Chapter 222: A Surgeon’s Fast-Paced Day

“Hey, Dr. Zhou! I heard Director Wu requested your help last night for a critical rescue. Was the surgery a success?”

Hu Shuiling’s keen eyes caught Zhou Can as soon as he approached.

From a distance, she greeted him with an overly flattering smile.

She always seems to have the latest news.

She even knew about Director Wu summoning Zhou Can to save a patient.

After all, gossip runs high among the female nurses.

“Director Wu’s skills are almost miraculous. Several top Deputy Chief Physicians from the General Surgery Department participated, and the surgery turned out well. The patient is out of danger after nearly seven hours in the OR.”

Zhou Can dared not appear arrogant.

In the hospital, ears are everywhere. Boasting one’s achievements can easily reach the senior doctors.

Even if the higher-ups overlook it, it would still ruin one’s reputation.

Staying low-key and humble is not only refined but also a form of self-protection.

“Oh, come on, Dr. Zhou! You really pulled a lot of weight during the surgery. Without your help, the critical parts might have stalled.”

A Deputy Chief Physician, accompanied by two junior doctors, walked up from behind.

He was one of the Deputy Chief Physicians who participated in the procedure.

“Haha, even forensic physicians have finished their part! My contribution last night was nothing more than a light tap on the drum. The real credit goes to you directors and deputy chiefs.”

Zhou Can laughed heartily as he chatted amiably with him.

Only someone like him or Du Leng—a trainee of a similar level—could speak so casually with a Deputy Chief Physician. Ordinary trainees, let alone those talking to a Chief Resident, would be far too deferential.

Such multiple layers of pressure from rank and ability make one feel cautious and tense.

Only when you’re truly capable can you chat easily and confidently as an equal with a Deputy Chief Physician.

“Kid, you’ve got a promising future! I’ve got rounds to do and need to check on the orders your group set. Catch you later!”

The Deputy Chief Physician laughed, waved, and quickly departed.

Qiao Yu, who was busy caring for a patient, initially found it odd that Head Nurse Hu Shuiling always wore a stern face toward her and the other ordinary nurses.

Even the trainees and intern doctors were in awe of Hu Shuiling.

Who, in the entire hospital, could make Hu Shuiling greet someone so sycophantically from afar?

Qiao Yu found the male doctor’s voice strangely familiar.

Looking up, she was both surprised and delighted.

She never expected to see Zhou Can here.

And it sounded like Zhou Can had just finished a rescue surgery in the General Surgery Department.

She recalled how Zhou Can had secretly signaled her, and soon enough, the General Surgery Department had recruited her for nurse training. After a year and a half away, just how strong had Zhou Can become?

Even the Deputy Chief Physician had been unusually cordial with him!

Qiao Yu’s bright eyes appraised the long-unseen Zhou Can.

Apart from a slight darkening around his eyes from the overnight surgery, he looked even more handsome. The aura of confidence he exuded made her heart flutter.

A man like that was exactly the hero she admired.

Far superior to those pretty boys who only talk big but can’t deliver.

“Qiao Yu, get back to work! What are you spacing out for?”

Hu Shuiling turned around and saw Qiao Yu staring dreamily at Zhou Can with a genuinely delighted smile. It immediately set her off.

This newly assigned nurse wasn’t focusing on her work at all—she was hopelessly smitten.

It was practically asking for trouble.

There were plenty of nurses scheming over Dr. Zhou, and yet she still fancied getting involved with him?

“Normally, male doctors handle catheter insertions. Let me do it!”

Zhou Can walked over and effortlessly took the catheter from Qiao Yu, inserting it smoothly for the patient.

After all, Zhou Can’s Placement Technique is already at a competent level.

For him, inserting a catheter was a piece of cake.

For many trainees, it’s a laborious task.

Especially without anesthesia, patients experience significant discomfort, often getting irate, uncooperative and even cursing.

So when possible, doctors prefer to wait until after inducing full anesthesia to insert the catheter to ease the patient’s pain.

“Hurry up and thank Dr. Zhou!”

Hu Shuiling chided Qiao Yu before turning to Zhou Can with a smile, “Sorry about that. The new nurse is a bit clumsy with procedures—my apologies to Dr. Zhou.”

“No worries, Hu. I actually know her. Back in the Emergency Department, she was my old partner. Now that she’s been reassigned to the General Surgery Department for further training, please continue to guide her.”

The way Zhou Can addressed her as ‘Hu Jie’ made Hu Shuiling beam with pride and honor.

After all, Zhou Can now holds a very high status.

