regimental Commander Song awaken soon."

Su Ruo glanced at the tall, strikingly beautiful woman before her and frowned slightly; although the woman's attitude was good and her smile proper, Su Ruo sensed an inexplicable hostility from her for some reason.

Su Ruo did not look at Zhang Wan but turned her gaze to the dean beside her, puzzled as to why Song Jingyu, whom she had personally cared for, was suddenly being overseen by this Zhang Wan.

The dean's face showed a hint of unease; he knew Su Ruo had been treating Song Jingyu well, and suddenly sending Zhang Wan over was not good—from a doctor's perspective, it expressed distrust.

But he could not help it, since Song Jingyu remained unconscious and the superior was anxiously desperate, leading to desperate measures.

Although the dean also thought this was unwise, it was Lu Zhan's arrangement, and he had no choice.

Seeing Su Ruo ignore her, Zhang Wan felt no embarrassment; she calmly withdrew her hand and said, "Doctor Su, don't blame the dean or the Army Commander—after all, Commander Song's prolonged unconsciousness naturally worries them."

After all, the Regimental Commander's health concerns the future of the entire military district.

Moreover, please don't worry; I am here mainly to observe and learn, and I will not steal your credit.

I merely come from a medical family and studied abroad for two years, so I am relatively skilled in treating brain conditions.

The Army Commander sent me here also hoping we could communicate, devise better treatment plans, and help Regimental Commander Song wake as soon as possible.

As the saying goes, one mind is short, two minds are long—Doctor Su, you surely won't be jealous of talent and ability, right?

Zhang Wan's lips still curved in a smile, but it now carried a hint of provocation.

Zhang Wan's words implied that if Su Ruo refused to let her stay, it would be petty and narrow-minded.

Facing Zhang Wan's provocation, Su Ruo snorted aloud: "Jealous of talent and ability? If you had any medical knowledge at all, you'd know that without me, Song Jingyu would already be dead, and you wouldn't be here pointing fingers at me.

Stealing my credit? I performed the surgery, I personally cared for him; now everything is stable, and he's about to wake—yet you show up.

And you claim you won't steal my credit—do you deserve it? This credit is mine to give; dare you take it?

Upon hearing Su Ruo's words, Zhang Wan's face flushed alternately pale and red; she had not expected Su Ruo to deny her face so bluntly.

All her life, thanks to her own excellence and her distinguished family background, Zhang Wan has been fawned over wherever she went and has never suffered such humiliation.

At this moment, she could no longer maintain her composure.

Su Ruo, however, did not glance at her again, but told the dean, "Song Jingyu is my patient; only I can be responsible for him. Tell the Army Commander I need no help—if he distrusts me, he can replace me anytime."

After speaking, Su Ruo turned and left straight away, not even giving the dean face.

The dean, whose face had been rebuffed, could only stand there with a wry smile, having long known this girl had an explosive temper.

But what can he do? He just likes her—so he'll indulge her.