Chapter 27: A Surge of Prodigious Talent

Jin Mingxi’s heart pounded in fright, and his face almost turned pale.

Perhaps still haunted by Zhou Can’s previous misfortune, he would choose his words very carefully from now on. A minor misstep with Dr. Xu could spell disaster in seconds.

Dr. Xu called to confirm with Mr. Liu.

Dr. Lu continued cleaning the patient’s wound, preparing for suturing.

“Hello, Director Liu!”

“Hey, it’s old Xu! I figured you must have something urgent to discuss.”

They clearly sounded like old friends.

“It’s nothing major—I just wanted to ask if you know an intern named Zhou Can.”

“I do know him. He’s an outstanding young man. I even planned to recruit him as my top disciple once he qualified for in-hospital training. But your Emergency Department snatched him away. What happened?”

Mr. Liu spoke of Zhou Can with high praise.

“Sounds like you think highly of him!” Dr. Xu’s stern expression softened. “By the way, when you had him assist during the surgery, did you let him suture the wound?”

From Mr. Liu’s glowing words, Dr. Xu was nearly certain that Zhou Can hadn’t lied.

Still, he wanted to verify everything.

The quiet Operating Room allowed every word from Dr. Xu’s phone to be heard clearly by Dr. Lu and Jin Mingxi.

Jin Mingxi, aware of Zhou Can’s impressive skills, felt somewhat prepared.

He was merely a bit surprised.

Dr. Lu and the nurse, however, were not nearly as calm.

They reevaluated Zhou Can with astonishment.

It seems the Emergency Department has indeed secured a true prodigy.

“Old Xu, you’re being stubborn again, aren’t you?”

Mr. Liu, clearly understanding Dr. Xu, immediately grasped the situation.

“You still haven’t shaken off that incident, have you? Zhou Can interned under me for nearly a year before I realized just how exceptional he is. During a perilous cervical lymph node tuberculosis excision, his performance was nothing short of breathtaking. Later, he pleaded for a chance to suture skin—even though I hesitated at first.”

“The neck is full of vital vessels and nerves. I was even anxious about letting the residents—who usually handle suturing—take over. How could an intern possibly manage it? But one look from him, and I couldn’t say no. Honestly, watching him sew that first stitch had my heart in my throat. Fortunately, he improved with every stitch, matching the skill of my residents.”

Mr. Liu’s words confirmed that Zhou Can was entirely truthful.

“What a pity that your Emergency Department grabbed him. Had he stayed in General Surgery, I would have personally fostered his talent. He is the most promising intern I’ve ever seen.”

Mr. Liu’s high praise made Zhou Can’s cheeks flush with embarrassment.

Mid-suturing, his proficiency caused both his suturing and ligature skills to upgrade to Level 3.

This left Mr. Liu utterly impressed.

It’s safe to say his potential is truly remarkable.

With an experience system where rapid gains can catapult one to chief physician-level performance within a year,

potential like his is unmatched—not just at Tuyu Hospital, but nationwide.

“So he really wasn’t fibbing. Yet you dared to have him suture a neck wound on his first attempt at skin closure—what nerve! Alright, I’m busy with surgery here. We’ll talk later.”

True to his word, Dr. Xu hung up immediately.

For a senior associate chief physician, his casual tone and abrupt ending were astonishing.

His status as a chief in the Emergency Department far surpassed that of Mr. Liu in General Surgery.

What makes him so exceptional?

Moreover, Mr. Liu spoke to him as if they were equals.

What exactly is Dr. Xu’s background?

Earlier, Mr. Liu mentioned that Dr. Xu still hadn’t moved past that incident.

This left plenty of room for speculation.

What exactly happened?

Clearly, Dr. Xu is a man with a story.

Perhaps one day, we’ll learn the full tale behind him.

Dr. Xu’s almost neurotic insistence finally put Zhou Can at ease.

“Zhou Can, you handle the patient’s suturing! Remember, a doctor’s virtue comes first—don’t take my earlier strict tone personally,” Dr. Xu said after hanging up, shifting his attitude toward Zhou Can dramatically.

His trust in Zhou Can visibly took a giant leap.

“Understood,”

Zhou Can nodded.

With the misunderstanding cleared up, everyone was relieved.

Dr. Xu then turned his attention back to the patient.

“Relax. I just called Director Liu and he couldn’t stop praising your suturing skills. You’ll do just as well as Dr. Lu.”

Drawing from years of experience with patients, Dr. Xu won the patient’s trust with just two sentences.

“Alright, Dr. Zhou, please take care of it.”

The patient managed a faint, approving smile toward Zhou Can.

Inside the Operating Room, the patient held little sway.

They were essentially at the mercy of the doctors.

Dr. Lu stepped off the operating table to make room.

With the nurse’s help, Zhou Can donned sterile rubber gloves and prepared to suture.

“Dr. Zhou, is it alright to use No. 1 suture?”

“You’re very professional,”

Zhou Can smiled and nodded.

The minimal tension in the calf made No. 1 suture the perfect choice.

With practiced precision, the nurse threaded the suture and passed him the needle holder and forceps.

Before suturing, Zhou Can carried out his routine check of the wound.

The calf wound measured about half a palm in tear, with clear canine bite marks.

Deep tooth marks had left blood holes.

That biting dog must have been extremely vicious.

Examining the wound, he couldn’t help but frown.

Dr. Lu’s lengthy cleaning had left the wound rather roughly treated.

It was, at best, barely acceptable.

Zhou Can hesitated; pointing it out might upset Dr. Lu. Yet leaving it untouched could hinder proper healing.

Not only would recovery be slow, but the risk of infection and pus was high.

Ultimately, Zhou Can chose to prioritize the patient’s wellbeing.

“Dr. Xu, based on my suturing habits, may I refine the wound a bit more?”

In front of the patient, he couldn’t directly criticize Dr. Lu’s technique, nor undermine his own capabilities.

He attributed the difference to personal technique, thus sparing Dr. Lu’s pride.

“Of course,”

Dr. Xu now also scrutinized the wound.

With his expertise, he immediately recognized how carelessly Dr. Lu had worked.

Yet, there was little that could be done.

The Emergency Department was chronically understaffed; many residents were transferred from other departments.

Frankly speaking, these were the less reliable remnants from high-priority departments.

These individuals, with three or more years of experience, either coasted along in their previous roles or showed limited growth and poor skills.

They were, in short, problematic personnel.

Whenever the Emergency Department complained to the hospital leadership about staff shortages, the high-priority departments would seize the chance to weed out underperforming doctors and assign them to the Emergency Department.

This solved the leadership’s staffing issues while eliminating laggards.

A win-win situation.

Perfect.

Clearing out space allowed them to bring in top talent.

In this way, the high-priority departments naturally built stronger medical teams.

It’s just that the Emergency Department always bore the brunt.

And suffered in silence.

Watching Zhou Can re-clean the wound, Dr. Lu scoffed with an air of indifference.

He thought this kid was probably just a lazy old hand.

Yet, driven by responsibility, Zhou Can cleaned with meticulous care.

Such dog bite wounds were notoriously challenging to clean.

If the damaged tissue wasn’t completely removed, necrosis followed by infection was highly likely.

Moreover, dog bites carried an extra risk of rabies infection.

Extra diligence was required.

“Hey, kid, are you really up for this? Dr. Lu already fixed it—are you just using me as practice?”

Unaware of the full truth, the patient ended up blaming Zhou Can.

Doctors often faced such situations.

Even with the best intentions, patients sometimes ended up insulting the doctor.

“Alright, it’ll be done soon,”

Zhou Can offered little explanation.

After all, explaining medical details to someone who doesn’t understand is like talking to a brick wall.

Besides, some things just can’t be explained.

Unless he intended to make an enemy of Dr. Lu on his very first day in the Emergency Department.

“Just lie back and relax! Dr. Zhou is doing this for your benefit. The cleaner the wound, the faster it will heal,” Dr. Xu assured the patient with authoritative confidence.

With that, the patient quieted down.

After Zhou Can’s meticulous cleaning, the wound looked considerably better.

The real test—suturing—was about to begin.

Dr. Xu and Dr. Lu watched intently, eager to see if he could deliver.

Calmly, Zhou Can took the needle and forceps from the nurse, securing them with steady hands and using his left hand for support.

He positioned the first stitch, punctured through, tightened, and knotted it.

Every movement flowed seamlessly.

The second stitch. The third stitch…

His exceptional performance left everyone in awe.

The nurse silently thought, “New Dr. Zhou seems even better than Dr. Lu.”

Jin Mingxi also admired Zhou Can’s suturing skills.

Although his own suturing was equally proficient, Zhou Can had reached this level in just one year, while it took him fourteen years.

The learning ratio was 1 to 14.

Even more striking was that real suturing opportunities for interns were extremely rare.

It can only be said that Zhou Can is extraordinarily gifted.

No wonder Director Liu wanted to take him on as his final disciple.

A genius like him, yet overlooked by the heads of General Surgery, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics because of his credentials.

They will surely come to regret it someday.

Nearly twenty minutes later, Zhou Can finally finished suturing the wound.

“Dr. Xu, I’ve finished suturing. Please check the wound,” Zhou Can said as he set down his tools, his heart filled with joy.

His experience points in both suturing and ligature increased by 21.

Real practice was exhilarating.

The experience gained was ten times that of practicing on pigskin.

At this pace, it wouldn’t be long before his suturing and ligature skills could reach Level 4—chief physician level.

That was an achievement to be excited about.

Just imagine a resident mastering two chief-level techniques—the experience would be unparalleled!

Soon, he wouldn’t just be suturing skin; he could repair blood vessels, nerves, and even intestines.