Chapter 598: A Rising Star in Tuyu Hospital

Not only had his reputation in the Operating Room and Emergency Department skyrocketed, Zhou Can’s status throughout the hospital was finally taking shape.

Don’t be fooled by his humble role in Quality Control—holding a leadership position and real power brought him a different kind of respect. When a clinical department ran into trouble or got tangled in a doctor-patient dispute, the hospital would have to sort out exactly who was responsible.

The Medical Department could only scratch the surface in their investigation—they didn’t have the final say.

That authority belonged solely to the Quality Control Office.

When Quality Control investigated medical incidents or disputes, issues with legal or regulatory matters were judged by Hospital Assistant Qin and others. But when it came to determining technical responsibility, that task fell to Zhou Can, the Nursing Department, and Infection Control.

Ever since Zhou Can aced his very first assignment, earning high praise from Assistant Qin and Director Ju, he’d been called upon to weigh in on nearly every serious medical incident or dispute.

As the only person in the hospital who reached chief-level expertise in pathology, surgery, anesthesia, and more, his insight far surpassed other experts and even veteran chiefs.

That’s why everyone started relying on him more and more.

Assistant Qin used to keep his distance.

Now things had changed. Whenever a serious incident cropped up, the first question was always, “Where’s Zhou Can? Get Dr. Zhou here now!”

Sometimes Zhou Can was tied up in surgery or busy seeing patients, genuinely out of time.

Assistant Qin would then intentionally delay the investigation, waiting until Zhou Can could make it for the case review.

Only after Zhou Can issued his evaluation would a final verdict be reached.

That’s how high Zhou Can’s standing was in the First Group of Quality Control.

While others relied on backgrounds and connections, his foundation was pure skill.

The clinical department heads, doctors, and nurses were a sharp bunch. Word quickly spread—Zhou Can was the primary expert in determining medical responsibility.

Naturally, everyone bent over backward hoping to stay on good terms with him.

His position in the hospital continued to climb.

Even the high-and-mighty experts and department chiefs would now greet Zhou Can with a friendly smile.

With a staff of over ten thousand, it was impossible for Zhou Can to remember every chief by name at Tuyu Hospital. Plenty recognized him, but he didn’t always know them.

All he could do was flash a trademark smile and nod in return.

One day, as usual, Su Qianqian showed up to bring Zhou Can his meal. When he stepped out of the operating room, he found her sitting alone on a bench, lost in thought.

He hurried over to her.

“Qianqian!”

“Ah… you’re done with surgery, love!” She lit up the moment she spotted him.

But that smile was tinged with a hint of effort.

“I made your favorite today—pan-fried tofu, stir-fried pork, and veggies. Eat while it’s hot. Otherwise, you’ll probably get pulled away for an emergency halfway through again.”

Whenever she looked at Zhou Can, nothing else seemed to matter—her heart and her eyes held only him.

He was the only man in her world.

Over the years, she’d cared for him in every possible way. Never a single complaint. Even after arguments, her concern for Zhou Can never wavered.

Speaking of arguments, their little habits were almost amusing.

If they quarreled and Su Qianqian decided to give him the cold shoulder, she’d have Wei Fang deliver his meal instead.

But after a single bite, Zhou Can would know she’d cooked it.

Their longest stints of ignoring each other never lasted more than a day. Even if last night’s argument left things tense, Zhou Can would always find a way to make up by the next evening.

Apart from being a bit headstrong, she was always a considerate and understanding partner.

“Qianqian, lately I keep seeing you staring out the window or lost in your book, totally zoned out. There’s got to be something on your mind.” He gently put his arm around her.

“People are watching! Let go—let go!”

She blushed furiously, hurriedly pushing his hand off as her pretty face turned bright red.

Every time she got bashful like that, Zhou Can found it adorable.

She’d always been old-fashioned and traditional at heart.

Even after all this time together, even after becoming truly a couple, she was still easily embarrassed in public.

