Chapter 175: Elena Ward Followed Nurse Lee Back to the Department

When Elena Ward followed Nurse Lee back to the department, she noticed two unfamiliar faces in the examination room. A plump middle-aged woman was sorting through medical records with her head down, while a young man in his early twenties stood beside her. Elena glanced at their name tags and raised an eyebrow—Jack Harris was actually a woman, while William Lewis was indeed a young man.

"And this is?" Jack Harris looked up at Elena in her white coat and turned to Nurse Lee with a questioning gaze.

"This is Dr. Ward, the new acupuncturist from Traditional Medicine," Nurse Lee introduced, her voice noticeably lacking confidence. "She'll be getting familiar with the environment these next few days..."

The two desks in the examination room were already fully occupied—there was no space left for Elena. Jack Harris sized her up before suddenly smiling. "Dr. Ward looks quite young. How many years have you studied acupuncture?"

Elena poured hot water into her mug without looking up. "It's a family tradition. Fifteen years. I'm eighteen this year—nineteen by lunar reckoning."

"Oh, that's impressive!" Jack Harris clapped exaggeratedly. "Our Dr. Zhao only studied for about a decade, didn't he?" Her tone was loaded, clearly trying to stir trouble.

William Lewis sidled up with an ingratiating smile. "Dr. Ward, would you like to try my jasmine tea? Most women love the fragrance."

"Thanks, but I prefer plain water," Elena declined politely. Unsolicited kindness always made her suspicious.

"I heard they're arranging a private examination room for Dr. Ward?" William Lewis's eyes darted around. "Even our department head has to squeeze in here."

Elena smiled but said nothing.

The conversation quickly fizzled out, and they all went about their business. The day dragged on endlessly for Elena—aside from a brief courtesy visit from Director Walker Dachuan, she was practically invisible. Her two colleagues were busy seeing patients, leaving her awkwardly seated in the waiting area, drawing curious glances from patients.

Fortunately, the HR department soon sent word. The moment Elena received her work ID, she rushed to the cafeteria to exchange her meal vouchers. The moment the canteen supervisor, Mr. Xing, saw the prominent "A" stamped on her slip, his attitude did a complete about-face. Not only did he serve her tea, but he even brought out his treasured Red Fuji apples.

"Dr. Ward, these are premium meal vouchers," Supervisor Xing said with an ingratiating smile. "Just let us know what you'd like in advance, and we'll make sure it's prepared!"

Elena thanked him and took the vouchers, fully aware that this was treatment usually reserved for the hospital director. Sure enough, over the next few days, she enjoyed specially prepared meals at every sitting, much to the envy of her colleagues.

In the department, Elena was effectively idle. Jack Harris occasionally tried to cozy up to her, fishing for information about her background. The two interns took over all the prescription-writing duties, leaving Elena with nothing to do but read newspapers in the hallway.

This went on until the fifth day, when Ryan Lee finally took her to see her new examination room. The moment Elena opened the door, her jaw nearly dropped—the spacious two-room suite was spotless, with sealed windows, heating, and, most shockingly, a brand-new "Snow Pine" air conditioner mounted on the wall!

"Director Carter said you'd recognize this," Ryan Lee said, pointing to a metal case on the desk. "Just go to Logistics when you need more."

Elena nodded with forced composure, though internally, her mind was reeling. This kind of treatment wasn't just beyond ordinary doctors—even department heads and specialists couldn't hope for such privileges. She could practically feel the countless eyes in the hospital fixed on this examination room...