Chapter 438

Fang Ziye had just put on his sterile surgical gown and sterile gloves and approached the operating table when Qin Geluo, Li Yuanpei, and Liu Haihua — all three — were at a complete loss.

After seeing the patient's diagnosis clearly, Fang Ziye asked in a low voice, "Is this a patient Director Han called in and signaled to admit for surgery?"

It was truly no wonder Wang Yuanqi cracked; this patient's fracture classification didn't fall within the traditional classification scope, nor within the new definition Fang Ziye had established for reclassifying fractures.

A descriptive diagnosis of multiple open comminuted fractures was the most appropriate interpretation.

"The fact is Director Han only knew this was a fracture, and wasn't clear on what nature of fracture this was." Qin Geluo answered with fair impartiality.

The superior opens his mouth, and the subordinate runs their legs off.

If it were a simple open fracture, Wang Yuanqi could handle it. A bit more complex, and Qin Geluo would just do it.

But for a super-complex fracture, surgery is very hard to get a handle on.

"Ziye, can you resolve this? If you feel it's too difficult, I'll have Professor Deng call Director Han." Qin Geluo hesitated a while before asking again.

Wang Yuanqi also didn't want to fall out too badly with Han Yuanxiao directly; otherwise he would've called Deng Yong long ago.

And given Deng Yong's protective-calf temper, Han Yuanxiao would probably suffer a bit in this matter.

"Do it. Handling it isn't very difficult either."

"There's no need to trouble the teacher at such a special time; the surgical data is fixed. I'll tell Professor Deng after the mid-year academic conference ends." Fang Ziye turned his head and started looking for the scalpel.

After finding the direction of the kidney dish, he said, "Yuanpei, you and I will do the debridement first..."

Li Yuanpei and Liu Haihua both sprang into action immediately upon hearing this.

Once Qin Geluo had a moment free, he turned again to the film viewer, attempting with his own knowledge reserve to understand this fracture type, and deduce a feasible surgical approach from his own angle.

Then cross-verify it with Fang Ziye's treatment thinking and surgical logic.

In the Trauma Center Emergency Clinic, Wang Yuanqi sat attending with brows tightly furrowed; the instant he heard the door push open, he squeezed out a professional smile, as if completing an emotional transition in a single moment.

He raised his head and saw it was Nie Mingxian; Wang Yuanqi's expression only stiffened slightly: "Brother Xian."

Nie Mingxian was thirty-two this year, much older than Wang Yuanqi, and his professional title was higher, his capability stronger, his background even stronger; Qin Geluo and the others in the department all addressed him respectfully as Brother Xian, and Wang Yuanqi was no exception.

Nie Mingxian's triangular eyes rounded out; round-headed and kite-brained, he now put on airs of seniority: "Brother Qi, how come you're here? Where's Ziye?"

Nie Mingxian's long brows relaxed slightly, then he pulled open a chair and sat down right beside Wang Yuanqi.

Nie Mingxian's leisurely, at-ease posture instead made Wang Yuanqi, this hospital's own physician, feel exceptionally ill at ease, as if host and guest had swapped places.

"Ziye went to surgery; I came over to cover for him a bit." Wang Yuanqi didn't know where Fang Ziye had been before coming to the OR.

When he arrived at the Trauma Center Clinic, he discovered Nie Mingxian wasn't there, so he guessed the content of his phone call with Fang Ziye was temporarily unknown to Nie Mingxian.

"That's strange; Director Han arranged for Ziye to attend the Trauma Center this month, so how did he end up on the operating table?"

"At this hour, there shouldn't be any director back in the department opening a table." Nie Mingxian deliberately glanced at the time and asked.

At this moment the ordinary-looking Nie Mingxian appeared completely innocent, as if he knew nothing.

Wang Yuanqi's dark skin paled a few shades; the corners of his mouth twisted hard a few times, then he tore open the outer gauze himself: "It was me who had Ziye cover for me to go to surgery."

