Chapter 135: I'm the Dad, Ning Tang
Lu Jiaxiang's face instantly turned ugly.
If what Zhang Yanfei just said is true, and this really escalates to the higher authorities, not only will Lu Niannian, that idiot, lose her position as the head of surgery!
Even the Lu family's reputation will be ruined here!
"Comrade Zhang." Lu Jiaxiang quickly calmed himself down, his voice somewhat serious, "Calm down first. Niannian is a spoiled child, it's all because we, as parents, have spoiled her."
"Sit down and tell me properly, there might be some misunderstanding."
Lu Jiaxiang was extremely polite, almost to the point of bowing and scraping.
He knew Lu Niannian's temperament better than anyone else.
The matter has blown up so big; she must have been involved in it.
Now that the deed is done, we absolutely cannot admit it. If we do, who knows how much more demanding Zhang Yanfei will make, and then it will be even more irreversible.
"Misunderstanding?" Zhang Yanfei sneered.
He slammed his hand on the table and stood up as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.
“My wife is lying in your hospital’s emergency room right now. Her injuries and bruises are clearly visible. The doctor said that if we had come any later, we would have lost the baby. You call this a misunderstanding?”
Zhang Yanfei was almost laughing out of anger.
He never expected the Lu family to be so shameless. No wonder Lu Niannian was so fearless; it turns out the whole family is like this.
Although Zhang Yanfei is sometimes not human, even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cubs.
Ning Xin is carrying his two precious sons in her belly. If something happens to her, it will cut off the Zhang family's bloodline!
Zhang Yanfei roared angrily, "Lu Jiaxiang, stop spouting nonsense and stop giving me that bureaucratic airs!"
"Your daughter made a mistake, so you, as her father, have to take responsibility for it."
"Either we go to the dean's office to settle this matter, or you give me a satisfactory explanation. Otherwise, I'll take my wife to the military region to file a complaint tomorrow!"
Zhang Yanfei wanted to show everyone.
The daughter of their hospital's head of surgery is the kind of person who bullies military families and harms unborn children!
"You dare!"
Lu Jiaxiang suddenly stood up, his chest heaving violently.
Zhang Yanfei's words made him tremble with anger.
With trembling hands, he quickly took out two nitroglycerin pills from the drawer and swallowed them dry.
It took a long time before my heart finally felt much better.
Lu Jiaxiang's biggest fear right now is to escalate the matter to the military region. Once he gets involved with sensitive topics like military dependents, even if he has a lot of connections, it will be hard to silence public opinion.
In order to quell the storm, the dean will have to sacrifice him first.
Lu Jiaxiang took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
Now is not the time for a head-on confrontation. Since Zhang Yanfei dares to make such a fuss, he must be certain that he won't dare to escalate the situation.
Instead of engaging in a stalemate with him, it's better to calm him down first and then think of a solution.
"Comrade Zhang, let's talk this out. There's no need to escalate it to that point."
Lu Jiaxiang's tone softened, and he pointed to the chair next to him.
"Please sit down, let's talk slowly. You said you want an explanation, so how would you like me to compensate you? As long as it doesn't violate my principles, I can consider it."
Seeing that he had relented, Zhang Yanfei's anger subsided slightly, but she still did not sit down.
He crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes filled with vigilance.
"I don't need your fancy stuff, like nutritional supplements or medical expenses, I don't need them."
Zhang Yanfei paused.
I suddenly remembered the company notice I saw on my boss's desk a while ago.
That was delivered by the dean's office yesterday.
It is said that two surgeons will be selected next month to go to the border with the military region team to provide field medical support, and two team leaders will be selected from the team leaders.
This kind of task may seem arduous, but it's actually quite lucrative.
Not only will they receive extra allowances, but their return will also be a significant boost to their resumes, greatly benefiting their future promotions.
Zhang Yanfei had heard about this mission long ago and had been eagerly anticipating it for days.
But since he was just an ordinary squad leader, he had no chance to get involved.
Now that Lu Jiaxiang had taken the initiative to ask him what compensation he wanted, he immediately had an idea.
“My team has a mission recently, which is to provide medical support to the border next month.”
Zhang Yanfei lowered her voice, her eyes showing a hint of urgency.
But he deliberately pretended to be nonchalant.
He acted as if he were asking for a favor not himself, but Lu Jiaxiang in front of him.
"This mission is lucrative, and it will count as a military achievement when I get back. If you can arrange for me to be on the team and take one of the spots, I'll pretend that what happened before never happened and I won't bother Lu Niannian anymore."
