However, Zheng Ren was very experienced in this regard; he had kept on checking other areas while he spoke to her and already pressed on it without her knowing.
It had not elicited any reaction, which was a stark contrast from the way she acted before.
Was she pretending to be sick? Why would she do that? Zheng Ren was confused.
The affection between the boy and the girl did not seem like they were here to make a scene.
Besides, medical troublemakers had disappeared after the incident in the gynecology department.
Was the girl pretending to be sick at such a late hour just to torture him for being single? When had the youth learned to play the game so well? Was this a new courtship tactic?
Zheng Ren was troubled.
The System's report on the health status remained green and there were no obvious signs after examination as well.
He determined that she was most probably faking her symptoms.
However…
Su Yun waved Zheng Ren over to the door. "Boss, come here for a minute."
Zheng Ren thought about it and acceded.
"What do you think?" he asked softly upon leaving the room, making sure the couple were not watching his departure from the corners of their eyes.
"10 o'clock. The girl should be fine by then," Su Yun said mysteriously.
He had also noticed Zheng Ren's trick during the examination. Such things would never escape his eyes as he was also a doctor.
What did he mean that she would be fine after 10 o'clock?
Chapter 307 - Both Pupils Were Equal in Size (Part 3 of 4)
"How do you know?" Zheng Ren was surprised.
"Nothing a single guy like you would understand," Su Yun said, "What did you see in the girl's eyes?"
"Eyes?" He tried his best to recall.
There was nothing unusual about her eyes. Pupillary light reflex? He had not performed the test on her, but the reflex pathway ought to be responsive. Furthermore, there were no constrictions on her pupils, both of which were equal in size…
At Zheng Ren's confusion, Su Yun barked, "You must be thinking about her pupils being of equal sizes!"
"Yeah, what else?" Zheng Ren was perplexed.
"Bah!" Su Yun was left speechless and looked at Zheng Ren with pity.
His gaze was sorrowful, as if that of deities and Buddhas who had descended to earth and looked upon mortal suffering.
"..."
"Can't you see the girl's dreamy eyes yearning for romance?" Su Yun said after a few seconds of silence.
"No…"
There was no book that could teach Zheng Ren how to see such a thing.
In the institution called society, Su Yun would be a top student and graduate with perfect scores.
"Let me put it this way; what time did your dormitory close during your school days?" Su Yun asked.
"Ten."
"That's all there is," Su Yun chuckled and said softly, "Didn't you notice that the girl checked her phone three times within ten minutes after your consultation?"
"I did, but I thought that was insignificant," Zheng Ren said.
"Anything unrelated to illness would be deemed useless to you, right?" Su Yun was aghast.
"You could say that. We're doctors; what else would we do other than treat diseases? Practice physiognomy?"
"Why did you threaten the boy on the operating table yesterday, then?"
"To treat his blindness," Zheng Ren argued.
The more Su Yun said, the more Zheng Ren believed the man's judgment. The girl was pretending to be ill and waiting for their dormitories to close at 10 p.m.
Where would these two youngsters go if their dorms were closed?
How lovely, Zheng Ren thought to himself.
Why was Xie Yiren not this forward? He had gathered the courage to offer her a hug twice but had been rejected both times…
Su Yun crept up to him as he ruminated, smirking and whispering, "Are you shamelessly wondering why Little Yiren doesn't take the initiative?"
Zheng Ren was stunned. Could Su Yun read his mind?
"How shameless can you be? Can't you take the first step?" Su Yun berated him angrily.
"I did make a move, twice even, but she blew me off both times," Zheng Ren said in embarrassment.
"You should keep at it. Start by holding hands. Do not rush. Little Yiren is quite shy and grew up in a strict household. You can't jump right into hugs," Su Yun said, "One step at a time. Also, are you aware of the move where you corner her by placing your hand on the wall?"
"Yeah." Zheng Ren nodded.
As a young a.d.u.l.t in the modern era, even though he had never made the move before, he had seen it in videos online.
