Chapter 375: A Blade Honed Over Three Years: Zhou Can’s Triumphant Return

Three years of relentless effort—returning to the Emergency Department, Zhou Can was no longer the inexperienced trainee he once was.

Now he’d earned his Physician’s Certificate and advanced several medical specialties to the associate chief level. Whether it was diagnosis, surgery, rescue efforts for critical patients, or communicating with patients and families, he’d undergone a complete transformation.

Going back to the Emergency Department, he’d surely be able to shoulder major responsibilities and take some burdens off the department.

“It’s impressive you’ve stuck to your original goals and insisted on working in the Emergency Department, even though the future here might not look bright. Nowadays, everyone wants to get ahead. What’s rare is not chasing fame. Maybe it’s that calm, unambitious attitude that allowed you to focus so intensely while learning medicine.”

Director Tan held Zhou Can’s character in high regard.

He sighed to himself, wondering how he ever misjudged such a promising talent.

Back then, he’d chosen Gao Jian, who graduated from Imperial Capital Medical University and held a master’s degree, plus was exceptionally gifted in surgery. In these three years, Gao Jian had indeed made huge progress—ahead of most trainees from his class.

But compared to Zhou Can, the gap was more than a little.

At this point, if you put Zhou Can into any internal medicine department, he’d be used as an associate chief physician. And only the best ones could match his level.

Three run-of-the-mill associate chiefs, or those who were just showboating academics, couldn’t measure up to Zhou Can on his own.

“Zhou, even though you’re back in the Emergency Department now, if you ever run into any difficulties, you can always come to me. If I can help you, I will do everything I can.”

Director Tan truly meant what he said.

There were plenty of reasons. First, Zhou Can had excellent character and knew how to show gratitude. Second, his medical talent was extraordinary—his future would be nothing short of amazing. And more than that, Zhou Can’s way of handling things and his temperament fit Director Tan’s tastes perfectly.

People’s paths cross for a reason—sometimes, it’s all about fate.

Director Tan might look gentle, but that didn’t mean he treated everyone like a friend.

When he needed to be tough, he was fiercer than a general on the battlefield. No director in the Internal Medicine Department dared to act out of line around him. Even top experts like Director Yin Hua always spoke with respect in his presence.

Without serious ability, you couldn’t keep the massive Internal Medicine Department in line.

“Meeting you has truly been my good fortune. Thank you so much for helping me without asking anything in return.”

Zhou Can thanked him once again.

“If I said there was absolutely no self-interest in helping you, I’d be lying. Someday, when you’ve grown even stronger, I hope you’ll lend the Internal Medicine Department a hand when we need it.”

Director Tan made his request sincerely.

“That’s not a problem at all—even if you hadn’t asked, as long as I can help, there’s no way I’d just stand by. And if someday you ever need me, just say the word. If you don’t, and I find out, well, I’m thick-skinned enough to step up anyway.”

Zhou Can smiled as he made his promise.

His word held real weight—his promises were like gold.

Director Tan grinned, “That’s exactly the kind of attitude I like. Who knows, we might really need your help one day! The trainee graduation exam is on the 15th this month, right? I guess you’re not feeling much pressure, are you?”

With Zhou Can’s skill level, the graduation exam was really just a formality.

“I wouldn’t dare brag, since I haven’t passed yet. But if it’s just routine skills and knowledge points, I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”

…

After bidding farewell to Director Tan, Zhou Can stepped out of the Internal Medicine Building, feeling like he was entering a whole new phase of life. It reminded him of leaving school and stepping into society for the first time.

This time, he was officially starting his true career as a doctor.

Once he completed trainee graduation, he could finally shed titles like ‘intern’ and ‘trainee’—like a real apprentice-turned-professional.

Inside the Emergency Department’s office, Director Lou wore a beaming smile, as if celebrating a festival.

Dr. Xu could hardly hide his excitement, either.

Even Nurse Ye Tingting was humming an upbeat tune, looking forward to Zhou Can’s return.

Under their expectant eyes, a handsome, easygoing figure strode quickly into the doctors’ office of the Emergency Department.

“Director Lou, I’ve finished my training and am officially reporting back to the Emergency Department. The trainee graduation exam will be held in four days.”

Zhou Can finished his report, glancing around at Dr. Xu, Ye Tingting, and the others.

Seeing all those familiar faces greet him with enthusiastic smiles, it truly felt like coming home after a long time away.

