The Surgeon's Studio

The golden-haired foreigner spoke a fluent Northeastern Mandarin, which stunned the plump courier.

What was going on?

The courier’s presence was negligible to Zheng Ren and Professor Rudolf. The patient’s scan was as captivating as a pretty lady.

“The patient’s condition is suitable. A better position for entry would be somewhere around here.”

“Boss, at this position, there’s a possibility we have to patch up the vessel. I suggest angling the needle 15 degrees to the right.”

“No. The scan has some artifacts due to hydrography. That position won’t do. Here should be adequate.”

The courier could not understand a single thing the two men were saying.

Even Su Yun, who was standing behind them, could barely comprehend their ramblings.

Most surgeons had a Graduate-level understanding of radiographs. On the rare occasion, some possess Master-level knowledge.

Su Yun was an exception—he was at Master-level proficiency for both CT and MRI scans.

Nonetheless, he struggled to understand Zheng Ren and Professor Rudolf’s discussion.

Godd*mn!

Frustration filled Su Yun’s chest.

‘How does a flippin’ general surgeon like you have such in-depth knowledge about MRI?’

The plump courier remained where he was.

He had thought the delivery would take an hour at most. Lunchtime was near.

He had hoped to treat Zheng Ren to lunch as a form of relationship building.

It was what the professors often expected.

Some professors even requested for services such as a foot spa or a massage.

This particular doctor was different from the usual professors.

Zheng Ren was young, too young. He looked to be under 30. This was the surgeon who could perform the challenging TIPS procedure?

Perhaps it was the foreigner who was the lead surgeon.

The courier was initially dismissive of Zheng Ren, but held back any untoward comments as he was carrying out orders from Director Zhang.

However…

He definitely did not expect this delivery to take so long.

A single scan and some supplementary information occupied Zheng Ren and Professor Rudolf for an hour.

The courier was tired from standing. His legs were numb from inactivity. If he sat down now, would it be disrespectful to Chief Zheng?

A debate went on in his mind.

It was almost lunchtime. They should leave for lunch soon.

To his chagrin, Zheng Ren and Professor Rudolf did not even notice the passage of time. After going through one patient’s scan, the professor had filled a piece of paper with notes in German.

Then, they proceeded to look at another patient’s scan.

The courier was tired and hungry. He glanced at the clock which showed it was noon now. It would not do if this kept on. Maybe he should remind them of the time.

“Chief Zheng, look at the time. Perhaps we should go have lunch?” The plump man tried to cut into Zheng Ren and Professor Rudolf’s discussion, a big smile on his face.

There was no response from the two men. The man’s existence was unperceivable to Zheng Ren. He was utterly immersed in his analysis of the scans, only occasionally diverting his attention to debate with Professor Rudolf.

Su Yun grinned. This plump man looked to be a bureaucratic employee. To a medical doctor, the intriguing scans were more important than a meal.

A clinician would understand.

Those who worked in the wards would agree.

Su Yun watched Zheng Ren and the professor argue and guessed it was about a new methodology that neither were familiar with.

A series of connections were being drawn in his mind.

By the third scan, Su Yun could make out what Zheng Ren and the professor were working on. They did not call him a genius for nothing.

On the fourth patient, Su Yun could contribute some ideas to the discussion.

Although his ideas were constantly shot down unkindly by the professor, Su Yun did not mind.

To determine the entry point for the TIPS procedure using diffusion-weighted MRI was an ingenious approach

As the discussion went on, Su Yun was already drafting the framework for a research paper.

This would be even more promising than the previous articles.

They were advancing too fast… They had returned from Imperial Capital less than a month ago and already a new discovery was before them. The previous articles had yet to even pass peer review.

This speed…

The courier stood for two whole hours before giving in.

While no one was paying attention to him, he slinked away and found a chair to sit.

He rubbed his legs to stimulate blood flow as he pondered about his next plan.

Director Zhang did not give him any special instructions. He only said to bring the scans to Chief Zheng. The courier was aware of Sea City General Hospital’s reputation.

They boasted better quality service than the Secondary Hospital, but lost out when it came to Hepatitis B and tuberculosis treatments. After all, the Secondary Hospital was a specialized healthcare center.

In this era where tuberculosis was gradually being eradicated, the Secondary Hospital was switching focus to the liver.

Hence, the courier did not believe Sea City General Hospital could offer better treatments for liver cancer, cirrhosis, or portal hypertension than the Secondary Hospital.

He doubted Sea City General Hospital was equipped to treat patients with both portal hypertension and decompensated cirrhosis. He found it hilarious that the doctors requested a diffusion-weighted MRI scan.

When he went to collect the scans, he could tell the chief of the hepatology ward had had a good laugh at the request.

He also knew the chief was unhappy about Director Zhang inviting an outsider to perform the TIPS surgery.

Hiring a fly-in surgeon was fine, but why did it have to be one from Sea City General Hospital? It was akin to plunging a knife to their pride. How would they face the people from Sea City General Hospital during the annual dinner?

The courier watched Zheng Ren and the foreign professor who were still busy with the scans. He let out a sigh.

He had to admit their zeal for work was admirable.

His lunch plans were clearly in tatters as Chief Zheng only had eyes for the scans.

While the plump man’s career was mainly administrative, he had sufficient objectivity to judge a good doctor from the bad. His years in hospital administration have informed him of which doctors to avoid.

This Chief Zheng was one of the good ones.

Suddenly, someone’s phone rang on the table. It gave the plump courier a shock.

“Yes?” Su Yun answered the call distractedly. His eyes were still roaming over the current scan in focus.

The speaker on the other end said something which prompted a loud “Sure!” from Su Yun. That was all he said before hanging up the phone.

“Boss, there’s a multiple stab wound patient incoming. The heart just stopped! The 120 ambulance is on its way, reaching in two minutes,” Su Yun announced before running out of the room.

Zheng Ren, who had to this point been so engrossed in the scans, immediately switched gears and followed Su Yun out of the room. The two doctors ran off faster than a rabbit.