Chapter 510: A Gamble on Trust

He absolutely couldn’t promise the surgery in front of the patient.

There are things you can do but can’t say out loud—that’s just how the adult world works.

Plenty of people in the company know the boss is sleeping with the new secretary, but not a single fool would ever say it to his face.

“Dr. Zhou, you may be young, but I’m a man who only trusts his gut. After interacting with you a couple of times, I knew you were someone I could count on. Even when you offered a brand-new surgical plan, I chose to stay at Tuyu Hospital for the operation because I trust you.”

When Chen Zhongzhi said this, his tone was sincere and he met Zhou Can’s eyes directly.

Honestly, from the first moment he saw Zhou Can, he couldn’t quite explain it, but he knew this young man was different.

The more successful someone is, the more stubborn they become.

Second-generation rich kids and officials are even more arrogant.

Born with a silver spoon, standing on the shoulders of giants, these people gain knowledge and connections far beyond their peers at a young age. With all those resources at their fingertips, arrogance comes naturally.

“Mr. Chen, thank you so much for your trust. All I can promise is to participate in your surgery and give my absolute best alongside the medical team.”

Zhou Can looked him in the eye as he answered.

He trusted that as long as this man wasn’t trying to cause trouble, he’d probably agree.

“Thank you! Then I’ll put my life in your hands!”

Chen Zhongzhi stood up and shook Zhou Can’s hand.

Then he shook hands with Director Bu.

That wrapped up the pre-surgical discussion.

The surgical plan had already been discussed with the patient, so there was no need to drag things out.

Next up was arranging admission, pre-op tests, and if everything looked good, scheduling the surgery.

“Do you know when your family can arrive? We need a relative to sign before the surgery and someone to stay with you afterward.”

“Is family absolutely necessary? Can’t I just sign myself?”

“Hospital policy requires not just the patient’s signature on major surgeries like this but also a family member’s to confirm everything.”

Director Bu was quick to answer.

He had a lot more experience than Zhou Can.

He wouldn’t let his guard down just because the patient said, “I trust you.” With special-status patients like this, you had to be extra cautious. If something went wrong during surgery or in the days after—complications, death, disability—a lawsuit would be a nightmare.

“Alright then. I’m single now, been divorced from my ex-wife for almost three years. Only my dad or my mom can make decisions for me. I’ll call whichever one can come.”

That was the second time the patient mentioned his marital status.

He said it smoothly, like it was nothing.

Divorced middle-aged men are honestly a little pitiful.

By your forties, if you married young, your kids are probably grown.

At this age, you share everything with your spouse.

And it’s rare to tell your parents much.

Plus, as your parents age, they’re the ones who need looking after.

After settling things with the patient, it was time to arrange his admission tests. It was already night, and all the beds were full.

But his condition was risky—if he stayed in a hotel and his dissection ruptured, he might not even get a chance to be rescued.

Staying in the hospital meant medical staff could monitor his blood pressure and keep him from risky activities. That way, they could do their best to prevent a sudden aortic rupture.

……

That night, Zhou Can slept in a daze at home, his phone ringing nonstop.

Su Qianqian cuddled up in his arms like a little bird.

He eased his arm out from under her and took his phone outside to answer.

“Dr. Zhou, please come to the hospital! Chen Zhongzhi’s aortic dissection may have ruptured. His blood pressure is dangerously low and he looks pale. We’re getting ready for emergency treatment.”

“Ah… how could this happen! Okay, I’m on my way!”

Zhou Can dressed in a hurry and ran straight to the hospital.

By the time he arrived, the chief physician on duty had already started emergency treatment with the team.

They were using hemostatic, antihypertensive, and sedative drugs through an IV, plus blood transfusions and anti-shock therapies.

“How did the dissection rupture so suddenly?”

“The patient called his family about signing for the surgery. No idea what was said, but afterward he smashed his phone and then started having chest pain and went pale.”

A nurse quietly clued Zhou Can in on what had happened.

“What kind of family is this? No sense of responsibility at all. Their son’s already this sick and they’re still upsetting him.”

Zhou Can was speechless about the patient’s family.

