William Edsel remained as kind as ever, simply shaking his head as he elegantly wiped the rice from his face with a tissue. On the other hand, Lily Bennett was left stunned by his words, spitting out rice in shock and nearly choking on a grain that lodged in her nose. The enthusiastic coughing from Mr. Bennett finally succeeded in drawing the attention of more than half the people in the cafeteria.
Seeing Lily cough uncontrollably, William immediately moved to sit beside her and gently patted her back. Once she regained her breath, Lily took a sip of water from the cup he handed her, and afterward, she looked up at him.
“Dr. Edsel, please don’t joke like that in the future; it can easily cause accidents, you know!”
William seemed unfazed by the embarrassed look on Lily’s face, still smiling as he replied, “I’m not joking. You’re not married, and neither am I. Is it unusual for me to pursue you?”
“Dr. Edsel, even though neither of us is married, my life is much more complicated than what you can see or imagine. To put it simply, you wouldn’t understand,” Lily attempted to explain.
William maintained a calm smile as he regarded her, saying, “So, Dr. Bennett, would you give me the chance to understand the complexities you mentioned?”
“If I say no, will you still tease me like this in the future?” It was truly frustrating; she felt as if she still had a grain of rice stuck in her throat. So while eating, she didn't want to hear such stories; she’d had enough of the fear.
William looked seriously at the woman whose expression conveyed ‘don’t joke like that.’ He smiled and said, “Actually, this isn’t a joke. Dr. Bennett, please think carefully.”
With that, he stood up leisurely, giving her a pat on the shoulder as if he were a man of utmost seriousness, deeply evaluating the woman he wished to court. The next spoonful of rice for Lily felt as if she were chewing on candle wax. It was genuinely difficult to swallow, and tears were about to flow.
William, a few years older than Lily, had a calm and composed face, like a towering mountain standing still, his body as rigid as wood, unyielding. Lily couldn’t bear to look at him, yet she could feel him clearly expressing his firm attitude, his gaze unwavering, piercing through her like a sharp dagger aimed straight at her, radiating an intense heat filled with longing.
This situation was truly unusual; the cafeteria was a place for people to dine and chat, with people coming and going. Therefore, if anything were to happen here, it would undoubtedly stir up quite a commotion. As a result, during one noon, the news of Mr. Bennett confessing to Dr. Bennett from the urology department spread throughout the hospital.
Before Lily could digest this news, in the afternoon, the hospital director unexpectedly issued an official notice transferring her from the urology department to the surgical department, making her an intern under the supervision of the head of surgery, Mr. Edsel.
Naturally, Lily found this difficult to understand. First, her specialty was urology; second, she had never registered to be an intern in the surgical department.
Feeling agitated, Lily voiced her concern, “Director, I believe I can do well in the urology department since that’s my specialty. There’s no need to transfer!”
The emergency department was fine, but entering it would require years of training in surgery and emergency patient care methods. Furthermore, if she worked under Mr. Edsel, she would have to expand her knowledge significantly! Also, in reality, if she entered the surgical department, she wouldn’t get the half-month leave she needed to fulfill her contract to pay off her debts to Maxwell.
“Dr. Bennett, don’t you notice that the urology department has been quite deserted lately? Don’t you want to broaden your knowledge to further develop yourself? If you want to do well in urology, you should cut ties with Thornton Chairman. That way, you’ll have patients to treat; otherwise, transferring to another department is the wisest decision at this moment,” the director stated clearly.
Indeed, in recent months, she hadn’t had a single patient visit her urology clinic. But...
“Director, you also know that it’s not that I don’t have patients coming for treatment; it’s just that even if I’m at the hospital, the nurses at the reception will tell patients that I’m not in the clinic or that I haven’t come to the hospital. So, the reason I don’t have patients is just that. Doesn’t the director know who orchestrated this?”
If William hadn’t confessed to her in the cafeteria, she might have reconsidered entering the emergency department as an intern. But now, due to his shocking confession that had rocked the hospital, she didn’t want to go to the emergency department at all.
The director looked at Lily with helplessness. “Dr. Bennett, the decision to transfer you is not Mr. Edsel’s idea. While I don’t understand the difficulties you’re facing, if you knew that Thornton Chairman had ordered that you not treat any patients, I wouldn’t dare to voice any objections either. If you recklessly go against Thornton Chairman’s wishes, you know what the consequences would be! The Central Hospital has always been known for its advanced and effective treatments, and most of that is because our hospital has the most advanced medical equipment available today. All the state-of-the-art medical devices in the hospital were provided by investors, and who are those major investors? I don’t need to say, you already know, Dr. Bennett…”
“I understand,” Lily interrupted the director just as he was about to mention that it was Thornton Chairman who had supplied the resources.
The dean looked at Lily Bennett seriously. “Mr. Bennett, the emergency surgery department isn’t as sensitive as the urology department. Thornton Chairman is indeed a respectable man who knows how to care. Now that you’re his girlfriend, it’s understandable that a man wouldn’t want his girlfriend to be in constant contact with male patients, especially examining their sensitive areas. It’s normal for him to not want you in the urology department.”
“…” Lily shook her head and replied, “Dean, you really have misunderstood. I’m not his girlfriend…”
Before she could finish her sentence, the image of Maxwell Thornton suddenly filled her mind. He sat at the edge of the bed, looking at her seriously before smiling and saying, “You’re not the woman of anyone else; you are mine, my woman.”
Involuntarily, Lily shook her head vigorously. After that, she looked at the dean and said, “Alright, I’ll report to the emergency department this afternoon.”
The department head was very pleased with Lily’s decision. “Mr. Bennett, you’ve made the right choice. Don’t worry; the salary in the emergency department won’t be lower than that in urology. Now, please hand over your duties to the new person in charge.”