Upon hearing this, Lu Jiaxiang's face instantly darkened.
He never expected Zhang Yanfei to make such a request.
The medical support mission has extremely high requirements; not only must one know surgical emergency care, but one must also have wilderness survival experience.
Zhang Yanfei, a lowly soldier who doesn't even know how to use a first-aid kit, would not only be useless but also a burden if he went there. In case of an accident, the person who recommended him would also bear joint responsibility.
“Comrade Zhang, I’m afraid that won’t work.” Lu Jiaxiang shook his head, his tone firm.
“That mission is for team members with first aid knowledge. You don’t have medical qualifications, so it’s not in accordance with regulations for you to go. I can’t violate principles because of personal grudges.”
"in principle?"
Zhang Yanfei sneered and stepped forward.
He reached out and grabbed Lu Jiaxiang's collar, pulling him forward.
"You're talking to me about principles now? When your daughter beat my wife like that, why didn't you talk about principles then? Lu Jiaxiang, let me tell you, there's no room for negotiation on this."
"Either you put me on the mission list, or we'll fight to the death. I'll make sure you and your daughter never have a good life!" Zhang Yanfei didn't care whether anyone outside could hear her.
He's so anxious he'd love to have Lu Jiaxiang take him to the team to handle this matter, since there's no way to replace him.
Lu Jiaxiang was so pulled that he could hardly breathe, and the collar around his neck was painfully tight.
Looking at the fierce look in Zhang Yanfei's eyes, he couldn't help but feel a chill.
He knew Zhang Yanfei was a reckless person, and if pushed too far, he might really do something outrageous.
"Let go of me first."
Lu Jiaxiang said with difficulty, "I can't agree to this right away. I need to discuss it with the Dean's Office. After all, the task list was decided by the Dean's Office, and I can't make the decision on my own."
Seeing that he had relented, Zhang Yanfei finally let go of his hand.
He patted Lu Jiaxiang's collar, as if he were swatting away something dirty.
"I'll give you three days. If there's no result after three days, you can expect me to take my wife to the military region to file a complaint."
After saying that, he didn't look at Lu Jiaxiang again and turned to leave.
He deliberately slammed the door shut as he left, startling the nurses in the next office who peeked out to see what was happening.
A short while later.
Nurses knocked on the door and asked questions in a low voice.
"Director Lu, what happened inside? Should we go in?"
"It's nothing, I just talked to Comrade Zhang about some things. You guys continue with your work."
The nurse outside the door exclaimed in surprise.
Although somewhat confused, they didn't dare ask too many questions. They gave their colleague a look, and the two whispered to each other as they returned to their seats.
Lu Jiaxiang took a long time to recover, but his face was still very pale.
If Zhang Yanfei's conditions were agreed to, given his status, he wouldn't be able to make the decision to go to the military region.
Right now, there's only one person who can help him...
—
at the same time.
Ning Tang had just finished getting her medicine from the pharmacy and was about to go get some water and rest when she saw Wang Yingying walking quickly towards her.
She seemed to have learned some incredible gossip and beckoned Ning Tang to come over quickly.
Ning Tang walked over instinctively.
Just as she was about to ask what was wrong, she saw Lu Jiaxiang come down the stairs. When he saw her, he looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Lu Jiaxiang paused at the top of the stairs for a full three seconds.
Only then, as if having made up his mind, did he walk towards Ning Tang.
He deliberately slowed his pace, his hands in the pockets of his white coat, already sweating from nervousness.
Even his usually straight back was slightly hunched, like a stray dog, and there was no trace of the triumphant look on Lu Jiaxiang's face when he came to cause trouble for Ning Tang a few days ago.
Seeing his unusual behavior, Ning Tang already had some guesses in her mind.
But he didn't speak up.
He just stood there, his eyes completely calm, as if the person in front of him was some kind of cat or dog.
Wang Yingying noticed something was wrong and tactfully said, "I'll go get you some water," before quickly leaving.
Only the two of them remained, facing off in a corner of the corridor.
"Dr. Ning Tang..."
Lu Jiaxiang spoke first, his voice eight octaves lower than usual.
"Could...could we speak to each other for just a few minutes? Just a few minutes."
Because he was asking Ning Tang, Lu Jiaxiang's tone was exceptionally kind, bordering on ingratiating.
Ning Tang raised an eyebrow.
