Zhang Yuze subconsciously clenched the pen in his hand, the veins on his knuckles rising as he stared at the figure in his doorway.
Old Bi’s timing was impeccable—just last night, Shen Mo had been taken in, and now here he was, standing at his office’s door with a smug expression.
For God’s sake, what did he want?!
Zhang Yuze’s eyes darted behind Old Bi, scanning for any signs of his usual entourage. Thankfully, he appeared to be alone. At the very least, it wasn’t a full-scale intrusion.
As for Old Bi, he casually walked in, rubbing his hands together as if he were strolling into his own home. With a grin plastered on his fat face, he greeted: “Good morning, Dr. Zhang!”
“Morning.” Zhang Yuze replied curtly. His tone was sharp as he deliberately avoided shaking the outstretched claw that found its way in front of his eyes. “Bi Long, is that you?”
“It’s me, it’s me.” Old Bi replied, his smile widening to the point of insincerity.
Zhang Yuze glanced up, his sharp eyes scrutinizing Old Bi’s demeanor. The man’s ruddy cheeks and pleasant air didn’t match the behavior of someone dealing with a recent breakup, betrayal, and theft. “What brings you here?” He asked hesitantly, adopting a business-like tone. “Is there something wrong with your health?”
Old Bi dramatically clutched his chest and groaned. “Dr. Zhang, my heart has been hurting lately! I need you to take a look!” Before Zhang Yuze could even think about pulling away, Old Bi seized his hand and pressed it against his sweat-soaked chest. Maybe it was his body’s constitution, but underneath the winter coat, this Bi Long was both hot and wet, as if he came straight out of the shower. However, the clammy touch made Zhang Yuze recoil in disgust. His stomach churned as his sense of cleanliness and profound OCD screamed in protest.
“Describe your symptoms! There’s no need for a physical consultation!” Dr. Zhang snapped, yanking his hand back.
“Ah, I can’t explain it well…” Old Bi said with a grin, rubbing his chest theatrically. “It just feels uncomfortable right here.”
Zhang Yuze raised an eyebrow. “That spot you pointed at earlier? That’s your stomach, not your heart.” He replied coldly.
Caught in his lie, Old Bi didn’t even blink. Instead, he leaned closer, his hand creeping toward Zhang Yuze’s thigh. With a smirk, he said: “I’m no doctor, Dr. Zhang. That’s why I need your professional touch.”
The insinuation in his voice made Zhang Yuze stiffen. A wave of revulsion coursed through him, his every instinct screaming to lash out. Yet, he forced himself to remain calm. He was at work, wearing a white coat. He couldn’t lose his temper here.
“You’ll need an electrocardiogram,” he said, scribbling quickly on a slip of paper and handing it to Old Bi. “Take this to the diagnostics lab. The results will help me determine if there’s any problem.”
Old Bi barely glanced at the form. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, his eyes gleaming with predatory intent. “Dr. Zhang, will you do it yourself?”
No.” Zhang Yuze said with a cold face. “You go out and turn right to the inspection room. Xiao Jie will do it for you. Come back to me with the list when the results come out.”
“Dr. Zhang…” Old Bi narrowed his eyes and looked up and down at his professional clothes which were full of abstinence, no longer concealing his greedy nature. “I want you to help me do it.”
The deliberate ambiguity in his tone made Zhang Yuze’s grip on his pen tighten. The cheap insinuation was maddening. His patience, already frayed, was nearing its limit.
Then Old Bi insisted on angering him even further by pulling out a roll of cash and slipping the bundle into the pocket of Zhang Yuze’s white coat, while wearing a disgustingly lewd grin. “Let’s not make this about the money,” he murmured, his tone oozing condescension.
This time around, the blue veins on Zhang Yuze’s hand bulged as he yanked the money out and threw it back at Old Bi. “The payment window is outside,” he said icily. “I don’t accept bribes.”
Old Bi’s expression hardened, his voice turning to mockery. “You don’t need to be so uptight, Dr. Zhang. If you’re willing to leave Xu Li and come with me, I’ll make it worth your while. I’ll pay you better than whatever Shen Mo ever got.”
With his words, the air in the clinic seemed to freeze. Zhang Yuze’s eyes narrowed, his voice dropping to a dangerous calm. “I’m not Shen Mo. I earn my living through my skills. I do not need someone like you.”
Old Bi’s face darkened, but he pressed on, his tone now laced with venom. “Don’t act so high and mighty. You’re no better than Shen Mo or Xu Li. You’re just another—”
Before he could finish, Zhang Yuze stood abruptly, his gaze cutting like a blade. “See that cabinet behind you?” he asked, his voice calm yet cold. “That dent? Xu Li and I did that during an argument. If you don’t leave now, I’ll give you a firsthand demonstration of how it happened.”