Then a smile emerged, tone bitter: "Capability not enough, still can't do the Chief Resident's work."

Nie Mingxian put his phone away, leaned back, and asked quietly: "Brother Qi, is it that your capability isn't enough to do emergency surgery work, or that you can't do the work Director Han arranged for you?"

"Or put it this way: the work Director Han arranged for you, you completed it but he wasn't satisfied?"

Nie Mingxian really was bad enough.

Wang Yuanqi's expression instantly turned uncertain; the face that had just 'whitened' a few shades turned darker than dark, becoming a dusky black; honestly: "Ziye told Brother Xian you everything already?"

"What did Ziye tell me?"

"What else is there to tell?"

"Could it not be that Director Han feels you didn't help him bring up his beloved disciple well? Could there be other matters?" Nie Mingxian's long brows knitted; he inhaled sharply in thought, his face showing hesitation.

Wang Yuanqi fell silent at those words, eyelids not blinking, eyeballs not moving.

A full ten-odd seconds of rigidity passed before his lips moved slightly, yet no sound emerged.

Loyal words grate on the ear.

The problem Nie Mingxian spoke of was only the manifestation; fundamentally, it was still that Wang Yuanqi's comprehensive capability couldn't compare to Fang Ziye's, and couldn't meet Han Yuanxiao's expectations.

Whether it was failing to bring up Xiong Jinhuan well so Xiong Jinhuan made no progress, or failing to complete the surgical tasks Han Yuanxiao assigned, the root cause of both phenomena was the same.

"Perhaps so."

"Yes!" Wang Yuanqi's heart already held no expectation.

Following another superior, following another's teacher — in the end it's impossible to be that comfortable.

Yuan Weihong could follow his own teacher and thrive; that was Wei Ge's outstanding personal ability, and his own Master's good temper.

Not every director has a temper like Deng Yong's, and not every 'Wang Yuanqi' can successfully evolve into a 'Yuan Weihong'.

Once Nie Mingxian got his answer, he stopped provoking Wang Yuanqi.

He slumped to one side and unconcernedly started playing on his phone.

Wang Yuanqi's slightly chaotic mood was just left in his heart; no one helped pack it up, so he could only pretend nothing had happened.

In the afternoon, at 7:47 PM, the surgical timer panel's time had only advanced to 01:01:02 when Fang Ziye put down the electric screwdriver.

He tightened the external fixator device and lifted the entire lower limb, then turned his head and laughed: "Brother Luo, this should be about it!"

"Fluoroscopy once more, confirm the fracture reduction situation?"

After Qin Geluo's blank yet helpless expression flickered a few times and he nodded, Fang Ziye cupped a fist toward the gallery: "Circulating Teacher, could you help push the C-arm over?"

"These past few days our Orthopedics Department is in meetings; many from the department went to the conference venue; manpower is truly insufficient."

"No problem, handsome." The circulating nurse, who hadn't sat down to begin with, now beamed, big eyes shining with starlike brightness.

Before surgery started, the at-a-loss expressions of Qin Geluo and Wang Yuanqi on the operating table had sunk her mood to the valley floor.

Rarely encountered in the OR: surgery not yet started, lead surgeon already lost — how could the surgery proceed?

However, ever since Fang Ziye arrived, the surgery progressed exceptionally smoothly.

The time the surgery would end far exceeded her expectations.

She was not on the emergency duty shift; she was merely a night shift nurse temporarily pulled by the Head Nurse to cover the emergency duty shift before her shift ended.

After seeing Qin Geluo and Wang Yuanqi's two struggling expressions, she felt nearly desperate inside, thinking she wouldn't be able to get off work and go home until at least around ten o'clock today.

But now the off-work time had been advanced by at least four hours — how could this not be an unexpected delight?

After all, the Head Nurse had said that after this surgery was finished, she could get off work.

"Is this angle okay?" The small C-arm wasn't heavy, and with roller wheels, the Circulating Nurse pushed it along quite nimbly.

