Chapter 152: A Delicate Web of Duty and Discord

Marriage is a strange door—those outside want to get in, while those inside long to get out.

Zhou Can had only experienced one romance; many of its deeper facets remained beyond his grasp.

After the surgery, the female patient had long passed her shift time.

That’s the nature of surgery. Even if a doctor ends up soiling his pants, he’s got to see the procedure through to the end.

Zhou Can volunteered to help the nurse push the patient back to her room for recovery.

Dr. Zou had already left, having his own matters to attend to.

“Shall we return her to Bed 27?”

Zhou Can asked the female nurse.

“What else could be done?”

The nurse flashed him a bright, knowing smile.

Just moments ago in the operating room, Dr. Zou had treated Zhou Can as an equal. Combined with Zhou Can’s stellar performance in surgery, the nurse now held him in high regard.

Many wonder why nurses are so eager to please doctors.

Apart from the higher status of physicians, doctors often offer powerful assistance with promotions and departmental evaluations.

Take Qiao Yu, for example. She was merely a trainee nurse with low standing and few opportunities to gain experience.

Thanks to her good relationship with Zhou Can, he could directly assign her as the instrument nurse during important surgeries—a tremendous boost for her career.

“She just finished her surgery; she mustn’t be jostled. I believe that moving her to a quieter bed would surely aid her recovery,”

Zhou Can hinted this in front of the patient without fully spelling it out.

In truth, he was worried that her partner might show up at the hospital and assault her again.

Placing her in a bed where a nurse could keep constant watch would make her safer.

“We nurses don’t have the authority to reassign beds; you’ll need to consult the attending physician,” the nurse winked at Zhou Can, signaling that she understood his implication.

There was nothing more she could do about it.

Beds are scarce resources, after all.

Typically, only the on-duty or ward-managing attending physicians hold the power to reassign them.

Interns, trainees, and medical students have no such privileges.

Nurses are equally powerless in that regard.

Zhou Can decided to first return the patient to Bed 27, promising to discuss the issue with Dr. Zou later.

The patient’s companion was an old lady with silver hair.

The two bore a striking resemblance in their features.

Chances were, this bedside guardian was the patient’s mother.

The old woman’s eyes brimmed with tears as she looked at her daughter, her head wrapped in white bandages.

“Doctor, is my daughter going to be alright?”

The old woman inquired.

“The surgery was a success. The fractured skull has been mended, but she has suffered multiple soft tissue contusions. Make sure she’s watched closely and avoids any further falls,”

Zhou Can felt deep compassion for the pair, though he knew his help was limited.

All he could do was stress the post-operative care instructions.

He didn’t even mention that her injuries weren’t from a fall at all—they were inflicted by an assault.

After settling the patient back into her bed,

he reminded himself that he needed to hand over the case to the on-duty doctor.

At that moment, Jiang Xiaohua approached him.

“Dr. Zhou, I heard Director Wen has taken a liking to you—you’re now transferred to his team. Congratulations!”

Jiang Xiaohua shared a good rapport with Zhou Can.

Upon seeing him, she greeted him with an enthusiastic smile.

“What’s there to congratulate? You’re not any freer than I am!”

Zhou Can brushed off her remark.

Being recognized by the chief physician was a coveted dream for every trainee.

“Freer? Maybe not—I’m nearly running on fumes. I’ve been on white shifts all day, and Dr. Cheng has assigned me tonight’s duty. Tough break!”

Jiang Xiaohua lamented bitterly.

Newbies get pushed around everywhere.

In Cheng Gang’s team, Jiang Xiaohua was the only trainee left, so all the heavy work was dumped on her.

All the nasty, laborious tasks were piled on her shoulders.

“After years of being the daughter-in-law, one becomes the mother-in-law. What can you do? Just endure it. Oh, by the way, let me brief you on this patient. She just underwent a skull fracture surgery—”

Zhou Can recounted the patient’s condition and post-operative care requirements.