"You can try it if you get the chance. Girls like Little Yiren have high compliance. You only need to be slightly more aggressive, erm… like the way you take control of the operating table. You'll be able to handle ten Little Yirens."
Operating room… simulation mannequins… Zheng Ren's thoughts ran wild into the unknown like an unleashed dog.
A voice interrupted his fantasies. "Doctor."
He turned around and saw the girl still holding her stomach, but straight-backed with no visible signs of pain.
Zheng Ren checked the time. It was exactly ten o'clock.
"I think I'm feeling better," she said, blushing.
"Oh, that's good," Zheng Ren said in a daze. His mind was caught up with scenes unsuitable for children.
"We'll leave, then," the girl said.
"Are you really okay? I think it's better if you stay the night and remain under observation," the boy asked worriedly.
"It's fine, truly." She seemed slightly desperate.
"Okay, no worries. Go home and drink more warm water. Everything will be okay," Su Yun said, "Just be careful not to catch a cold. Stay safe."
The last sentence was a tease; the boy was oblivious but the girl's face turned red instantly. She nodded, a movement so slight it was barely visible.
The boy held onto her as they walked out, continuing to nag at her as he did.
"It's already late at night, what if something happened to you?"
The girl pretended to be surprised as she took out her phone to check the time. "Ah, it's already ten o'clock."
"We can't go back to the dorm…"
"What should we do? What if my stomach hurts after I go back?" she said pitifully.
As they got further and further, the scenario played out exactly according to her plan.
A purposeful smile appeared on Su Yun's face and he tapped Zheng Ren's shoulder. "Are you envious of them?"
"Yeah," Zheng Ren replied subconsciously.
"Don't be. Others should be envious of you. On that note, you're really lucky. How did Little Yiren fall for you? Peculiar," Su Yun said.
There was a turmoil of emotion within Zheng Ren when Xie Yiren's name was mentioned.
After spending an hour in the emergency department, they returned to the emergency ward after ensuring no other misdiagnoses.
Zheng Ren took his phone out to chat with Xie Yiren.
She had returned home. Chu Yanran had the night shift and had followed Xie Yiren back to the mansion near the hospital.
Zheng Ren had so much to tell her. They could converse smoothly and joke around in WeChat, but Zheng Ren was tongue-tied whenever they met face-to-face.
The ward was very quiet. Su Yun went to take a bath in the operating room. Zheng Ren washed up quickly and laid on his bed while continuing to chat aimlessly with Xie Yiren.
Their conversation was bland, but Zheng Ren felt content.
He felt a sense of security and his heart was no longer hanging in the air.
Corny as it was, home was truly where the heart lay.
The meaning of that saying had never felt more applicable to Zheng Ren.
Home is where the heart is.
When Su Yun returned, Zheng Ren was still texting and ignored his arrival.
He was
still engrossed in his conversation when Su Yun laid down.
Even after Su Yun had fallen asleep, Zheng Ren kept texting.
Only when he dropped his phone on his face did he notice that it was already the wee hours of the morning.
They wished each other goodnight, unwilling to let the other end the conversation. Their standoff kept going on for a while until Xie Yiren could not stay awake any longer and drifted off to sleep. Only then did Zheng Ren go to bed with a sweet smile on his face.
Tonight, there was no interruption by the professor. Zheng Ren felt blessed by the Night Shift God.
It was peaceful, as if all the emergency cases had been relegated to the previous evening.
After a good night's sleep, Zheng Ren opened his eyes. The first thing he did was to check his phone for any messages from Xie Yiren.
"Hurry and freshen up, the newcomers will be reporting in soon." Su Yun leaned against the wall and said coolly, "You should leave a good impression on them or you might lose your authority as chief resident."
Zheng Ren was still in bliss; even Su Yun did not seem as irritating as before. He laughed and got out of bed before making it, then took his toiletries to the operating room to wash up before work.