“Excellent! We’ve been waiting for you to come back! No need to rush into full duties before your exam—I’ll have you spend the next four days training in the Imaging Department.”

Director Lou looked impatient on the outside, but he was actually sharp and thoughtful.

He’d been keeping track of Zhou Can’s training this entire time.

Technically, Zhou Can should have trained in the Imaging Department for a month, but his situation was special. Three years split between Surgery and Internal Medicine left his schedule packed.

Even in Anesthesiology, he’d squeezed in time each month to learn from Director Feng—barely managing to pass.

The Imaging Department might seem easy, often a haven for those with connections.

But that didn’t mean it wasn’t important.

Knowing how to operate all kinds of diagnostic equipment and interpret results was an art in itself.

Before doctors get their full positions, they’re required to spend at least a month in the Imaging Department. It’s meant to help them understand the principles, techniques, and gain firsthand experience with examinations.

Like when a patient complains of upper abdominal pain—if a doctor barely understands how the machines work, they might order the wrong tests.

Or, when a patient brings test results back, if the doctor truly understands every technique and key point, even if imaging doctors were careless, the sitting doctor could spot any problems right away.

The trainee graduation includes tests on imaging work, too.

Especially reading scans—that’s absolutely crucial.

Zhou Can followed Director Lou’s arrangement and spent four days studying in the Imaging Department. He reviewed ultrasounds, color Doppler, multiple CTs, MRIs, angiography and more—focusing on all kinds of diagnostic techniques.

You couldn’t possibly master everything in just four days—that’d be wishful thinking.

But learning all the basics, getting a handle on how things work, and even practicing on patients? He did all that.

As for the hardest part—interpreting those results—Zhou Can had already mastered it in his three years of training.

In fact, sometimes his ability to read scans was sharper than the Imaging Department’s own doctors.

On the 15th, the trainee graduation exam was held at their own hospital.

He spotted Jin Mingxi and some other medical students who’d joined at the same time, even a few postgraduates.

But he didn’t see Gao Jian or Du Leng around.

They were lucky, since with the new policies, everyone—bachelor, master, or doctorate—would now require three years of standardized training before starting full employment.

For postgrads and PhDs, it meant working for free at the hospital for a few extra years.

For Zhou Can, the whole graduation exam felt almost ridiculously easy.

He’d expected some real difficulty, but after finishing, he felt like a high schooler breezing through an elementary school test.

It wasn’t super easy, but definitely not as hard as he’d imagined.

The only reason it felt simple was because his skills were already off the charts.

Whether diagnosis or surgery—across the board, he could outshine any associate chief and could easily trounce top attending physicians. Of course the graduation exam felt easy.

Once the test was over, he’d have to wait another twenty days or so for results.

There was no way around that.

The wait was even longer for the Physician’s Certificate exam. And in the future, when taking exams for attending, associate chief, chief titles, or honors like academician, Yangtze Scholar, or various awards, the waiting times would just get longer.

In life, you have to learn to be patient—whatever you’re doing, patience is vital.

…

After the exam, he officially started work in the Emergency Department.

But his official contract couldn’t be signed until after the graduation exam results were released.

So during those twenty days, he’d use the time to settle back into work in the Emergency Department.

Inside the director’s office, Director Lou, Chief Physician Han Changqing, and Dr. Xu were all present.

“Zhou, do you have any thoughts about your work assignments?”

Director Lou asked for Zhou Can’s opinion. Not every doctor gets this courtesy—usually, you’re just assigned wherever there’s a need.

Most doctors don’t get this kind of treatment: you go wherever the department needs you.

But Zhou Can was a priority talent—he had to be respected.

If they lost him, it’d be a huge blow to the Emergency Department.

“I’d like to hear Dr. Xu’s opinion!”

Zhou Can didn’t decide for himself—he wanted Dr. Xu’s advice.

“The Emergency Department has tried for years to break through, but with little luck. Now that you’re back, I think starting with the Operating Room is the best way for you to help us make a breakthrough. It’ll also give your skills and abilities a boost. Also, since you’ve finished your training and gotten your certificate, you’ll need to attend clinic sessions once a week and join the night shifts, too. No special treatment—otherwise it’ll cause resentment and hurt team unity.”

Dr. Xu showed he’d considered everything carefully.

His suggested direction matched Zhou Can’s own thoughts.

