Chapter 266: An Unexpected Assignment

“Dr. Zhou, go on ahead! I’ll handle things here.”

The nurse knew Zhou Can was always swamped, so she immediately stepped in to take over comforting the patient’s family.

“Thanks, I owe you one!”

Zhou Can didn’t stand on ceremony—there was just too much to do.

Back in the office, Luo Jingyin hurried over with a secretive grin.

Usually she was the quiet, shy type—she only opened up to Zhou Can after getting to know him.

“Busy with patient notes again, Dr. Zhou?”

“You know how it is. Boss Shang put me in charge of twelve patients. I’m either writing up charts or on my way to write them,” Zhou Can replied wearily.

“Ha! That’s what you get for being so capable. You’ve heard of Director Shang, right? He’s asking for you in his office!”

She covered her mouth to hide a laugh.

“Right now?”

“Yep! But if you’re too swamped, I can tell Director Shang you’ll go over after you finish up.”

“Nah, I’d better head over now.”

Zhou Can knew Director Shang only called him in when it was something important.

Director Shang had just gotten back from lecturing at Tuyu Medical College that morning and called him right away—maybe a patient’s condition had taken a turn for the worse.

He couldn’t help but pick up his pace.

When he entered Director Shang’s office, he found him relaxing with a cup of tea in one hand and some documents in the other.

Ever since Zhou Can joined, Director Shang’s days had become noticeably more relaxed.

Most difficult patients and tough cases were sent Zhou Can’s way.

If something went wrong when Director Shang wasn’t around, the first call was always for Zhou Can to come save the day.

The key was that Zhou Can always delivered—he’d never let Director Shang down.

“Director Shang, you wanted to see me?”

“Sit down!”

Director Shang had a special respect for his star resident.

“You’ve heard of Xinxiang Maternity and Child Hospital, right?”

“Sure. That’s the hospital Deputy Director Ye used as a cautionary tale last year when he told everyone to make safety a priority.”

But Zhou Can had no idea why Director Shang was suddenly bringing up that unlucky hospital.

Last year, that tertiary-level maternity hospital made headlines when three pieces of gauze were left inside a patient after surgery because the nurse and doctor slipped up. The mother died, and her family sued.

It became a huge news story, one everyone was talking about.

The hospital’s reputation took a massive hit.

Deputy Director Ye even held a special surgical safety meeting at Tuyu Hospital because of it.

“Once that medical error was exposed, everyone piled on. Stories emerged about negligent doctors and nurses, poor service, and rough care practices at that hospital. The authorities eventually had to launch an investigation and hand down some punishment to calm public outrage.”

No business fears anything more than a major scandal.

With the power of public opinion behind it, it was a disaster.

Even the smallest mistakes or shortcomings were magnified, dragging the hospital’s reputation straight down.

There was even a chance it could damage the entire industry.

“Xinxiang Maternity and Child Hospital’s patient volume kept shrinking after the scandal. They’re in real trouble now. Their director, Tian, reached out to us for help—he wants to save this 70-year-old hospital.”

Details like that were kept confidential.

Ordinary staff wouldn’t have a clue.

If Director Shang was telling Zhou Can, he surely had a big task in mind.

“Our own Director Zhu called a meeting with the hospital’s top leadership and decided we should help Xinxiang Maternity and Child Hospital.”

Big hospitals within the province are usually rivals.

That Director Zhu could set rivalry aside and agree to help another hospital shows real vision—thinking beyond the immediate gains for the good of the whole sector.

With him at the helm, Tuyu Hospital had soared over the past decade—it’s a testament to his leadership and strategy.

“So how do we help?”

Zhou Can asked.

“We’re sending a team of our top doctors and nurses to run specialist clinics at Xinxiang Maternity and Child Hospital. Every week, expert teams in different fields will go and help revive their reputation.”

Bringing in big-name physicians from Tuyu Hospital to hold clinics there really was the most effective way to restore their name quickly.

It was like vouching for Xinxiang Hospital with the prestige of Tuyu Hospital.

Usually, you’d see things like this in smaller village clinics or county hospitals.

If you pay attention, you’ll notice banners in village clinics welcoming specialists from other hospitals to hold consultations.

Even county hospitals hang banners at the entrance boasting about famous visiting experts or renowned professors coming to oversee things.

To boost a village clinic’s status, all it took was one county doctor’s visit.

County hospitals needed higher-level experts—a renowned specialist or even a top academic.

But for a provincial top-tier hospital like Tuyu, hosting a specialist visit was nothing special. Usually, entire teams from the most prestigious hospitals would come for exchanges.

Sometimes, even leading international medical centers would send teams over for collaboration.

That was the kind of exchange worth advertising—it lent real prestige.

After hearing all this, Zhou Can’s eyes widened.

“Director Shang, you’re not sending me to join that specialist team at Xinxiang Hospital, are you?”

He’d never even run a specialist outpatient session solo at his own hospital—just occasionally observed with the senior doctors.

[By the way, the best app for listening to web novels these days is Wild Fruit Reading. Just download the latest version.]

Sending him to another hospital as an expert was almost laughable.

“Those experts and nurses we send represent our hospital’s image, so don’t worry—we won’t ask you to do more than you’re ready for.”

Director Shang smiled, trying to reassure him.

But from the sound of it, Zhou Can was definitely going.

“Stop sulking! This is a fantastic chance to learn and prove yourself. Lots of attending physicians want to go but didn’t get the opportunity! Since this is our first time partnering with Xinxiang Maternity and Child Hospital, the initial team will stay for a week. We’re sending two from Gastroenterology—Deputy Director Shi and you.”

That was quite the honor—out of just two slots, one went to him.

“Director Shang…”

Zhou Can hesitated.

“Don’t beat around the bush. We’re not strangers, are we? If you have something to say, spit it out!”

Director Shang shot him a look, annoyed.

“Did I mess up somewhere? Did I let you down?” Zhou Can asked carefully.

“Nonsense!” Director Shang reprimanded him.

“Then why send a trainee like me to an outside hospital as a specialist? Is it because I’m always pestering you with questions? If I’m in the way, I’ll try not to bother you as much from now on!”

He’d been at Gastroenterology less than three months.

He’d lost a few days in General Surgery, and now a week away at another hospital meant even less training time.

Gastroenterology covered so many body systems—it was one of the key departments.

He’d wanted to learn as much as he could there.

“Honestly, you overthink more than a menopausal woman. If I was annoyed with you, would I have recruited you for the team? Would I be letting you join me for rounds and surgery all the time?”

Director Shang could only sigh and explain patiently.

“I told you—the team we send to Xinxiang Hospital represents Tuyu Hospital’s image and our department’s, too. We’ve got a lot of PhDs and specialists on paper, but not many who can really deliver. Deputy Director Shi is good at interventional surgery, his pathology skills are above average but not exceptional.”

On the surface, Gastroenterology looked impressive. Behind the scenes, though, things were a bit of a mess.

Their doctors were more than capable of handling ordinary patients and managing moderately tough cases. But with truly complex problems, most struggled.

Zhou Can was a rare exception—a genuine all-rounder.

He could diagnose, perform surgery, and master more than just internal medicine techniques, including minimally invasive, interventional, and endoscopic procedures. He was even skilled in general surgery.

On top of that, he was well-versed in a range of medical fields.

That’s what set him apart from the others.

It was exactly those talents that put him at the top of Director Shang’s list.

Of course, Director Shang and Director Zheng—the department’s pillars—were too valuable to send.

You couldn’t just give everything away, even when helping others.

The first priority was always to keep their own department strong.

Letting Director Shang or Director Zheng go for a one-off consultation elsewhere was fine. But sending them away for a whole week—no way.

“Zhou, let me tell you something else. The main force supporting Xinxiang Hospital this time is our Obstetrics Department. From what I hear, several departments are sending their best young doctors. Here, you’ve always had senior doctors looking out for you. Over there, it’s just you—time to find out if you can truly stand on your own.”

