140: Chapter 140: Did they really take first place? That's amazing!
The phone vibrated a few times.
It was a message from Shen Xiaoning.
[Xiao Ning: Dr. Lu!! How did the exam go!!! I'm so nervous!!! I've been watching my phone waiting for your message since two o'clock this afternoon!!!]
[Xiao Ning: Say something!!!]
[Xiao Ning: You didn't fail and are too embarrassed to say so, did you? It's okay! It's no big deal if you failed! You're already amazing!]
[Xiao Ning: No, that's not right, you couldn't have failed. You're so amazing, you definitely did well!]
[Xiao Ning: How did you do, ahhhhh!!!]
Lu Chen looked at the string of exclamation points, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
He replied with two words.
[Lu Chen: First place]
There was silence on the other end for about five seconds.
Then the messages exploded.
[Xiao Ning: !!!!!!!!!!]
[Xiao Ning: First place!!! First place in the whole province!!!]
[Xiao Ning: Dr. Lu, you're too amazing!!!!!! I knew it!! I knew you could take first place!!!]
[Xiao Ning: When you get back, I'll cook something delicious for you!!! What do you want to eat!!! Braised pork! Or sweet and sour pork ribs! Or Coke chicken wings! Just name it!]
[Lu Chen: Anything within your cooking range is fine]
[Xiao Ning: Then I'll make three dishes! No, four! To celebrate!]
[Lu Chen: Don't make too much, it'll be a waste if we can't finish it]
[Xiao Ning: It won't be a waste! If we can't finish it, we can heat it up and eat it tomorrow!]
Lu Chen put down his phone and closed his eyes.
The curve at the corner of his mouth didn't fade.
...
5:30 PM.
The car returned to the Jiangcheng City Central Hospital.
Lu Chen took his certificate and trophy and went straight to the Emergency Department.
The lights were on in Director Li Sen's office.
Lu Chen knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Pushing the door open, Director Li Sen was reading documents behind his desk.
He looked up and saw the things in Lu Chen's hands. His eyebrows raised first, and then his mouth broke into a grin.
"Let me see."
Lu Chen handed over the certificate and trophy.
Director Li Sen took them and carefully read the content on the certificate.
"Provincial Emergency Medicine Skill Assessment, Individual Comprehensive First Prize, First Place."
He read it aloud.
Then he looked up at Lu Chen.
"What was your written exam score?"
"Eighty-six."
"And the practical?"
"Ninety-two."
Director Li Sen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Ninety-two on the practical? This assessment has been held for eight years, and I can only recall two people who scored over ninety on the practical."
"Zhou Haoran's practical score seemed to be eighty-seven last year."
"Eighty-seven point five, I remember very clearly."
Director Li Sen placed the certificate on the desk and leaned back in his chair.
"You were four and a half points higher than him. What question did you get?"
"A three-in-one: open femoral fracture with massive hemorrhage, tension pneumothorax, and a GCS of six."
Director Li Sen's expression changed.
"You got a ninety-two on a three-in-one question?"
"Yes."
Director Li Sen was silent for several seconds.
"How long did it take you?"
"Eleven minutes and twenty-seven seconds."
Director Li Sen pushed his chair back, stood up, walked to the window, and stood with his back to Lu Chen for a while.
Then he turned around.
"Lu Chen, do you know what this score means?"
"It means a five-thousand-yuan bonus."
Director Li Sen looked at him.
He was silent for two seconds.
Then he laughed.
It wasn't a forced laugh; he was genuinely laughing, laughing heartily.
"Alright, a five-thousand-yuan bonus. I'll apply for an additional department reward for you later to round it up to a nice number."
"Thank you, Director Li Sen."
"Don't thank me, you earned it yourself."
Director Li Sen walked back to his desk and picked up the phone.
"I'm going to call President Zeng to report this."
"Okay."
Lu Chen stood to the side and waited.
Director Li Sen dialed the number.
"President Zeng, this is Li Sen from the Emergency Department. Lu Chen's assessment results are out."
Lu Chen couldn't hear the voice on the other end very clearly.
Director Li Sen said, "First place in total score: eighty-six on the written exam, ninety-two on the practical, with a three-in-one practical question."
The other end of the line seemed to go quiet for a moment.
Then a voice came through, and this time Lu Chen heard it.
"Good! That's great!"
President Zeng Dayang's voice was clearly filled with excitement.
Director Li Sen said a few more words and then hung up.
"President Zeng is very happy. He said he's going to commend you at the administrative meeting the day after tomorrow."
"Okay."
Director Li Sen looked at him.
"There's one more thing."
"What is it?"
"Section Chief He Zhongfeng also went to the assessment site today."
"I saw him."
"He already reported to Vice President Peng after he got back. Vice President Peng probably has a very ugly look on his face right now."
Lu Chen didn't speak.
Director Li Sen continued.