Night shifts were a rite of passage for every doctor, especially young ones—they were duty-bound.

During his three years of training, Zhou Can barely worked any night shifts.

Honestly, that was privileged treatment.

Most interns and trainees dreaded night shifts the most.

Sometimes, they’d do them for a week straight, and it was pure misery.

During training, if you got special treatment, nobody really cared.

That was because he never spent long in any single department—usually just around three months.

Now that he was back working full time in the Emergency Department, things were different.

He was like a member of the family now—if he got special treatment, others might not complain aloud, but deep down, they’d definitely resent it.

“I agree with everything my teacher said, and I’ve always loved surgery. I do have one request, and I’d like Director Lou and Chief Han to consider it.”

Zhou Can took the opportunity to speak up.

“Let’s hear it!”

Director Lou didn’t agree right away.

“I want to build my own surgical team—with a set group of surgical nurses and assistants. Of course, I understand if the department is short-handed. I promise the number of surgeries we complete each month will justify our team members.”

Zhou Can had been dreaming of having his own surgical team for a while.

Especially after hearing stories about top foreign surgeons, a seed was planted in his heart.

He aimed to become a top-tier doctor in Huaxia, and build a highly specialized team.

“No problem, you’ve shown your skills and want to accomplish something big with your own team—that’s a good thing,” said Director Lou, the department head. His agreement pretty much sealed the deal.

“Thank you, Director Lou. I have another request: I’d like as much autonomy as possible, letting our team schedule our own work hours and assignments. Of course, we’ll always support the department whenever needed. But I’d prefer not to have outside interference day to day—this way our team can focus and grow even stronger.”

Zhou Can had promised Qiao Yu that once he was back, he’d make her a full-time surgical nurse—and no one would dare bully her again.

By securing management rights from Director Lou, he could protect his team’s work schedule—no more worries about his people being reassigned.

With everything agreed on upfront, Zhou Can didn’t have to fear problems cropping up later.

Some petty people just can’t stand to see others succeed.

Whenever his surgical team got too good, they’d try to trip them up, pulling team members away for other work. It was endlessly annoying.

“All right, I’ll grant you that as well!”

Director Lou agreed, though not without some hesitation.

But in the end, he said yes.

He understood just how hard it was to get Zhou Can back at all.

The Zhou Can of today was no longer the undergrad that everyone once overlooked at the end of his internship. Now, he was a full-fledged talent, ready to soar. Every department wanted him.

“Thank you!”

With his requests approved, Zhou Can began assembling his team.

He hadn’t decided on a surgical assistant yet—it’d take time to find the right fit.

As for a surgical nurse, he’d already made his choice.

“For the surgical nurse, I’d like to work with Qiao Yu as my partner. Is that possible?”

Director Lou squinted, a teasing smile on his face.

“Haven’t you already got a girlfriend? Why are you always thinking about other girls? Qiao Yu is definitely outstanding. She works in our Emergency Department’s critical care unit, and the head of nursing really values her.”

Director Lou clearly knew about Zhou Can and Qiao Yu’s special relationship.

Back when Zhou Can was single, Lou never said anything.

Now he worried this rising star might ruin his career over personal issues.

A man’s wandering heart, on its own, wasn’t a problem—it’s human nature.

But if you couldn’t keep it in check, it could land you in big trouble.

Out of concern for Zhou Can’s future, Director Lou didn’t really want the two to team up for surgery.

Feelings can grow over time.

They were already close—working together every day, with Qiao Yu so young and pretty, it’d be easy for sparks to fly.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. Qiao Yu and I are just good friends. There’s nothing romantic between us. We just work really well together, which boosts our surgical efficiency.”

Zhou Can replied seriously.

“Well, Dr. Xu, what do you think?” Director Lou didn’t want to reject Zhou Can outright, so he left the decision to Dr. Xu.

It made sense—Dr. Xu knew Zhou Can best, and the two had a strong mentor-student bond. If Dr. Xu vetoed the idea, Zhou Can wouldn’t hold a grudge.

“I think it’s fine. Zhou has always exercised good judgment—his character stands up to scrutiny, too. Even if he were married, it wouldn’t bother me. If he really wanted to have an affair, there’s nothing we could do to stop him. It’s better to trust him and give him a little freedom.”

Dr. Xu understood Zhou Can much better and laid out his reasoning.

His analysis was right on the mark.