Chapter 8: The Shifting Worldline (1)
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Lin Nan, who was suddenly fuming with anger, completely missed the notification flashing in her retina.
Without skipping a beat, she pulled out her phone and dialed Nie Zhengchu’s number.
“Director Nie, what’s the deal with Patient 233? Why did the hospital only arrange a bed for him? Didn’t he get injured while protecting Ocean City? Can’t you, as a Deputy Bureau Director, coordinate even this?”
Nie Zhengchu was dripping in sweat as he explained, “Director, this is a bit complicated. Please hold on; I’ll come report to you in person.”
After hanging up the phone, Lin Nan silently marched toward the ward area.
Cheng Qiu rushed ahead, leading her by half a step down the corridor to the corner of the ward.
Patient 233 lay on the bed, his eyes covered with gauze.
A young man accompanying him immediately stood up respectfully at the sight of the Director, “Good day, Director.”
233, hearing the commotion, instinctively tried to sit up, but Lin Nan quickly grasped his hand, saying, “You need to rest well, don’t move around.”
“Th-thank you, Director.”
A faint blush appeared on 233’s pale face, warming up slightly from Lin Nan’s grip.
Lin Nan turned to the young accompanying him, and Cheng Qiu whispered in her ear, “This is Patient 17.”
“How’s his condition?” Lin Nan asked, her tone serious.
Patient 17’s expression was somewhat grim. “The doctor said there’s a high probability he might go blind.”
Upon overhearing their conversation, 233 quickly interjected, “No, I’ll be fine! I want to get back to work. This time I just didn’t see the enemy’s trap. I promise I won’t fall for it again!”
Lin Nan squeezed his palm reassuringly, “I’ll arrange for the best doctors in Ocean City to treat you. Just focus on getting better.”
“Y-yes!” 233’s face reddened even more.
“Cheng Qiu, stay here with them for a while. I’ll go ask the doctor for more details.”
“Yes, Director.”
Lin Nan found the doctor’s office and knocked on the door.
Inside was a young doctor on duty, his name tag reading Ma Yongxin.
“Doctor Ma, hello! I’m a family member of the patient with the extra bed. When can he move into the ward? It’s pretty noisy and inconvenient out here,” Lin Nan said.
Ma Yongxin looked up, and as soon as he saw the beauty before him—Lin Nan, the dropout from his old class—he stood up with a grin, “Beautiful Lin! Don’t tell me you forgot me?”
Lin Nan paused, thinking, Wow, what are the odds? This doctor knew the former Director Lin?
She quickly rifled through her memory and finally recalled that this guy was indeed a former classmate from college. However, after leaving school, she hadn’t seen him since.
“Wow, how nice to bump into a classmate here!”
Lin Nan was genuinely pleased; this might just be the breakthrough she needed to change the ward arrangement.
Though Ma Yongxin wore a smile, a hint of disdain crossed his mind. The patient with the extra bed had clearly been hurt by a sharp weapon, and the young companion was vague about the cause, just saying it was an accident.
Rumors had floated around that Lin Nan had voluntarily dropped out of school, but nobody knew the reason. Now, it seemed she had gotten involved with the injured patient and was mingling around!
“Want to get him into the ward?” Ma Yongxin asked.
Lin Nan smiled slightly, “Yep! It’s kind of inconvenient to stay in the hallway.”
Ma Yongxin shrugged, “Sorry, but the wards are packed. The soonest anyone can get discharged is in five days. How about we plan for him to move in then?”
Oh, how the mighty Lin Nan once was! She was the campus goddess, and countless boys had been smitten by her. He was one of them, unfortunately ignored entirely, and if he hadn’t brought it up first, she’d have probably forgotten him.
It was actually possible to get a bed in two days, but he decided to put her in a tight spot. If she begged a bit and sweet-talked him, he might reconsider.
Lin Nan thought aloud, “Is there any chance a special care room is available?”
Ma Yongxin laughed right away. “Hey, Lin, are you dreaming? Only those with status and connections get into special care rooms. Even rich tycoons don’t have that privilege. And, whether someone can move in is not something a lowly doc like me can decide. We wait for the orders from above, got it?”
Lin Nan raised an eyebrow slightly, “What about those who make special contributions?”
Memories of her predecessor sparked in her mind. Since taking the reigns of the Special Operations Bureau, everything in Ocean City appeared placid, a dance of calm. But beneath it all? Dark tides and conflicting factions battling for dominance.
If it weren’t for her leadership, the Bureau’s coordinated efforts to wipe out those lurking threats, and keep the peace, how could Ocean City maintain its rapid growth over the years?
In this span, over ten operatives had sacrificed their lives, and more than forty had been injured. Due to the nature of their work, they were treated as ordinary civil servants; the only difference was a slightly higher compensation for the fallen.
Some of the ones who recovered couldn’t return to the Bureau because they weren’t suitable for duty anymore and had to settle into minor roles at smaller units while their resumes conveniently omitted any mention of their Bureau work.
Ma Yongxin was running out of patience. No wonder this girl had dropped out; it turned out she was all looks and zero brains!
And here they were, her current boyfriend facing blindness from a street stabbing—talk about karma.
He noticed the simple leather bag Lin Nan carried. It didn’t look like much, but the logo told him it was anything but cheap—at least starting from fifty grand.
Ha! Either that was a knockoff, or, given her looks, she might just be in the “oldest profession” to rake in cash that quickly.
Sigh! Who would’ve thought she’d fallen so low? If only she’d accepted him back then, maybe she wouldn’t have ended up like this.
Shaking his head, he said, “Special contributions? Then tell me what he’s contributed. If he really did, wouldn’t the higher-ups have issued a notice already? Please, don’t give me a hard time over the special care room thing, it’s beyond my power!”
Lin Nan hesitated momentarily.
All Bureau operations were top-secret; even the Director couldn’t spill sensitive info casually. But this time, Lin Nan really wanted those ordinary people living safely to know who was behind the scenes carrying the heavy load.
“Listen well; what I’m about to tell you might sound unbelievable, but it’s true.
Last night, an unknown force invaded Ocean City, and he, as an operative of the Special Operations Bureau, was sent to investigate. During an unexpected clash with the enemy, he got injured in both eyes.
He sacrificed himself to save Ocean City from disaster and the ordinary citizens from harm. Why can’t he enter the special care room for this reason?”
Ma Yongxin stared, flabbergasted, “Oh, so that’s what happened! I must have overlooked that. Please wait a moment; I’ll report to my superiors and arrange a room for him right away!”
Lin Nan nodded, “Thank you.”
“No need for thanks! Knowing he’s a hero, we’d never let him stay in a hallway bed!”
Ma Yongxin stood up with a smile, ushering Lin Nan out of the office.
Then, as soon as she left, he immediately turned and pressed against the door, looking nervously, “cr*p! What if Lin Nan is really a psycho? What if she causes a scene later? Should I call the cops?”
