The Surgeon’s Studio

Zheng Ren gestured to the doctor on duty in the emergency department to come out and let Su Yun handle the consultation session.

He noticed the gleam in the female patient’s eyes as soon as her gaze rested on Su Yun as if the small universe in her heart just exploded.

‘Appearance does rule the world.’ Zheng Ren sighed heavily and called the doctor on duty to the corridor for the discussion of recent emergency admissions.

“Bang!” Old Chief Physician Pan’s office door flung open and ICU Chief Qian stormed out of the room.

It was necessary to maintain a certain degree of grace since there were many patients outside the office, so the door had to be the one receiving collateral damage in the end.

Following ICU Chief Qian’s departure, Old Chief Physician Pan slowly walked out of his office with a smile on his face. Judging by their expressions, it was obvious who had had the upper hand in the argument just now.

Old Chief Physician Pan, whose mood had lightened up after witnessing ICU Chief Qian’s exasperation, noticed Zheng Ren and summoned him to the office.

“Little Zheng, sit.” Old Chief Physician Pan picked up a teacup with steam rising from it.

“What kind of support do you still need in your work?” he asked.

“I’ve listed out the medical supplies required for interventional radiology. I hope we can get it as soon as possible.” Instead of sitting down, Zheng Ren stood like a recruit reporting to his squad leader and said seriously, “Interventional radiology is useful for diagnosing and treating emergency cases, just like—”

Old Chief Physician Pan waved his hand, interrupting Zheng Ren.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve submitted a temporary purchase order and the supplies should be delivered in two days. Since it’s just a temporary list, we still need to make more orders in the future. It’ll be fine as long as you communicate with the matron.” Old Chief Physician Pan was indeed a soldier who carried out his tasks swiftly. He had already solved the most problematic issue in the hospital—the purchase of new medical supplies—in just two days.

“As for the rest… What is Su Yun doing here?” asked Zheng Ren.

“He requested the transfer himself. I heard that he had a quarrel with Director Fu too,” Old Chief Physician Pan added with a smile, “He is a man with extraordinary ability.”

“…”

Well, it was true, especially with the nurses.

“I checked his files and called my comrades in Union Medical College Hospital. Everyone was sorry to see him leave at that time.”

“Alright then.” Zheng Ren would not push the point if there was nothing wrong with the working principles involved.

After all, many hands make light work, even though Su Yun’s words were mean and harsh.

Even if he was good for nothing, the emergency department could still enshrine him as a mascot since he could help to skyrocket its development into overdrive.

Coincidentally, Su Yun and the young female patient were leaving the consultation room together when Zheng Ren left Old Chief Physician Pan’s office.

Blush seared through the female patient’s cheeks and her big, sparkling eyes were full of joy.

On the other hand, Su Yun, who seemed to have given necessary advice to the patient, wore a stony expression and quietly stood beside Zheng Ren like a ghost.

‘It looks like he has solved this patient’s problem perfectly,’ Zheng Ren thought with a smile.

“Doctor Su, do I consult you on my next appointment?” asked the young female patient whose gaze drifted past Zheng Ren as if he was invisible and rested on Su Yun.

“My job is in the emergency wards upstairs, not consultations,” answered Su Yun impatiently.

Ignoring the hostility in Su Yun’s tone, the seemingly smart and playful girl made a cute face and said happily, “I’ll visit you in the emergency ward on my next appointment.”

After that, she turned around and trotted away without waiting for Su Yun’s response.

She was akin to a shy girl of the past with a crush on someone.

Whether it was due to anxiety or the pair of five-centimeter high heels she had on, the girl sprained her ankle around the corner.

‘She is panicking…’ Zheng Ren stared at the back of the girl leaving the hallway and sighed.

“Looks like the consultation went on smoothly,” Zheng Ren said to Su Yun on their way toward the emergency ward.

“It’s alright,” Su Yun habitually brushed the black hair on his forehead to the side and added, “She has become straight, thanks to me.”

“Huh?” Zheng Ren was confused. ‘Become straight? What the hell does that mean?’

