As the car sped down the road, a luxurious vehicle suddenly appeared in front of them. "Hold on, hold on, keep your distance," the man beside the woman warned. "it is Cullinan, if gets touched to each other,you won't be able to pay for it."
The woman clutched the steering wheel tightly and hit the brakes slightly. She watched as the Cullinan quickly drove away and breathed a sigh of relief. "Husband, I was shocked just now," she said.
He, too, let out a sigh of relief but cautioned her to always keep her distance from such expensive cars. "Remember, when you encounter such a luxury car, hide as far as you can," he reminded her.
Meanwhile, Liu Yong was driving recklessly, weaving in and out of lanes and overtaking other cars on the road in his haste to get back to the hospital to see his father.
Many people were frightened by his erratic driving and took measures to avoid him.
Liu Lan noticed this and pointed out to her brother that he had scared the driver of a Volkswagen car earlier.
"Brother, the Volkswagen car just now must have been taken aback," she said. "Seeing you changing lanes and overtaking, he took the initiative to slow down and distance himself from you."
Li Changle said, "He is afraid of what will happen; even if it is their secondary responsibility, it is difficult to bear."
Liu Yong apologized for his reckless driving, saying, "In comparison, I didn't mean it, I just wanted to rush to the hospital earlier to see what's going on with my dad."
Though his father had assured him over the phone that everything was alright, he remained worried that the situation might not be as optimistic as it seemed.
In an effort to avoid alarming other drivers on the road, Liu Yong tried to refrain from overtaking other cars as much as possible, only passing them when they were driving slowly.
After a three-hour drive, Liu Yong reached the County People's Hospital in just two and a half hours.
Upon arrival, he quickly parked his car and grabbed the nutritional supplements and fresh fruits he had bought for his family members. "We made good time, it's already 11:30," he remarked as he led the way into the hospital.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtLiu Yong walked ahead, with his sister Liu Lan and mother, Zhou Xiuying following closely behind, making their way to the fifth floor of the inpatient department where Liu Hongfu was staying.
As they approached his ward, Liu Yong gently pushed open the door and saw his father lying weakly on a hospital bed.
Zhou Xiuying, his mother, was dozing off beside him.
"Mom," Liu Yong called out softly, catching his mother's attention.
Zhou Xiuying and Liu Hongfu woke up immediately upon hearing their children's voices, overjoyed to see them.
Zhou Xiuying, in particular, was ecstatic, expressing her happiness on her face.
"Dad, it's us. We came to see you," Liu Lan said as she walked over to the bed, followed closely by Liu Yong and Li Changle.
"I said it's fine. You don't need to come back," Liu Hongfu complained weakly, but his children could tell he was happy to see them.
"Dad, it's Saturday and we have the time to come see you. It's convenient for us to drive back, so don't blame our brother," Liu Lan said, defending her brother's decision to visit.
Zhou Xiuying, still beaming with happiness, admired Li Changle, Liu Yong's girlfriend, thinking to herself how beautiful and charming she was.
"Who is this lovely lady?" she asked.
"Dad, Mom, this is Li Changle. She's my girlfriend," Liu Yong said proudly, introducing his girlfriend to his parents.
Li Changle gave Liu Yong a discreet thumbs-up before sweetly greeting Liu Hongfu and Zhou Xiuying.
The couple was delighted to meet her and felt as if Liu Hongfu's illness had miraculously improved just by seeing her.
"We are doing well," Zhou Xiuying said in unison with her husband, both beaming joyfully.
When Liu Yong inquired about his condition, Zhou Xiuying gave him a general update, and he nodded in relief.
Fortunately, he had been admitted to the hospital in a timely manner, and his crisis had been averted.
There were no significant problems, and he would likely be discharged in a few days.
However, Liu Yong wanted to be more satisfied with the crowded environment of his current ward, which made it inconvenient to do anything.
He turned to Zhou Xiuying and said, "I would like to go out and find a doctor. Can I change to a single ward?"
Li Changle quickly offered to accompany Liu Yong, but Liu Lan opted to stay behind. The two left the ward together and soon found Liu Hongfu's attending doctor.
After inquiring about his father's condition, Liu Yong requested, "Doctor, can my dad be moved to a single ward?"
The attending doctor responded professionally and detachedly,
"You will need to speak to our Director Xiao about this matter."
There were three VIP wards in the Department of Gastroenterology, and currently, two are vacant. The decision of which patients would be assigned to the VIP wards rested on Xiao Jian, the department director.
As a family member of a patient in the hospital, Liu Yong went to Xiao Jian's office to make a request.
"Director Xiao, hello, I am a family member of Bed 16," he said.
"Hello," replied Xiao Jian, not showing much enthusiasm. He remained seated and didn't bother to get up to greet Liu Yong warmly.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmLiu Yong proceeded to make his request: "It's like this. Can Director Xiao help my dad change to a single room? The ward he is currently staying in is too crowded."
Xiao Jian didn't even bother to raise his eyelids. "This may not work," he said dismissively.
"Our VIP rooms are all full at present, and we can't arrange them at all."
Liu Yong, who didn't know the reality, assumed it was packed and was slightly disappointed.
"Then excuse me," he said, bidding farewell.
Xiao Jian remained seated, not moving, and watched Liu Yong leave with a hint of disdain in his eyes.
"It's really whimsical," he thought to himself. "Are you able to live in the VIP ward? For bumpkins from the countryside like you, it would be nice to have an ordinary ward. Believe it or not, I can arrange it for you in the aisle."
Xiao Jian was a snob who only arranged VIP wards for patients with a specific relationship background as a way of currying favor.
Ordinary people, especially those from rural areas, didn't stand a chance of getting a VIP ward, even if they were empty.
Liu Yong, disappointed, left Xiao Jian's office and returned to the ward. He didn't mention the VIP ward issue and, after a moment of silence, suggested that they all go for lunch.
Liu Hongfu agreed but said, "You all go, I have run out of water and can't eat, so don't worry about me."
Zhou Xiuying was concerned about leaving Liu Hongfu alone.
"You guys go, I'll stay here with your dad," she said.
But Liu Yong insisted that his mother come with them. "Dad doesn't need to worry about it here," he said. "I will ask a 24-hour nurse to come over."
Liu Yong went to the nurse's station to make his request and promised to pay double his salary. The only condition was that the nurse should take good care of his father. The nurse agreed happily.
Seeing that a nurse had been arranged, Zhou Xiuying agreed to have lunch with everyone.
...............….