Chapter 402: A Night of Camaraderie and Reflection

Cardiothoracic Surgery is not just Director Xueyan’s department—Zhou Can is just as much a part of it.

Before his passing, Dr. Hu Kan entrusted Zhou Can with assisting Director Xueyan in managing Cardiothoracic Surgery. Especially in times of crisis, he was told to help her however he could.

Right now, competitors in Cardiothoracic Surgery are showing off their talents, each trying their best to shine.

Zhou Can noticed all this and felt more anxious with each passing day.

After finishing his meal, he headed back to the Emergency Department Operating Room for more surgeries.

He was eager for his surgical skills to reach the next level. Unfortunately, once you hit level five, progress slows to a crawl.

Back when he was only at intern level, he could bump his Hemostasis skill from level one to two in a single night.

Now, even with so many patients giving him hands-on practice, it takes a whopping 100,000 experience points to level up from five to six. Earning that much feels nearly impossible.

Sure, doing a few level-three surgeries gives a chance at small bonus experience—maybe 100 points here, 10 points there.

But honestly, racking up that kind of experience in any surgical skill is a serious uphill battle.

In the end, all he really needs is time.

With five or six solid years of milestones behind him, Zhou Can could confidently expect to see several skills reach Chief Physician level.

He kept working until after seven in the evening before finally calling it a day.

That was a good hour more than his usual shifts.

In total, he completed thirty-four surgeries today, including two challenging level-three operations.

His plan was to quietly level up his skills by steadily putting in the work.

As for the various high-difficulty level-three and level-four surgeries in Cardiothoracic, Dr. Hu Kan had already passed down every technique he could. And even if he missed a few, his detailed medical notes were shared with both Zhou Can and Director Xueyan.

Zhou Can could always refer to those notes whenever he needed to master a new procedure.

But true surgical skill—the hands-on part—you can’t pick that up from reading. Repeated practice is the only way to truly improve, just like calligraphy. Someone with talent and dedication and lots of practice can write graceful, balanced characters, while a beginner’s writing is crooked and sloppy.

One minute onstage, ten years of effort behind the scenes.

Don’t let the Chief Physicians’ confidence during tough operations fool you—they only look so calm because they’ve performed thousands of surgeries to get there.

Even today, fancy (and expensive) robotic surgeries still can’t truly replace human hands.

Why is that?

Robots just lack the intuition—it’s in those complex, unpredictable situations that machines fall short.

Meanwhile, human Chief Surgeons pull off remarkably flawless operations, creating medical miracles and building new legends as they go.

……

After work, Dr. Xu, who’d been overseeing Zhou Can all day, actually cracked a rare smile. “Zhou, looks like yesterday’s conversation paid off! You and your team have really stepped it up today.”

Dr. Xu figured Zhou Can’s decision to stay late was a direct result of their talk last night.

“Uh… We’re young, so putting in a bit more effort doesn’t bother us! As soon as I rest up, I’m full of energy again. It’s late now, how about dinner on me?”

Zhou Can glanced at his team, including Dr. Xu.

Honestly, he didn’t even qualify to perform level-two or level-three surgeries on his own yet, but he’d found a loophole in the surgical entry requirements.

One rule: level-three surgeries must be led by a senior Attending, Associate Chief Physician, or Chief Physician with relevant experience.

Dr. Xu used to be one of Surgery’s top Chiefs.

After being demoted, he’s no longer allowed to do level-four operations.

But he’s still allowed to run level-three surgeries in the Emergency Department.

So, even if someone investigates Zhou Can, there’s nothing to worry about. Dr. Xu will be the first to claim he’s the lead surgeon and that Zhou Can is just assisting him under close supervision.

Really, as long as nothing goes wrong during surgery, no one usually bothers to check.

The Operating Room isn’t a place where unauthorized people can just wander in, anyway.

Dr. Xu even arranged for Zhou Can to have an OR all the way inside, specifically to keep things discreet.

If there was any hint of trouble, Dr. Xu would know instantly.

That way, they could avoid any risks from outside factors.

The one real risk left was Zhou Can himself.

If he made a surgical error, that’d be their biggest problem.

“Yes! Awesome!”

At the mention of Zhou Can treating them to dinner, both Qiao Yu and Ma Xiaolan cheered.

“Dr. Zhou, you’re so generous!” Luo Shishen, only an intern with no income (and actually having to pay his own way at the hospital), was more than happy to accept a free meal.

