Chapter 760: Bizarre

Chapter 760: Chapter 760: Bizarre

Lin Guorui stared at Song Sisi’s smile, momentarily stunned. How did that song go again? "You look so beautiful when you smile, just like a flower in spring..."

But no matter how beautiful this flower was, she was already spoken for—and her owner was sitting right next to her. For a brief moment, Lin Guorui felt a twinge of regret. He really should have listened to Li Xu and gone home to sleep. By staying, he wasn’t just pulling an all-nighter; he was playing the role of a massive, glaring third wheel. Wasn’t he just asking for it?

As the three of them were chatting, the door to the ward was gently pushed open. The patient’s eldest son walked in, his face covered in an apologetic smile and a plastic bag in hand.

"Dr. Li, Dr. Lin, Nurse Song, please have something to eat," he said, placing the plastic bag on the desk in front of them. "It’s so late, and the night markets outside are already closed, so I couldn’t find any hot food. I just bought some biscuits and water from the 24-hour convenience store downstairs to tide you over. Thanks for working so hard through the night."

Through the transparent plastic, Li Xu and Song Sisi immediately saw what was inside. Aside from a few cans of Red Bull and bottles of mineral water, the most glaring item was a large, bright red bag of Wang Wang Snow Crackers. There were also a few bags of Wang Wang Senbei.

Li Xu and Song Sisi exchanged a look. Their expressions instantly turned colorful, stiffening slightly. Even the usually composed Lin Guorui couldn’t stop his mouth from twitching.

"No, no, sir, you’re too kind. Please, take these back for your kids to eat. Thank you," Li Xu reacted lightning-fast. He hurriedly reached in, grabbed the Wang Wang Snow Crackers out of the bag, and shoved them back into the son’s hands. "We’ll keep the drinks, but we can’t digest these biscuits at night."

Coming to the emergency department in the dead of night to give on-call doctors and nurses "Wang Wang"? Did he think they were too idle? Was he trying to make their shift "booming" with new patients?

It wasn’t uncommon for patients or their families to express their gratitude by giving small gifts to the hospital staff. Things like fruit, milk, or drinks were inexpensive and didn’t violate any rules, so if the staff couldn’t politely decline them, they would accept them. However, what one could accept depended entirely on the item itself. There was an incredibly strict "metaphysical etiquette" at play.

If someone gifted apples—symbolizing peace—or oranges—symbolizing success—the nurses would most likely accept them with joy and silently give a thumbs-up. But if someone gifted dragon fruit for a "booming" shift, mangoes for "blind busyness," strawberries for "constant bad luck," or the ultimate jinxes like Wang Wang Snow Crackers and Wang Zai Milk...

The staff’s faces would instantly pale. Not only would they absolutely refuse the gifts, but they would also pray silently and perhaps even add the gifter to their mental blacklist. They said theology was the end of science, and metaphysics was the end of medicine. In a hospital—a place full of unknowns and variables—many otherwise staunchly materialistic doctors and nurses were deeply superstitious at certain times. Especially during night shifts, the mere mention of the word "booming" was enough to make them turn pale.

"This..." The patient’s eldest son stared blankly at the rejected crackers in his hands. He rarely visited hospitals and clearly didn’t understand the unspoken rules. He just thought the crackers were tasty and filling.

"We’re really not hungry." Li Xu smiled and patted his shoulder. "Keep them for yourselves, and don’t go handing them out to the other on-call staff. Everyone has dietary restrictions at night. Hurry back and keep the old lady company. Call us if anything happens."

Li Xu didn’t mind the superstition much. After all, he had the System to rely on; his skills gave him courage. But since he was in a hospital, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Sometimes, these things only existed if you believed in them. It was mostly just an inside joke among medical professionals anyway.

As they watched the patient’s son walk out of the on-call room with that "inauspicious" bag of crackers, Lin Guorui stared unblinking at Li Xu. His gaze couldn’t have been clearer.

"Dean Li, we’re stacking buffs now.

"You already have the ’Conan curse’; wherever you go, trouble follows. And now, a family member just brought Wang Wang Snow Crackers to the ER... It’s a critical double hit. Isn’t this department going to have a wild ride tonight? I bet we’ll be slammed until dawn."

Li Xu helplessly threw his hands up and smiled bitterly. "Director Lin, please don’t jinx it..."

Before he could even finish his sentence, the sudden wail of an ambulance siren rang out outside the hospital. WEE-WOO! WEE-WOO! WEE-WOO!

The sound rapidly approached from a distance. From the urgency, it was unmistakably heading straight for the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine’s emergency department.

Li Xu was speechless. "Damn it, does it have to be this freakishly accurate?" he thought. "Talk about a jinx."

The main issue was that Li Xu was only a "guest" on duty tonight, having brought his own private patient. Naturally, he wanted a peaceful night where everyone could just relax. If he visited someone else’s emergency department and ended up making the staff work to the bone all night just because of some inexplicable metaphysical buff... The doctors and nurses would curse his name behind his back tomorrow!

"We’re doomed," a young doctor sighed from outside the on-call room. "I just went to the pantry to get some water and saw the family member from Bed 3 walking by with a huge bag of Wang Wang Snow Crackers. I knew tonight was going to go south. Sure enough, this ’Wang Wang’ curse is more accurate than the weather forecast."

As he spoke, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor outside. Doctors and nurses were already pushing gurneys toward the emergency receiving bay, preparing to receive the patient.

"Dispatched by the 120 Command Center. An e-bike and a car driving on the wrong side of the road collided at an intersection. The e-bike rider was sent flying. Preliminary diagnosis: a fractured right leg, with potential internal bleeding..."

The ER triage desk had also received advanced notice from the ambulance doctor. The second-line attending physician on duty began shouting orders, organizing personnel and emergency beds.

Li Xu, Lin Guorui, and Song Sisi exchanged glances and smiled bitterly. Since they were here, as medical professionals, there was no reason for them to just stand by and watch. The three of them hurried toward the emergency bay, ready to lend a hand.

"Dr. Liu, are you the second-line attending tonight?" Lin Guorui greeted the attending ER doctor in charge of overall coordination, whom he recognized.

Dr. Liu, a lean and capable man in his thirties, was covered in sweat. He gave Lin Guorui a hasty nod in response.

As they spoke, the ambulance screeched to a halt at the entrance of the bay. The stretcher was quickly wheeled out, and the patient’s agonizing wails instantly pierced the night sky.

"Dr. Liu, I heard it was a bone injury," Lin Guorui said, gesturing to Li Xu beside him to quickly make introductions. "When it comes to orthopedics, Dean Li is incredibly skilled. You could say he’s a hidden master. We can have him help take a look and double-check things in a bit."