It was impossible for Zheng Ren, who had been immersed in learning, performing surgeries and taking care of the patients, to know much about this issue.

“Your diagnosis is correct. I told her to get a minor hand surgery in the outpatient department and she’ll know the result once the resected tissue is sent for pathology.” Su Yun then added with a zombie-like face, “She asked me out for a meal and wanted me to change her wound dressing. Please don’t look for me when you encounter female patients during your consultations next time. They’re annoying.”

“Oh,” Zheng Ren replied perfunctorily, but deep down, he was exhilarated. It was satisfying to see Su Yun, who had a nasty attitude, admitting defeat once in a while.

“There won’t be so many troublesome issues if you’re the doctor in charge. No female patients will ask you out for a meal, unless they’re blind.”

Su Yun’s critical hit followed soon after.

Zheng Ren’s inexperience in arguments put him at a serious disadvantage, so he chose to endure ten thousand critical damage and return to the emergency ward in silence.

Chang Yue was wandering around the ward, as usual. Zheng Ren then returned to his office and started reading his anatomy book so that he could accumulate some skill points.

Su Yun sat on a chair behind Zheng Ren and quietly played on his phone.

Occasionally, some nurses would pretentiously walk past without looking into the office, but Zheng Ren was aware of the truth. Had they ever passed by his office this frequently in the past?

After reading the book for a while, one of the Chu sisters, with surgical attire underneath her white coat, came looking for him.

“Chief Zheng, my father’s old friend is sick. I heard that he has severe signs of peritonitis,” the twin said, “Should I ask him to visit the emergency department straight away?”

“Have you asked for his medical history?” asked Zheng Ren without raising his head, utilizing this time to read the last few sentences.

“Yes, I’ve taken a simple history. My provisional diagnosis is peritonitis, but I am unsure as to what is the cause,” answered the twin.

“Send the patient here first. How old is he?”

“Seventy-six years old male with a history of cerebral infarction three years ago. A caregiver has been taking care of him due to difficulty in ambulation. The old man has a bad temper and every time when he is sick, he refuses to go to the hospital and will self-medicate for a few days instead. He took the same measures this time but was complicated with fever, so he had no choice but to agree to a hospital visit.”

“When will he arrive?” asked Zheng Ren, closing the thick book after finishing the last few lines.

“In ten minutes, give or take.”

Soon, he heard the sound of stretcher trolley wheels rolling across the marble floor in the corridor.

A well-mannered and dignified man in a casual outfit, aged around fifty years old, quickly walked in along with the stretcher trolley.

“Uncle Lin, you’re finally here. This is Chief Zheng. Let’s take a look at grandpa first.” The Chu sisters pushed the stretcher trolley into the resuscitation room. Zheng Ren, who was following closely behind them, failed to notice the man’s extended hand.

Zheng Ren had his mind fixed only on the patients, and as for their family members… Who were they?

The middle-aged man looked slightly awkward.

“That’s how he is, a medical expert with poor interpersonal skills,” Su Yun explained to the man before entering the room, which made it sound like he was very sociable himself.

The patient’s condition and final diagnosis were shown in the upper right corner of his vision.

Acute on chronic suppurative cholecystitis.

“Order a bedside B-scan ultrasonography and check for vital signs. Chang Yue, take his history and ask if he has any contraindications for surgery,” Zheng Ren examined the patient and made the necessary arrangements. “If the family agrees to surgery and the patient has fasted long enough, you two will prepare general anesthesia and inform Xie Yiren to arrange instruments for laparotomy.”

Chang Yue, who was standing half a step behind Zheng Ren, documented his instructions with a pen and notebook in her hands.

Regarding a few minor details that Zheng Ren had missed, Chang Yue merely confirmed them and closed her book.

“He needs surgery?” asked the middle-aged gentleman, somewhat puzzled.

“The patient has chronic cholecystitis and this is an acute manifestation, which means his gallbladder should be edematous and has severe adhesions. If he is treated conservatively, it’ll take a long time for antibiotic infusion to take effect, and dysbiosis will most likely happen. That’s why I suggest surgical removal of the gallbladder.”