The Surgeon's Studio

Su Yun was not in the emergency department ward. Word was that he had gone to the ICU to check on the post-surgery patients.

It was languid again. Zheng Ren yawned; he remembered that the on-call room was already taken by a sleeping Professor Rudolph.

After some thought, he headed to the operating wing.

Although he did not have a surgery scheduled, the operating room was the most peaceful place to Zheng Ren.

He took a quick shower and put on a surgical gown, greeting the matron on his way to the men’s duty room[1].

Zheng Ren slept fitfully and, before he realized it, it was already 3:30 p.m.

The operating room was still as silent as when he had fallen asleep. He got up and said goodbye to the matron before heading back to the emergency department.

According to Chang Yue, the professor had long since returned to Shangri-La Hotel to rest. He seemed to disapprove of the working hours, muttering something about inhumane working conditions.

Humane? A brick like Zheng Ren knew no such thing.

He brushed Professor Rudolph Wagner’s reaction aside.

Looking through the documents for last night’s patients, he noted that Chang Yue had completed all the necessary paperwork.

Old Chief Physician Pan had allowed Yang Lei to take some time off from the hospital; Yang Lei had taken over Zheng Ren’s responsibilities as chief resident while Zheng Ren was away in Imperial Capital, and was now back home, spending time with his wife.

Zheng Ren watched the evening sun set on the horizon and smiled.

On his way to visit the patient with fall injuries in the ICU, he texted Xie Yiren.

She had just woken from her nap and was watching TV.

He gave her a summary of his ward round and told her the patients would likely no longer require 24-hour surveillance soon.

Xie Yiren was not fully clear on the situation but smiled as Zheng Ren delivered his update.

The call continued for a while further before Zheng Ren hung up. He had arrived at the ICU.

He pocketed his phone and changed into a clean set of clothes before entering.

Su Yun was ringed by nurses, talking animatedly.

There was a heavy smell of creamed corn in the air.

It was the peculiar smell of platelets, which Zheng Ren was familiar with.

Platelet transfusions were a rare form of treatment.

Availability was an issue, so whenever a patient required a platelet transfusion, their doctor could only hope for the best. Hence, the scent in the ICU brought relief to Zheng Ren.

As Zheng Ren entered, Su Yun gently clapped his hands together and set aside his pen and paper, standing to greet Zheng Ren. “You’ve rested?”

“Yes.” Zheng Ren approached the patient from yesterday night’s surgery.

“Their blood pressure has stabilized. There were signs of disseminated intravascular coagulation post-surgery, so we gave the patient 4 doses of platelets and 2 doses of fibrinogen. Initial urine output was 20ml, but after hydration, it’s up to 60ml now,” Su Yun said.

“So everything’s fine?”

Su Yun had a cocky smile on his face. “Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be this relaxed.”

There was a hint of fatigue in his expression that did not escape Zheng Ren’s eyes.

“Did you sleep over in the ward?” Zheng Ren had thought Su Yun would rest at home or take some girl on a date.

“Of course.” Su Yun blew at his fringe.

“I see. It’s good that the patient’s stable.” The System display on the upper right corner of Zheng Ren’s vision glowed a faint red, an improvement from yesterday’s deep crimson.

The danger was not over yet, but things were not immediately critical.

With such severe injuries, only a miracle would allow the patient to recover within 24 hours of surgery.

If all went well in the next few days, they would be able to remove the breathing tube—the first step towards recovery.

The next would be moving from the ICU to the orthopedic department to immobilize the fractures. Only when that was done would Zheng Ren ask the patient if she wanted to treat her adenomyosis.

He had a few doubts about that surgery.

To date, the most effective treatment for adenomyosis remained a hysterectomy.

However, it also spelled the end of a woman’s childbearing days, which could be of great impact to someone so young.

He would have to wait and see.

The System had given him seven days to do whatever he had to to complete the mission.

Zheng Ren shook his head and left the room.

