Chapter 59: Boyfriend

Hospital lobby.

Han Ling sat on a chair, answering a phone call from Tong Feng.

"Obstetrics and Gynecology. Li Hui went to Obstetrics and Gynecology," Tong Feng's voice carried a hint of surprise. "Isn't she close to fifty? Hasn't she gone through menopause yet? To think she could actually get pregnant."

Han Ling didn't seem surprised at all. "I'm on the first floor. Come on down and wait for her."

Li Hui going to the OB-GYN department meant only one of two things.

First, a check-up.

Second, an abortion.

Even if it was an abortion, Han Ling had no intention of interfering; that was a personal choice.

Ordinary citizens had no right to stop it, the police had no legal basis to prevent it, and Han Ling certainly wasn't going to rush over and tell her that being pregnant would be a tremendous help in reducing her final sentence in court.

Everything depended entirely on Li Hui's own decision.

Tong Feng replied, "Alright."

Soon, Tong Feng came downstairs, sat down next to Han Ling, and asked what he had been doing just now.

"Ran into an acquaintance," Han Ling explained briefly.

Tong Feng raised an eyebrow. "Oh? A hospital acquaintance? You have friends working in hospitals now? Which department? Might come in handy in the future."

For ordinary people, the best social connections to have were teachers, law enforcement personnel, and doctors.

Daily life was inseparable from teachers and doctors, and if anything unexpected happened, having friends in the public security or judicial systems made matters much easier to handle. At the very least, one wouldn't be left helpless or at the mercy of others, retaining a fair chance to reason things out.

Han Ling answered evasively, "The Emergency Department. We're not particularly close."

Tong Feng insisted, "Introduce me next time. Having a doctor friend our own age will be useful down the road."

Han Ling couldn't bring himself to agree, so he simply pretended not to hear.

After the incident on New Year's Eve, he had no idea whether Xu Qinghe had given up or if the two of them had completely broken ties.

Time ticked away second by second.

Twenty minutes past eleven in the morning.

A group of doctors walked out from the direction of the Emergency Department. Xu Qinghe was among them. The rest were older, their black hair streaked with white; they were likely senior department heads or hospital directors.

"The gap between us and foreign countries is still quite significant," a middle-aged man was saying to Xu Qinghe. "Medical resources, service efficiency and quality, technology, and equipment—we still have a long way to catch up."

Xu Qinghe kept her hands in the pockets of her white coat as she replied, "In neurosurgery, cardiovascular medicine, and oncology, their instruments are ahead by two generations. There's not much we can do about that; imports are expensive, and they aren't willing to sell them to us, coupled with a brain drain. We'll just have to take it slow. I believe our country's medical standards will eventually catch up and benefit the public."

Xu Qinghe in a white coat possessed a unique charm. Her loose attire faintly outlined her neat silhouette, the slight opening at the collar revealed her collarbones, and her hair was tied in its usual ponytail, highlighting her striking beauty.

"Hey! Han Ling, that doctor is gorgeous."

"Damn, look, look at that! Even prettier than Lin Rong. Are they filming a TV show?"

Tong Feng noticed her and, driven by brotherly loyalty, tugged at Han Ling to make him look. After all, looking didn't cost anything.

Checking out beautiful women with your bros was standard operating procedure.

Han Ling kept his head down and said nothing.

"The intussusception surgery a few days ago went really well. I didn't expect foreign countries to already be adopting that method," the middle-aged man remarked.

Xu Qinghe responded, "We still need to maintain a humble attitude toward learning."

The middle-aged man hummed in acknowledgment, then seemed to remember something. He laughed and said, "Oh, right, Xiao Xu, have you given any thought to that person I introduced to you last time? A middle manager at a state-owned enterprise with a very solid family background. I'm not pulling your leg."

Bringing up the topic yet again left Xu Qinghe feeling helpless. "Director, I have a boyfriend."

The middle-aged man was the vice president of Qingchang City People's Hospital.

The vice president scoffed, unconvinced. "You always say boyfriend, boyfriend. Where is he? Why don't you bring him over so we can take a look? It's not nice to lie to us, young lady."

