The Enhanced Doctor

The brain tumor patient from last night had been the most severe case. The second half of the night, however, was quite smooth, as they only admitted two drunk patients. They were sent by the barbecue shop owner, who was worried about them causing trouble in his shop; given the way things were these days, you never really could tell.

Liu Banxia ordered a hearty breakfast for himself, probably because he was in a good mood. Even though the future career advancement mission would definitely be more challenging, for now, he could set it aside. However, he was a bit puzzled because the daily mission hadn't been released yet. Based on past experience, as long as it was past midnight and he was on duty, the mission would update right on time. Could it be related to the system update? He must have forgotten about it yesterday because he'd been so busy with the large number of drunk people.

"Brother Liu, Brother Liu, today's my last day of work! Senior year in high school starts early, so I need to buckle down and focus. My dad's coming over later; could you be the one to change his dressing then?" Qiu Mingyuan asked, running into the cafeteria with breakfast in hand.

"I suppose I'll be the one to do it. But after today's change, he probably won't need another one," Liu Banxia nodded.

"So, have you gained anything from your work experience here? Will you get any extra credit or something? All this hard work can't be for nothing, right? And don't think I don't know; you're always sneaking off to Neurosurgery whenever you have a free moment."

"Brother Liu, haven't you been busy with surgeries? How do you know everything?" Qiu Mingyuan replied helplessly.

"Hmph, did you really think your little schemes could escape my sharp eyes? Officially, you're a volunteer in our emergency department, but you're often nowhere to be found, helping out in Neurosurgery instead. Am I wrong?" Liu Banxia shot him a look.

"Hehe, I was just trying to get closer to the 'organization,' and it seems to be yielding some results," Qiu Mingyuan said gleefully.

Liu Banxia didn't comment much. Qiu Mingyuan is still in high school, after all. Whether he and Xiao Yue will end up together is something only time will tell.

At this moment, Shi Lei also came over with his tray. "Banxia, I've cleared all my surgeries for today, so I can head straight back to the emergency department to work."

"That's great! I don't have much on this morning anyway. I still owe Director Jiang a teaching session on applying medication, so I need to make up for that," Liu Banxia quickly replied.

"Alright, go ahead. And schedule me for the regular night shift starting tomorrow," Shi Lei nodded.

"Boss, are you holding up okay? Your workload hasn't been much lighter than mine," Liu Banxia asked with concern.

Liu Banxia had been doing back-to-back surgeries in the operating room for the past few days, and Shi Lei had been doing the same. Although Shi Lei didn't perform as many surgeries as Liu Banxia, his total operating time was no less. Initially, Shi Lei helped the general surgery department by clearing out some minor surgeries. Later, after Liu Banxia volunteered to take on more, Shi Lei began performing some level-three surgeries and acting as first assistant to Zhou Shuwen. While Liu Banxia had managed to get some rest these past two days, Shi Lei had been constantly in a high-pressure state.

"I'm holding up fine. Pushing through it can be good sometimes. Yesterday, when I had dinner with the director, he even complimented you. He said the people you're leading are excellent and that you should keep up the good work," Shi Lei said with a smile.

"He's my teacher too, you know! And he spends all his time with you," Liu Banxia grumbled, a little jealous.

Shi Lei rolled his eyes. "What more could you ask for? You're the Chief Resident of the Emergency Department; I'm just an attending. Can the emergency department function without you? The director only feels at ease because you're here."

"Hehe, that's not a bad way to put it," Liu Banxia replied, pleased, and then happily started eating his tea egg.

He was just teasing, of course. Zhou Shuwen took very good care of him, not only regarding the direction of his training but also its progress. In the Second Hospital, forget resident doctors; even most attending physicians couldn't perform partial liver resections. Such procedures had to be helmed by an associate chief physician or someone of higher rank. Liu Banxia was a truly unique case. Zhou Shuwen's decision to let him perform such a surgery was very risky and had initially drawn some opposition, but Liu Banxia had completed it with resounding success.

In an organization like a hospital, sometimes merely possessing sufficient medical skills isn't enough; you also need official recognition. For instance, even if complications arose during a surgery due to the patient's own underlying condition, if the patient's family decided to pursue accountability later, the hospital would still bear the responsibility. Why? Because Liu Banxia's rank and professional title weren't high enough. At present, ability could often only be gauged by rank and title. Assigning him as lead surgeon would be seen as an imprudent decision on the hospital's part. It was like art. Everyone says art is priceless, but ultimately, even the priceless has a price tag. That "priceless" is more often an exaggerated description.

Mentoring graduate students wasn't like teaching kindergarteners, where you had to guide their every move. Giving Liu Banxia opportunities to gain practical experience was also Zhou Shuwen's way of teaching and looking out for him.

Despite having arrived later, Shi Lei finished his meal before Liu Banxia. It made Shi Lei himself feel quite resigned; Liu Banxia's appetite was truly impressive.

Back in the emergency department, Liu Banxia gathered Xu Yino and the other interns. The large group then headed off to the Proctology Department. Shi Lei could manage the morning ward rounds perfectly well on his own.