Director Wu, Director Wen, and several other chief physicians are close acquaintances of his. Hu Shuiling fully understands his influence and clout.

She even heard that after leaving the General Surgery Department, Zhou Can achieved remarkable results in the Critical Care, Cardiothoracic, and General Surgery Departments. A talent like him isn’t just promising—he’s destined to become a key figure at Tuyu Hospital.

Even if one day he becomes the vice-president or president, it wouldn’t surprise her one bit.

“Oh… so Qiao Yu and you go way back!” Hu Shuiling gasped in surprise, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. “Qiao Yu never mentioned it. Rest assured, if she ever runs into trouble in the General Surgery Department, I’ll be there to help her out.”

See? That’s the advantage of status.

It’s an intangible asset.

Just one word can make others willingly support you and offer all kinds of help.

“Haha, Hu Jie, you’re the best! Thanks a lot!”

After exchanging a few words with Qiao Yu, Zhou Can turned his attention back to her.

“How are you adjusting to the General Surgery Department? If you need help with anything, you can always count on Hu Jie. If you face major challenges, feel free to reach out to Director Wen or Director Wu.”

For a rookie with no established footing, being assigned to such a prominent department means inevitable hardships.

For now, the internal atmosphere at Tuyu seems pretty decent.

At least Zhou Can hasn’t heard any of those disturbing rumors about doctors preying on nurses.

If a doctor does show romantic interest, normal courtship is easy to handle. But if they exploit their position to bully her into submission, Zhou Can would be the first to back her up.

Such cases are extremely rare, though.

Tuyu Hospital has many attractive young nurses, and doctors usually only pursue those who are a perfect match. Forced situations may occur, but they are the exception.

For instance, back in the Emergency Department, Dr. Lu once pestered her relentlessly.

A talented and attractive girl is bound to face various kinds of harassment in both work and life.

It’s a price of beauty.

And the “major challenges” Zhou Can referred to aren’t related to that at all—they’re about medical mishaps. In a situation without fault on her part, she could count on support from Director Wen and others.

“I’m doing well! It’s just that the General Surgery Department has a lot of critical patients, and there’s so much to learn in patient care. With Hu Jie and the other senior nurses guiding me, I’m sure I’ll get better.”

Qiao Yu beamed at Zhou Can with a smile.

“But you really are impressive! After barely over a year away, you’ve grown so much—I can only look up to you!”

Back in the Emergency Department, even though her status paled in comparison to Zhou Can’s, Qiao Yu was confident of rapid progress in the nursing field.

At least, she believed she wouldn’t fall far behind him.

Now, she realized just how fast Zhou Can was advancing.

In less than two years, he was casually conversing with senior doctors, and he looked incredibly effective while doing so.

She couldn’t help but wonder just how powerful he had become.

“Haha, that’s not the Qiao Yu I remember. Doctors and nurses each grow at their own pace. Just keep your confidence, and your dreams in nursing will come true.”

Zhou Can’s experience system and the favor he enjoyed from several chief physicians provided him with abundant resources.

Compared to him, she couldn’t help but feel increasingly insecure.

She needed to measure herself against other nurses to regain her confidence.

“You’re speaking from a completely different perspective—full of wisdom! I’ll do my best, don’t you worry!”

Qiao Yu’s subtle tone implied she wasn’t as fragile as some might think.

At that moment, Zhou Can’s phone rang.

He pulled it out to find a call from Mr. Liu himself.

As soon as he answered, Mr. Liu asked, “Xiao Zhou, are you done with your work in the General Surgery Department? We have a surgery scheduled here, and I’m with Wu Ziyu. We’re too slow—we need you.”

Mr. Liu really had no choice.

Today’s schedule was packed with surgeries. Every patient needed to be attended to!

There was simply no time to delay.

They couldn’t afford any postponements.

The patient’s condition was as fierce as a tiger, changing by the day.

The sooner the surgery, the better the prognosis.

“We just finished here! After Director Wu treated us all to breakfast, I rushed back to Jiaru Surgery.”

After bidding farewell to Qiao Yu and Hu Shuiling, Zhou Can hurried to the newly established Jiaru Surgery.

The greater the ability, the heavier the burden.

As Zhou Can’s skills grew, so did his workload in the department.

For Jiaru Surgery to seize the initiative, all patients previously handled by the doctors had to be quickly managed.

Zhou Can could single-handedly cover for several chief surgeons, a true high-speed surgical machine.

He was a vital cog in the starting phase of Jiaru Surgery.