As for the orders provided by Dr. Zou, both the on-duty doctor and the nurse could access them on the computer.

Having finished his briefing, Zhou Can prepared to clock out.

Passing by the third room, he heard bursts of scolding from within.

Had a family member gotten into a fight or what?

Curious, Zhou Can peeked inside.

“Damn, could that be Jin Mingxi?”

A young doctor, barely in his twenties, was mercilessly berating Jin Mingxi while pointing at his nose.

“How did you even manage to become a trainee? The patient’s temperature hit 39.2 degrees—don’t tell me you can’t handle such a minor issue?”

Though this doctor was several years younger than Jin Mingxi, chastising him so openly in front of the patient and family left no room for dignity.

Normally, superiors would never scold their juniors so blatantly in front of patients or their families,

as it would harm the doctor’s reputation.

Even if it were a serious mistake, the reprimand would be taken aside to a private office.

“I was about to order a 0.9g IV infusion of Laynell Aspirin, but wasn’t sure, so I planned to consult you first.” Despite the harsh rebukes, Jin Mingxi meekly explained his reasoning.

He was clearly anxious about further angering his superior and incurring more trouble.

After years of study, he’d finally earned a position as a trainee at Tuyu Hospital. Offending his superior could saddle him with endless minor hassles.

Life would become even tougher.

With only two days into the two-month trainee stint in General Surgery,

there was still a long road ahead.

Thus, Jin Mingxi chose to swallow his pride.

“That excuse is just a lame excuse. Had I not come by at the right moment, you wouldn’t have had the nerve to say that, would you?”

The young doctor’s tone carried a weight of inexplicable hostility.

He relentlessly berated Jin Mingxi.

Zhou Can recalled that just yesterday, Jin Mingxi had asked him for backup. The ferocious young doctor berating him now was none other than his superior, Dai Wei.

Originally, Zhou Can had planned to mention the incident to Dr. Ou in a few days.

But now that circumstances had aligned, he wouldn’t stand by while his good friend was bullied.

After all, people from the Emergency Department should stick together.

Tuyu Hospital’s Emergency Department, though not exceptional in many ways, prided itself on unity—especially when facing bullying from surgical doctors.

“Old Jin, aren’t you off duty yet?”

Zhou Can walked in, greeting Jin Mingxi with a smile—deliberately making a point for Dai Wei to see.

It was a subtle message: anyone with a keen eye would know how to act.

“Look at that—there are still several beds with untreated patients. How can you call it a day?”

Jin Mingxi wore a sour expression.

Dai Wei was unforgiving—he piled on work for Jin Mingxi single-handedly. And if even a slight error occurred, explosive scolding would follow.

No matter the circumstance, he held nothing back.

“This patient has a high fever?”

Zhou Can turned his gaze to the patient on the bed.

“I was about to order a 0.9g IV infusion of Laynell Aspirin, but was worried about complications. You’re just in time—help me take a look,” Jin Mingxi pleaded, well aware of Zhou Can’s competence.

Dai Wei had been sizing up Zhou Can in silence for some time.

In General Surgery, there are just a few dozen doctors, and after over a month on duty, they could recognize every member of the team by sight.

“Who’s this doctor? You seem like a new trainee in General Surgery too, right?”

Before Dai Wei could speak, another young doctor who had approached from some distance chimed in.

“Yes, I just rotated into General Surgery. You’ve got a good memory.”

Zhou Can admitted it all with an open smile.

So what if he was just a trainee?

He was arguably Tuyu Hospital’s most talented trainee—without a doubt.

“Stop being so familiar. Do you know who this is? He’s the resident physician, Dai Wei—my superior alongside Dr. Jin. Hmph, isn’t Dr. Jin fascinating? Not consulting your superior and instead seeking help from a trainee—who are you looking down on?”

The trainee looked remarkably young, with a hawkish nose and a sly, cunning smirk—a real busybody.