A new day had begun.
Chapter 308 - No Vices (Part 4 of 4)
Feng Xuhui had rushed to the emergency ward early in the morning with breakfast as usual, just as he had in Imperial Capital.
"Don't come tomorrow," Su Yun mumbled while brushing his teeth.
Those words made Feng Xuhui's hair stand on end. What sin had he committed that was so unforgivable? He was not even allowed to come tomorrow…
Since the day Feng Xuhui received guidance from an Imperial Capital legend, he had found his direction in life and remained determined to cling onto Zheng Ren, despite being less than successful so far.
In one stroke, he had introduced his company's product to the Imperial Capital market and been promoted to the general manager of the Northeast region, with a huge increment in allocated funds.
After the Imperial Capital product launch, he had returned to Sea City fully bent on sticking to Zheng Ren's coattails.
Everything had been fine during yesterday's TIPS surgery. What had changed?
The on-call room was silent but for the buzzing of Su Yun's electric toothbrush.
A few minutes later, Su Yun finished gargling, turned around and jumped when he saw Feng Xuhui standing there like a statue.
"What happened to you?" he asked in surprise.
Feng Xuhui was still in a daze and did not respond.
"Hey, have you lost it?" Su Yun did not understand why the man was in such a state.
After several attempts, Feng Xuhui managed between sobs, "Brother Yun, what did I do? Why won't you let me come here anymore?"
Su Yun immediately caught on and did not know whether to laugh or cry.
"You… Just tell me what it is. I will change it at once," Feng Xuhui said.
"You're overthinking it," Su Yun said nonchalantly, taking the soy milk Feng Xuhui had brought and taking a large gulp. "There will be new staff reporting to the department. The boss will have flexible shifts from now onwards."
"Tell me, if a female doctor is on shift tomorrow morning, and you simply knock on the door and enter: in what way will Old Chief Physician Pan kill you?" Su Yun bit into the steamed stuffed bun. It was a bit greasy; eating garlic now would require him to brush his teeth again.
After some thought, he decided against it.
Feng Xuhui finally managed a smile and approached him. "Brother Yun, thank you."
"Sure," Su Yun said dispassionately.
"The chairman is coming over tonight, you have to show your face," Feng Xuhui quickly said, prioritizing the most important thing on the day's itinerary.
He had just experienced a rollercoaster of emotions and was afraid that it could compromise his duty. That would be truly embarrassing.
"I'll be there if there are no emergency cases." Su Yun had an outgoing personality; back in Imperial Capital, he would have dinner invitations every day were he willing to attend them. "Right, I only drink Maotai. I'll take any year they have, just not the ones from 1982 and 1988; the market was flooded with fake liquors during those two years."
Although it was obvious that Su Yun was not treating him like an outsider, Feng Xuhui was still taken aback, but quickly retrieved his notebook to write down the man's requests.
"If we're drinking whisky, I prefer Scotch. Any Speyside brand would be fine but it's better if they're aged for at least a decade," Su Yun said while chewing his bun, "Only aging in wooden barrels counts. Time after bottling is just shelf life, not aging."
Feng Xuhui frowned.
Money was not the issue. Actually finding Speyside Scotch would be difficult in Sea City.
"To be honest, I'm not that picky. If your boss likes sake, we can get Ittekiyukon, especially the ones from 2008. It's lighter on the palate and has a better aftertaste. You won't get a hangover the next day." Su Yun was still going on.
Feng Xuhui finally remembered the dinner's main guest. "What does Chief Zheng prefer?"
"Him? He doesn't drink, he just smokes occasionally. If he doesn't feel hungry, he won't eat. He will be more grateful if you don't invite him to the dinner. You don't have to worry about what he likes to eat, either," Su Yun said.
Feng Xuhui wept internally, tears falling from his heart.
Why was it so difficult to suck up to this man?