If he faltered, Jiaru Surgery would struggle to maintain its momentum, forced to reassign staff to clear the backlog before refocusing on new cases.

Even a few days’ delay could have a significant adverse effect on a new department.

Firstly, insufficient staff affects outpatient consultations, surgeries, and ward management, making patients feel the department’s weakness.

Some impatient patients might even seek help elsewhere.

After all, Tuyu Hospital isn’t the only option for quality care.

Secondly, diverting manpower to handle old cases drastically reduces the department’s capacity to diagnose and operate on new patients.

In short, more people mean more strength.

The outpatient side was often managed by a lone chief physician. When difficult cases arose, there was no one to consult. Diagnosis became extremely challenging.

Especially when it came to areas outside his expertise—it was a recipe for disaster.

A tarnished reputation would only hinder the department’s development further.

That’s why Zhou Can, single-handedly performing multiple chief-level surgeries, allowed other doctors to focus solely on new Jiaru cases—a benefit beyond measure for the new department.

Other departments simply don’t have his strength and would struggle in competition.

Zhou Can raced through the corridors back to Jiaru Surgery, heading straight for Mr. Liu’s operating room.

“Finally, you’re here! It’s been nearly a morning and we’ve only managed two surgeries. I’m completely overwhelmed,” Mr. Liu sighed in relief upon seeing Zhou Can.

He already knew about Zhou Can’s rescue surgery in the General Surgery Department the previous night.

Such matters obligate all doctors in the hospital. Mr. Liu had little choice but to request cooperation.

However, the backlog of surgeries in his department was stressing him out without Zhou Can—his ace in the hole!

Taking charge of a department as the new leader comes with tremendous pressure.

He was worried that any slip-up could jeopardize the department’s development.

“Needless to say, the patient from General Surgery was a foreigner. He was deeply comatose with severe brain herniation and continuous intracranial hemorrhage. His grueling six-hour surgery was performed under extreme tension. Thankfully, the rescue was successful.”

While recounting the rescue in the General Surgery Department, Zhou Can briefed the team.

He then had a nurse help him don sterile gloves and positioned himself at the main surgeon’s station.

Curious, Wu Ziyu asked, “Aren’t you a trainee in our General Surgery and Jiaru Surgery? Why are they calling on you?”

“Xiao Wu, you might not know—Zhou Can trained in the General Surgery Department for several months. Both Director Wu and Director Wen had nothing but praise for him and wanted him to stay. Unfortunately, he declined. This rescue was extremely risky—a severe brain herniation with deadly brain hemorrhage. They likely needed his expertise in endoscopic surgery to possibly replace the chief surgeon if necessary.”

Mr. Liu and Wu Ziyu were well acquainted, which is why he explained it all.

While extolling Zhou Can’s virtues, there was undeniable pride on his face.

After all, Zhou Can was still a trainee in Jiaru Surgery.

“Oh my, calling you in to lead such a major operation, Dr. Zhou—you’re just amazing!” Wu Ziyu exclaimed, nearly dropping her eyes in shock.

The General Surgery Department is among the most elite surgical units.

In her eyes, its prowess is the pinnacle of surgical excellence.

That such a high-end department would call on Zhou Can to lead, especially at Director Wu’s personal request, was almost unimaginable.

“Dr. Zhou, I’ve made up my mind—I’ll look up to you as a role model. I’ll work hard to catch up with you.”

“Heh, I can’t possibly be a role model. Dr. Wu is exceptionally driven with superb surgical talent. I’m sure that as long as she keeps improving, she’ll achieve great things. Female doctors in General Surgery are already rare—a precious resource with a brilliant future.”

Zhou Can chuckled at her words.

Wu Ziyu was an upbeat and driven doctor.

Working with her always brought positive energy.

After a brief chat, Zhou Can stopped talking and focused entirely on the surgery.

Patients tend to have sharp ears.

Initially, seeing a young doctor rushing in for his surgery had raised some concerns.

But after hearing Mr. Liu and Wu Ziyu’s reassuring conversation, they silently trusted Zhou Can’s expertise.

His surgical skills spoke for themselves—swift and proficient.

When the patient was wheeled out of the OR, gratitude poured out in endless thanks.

The next patient was swiftly brought in.

Zhou Can switched to high gear, embarking on yet another hectic day.

His pace was several times faster than Mr. Liu’s, and one by one, surgical cases were efficiently resolved.

Approaching noon, Mr. Liu received a phone call.

After a few brief words, his expression turned notably serious.

However, once the call ended, he didn’t reveal the details to Zhou Can.