"Move it a bit more toward the head direction, roughly four centimeters; the fluoroscopic intersection point is at the position of my index finger here." Fang Ziye extended his index finger to gesture to the Circulating Nurse.

Not all Circulating Nurses are Orthopedics Specialty Nurses who can understand which cross-section the Lead Surgeon needs to observe during fluoroscopy in the operation.

"Okay." After the Circulating Nurse aligned the point, she turned off the fluorescent cursor marking line, stepped on the C-arm's roller wheel locking device, and then ran a few light steps outward.

With hands behind her back, after the operating room's lead door closed, she pressed the capture button on the remote.

Then she fixed her gaze unblinkingly on Fang Ziye.

Fang Ziye's blood-stained gloves held one hand across his chest, while his right hand gestured to Qin Geluo, pointing out the reduction situation after fluoroscopy.

The Circulating Nurse didn't understand the specifics of what was being said, but just Fang Ziye's appearance of working and teaching seriously right now was very charming.

This charm had nothing to do with looks whatsoever; at this moment only Fang Ziye's profile was visible, but the Circulating Nurse who had seen Fang Ziye's full face felt her heart beat speed up slightly.

"Brother Luo, I personally still think this patient's comminuted fracture can be classified within the AO C1 type fracture category."

"Although the AO classification's C1 type description doesn't include this fracture type, its reduction principles and the detailed rules to follow during treatment are similar to long bone C1 type fractures."

"The C1 type it..."

Qin Geluo nodded frequently from the side, occasionally saying: "Right right right, that's it, not bad."

Li Yuanpei and Liu Haihua, the two of them, didn't even dare to chime in.

When it involves knowledge blind spots, if you casually chime in you might be asked why.

Because of long contact, whatever level you're at is crystal clear to those close to you.

You can not know, but you absolutely cannot pretend to know when you don't.

After the several people entered the operating room, the atmosphere became harmonious, and Qin Geluo finally became more open as well.

Because the surgery had progressed to a familiar area he could control, he turned his head and said: "Ziye, why don't you go to the Trauma Center Clinic first? Later I'll bring people over for a late-night snack with you."

"The remaining operations here, your Brother Luo can still handle; you might as well rest a bit."

"You've been in surgery since coming out of the conference venue; man is iron, rice is steel, rest is maintenance..." Qin Geluo added a sentence, and immediately persuaded Fang Ziye.

People who truly care about you never need you to work yourself to death day and night, but hope you balance work and rest.

Just like most people's parents, what they hope for most is their children's physical health, not 'sick'ly rising to prominence.

Fang Ziye also said without standing on ceremony: "Alright then, Brother Luo, I'll get off the platform first."

"Indeed a little tired."

While speaking, Fang Ziye gripped his gloves, relaxing his finger joints.

Actually, if you're not a Surgeon, it's hard to understand the Lead Surgeon's hand fatigue, but actually anyone who has seriously attended High School can understand.

Never mind how long you do surgery; try copying homework continuously for a few hours?

"Doctor Fang, can I add your WeChat?" After Fang Ziye took off his sterile surgical gown and sterile gloves, when he picked up his phone on the storage table, he heard a very soft gentle voice ripple by his ear.

Fang Ziye tilted his head slightly, picking up his phone and newly bought "Bluetooth" headphones while joking: "Adding WeChat is fine, but sometimes it might be my girlfriend chatting with you."

Fang Ziye did not narcissistically say outright that he had a girlfriend; that would be a bit too narcissistic.

To express that you have a girlfriend, there can be many, many ways.

A reply like this works very well.

After the Circulating Nurse scanned Fang Ziye's QR code, she smiled "as if she had obtained a treasure," though her voice was a bit too "natural": "No problem, chatting with Sister-in-law is also very happy."

"Doctor Fang, you're an Orthopedics Expert; in the future there'll be resources to ask you for help."

The Circulating Nurse's topic-shifting speed was also quite fast.