Money, alcohol, gambling, l.u.s.t; there had to be something Zheng Ren liked. However, after some observation, Feng Xuhui knew that Su Yun was telling the truth. He had to ask anyway in order to rule out errors in judgement.
This Chief Zheng only had a love for surgery.
Right then, Zheng Ren entered the room, refreshed after his shower.
"Yo, Manager Feng, you're here." The greeting came with familiarity.
After all, he had just asked for a favor yesterday. Not exchanging at least a few words of acknowledgement would be unbecoming.
He would look like an ingrate.
"Chief Zheng, our chairman is coming over tonight. We'll probably trouble you for a few hours." Feng Xuhui placed both his palms together and looked at the man with earnestness and supplication in his eyes.
"Oh, I'll be there if there's no surgery. No big deal." Zero interest.
"Is there anything you'd like to have?"
"Anything will do. I don't have a preference," Zheng Ren replied without much thought before starting on a bun.
Feng Xuhui's mind began to run wild again.
When the two men finished eating, he cleared the table for them and said his farewells before leaving.
He reported their words to the chairman and included the long list of requests from Su Yun.
…
Professor Rudolf Wagner arrived at 7.15 a.m. sharp.
No matter how classy he looked, his authority was undeniable.
Chang Yue and the others also arrived shortly after. Old Chief Physician Pan performed the shift handover at 8 a.m.
After that, Office Director Ding and the hospital administration chief came to the emergency ward with two other doctors.
So efficient, Zheng Ren thought. Director Fu had just resigned yesterday and the new doctors were already here.
Ding Zhongtai and Old Chief Physician Pan exchanged a few greetings. When he saw Zheng Ren's usual disinterest, he did not linger and left with the hospital administration chief.
There were two newcomers. Lu Tianran was from the first general surgery department, having graduated three years ago and was rather familiar with Zheng Ren and Yang Lei.
The other was a female doctor from internal medicine called Zhong Min. She had just completed standardized residency training and continued employment in Sea City General Hospital.
Lu Tianran was quite reliable, but Zhong Min was to be kept under observation for the time being. Regardless, these two new-bloods would stren
gthen the emergency department.
Even though Old Chief Physician Pan was orientating the two with a stern expression, Zheng Ren could feel the old chief cheering inside.
After asking Professor Rudolf Wagner to follow Chang Yue for the ward rounds, Zheng Ren brought Su Yun to the gastroenterology department to check on the surgery patient from the day before.
He did not want to walk around with a gold-haired, blue-eyed foreigner and draw unwanted attention. It would not suit his low-key personality.
There was a strange stench in the corridor of the gastroenterology department.
The department would be considerably relaxed if they only had enteritis and other inflammations to deal with. However, patients with ascites and hematemesis could be a handful.
Chief Xia was doing ward rounds with her subordinates. It was blinding to look at the group of white coats reflecting the sun's morning rays.
The chief offered a rare smile when she saw Zheng Ren and Su Yun. "Little Zheng, are you here to check on the patient post-op?"
Chapter 309 - Sump Syndrome and The Little Yellow Person (Part 1 of 4)
"We're here to check on the patient after TIPS surgery." Zheng Ren smiled warmly. "Which ward is he in?"
Chief Xia did not continue her ward rounds, personally bringing Zheng Ren to the resuscitation room.
The patient had managed to sit upright. Despite looking languish with a pallid complexion, the darkened skin on his face had returned to normal.1
"The patient vomited blood three times since last night. It was not much; approximately 150 mL. We think it was the stale blood acc.u.mulated in his stomach," Chief Xia reported, "Tests this morning showed that hemoglobin levels have returned to 79 g, coagulation remains slightly weak and blood ammonia is 63. After an examination, there were no typical symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy."
Since the patient had been implanted with two stents, pressure on the gastric varices was reduced but not completely relieved.
As long as bleeding stopped, other symptoms could be controlled with hemostatic drugs and orally administered cold saline-epinephrine solution.
Zheng Ren was more concerned about hepatic encephalopathy, though.
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