At Affiliated Hospital No. 1, the lights of the surgical center burned bright.

Unlike last time with the ruptured splenic artery and massive hemorrhage, the posterior approach proposed by Jiang He was completely by the book.

So there was no need to hide anything.

The other doctors in the OR, who had been dying to talk, could finally start singing his praises!

In the anesthesiology lounge, Lin Peidong put on his white coat.

Another attending anesthesiologist on the night shift came over, offered him a cigarette, and asked casually, "Old Lin, how’d today’s surgery go?"

Lin Peidong chuckled. "It was fucking awesome!"

His colleague was curious. "How so?"

Lin Peidong said, "The tumor had enveloped the superior mesenteric artery, and on top of that, we ran into a variant right hepatic artery. Director Yang said to just give up on a curative resection and was getting ready to do a palliative drainage and close him up."

"And then?"

"That third-year student Director Yang brought, Jiang He, just spoke up and proposed a new plan. He said if you can’t get in from the front, you go in from the back."

"From the back?"

"Yeah, a wide dissection... Anyway, I’ve been an anesthesiologist for so many years, and I’ve never seen a resection done like that. But he really did it. Peeled it off layer by layer, and the blood vessels were perfectly intact."

His colleague was stunned. "Wait, you’re telling me a third-year student... was telling Director Yang how to do a surgery?"

"The kid’s the real deal." Lin Peidong smacked his lips. "This is definitely going to be all over the general surgery department tomorrow. This ’posterior approach,’ I hear if you write it up as a paper, you’re looking at a core journal publication at the very least."

His colleague was dumbfounded for a long moment before saying, "Holy shit, he’s that good?"

...

Meanwhile, outside the men’s locker room.

Jiang He had already changed back into his street clothes and was about to head downstairs to go back to the university.

At the end of the hallway, Chen Jing was leaning against the wall, seemingly waiting just for him.

Seeing Jiang He come out, Chen Jing smiled. "All done?"

"Yeah. You’re not off work yet, Sister Jing?" Jiang He asked.

"Just finished my handoff." Chen Jing took a couple of steps closer. "A few colleagues from the night shift are planning to grab a late-night snack across from the hospital. You put in the most work and had it the toughest during tonight’s surgery. Want to join us for a bite? My treat."

’If we can’t be lovers, we can at least be acquaintances.’ Chen Jing’s thinking was actually quite simple now.

The potential Jiang He had shown was terrifying; he was destined to be a titan in the medical world.

In a place like a hospital, where connections and circles mattered, getting on good terms with such a promising talent early on had all pros and no cons.

Asking him out to eat was just a standard way of showing goodwill.

Jiang He’s tone was casual. "Thanks, Sister Jing, but I have class tomorrow morning. I need to get back to my dorm to catch up on some sleep. Maybe some other time."

Hearing this, Chen Jing didn’t show any awkwardness.

She was just testing the waters. If it worked out, great. If not, so be it.

"Alright, then you should hurry back and get some rest. Be safe on your way," Chen Jing said with a smile and a wave.

"You get some rest too, Sister Jing."

Jiang He nodded and walked past her.

Keeping his distance was a lesson Jiang He had learned from his two lifetimes.

Some girls were prone to getting the wrong idea.

Even if you were just being polite and agreed to a request outside of work, like grabbing a late-night snack or a cup of coffee.

She might imagine an entire novel in her head, mistakenly thinking you liked her back, that she still had a chance.

Once that misconception took root, dealing with the aftermath would become extremely troublesome.

Jiang He knew he wasn’t bad-looking and was highly skilled in his profession. Whether in his past life or this one, there had never been a shortage of girls openly or secretly pursuing him.

’I guess I’ve gained some experience from being chased so much... A guy’s gotta protect himself when he’s out and about...’

As he stepped into the elevator, a memory from his past life suddenly surfaced in Jiang He’s mind.