Just as Xu Qinghe was about to speak, her gaze shifted and, amidst the bustling lobby, she precisely locked onto Han Ling sitting in the distance.

Huh?

Why was he here?

"Director, my boyfriend is right over there," Xu Qinghe said, raising a hand to point.

The vice president looked over, and the other accompanying doctors followed his gaze.

There was nothing remarkable about a regular boyfriend, but Xu Qinghe's boyfriend carried a certain notoriety.

"So young?" The vice president pondered for a moment before striding over. Xu Qinghe wore a nervous expression, biting the bullet as she followed behind.

Han Ling surely wouldn't... start a physical altercation in a hospital, would he? If an argument broke out later, she would just claim they were having a fight.

"He's coming, he's coming! The beauty is walking this way!!" Tong Feng shook Han Ling's arm so hard that Han Ling's whole body was vibrating.

Han Ling raised his head.

Before he could react, Xu Qinghe spoke first, "Director, this is Han Ling. A police officer, my boyfriend."

Tong Feng froze, his jaw dropping open in utter disbelief: "??????"

What the hell!

Bro, you driving a Land Rover didn't make me jealous, and you driving a Rolls-Royce was something I could swallow, but piloting a humanoid mecha is crossing the line!

The vice president and the others sized Han Ling up. He looked quite decent, young, but nothing else stood out.

After finishing, Xu Qinghe blinked at Han Ling, her eyes carrying a plea. Hesitating for a moment, Han Ling realized she was using him as a shield, but he chose not to expose her and stood up politely.

Did this woman have issues? Naturally, she did, but the exact nature of those issues remained unclear.

Given his personality, whatever motive Xu Qinghe might have regarding him was unimportant; the fact that she treated others well was enough.

Han Ling was both a selfish person and an unselfish person, a complex composition.

To put it bluntly, even if you wanted to kill me, as long as you weren't a bad person, we could still be friends.

At the very least... we could sit down and talk.

"Hello, I'm Han Ling." Han Ling flashed a smile and greeted Xu Qinghe's colleagues.

Seeing that he didn't deny it, Xu Qinghe felt a ripple of surprise, the corners of her lips curving upward playfully.

Tong Feng completely gave up all hope, glaring at Han Ling as if he wanted to devour him alive.

Fine, play it like that, huh? You found such a stunning girlfriend and didn't even tell me!

And what about Lin Rong... Was she just discarded like that by a heartless scumbag?

Gazing at the dazzling beauty of Xu Qinghe right now, a thought suddenly popped into Tong Feng's mind: Let me ask you, shouldn't she have been discarded?

Tong Feng answered his own question: Absolutely! She damn well should have been!

"Young man, which precinct do you work at as a police officer?" the vice president asked.

Han Ling answered, "Wanglou Police Station."

The vice president continued, "Oh... you're a regular officer, right?"

Han Ling replied, "Yes, a regular officer."

The vice president nodded. "Ah, not bad. Well, you two go ahead and chat, I'll take my leave."

The colleagues walked away, leaving the "couple" some private space without acting as human light bulbs.

"Han—"

The two exchanged glances, and Xu Qinghe opened her mouth to speak.

At that exact moment, out of the corner of his eye, Han Ling caught sight of Li Hui near the escalator. His smile vanished instantly, and he raised a hand to stop her.

"I have work to do, apologies."

"Tong Feng, let's go!"

With that, Han Ling turned and walked toward Li Hui. Tong Feng offered an awkward smile to Xu Qinghe and quickly hurried along behind.

Xu Qinghe didn't leave; she moved to another spot and watched from afar. She guessed that his hospital visit was official police business, and judging by the posture, it was likely an arrest of a suspect.

Li Hui tossed all her medical receipts into the trash can and looked up to see Han Ling and Tong Feng. Her expression shifted dramatically, and she immediately lowered her head.

Han Ling and his companion had a clear target, stepping right up in front of her.

Unable to avoid them, Li Hui had no choice but to speak. "Officers, what a coincidence."

"Whose child are you carrying?" Han Ling didn't beat around the bush and asked directly.