As Pei Baoer was wheeled into the operating theater, there were many things on her mind. All of them were fleeting thoughts that came and went.
The thing that had echoed in her mind the most was the joke her best friend made: The tremendously handsome Doctor Ling would be cutting your foot open, fish out your Achilles tendon, and squash it to pieces with his hand…
Due to that, Pei Baoerâs imagination ran wild. It was to the point that everything in the operating theater seemed unreal.
The cloth in the operating theater was dark blue.
The curtains in the operating theater were dark green.
The people in the operating theater wereâ¦
âWhereâs Doctor Ling?â Pei Baoer suddenly became a little anxious. She looked around and tried to figure out which mask-covered face belonged to Doctor Ling.
In reality, she could tell based on their body structure that none of them were Doctor Ling.
âDoctor Ling is the chief surgeon, so heâll only come over after we have prepared everything.â Wang Jia was the circulating nurse today, and she had met many silly girls like this. She could not help but smile and say, âDonât tell me that you sought treatment from Doctor Ling because heâs handsome.â
Pei Baoer glanced at Wang Jia in disdain and said, âDo you think that everyone who seeks him out gets to be operated by him? My father only managed to get him to operate on me through connections.â
She was solemnly trying to convey the fact that she was a rich and beautiful woman who was so rich that her family owned a mine through her expression and words.
Wang Jia pursed her lips and smiled. âI donât care whether youâre here through connections or because Doctor Ling is handsome. It doesnât matter, as Doctor Ling is the best doctor in the world when it comes to Achilles tendon repair surgery.â
âEven my father, who likes to boast about things, only dared to say that heâs one of the top surgeons.â Pei Baoer refuted Wang Jiaâs statement out of habit. She then looked around, pouted, and said, âIâm not saying that Doctor Ling isnât the best in the world. Iâm just saying that—â
âWe should be more humble about it?â Wang Jia spoke as she smiled and looked through the patientâs examination report, body temperature report, surgery consent form, and anesthesia consent form.
This was part of the procedure. More often than not, nothing would go wrong, but nurses could never be too careful about things.
As Pei Baoer lay on the operating table, she was suddenly in the mood to chat. âIâm just saying that since Doctor Ling is the best in the world when it comes to Achilles tendon repair surgery, why canât he make the incision smaller so that the scar will be smaller? All the excellent doctors I see on TV can perform incredible feats. Doctors like Doctor Ling should be even more incredible, shouldnât it…?â
Wang Jia glanced at Pei Baoer and said uncertainly, âYouâre an athlete, arenât you? Why else would you choose to receive an open Achilles tendon repair surgery?â
âDancer. Iâm a dance student.â Pei Baoer solemnly corrected Wang Jia.
Wang Jia immediately realized the reason behind Pei Baoerâs decision. âNo wonder. Of course, a dancer would mind having a scar.â
âFemale athletes are girls too,â Pei Baoer said innocently.
Wang Jiaâs emotions were not affected at all as she gazed at Pei Baoerâs face. âThis is how medical technology is like. You have no choice but to receive open Achilles tendon repair surgery since you want a strong Achilles tendon. If you were to care about nothing but the aesthetics, you could have opted for minimally invasive surgery… Actually, youâve made the right choice. You know, the scar will fade, but the dancing skills you obtain and the experience of participating in competitions will always stay with you, donât you think so?â
âMy mom said the same.â Pei Baoer sighed. She then smiled at Wang Jia and said, âBy the way, big sister, can you tell Doctor Ling to make my incision a little smaller and make the stitches less obvious when heâs stitching my wound?â
âSo, you want the scar to be as small as possible, and for the stitches not to be obvious. Am I right?â
âYeah.â
âDidnât you tell Doctor Ling that when you talked to him before the surgery?â Wang Jia did not agree to her request and asked her a question instead.
Pei Baoer pouted. âEverythingâs good about Doctor Ling, but heâs such a prim and proper person. He could have pretended to agree to it. I wouldnât blame him even if he doesnât stick to his promise…â
Wang Jia was exasperated. âSince youâve already spoken to Doctor Ling and he didnât agree to it, whatâs the point in asking me to tell him that? Or do you want me to pretend to agree to your request?â
âIs it really not possible?â Pei Baoer was quite concerned about having a large scar. Of course, she cared more about being able to dance.
Wang Jia threw her hands up in exasperation and said, âThe exact size of your incision depends on the condition of your Achilles tendon, and the surgeon cannot just stitch up your incision the way you want it to be. If itâs possible, Doctor Ling will definitely make it look as good as possible. Truth be told, based on your circumstances, I can tell you that you definitely made the best choice by seeking treatment from Doctor Ling.â
As Wang Jia spoke, she was paying attention to Pei Baoerâs calf. Because the surgery was delayed a few days, the condition of Pei Baoerâs calf was rather bad. It might even cause her to need a bigger incision than usual.
