Chapter 605: Unexpected Consensus

Not long after, the appointment letter naming Zhou Can as the Department’s deputy chief arrived, just as Director Lou had promised.

Director Lou doesn’t actually hold the power to appoint people, but he does have the right to recommend candidates.

That’s one of the unique privileges held by the head honcho.

When it comes to important departmental positions and choosing successors after a head retires, the top leader’s word carries heavy weight. As long as the successor isn’t parachuted in, whoever the leader recommends is almost guaranteed the job.

That’s true for department chiefs and the hospital director alike.

The last time Zhou Can was named deputy team leader of the Operating Room, there was a lot of controversy, and many objected to the decision. But Zhou Can, with quick thinking and superb surgical skill, managed to silence the critics and win nearly everyone’s respect.

He didn’t just solve the dispute—he landed a spot in Quality Control, officially stepping into hospital leadership.

Now he’d been promoted to deputy director of the Emergency Department—and this time, not a single person protested.

That genuinely surprised Zhou Can.

Even more, in his new management role, everyone seemed genuinely cooperative.

It almost felt like he had the full support of the entire department.

Of course, Zhou Can knew things couldn’t be that simple. There had to be deeper reasons behind it.

That day, after finishing surgery, Zhou Can called Ma Xiaolan over.

“Xiaolan, got a moment to talk?”

“Sure!”

Ma Xiaolan had been married for quite a while now. Her belly had started to show, and sometimes she’d rush into the medical waste room mid-shift to vomit. Zhou Can guessed she was probably pregnant.

Du Leng might have lost to Zhou Can in his career, but he beat him to the altar.

Not only did he get married first, soon he’d be a dad.

“I just got named the department’s deputy director, but there wasn’t even one person who objected. Isn’t that odd?”

Zhou Can knew Ma Xiaolan always had her ear to the ground.

If anyone could shed light on this, it was her.

“Oh, so that’s what you wanted to ask! Everyone really admires you, that’s why they support you!”

Ma Xiaolan answered with a smile.

“I want the truth, not sugarcoated words! Don’t try to butter me up.”

Zhou Can shot her a look.

The higher you climb, the lonelier it gets. When you have authority, people respect you, maybe even fear you, so voices of dissent get quieter. That doesn’t mean no one disagrees—it just means those who do aren’t bold enough to speak up.

They’ll keep their objections buried or act behind the scenes in secret.

“Hehe, this actually isn’t flattery. Everyone really does admire you, so they’re happy to back you up. But you’re right, there’s more to it than that. I should say, this is just my own guess, not official.”

Ma Xiaolan glanced around to make sure no one was near, then lowered her voice.

“There’s a big rumor going around the department. Word is, the Emergency Department is about to expand, splitting the surgical and medical teams even further and setting up several new sub-departments. That’s a huge win for everyone here. It means the Emergency Department will grow bigger and stronger, and a bunch of new deputy chief and chief positions will be created. Even at the nurse station, everyone’s buzzing—a new sub-department is expected to have at least two head nurses, and the gals are already sharpening their claws for the opportunity!”

“There’s even talk that whether or not this restructuring succeeds all depends on you.”

Ma Xiaolan blinked at him and fell silent.

She believed Zhou Can was sharp enough to figure out why no one opposed his promotion.

Put simply, if everyone stands to gain, they’ll only rush to support Zhou Can. Why would anyone go against their own interests?

Otherwise, anyone who protested would just make themselves a target and jeopardize their future.

“I get it.”

Zhou Can nodded.

He gained a deeper understanding of the old saying: benefits are meant to be shared.

“Once you’ve wrapped up your work for the day, head home! If you’re planning to request maternity leave, just give me a heads-up a month or two in advance so I can arrange someone to fill in for you.”

Hearing this, Ma Xiaolan flashed him a cutesy, pleading look.

“Boss, please don’t kick me out of the team, okay? I’ve been with everyone so long—it feels like home. Under your leadership, I’ve never felt more grounded, and I’m learning new things every day. I really can’t bear to leave the team, let alone you.”

Ma Xiaolan was worried her position would be taken if she went on maternity leave.

Finding a job this good again wouldn’t be easy.

Sticking with Zhou Can meant the future looked bright.

That’s one big reason why many women hesitate to have kids—once they do, their bodies change, and their competitive edge at work can vanish fast.

After months or even half a year on leave, the position they fought so hard for might be snapped up—an agonizing thought.

It could spell the swift decline of a career, or even unemployment.

Plenty of female executives return from maternity leave only to find a younger woman in their old office—their role gone for good.

All they can do then is swallow their pride and plead with old bosses.

If their past hard work counts for something, they might get assigned a new role.

But now, being over thirty, it’s impossible to match the energy, stamina, or looks of the younger women.

Under these circumstances, just holding onto your current position is a blessing.

As for climbing the ladder—well, that’s nearly impossible.

To be honest, with declining competitiveness, women their age are often the first to go when layoffs strike.

Everyone says men and women are equal, but honestly, the workplace is still much tougher for women.

Ma Xiaolan had gotten the hang of being a Attending Nurse, and thanks to Zhou Can’s strong surgical skills, she was also doing well financially. She was especially afraid of losing her spot.

Seeing Zhou Can hesitate, she pleaded again, “Boss, please don’t boot me from the team, okay? It wasn’t even my idea to have a baby so soon—Du Leng really wanted one, that’s why I went along with it.”

The sweetness of marriage had come with the stress of professional crisis.