Her gaze swept over his tense profile, and she finally nodded, following him into the stairwell.
Few people usually come here; only the occasional breeze from outside the window brings a touch of coolness.
"Speak, what is it?"
Ning Tang broke the silence first, her tone devoid of warmth.
She could guess that Lu Jiaxiang's visit to her was most likely related to Lu Niannian, but she didn't expect his next words to be so outrageous.
Lu Jiaxiang took a deep breath, as if forcing himself to make a decision.
He hesitated before speaking, "It's about Niannian, and... and about myself."
“You know Zhang Yanfei, right? His wife, Ning Xin, was hurt by Niannian, and now she’s using this to blackmail me, demanding that I include him in the medical support mission to the border next month.”
"I don't have the ability myself, so I had to come to you..."
As he said this, he looked up at Ning Tang, his eyes filled with obvious pleading.
Ning Tang is the granddaughter-in-law of Commander Xu and also the wife of Xu Qiaofeng.
If she puts a good word for him in front of the old commander and gets him to make an exception, this matter will definitely be resolved.
Upon realizing this connection, Lu Jiaxiang's tone softened considerably.
He said, "I'm begging you, Ning Tang, if this can't be done, I'll lose my position as head of surgery, and the Lu family will too..."
"Director Lu."
Ning Tang suddenly interrupted him, a very faint smile playing on her lips.
The smile didn't reach his eyes; instead, it carried a hint of mockery.
Ning Tang made no attempt to hide her emotions; after all, there was no need to hide them from such a shameless person.
"Did I hear that right? You want me to beg Commander Xu to put someone who doesn't even know how to use a first-aid kit into a medical mission that concerns the safety of border soldiers? Just because Lu Niannian injured someone, you want to protect her?"
Ning Tang paused for a moment, then took a step forward.
"More importantly, where did you get the nerve to think I would help you? We're not close enough for me to make an exception for you, are we?"
Lu Jiaxiang's face flushed red instantly at her question, as if he had been slapped in the face in public.
He opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but found that he couldn't find any point to refute and couldn't utter a single word.
Lu Jiaxiang had long known that Ning Tang was difficult to talk to.
But I didn't expect her to be so disrespectful, leaving no room for maneuver whatsoever.
“I know that I may have done something wrong in the past.”
Lu Jiaxiang lowered his voice, with a hint of deliberate weakness.
"But this time is different. This concerns the reputation of the Lu family and Niannian's future. Please, for the sake of... for the sake of our past ties, help me this time, okay?"
“Origin?” Ning Tang repeated the two words, her eyes growing even colder.
In both her lifetimes, her relationship with the Lu family consisted only of hatred, nothing more.
Ning Tang was genuinely so angry she laughed.
She was very curious about where Lu Jiaxiang got the courage to stop her and say such nonsensical things.
Ning Tang lost interest and turned to leave: "I can't help with this. Director Lu, go find someone else."
"The dean is still in his office. If you have anything to say, just go talk to him."
After saying that, Ning Tang turned to leave.
Seeing that Ning Tang was really about to turn and leave, Lu Jiaxiang became extremely anxious.
Without thinking, he blurted out the secret he had been keeping in his heart.
"Ning Tang, please help us out, for the sake of the fact that I might be your biological father and Niannian is your younger sister!"
Almost the instant the words left her lips, Ning Tang's face turned deathly pale.
She even wondered if she was exhausted or struck by lightning.
Lu Jiaxiang's words sounded simple, but why couldn't she form a complete sentence in her mind?
Ning Tang tried to understand the logic in Lu Jiaxiang's words.
She was an orphan who was brought back from the train station by Ning's mother. She never knew what her biological parents looked like in both her lifetimes.
Besides, Ning Tang now has a successful career and a happy family, so she doesn't want to look for anyone else.
"Lu Jiaxiang, what did you mean by what you just said? Say it again?" Ning Tang said coldly.
Lu Jiaxiang thought Ning Tang was too excited, so he quickly repeated it again.
He had expected Ning Tang to be excited and cry, saying things like, "Dad, why did it take you so long to come find me?"
The girl in front of him was like an expressionless puppet, staring at him coldly with her eyes wide open, making him feel flustered and uneasy.
Lu Jiaxiang couldn't stand the strange atmosphere any longer and couldn't help but ask, "Ning Tang, what are you thinking?"
"Now that you have the ability, please help Dad and your sister. We're begging you."
After a long while, Ning Tang finally reacted.
She, however, wore a disdainful expression.
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