Old Bi’s bravado faltered for a moment, but he quickly plastered on a sneer. “Fine. But don’t think this is over,” he spat before storming out.
As the clinic door slammed shut, Zhang Yuze muttered: “Can’t you villains come up with better lines? ‘Wait and see’ is so cliché.”
…………
After finishing his morning consultations, Zhang Yuze handed over his duties to a colleague and grabbed a quick lunch. He made his way to the hospital’s research conference room, accompanied by Xiao Jie, the excited and eager intern. The conference room belonged to the Research Department of the Artillery Hospital and, generally speaking, it only opened to house expert consultations and medical studies.
“Why are there cameras everywhere?” Xiao Jie asked as they approached the room.
“Cameras?” Zhang Yuze turned to look. Sure enough, several video recorders had been set up outside the room. People in vests bustled around, clearly not part of the hospital staff.
“Are those reporters?” Xiao Jie wondered aloud, his face paling. “What kind of case brings in media coverage?!”
A sinking feeling settled in Zhang Yuze’s chest. Cases like that weren’t minor; they were the kind that made headlines. The presence of cameras meant the patient’s condition was likely severe, even extraordinarily grave.
When they entered the conference room, the gravity of the situation became clear. A group of distinguished doctors and experts filled the seats, their serious expressions underscoring the urgency of the matter, along with their shiny, bald heads. At the head of the room sat the hospital’s old dean, accompanied by someone Zhang Yuze was quite familiar with. Liu Hongbo, now a renowned specialist in cardiovascular medicine, but previous university senior of his one-and-only renowned mother.
However, Liu Hongbo barely acknowledged Zhang Yuze’s presence as he walked in, not that Zhang Yuze cared. In fact, he preferred his skills to speak for themselves rather than relying on his mother’s connections.
The people present were more experienced than the other. Zhang Yuze and Xiao Jie took the initiative to sit on the side and listen. As soon as the time was up, the meeting began promptly, carrying the dean’s somber tone: “Colleagues, yesterday our hospital received a transfer patient. Their condition is critical, and today’s meeting will focus on forming a treatment plan and assigning responsibilities.”
Liu Hongbo stood up and took over, his no-nonsense demeanor immediately commanding attention, but his personality was similar to that of Zhang Yuze’s mother. Fierce and harsh spoken. He knocked on the whiteboard of the projector and said bluntly: “Well, let me introduce the patient’s situation to you first. Nine-year-old Ge Haoran. Severe congenital heart malformation. History of heart disease since birth. Multiple atrioventricular defects, complete pulmonary and heart artery regression, and chronic hypoxemia. Physical development is stagnating, and the child is at risk of organ failure and death at any time.”
Zhang Yuze’s breath stopped for a second. Next to him, Xiao Jie was stunned and whispered: “Oh, my God, this level of deformity… He can only survive with a completely new heart.”
When Liu Hongbo heard Xiao Jie’s voice, he glanced at him sharply, which scared Xiao Jie to lower his head and shut his mouth.
The slides detailed a litany of medical issues, each more severe than the last. A 3D model of the child’s heart appeared on screen, riddled with suture marks from previous surgeries. It resembled a patchwork quilt, grotesquely stitched together and struggling to beat.
Zhang Yuze unconsciously sat up straight. Even if he had been a doctor for a long time, it was his first time seeing that kind of damage.
Liu Hongbo continued: “That young man just now was right. With this level of damage, the child can only survive with a new heart. However, we do not have that option. After our research, the plan involves reconstructing the heart structure, removing the arterial valve, reshaping the ventricles, and suturing the arteries. However….” Liu Hongbo pointed to the heart model full of holes in front of everyone, continuing grimly: “This patient has undergone over a dozen surgeries. But the first step—and the most critical surgery he has to survive—is a complete cavity reconstruction.”
Just listening to his tone, Zhang Yuze knew that the surgery was much more complicated than usual. The room fell silent as the enormity of the task sank in. Cavity reconstruction would require halting blood supply to the heart for hours, a near-impossible feat given the child’s fragile state.
“I will handle the ventricular reshaping,” Liu Hongbo declared. “But the cavity reconstruction will take over six hours. We need a skilled, experienced surgeon to assist.”
All eyes turned to Zhang Yuze as Liu Hongbo announced: “After careful consideration, we’ve chosen Dr. Zhang Yuze for this role.”
Zhang Yuze’s breath caught, his mind already racing through the complexities of the task ahead. There was no room for hesitation. This wasn’t just a challenge—it was a matter of a child’s life and death.
