Chapter 50: Chapter 50: The Pros Outweigh the Cons

A name carries weight, like the shadow of a great tree.

The arrival of Wang Chuan, a celebrated figure in the world of cosmetic surgery, was enough to dispel all of Liu Yan and Mrs. Xia’s worries.

“Mr. Yan, actually, today is my eighteenth birthday.”

Liu Yan said gratefully, “I cut my palm first thing this morning and thought today was going to be a terrible day.”

“But then I met you, Mr. Yan.”

“This is the best birthday present I could have ever received.”

Yan Feifan said very seriously, “Liu Yan, happy birthday. I will do my absolute best. I won’t let you down.”

Of the two men and one woman Wang Chuan brought with him, one was Mr. Jiang, a lawyer from their contracted firm, and the other was Luo Zhen, an anesthesiologist from the plastic surgery center.

As for the young woman pulling a surgical instrument case, she looked to be about twenty-six or twenty-seven and had neat, pretty features.

It was only after the introductions that Yan Feifan learned…

…that she was Jio Xin, Wang Chuan’s dedicated surgical nurse.

While Mrs. Xia carefully reviewed the legal documents and surgical consent forms for Liu Yan, Luo Zhen began the pre-operative physical exam and anesthesia test on the patient.

Meanwhile, Jio Xin took a fresh blood sample from Liu Yan to the lab on the second floor of the Emergency Department to run a stat blood test.

Seeing everyone bustling about with their duties, Yan Feifan apologized sincerely. “Mr. Wang, I was being simplistic and willful.”

“Surgery is a team effort, and now, because of my impulsive and selfish decision, none of them can get any rest.”

Wang Chuan was quite pleased that Yan Feifan was able to recognize this.

He took the opportunity to lecture, “The lead surgeon is crucial to the success of an operation, but it’s impossible without the help of the anesthesiologist, assistants, scrub nurse, circulating nurse, and others.”

“With a well-coordinated and orderly surgical team, you’ll find the procedure goes much more smoothly and swiftly.”

Yan Feifan said hopefully, “I’ll have to become an associate chief physician, at least, before I’m qualified to build my own team.”

Wang Chuan chuckled. “I think you’ll be able to do it sooner than that.”

Then, his tone grew serious. “Yan Feifan, if you perform exceptionally well in this surgery and I’m satisfied with the results, I’ll arrange for you to take on cosmetic surgery cases at the center that are suited to your skills.”

“With me vouching for you, the patients will be willing to put their trust in you.”

Yan Feifan was touched. “Thank you!”

Wang Chuan sighed softly. “No need to thank me. The faster your skills improve, the better. That’s my wish, too…”

Seeing that preparations would still take some time, Yan Feifan hurried back to the waiting area of the emergency hall.

There he saw Tian Yu and a plainly dressed Ye Lin, each slowly sipping from a small bottle of yogurt.

“Ye Lin, perfect timing. You’re already off work.”

Yan Feifan spoke quickly, “Do me another favor. Take this little one to Zuimo Court District, Building 9, Unit 1, Apartment 701.”

He then added for Tian Yu’s benefit, “The door code is the twenty-first to the twenty-sixth digits of pi.”

“There are still some of your family’s dumplings in the fridge. If you get hungry, you can cook them yourself.”

“I probably won’t be back until late, so just go ahead and sleep…”

“Hey, Mr. Yan…”

Ye Lin and Tian Yu cried out in unison, but they only saw the back of Yan Feifan as he strode quickly away.

Ye Lin was so frustrated.

It was Friday night, and she already had plans.

Ye Lin could only get to her feet and say to Tian Yu, “That’s how it is in the ER. Once things get busy, it’s utter chaos!”

“Xiaoyu, I’ll take you to Zuimo…”

Ye Lin’s eyes widened in realization. “Mr. Yan moved to Zuimo Court? But that’s a well-known high-end school district…”

After waiting for the blood test results and explaining the disputed contract clauses to Liu Yan and Mrs. Xia, it wasn’t until ten past nine at night that the official preparations for surgery began…

The surgery took place on the second floor of the Emergency Department, in the operating room furthest down the hall.

After scrubbing in and getting dressed in his surgical attire, Yan Feifan passed through the sealed isolation doors and slowly stepped into the operating room.

This was the first time he had set foot in a proper operating room since waking up.

This was a standard general surgery OR!

The familiar layout, the familiar smell, and even the distinct chill in the air sent a wave of comfort washing over Yan Feifan.