After hearing Director Shang’s explanation, Zhou Can finally relaxed.

At least he wasn’t being shipped off because they didn’t want him around.

He’d been worried his constant questions were getting on everyone’s nerves.

“Feeling better now?” Director Shang saw him smile at last and chuckled too. “You’ll be representing Gastroenterology, so don’t embarrass us! If you run into anything you’re not sure about, just message me or Director Zheng. As long as circumstances allow, we’ve got your back.”

When he finished, Director Shang even added Zhou Can as a WeChat friend.

Then he told Zhou Can to add Director Zheng too.

It was an extra layer of support for him.

If some tricky case came up, Zhou Can wouldn’t ever be left to struggle alone.

“Go ahead and start wrapping up your patients. Head home, pack your things, and be ready to stay at the hotel arranged by Xinxiang Maternity and Child Hospital for the week.”

Director Shang let him take half a day off early.

Xinxiang was rolling out the red carpet—setting aside special funds to put Tuyu’s doctors up in a hotel.

It definitely wouldn’t be a run-of-the-mill place—at least a three-star if not better.

……

Zhou Can rarely got time off, so getting half a day free made him pretty happy.

He handed off his patients and went straight back to his apartment to pack a few things.

Honestly, just some clothes and a razor—no need to bring much.

Once he finished, he thought about dropping by Jin Yu Interactive to visit Su Qianqian.

Especially with Hu Haikun sniffing around her lately, that threat had been hanging over their heads like the Sword of Damocles.

Normally, Zhou Can’s schedule was so packed, Su Qianqian was always the one coming to see him.

Today, he finally wanted to take the initiative.

There was also the matter from yesterday: he’d given Wei Fang two doses of special medicine, instructing her to slip it to Hu Wei while he was meeting with Su Qianqian. There was always a risk it might fail.

That made Zhou Can want to check in all the more.

But just as he was about to leave, Director Xue from Cardiothoracic Surgery called.

“Xue, you never call unless it’s urgent—what’s up?”

He and Director Xue had a close relationship outside of work.

She’d really helped him out—he’d been so far behind on his basic medical knowledge that it was only thanks to her guidance he passed all the licensing exams on the first try.

If she hadn’t mapped out his study plan and listed key points, he probably never would’ve made it.

Director Xue also took great care of him during his rotation in Cardiothoracic Surgery.

“There really is an emergency. Earlier, while Director Hu was leading a surgery, a patient became restless and cold to the touch soon after anesthesia—their lips even turned blue. I’m seriously worried. Director Hu was in poor health, got upset and collapsed on the spot. I’m overseeing the resuscitation now. Can you come help?”

Her voice was usually calm and collected—today, he actually heard a tremor.

He couldn’t recall her ever sounding so rattled.

Who knows why she’d reached out to him for help?

Maybe it was trust, or maybe word of his abilities had spread through several departments.

As Zhou Can’s reputation grew, even the most senior physicians relied on him more and more.

Neurology, Orthopedics, General Surgery—he’d been called to help all across the board.

Saving patients in a crisis took real skill.

And not just technical skills—comprehensive ability, too.

“I’m on my way. It’ll probably take seven or eight minutes.”

Zhou Can was already rushing out while still on the phone.

He owed her—he’d do everything he could to repay the favor.

“You’re not at the hospital?” Director Xue was shocked—it would take him a few minutes to get there.

“I’m at my apartment. Do whatever you can to stabilize the patient first.”

He hung up and sprinted out the door.

People on the street stared as he ran past like a madman, but he didn’t care.

He covered the distance to the hospital in under three minutes—a trip that usually took at least seven or eight.

Cutting through back ways, he rushed toward the Cardiothoracic Surgery building.

Luckily, he was in great shape. Even gasping for breath, he reached the operating room just over five minutes later—two minutes faster than he’d guessed.