"I know a bit of Orthopedics, but Expert is too much."

"Don't you go pulling hatred for me in front of my brother." Fang Ziye smiled and pointed back at the young girl, gave a reminder, then stepped on the operating room's foot-pedal inductive pneumatic lead door and went out.

After Fang Ziye left, Li Yuanpei looked at Qin Geluo and smiled: "Brother Luo, Industry Brother is becoming more and more like a Superior now. His words are also becoming more and more pleasant to hear."

"Right? So you still have to learn more." Qin Geluo continued leading the team operating, with no more idle talk.

On the way from the operating room to the Trauma Center Emergency Clinic, Fang Ziye's mood was quite troubled.

Passing the Orthopedics Building, Fang Ziye took out his phone again to check the message from the Duty Doctor, which was Han Yuanxiao's Master's First Year student Zhou Yao Fa.

"Senior Brother Fang, the family member of that Bed 19 patient from your group came to the Doctor's Office saying she dreamed yesterday, dreamed the Bodhisattva manifested, and conveyed a message in the dream saying you were disrespectful to the Bodhisattva."

"Saying you'd better go to the temple to burn some incense and paper, fulfill a vow, make an apology."

"Said with great conviction."

"Then she was also saying some 'rumor-mongering' things with the neighbor bed's family member... Senior Brother, how should this be handled?"

Fang Ziye felt numb after reading. He wanted to go to the Department and reason with her, but thinking carefully, if he really went, it would mean he believed her words.

At least he got angry because of her words.

If you say don't go, Fang Ziye felt that letting her spout nonsense in the Department made him uncomfortable inside.

"Cold handling. Tomorrow during ward rounds, I'll have our group's Bed Management Doctor communicate with her. You also don't chime in."

"Her having faith is her freedom; my not having faith is my freedom."

"As long as she doesn't bring other aspects' rhythm, just let her be; if she brings other aspects' rhythm, directly record it, send it to me and I'll report to the police." Fang Ziye still kept a watchful eye.

Still the same words — what she believes is her freedom, the country supports everyone's freedom of belief, but if she spreads rumors in the department, that's no longer her freedom.

Fang Ziye just didn't believe it — if he didn't go along with her and agree it was Bodhisattva manifesting, then he'd be breaking the law.

……

After giving up the idea of rushing into Trauma Surgery, Fang Ziye went straight to the Emergency Department.

In the Emergency Department Trauma Center Clinic, Fang Ziye discovered several fruit platters had been set out.

Watermelon, lychee, cherry.

"Who sent these? Yuan Qi, why aren't you eating?" Fang Ziye asked, straightening his name badge as he entered the consultation room.

Nie Mingxian put away his phone, while Wang Yuanqi gradually relaxed from his shock: "Ziye, you finished that surgery already?"

Fang Ziye being able to do surgeries he couldn't do was normal, because Fang Ziye had good talent.

But Fang Ziye finishing a surgery he couldn't do in just over an hour — that was more or less a dimensionality reduction strike.

"There were also some operations Brother Luo was performing." Fang Ziye replied, then looked at the fruit platters again.

Fang Ziye was a bit thirsty; if these fruit platters were convenient to eat, he'd at least have a few pieces.

He'd drunk water when changing clothes in the rest room just now, but he didn't know if it was because Fang Ziye was used to drinking beverages like coffee, he actually felt water didn't quench his thirst much.

"Sent by Hepatobiliary Surgery's Zhong Yewei, Big Brother — specifically left unopened for you, Yuan Qi and I didn't dare touch them." Nie Mingxian seemed to see through Fang Ziye's thoughts and replied.

But Nie Mingxian didn't use the "breaking the hymen" joke — he seemed to dislike this kind of wordplay that attacks below the belt.

"So we can eat them." Fang Ziye smiled, walked over, and tore open three cling film covers in a row.

