The Surgeon's Studio

“Little Zheng, what happened?” Ding Zhongtai asked.

“The car was blocking the way, so I knocked him aside,” Zheng Ren answered nonchalantly.

Su Yun was taking off his surgical gown, but upon hearing his words, turned around and gave him a thumbs-up without a word as there were still a lot of people in the operating room.

“You can’t just crash into him like that!” Ding Zhongtai exclaimed in horror, “Little Zheng, you’re too… impulsive.”

“Check the record on the dashcam.” Zheng Ren was unbothered. He was on the side of reason this time, and with Old Chief Physician Pan backing him, he was not afraid of whatever came next.

“Also, did they take blood samples to test for drunk driving?” Zheng Ren added.

“Drunk driving?” Ding Zhongtai was confused.

“Yes, I suspect that he drank at noon and he’s still not sober yet. His blood alcohol level should be enough to charge him with drunk driving.”

At that, Old Chief Physician Pan took out his phone and made a phone call.

Zheng Ren and Su Yun transferred the patient from the operating table to a stretcher trolley bound for the ICU, with Chu Yanran pumping the breathing bag as usual.

As they left the operating room, Old Chief Physician Pan stopped Zheng Ren.

Su Yun was there to follow up on subsequent procedures. Zheng Ren’s presence was unnecessary.

There was sufficient manpower at the scene, but even if there were not, the various department chiefs were not just there for display. It would not hurt for them to do some work.

Old Chief Physician Pan pulled him aside and quietly asked, “Zheng Ren, what happened?”

Despite looking a bit haggard—his hair was drenched in sweat—his expression was calm, and his tone even more so. He told the old chief what had transpired.

“Outrageous!” Old Chief Physician Pan bellowed.

Zheng Ren was shocked. He had never done such an adrenaline-pumping thing before and still bore some guilt; his initial impression was that Old Chief Physician Pan was rebuking him, but on second thought, he realized such a thing was unlikely.

“I made a call and the video recording is now in my office,” Old Chief Physician Pan said coldly, “If someone tries to twist the truth, I will fight it to the f*cking highest court!”

Zheng Ren laughed and tried to calm the old man down. It was not worth it for such a person.

“What year does he think it is?” Old Chief Physician Pan slowly regained his composure. “I heard the guy was throwing a hissy fit in front of the traffic officers. Were it ten years ago, he could get away with doing this, but now? Hmph!”

Zheng Ren had heard of the incident before.

A drunk driver in the emergency department had resisted attempts to obtain a blood sample and threatened to self-harm.

Unwilling to escalate the situation, the traffic officers had no choice but to relent.

The incident had gone under the radar after a while.

However, Zheng Ren had heard through other doctors that drivers resisting blood alcohol tests would receive a warning. Three strikes resulted in an automatic drunk driving charge.

“You go ahead with your business. I’ll take a look at the video and see who’s this arrogant bastard.” Old Chief Physician Pan left quickly.

Zheng Ren let out a long sigh. Although he had not done anything wrong, he was afraid of being sold out by people like Ding Zhongtai were it not for Old Chief Physician Pan’s presence.

He would not be able to stand up for himself.

Such things happened all the time. Zheng Ren knew as much.

However, with Old Chief Physician Pan around, there ought not to be a problem. As for everything else, he would take them one at a time.

Why should he be afraid if he had evidence and reason?

What a joke!

Zheng Ren felt a little tired, not from the surgery, but from the incident with the ambulance.

He did not regret his actions. Even if it meant a permanent record, he would never regret what he had done.

The ambulance had been delayed for at least three minutes.

With those extra minutes, the patient would not have bled as much and her recovery could have been shortened by three days.

Had he not acted on his “impulse”, she could have been dead by the time they reached No. 9 Elementary.

They would be pretending to perform CPR on the patient for ten to twenty minutes out in the snow in order to comfort the teachers and students of No. 9 Elementary.

The lowlife who had blocked their ambulance would not get the punishment he deserved and would continue living his lavish lifestyle.

Even if that outcome was not controversial, a true hero would be lying in the snow, quietly embracing her inevitable death.

Justice?

What justice!

…

…

In the emergency ward office, Professor Rudolf Wagner approached the clearly exhausted Zheng Ren. “Mr. Zheng, what emergency was it?”

He could sense the professor’s Mandarin getting more fluent. The man was truly a savant at languages.

Nonetheless, Zheng Ren was surprised that the professor was still present outside office hours.

“The patient had been stabbed, sustaining thoracoabdominal injuries. Why haven’t you left?”

“Chang said that I would need to follow local customs if I really wanted to blend in. Although I don’t agree with the idea that only bad doctors leave work on time, doing so often myself, I stayed in case a patient needed interventional surgery.”

“Go home, there’s no need for that.” Zheng Ren waved his hand weakly.

Professor Rudolf Wagner was all smiles. He seemed sincere.

As they spoke, Ding Zhongtai rushed in.

“Little Zheng, there might be some trouble this time,” he said seriously.

Zheng Ren had mentally prepared himself. He refused to believe that he would lose.

Old Chief Physician Pan was right; things were not as they were ten years ago.

To Ding Zhongtai, Zheng Ren’s poker face looked insufferably unaware of the severity of the situation, so he began to explain everything with a frown.

“Lil Fugui, is Chief Zheng back?” Chang Yue called from the corridor.

“He’s back, Chang,” Professor Rudolf Wagner replied.

Lil Fugui? What was that about?

Both Ding Zhongtai and Zheng Ren were dumbfounded.

“Mr. Zheng, I asked Chang Yue to name me.

“I thought I would need a Chinese name if I really wanted to be part of the local culture. Something everyone would like, something that sounds joyful. Even if I don’t agree with it, I really like the word “fu gui”,” the professor said with a chuckle.

Zheng Ren was speechless.

Ding Zhongtai had not noticed that professor’s presence. He thought for a moment and said softly, “Let’s go somewhere else to talk.”

“Don’t worry,” Zheng Ren said with a smile and hand gesture, “There’s nothing I’m afraid of letting others in on, so please proceed.”

“The car was seriously damaged and the driver had minor injuries,” Ding Zhongtai said sternly when Zheng Ren did not oblige him, “He’s from a wealthy family in Imperial Capital, like his lawyers, who have already touched down at the airport and are currently heading right to traffic police command.”

“Oh,” Zheng Ren said casually, still unperturbed.

Ding Zhongtai let out a suppressed sigh at Zheng Ren’s reaction. “Little Zheng, I don’t want to judge you, but this concerns the hospital, you…”

As he spoke, Zheng Ren’s phone rang.

It was from Chief Kong.

Zheng Ren accepted the call.

“Hello, Chief Kong.

“Ah, yes, I went to an elementary school in the afternoon for an emergency rescue, but the ambulance was obstructed. I was in a hurry, so I just ran the offender over.

“Okay, sure, thanks for your trouble.”

He hung up.