Chapter 175: A Moment of Itchy, Mischievous Hands

Chapter 175 -174: A Moment of Itchy, Mischievous Hands

The next day was Saturday, at Ning’an Hospital.

A little after ten in the morning, Yu Zhiming, who was at the postpartum center performing a fetal position adjustment, received a call from Jin Feng, the deputy chief of the Xinyuan Street Police Station.

He told Yu Zhiming that last night’s case had been solved.

A gang of three, in collusion with a pet hospital, was cruelly using abandoned and abducted dogs to run a scam.

They would intentionally have a dog cause an accident, after which a beautiful woman, one of the gang members, would show up and play the victim.

If the dog was injured but still alive, they would take it to the pet hospital for treatment.

If the dog died, the woman would break down in tears, lamenting her pitiful circumstances.

Faced with the beautiful, distraught woman, on top of a severely injured or dead dog, the drivers’ hearts would go out to her, and they would voluntarily pay a hefty sum for treatment fees or compensation.

Since there was no coercion involved and the drivers all paid voluntarily, no one suspected anything was wrong or called the police.

Jin Feng stated that, according to their preliminary confessions, they had pulled this scam successfully twenty-seven times before their arrest.

Their illicit gains totaled nearly 200,000.

During lunch, Gu Qingran listened to Yu Zhiming recount the story and couldn’t help but tsk-tsk. “Exploiting people’s compassionate nature… these guys are pretty clever, just not using their brains for anything good.”

“What a shame. And those poor dogs.”

“In a way, you could say the smartest, most capable people are all locked up in prison.”

Gu Qingran joked, then changed the subject. “Dr. Yu, do you like dogs?”

“If you do, I can give you one. A friend of mine raises purebred Akitas, and his female is about to have a litter.”

Yu Zhiming shook his head. “I don’t. I like peace and quiet.”

“My mom hates dogs, and my niece is afraid of them. No one in my family, or any of my sisters’ families, keeps dogs.”

“In fact, we don’t keep any pets at all.”

Gu Qingran let out an “Oh,” then asked, “I know Huashan Hospital is building you a dedicated operating room, examination room, and office in the third basement level.”

“I can build one for you here at Ning’an, too…”

Yu Zhiming interrupted, “Dean Gu, there’s no need. I only come to Ning’an one day a week.”

“Ning’an is spacious and not crowded. It’s much quieter than Huashan Hospital, so it doesn’t affect my work.”

Gu Qingran sighed softly and didn’t insist.

He then asked curiously, “That superhuman hearing of yours, did you train it as a child?”

By now, those who interacted with Yu Zhiming frequently all knew that he was unusually sensitive to sound.

It was something Yu Zhiming couldn’t hide.

In his daily life and at work, tell-tale signs of his sensitivity to sound would inevitably surface from time to time.

Yu Zhiming hadn’t intended to hide it completely anyway; it served as a convenient explanation for his astonishing skills in auscultation and percussion.

But none of them knew the true extent of Yu Zhiming’s hypersensitivity to sound!

In response to Gu Qingran’s question, Yu Zhiming answered vaguely, “Let’s just say when God closes a door, he opens a window.”

Gu Qingran smiled faintly. “The ancients often said that fortune and misfortune are two sides of the same coin. This could be considered a blessing in disguise for you.”

Yu Zhiming teased back, “Dean Gu has his own blessing in disguise, doesn’t he? You never have to worry about any ‘accidents’ that might lead to a new life.”

Gu Qingran’s face immediately darkened.

He glared at Yu Zhiming and said glumly, “A couple of days ago, I had my ‘little guys’ cryopreserved, just in case something goes wrong down there in the future.”

Then he asked enthusiastically, “Dr. Yu, how about you donate some of your genetic material?”

“Superior genes like yours should be passed on.”

Yu Zhiming scoffed. “Many famous modern scientists didn’t have particularly impressive children.”

“It just goes to show that genetics play a pretty limited role in a person’s success.”

He suddenly exclaimed, touching his face and saying smugly, “Ah, but I forgot about inheriting good looks.”

“Someone like me can get by on looks alone. Any children of mine are bound to inherit my good looks, which would certainly make their lives a bit smoother.”