It was at a dinner party, after a few rounds of drinks. A friend from his social circle slung an arm around his shoulders and teased him, half-jokingly,

"Jiang He, you’re the hotshot in the department now. With so many young nurses flocking around you every day, you’ve never been tempted?"

Jiang He: "No."

His friend clicked his tongue and tried to persuade him further. "Anyway, Teacher Shen is a bit clueless most of the time. She wouldn’t notice, wouldn’t find out. Why not keep your wife at home and have some fun on the side? Isn’t that the life?"

After hearing this, Jiang He put down his glass and said softly, "You’ve probably never experienced the kind of love she and I have."

His friend paused. "What do you mean?"

"When you deeply love someone, and that person deeply loves you back, cheating becomes an impossibility."

His friend scoffed dismissively. "Give me a break. What cat doesn’t steal a fish? It’s a man’s instinct. If you keep suppressing it, there’ll come a day when you can’t hold it back anymore."

"I don’t believe loyalty is about using your sense of morality to suppress your instincts."

Jiang He looked at him and said slowly, "The exclusivity of love isn’t a shackle imposed by the outside world. It’s a natural physiological and psychological reaction. Do you understand?"

After he said this, the entire table fell silent for two seconds.

That friend thought Jiang He was just putting on a self-righteous act. He gave a dry laugh and was about to say more.

But Jiang He simply stood up, grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair, and left the private room.

Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together.

From then on, Jiang He never attended another dinner party with that person again.

DING—

The elevator arrived on the first floor.

Jiang He snapped back to reality and walked out of the hospital entrance, where he saw someone squatting by a flowerbed not far away.

It was Zhao Yumin, an attending from the emergency department.

Zhao Yumin’s face was a mask of misery. He looked extremely unwell.

"Teacher Zhao?" Jiang He walked over and asked with concern, "What’s wrong?"

Hearing his voice, Zhao Yumin looked up at Jiang He, took a deep drag from his cigarette, and then forcefully exhaled.

He said, looking like he’d lost all will to live, "Don’t even ask. Just handled an ER case. It was so disgusting I had to come out for some air."

Jiang He was a little curious.

’The emergency department has seen it all, so what could possibly disgust a veteran attending this badly?’

Jiang He asked, "What happened?"

Zhao Yumin stood up, recalling with a pained expression, "Three people were just brought in—one woman and two men, all around twenty years old. No idea what their relationship was. Anyway, the woman was vomiting her guts out, and then the two guys said they’d have a contest to drink it. Whoever drank more was the one who truly loved her... Ugh, just thinking about it makes me want to puke."

Jiang He: "..."

After hearing that story, all he felt was pity.

In the dead of night, the emergency department truly saw all sorts of freaks and monsters.

’A doctor’s mental fortitude, huh...’

"That’s rough, Teacher Zhao," Jiang He said comfortingly.

Zhao Yumin waved his hand, forcing a change of subject. "Let’s not talk about it. It’s foul. Anyway, how did things go on your end? Surgery go smoothly?"

Jiang He nodded. "The surgery was a success."

"It was more than just a success!"

Before Zhao Yumin could reply, a laugh suddenly came from behind them.

The two turned to see Lin Peidong, now in his street clothes, walking down the steps.

Zhao Yumin said, "Old Lin? Spill the details."

Lin Peidong walked up to them, clapped Jiang He on the shoulder, and then said with a grin, "Old Zhao, you could say tonight’s surgery was saved entirely by our Xiaojiang here. Director Yang had already declared it a lost cause and was about to close up, but Xiaojiang salvaged the whole thing with a new approach he came up with."

Zhao Yumin was taken aback, then he looked at Jiang He. "You’re that incredible?"

"You know it," Lin Peidong joked. "Old Zhao, from now on, maybe we shouldn’t call him Xiaojiang. We should call him River God."

Zhao Yumin gave a thumbs-up. "River God, you’re the man!"

Jiang He put a hand to his forehead in resignation. "Come on, please don’t, Teachers..."

Lin Peidong and Zhao Yumin burst out laughing.