He saw cases like this all the time—sick children or relatives, yet the family just kept scolding and blaming.

“Have you done an angiogram yet?”

“Director Miao has already contacted the intervention room. We’re about to do an aortic angiogram.”

“Let me do it. I’m a bit faster.”

Zhou Can said to Director Miao.

“Alright!”

Director Miao trusted Zhou Can’s skills and quickly agreed.

The patient was rushed to the intervention room. After a series of procedures, the contrast agent was injected.

“Good news. The rupture isn’t too bad. The drop in blood pressure could also be from a heart problem—he got a heavy shock and then there’s the pain, bleeding, and all that. Either way, no more contact with his family for now. The hospital should call them instead. We need to get him into surgery as soon as possible and his movement has to be absolutely restricted.”

Even though Zhou Can didn’t hold a high rank, at moments like these, even Deputy Director Miao followed his lead.

Let alone someone like Miao, who’d just become an associate chief physician—not even Director Xueyan or Director Le would overrule Zhou Can in critical moments.

Skill is the ultimate trump card for respect.

Absolute bedrest is usually ordered for deep vein thrombosis in the legs.

The idea is to keep the clot from breaking loose and threatening the patient’s life.

This time, though, it was to prevent further bleeding as much as possible.

At that moment, Director Xueyan arrived, having just gotten the news.

“How’s the patient doing?”

She asked, nerves on edge.

The higher the stakes, the more tightly wound she became.

Winning something is tough; keeping it is even harder.

Director Xueyan had suffered major setbacks. After getting knocked down again and again, she’d gained a composure far beyond her forty-something years.

That was the kind of mindset a department head needed.

“The bleeding isn’t serious yet. There’s little chance it’ll stop on its own. My biggest fear is the bleeding will get worse. Once that happens, we’ll have no room to maneuver, and the patient could die in a matter of minutes.”

Zhou Can said, heavy with worry.

He’d treated plenty of aortic dissection cases before and knew just how dangerous this could get.

And this patient had a terrifyingly long dissection.

If the whole thing ruptured, he’d probably bleed out in twenty or thirty seconds.

Losing 800 to 1000ml of blood in a short time causes shock—the body can’t handle it. Bleeding out in half a minute? That’s unthinkable.

Nothing could save someone in that situation.

Even if Zhou Can’s hemostatic skill was at level seven, not just six, he’d still be helpless.

“We talked to the patient last night. He’s agreed to surgery—as long as his family signs, we can go ahead any time.”

Director Xueyan explained.

“Are the stents and grafts special order? Do we need to have them custom-made?”

Surgical technique wasn’t what worried Zhou Can now.

His real concern was a lack of materials.

The vascular stent would have to be really long, and the artificial blood vessel would need special specs.

If he had to request a custom order from a manufacturer, who knows how long it would take.

“We’ve got stents in stock at the hospital, and we’ve already been looking for the right artificial graft. If we push, it should get here by one this afternoon.”

“That’s fantastic! With materials, we’ve got a fighting chance. So—first, absolute bedrest, blood pressure under control, keep the bleeding checked. Second, get the graft here as fast as possible. Third, staff need to deal with the family—no more direct contact with the patient; if his emotions run wild, he’s done for. Fourth, get all the pre-op checks finished and get him scheduled.”

Zhou Can calmly laid out the pre-op plan.

This innovative surgery plan was his design. He’d probably be the lead surgeon, too.

Cardiothoracic surgery was watching this surgery closely. If they pulled it off, it would be another huge achievement for the department.

It would also help cement the benefits and prestige from that live stream a few days ago.

And there was another enormous advantage—since it was an innovative surgery, it would be a one-of-a-kind.

From a market perspective, that was basically like having a tech monopoly.

If they succeeded, the significance would be huge.

For a long time, Tuyu Hospital would be the pioneer and leader in this surgery.

Other hospitals might send experts to learn, but students would always be students. In reputation and technical experience, they couldn’t match Zhou Can.

“I’ll handle everything here. If the patient stabilizes, take a break in the on-call room—or head back home if you’d rather.”

Director Xueyan knew Zhou Can lived close to the hospital.