Gu Qingran resisted the urge to make a sarcastic comment and changed the subject. “I hear your Fourth Sister is looking to rent places to start a short-term rental business for patients’ families.”

“Our hospital has a few subsidized apartments for talented staff in a nearby complex that haven’t been assigned yet.”

“They’re just sitting empty. Would your Fourth Sister be interested?”

“Of course she’s interested!”

Yu Zhiming quickly accepted on his sister’s behalf, then another thought occurred to him.

“Dean Gu, if I had agreed back then, one of these apartments would be mine, right?”

“Hey, I seem to recall you mentioning an apartment in the Inner Ring. This is all the way out past the Central District.”

Gu Qingran huffed. “This area’s prosperity and housing prices are already comparable to the Inner Ring.”

“Dr. Yu, don’t forget the fine print: ‘Specific benefits are subject to actual availability.'”

Yu Zhiming said indignantly, “I knew it! Businessmen are all cunning and can’t be trusted.”

“It’s a good thing I wasn’t swayed by the offer and stuck to my guns…”

After lunch, Yu Zhiming returned to Ning’an Hospital and closed his eyes to rest for a moment.

At one o’clock, he began his physical examinations right on schedule.

A little after eight that evening, Yu Zhiming returned to his place at Zijin Garden and found only Gu Qingning there.

“Where’s my sister?”

“She said she went out to look at apartments.”

Yu Zhiming murmured an “oh,” gathered his things, and went to the bathroom to wash up and take a shower.

Half an hour later, he walked out of the bathroom in fresh, dry pajamas, his hair still half-damp.

Yu Zhiming sat down on the living room sofa, and suddenly the light in front of him dimmed.

Gu Qingning had come up to him and begun drying his hair with a towel.

“Can you make it back in time tomorrow?”

Yu Zhiming replied softly, “I can’t guarantee it. It depends on the child’s specific situation. I can only say I’ll try my best.”

“Qingning, you should have your cousin prepare a backup plan in case I don’t make it back.”

“There’s a good chance of that.”

Gu Qingning hummed in agreement, then asked, “The operating room and office Huashan Hospital is renovating for you… that must be a pretty big project, right?”

“You’re a big shot at Huashan Hospital now. Why not use your influence to get your eldest nephew the contract?”

“He still hasn’t lined up his next job. He’s running all over town looking for work.”

Yu Zhiming explained, “Operating rooms and examination rooms are specialized constructions with very specific requirements. Xiaobo and his crew don’t have the relevant experience; they can’t do this kind of work.”

“Besides, these projects are always awarded to companies with special connections to the hospital. They’ve spent plenty of time and money cultivating those relationships.”

“Trying to snatch the food right out of their mouths would just make enemies.”

Gu Qingning laughed softly. “Zhiming, you usually act so aloof and proud, like you can’t be bothered with anyone. I never would’ve thought you understood the ways of the world so well.”

Yu Zhiming scoffed. “It’s not that I don’t understand. I just can’t be bothered to waste my time on it.”

As they spoke, a delicate feminine fragrance kept wafting into Yu Zhiming’s nose.

Through the gaps in the towel, Yu Zhiming suddenly noticed a sliver of Gu Qingning’s pale, smooth midriff. Her navel was right there in front of him, in plain sight.

He reached out his index finger… and poked it.

“What are you doing?”

Gu Qingning jumped back a step as if she’d been zapped by electricity, glaring at Yu Zhiming.

Yu Zhiming explained sheepishly, “Heh, I just saw you had a really nice belly button and couldn’t resist giving it a poke.”

“My hand just had a mind of its own, heh heh…”

Gu Qingning shot him a glare. “That tickles, Yu Zhiming! Don’t you do that again.”

After saying that, she stepped forward again, swapped to a dry towel, and continued drying his hair.

Yu Zhiming sat still obediently.

A few minutes later, Yu Zhiming’s hair was finally dry.

He stood up and said, “I’m going back to my room to rest.”

As he was pushing open his bedroom door, Yu Zhiming turned his head to add a reminder.

“Qingning, my flight is a little after six tomorrow, so I have to get up and leave at four.”

“You and Fourth Sister don’t worry about me. Just stay in bed.”

Gu Qingning huffed. “I can’t speak for Sister Xiang Wan, but I certainly won’t be getting up to fuss over you…”