Chapter 75: Chasing a Breakthrough

Screw you! Can you be any less sleazy? I have a wife and kid, you know.

Jin Mingxi stubbornly denies having any feelings for that female classmate.

But this classmate of hers is fair-skinned, beautiful, radiating effortless charm, and her figure is as youthful as ever. Even if Jin Mingxi claims he has zero interest in her, Zhou Can isn’t buying it.

It’s truly admirable when married couples can rein in their desires, avoid crossing the line, and stay committed to their family.

……

Arriving at the hospital for their shift, just as Zhou Can passed the nurses’ station, Ye Tingting sashayed over.

“Good morning, Dr. Zhou!”

“Morning, Ting! You look even more gorgeous today!”

She’s definitely older than Zhou Can.

“Heh, sweet-talking now?” she giggled, batting her sparkling, alluring eyes at him. “Here’s the tally of milk tea numbers and flavors you asked for. The girls say they won’t let you have it for free.”

Several rows of dynamic, almost artful statistics were scribbled on a medication note.

It’s just a cup of milk tea—what, do you expect someone to offer themselves up?

Dr. Zhou took the note and slipped it into his pocket.

He even tossed a joke at Ye Tingting.

Ha!

“Dr. Zhou, are you confessing to Qiao Yu? Too bad she’s on the night shift today. But don’t worry—since people are easily swayed, I’ll definitely pass your message along!”

Ye Tingting burst into uncontrollable giggles.

Sometimes a well-timed joke is the perfect way to bridge gaps between people.

It nearly always works.

Just remember to know your limits and the right moment.

But if you’re joking around in the operating room while the chief surgeon maintains a stone-cold demeanor, you’re just asking for trouble.

Cracking jokes during a resuscitation will likely get you bashed by the patient’s family.

Push it too far, and it could backfire disastrously.

Zhou Can’s joke was unquestionably a hit.

It brought him closer to Ye Tingting, strengthening their rapport.

“No, please don’t! I have nothing against it, but that little one is so shy—if you all mess around like this, she’ll probably run and hide the minute she sees me.”

Who would have thought that a casual joke could spiral into mentioning Qiao Yu?

Married women are definitely out of a guy like him’s league.

Luckily, he noticed that Dr. Xu had already changed and stepped out of his office.

“Alright, I’m done chatting—I’m heading to the operating room.”

He briskly walked over to Dr. Xu.

“Morning, teacher!”

Dr. Xu turned to him with a stern gaze.

That look sent shivers down his spine.

“I heard you pulled off another big stunt yesterday, kid.”

Zhou Can was stunned for a couple of seconds before it all clicked.

Unable to hold back his laughter, he said, “Teacher, for a moment I thought you meant that an ancient bandit kidnapped a rich young lady. Back in the day, bandits storming a village to snatch a wealthy miss was nearly impossible.”

After all, affluent families had fortified estates, trained servants, and guards.

It was nearly impossible for bandits to breach such defenses quickly.

Delay too long, and the arrival of officials would spell their doom.

So, cunning bandits would keep an eye out for the day a rich family’s daughter was about to wed, then ambush the wedding carriage and haul the bride up the mountain.

After snatching her, they’d send a ransom note to her family.

If the family paid a hefty sum, the bandits, keeping a code of honor, would guarantee the bride’s purity and return her.

But if they reported it or refused to pay, the outcome would be disastrous.

Typically, both families would pool together ransom that day; delay even one night and the groom’s family might refuse, sometimes leaving the rescued young woman shattered.

Dr. Xu, usually so strict, cracked a bit of dry humor early in the morning.

Looks like he’s in a pretty good mood!

“The patient whose bleeding you managed to stop yesterday underwent further tests at the suggestion of Director Lou—turns out, he’s showing signs of liver abnormalities.”

It was heavy news.

The patient was barely in his twenties.

Generally, liver diseases that disrupt clotting are extremely severe.

When liver disease reaches an advanced stage, the prognosis is usually grim.

Every organ in the human body has its own quirks.

The liver is the only organ without pain receptors.

That’s why liver disease is hard to detect until it’s too late.

“I heard your grasping technique has now reached an impressive level?”

Seems someone filled Dr. Xu in on Zhou Can’s stellar performance in the OR last night.

No wonder he’s in such high spirits.

When a pupil earns praise from other doctors, it lights up the teacher’s face—naturally a proud moment.

“Was it Dr. Fu who mentioned that?”

Zhou Can asked tentatively.

Dr. Xu stayed noncommittal, saying nothing.

Not daring to push further, Zhou Can admitted, “Honestly, I’m just average. Yesterday, I happened to snag that fishbone, and that’s how I managed to extract it.”

He considered his grasping technique to be only at level three—nothing extraordinary.

Dr. Xu knew him far too well.

While most young doctors love to show off every bit of their skills,

Zhou Can preferred to work boldly while remaining low-key.

He had never been one to flaunt his abilities.

Having taken his fair share of stumbles, Dr. Xu envied Zhou Can for possessing a restraint and maturity that many older folks lack.

Most people, after a sudden windfall, can’t help but flaunt every bit of it.

Only those who’ve weathered life’s harsh blows truly understand the value of humility and restraint.

For Zhou Can, being so young yet so wise is truly commendable.

“Hmph, no need to hold back in front of me! Do you understand the importance of the grasping technique?”

“A little. It’s primarily used for minimally invasive procedures.”

Zhou Can followed his teacher into the operating room.

If suturing, anatomy, ligature, and hemostasis form the foundation of traditional surgery, then the grasping technique is the cornerstone of advanced procedures. With medical technology advancing rapidly, minimally invasive surgery—with its small incisions, quick recovery, and lower risks—is gradually replacing traditional methods. Your extraordinary gift in grasping technique is a massive asset. Surgeons from developed countries like the US and Germany have almost all transitioned to minimally invasive methods.

Although Dr. Xu is stationed in the so-called ‘cold palace’ of the Emergency Department, he remains well-informed.

Nor has he given in to despair.

Instead, he’s working on himself, learning from past failures, and gradually eliminating the critical flaws of rapid yet unstable methods.

At the same time, he keeps a close eye on global medical trends and advancements.

Zhou Can had a feeling that if his teacher ever made a comeback, his skills would soar to new heights.

He could very well become an unparalleled master of his craft.

One wonders what mishap Dr. Xu suffered back in the day. Once Zhou Can’s abilities reach a certain level, he’ll make it his mission to uncover the details and help free his teacher from his metaphorical shackles.

And when that day comes, it will be the best reward for Dr. Xu.

“Did you know? With robotic pancreatic cancer surgery, patients can work the very next day and mostly recover in just three days. Here, patients have to stay in the hospital for at least half a month—sometimes longer. And since our procedures are mostly open surgeries, the risks are far greater. For an operation like a pancreaticoduodenectomy, the risk is even higher.”

Zhou Can knew that robotic surgical techniques were far more advanced than those in China.

But he hadn’t expected the gap to be this vast.

And that’s just within the realm of pancreatic surgery.

In terms of drugs, medical devices, and instruments, our country also lags behind developed nations.

Nonetheless, our nation is rapidly developing and determined to catch up—maybe soon, we’ll overtake them in many technological fields.