“You all go ahead, I’ll pass! I already have dinner waiting for me at home.”

Dr. Xu wasn’t up for joining the fun.

“Wow, Dr. Xu must have an incredibly caring wife. How romantic!”

Qiao Yu always had a soft spot for beautiful love stories.

The thought of Dr. Xu coming home to a warm dinner left her a little envious.

“Our teacher’s never mentioned his wife to us before!”

Zhou Can barely knew anything about Dr. Xu’s family, only recalling that he once mentioned giving most of his pay to help cover damages for a medical accident.

That alone hinted that money was probably tight in Dr. Xu’s household.

At Tuyu Hospital, even resident doctors could afford mid-range cars after a few years. Dr. Xu had long been the backbone of the ER Operating Room, pulling in over twenty thousand a month—yet still couldn’t afford a car.

It’s not hard to imagine his finances weren’t looking great.

They say poverty strains even the best marriages.

When a family’s scraping by, there’s always potential for tension over little things—food, school fees for the kids, you name it.

“You all go on, I’m heading out!”

Dr. Xu clearly didn’t want to talk about private matters.

Yet Zhou Can caught a glimmer of contentment on his face when Qiao Yu praised his wife—acceptance, even pride.

That probably meant he really did have a wife who quietly supported and stuck with him.

He’d been demoted from Chief to Attending, paid out a huge sum to victims’ families, and still handed over most of each paycheck after the incident.

And his wife? She never made a scene, never left him—instead, she stood by his side.

Finding someone like that, Zhou Can was finally able to understand what Dr. Xu meant that day, right after Dr. Hu Kan’s memorial.

He took the rest of his surgery team out for dinner—nothing more needed to be said.

No need to pick a fancy restaurant.

Qiao Yu suggested Sichuan food—she knew a good spot that was affordable and authentic. The other two agreed, so Zhou Can gladly went along.

All three had been a big help during surgeries, with Qiao Yu especially standing out.

Treating her to dinner after work was only fair.

These meals together were also a great way to build team spirit.

That’s just how things go in Huaxia—sharing a meal brings people closer.

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It was only because she’d eaten with them yesterday that Ma Xiaolan had dared to push the envelope a little.

She felt her bond with Zhou Can went above the ordinary.

“Is that Sichuan place far from the hospital?”

Zhou Can was also thinking he’d buy a gift after dinner to visit Cao Guozheng, hoping to find the two main medicines his wife needed and help her recover quickly.

“About three kilometers away—it’s called General Cheng’s Sichuan Restaurant. Have you all been?”

Qiao Yu pulled out her phone, navigated to the map, and found the coordinates.

Then she showed the route to Zhou Can.

“You know, Qiao Yu, your daily life isn’t too shabby! Eating out—me, I’m lucky if I go out once or twice a year.”

After butting heads with Qiao Yu yesterday and receiving a ‘lesson,’ Ma Xiaolan decided she’d better shape up.

Now she was looking for every chance to patch things up.

For plenty of nurses and doctors, their jobs at Tuyu Hospital are something to be treasured. It’s not an easy place to get into.

Lots of people try pulling strings and still can’t get a foot in the door.

“Oh, please, as if I eat out all the time! Just a few times as an intern with my supervisor. That place really does have amazing food though. For the four of us, a hundred and sixty or seventy yuan is more than enough—not expensive at all.”

Eating out for around forty yuan a person really isn’t bad.

Most working folks budget for nights out—forty or fifty per meal is doable for regular people.

Places like luxury hotels, where meals crack a thousand or even several thousand yuan a table—that’s not something average people can afford.

Usually, Zhou Can either ate at home or in the hospital cafeteria.

Sure, he’d tried big hotels here and there.

But these middle-class spots like Qiao Yu suggested? Not often. It would be good to experience the simpler pleasures of working-class life.

Truth is, even forty yuan for dinner is a bit of a splurge for many—it’s like a holiday.

Something to look forward to, like celebrating the new year.

“Send me the address, let’s drive over!”

He turned to Qiao Yu.

“I don’t have a car. Gonna have to hitch a ride in yours.” Qiao Yu knew Zhou Can owned a Mercedes, a sign of decent finances.

“No car here either! Dr. Zhou, is that okay?”

Ma Xiaolan echoed.

“No problem, happy to help!”

Zhou Can agreed with a smile.