“I’ll do everything I can. No matter what, when you come back after having the baby, I’ll make sure you’ve got a good position waiting for you.”

That was all Zhou Can could promise.

But nurse jobs are easy to replace.

Especially for operating room nurses like Ma Xiaolan, who don’t have a unique specialty—the competition is fierce.

Someone like Jiang Wei, for example, is irreplaceable—even after a year off, she’d be welcomed back.

“Alright then, thank you for looking out for me.”

Still, Zhou Can’s answer wasn’t definite. She clearly looked let down.

She seemed gloomy.

A couple of days passed, and Ma Xiaolan’s performance at work took a hit—she made more mistakes and looked constantly distracted.

At the end of her shift, Ma Xiaolan came to Zhou Can herself. “Boss, I’d like to take a week off. Is that okay?”

“Why do you suddenly need so much time off? Something happen at home? I’ve noticed you haven’t been yourself these last couple of days—did something happen?”

Zhou Can asked with concern.

With his new role as deputy director and his experience as surgery team leader, he was growing as a manager.

“Nothing at home. I want to terminate this pregnancy. Maybe it’s better to wait a little longer before having a child.”

She hesitated a few seconds before answering.

“What? You finally got pregnant, now you want to terminate it? You’re a healthcare professional—of all people, you should know how much damage an abortion can do.”

Zhou Can was shocked.

For a woman’s first pregnancy, an abortion is a big deal. It can cause lasting harm, sometimes even making it hard to conceive again.

“I’ve thought about it a lot over the last couple of days and decided I should put my career first. Can you approve a week off for me?”

She had been anxious ever since her talk with Zhou Can about maternity leave, never getting a satisfying answer.

No wonder she’d been so off at work lately.

She must have been haunted by worry.

She probably lost sleep, her anxiety spiraling.

“Xiaolan, if you’re determined, I’ll respect your decision. But please think it over carefully. You’re still very young. Even after having a baby, you’re more than able to jump back into work. Plus, having kids while young is easier on your body, and your baby will grow up healthier. And after all the morning sickness you’ve suffered, wouldn’t terminating the pregnancy just make all that for nothing?”

Zhou Can tried hard to talk her out of it.

Managing a team isn’t easy—he could only do his best to look after every member.

There were three surgical nurses on the team. If Ma Xiaolan left, he’d need to find another.

Honestly, he was hoping to use this chance to hire a talent like Jiang Wei.

“I really don’t want to lose this job. We’ve got a mortgage, and Du Leng just got a car on an installment plan. Our expenses are huge. Having a baby would cost a fortune, and I’d have to stop working—everything would fall on him. His career’s just starting out. I can’t imagine what life would be like then.”

Ma Xiaolan wasn’t acting on impulse—she’d thought it all through.

These last few days, she’d weighed it carefully.

Working surgeries with Zhou Can, she made a great income—at least twenty thousand a month.

Du Leng probably didn’t even make as much as she did.

At the end of the day, a hospital operates like any business—it needs to survive and turn a profit.

Zhou Can might pull in tens of thousands a month, but that’s because he brings in far more for the hospital.

A single major surgery, with fees for the operation and medical equipment, can mean thousands in income—big cases can bring in hundreds of thousands. Factor in scans, medication, hospital stays—it’s a major contribution.

If Zhou Can earns seventy grand a month, he’s making the hospital hundreds of thousands—maybe even millions.

Du Leng’s got the degrees, but his skills are lacking. He’s working on a digital operating room—novel idea, but it’s a money pit right now.

No way his pay checks compare.

“Look, I agree about the mortgage—it’s essential. But I really have to say, Du Leng needs to be more sensible about spending. Did you really need two hundred square meters in the priciest part of town? Or an eighty grand BMW? That’s a lot just for appearances.”

Zhou Can knew a bit about her family situation.

Together, she and Du Leng brought home thirty to forty thousand a month—by any measure, that’s a lot.

But Du Leng really cared about appearances.

Their place was in Shengshi Mansion—24,000 per square meter.

Not only did they get a river-view, but it was all sprawling single-floor layouts—the smallest being 180 square meters. Honestly, most people didn’t need that much space.

A two-hundred-square-meter apartment cost nearly five million—almost enough for a villa.

What was Du Leng thinking?

Even if the two of them never spent a dime, it would take over ten years to pay it off.

They only put twenty percent down and had to borrow over 3.8 million—the monthly interest alone is staggering. Ten years wouldn’t be enough to pay it off; maybe not even twenty.

The mortgage already maxed out their finances, but seeing Zhou Can drive a luxury car pushed him to buy one, too.

He got an eighty-grand BMW.

All for the sake of pride—leaving nothing for practical needs.

It’s wild for someone so smart to spend so recklessly.

Spending without thinking can have disastrous consequences.

“Sigh, I couldn’t stop him. He knew I liked the apartment, so he bit the bullet and bought it. As for the BMW, he felt second-best every time you took us out in your Mercedes for dinner. Then at a reunion, one of his classmates got drunk and asked what car he drove. Du Leng couldn’t answer.

Another classmate embarrassed him, saying we arrived on shared bikes. He was mortified—a PhD student with overseas experience, and yet he wasn’t doing as well as his university peers. Not long after, he insisted on buying the BMW. Sure, he looks good rolling up now, but our finances are completely stretched.”

Talking about it, Ma Xiaolan seemed pretty helpless.

Every family has its own battles. There’s always a reason behind Du Leng’s spending sprees.