These were just a few fruit platters — if Zhong Yewei as a colleague sent a few fruit platters then went and whistleblew himself, then Fang Ziye would just have to "accept his loss" first!

And Zhong Yewei had better pray that on his path to Associate Professor, he never had any "economic problems."

Fang Ziye held the watermelon platter and pushed the other two platters in front of Nie Mingxian and Wang Yuanqi.

Then asked Nie Mingxian: "Xian Ge, you've eaten, right?"

"Just finished eating with Yuan Qi. If you haven't eaten, order yourself." Nie Mingxian also grabbed a cherry, took a bite, and immediately his face scrunched up tight.

"Peh peh peh. Hiss—!" Nie Mingxian then looked at Fang Ziye and Wang Yuanqi, discovering both were eating with relish.

Disbelieving, Nie Mingxian threw away the cherry in his hand and bit another.

Then decisively threw away the other cherry too.

Fang Ziye pushed his own fruit platter to Nie Mingxian and sat down in the patient's seat.

"If this watermelon's texture wasn't so good, I'd suspect that Zhong Yewei from Hepatobiliary Surgery was deliberately acting as an assassin."

"Probably he got scammed too." Nie Mingxian said.

Fang Ziye and Wang Yuanqi both didn't speak; Wang Yuanqi ate two bites then stood up: "Ziye, Xian Ge, I'm going on duty first."

"Thanks, Ziye." Wang Yuanqi interlaced his fingers, squeezing very tight, his voice of thanks also very heavy.

No matter what, this month's Ward Chief Resident — he Wang Yuanqi would persist to the end even swallowing blood and shattered teeth.

Everyone's an adult — you can feel wronged, but the task you agreed to, you must persist to the end even kneeling; even if exchanging with Fang Ziye, that's next month's matter.

The hospital's system is in principle monthly personnel arrangements and transfers, but more often it's half a year or even a year.

"Yuan Qi, we're all family brothers." Fang Ziye, sitting now, said what Wang Yuanqi said when leaving here last time.

Fang Ziye treated Wang Yuanqi as a family brother; Wang Yuanqi — not saying how good he is to Fang Ziye now, but at least he hasn't backstabbed Fang Ziye in any way.

That's not easy, after all Wang Yuanqi is currently "muddling along" in the neighboring group.

……

After Wang Yuanqi left, Fang Ziye discovered Nie Mingxian looking him up and down, and making a strange gesture of left hand scratching right ear right in front of him, he opened his mouth: "Ziye, you don't look too happy?"

"Mm, feels like someone stabbed me in the back — chilly cold. Sometimes I don't even have time for surgery, now someone wants me to be a devout Buddhist, go burn incense and apologize to Bodhisattva."

"I also don't know if 'Buddhist' counts as a formal title, anyway that's the situation." Fang Ziye complained.

You could say, if yesterday Wang Yuanqi hadn't said that Zhong Yewei's brother-in-law from next door refused to sign properly!

By first-come-first-served rules, that middle-aged man later should've been amputated!

Result: his leg was saved, but now instead it's stirred up this whole mess.

This was also Fang Ziye's first time encountering something like this.

Nie Mingxian frowned at this: "This kind of thing is hard to handle, be careful, don't let someone maliciously edit and post it online."

"My suggestion: you'd better have Teacher Deng and the Security Office and Publicity Department communicate first, be prepared."

"The family member you mentioned may not necessarily go online to hang you, but other unrelated melon-eating masses might very enthusiastically act as devout 'protectors of the way,' even deliberately take things out of context for traffic."

"Anyway it's just a phone call."

Fang Ziye said: "If it's calling the Security Office and Publicity Department, then no need to trouble my Master. I've served as Chief Resident this long, have met Security Office people a few times, I can try selling my own face."

"As for Publicity Department, recently a colleague from Publicity Department happened to find me, asking me to do fracture surgery for his family…"

Fang Ziye said while scrolling through his phone.

Connections need to be slowly accumulated.