“Count me in, too, Teacher!”

Luo Shishen piped up instantly.

“From now on, just call me Dr. Zhou or Zhou Can instead.”

Zhou Can was taken aback. He hadn’t realized he’d become a mentor to others.

To him, ‘Teacher’ was a sacred title. Even if he’d taught Luo Shishen a lot, he never planned to officially take him as a disciple.

Part of it was that Luo’s character didn’t meet his standards—talented, sure, but not extraordinary enough to be a true standout.

For now, he was just doing his duty in guiding promising newcomers.

“Over the last month, you’ve been endlessly patient—teaching me all sorts of life-saving skills. I already consider you my mentor.”

Ordinarily thin-skinned, Luo Shishen now seemed especially persistent.

He didn’t seem ready to let go.

“It’s really nothing—I teach all the newcomers the same way. Those before me did it for me when I was an intern.”

Zhou Can waved off the compliments.

“You guys wait for me at the hospital’s back entrance. I’ll go grab my car.”

With that, Zhou Can left, choosing not to argue the point any further.

A hint of disappointment flashed across Luo’s face.

Interns hoping to find a powerful backer have a tough road ahead. The best senior doctors set the bar high—they don’t take just anyone under their wing. As for the Associate Chiefs or Chiefs, you can forget about it.

Those looking to take in disciples pick only the cream of the crop.

Soon, Zhou Can pulled up in his Mercedes.

He honked and rolled down the front passenger window, calling out, “Hop in!”

Qiao Yu had seen the Mercedes before and didn’t react much.

Ma Xiaolan, seeing the expensive ride, looked absolutely stunned.

“Whoa! Dr. Zhou, you’re loaded!”

With that, she made for the front passenger seat.

“You two ladies sit in the back. Luo, you can ride up front,” Zhou Can said calmly.

To be honest, Ma Xiaolan’s move earlier only made him lose respect for her.

“Come on, the two of us will sit in the back. Dr. Zhou is already spoken for—no way he’d let another woman take the front seat!” Qiao Yu teased Ma Xiaolan.

You couldn’t deny it—young, skilled, good-looking, and well-off, Zhou Can was a top catch in the eyes of many nurses and junior doctors.

If he were a player, one wink could turn him into a legend.

“Why do all the successful men settle down so early? The next guy I date has to live up to Dr. Zhou’s standards.”

Ma Xiaolan couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

“Dr. Zhou really does set a high bar,” Qiao Yu whispered, glancing his way.

Had she been a bit braver back then and confessed before Su Qianqian, maybe things could have gone differently.

Now, all she could do was sigh quietly.

“Wow, a luxury car really is something else! I feel more important just sitting in here,” Luo Shishen admitted, clearly impressed.

He saw Zhou Can as his role model.

His words cut through the tension—everyone burst out laughing.

“Dr. Zhou, can I ask you something?”

Luo was still brimming with excitement.

“Go ahead.”

Zhou Can kept his eyes on the road—the back entrance was crowded with cars and people, and one misstep could mean trouble.

Scraping another car was minor—hitting a pedestrian would be a huge headache.

Nowadays, people are worth more than cars.

Even the tiniest bump gives someone a reason to play it up—lying in hospital for weeks, demanding compensation. That’s just how it is.

“Could you tell me what a full-fledged doctor earns? My parents supported me all these years, but now I’m making nothing—still paying out of pocket to the hospital. If I could earn two or three hundred thousand a year after graduation, I’d say it was worth it.”

Luo spoke for countless medical students.

After years of study, another year of unpaid internship, and three more years as a resident, not to mention graduate students scraping by on two thousand a month—who wouldn’t be frustrated?

“First off, Luo, this car wasn’t bought with my doctor’s salary. Second, if all you care about is money, you’re bound to take a wrong turn as a doctor. ‘Healing hearts’ might sound corny, but if you focus on perfecting your craft, the money and the promotions will come. Aim in the wrong direction, and all your efforts go to waste.”

Zhou Can wasn’t being preachy—he genuinely believed doctors shouldn’t be fixated on money alone.

Master your skills, climb the ranks, and income will follow. At Tuyu, plenty of Attendings make twenty or thirty thousand a month. For Associate or full Chiefs, well over a million a year isn’t rare.

If those doctors had only chased after money or exploited patients, they never would have achieved real success.

The world has its own way of keeping things fair.

If you want something, you’ll always have to give something up.