“Dr. Chen, I have no intention of looking down on Dr. Dai. I only consider Dr. Zhou a friend and thought we could discuss the case together,”

Jin Mingxi appeared particularly weak in the face of the two, scrambling to explain.

Dr. Dai’s face turned ice-cold as he retorted, “What’s there to discuss over a fever? You trainees love to make mountains out of molehills. The only proper approach is to immediately medicate the patient to reduce the fever—none of these showy extras.”

With that, Dr. Dai promptly entered his orders.

“The 0.9g IV infusion of Laynell Aspirin you mentioned is indeed one method of reducing fever, but it is unsuitable for a patient who just underwent surgery. Instead, a 0.05g dose of Indomethacin administered via rectal suppository is the most reliable option.”

There are plenty of ways to reduce a fever.

But only a handful are routinely used.

Zhou Can personally felt that both the rectal Indomethacin and the IV Laynell Aspirin were viable for typical high fevers.

However, Dr. Dai’s orders differed from Jin Mingxi’s intended ones, clearly a maneuver to assert his superiority in front of the trainees.

“What are you waiting for? Go fetch the medication and administer it to the patient immediately!”

Dai Wei barked at Jin Mingxi.

“Yes!”

Jin Mingxi dashed off to get the medication, though his eyes betrayed a hint of reluctance and discontent.

Zhou Can didn’t leave; instead, he carefully observed the patient’s complexion and the subtle symptoms she exhibited.

Meanwhile, Dai Wei calmly reassured the patient’s family, “Post-operative high fever is fairly common. Once the medication takes effect, the patient will break out in a sweat. Make sure they drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.”

Zhou Can was stationed at the foot of the bed, itching to review the patient’s reports and medical records by the head of the bed.

He wanted to get a clearer picture of the situation.

But this patient wasn’t under his team’s care.

Given Dai Wei’s unfriendly attitude towards him, meddling by reviewing the patient’s documents could easily be seen as overstepping.

Before long, Jin Mingxi returned with the prescribed medicine.

Rectal administration is never a doctor’s preferred method—

in these hierarchies, the mighty do the dirty work while the lowly handle the unseemly tasks.

“Old Jin, what exactly was the surgery this patient underwent?”

Zhou Can casually inquired.

“A spinal meningioma resection—Director Wu himself performed the procedure,”

the family eagerly responded.

“Director Wu is the best surgeon in General Surgery. Such a high-risk operation is something most doctors wouldn’t dare attempt.” When Zhou Can conversed with the family, he spoke in terms they loved to hear.

Spinal meningioma surgery is classified as a Grade IV operation—not an exaggeration.

Few doctors dare attempt such a procedure.

And even fewer can pull it off successfully.

At the very least, only a chief-level surgeon in General Surgery would take it on.

Sometimes, a joint operation with Orthopedics is necessary to ensure success.

“Hehe, isn’t that so. We only managed to get Director Wu to operate by pulling some strings. Without connections, you wouldn’t even secure an appointment with him,”

the family quickly boasted.

Most patients or their families take pride in their connections—

whether it’s knowing a doctor or nurse, or having a little favor with a minor official. True power needs no bragging.

Once admitted, the hospital’s leaders—keen as bloodhounds—rush over to curry favor.

“Since you managed to get on Director Wu’s good side, mind showing me the reports?”

After a friendly chat, Zhou Can casually asked to review the patient’s test results.

The family readily agreed.

They even felt that mentioning their connection to Director Wu made the young doctor more inclined to ingratiate himself.

No matter how you sliced it, Zhou Can’s request to review the reports was welcomed.

Dr. Dai and trainee Chen Hao stood by the bed, watching Jin Mingxi as he worked, but paid no attention to Zhou Can.

Taking the patient’s reports, Zhou Can studied them carefully.

He finished in no time.

By then, Jin Mingxi had completed the medication administration.

“Dr. Dai, do you think it’s necessary to check the patient’s blood pressure?”

Zhou Can had noticed at first glance that the patient’s complexion was unusually pale, her lips even turning white.

