The elevator lobby.

The circulating nurse, Chen Jing, glanced at Jiang He, her tone warm. "Dr. Xiaojiang, tonight’s surgery is another tough battle. It’s going to be a long night."

Chen Jing had worked in the operating rooms of Affiliated Hospital No. 1 for seven or eight years, so her standards were high.

But ever since she witnessed Jiang He suture a splenic artery blind to stop the bleeding a few days ago, she had been completely won over.

Although she’d heard Jiang He wore a couple’s ring and was already taken, she couldn’t resist showing him some kindness.

—’What if?’

Jiang He nodded politely. "You’re working hard too, Sister Jing."

As he said this, he reached for the ’door open’ button, using the movement to naturally take a step to the side.

The action wasn’t overtly distant, yet it clearly established a boundary.

When Chen Jing saw this, she naturally understood and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

After they got out of the elevator, she smiled. "Time to get changed in the locker room."

"Alright, thanks, Sister Jing."

Jiang He pushed open the door to the men’s locker room.

It was a little after eight in the evening, and most of the day-shift doctors had already finished their surgeries and gone home.

He walked to a corner, found the temporary metal locker assigned to him, and changed into the standard-issue hospital scrubs: a dark green, short-sleeved top and loose, drawstring pants.

Afterward, Jiang He sat on a long wooden bench and started organizing his personal belongings.

Most surgeons have their own little pre-op rituals before a major surgery.

Of course, Jiang He had one too.

Step one: text his wife.

Jiang He: [I’m about to head in. It’s a pancreaticoduodenectomy, so it’ll probably take a few hours.]

Less than thirty seconds later, the screen lit up.

Shen Yu: [Okay! Hope the surgery goes smoothly, Dr. Jiang. Let me know when you’re finished~]

Jiang He’s gaze softened instantly as he read the words.

His thumb traced the edge of the phone as his mind briefly drifted.

In his past life, he had always sent her a similar message before heading into surgery.

Back then, Shen Yu’s reply had been just a little different:

"Okay! Hope the surgery goes smoothly, Dr. Jiang. I’ll be at home waiting for you~"

From "Let me know when you’re finished," to "I’ll be at home waiting for you."

The subtle change in phrasing spanned the distance from young sweethearts to a couple who had weathered life’s storms together...

Jiang He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.

After seeing his wife’s message, an immense sense of peace and calm washed over him.

He turned off his phone and put it deep inside his locker.

Then, he slowly slid the ring off the middle finger of his right hand and clutched it tightly in his palm.

The silver ring carried some of his warmth. Engraved on the inner band were the initials of Shen Yu’s name.

This was his personal ritual.

To safely set aside his most cherished bond.

A prayer for safety and success, both on the operating table and off.

He pushed open the door of the locker room and stepped into the inner corridor of the surgical suite.

The air conditioning was blasting, and the corridor walls were covered in light blue, seamless antibacterial panels.

Occasionally, a nurse would pass by, silently pushing an instrument cart.

"Jiang He. You’re here?"

A general surgery resident, fresh off a case, was walking toward him. He pulled down his mask and greeted Jiang He wearily.

"Yeah, I’m on Director Yang’s case," Jiang He replied with a nod.

"A Level 4 Surgery this late at night... you guys are practically cultivating immortality. More power to you." The resident gave him a thumbs-up and yawned as he headed for the locker room.

Here, everyone’s demeanor was normal. There was no tense, oppressive atmosphere, despite the fact that they were about to perform a top-level major surgery.

In the surgical center of Affiliated Hospital No. 1, they confronted life and death on a daily basis.

Every operation was a job that demanded meticulous care, yet it was also just part of their daily routine.

He walked to the entrance of Operating Room 3, and the automatic doors slid apart.

The operating room was brightly lit.

By the anesthesia machine, Lin Peidong saw Jiang He and nodded. "You’re here."

"Teacher Lin." Jiang He walked over and asked, "Vitals stable?"

"Rock solid. Intubation is done, central line is in. You can make the first cut whenever you’re ready."

Lin Peidong added casually, "Xu Chen has been coming to you for advice lately, hasn’t he? I heard he’s been pulling all-nighters to study anatomy atlases. He seems pretty dedicated."

Jiang He smiled. "Everyone’s always improving. That’s a good thing."

Lin Peidong watched him, a flash of admiration in his eyes at his composed demeanor.

As Xu Chen’s uncle, he naturally hoped his nephew would learn from a down-to-earth, reserved genius like Jiang He.

He gestured with his chin toward the door. "Go scrub in. Old Yang just headed to the sinks."

The sound of rushing water filled the scrub room.

Yang Xu, Director of Hepatobiliary Surgery at Affiliated Hospital No. 1, was dressed in scrubs. Head bowed, he was meticulously scrubbing under his fingernails with a sterile brush.

"Director." Jiang He walked over to the adjacent sink, stepped on the foot pedal, and let the warm water run over his hands.

"Here? Do you know the scope of tonight’s resection?" Yang Xu asked.

"I do. Distal stomach, gallbladder, common bile duct, duodenum, head of the pancreas, and the upper section of the jejunum. The three-point-five-centimeter tumor is abutting the superior mesenteric vein, so we’ll need to perform vascular dissection intraoperatively. If there’s significant invasion, we might need to do a partial venous resection and reconstruction."

Yang Xu nodded, thoroughly satisfied with Jiang He’s ability to interpret the scans.

He rinsed his hands, shut off the water, and said abruptly, "Normally, a surgery like this would have been scheduled as the first case tomorrow morning."

Jiang He’s movements faltered for a second. He glanced up at Yang Xu, waiting for him to elaborate.

’Actually, I had been a bit puzzled about that while I was waiting in the ER earlier.’

’Why rush to start such a time-consuming, major surgery at eight o’clock at night?’

Yang Xu shook the water from his hands and lowered his voice. "The patient in there is... not your average person. I won’t go into details, but you should be aware of the situation. He was only admitted at noon today. They fast-tracked him through all the pre-op tests this afternoon, the blood bank scrambled to get units on standby, and now he wants the surgery immediately. He said his ’business is too big’ and he can’t afford to be stuck in a hospital bed for long. Fortunately, he hasn’t eaten since noon, so he just barely meets the fasting criteria. They’re demanding maximum efficiency for everything."

It dawned on Jiang He.

was a time of turbulent undercurrents in the capital markets. Anyone who could pull these kinds of strings had to be someone for whom time was more precious than money.

No wonder everything for this surgery was moving at such a frantic pace.

Yang Xu continued, "So, they’re demanding not only a clean resection but also perfect control over post-op complications. The recovery period has to be as short as possible. So be on your A-game and be ready."

Jiang He rinsed the suds from his hands and gave a firm nod.

Looking at Jiang He’s calm expression, Yang Xu suddenly added, half-joking, "That’s actually another reason I called you in. I just feel more confident having you here. If, god forbid, we run into an emergency like a ruptured vessel and massive hemorrhage, I’d have to let you take the lead, right?"

Jiang He shook his head. "Director, what’s most important is that everything goes smoothly."

There is nothing more comforting to a surgeon than a completely uneventful operation.

So-called miraculous saves and legendary blind sutures usually meant the patient had already been to hell and back.

Hearing this, Yang Xu smiled. "Alright. Smoothly it is. Let’s go."