Su Yun followed him out. The eyes of the ICU nurses clung to the handsome figure as he retreated from view.

“There may be two new staff reporting in tomorrow,” Zheng Ren said.

“Okay. That’s a relief,” Su Yun commented.

They both knew Old Chief Physician Pan had been trying his best to increase staff numbers in the emergency department. However, due to the friction between him and Fu Guangshi, his request was never granted.

Now that Fu Guangshi had resigned, such problems were a thing of the past.

They left the ICU and headed straight for the emergency department.

Instead of the wards, Zheng Ren went to the observation unit.

There was a sea of waiting patients. A brief scan through the crowd gave Zheng Ren the information he wanted. Most of the patients would be assigned to internal medicine; it was the cold season and the flu was running rampant.

If an elderly person was not careful, they had a high chance of coming down with a fever, respiratory infection or cardiopulmonary problem.

The surgical department had it easier during periods like this.

One of the on-call doctors was cleaning a cut on a juvenile patient. The child’s wails echoed through the entire corridor.

Such was life in the emergency department. Zheng Ren gave the patients a once-over. Satisfied that there were no misdiagnoses, he turned to leave.

At that moment, three women walked out from one of the branching hallways.

Night had fallen and the lights in the emergency department corridor were not the brightest.

Under the subdued lighting, the three figures, lightly dressed for the winter, moved with an elegance that matched their slender builds.

They were stunning, especially against a backdrop of pale, sickly patients and anxious families. Eyes were drawn to them as they sauntered along the corridor.

Many patients seemed to momentarily forget their pain.

“Oh, would you look at that,” Su Yun cooed.

Zheng Ren did not turn around but could picture Su Yun’s eyes lighting up. If that womanizer had not been in a doctor’s coat, he would probably have wolf-whistled.

The three women were admittedly quite attractive, especially the one in the middle. Her facial features and figure stood out among the others.

Was she here to address an illness? No, it did not look like it.

Zheng Ren was curious and let his gaze follow them.

A moment later, his jaw dropped as his eyes zoomed in on the woman in the center, the prettiest among the three.

Su Yun noticed Zheng Ren’s faltering steps and odd expression as he approached Zheng Ren, following his gaze and grinning.

“Boss Zheng, you can’t be that weak,” Su Yun joked.

Zheng Ren remained silent, ignoring the man’s remark.

“I know we men tend to have wandering eyes but I advise you to focus on Yiren. She’s a rare catch.”

Seconds passed with no response, so Su Yun gave Zheng Ren a push on the shoulder. “Hey! What are you thinking?”

“What?” Zheng Ren seemed to regain his senses.

“What’s up with you?” Su Yun was starting to suspect that there had to be more than met the eye. There had to be another reason Zheng Ren was staring at the woman.

“The doctors are busy. Why don’t you check on them?” Zheng Ren said casually.

Su Yun’s awareness was heightened.

A long time ago, there had been an undiagnosed female patient in the emergency treatment room displaying odd symptoms. It was Zheng Ren who had urged her to get checked out, which revealed endometriosis…

Could these women have some odd condition?

Su Yun frowned as he studied the three, paying particular attention to the one in the middle.

“Where are the doctors?” They passed Zheng Ren and Su Yun; the woman on the right noticed the latter and whistled.

However, she did not stop walking. There were more important things at hand than flirting with a pretty boy.

Su Yun shrugged. Such were the hardships of someone so good-looking.

The three women stopped at the entrance to emergency surgery but saw no one inside. The woman on the right made an inquiry.

Her voice was raspy, but it was hard to tell if it was natural or born of a smoking habit.

It was alluring, for sure.

“Go on then,” Zheng Ren urged Su Yun again.

There must be something wrong. Succumbing to his curiosity, Su Yun trudged over to the women.

“May I know which of you needs a doctor?”

[1] It is believed that the author miswrote ‘operating room’.