Girls like her were pure in every way—body, mind, and soul.

“What’s there to be afraid of? Everyone knows you’re my girlfriend.”

Zhou Can wasn’t bothered by curious glances around the department.

Besides, with his current status in Emergency, hardly anyone would dare gossip behind his back.

“Still, you have to keep things proper! Now eat before it gets cold!”

She muttered, face down and blushing.

“You still haven’t said what’s got you so distracted lately. Tell me, and I’ll eat.”

Seeing her so preoccupied tugged at Zhou Can’s heart.

A man owes it to his partner to make her happy every day.

Life is short. Even the longest only go beyond a century, most barely seventy or eighty years.

Life’s as brief as the autumn for grass and trees. Zhou Can cherished the fate that brought him and Su Qianqian together.

From their first meeting to their friendship, and then to love—it hadn’t been easy.

Every day was worth treasuring.

“I’m fine. Don’t overthink it—just eat, okay?”

She wouldn’t say.

“Are you thinking about getting married? I haven’t forgotten, it’s always been on my mind. Things have been busy, that’s all. Tell you what—I’ll apply for leave tomorrow. If I can get two days off, we’ll fly out to your family’s place. If they’ll grant me three days, we’ll drive there.”

They’d been putting it off too long. As time passed, the strain on her grew.

Women aren’t like men.

A woman’s looks fade quickly. After her prime, her value, as unfair as it was, seemed to shrink. That pressure often led to growing anxiety.

Men, on the other hand, were said to only get more desirable with age.

As long as a man had a good career, even at eighty, he could supposedly date someone much younger.

“Really?”

Pure joy broke across her face in an instant.

The worries in her delicate brows vanished like clouds.

After all these years, Zhou Can knew exactly what she cared about.

“Of course it’s true. Worst case, I just quit.”

Half joking, half serious, Zhou Can answered.

“Don’t be silly! You’re doing great as a doctor; it’d be a shame to just quit! Try asking for leave first. If your bosses really won’t allow it, then we’ll wait a bit longer.”

Her troubles faded and that bright, carefree smile returned.

The cheerful, worry-free Qianqian was back.

“Doesn’t matter if they want to or not—marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. They’ll just have to make it work.”

Admittedly, Zhou Can was hard to replace, so taking time off wasn’t easy.

Still, when it came to big things like weddings or funerals, most companies and organizations with any sense would grant leave.

When he finished eating, Zhou Can headed straight for Director Lou’s office.

He knocked and stepped inside.

Director Lou was swamped as usual. Emergency wasn’t what it used to be—as the department grew, his job only got busier.

“Ah, Zhou! Come in—have a seat!”

Director Lou greeted him warmly and stood to make him tea.

“Director Lou, no need for tea. I know how busy you are. Honestly, I’m here because I need to ask for three days off.”

Zhou Can got right to the point.

“Three days off, just like that? Did something happen at home?”

Director Lou’s first thought was Zhou Can’s parents or grandparents had passed, and he needed time to take care of funeral arrangements.

Not that he’d ask outright.

It was always better to keep things tactful.

You’d look like a fool if you guessed wrong and their family was alive and well.

“Everything’s fine at home. I’m past thirty, right at the age to get married. My family’s been urging me, and it makes my girlfriend uneasy that we keep putting it off. I want three days to visit her hometown with her, meet her family, and set the wedding plans in stone. I know the department’s understaffed and swamped. Normally, I wouldn’t even think of asking…but I can’t keep delaying this. I hope you’ll understand.”

Zhou Can spoke from the heart.

“Marriage is a big deal. Of course you should—just make sure you hand off your workload. I wish you a safe trip and a successful proposal.”

Director Lou hesitated a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Letting his star surgeon leave for three days was no small risk.

But in the end, he approved the request.

“Thank you, Director Lou. When it’s all settled, I’ll treat you to my wedding banquet.”

Zhou Can grinned with relief—finally, Su Qianqian could stop worrying.

