The Surgeon's Studio

Chief Resident Wang looked somewhat embarrassed.

The corners of Su Yun’s lips curled into a smile, a familiar sight that gave Zheng Ren the urge to slap him, and he asked, “You’re not confident because you’ve never done it before, right?”

Chief Wang rubbed his hands and agreed to Su Yun’s statement by smiling awkwardly.

“Boss, have you done it before?” asked Su Yun.

Zheng Ren gave it some thought. It was true that he had never performed such a surgery before. However, he had also completed the one-day mission Together We Stand in only two hours.

He could learn the technique in the System’s operating theater, which would not consume too much of his time.

How should he respond to the question: yes or no?

Zheng Ren, who had always been honest, was caught in a dilemma.

Chief Wang also knew that it was one thing to diagnose a rare, intractable disease, as anyone could do so by reading and remembering it.

However, treating the condition was a completely separate issue.

Having the ability to diagnose a disease did not come with the ability to treat it as well.

“It’s alright. I’m going to give it a try, and if I fail, I’ll look for my boss,” said Chief Wang.

Su Yun, who also had no idea what was going through Zheng Ren’s mind, gently tapped the man’s injured shoulder, inflicting slight pain without actually affecting the wound.

Zheng Ren was puzzled.

“I asked you a question, boss.” Su Yun was annoyed.

Chief Wang’s eyes widened in disbelief. What the hell was this? He would never have had the courage to speak to his boss in such a derogatory tone; it would certainly get him kicked out of the hospital and mean the end of his career.

Brother Yun was gutsy.

Boss Zheng was also good-mannered.

‘Perhaps the title “boss” is just for fun,’ Chief Wang thought.

“I knew just a little,” Zheng Ren said, “I’ll attend the surgery as an observer. If there is any problem, we’ll discuss it together.”

Chief Wang’s impression of Zheng Ren improved significantly.

This boss was young but not imperious. He was worried that both Boss Zheng and Su Yun would have the same attitude and simply take over the surgery.

How shameful would that be?

“I’m sorry for the trouble, Doctor Zheng.” Upon noticing Su Yun attempting to speak, he quickly added, “I’m going to call the operating theater and ask them to prepare for surgery.”

Chief Wang led Zheng Ren and Su Yun into the office before proceeding with the necessary arrangements.

If Zheng Ren’s diagnosis was correct, the patient’s intestine would have necrotized. In a sense, the diagnosis was almost the same as his own—strangulated intestinal obstruction and intussusception—because a segment of the patient’s intestine had to be removed no matter what.

Performing surgery earlier could minimize the extent of necrosis and lead to better postoperative recovery.

Time and tide waited for no man. All of them belonged to the same circle, and no one would kick up a fuss at this critical moment.

Su Yun tapped away on his phone while Zheng Ren enjoyed the view outside the window.

The tall building gave him a clear bird’s-eye view.

The classical arcs of the China Zun could be visualized very clearly, a sight which Zheng Ren adored.

“I searched through the internet and found out that the disease actually exists,” said Su Yun abruptly.

Zheng Ren nodded.

“You’re just a young doctor from Sea City, where did you learn it?” Su Yun’s questions were always direct and sharp.

Zheng Ren retaliated without the slightest hesitation. “You and I share the ability to learn something by eye immediately, but I’m just slightly better than you. If you decide to establish a pet medical center in the future, you won’t be able to surpass me in your lifetime.”

Although Su Yun was aware that Zheng Ren was simply provoking him, the flames of war lit up in his eyes.

Zheng Ren stole a glance at Su Yun, who looked like a bull aggravated by a red cloth, and grinned.

‘He is indeed a young man with a hot temper.’

As he thought that, Zheng Ren forgot that he was actually a few months younger than Su Yun.

A few minutes later, Chief Wang had printed the preoperative consent documents and called the patient’s family to his office for preoperative counseling.

Su Yun noticed that the patient’s father also had a black mole near his mouth, but none on his hands.

However, when Chief Wang inquired about the family’s history of intussusception, the father denied it.

Was the disease not genetically inherited? What the hell?

Su Yun peeked at Zheng Ren, who was observing the patient’s father, and could even feel the heat emitting from the man’s body as his mind ran at an incredible speed.

“Boss Zheng, what’s going on?” asked Su Yun softly.

“Counsel the family after surgery to undergo colonoscopies in their free time.”

Su Yun nodded subconsciously. Perhaps the patient’s father had only mild symptoms, which was why he had not suffered intussusception until now.

Even so, there could still be intestinal polyps that risked becoming malignant in the future, so removal at their earliest was recommended to prevent future complications.

After counseling was complete, Chief Wang made a call and was informed that the patient had undergone an abdominal CT scan.

Chief Wang launched the patient management software on his computer and keyed in the patient’s ID number to locate his imaging films. At the same time, he instructed medical personnel on the other end of the call to quickly send the patient back for nasogastric tube and urinary catheter insertion for surgery.

The CT films were typical of intussusception, and he could vaguely outline a few polyps scattering along the intestine.

Of course, he had made this deduction after Zheng Ren explained it in advance.

There was no way he could have made such a judgment if he had not known about P-J syndrome in advance.

“Damn, Boss Zheng, you’re f*cking awesome!” Chief Wang stared at the films and complimented him. “When I heard that you had performed a needle thoracostomy and emergency laparotomy for hemostasis yesterday, I already thought that you were amazing, but I hadn’t expected your ability to diagnose rare diseases to be more f*cking incredible!”

His words sounded rude, but he felt unable to truly express his reverence without vulgarities.

Of course, he would never be so vulgar toward more elderly professors, but Zheng Ren was a few years younger than he was.

Younger, but more knowledgeable; there was nothing he could criticize in the man.

What else could he possibly say other than admit Boss Zheng was awesome? Challenge the man out of jealousy? Chief Wang was not stupid enough to have a death wish yet.

Chief Wang firmly believed that disobeying the powerful was a crime.

“That’s kind of you,” said Zheng Ren indifferently.

The patient was transferred back in less than ten minutes. The nurse proficiently inserted a nasogastric tube and urinary catheter, then established a venous channel for the patient before quickly wheeling him into the operating theater.

“Boss Zheng, Brother Yun, let’s go,” said Chief Wang politely.

The woman in charge of the operating theater locker room was dissatisfied with Chief Wang for bringing “outsiders” in for surgery.

However, when she heard that Zheng Ren was the doctor who had saved Fang Lin, she immediately welcomed their arrival with enthusiasm.

“Fang Lin lives a tough life. How did an honest man like him earn such a misfortune?”

The woman in her fifties started talking and threw keys to both Zheng Ren and Su Yun. There were two keys on each keychain, one for the shoe cabinet and another for the locker.

She then opened a small drawer by her side and got another bunch of keys for Zheng Ren.

Chief Wang saw this and laughed. “Boss Zheng, you’ve earned her respect.”

“Huh? How so?” Zheng Ren was puzzled.

Su Yun also glanced at the keys and shook his head. “It’s notoriously difficult to persuade her, and they have to put in a good word just to bring housemen into the operating theater, but now she has given you the keys to the chief consultant-ranked locker.”

The so-called chief consultant-ranked locker referred to that at moderate height where one needed not bend down or stand at the tip of one’s toes to reach.

As for the professors… They had their own independent lockers.

This was the class division of the operating theater.