Chapter 964: Chapter 964: Ceremoniously

The operating theater of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery was situated to the right of the elevators. They chose to build it there so that the patient could straightaway be wheeled into the operating theater at lightning speed after going up the elevator.

Back when the building was built, Department Director Kang really liked the location of this operating theater, which was located at the center of the hospital. He had imagined the scene that would unfold whenever a patient was wheeled into the wards. Cardiovascular surgeons who mastered top-notch medical skills who were clad in beautiful scrubs would be ceremoniously entering the wards with both their hands raised, leaving the crowd of doctors who were watching behind them.

No matter how arrogant a surgeon was, they would have no choice but to pass by the elevators, and bumping into the doctors from the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery was inevitable.

The cardiovascular surgeons’ expression may have been solemn or jocular, with hulking figures and fingertips that were pulsing with strength…

At least, when Department Director Kang imagined this scene, there was background music in his mind.

“All of you, stand up straight.” Department Director Kang looked around and reprimanded his subordinates.

‘All of them are slumping! Is this how a doctor should look?’

“Boss, I haven’t been home for thirty hours,” one of his subordinates grumbled as he stood up straight.

“You haven’t been home for thirty hours. This doesn’t mean that you didn’t get any sleep over these past thirty hours.” Department Director Kang snorted internally. He knew very well that his department did not have that many patients.

Department Director Kang furrowed his eyebrows. He was very dissatisfied with his subordinate’s attitude. What would have happened if Huo Congjun said the same thing? Would anyone refute this?

At the end of the day, he had too little control. Department Director Kang furrowed his eyebrows and thought about if it was not for the fact that he was lacking in manpower, he would make things difficult for everyone in his department to safeguard his authority as a department director.

“Stand up straight, everyone. Wash your hands more carefully and stop whispering to one another. Why do I feel like a school teacher?” Department Director Kang kept barking orders and tried to make his subordinates act more like what he imagined top surgeons should be like.

Of course, it was useless.

If it were of any use, he would not have needed to wait until today to say these words.

His subordinates obeyed his orders nonchalantly. They looked more like they were dealing with an associate chief physician than a stern department director.

Department Director Kang softened his tone. “Keep your spirits up, everyone. We don’t really get that many surgeries every week, so now that we’re in the operating theater, we should work earnestly. Surgeons become skillful through practice.”

“But our surgical volume is a little too low, isn’t it?” His assistant today, Assistant Physician He Liang pursed his mouth and grumbled out of habit.

Junior doctors must respect senior doctors and fulfill all of the senior doctors’ reasonable and unreasonable demands. They also have to act as an outlet for senior doctors to vent their emotions while getting minimal pay and doing maximal work… But the prerequisite was that the said senior doctors were able to provide those junior doctors with resources.

A monetary reward, as well as a promotion, could be considered as resources. Unquantifiable skills and a bright future could also be considered as resources. But the most basic resources a doctor could get were patients and surgeries.

If a department did not even have enough patients and surgeries, how were the doctors going to have any future or develop any skills? How was the doctor going to get any monetary reward?

Unfortunately, this was how things were currently like in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of Yun Hua Hospital. Department Director Kang tried all means and methods to rope in more patients, but he could not even get enough patients for himself. How could there be any more patients left for his subordinates to practice on?

Department Director Kang did feel slightly guilty about it.

*Mumble, mumble, mumble, mumble…*

A few young nurses who were passing by the handwashing room were talking to each other.

*Clack, clack, clack, clack…*

Two doctors who looked like they were passing by stopped in their tracks and looked over.

Department Director Kang suddenly felt slightly touched.

‘Yes, Yun Hua Hospital’s Department of Cardiovascular Surgery is a little small. But cardiovascular surgery is still a respectable, top-notch field that garners other people’s attention, or else, why would so many people look at the few weak doctors in our department?’

“He Liang!” Department Director Kang suddenly called out fiercely.

He Liang froze, but he answered obediently, “Department director?”

“Stop spreading fallacies to mislead people. If you’re not willing to operate on patients anymore, just go home and rest.” Department Director Kang was directly chasing He Liang away. Based on Department Director Kang’s usual behavior, this was considered a very stern warning.

They were only doing simple cardiac trauma repair today. Even without an assistant like He Liang, Department Director Kang would be able to handle things himself.

He Liang did not know what was going on in his department director’s mind. He froze for a moment before lowering his head and letting it go.

Department Director Kang felt that he had regained some of his authority as a department director. Just as he was about to flash a smile, a silhouette appeared in the corridor.

“Department Director Kang.” Ling Ran’s tall figure appeared, and he walked into the handwashing room after greeting Department Director Kang.

“Doctor Ling.”

“Doctor Ling?”

All the people in the handwashing room were extremely astonished.

After Ling Ran started washing his hands, more and more people started to walk past the hand washing room. There were also nurses who pretended to pass by and intruded the hand washing room. They looked at Ling Ran like they were about to eat him up before leaving with their heads lowered.

Department Director Kang panicked internally and asked, “Ling Ran… do you have a surgery going on here?”

“Not yet… I think.”

“Then, why are you washing your hands?”

“Oh… I’m thinking of taking a look at your operating theater.” Ling Ran flashed a socially appropriate smile. “Sometimes, I like to wash my hands before watching surgeries.”

Department Director Kang almost cursed out loud.

What was the purpose of him washing his hands after watching other people performing surgery? The answer was self-evident.

Department Director Kang looked coldly at Ling Ran and said, “Doctor Ling, there will be quite a lot of people working in the operating theater today, so I won’t be inviting you over.”

Ling Ran froze for a moment and asked, “How many people are there in your department?”

Department Director Kang was extremely furious. ‘Is the main point in what I said the number of people?!’

“How’s the patient’s condition?” When Ling Ran saw that Department Director Kang was saying nothing, he threw the latter another question.

“How good can the condition of a patient suffering from cardiac trauma be?” Department Director Kang asked in exasperation.

“If it’s pure cardiac trauma, I’ve operated on a patient with this condition before…” Ling Ran had learned how to voice out his point of view.

When it came to surgeries like this, the fact that a surgeon had performed it before was the best proof of his capabilities. A surgeon who had performed a cardiovascular surgery before was totally different from one who had never performed cardiovascular surgery.

As long as a surgeon had performed cardiovascular surgery before, the likelihood of him making any mistake was relatively lower.

Department Director Kang saw that Ling Ran had revealed his true intention, and he was still thinking about how to say no when a young nurse beside him said in a soft voice, “Department director, I’ve asked someone to switch on all the air-conditioners and ventilators. Having a few more doctors in the operating theater won’t be a problem.”

“Alright, then.” Department Director Kang flung his hands to dry them and headed to the operating theater. He did not even bother saying anything.

In the operating theater, the anesthetist was done making preparations. When he saw that Department Director Kang and his entourage were back, he rose and said, “We can get started now.”

“Let’s get started, then.” Department Director Kang took the position of chief surgeon.

“Oh, alright.” The anesthetist was not very used to how aggressive Department Director Kang was acting. ‘I thought that we’re taking it easy.’

*Shick*

The moment the surgery began, someone opened the door of the operating theater.

“Doctor Ling.” The nurses let out soft gasps.

Department Director Kang said nothing. He was operating on the patient with his head lowered.

“Midline incision,” Ling Ran simply commented when he saw what Department Director Kang was doing.

Department Director Kang, though, could not help but suck in a sharp breath. His desire to get to the patient ahead of Ling Ran suddenly disappeared, and his mind was flooded with worry instead. ‘Am I going to fade into the background during this surgery?’