The Surgeon's Studio

Panda Novel

“What’s up?” Zheng Ren asked.

“Yang Lili’s medical report shows improvement,” Su Yun replied with a smile.

Finally, a sincere smile graced Su Yun’s face.

Zheng Ren immediately reached for Su Yun’s phone. Xie Yiren noticed he was attending to some business and went back into the operating room. She wanted to spend more time with the golden retriever named Harry.

Zheng Ren magnified the test report and read through the details.

The kidney function had returned to normal, and the blood urea nitrogen and creatinine were only slightly above the normal range.

The transaminase levels in the liver had also fallen to 100 units per liter. Her recovery from acute liver damage was impressive.

Most importantly, the coagulation factors in the body were functioning normally.

The blood gas analysis and other test results indicated Yang Lili was on her way to a full recovery.

“Amazing!” Zheng Ren patted Su Yun’s shoulder.

It had been two long and tiring days for Su Yun, working tirelessly like a dog. Dogs nowadays probably had a better life, sock-eating aside.

1

Finally, Yang Lili was no longer in danger.

“Of course. It has to be perfect,” Su Yun said with a smile.

“Shall we try to get the breathing tube out tomorrow?” Zheng Ren asked.

“Yes, we can try. The Acinetobacter baumannii in the ICU are vicious. The earlier we remove the tracheostomy tube, the better.”

“Head on home and rest then. The days have been rough on you.”

Suddenly, the weariness on Su Yun’s face was replaced with a suggestive look.

“Boss, did you get it?” Su Yun whispered.

Zheng Ren wanted to yell at the man.

“Holding hands count.” Su Yun’s voice was full of hope.

“…”

Su Yun studied Zheng Ren’s face and let out a resigned sigh. “Never mind, I know that you’re going to be as slow as a tortoise.”

1

“I’ve moved into her house,” Zheng Ren declared.

A wide-eyed expression could be seen from Su Yun.

“But it’s in another building.”

1

“Ah…”

“Don’t blame me, okay. We went to the movies today but an emergency case interrupted the date,” Zheng Ren said, annoyance in his tone.

Hand-holding.

“Take it slow. Don’t let a girl this good slip between your fingers.” Su Yun let out a yawn before continuing, “I’m gonna head home now.”

“We’ll drop you off?”

“The traffic is light at this hour. I’ll drive slow, don’t worry.” Su Yun shuffled away. Zheng Ren kept an eye on the retreating figure, worried he might just collapse and pass out in the corridor.

“Oh right, the money for this surgery. I’ll give it to you when we’re free,” Su Yun said as he waved his hand without turning back. He exited the building and disappeared into the night.

“Boss Zheng, you did an amazing job!” Shen Xiaoou said beside him with a smile.

Zheng Ren did not know how to respond. He had only just met this woman.

“Brother Yun’s recommendation is truly reliable. Harry had been to all the vets in Provincial Capital but everyone said there was nothing that could be done. Some said the surgery’s death rate was as high as 90%.”

“Oh, veterinarians don’t know how to perform surgery, I guess.” Zheng Ren’s reckless statement had earned him glares from multiple people.

It was absolutely reckless, given he was in a veterinary hospital.

Shen Xiaoou explained, “This type of surgery is not common for veterinary surgeons. There’s little reference for aftercare as well. Veterinary is a new field, so we’re all just figuring it out as we go.”

Zheng Ren looked uninterested.

“Can you provide your contact details?” Shen Xiaoou tried her luck.

“No need. If the hospital needs me, you can reach me through Su Yun.” The rejection was firm, his disinterest fortified.

The smile on She Xiaoou’s face froze.

What a merciless rejection.

Zheng Ren went to get Xie Yiren and Chu Yanzhi. It had been a long day.

Before going home, the group grabbed some supper at a restaurant.

Then, the two cars made their way to Xie Yiren’s houses.

Chu Yanzhi’s presence dashed away any hopes Zheng Ren had of receiving a hug from Xie Yiren. Unlike most girls of this decade, she was a shy person.

They bid each other goodbye. Once inside, Zheng Ren ran a bath as instructed by Xie Yiren.

They texted for nearly an hour before sleep took over.

…

The sun rose the next day, as it did every day.

A new day was before them.

Zheng Ren ran through the tasks he had to do today: ward rounds, patient consultations, and all the essentials.

A trip to the ICU to visit Yang Lili. Her survival was a miracle to behold.

The gastroenterology department patient who underwent the TIPS surgery would be needing a second surgery to remove parts of the stent soon if their blood ammonia level remained low and there were no signs of hepatic encephalopathy.

The removal would smoothen the passage of fluids and widen the lumen. He would also need to check if there was bleeding from the gastric varices.

Zheng Ren would not have the free time to watch the vertebral column resection surgery. He had some interest in orthopedics but his plate was full. He could not just abandon his responsibilities to entertain his interests.

He ate his breakfast before setting out to the hospital.

Old Chief Physician Pan was asking about patients who left the hospital last night. He cursed under his breath, then began assigning tasks to the staff. They did their rounds in the emergency wards.

Once that was done, Zheng Ren left for the gastroenterology department.

Department Chief Xia spotted Zheng Ren and quickly brought a junior doctor to the critical care room.

The junior doctor reported the patient’s latest developments. The hematemesis and hepatic encephalopathy had abated. With an elevated but acceptable blood ammonia level, the patient’s recovery was on track.

Zheng Ren evaluated the patient’s condition and decided a second surgery could be scheduled soon.

Department Chief Xia agreed with Zheng Ren’s judgment, and they arranged for the surgery to begin tomorrow morning.

As they exited the patient’s room, Department Chief Xia said, “Little Zheng, you did well with the TIPS surgery.”

The straightforward compliment caught Zheng Ren off guard.

“I asked a colleague who’s a professor in Imperial Capital. He was shocked to hear you performed an emergency TIPS surgery. He said the difficulty of the surgery was well beyond that of an elective TIPS.” Department Xia chucked, then continued speaking, “I was wondering if you could have a look at one of our patients who has refractory ascites. If it’s fine with you, we can operate tomorrow. It’s quite severe and I’m worried the patient will not last the month if we put off surgery.”

Zheng Ren cared not for the professor’s praise.

Instead, he was interested to hear more about the refractory ascites.

If he wished to further develop his interventional surgery skill, elementary embolization surgeries was not the way to go. It would take a lifetime to make any significant progress.

He had to perform high-difficulty procedures like the TIPS surgery.

They arrived at the patient’s room. Zheng Ren saw a thin figure with a bulging belly on the bed.

The large-volume ascites hindered the patient’s breathing.

With every laborious breath taken, the man’s clavicles and sternum sank deep into his body.

Zheng Ren knew it was not the three-concave sign. The ascites was pushing against the diaphragm and restricting the expansion of the lungs, hence the breathing difficulties.

The System’s diagnosis blinked at the right corner of his vision.