"They originally thought that by pushing you into the provincial assessment, you would embarrass yourself. Instead, you came back with first place. This slap in the face is loud enough for the whole province to hear."
"I didn't intend to slap anyone's face; it was just a normal exam."
"I know you didn't intend to, but that's the result. The better your results, the more passive they become."
Director Li Sen walked up to Lu Chen and patted him on the shoulder.
"From today on, you have a name in the entire provincial emergency circle. First prize in the provincial assessment, a twenty-four-year-old Resident Physician—that label is loud enough."
"Okay."
"However."
Director Li Sen's tone deepened.
"The more this happens, the more you need to stay steady. Don't get carried away, don't be impetuous. Your foundation is your skill, not your fame."
"I understand."
"Good that you understand. Go back and rest. Work as usual tomorrow."
"Okay."
Lu Chen turned to walk out.
When he reached the door, Director Li Sen called him back.
"Lu Chen."
"Yes?"
"That paper of yours will be published next week."
Lu Chen was slightly stunned.
"So fast?"
"The review passed, and the editors expedited the layout. Editor-in-Chief Li gave some face."
Lu Chen nodded.
"Thank you, Director Li Sen."
"You wrote this yourself; it has nothing to do with me. I just helped you submit it."
Lu Chen walked out of Director Li Sen's office.
The hallway had already darkened.
When he passed the Nurse Station, Meng Yan was on duty.
"Dr. Lu is back? I heard you took first place today?"
News travels really fast.
"Yes, Sister Yan."
"Not bad, you've brought honor to our Emergency Department. I'll have everyone celebrate together tomorrow."
"Don't bother with that. Just work as usual."
"You really are boring. Young people should be a bit more high-profile."
Lu Chen smiled, didn't respond, and walked toward the Duty Room.
Passing the Red Zone, Wu Fan poked his head out of the Resuscitation Room.
"First place?"
"Yes."
"Provincial?"
"Yes."
Wu Fan looked at him for two seconds.
"Are you even human?"
"I should be."
"I seriously suspect you're a product that escaped from some laboratory."
"Brother Wu, I don't really like hearing that."
"Like it or not, you have to hear it. Your existence has severely damaged the self-confidence of us old employees, do you know that?"
Sun Ji poked half his head out from behind Wu Fan.
"First place? Really?"
"Really."
"First place in the provincial Emergency Medicine assessment? That provincial assessment that's been held for eight years?"
"Yes."
Sun Ji looked at him, his mouth opening and closing, opening and closing.
Finally, he said one thing.
"Lu Chen, can you leave a way for us ordinary people to survive?"
"Brother Sun, that's too exaggerated."
"It's not exaggerated at all. I've been a Resident Physician for three years and don't even have the qualifications to sign up. You've been here for two months and came back with first place. How are we supposed to live?"
Wu Fan added from the side.
"Just don't live."
"Get lost."
Lu Chen shook his head and walked into the Duty Room.
He closed the door.
He took a shower first and changed into clean clothes.
Then he sat on the bed and opened his phone.
There were many messages.
Xiao Ning sent a series of congratulations and a menu for the food she would cook tomorrow.
Zhao Yaqin sent a "Rest well."
Director Li Sen sent "Paper published next week."
There were also congratulations from a few unknown numbers, likely WeChat contacts added at the assessment site today.
Lu Chen replied to each one briefly.
Then he turned off his phone screen and closed his eyes.
The system notification sound rang right on time.
[System settling...]
[Summary of today's assessment activities]
[Provincial Emergency Medicine Skill Assessment · Written Exam Section]
[The host fully utilized and tested the Basic Theory of Emergency Medicine during the written exam.]
[Basic Theory of Emergency Medicine experience points + 280 (including 30% bonus from the Theory Knowledge Enhancement Card)]
[Basic Theory of Emergency Medicine progress: 62/100 → 68/100]
Lu Chen looked at the jump in theory progress and nodded.
Six points of progress for one written exam—not bad.
[Provincial Emergency Medicine Skill Assessment · Practical Section]
[The host completed the full process of emergency treatment for triple fatal injuries during the practical assessment.]
[Assessment rating: SS grade (full marks operation, zero errors, perfect completion of high-difficulty three-in-one scenario)]
[Triggered over-level assessment bonus: experience points × 8 times]
[Emergency Surgery Skill Enhancement Card bonus: related skill experience points + 50%]
Eight times experience critical hit.
Plus the enhancement card.
Lu Chen looked down.
[Closed Thoracic Drainage progress: 38/100 → 47/100]
[Comprehensive Trauma First Aid progress: 34/100 → 46/100]
[Tracheal Intubation progress: 54/100 → 62/100]
[Manual Hemostasis progress: 69/100 → 75/100]
[Basic Surgical Operations progress: 77/100 → 82/100]
Every skill was rising.