Compensation

Time passed little by little. Five hours later, the operating room door opened.

Huo Mian shot up.

She thought she would see Qin Chu, but instead it was Dr. Liu, the neurosurgeon from their hospital.

"Dr. Liu, how is my brother?"

"The surgery was very successful, excellent."

Huo Mian finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. The heavy weight that had been on her mind for days finally lifted.

"Your brother is very fortunate. The location of the blood clot in his brain is very sensitive, and there hasn't been such a successful precedent in the country. However, Dr. Qin's medical skills are truly exceptional. With him personally performing the surgery, the chances of success greatly increased," Dr. Liu praised without hesitation.

Huo Mian smiled faintly. Everyone was praising Qin Chu; it was clear how crucial he was in this surgery.

"Where's my brother?"

"His assistant has already wheeled him to the VIP ward. He should wake up in twelve hours. Don't worry."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Dr. Liu."

"It's nothing, we didn't work too hard. We were just assisting. The one who truly worked hard is Dr. Qin, but he seems a bit unwell and is in the resting room."

With that, Dr. Liu and a few other doctors and nurses left the operating room one after another.

Seeing that Qin Chu hadn't come out, Huo Mian opened the door and went in.

The surgery was over, and the adjacent resting room was for the lead surgeon to rest temporarily.

When Huo Mian entered, she saw Qin Chu sitting on the sofa, looking a bit haggard.

She probably didn't know that Qin Chu had just returned from a business trip out of town the night before the surgery.

Then he had an all-night meeting. GK was involved in too many industries, so it was always very, very busy, 365 days a year.

Although Qin Yumin, Qin Chu's father, was the chairman, due to his poor heart and high blood pressure, he had entered a state of recuperation. Except for projects involving billions of yuan or more, he no longer interfered, confidently leaving everything to Qin Chu to manage alone.

Although Qin Chu didn't like the position of GK CEO, he would strive to do his best due to a promise made years ago.

With a heavy workload, a sleepless night, and then rushing to perform surgery today, he naturally felt very exhausted.

Most importantly, he hadn't eaten anything all day.

His stomach had already started protesting.

Neurosurgery is grueling because it requires intense concentration; otherwise, a single wrong step could endanger the patient's life or cause permanent sequelae.

Moreover, this person was Huo Mian's brother, so Qin Chu naturally performed at his best.

"Have a cup of hot water. You look very pale," Huo Mian said, pouring a cup of warm water into a disposable paper cup and handing it over.

Qin Chu looked up, glanced at Huo Mian, took the cup, but said nothing.

"Thank you so much today," Huo Mian expressed her sincere gratitude.

Qin Chu, holding the hot water cup, replied word for word, "Between husband and wife... there's no need to be so polite."

"..." Huo Mian was momentarily speechless. If he hadn't reminded her, she would have forgotten that today was the day they got their marriage certificate.

"Qin Chu."

"Hmm?"

"Can we not tell anyone about our marriage?"

"Why?"

"After all, there's a huge difference in our status, you...?"

"Are you saying my position as GK's CEO makes you lose face? Do you find it embarrassing?" Qin Chu put down the water he hadn't had a chance to drink, his tone gradually turning cold.

"No, it's not that. I just don't want it to be heavily reported by the media. I'm afraid my mom will see it, and you know how deeply she misunderstands you."

"Are we going to have to hide our marriage forever just because of that?" Qin Chu was clearly displeased. How frustrating must it be to marry a wife and not be able to tell anyone? Heaven knew, he wished he could announce to the whole world that he and Huo Mian were married.

Huo Mian shook her head. "No, I just want to give my mom some time. After all, her health isn't good, and I'm afraid she'll have trouble accepting it suddenly."

Qin Chu stared into Huo Mian's eyes for a long while, finally relenting at Huo Mian's almost sincere gaze.

"Then we'll do as you say."

With that, Qin Chu got up and started to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to the group," Qin Chu said as he took off his white coat and walked out.

"Have some food before you go. There's an employee cafeteria downstairs." Huo Mian regretted saying this as soon as she did. How could someone like Qin Chu possibly go to an employee cafeteria?

"No need."

Indeed, he refused.

Just as he reached the door, Qin Chu suddenly remembered something odd, turned around and walked back a few steps, picked up the warm water from the coffee table, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Tastes good," Qin Chu said, then turned and left again.

Huo Mian was a little dumbfounded. It was just a cup of water, was it really that good?

---

When Qin Chu returned to the group, Assistant Xiao Yang was going crazy.

The CEO had been out of contact for five hours, his phone turned off, and he couldn't be reached for any matter, big or small.

This forced Xiao Yang to consult the chairman, and now, to make matters worse, the chairman overreacted and mobilized everyone to search for the CEO.

They were just short of calling the police.

"President Qin, you're back!" Assistant Xiao Yang said, his face looking utterly miserable.

"What's wrong?"

"An important document needs your signature, but I couldn't reach you by phone. Finally, I called the chairman, and the chairman came to handle it, but..."

"Go on."

"But the chairman also seemed very worried about your safety. Many people in the group were looking for your car, searching the entire city, thinking you might have had an accident. President Qin, where exactly did you go?"

"Do I need to report to you where I go?" Qin Chu glanced at Xiao Yang faintly.

"No, no, that's not what I meant. I was just worried about your safety, President Qin, and there are so many things going on with the group. Not being able to find you for five hours, I really couldn't cope."

"If the position of GK assistant were that leisurely, would I pay you thirty thousand a month to be my assistant?" Qin Chu retorted.

Xiao Yang was speechless.

However, what the president said seemed quite reasonable. Isn't an assistant supposed to help the president deal with all sorts of chaotic matters?

"President Qin, these documents need your signature. Please review them."

"Mmm," Qin Chu nodded, his face looking rather unwell.

"President Qin, you don't seem to be feeling well."

"Pour me a glass of water," Qin Chu instructed.

"Yes."

Xiao Yang carefully placed the warm water on the table.

Qin Chu, while looking at the mountain of documents, picked up the cup and took a sip of water.

Then he frowned slightly.

"What's wrong? President Qin, is it too cold?"

"Why doesn't it taste good?" Qin Chu looked up and asked seriously.

Xiao Yang was startled, then stammered an explanation, "This isn't coffee, nor tea, it's just plain water. Naturally, it doesn't have much taste."

"But the one I just drank tasted very good."

"Uh... President Qin, where did you drink it just now? I'll go and see what brand it was later."

Qin Chu said nothing more, then lowered his head and resumed working diligently.

---

Jing Zhixin's condition was good after the surgery. After Huo Mian told her mother the news, her mother, though still displeased, seemed much more relaxed.

She then left the ward, intending to report to the head nurse in the obstetrics and gynecology department, but was stopped by an unfamiliar middle-aged woman.

"You're Jing Zhixin's sister, right?"

"You are...?"

"I'm also a family member from this multi-car pileup. My son was also seriously injured; he broke a leg."

"Are you looking for me for something?" Huo Mian asked, looking at the unfamiliar patient's family member.

"Are you satisfied with the compensation offered by that family? Have you agreed to settle out of court?"

"Compensation? Settle out of court?" Huo Mian was a little confused; no one had approached her.