However, as she had told Pei Baoer, she had definitely made the best choice by wanting Ling Ran to operate on her.
*Swish.*
Someone opened the door of the operating theater, and Pei Baoer immediately looked up excitedly. However, a few nerdy doctors were the ones who entered the operating theater instead.
âIsnât Doctor Ling the one who will be operating on me?â Pei Baoer was almost screaming.
âThe anesthetist is here,â Wang Jia explained.
âWhy are there so many anesthetists?â Pei Baoer curled up uneasily. âHow long do you guys plan to knock me out?â
âThe rest of them are doctors who are here to observe the surgery,â Wang Jia explained with a smile. âDoctors from many hospitals are interested in learning about Achilles tendon repair from Doctor Ling. This is why there are often people visiting the operating theater when heâs working. You donât mind, do you?â
âNot really.â Pei Baoer looked around at the people in the room. She then craned her head and asked, âHow about Doctor Ling? When is he coming? Donât tell me that heâll only come over after Iâm under anesthetics.â
âDoctor Ling will position you with the help of Doctor Su before Doctor Su administers anesthetics,â Wang Jia explained.
Pei Baoer immediately blushed, and various s*xual positions that she had seen on explicit images and porn videos immediately appeared in her mind.
*Swish.*
Ling Ran entered the operating theater.
All the doctors in the operating theater looked at him.
Ling Ran raised his hands and put on a pair of scrubs with the help of a nurse.
Ma Yanlin walked in after him. He tore open the plastic wrapping around a pair of scrubs and quickly put them on.
Pei Baoer could sense the tense atmosphere in the operating theater and merely looked anxiously at Ling Ran with yearning. Ling Ran was standing not far away from her, and she could basically smell his hormones in the air. It was as if the ventilating system of the operating theater was no longer working.
âRelax your body and lay on your stomach.â Ling Ranâs voice rang out from beside her.
Pei Baoer immediately did as she said, and she kept screaming internally, âDoctor Ling has such a pleasant voice! I hope he speaks more.â
Soon, Ling Ranâs voice rang out again.
âGo ahead and administer anesthetics.â
Before Pei Baoer realized what was going on, she started losing consciousness.
âWeâre performing Achilles tendon repair surgery with a small incision today,â Ling Ran said calmly only after the patient lost her consciousness entirely.
Ma Yanlin, who was carrying out the preoperative preparations, froze. âArenât we using the Zhu-Ling Achilles Repair Technique?â
âSomething similar, but I made some changes.â Ling Ran paused for a moment and continued, âI had a discussion with Academician Zhu, and we came to the conclusion that open Achilles tendon repair surgery with a small incision could be quite valuable to some. For example, this patient of ours wants to continue dancing after the surgery. Her occupation and lifestyle mean that she needs a small scar. Hence, what she needs are a strong Achilles tendon and a smaller incision.â
Ling Ran explained things in detail, and the other people who were participating in the surgery naturally had no objection. Of course, since Ling Ran was the chief surgeon, all the other medical staff members would definitely go along with everything he said. If some other attending physician or senior resident doctor were the ones breaking the protocol that had been agreed upon, the other medical staff members would have cursed him to death.
After the surgery began, Ma Yanlin struck up a conversation with Ling Ran. âDoctor Ling, did you specially modify the steps of this surgery because of this patient?â
âI guess so. If it goes well, we can continue promoting this new surgical method.â
âYou didnât reveal anything about it beforehand at all. I thought that we would be using the normal Zhu-Ling Achilles Tendon Repair…â
âThe surgery might not be successful with a small incision. If it fails, weâll have to expand the incision and go according to the original plan.â Ling Ranâs voice was loud and clear.
Ma Yanlin immediately understood. âI see. You did this so that the patientâs expectation wouldnât be too high. But you did come out with the best solution for this young womanâs plight…â
When Wang Jia heard what Ma Yanlin said, she could not help but feel a surge of warmth in her heart.
All the other doctors in the operating theater were touched too.
âLetâs carry on with the surgery.â Ling Ran did not look at any of them, and he continued operating on the patient. âThe plan would only be considered successful if the surgery is completed smoothly.â
âSo, youâve indeed come out with the best solution for this young womanâs plight.â
âIsnât this a doctorâs job?â Again, Ling Ran spoke without raising his head. There was not even the slightest change in his tone of voice.