After reviewing the reports and correlating them with her subtle symptoms, he sensed that her high fever might be more perilous than it seemed.

It was precisely why hospitals require doctors to physically inspect patients when nurses report abnormalities, rather than simply ordering treatment remotely.

This is to prevent a slipshod, bureaucratic approach that could lead to an incident.

“Are you teaching us how to work, Dr. Dai? Everything’s been handled, yet you now request a blood pressure check—as if you’re trying to show off your competence,”

Chen Hao snapped at Zhou Can.

“Just mind your own patients. Our patients don’t need you. If you really feel so idle, tell me who your superior is—I’ll have him load you with extra work,”

Dr. Dai’s face darkened with displeasure.

He alone was in charge of directing the trainees—when would a trainee from another team dare to dictate terms?

“I’m not meddling; I’m merely being responsible for the patient. Besides, considering that Old Jin and I are friends, I care enough to step in. This patient’s high fever—if you simply treat it as a routine case—it’s dangerous and utterly irresponsible,”

Zhou Can’s tone grew sharper.

He had come in to back up Jin Mingxi, and even hoped to chat courteously with Dai Wei—only to have his name clearly overlooked.

Dai Wei clearly didn’t know him at all.

That hope of leveraging his connection with Director Wen to help Jin Mingxi was completely dashed.

The expressions on Dai Wei’s and Chen Hao’s faces left no doubt—he had just experienced it himself.

It was no wonder Jin Mingxi had complained of exhaustion upon returning to his apartment yesterday.

An unreasonable superior paired with an ingratiating, obsequious trainee would make anyone’s day miserable.

“Watch your tone. Do you want to incite a dispute between doctors and patients? I’ll report this to the department,”

Dai Wei’s face turned ashen.

He truly hadn’t expected Zhou Can to openly defy him in front of the patient and her family.

Hearing the ensuing quarrel, Dr. Ou, who had just finished his meal, walked in.

In the ICU Ward, at least one attending physician must be on duty at night.

Every attending rotates shifts.

Dr. Ou happened to be on duty in the ICU tonight.

After a quick dinner in the hospital cafeteria, he hurried back to prepare for the challenges that the ICU might throw at him.

“If you need to discuss the patient’s condition, please do it in the office. Keep your voices down in the ward,”

Dr. Ou said sternly as he entered the patient’s room.

It’s normal for doctors to have differing opinions about a patient’s condition,

but one principle must be upheld: never argue in front of patients or their families.

Not only does it reflect poorly,

it can also lead to misunderstandings with patients and their kin.

“Dr. Ou, you’re just in time. This new trainee doesn’t know the rules at all. Not even sure which group he belongs to, yet he’s running his mouth in my ward,”

Dai Wei immediately complained upon seeing Dr. Ou.

Today, he intended to teach this newbie a lesson in proper conduct.

Zhou Can turned to meet Dr. Ou’s gaze from behind, and their eyes locked.

“Dr. Zhou! So it’s you!”

Dr. Ou’s stern expression softened instantly into a warm, friendly smile upon recognizing Zhou Can.

Dai Wei and Chen Hao, lower in rank and stuck in the ward managing patients, had no inkling of Zhou Can’s real abilities—and he was fully aware of it.

Not long ago, word had spread that Zhou Can had performed exceptionally in two major surgeries under Director Wen’s watchful eye.

Moreover, he had demonstrated an extraordinarily rare dual surgical talent.

It was highly likely that Director Wen would take Zhou Can on as a protégé for focused training.

Such a rising star was someone Dr. Ou wouldn’t dare offend—indeed, he had barely time to flatter him.

Besides, they shared a hint of familiarity.

Scowling and lecturing Zhou Can like that was simply out of the question.

Both Dai Wei and Chen Hao were left dumbfounded. When had Dr. Ou ever shown such kindness to a trainee?

And that smile and tone were not just friendly—they carried a note of flattering admiration.

Who exactly was this kid anyway?