Chapter 557: line with translation of chapter title

"548 I'm really stupid, really."

"Hmm." Zheng Ren's eyes crinkled, and the corner of his mouth beneath the sterile mask lifted slightly, revealing a smile.

"..." Director Kong thought he was being really stupid.

Really, he was especially stupid.

That surgery was already finished, but he was still scrubbing his hands, holding them up, and entered the operating room.

Could he be half-asleep? Director Kong felt a bit odd; since he wasn't performing surgery, he didn't need to be sterile.

He used the isolation gown to dry his hands, then took out his phone.

It had just been thirty-five minutes since he last checked the time before dozing off.

That's right...

"Zheng Lao Ban, you performed the surgery for a severe pelvic fracture, embolizing the internal iliac branches?" Director Kong asked.

He felt especially stupid,

Really, he was especially stupid.

"Uh... yes." Zheng Ren felt the same way.

"Something must have gone wrong." Director Kong stared blankly at Zheng Ren.

Zheng Ren pressed hard with both hands to stop the bleeding, but could only look at Director Kong.

The two locked eyes, and were speechless...

After nearly a minute, Director Kong dazedly removed his lead apron and asked, "What kind of machine is this?"

"It's similar to the machine in the capital. Do you want to see the fluoroscopy? I'll do it shortly, don't worry." Zheng Ren said.

Director Kong waved his hand and stubbornly went to the operating room.

The machine models were similar, and Director Kong operated it smoothly.

The super-selective images were intact; Director Kong viewed them at double speed, and the microguidewire kept drifting across his view, seeming almost alive.

The diagnosis was fine; there were several ruptures in the internal iliac vessels, and four branches had been embolized.

But...... but...... why did it happen so fast?

It must be because I didn't sleep well.

"Zhou Ge, it's done." Zheng Ren finished hemostasis, applied a pressure bandage to the patient, and returned to the operating room.

Doctor Zhou smiled and said, "Chief Zheng, your skill is really getting better and better."

He doesn't understand interventional surgery; it was just Teacher Tian from the capital who told him that Chief Zheng is an expert. Furthermore, for any future patient needing vertebral body removal, he must be told in advance to embolize the lumbar horizontal artery before surgery, and he flew from the capital to observe.

So Doctor Zhou just says what sounds nice; it's the middle of the night bothering people to do emergency interventional embolization, and if he doesn't say nice things, his EQ is too low.

"It's a minor surgery, nothing much." Zheng Ren smiled and said, "Director Kong, you must be tired; go rest in the on-call room for a while."

"Oh." Director Kong uttered a dazed "oh."

He thought he indeed needed sleep; in fact, he was already hallucinating.

The machine's playback of the surgical procedure showed absolutely no problems—not even any flaws.

Clean, neat, and efficient!

But the problem is right here.

It was done too fast!

Director Kong knew Zheng Ren's surgery was good, but in his impression, it absolutely shouldn't be at this level.

He must be overly sleepy; that's for sure.

I'm really stupid; why would I think to check just how busy Haicheng City First Hospital is?

He hadn't performed a single surgery; just tagging along had already exhausted him like a dog.

"Zheng Lao Ban, I'm going to get some sleep." Director Kong yawned and headed out.

Zheng Ren quickly pointed out the location of the male on-call room in the operating theater to Director Kong, so he could go rest there.

Then he and Doctor Zhou together lifted the patient down and sent him away.

The operating room doors opened, and Chu Yan zhi came back carrying big and small bags.

"Zhou Ge, come later for a late-night snack." Zheng Ren said politely.

"No thanks." Doctor Zhou saw that the emergency department was swamped, so naturally he couldn't add to the chaos, saying, "I still have plenty of work to do; I'll treat you another day."

After saying that, Doctor Zhou took the patient and left.

"You did it again?!" Chu Yan zhi looked at Zheng Ren with a hopeless expression.

"Yeah, they're doing an appendectomy inside; it should be finishing soon." Zheng Ren said, "Grab a bite while you can; who knows what the later night will bring."

"Chief Zheng, it's already late at night." Chu Yan zhi complained, "If you keep going like this, it'll be morning. You'd better hurry to the capital; don't stay in the emergency department causing trouble."

"..." Zheng Ren didn't want to either.

However, maybe if Director Kong falls asleep, it'll get better?

Hopefully.

Hopefully

…… -> none.

…… -> none.

Director Kong slept very soundly, deeply, and peacefully.

It's been a long time since he slept this comfortably.

When he was awakened by the clang of the operating room doors shutting, it was already 7:40 a. m.

He slept well, huh? This isn't home! Where is this?

After a dazed minute, Director Kong realized this was Haicheng; past midnight last night, he couldn't hold on, so he ended up sleeping in the on-call room.

Whoa... Director Kong immediately did a sit-up and sat up.

Today I still have to go to Eryuan for a TIPS Surgery!

I need to watch the TIPS Surgery!

Zheng Ren won't have left, will he?

Putting on slippers, Director Kong walked into the hallway.

The whole hallway was filled with a numb feeling, and the patrolling nurses seemed to 'fly' like walking corpses.

"..." Director Kong was stunned.

Have the surgeries been going on until now?

"Zheng... Zheng Lao Ban?!" Director Kong shouted.

"Director Kong, you're up!" Zheng Ren replied.

Everyone has to shout to speak; otherwise everyone would be numb from exhaustion, and any softer voice wouldn't be heard.

Director Kong followed the sound over and saw Zheng Ren sitting in the operating room doing an X-ray.

"Zheng Lao Ban, you're doing surgery again?" Director Kong felt a bit embarrassed, having said he would "observe" all night, but he ended up falling asleep first.

"Again?" Zheng Ren said while concentrating on operating the machine.

At a glance it was clear Director Kong's words hadn't gone through his brain; Zheng Ren understood them literally.

"Yeah, I remember when I was asleep you just finished a surgery embolizing the internal iliac artery for a pelvic bone fracture."

Zheng Ren's hand hung in midair, as if he were recalling.

The atmosphere in the operating room was especially stiff, and Director Kong felt he had misspoken.

After recalling for a dozen seconds, Zheng Ren smiled and said, "Director Kong, you're referring to that orthopedics surgery."

"Yes."

"After that I also did two cases of massive bleeding from scar pregnancy in Obstetrics and Gynecology, three appendicitis cases, two cholecystitis cases, and a major rescue from a car accident." Zheng Ren said: "This is just after completing the interventional surgery for scar pregnancy; I'm now doing the X-ray."

"..." Director Kong was astonished.

"Director Kong, there might not be time to wash up." Zheng Ren said apologetically: "The car is downstairs; we need to go to the City Eryuan."

"No problem, no problem." Director Kong quickly said: "Can you hold on?"

"Should be fine." Zheng Ren looked a bit listless but spoke clearly: "Nap a bit in the car, it's fine; today we only have four TIPS Surgeries, we'll finish quickly."

Four…… TIPS Surgeries…… and they'll be done soon…… Director Kong felt he must still be asleep.

Otherwise how could one hear such a sentence? Actually hearing someone describe four TIPS Surgeries as "only".

I really want to go back and keep sleeping. It seems I'm getting old; staying up until twelve-thirty, I'm having auditory hallucinations to this extent.

"No, there are still a few Phase Two surgeries. But it's fine." After finishing the X-ray, the machine spat out the film; he took it to explain the surgery process to the patient's family.

Leaving Director Kong standing in the operating room, as if sleepwalking.