Fang Ziye happens to be hospital staff, happens to be a big shot in Trauma Surgery, therefore, even in just a few short months, he's more or less accumulated some connections.

The reason these connections couldn't be accumulated during student stage: one, Fang Ziye was a student; two, Fang Ziye had no family background — if Fang Ziye were named "Deng Ziye," his connection network would now have at least ten attending physicians and professors from different departments.

And this wouldn't need Deng Yong to deliberately bring Fang Ziye around clinically — bringing Fang Ziye everywhere as a child, the network would naturally establish itself.

Fang Ziye briefly edited a few polite text messages, and got an "okay" and an "ok" reply.

"Done!" Fang Ziye raised his head, somewhat happy.

But Nie Mingxian was unfazed.

If this were Enshi Central Hospital, Nie Mingxian would be far more connected than Fang Ziye. A Deputy Director's connections — forced — could manufacture connections.

Strangers seeing your Deputy Director name badge would more or less sell you face — that's foundation.

Of course, at Zhongnan Hospital, Nie Mingxian's Deputy Director title is a fake "Deputy Director."

"Brother Xian, I've finished my takeout, going to rest my eyes for a bit?"

"You slept last night, cover for me." Fang Ziye held his hands together.

Nie Mingxian actually stood up and covered for Fang Ziye.

This sudden playfulness made the corner of Fang Ziye's mouth twitch upward.

"Switch seats? You're dozing off in the attending physician's seat, aren't you afraid of hitting the hot searches?" Nie Mingxian said with a straight face, as if the joke just now wasn't a joke.

Fang Ziye: "..."

Indeed, if it were an assistant, you could sleep however you want, even if photographed it wouldn't matter, isn't there still a white coat there looking spirited? Why do you care if other people's assistants or students sleep?

But if reversed?

Fang Ziye isn't Associate Professor Xie, he can't carry such a big act.

After Wang Yuanqi left the Emergency Department, he came to the operating room, but didn't enter the operating theater, instead standing in the isolation room next to it, staring intently at the X-ray imaging on the C-arm display screen.

Unknown how long passed, when Qin Geluo came out and happened to glance sideways and notice Wang Yuanqi, he walked over.

"Yuan Qi, when did you come again?" Qin Geluo asked.

"Brother Luo, I came over to learn a bit." Wang Yuanqi's absorption was interrupted, he turned slightly, then walked out with a smile.

Qin Geluo patted Wang Yuanqi's shoulder, learning from what Brother Wei had said back then: "Alright alright, don't be sad, your Brother Luo is accompanying you in getting hurt too."

"You're not alone."

Qin Geluo laughed very happily, at this moment he perhaps understood Yuan Weihong's feelings back then, life completing another closed loop.

Wang Yuanqi: "..."

"But Brother Luo, you say, will Ziye mess up the Chief Resident position? Make it so future Chief Residents have no way to coast?" Wang Yuanqi was very worried.

If later, Han Yuanxiao requires all Chief Residents' capabilities to match Fang Ziye's, then this hospital's physicians basically won't be able to carry on.

"That probably won't happen."

"Director Han isn't stupid." Qin Geluo comforted.

Wang Yuanqi froze at these words, his eyebrows furrowing deeply again, wrinkling into a 'Sichuan' character between his brows: "Is it that I provoked Director Han somewhere?"

Qin Geluo shook his head again, his gaze also slightly confused.

Qin Geluo's intuition was just that Han Yuanxiao isn't stupid.

In a certain community's underground garage, a half-bald man smoked one cigarette after another.

Under the car window, cigarette butts had already piled up a full sixty-plus, and four cigarette boxes, one of which was especially wrinkled, should be the one brought to this place, the remaining cigarettes inside not too many.

Unknown how long passed, the half-bald youth's phone rang.

After answering, his wife's gentle voice came through: "Still out socializing today? Xiao Qi says she misses you, wants to video call you, when are you free?"

"Daddy Daddy!" The little girl's voice came from far to near.