"So, you finally decided to grace us with your presence, kid? I always feel like you're busier than I am," Jiang Tao joked when he saw Liu Banxia.

"Well, I rushed over as soon as I could. I didn't give you a heads-up; can things still be arranged?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Why wouldn't they be? I was having dinner with Old Xu a couple of days ago, and he was just talking about you. He hasn't contacted you because he's had fewer patients recently. Let your interns wander around and amuse themselves for a bit; let's you and I have a chat," Jiang Tao said.

"Sorry about that. I've spoiled them a bit, so they tend to be overly casual," Liu Banxia said sheepishly.

Among those interning in the Proctology Department were some of Xu Yino's classmates. Without a care for their surroundings, they had already started chattering away enthusiastically. Although proctology was a rather unique department, it had a fair number of female doctors. People might say that doctors should have the heart of a parent, but patients often still had their preferences when it came to who treated them. For instance, when Liu Banxia used to come part-time to change dressings, even though everyone knew his technique was excellent, many female patients would still prefer to wait for a female doctor.

"Old Qin finalized his resignation yesterday. He put on quite a show before leaving, but he only ended up making things worse for himself," Jiang Tao said with a laugh. "Right before he left, though, he also lodged a complaint against you. It was framed from the Medical Affairs Department's perspective, claiming you have significant shortcomings in managing the emergency department, that you're overly aggressive, and that you love bossing people around."

"Director Jiang, what do you think he was really after? And with Qi Wentai still in the emergency department, it's putting me in a very awkward position," Liu Banxia said with a bitter smile.

"Old Qin, well, he's a pretty stubborn person. Otherwise, things wouldn't have escalated to this point," Jiang Tao commented. "This last stunt of his has pretty much destroyed any goodwill he had with the medical school. He came dangerously close to losing his job entirely. He thought he'd found a great talent to back him up, but he just ended up being a pawn in someone else's game."

"But let's not dwell on Old Qin. As for Qi Wentai, don't worry too much about him; just manage things as you normally would. Actually, your emergency department is getting very positive reviews these days. Patient intake volume has gone up, and you're handling cases very well. Especially those few emergency surgeries you performed—they were all very successful. That's a huge improvement compared to when Old Qin was in charge. That's probably why he's a bit disgruntled; he must have heard some gossip and gotten resentful."

"Director Jiang, Director Zhou is far more capable than him anyway. What's Old Qin got to be sour about?" Liu Banxia asked, puzzled.

"Although Old Zhou is the Director of the Emergency Department, he still focuses most of his work in General Surgery. Even after the move to the new building, that's largely remained the case," Jiang Tao explained. "The Second Hospital doesn't have many renowned surgeons, and the emergency department is still somewhat lacking in terms of staffing and experience. It will take a few more months of solid operation before patients, drawn by its growing reputation, feel confident enough to be admitted to the emergency department's wards. Right now, Old Zhou is concentrating his energy on General Surgery, performing surgeries non-stop. He's also trying to free up some of his own time to help you guys with patient consultations and share some of the pressure."

"And then there's you, kid. As Chief Resident, you've truly propped up the Emergency Department. Your daily management, document processing, communication with and handling of patients, even your liaison with the police—it's all been excellent. You've been in the Emergency Department constantly, so you might not sense these changes. But those of us in other departments see them very clearly, including how successfully you're leading the interns. So, how could Old Qin not be resentful? He's worked in this hospital for decades and still can't compare to a young fellow like you, and then he got used. Well, that's just how things are. The broad strokes of our collaboration are still in place; it's one of those things best seen and not said."

"Director Jiang, I think you're praising me too much. I honestly don't feel I've done anything significant. Even with the teaching and training, it's mostly been me fooling around with them," Liu Banxia said, a bit embarrassed.

"Well, you need the capital to fool around in the first place," Jiang Tao commented. "Our hospital is currently discussing how to get these interns involved in surgeries earlier. But it's a difficult balance to strike; we're always worried about errors occurring during procedures. If that were to happen, the hospital would not only suffer financial and reputational losses, but it could also cause immense distress for the interns involved. It was quite remarkable that you managed to overcome your past difficulties; many others wouldn't be able to. That's why, although there are many doctors, even more are just coasting. Many people pass the exams to become attending physicians, but their actual clinical skills are still severely lacking. After all, those exams can be passed just by hitting the books and studying. Old Zhou has taken on an excellent disciple, and it makes all of us incredibly envious. So, keep up the good work, kid. Maintain this drive of yours, but also cultivate a bit more steadiness, and you will undoubtedly achieve great things in the future."

"Thank you, Director Jiang. I understand your words," Liu Banxia said, standing up and giving a respectful bow.

This was Jiang Tao's valuable guidance. Everything he'd said before had been affirmation, but those final words held the true purpose behind their long conversation. He must genuinely care about me to say such things. Who else would bother to offer guidance like this? A young fellow like me, causing such a stir in the Second Hospital—who knows how many people were just waiting to see me fail or make a fool of myself.