4: Chapter 4: The credit was taken away.
After the Operating Room was cleaned up, Lu Chen followed Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang out of the room.
In the corridor, the woman had already stopped crying.
She was standing there supported by a Nurse, her face covered in dried tear stains, and her eyes were so red and swollen she could barely open them.
Seeing Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang come out, she threw herself toward him.
"Doctor! How is my husband? Is he still with us?"
Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang opened his mouth, glanced at Lu Chen behind him, and then turned his head back.
"The surgery was very successful; the bleeding has been stopped."
"We saved him; his vital signs are currently stable."
The woman's legs went weak, and she knelt directly on the ground.
"Thank you! Thank you, Dr. Liu! Thank you for saving my husband!"
Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang quickly helped her up: "Don't kneel, don't kneel, this is just our job."
Lu Chen stood behind them, saying nothing.
He noticed that Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang said "the surgery was very successful" without mentioning who had actually performed it.
The woman was thanking "Dr. Liu."
Not "Dr. Lu."
Lu Chen knew very well what this implied.
But he said nothing.
After settling the family members, Lu Chen followed Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang back to the Duty Room.
Once the door was closed, Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang's expression changed instantly.
It wasn't anger, but an extremely complex mix of emotions.
There was shock, doubt, embarrassment, and a trace of inexplicable wariness.
"Xiao Lu, take a seat." Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang pointed to a chair.
Lu Chen sat down.
Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang sat opposite him and remained silent for a long while before speaking.
"Tell me the truth, where exactly did you learn this before?"
"Did you spend time in some big shot's laboratory? Or is someone in your family a surgeon?"
Lu Chen shook his head.
"None of the above, Teacher Liu. I just attended medical school normally; I didn't have any special training while at school."
Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang asked again.
"Then what was with that technique tonight?"
"That Manual Hemostasis, and that Suturing."
"I haven't been able to reach that level even after eight years in surgery. How did you, an intern, do it?"
Lu Chen thought for a moment and said, "Maybe it's just talent."
Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang almost knocked over the water cup on the desk.
Talent?
You call that talent?
If you are 'talented,' then what do Liu Wenqiang's eight years count for?
Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to cough up blood from frustration.
"Fine, if you say it's talent, it's talent. I won't argue with you. Now, let's talk business."
His expression became serious.
"In tonight's surgery, you saved a life. That is a good thing."
"I admit your skill shocked me, truly shocked me."
"But Xiao Lu, do you realize how big of a mistake you made?"
Lu Chen didn't speak.
"You don't have a medical license; you are an intern."
"In the Operating Room, you pushed aside a formal staff Resident Physician and snatched the scalpel from an Attending Physician."
"Do you have any idea what the consequences would be if this was reported?"
Lu Chen said, "I know."
"You knew and you still did it?"
"Because if I hadn't, the patient would be dead."
Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang was choked up.
He opened his mouth and then closed it again.
After ten seconds or so, he sighed.
"You're right. Human life is paramount."
"But Xiao Lu, a Hospital isn't just a place about saving lives; it's also about rules and social politics."
"What you did tonight was morally flawless."
"But institutionally, you crossed the line."
Lu Chen nodded, expressing his understanding.
"So, how will this be handled?"
Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang hesitated, leaning back in his chair.
"I will report the records of tonight's surgery under my name."
"I will be the lead surgeon, and your status on the report will be the second assistant."
"The benefit of this is that you won't be disciplined for performing surgery without a license, and I won't be held accountable for abandoning the table."
Lu Chen was silent for a moment.
He understood.
Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang was going to take the credit for the surgery.
It wasn't that Liu Wenqiang was necessarily a bad person, but the situation itself was very delicate.
If reported truthfully—stating that the intern Lu Chen completed the surgery alone after the Attending Physician announced they were giving up—
Then when the higher-ups investigated, the first to suffer would be Liu Wenqiang for abandoning the surgery.
The second to suffer would be Lu Chen for operating without a license.
The third to suffer would be the entire department for chaotic management.
No one would benefit.
So, while Liu Wenqiang's approach was unfair to Lu Chen, it was indeed the way to minimize losses for everyone.
Lu Chen understood this point and did not argue.
"Alright, I'll follow your lead."
Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang glanced at him, a trace of complex emotion in his eyes.
"Xiao Lu, don't resent me. I don't want it to be like this either, but these are the rules of the Hospital."
"You are still an intern; you are not qualified to stand at the operating table, even if your skills are better than everyone else's."
"Until you get your medical license, you simply cannot be the lead surgeon."
"That is the law, not Liu Wenqiang's personal rule."
Lu Chen said, "I understand, Teacher Liu."
"Do you really understand?"
"I really do."
Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang stared at him for several seconds, then shook his head.
"You kid... you're twenty-four, but your eyes are steadier than a forty-year-old veteran's. I can't figure you out."
"However, I won't pretend tonight never happened. I owe you a favor."
"I will pay this favor back to you."
Lu Chen looked up at him.
Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang thought for a moment and said, "Which department do you want to go to?"
Lu Chen hardly hesitated: "The Emergency Department."
Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang was stunned for a moment, then laughed.
"The Emergency Department? You stamina monster, you actually want to go to that asura field? Do you have any idea how terrifying the night shifts are in the Emergency Department?"
"I know."
"You know and you still want to go?"
"Because one learns things the fastest in the Emergency Department."
Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang looked at those calm eyes that carried a certain ambition and remained silent for a while.
"Fine, I'll have a word with the Teaching Office. You can report to the Emergency Department next week."
"Thank you, Teacher Liu."
"Don't thank me. You saved a life tonight; you earned this."
Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang walked out of the Duty Room.
...
After the door closed, Lu Chen sat there alone, quiet for a good while.
Then he opened the system panel in his mind.
[Host: Lu Chen]
[Identity: Intern Doctor (Jiangcheng City Central Hospital)]
[Current Department: General Surgery Department → About to transfer to Emergency Department]
[Skill Panel (Experience points will be converted into percentages; values are calculated by percentage)]
[Manual Hemostasis: Master Level (Progress: 23/100)]
[Suturing: Perfect Level (Progress: 15/100)]
[Basic Surgical Operations: Proficient Level (Progress: 0/100)]
[Internal Medicine Diagnostics: Entry Level (Progress: 0/100)]
[Emergency Medicine: Unlocked (Automatically unlocks upon entering the Emergency Department)]
[Title Bar:]
[Currently Equipped: enemy of yama (Primary)]
[Effect: When a dying patient is within 10 meters of the host, the rate of decline in vital signs is slowed by 50%]
[gratitude points: 200]
[Available Gacha Draws: 1]
Lu Chen looked at the panel, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
While other interns thought every day about how to avoid being scolded by senior doctors or how to work fewer night shifts,
He was thinking about how to take on more surgeries and accumulate more experience points.
While others were exhausted to the point of collapse, he wished for a few more emergency cases.
This was probably the difference.
He glanced at the gacha button and hesitated for a moment.
Never mind, save it for now.
He'd use it after entering the Emergency Department; maybe it would come in handy at a critical moment then.