"Wife~ I'm here." The middle-aged man replied.

An angry voice returned from the other side: "I'm not your wife, do you only recognize your wife?"

The wrinkles on the middle-aged man's face were filled, the worried expression healed in an instant: "Xiao Qi, are you being good? How come you're jealous with your mom too?"

"I've been in meetings out of town these days, coming back right away."

"Daddy you're lying, you said coming back right away before, yesterday still right away, today how is it right away?" Xiao Qi, though not fond of studying, had clear logic.

"You have your mom come down to get me, then I can come back right away. You believe me, Xiao Qi?" The middle-aged man replied.

"I don't believe it, I won't let mom go, you want to ditch me to go eat good food?"

"Impossible~" Xiao Qi's mind was very sharp.

When the middle-aged man saw his wife and daughter in the underground garage, the woman also saw the piled cigarette butts by the car, instinctive anger only filled three seconds before being dispersed by reason.

"Knock knock knock" on the car window: "What's wrong with you?"

Xiao Qi frowned, looking at her dad's serious face, also didn't dare act up.

"Wife. I have to resign!" The middle-aged man said.

"Okay, no problem, resign then, why smoke so much? Don't want your body anymore?" The woman was virtuous and understanding, didn't retort when the middle-aged man was fired up.

The specific reason ask later.

The middle-aged man pulled open the car door, looked at the cigarette butts on the ground.

"Let's go, we're going home, it's too smoky here." The middle-aged man said.

A warm family is a middle-aged man's "refuge".

A terrible wife is a middle-aged man's "shackles" he wants to escape.

"Daddy, you really came back right away? Weren't you in a meeting?" Xiao Qi in the middle-aged man's arms, raised her head and said.

She was just happy to see her dad again, using her voice to melt her dad.

"Meeting's over, have to go home, tomorrow Daddy still has to go to a meeting, just missed Xiao Qi so came back."

"Xiao Qi, tell your mom, Xiao Qi and Daddy are both hungry, we want to eat noodles." Yuan Weihong said to Xiao Qi in his arms.

"You're hungry yourself, still need to find your daughter to take the blame."

"I'll go to the kitchen and cook you a bowl of noodles right now, you keep our daughter company, it'll be ready soon..."

That night at ten thirty, Yuan Weihong and his wife finally coaxed the little cotton-padded jacket to sleep and put her in the children's room, then the wife asked: "Want me to keep you company for a drink?"

"Can tell, you're feeling awful inside."

"What happened?"

"Actually nothing happened!"

"It happened a long, long time ago. Talking about it in detail now means nothing." Yuan Weihong replied.

His wife asked: "Want a drink?"

The man replied: "Just a little."

"......"

Ten minutes later, when the woman had downed half a cup of red wine, the man had already downed three liang. Not even peanuts to go with it.

"And you call that nothing? Say it—I'm not your colleague, I'm not even in your line of work! ~" the woman said.

"If, say, one of your seniors, knowing full well your teacher was extremely exhausted from staying up several nights in a row, in the name of 'righteous indignation,' arranged for him to stay up again, and finally worked your teacher to death—would you hate him?" Yuan Weihong asked.

The woman frowned.

Immediately after, Yuan Weihong pinched his own eyes with his left hand, gripped the front edge of his right ear with his right hand, covering the ear canal, and muttered to himself: "I should have figured this out long ago, or rather, should have thought in this direction long ago."

"Teacher Deng Yong, such a protective person, happened to take me in when I was here, acting all righteous, and I thought it was simply because my ability defeated my classmates!"

"But recently, Director Han of our department gave me a very vivid lesson!"

"If I could be like him? It's possible." Yuan Weihong narrowed his eyes.

"You mean Ziye?" the woman asked.

"But in the end, he's not him, nor as good as him."

"Some things I only understand now, but I still thought I was extraordinary!!!!" Yuan Weihong said, then slapped himself with his right hand.

(Chapter End)