At last, one of her biggest concerns was resolved.

A man should always strive to keep his promises.

“I’d show up anyway—even if you didn’t invite me! Anyway, since you’re here, there’s something I’d like to discuss.”

Director Lou laughed heartily.

Zhou Can, who’d been about to get up, sat back down.

“Here’s the thing: Our Emergency Department is growing fast. Both the medical and surgical sides have plenty of people now. I want to draw from the advanced model in General Surgery and further subdivide Emergency. On the medical side, we’ll form Pulmonary Medicine, Gastroenterology, Stroke Unit, and Neurology branches. For surgery, we’ll set up Emergency General Surgery, Hepatobiliary Surgery, Gastrointestinal Surgery, and Orthopedics.”

Director Lou’s idea genuinely sounded solid.

But such splits were bound to step on the toes of other specialties.

Emergency was already competing openly for cases—it was no longer some quiet game behind the scenes.

It was a whole new level than simply poaching a few patients in secret.

Other departments weren’t about to accept this lying down.

“Honestly, we do have enough staff to pull this off. But there’s also a lot of external pressure, and I’m not sure if the split will go smoothly.” Zhou Can’s face was serious.

Lou brought him in not just because he was in Emergency leadership now—his network throughout the hospital was formidable.

Plenty of heavy-hitters from other key departments would give Zhou Can the benefit of the doubt.

To be fair, even Director Lou didn’t carry as much influence around the hospital as Zhou Can did these days.

For this plan to work, Lou needed Zhou Can’s full support.

“I’ve factored in the pushback. Right now, we’re only forming eight subspecialties, so it’ll ruffle some feathers, sure. But as long as you’re willing to liaise, I think we can pull this off.”

Zhou Can’s eyelids twitched—he’d been expecting Lou to lay this on him. When it came to wrangling resources, Zhou Can didn’t have the thick skin for it.

Asking him to leverage his friendships with department heads and staff to openly battle for turf—that wasn’t in his nature.

He just couldn’t bear to do it.

“Can I have some time to think about it? Fighting over core interests, my intervention may not even make a difference.”

Zhou Can politely declined, at least for now.

He’d only joined Emergency at first out of gratitude, trying to help the department grow. Never did he expect it would lead to open turf wars.

Looking back, his approach had been too naive.

Now he finally understood Director Xie’s early efforts to keep Emergency in check.

These department heads always had a longer view.

Director Xie might have seen all this coming from the very beginning.

“Zhou, I know you’re loyal and principled. You always put morals first, even over personal gain. But if we avoid all competition, the only alternative is to shut down Emergency completely. Any business we take overlaps with other departments.”

Director Lou grew serious.

Everything from his eyes to his tone radiated sincerity.

“Since the authorities are requiring larger hospitals to establish Emergency Departments, and we’ve had one for years, I believe it’s progress in medical history—something that aligns with the times and serves the greater good.”

Director Lou worked hard to convince him.

Because if this was going to succeed, he needed Zhou Can all the way.

Even Lou probably never imagined Emergency would ever depend so heavily on a young doctor.

Long ago, the other department heads had all looked down on Zhou Can, and Lou was only hoping to get a couple capable trainees. Who knew he’d stumble on such a rare gem by accident.

Of those twenty trainees back then, no matter how impressive Du Leng’s credentials or how versatile Gao Jian was, none of them came close to what Zhou Can had achieved.

Even though Du Leng had come up with a digital operating room, for now it wasn’t all that practical.

He couldn’t match Zhou Can’s influence, position, or value.

If Tuyu Hospital had to choose between Zhou Can and Du Leng today, the higher-ups would pick Zhou Can without hesitation.

“The Emergency Department at the Provincial People’s Hospital is doing well. You could visit and see how they operate. For now, think of this as just a proposal—we’ll do our best to make it happen. Director Zhu’s term is almost up; once the new director arrives, this plan might die before it leaves the ground.”

And with that, Director Lou dropped a bombshell.