When Guo Danu asked about Guo Shaocong, Ye Qiu immediately understood — he was being tested.
Guo Shaocong's disappearance had made Guo Danu suspicious of him.
Though Ye Qiu was on high guard inside, his face remained calm and natural. He spoke seriously:
"Vice Dean Guo, I was actually about to ask you the same thing. Where is Guo Shaocong? I haven't seen him anywhere."
"You really have no idea where he is?"
Guo Danu narrowed his eyes, trying to spot a crack in Ye Qiu's expression.
But he was disappointed.
Ye Qiu's face was steady, showing nothing out of the ordinary.
Ye Qiu said: "I went to his ward to look for him. Zhang Lili said he went for a walk in the garden. I checked there too, but I still couldn't find him."
"Is that so?" Doubt burned in Guo Danu's eyes. "Little Ye, you're not lying to me, are you? How could you not know where he is?"
"If you don't believe me, ask Director Bai. She was right next to me when I searched the garden. She can back me up."
"Director Bai, is what Ye Qiu said true?" Guo Danu turned to Bai Bing.
"He's not lying. Every word is true," Bai Bing replied.
Guo Danu chuckled. "I just thought Little Ye might know where Shaocong had gone."
"Vice Dean, you're Guo Shaocong's father. Wouldn't he tell you where he was going?" Ye Qiu shot back.
"You don't understand. Shaocong is playful, and he's an adult now. I can't keep tabs on him all the time." Guo Danu asked again: "Little Ye, why were you looking for Shaocong?"
"Zhang Lili framed me, saying I copied Shaocong's medical notes. I wanted to clear this up with him," Ye Qiu said, pretending to be annoyed.
Guo Danu smiled warmly. "That's a trivial matter. When Shaocong comes back, I'll make him explain everything to you. For now, go treat Old Li."
"Alright."
Ye Qiu and Bai Bing then left.
As soon as they were gone, the smile vanished from Guo Danu's face, replaced by cold indifference.
"That little bastard is pretty cunning. Since you won't tell me where Shaocong is… don't blame me for what comes next."
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. He picked up the phone and dialed a number.
Five seconds later, a deep, authoritative voice answered:
"Who is this?"
"Hello, Bureau Chief Li! It's me, Guo," Guo Danu said, bowing slightly, his tone extremely respectful.
There was a brief silence on the line as the man tried to place who 'Guo' was. After a moment, he asked tentatively:
"Guo Danu from Jiangzhou Hospital?"
"Yes, yes! That's me, Bureau Chief! Thank you for remembering me!" Guo Danu said, flattered.
"What do you want?" Bureau Chief Li asked.
"Here's the thing. A young doctor in our surgery department insisted on treating Old Li today. I couldn't stop him."
"A surgery doctor? What's his name? How old?"
"His name is Ye Qiu. He's in his early twenties, still on probation."
"Nonsense! A probationary doctor has no chance of waking my father!" Bureau Chief Li said sternly. "Guo Danu, I order you: do NOT let that doctor treat him."
"I can't stop him, sir. He's already started," Guo Danu lied.
"How incompetent are you? An executive vice president can't even control a rookie doctor?"
"With all respect, Director Bai supports him. I have no choice!"
"I don't care how you do it — stop them. I'm on my way to the hospital right now. And I warn you: if anything happens to my father, I will not spare any of you."
Slap!
Bureau Chief Li hung up angrily.
Guo Danu's face twisted into a triumphant sneer.
"Ye Qiu, I'm not just going to get you fired. I'm going to send you to prison."
...
Once they were out of the office, Bai Bing's expression turned grave.
"Ye Qiu, you shouldn't have agreed to treat him. Old Li is no ordinary patient. If anything goes wrong, you'll be in huge trouble."
"I know what you mean, Director. But did I have a choice?" Ye Qiu said. "If I refuse, I offend the Bureau Chief. I'd rather take a chance. What if I actually succeed?"
"What if?"
Bai Bing's face hardened at the word. She reprimanded him sharply:
"You're a doctor. You can't rely on luck. Saving lives requires certainty — human lives are at stake."
"I'm sorry, Director. I was wrong," Ye Qiu apologized at once.
Bai Bing's expression softened slightly.
"Since you've already agreed, give it everything you have. As Vice Dean Guo said, if you cure Old Li, it could be your big break."
"I'll do my best."
Ye Qiu followed Bai Bing to the intensive care unit.
He noticed this ward was on the same floor as Lin Jingzhi's, only a few rooms apart.
Inside, an elderly man in his seventies lay unconscious on the bed, his complexion gray and sallow. A middle-aged female caregiver was wiping his feet.
When she saw Bai Bing and Ye Qiu enter, she stood up quickly. Before she could greet them, Bai Bing said:
"Leave us for a moment. We need to examine Old Li."
"Yes, ma'am." The caregiver hurried out.
"Ye Qiu, take a look at him first."
Ye Qiu nodded, picked up the medical chart hanging by the bed, and flipped through it, studying Old Li's condition and changes over the past few years.
According to the records, Old Li had shown no prior symptoms before becoming vegetative. He'd simply nodded off in a chair — and never woken up.
Over the years, Bureau Chief Li had brought in countless experts and tried every method to wake his father, but all had failed.
Old Li had not responded at all.
He was only being kept alive by IV nutrition.
After years like this, he was little more than skin and bones.
Ye Qiu closed the chart, sat by the bed, and placed his fingers on Old Li's wrist to feel his pulse.
Seeing this, Bai Bing asked curiously:
"Ye Qiu… you know traditional Chinese medicine?"
"Mm-hmm," Ye Qiu murmured.
"Why didn't you ever mention this before?"
"You never asked, Director."
"Can you treat his condition?" Bai Bing pressed.
Ye Qiu replied: "It's hard to say. His case is strange."
"How so?"
"His pulse is steady and strong. That's not how a normal vegetative patient presents. It's almost as if… Old Li is suffering from the legendary soul-loss syndrome."