But she didn’t know he’d bought a villa.

Stuff like that was his private business. The two were like brother and sister, but nobody pried.

Maybe it had to do with both of them being busy all the time.

Most days, unless they were working or grabbing food on a surgical break, they barely had time to chat.

And work was usually the topic.

Even in private, all they ever discussed was the department’s development and planning.

Zhou Can checked the time. It was about 2 a.m.—might as well head home and get a little more sleep. Holding Su Qianqian in his arms was way more comfortable than the on-call room.

After all, his place wasn’t far from here.

……

Around 7:30 in the morning, Zhou Can arrived at the Emergency Department right on time.

No calls from cardiothoracic surgery—that meant things were calm and the aortic dissection patient was probably stable.

Relieved, Zhou Can did his rounds in the ER and went about his work.

But he’d already tipped off Dr. Xu: whenever cardiothoracic was ready, he’d head over to perform the surgery.

In the emergency OR, Qiao Yu and the others buzzed with excitement at the news that Zhou Can would soon be leading a major innovative surgery in cardiothoracic. Their enthusiasm was obvious.

The group whispered about it together.

Everyone was eager to tag along, but Zhou Can’s presence was a bit intimidating—no one dared ask directly.

Of the surgical team, only Qiao Yu wasn’t afraid of him.

After a brief huddle, they all seemed to have reached a consensus.

“Dr. Zhou, once you leave, we’re basically idle anyway. Take us with you so we can learn a thing or two!”

Qiao Yu spoke for everyone, making the request.

She herself was keen to see the surgery up-close.

Zhou Can stared at Qiao Yu for two seconds, then glanced at the rest.

“You all act so sneaky, I thought you were up to something. Turns out you just want to watch the big surgery? Then talk to Dr. Xu for official permission!”

Zhou Can sounded stern, but his fondness for his team showed through.

Working together so long, genuine bonds had formed.

Yang Zhi and Pu Dingdong had more years on the job, but they were Zhou Can’s apprentices. He’d never admitted it out loud, but in practice, he guided them carefully and gave them every opportunity a core student could hope for.

That was exactly why those two respected—and feared—him.

Fear is close to respect, after all.

Ma Xiaolan had gotten close to Zhou Can through Ye Tingting.

Sure, she was money-driven, sometimes selfish and blunt, but she’d always respected Zhou Can. Now, her gratitude was genuine.

You could see it in her actions.

Her diligence and effort finally earned Zhou Can’s approval.

As for Qiao Yu, there was no need to say more.

If Zhou Can hadn’t started dating Su Qianqian, maybe those two would’ve been together by now.

These days, they were both confidants and comrades.

With Zhou Can keeping his boundaries, their friendship stayed pure.

“We’re a bit scared of Dr. Xu. Can you put in a word for us?”

Qiao Yu asked.

“No problem.”

If Qiao Yu had a request, Zhou Can almost never refused her.

“Yay! Thank you, Dr. Zhou!”

All five cheered in delight.

“We’re in the OR, you want to get scolded?”

Zhou Can quickly quieted their excitement.

At lunch, Zhou Can found his chance to ask Dr. Xu.

But before he finished, Dr. Xu said coldly, “Am I that scary? If they want experience, they should ask themselves. But sure, let them go see.”

“Thank you, Mentor!”

Zhou Can smiled warmly.

Dr. Xu was a decent person—he just acted serious for special reasons.

Near 2 p.m., Director Xueyan called.

“Zhou Can, we’re ready over here, just waiting for you.”

“On my way!”

Zhou Can had long since prepared. He quickly finished with his current patients, gathered his team, and headed to cardiothoracic surgery.

“What’s all this?”

Director Xueyan noticed the whole group behind him and thought he was bringing his own people for the operation.

This was an incredibly tough, high-risk level-four surgery. Bringing in ER assistants and nurses was a huge risk she would never accept.

“They just want to broaden their horizons. Once I leave, there’s nothing for them to do anyway, so I figured why not let them come and watch?”

Zhou Can explained with a smile.

Pu Dingdong had worked in cardiothoracic before, so seeing Director Xueyan again left him a bit embarrassed.