Chapter 80: A Night Shift at the Emergency Department

“Dr. Xu, you’re early today!”

The male doctor managed to greet briefly between calls.

“How did things go in the Operating Room last night?”

Dr. Xu asked casually.

“It went pretty smoothly—no tricky cases,” the doctor replied. His eyes, however, remained fixed on the sutured wound. His hands moved with steady precision, his focus absolute.

Zhou Can watched intently and deduced that this doctor’s suturing skills were at least above the level of an outstanding resident.

Impressive.

Apparently, not everyone in the Emergency Department was a dud like Dr. Lu or Dr. Lin.

Some doctors truly had the talent.

“This is Dr. Cui. He’s the top resident in our Emergency Department Operating Room. He usually handles the night shift alone, with Dr. Fu and him occasionally rotating,”

Dr. Xu praised him highly.

The senior doctors trusted him enough to let him work solo, a testament to his surgical ability and work attitude.

At that moment, Dr. Cui had just finished suturing.

“Hello, Dr. Cui! I’m Zhou Can. I look forward to working with you,” Zhou Can said humbly.

He lowered his stance.

“I’ve heard your name. You’re the rising star of our Emergency Department. I’m really looking forward to collaborating with you,”

Dr. Cui replied with the calm assurance of a middle-aged man.

His eyes were sincere and his presence commanding.

He was a pragmatic doctor.

“Heh, I can’t possibly accept that ‘rising star’ title you’ve bestowed on me. But it’s a privilege to work alongside you, Dr. Cui,”

Zhou Can was careful not to act like a big shot in front of the senior doctors.

He remained exceptionally low-key.

“Hi, Dr. Cui, I’m Jin Mingxi. Pleased to meet you,”

Jin Mingxi certainly knew his way around the workplace.

He stepped forward to make himself known.

“Hello, hello! I’ve also heard of Dr. Jin—one of the two top recruits personally selected by Director Lou for the Emergency Department,”

Dr. Cui laughed in response.

Compared to Zhou Can, Jin Mingxi clearly fell short in prowess.

He was competent, but without any standout achievements.

On the surface, both he and Zhou Can were key recruited residents, but there was a clear difference in their status. As time went on, that disparity would only widen.

Of course, they had only just joined the Emergency Department. With effort, Jin Mingxi still had the chance to surpass Zhou Can.

While they were talking, the patient who had been in surgery was already taken out of the Operating Room by Qiao Yu.

“Dr. Xu, then Qiao Yu and I will head out,”

Dr. Cui removed his gloves and mask and waved at them.

“Okay!”

Dr. Xu nodded slightly.

“Goodbye, Qiao Yu!” Dr. Lu called out to her.

Qiao Yu responded with a polite hum.

Then she walked over to Zhou Can with a radiant smile, “Thanks for the second cup of milk tea.”

“No need to be so formal!”

Zhou Can didn’t even sweat the small matter.

“How much did we spend yesterday? Didn’t you send me the total? Why haven’t you sent it yet?”

She asked.

“Not much. Besides, it was my treat—you hardly ever get to pay when I’m hosting!”

Zhou Can had never even thought of asking her to pay.

She remembered the incident, showing her honesty. Volunteering to cover half the cost revealed her kind heart.

This girl was indeed very endearing.

Beautiful looks may be common, but an interesting spirit is one in a million.

Her pure and kind heart, coupled with a strong personality and a hint of stubbornness, made her all the more captivating.

Dr. Lu had his eyes on her—his judgment was spot on.

“Dr. Zhou doesn’t care about a few dollars. Yet you still insist on shoving money into his hands—are you out of your mind? Hurry up, we’ve got patients waiting for surgery,”

Dr. Lu, noticing the way Qiao Yu treated Zhou Can, grew particularly agitated.

He immediately ushered her out.

As Qiao Yu left, she called back to Zhou Can, “If you won’t mention the amount, I’ll just have to guess! Don’t mind it if I guess too low!”

“Really, it’s fine,”

Zhou Can had no idea how to handle this stubborn girl.

Soon, another hectic day of surgeries began.

As usual, he and Jin Mingxi each took a nurse to handle separate operations.

Today, the instrument nurse for Dr. Xu was not Tang Ling but Liu Xia, while Zhou Can still had Tian Tian, the same nurse from yesterday.

He felt utterly helpless.

If he could, he would have loved for Qiao Yu to be his assistant.

……

They were busy until about noon.

Zhou Can’s phone kept buzzing.

A call had come in.

At that moment, Dr. Xu and Liu Xia had already left to eat. Only Dr. Lu remained, watching over Zhou Can and Jin Mingxi.

During lunch, the Operating Room couldn’t be left unattended.

They usually took turns eating.

But sometimes, with so many emergency surgeries, the doctors hardly had time to eat, often working on an empty stomach.

Just like a few days ago when an unexpected public incident occurred, Dr. Xu, Zhou Can, and the others skipped lunch.

Most doctors appear aloof, but deep down, they always put their patients first.

“I need to take this call!”

Zhou Can announced as he stepped outside the Operating Room to answer the phone.

“Hello, is this about a rental property?”

“Yes, yes, that’s right!”

It turned out to be about an apartment rental.

The voice on the other end was that of a young woman—clear enunciation and standard Mandarin, with an exceptionally sweet tone.

“Is your property located in Baying Lake’s Xiangshan Bieyuan Phase I?”

“Yes, yes!”

“Could the rent be any lower?”

“I’m afraid not. It’s already the lowest rate. You can compare if you like.”

Zhou Can had arranged a rent of 2200 yuan per month, which was truly reasonable.

He believed in earning what he deserved without being stingy.

His parents had taught him from a young age that no matter how much money you have, every penny counts.

Little bits of money could pile up to form a fortune.

Clearly, his parents’ teachings about money had worked well—while his million-yuan net worth was partly due to their support, it was also a result of his own intelligence and hard work.

After a hesitant pause of five or six seconds, the young woman finally agreed.

“Alright, when would be a good time to view the place?”

“Probably not before five in the afternoon.”

“I can wait at the entrance of Xiangshan Bieyuan Phase I around 5:10. Does that work?”

“That works!”

They set the time and ended the call.

Looks like he won’t be working late again tonight.

He thought about buying ten white mice later for practice—it was all the same to him.

Right now, all he wanted was to upgrade his incision technique to an attending level. Then he’d finally be in a position to compete for second-level surgeries.

Compared to first-level surgeries, second-level procedures brought even greater rewards.

Returning to the Operating Room, Zhou Can caught Dr. Lu’s approving glance.

“Dr. Zhou, you truly are talented! Not only are you a fine doctor, but you also have a knack for business. Impressive!”

Clearly, Dr. Lu had been eavesdropping on Zhou Can’s phone call.

Luckily, it wasn’t anything confidential.

Dr. Lu probably only heard Zhou Can’s side of the conversation and not the renter’s words.

So he was just left to guess.