It was as if he could hear every cell in his body cheering with exhilaration.

Even the shadowless lamp seemed to be shaking its dazzling head, striking a pose and winking seductively at him.

Yan Feifan shook his head, took a deep breath to calm his racing heart, and strode to the operating table, taking his position as lead surgeon.

On the operating table, Liu Yan, already anesthetized, was covered from head to toe in sterile drapes.

Only the scarred left side of her face was exposed.

Yan Feifan glanced toward the head of the table, where the anesthesiologist, Luo Zhen, was watching the monitors. Their eyes met.

He heard Luo Zhen report, “Blood pressure 97 over 76, heart rate 79, blood oxygen saturation at 99. Vitals are stable. You can begin.”

Yan Feifan looked away and then met the eyes of Mr. Wang, who stood beside him as both his assistant and supervisor, and then Jio Xin, who was serving as the scrub nurse.

He glanced at the digital clock on the wall and announced in a clear voice, “Time is now nine twenty-eight p.m.”

“Starting the surgical timer.”

Yan Feifan extended his hand, and a number 15 short-handled, round-bladed scalpel was placed steadily into it.

The moment he gripped the handle, it felt perfectly comfortable, requiring no adjustment.

This made Yan Feifan see Jio Xin in a new light.

’She really is worthy of being Mr. Wang’s dedicated surgical nurse.’

’We’ve never worked together before, but just by looking at the shape of my hand and how I motioned for the tool, she placed the scalpel in the most comfortable position possible.’

’That level of skill is truly something else.’

The thought flashed through Yan Feifan’s mind and was gone.

As the small, round scalpel descended, his entire focus narrowed to the scar on Liu Yan’s face…

Seeing Yan Feifan make the first incision without any hesitation—a clean, decisive cut into the skin to the left of the scar, just below the eye—Wang Chuan gave a slight nod.

Before the surgery, Wang Chuan had sensed Yan Feifan’s nervousness, however deeply he tried to hide it.

He hadn’t expected that once Yan Feifan stood before the operating table, his hand would move with such exceptional and unhesitating resolve.

’For a lead surgeon, that kind of confident resolve is an essential quality.’

’But…’

Wang Chuan noticed that Yan Feifan’s fingers were subtly oscillating.

With this oscillation, the blade created a gentle, wave-like incision.

This puzzled Wang Chuan.

’The kid must know that compared to a straight line, a wavy incision is harder to suture and actually lengthens the wound.’

’Wang Chuan was confident the kid wouldn’t make such a basic error; he had to have a purpose.’

He silently performed his duties as an assistant, promptly and gently dabbing away the beads of blood that welled from the incision.

Yan Feifan completed the cut along the left side of the scar in one fluid motion, then lifted his scalpel to cut the skin on the right side…

Wang Chuan saw that the right-side incision was also wavy.

And when he compared it to the one on the left…

Wang Chuan’s gaze sharpened.

Crest lined up with trough, trough with crest. The contours of the two incisions fit together with the precision of interlocking gears.

’An incision like this… Wang Chuan was confident he could make one, too.’

’But to do it at Yan Feifan’s speed, making it look effortless while maintaining the rigorous precision of a machine…’

’…he had to admit, that was beyond his own abilities.’

’Yan Feifan’s control and precision were on a much higher level than he’d previously realized.’

’This kid… he’s just full of surprises.’

As Wang Chuan silently conceded his own inferiority and reveled in the surprise, he also figured out why Yan Feifan had used a wavy incision.

’When suturing, you have to pull the skin on both sides tight. Because of the high tension, you have to increase the pulling force on the sutures.’

’This causes the pull on the suture points to be greater than the tension of the skin, which can easily lead to tiny compression scars—railroad tracks—along the wound during recovery.’

’A wavy incision, however, has a larger surface area for apposition, which helps disperse the tension and reduces that compression scarring.’

’But it’s a technique that only someone with Yan Feifan’s breathtakingly precise skills would dare attempt, ensuring the benefits ultimately outweigh the drawbacks.’

The subsequent steps—the dissection of the keloid, the debridement of the nodular muscle fibers beneath the skin, and the closure of the wound—were all completed with Yan Feifan’s beautifully artistic technique, making the whole process a pleasure to watch.

Wang Chuan glanced at the clock. Only forty-one minutes had passed.

Next up was the most critical part: treating the scar on the left eyelid.

Wang Chuan felt a flicker of anticipation.

’Will Yan Feifan manage to surprise me again this time?’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep