On Friday morning, Yan Feifan arrived at the Affiliated Hospital and went straight to the plastic surgery center’s patient ward to check on Lele’s postoperative condition.

As he entered the ward, Yan Feifan saw that both Lele and Huanhuan, who was in the adjacent bed, had tear-filled eyes. They were whimpering nonstop like little piglets.

Although they were both on IV pain pumps, it only reduced the pain, not eliminated it completely.

Because of their cleft palate and lip repair surgeries, the two little guys could only be fed through a nasogastric tube for the next few days, which was extremely uncomfortable.

Crying would also pull at their incisions, causing them even more pain and discomfort.

This left them able to express their discomfort only through whimpering.

Yan Feifan checked Lele’s incision and overall condition. After offering a few words of encouragement to the two little ones, he left.

“Mr. Yan…”

Mrs. Gu, the children’s caregiver, chased him out of the ward. “Are you also the one doing Lu’s cochlear implant surgery?”

Yan Feifan shook his head. “Mr. Jing from the Otolaryngology department is doing it.”

He went on to explain, “The Otolaryngology department will send Lu’s detailed test results to the cochlear implant manufacturer.”

“The manufacturer will then use those results to specifically tune, test, and finalize the implant.”

“This whole back-and-forth process will take at least two weeks, maybe longer, before the implantation surgery can be scheduled.”

“Oh,” Mrs. Gu said, understanding now. She then asked, “Mr. Yan, what about your next surgery?”

Yan Feifan replied, “There was a child with a nasal deformity in the case files you sent over last time.”

“She’ll be my next surgery.”

“Have her come to the hospital for a check-up next Monday. The surgery will likely be scheduled in two or three weeks.”

Mrs. Gu murmured an “oh.” After a moment’s hesitation, she said tentatively, “Mr. Yan, I know that child.”

“To be honest, her nose is just a bit unsightly. We have many other children whose conditions are far more severe.”

Yan Feifan understood what she was implying.

He fell silent for a moment before steeling himself to say, “Mrs. Gu, our funds are limited. We can only help a small number of children.”

“I’m sure you can see that the purpose of this charitable plastic surgery project is to improve my surgical skills.”

“Therefore, I need to select surgical candidates who align with my training plan.”

Mrs. Gu forced a smile, her voice tinged with resignation. “I understand, Mr. Yan. I was asking for too much.”

“A single plastic surgery can cost tens, or even hundreds of thousands, yet there are so many children who need help…”

“Sigh…”

Mrs. Gu’s long sigh left a bitter taste in Yan Feifan’s mouth.

But this was not a problem he could solve on his own.

All Yan Feifan could do was pour all his effort into every single surgery, ensuring each child patient had the best possible recovery.

‘Besides, once I have sufficient skill and a certain level of renown, I’ll be in a better position to help more people…’

At 8:30 AM, just as Yan Feifan finished dressing the wound of an accident victim in the emergency department, he saw Qin Ying arrive with Yu Suye.

“Feifan, come on. I’m taking you to observe a total thumb and index finger reconstruction surgery.”

Yan Feifan’s face lit up. He asked while tidying up, “Professor, who’s the lead surgeon?”

“Chen Yu!”

The answer made Yan Feifan freeze.

He asked cautiously, “Professor, will Mrs. Chen allow us to observe?”

“She will!”

Despite Qin Ying’s confident tone, Yan Feifan still felt apprehensive.

‘Professor,’ he thought, ‘the two of you were at each other’s throats last night. It was basically an argument…’

The Trauma Surgery department was just across the way from the Emergency department, so it only took Yan Feifan and Qin Ying a minute or two to get there.

They waited in the surgical area for only three to five minutes before Chen Yu appeared, dressed in blue short-sleeved scrubs and flanked by a bustling entourage of five or six people.

“Dr. Qin Ying!”

“Dr. Chen Yu!”

Chen Yu and Qin Ying’s eyes met as they exchanged greetings.

Yan Feifan, Yu Suye, and the several people with Chen Yu all instinctively took a step back, giving the two senior doctors some space.

Chen Yu suddenly let out a laugh, ruthlessly pointing out the sore spot. “I’d almost forgotten you can’t operate anymore. These days, you’re just making a living at the hospital with your words.”

“Forced to bring your students here to observe me, tsk tsk…”

With a deadpan expression, Qin Ying scoffed and retorted dismissively, “I’m just having them see for themselves what I consider the minimum standard I expect from them.”

Chen Yu’s expression changed instantly. “Minimum requirement?” she huffed. “You’ve got some nerve saying that. Careful you don’t bite your tongue.”

“Under the guidance of a shameless teacher like you, you’d be burning incense and thanking the heavens if they ever manage to reach even half my skill level.”

Qin Ying’s tone was nonchalant. “Dr. Chen Yu, what exactly is half your skill level?”

“I reckon I’ll have to go burn some incense when I get back today.”

“You…”

Chen Yu was fuming.

However, realizing she needed to calm down, she took a few deep breaths.

Her emotions somewhat settled, she said coldly, “Dr. Qin Ying, I’m not going to get into a verbal spat with you.”

“I am the Director of Trauma Surgery at the Affiliated Hospital, and you’re just coasting on your past reputation, waiting to die.”

“It’s beneath me…”

Chen Yu added resentfully, “Every time I run into you, I feel like my IQ drops as I get dragged into these pointless arguments, which are your specialty, not mine.”

Qin Ying gave a rare, faint smile. “You’ve finally realized that? But it’s not your IQ dropping.”

“It’s your intuition, your instinct, choosing the method with the highest chance of victory against me.”

“You…”

Chen Yu pointed a finger at Qin Ying, her chest heaving, too furious to speak.

Seeing this, one of the students behind her quickly stepped forward. “Professor, the patient is already in the operating room.”

Chen Yu took a deep breath. “Dr. Qin Ying, I get angry because I care. I still care about a great many things.”

“You’re not moved by my words because you’ve given up. You don’t care about anything anymore. You’re the one who’s truly pitiful.”

“Hmph. I won’t stoop to your level.”

“Let’s go.”

Chen Yu strode past Qin Ying, but she suddenly stopped as she passed Yan Feifan.

“You! Get into scrubs. You’ll be my assistant for this surgery!”

“Me?” Yan Feifan asked, pointing to himself in disbelief.

“Yes, you!”

Chen Yu snorted. “How much can you really learn just by watching?”

“I want you to experience firsthand exactly what kind of ‘minimum standard’ your so-called teacher was talking about!”

Although it was a golden opportunity, Yan Feifan didn’t dare accept on his own. He looked to Qin Ying for her decision.

A flicker of sorrow passed over Qin Ying’s face, but she quickly nodded. “Since Dr. Chen Yu is so generously offering you this learning opportunity, what are you waiting for? Accept it, and be quick about thanking her!”

Yan Feifan said, “Oh,” then turned to face Chen Yu and said earnestly, “Thank you, Mrs. Chen…”

PS.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep