43: Chapter 43 What's the use of being popular if it doesn't lead to a raise?

Lu Chen finished watching the video and returned the phone to Lin Xiaoyu.

"Who filmed this?"

"I don't know. Maybe it was a patient or a family member who was in the hallway at the time."

Lin Xiaoyu's eyes were sparkling.

"Brother Lu, you've gone viral online!"

"What's the point of going viral? It doesn't come with a raise."

Lu Chen's reaction was very pragmatic.

Lin Xiaoyu was amused by his words, her dimples deepening.

"Why do you only think about money?"

"If I don't think about money, what should I think about? I still have rent to pay."

In reality, he was currently living in the Hospital's free Duty Room, so there was no rent, but that wasn't something suitable to say to others.

Lu Chen inserted the straw into his milk tea, took a sip, and then headed upstairs.

"I'm going to see Director Li first; he's waiting for me."

"Alright, Brother Lu, see you tomorrow!"

Lin Xiaoyu waved behind him.

Lu Chen went upstairs and walked to the door of Director Li Sen's office.

The door was ajar, and the light was on.

He knocked twice on the door.

"Come in."

Director Li Sen was sitting behind his desk, with a cup of tea in front of him and several documents spread out beside it.

Seeing Lu Chen enter, he gestured for him to sit down.

"You're back?"

"Yes, just arrived."

"I've heard about what happened at Guangfu Hospital."

Director Li Sen picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"Director Wang told me about your performance in the Suturing competition. You did well."

"Thank you, Director Li."

"I also know about what happened on the last day."

Director Li Sen put down the teacup and looked into Lu Chen's eyes.

"Director Qian Fangxu called me personally to tell me about your performance in the Debridement Room."

Lu Chen didn't speak, waiting for him to continue.

"He said that when faced with a violent threat, you didn't back down; you stood in front of the patient and pushed back."

"Yes."

"I'm asking you, were you afraid at the time?"

"It would be a lie to say I wasn't afraid at all, but in that situation, retreating would have been the same as handing the patient over."

Director Li Sen was silent for a few seconds.

"You did the right thing."

"But I also want to tell you, if you encounter something like this in the future, call the police immediately, notify security immediately, and don't try to handle it alone. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

"You are a doctor, not a security guard. Your duty is to save lives, not to block blades."

"If you get stabbed there, where am I going to find another Trainee Physician as useful as you?"

Lu Chen heard the concern in those words, and the corners of his mouth moved slightly.

"Don't worry, Director Li, I know my limits."

"It's good that you know your limits."

Director Li Sen leaned back in his chair.

"There is one more thing."

"Have you seen the video online?"

"Lin Xiaoyu just showed it to me."

"Hmm, that video is spreading quite widely now. Although it doesn't show your face clearly, anyone who knows you will figure it out."

Director Li Sen paused.

"It's a good thing for you, but don't get carried away. Fame comes and goes quickly; what really stands the test of time is skill."

"I understand."

"Alright, go back and rest. Work as usual tomorrow."

Lu Chen stood up.

"Director Li, I'll be going then."

"Yes, go ahead."

When Lu Chen reached the door, Director Li Sen called him back.

"Lu Chen."

"Yes?"

"Director Qian Fangxu said something on the phone, and I'll pass it on to you."

Lu Chen turned around.

"He said, with a young man like you at Central Hospital, the road ahead won't be bad."

Lu Chen was stunned for a moment.

This was a veteran expert who had worked in the Emergency Department for over twenty years, a department director with an extremely strong personality, saying this to a Trainee Physician.

The weight of it was significant.

"Please thank Director Qian for me."

"You can thank him yourself in the future."

Director Li Sen waved his hand.

Lu Chen turned and walked out of the office, closing the door behind him.

The hallway was quiet, with only the noise from the Emergency Department in the distance.

He carried his half-finished milk tea and walked toward the Duty Room.

He pushed open the door to the Duty Room, put down his backpack, and sat on the bed.

Finally, he could have some peace and quiet.

He took out his phone and glanced at the video.

The number of likes had reached fifty thousand, and the comments were still growing.

[Has anyone figured it out yet? Who exactly is this doctor?]

[Location: Jiangcheng. A friend said this person seems to be from the Emergency Department at Central Hospital.]

[Central Hospital? That Grade A tertiary Hospital?]

[Yes, they say he's a Trainee Physician, only twenty-four years old.]

[Twenty-four?! He's this fierce at this age?]

[And it's rumored his Suturing skills are super strong. He competed against a silver medalist at Guangfu Hospital earlier and completely crushed them.]

[Good heavens, handsome, capable of fighting, and has medical ethics. Is this person walking out of a novel?]

[Front row asking for a photo of his face. If you have one, please DM me. Huge reward.]

[The person above, calm down.]

Lu Chen put his phone down and didn't continue watching.

Online popularity comes and goes quickly. Director Li Sen was right; this kind of thing isn't worth obsessing over.

But one thing was certain: his takeaways from this exchange at Guangfu Hospital far exceeded his expectations.

Accumulated skills, expanded connections, and a boost to his reputation.

And he had met someone he might interact with in the future.

Shen Yu.

The young man who was slashed three times without a word; he seemed to have many stories.

As for his younger sister...

Lu Chen shook his head, shaking the thought out of his mind.

He opened the system panel, preparing to check the overall settlement for these three days.

[Guangfu Hospital Exchange Activity Final Settlement]

[Activity Duration: 3 days]

[Participating Projects: Suturing technology demonstration, emergency process observation, case discussion, clinical reception assistance, emergency response]

[Skill experience changes are as follows]

[Suturing (Perfect Level): Progress 29/100 → Progress 38/100]

[Basic Surgical Operations (Proficient Level): Progress 41/100 → Progress 88/100]

[Internal Medicine Diagnostics (Skilled Level): Progress 31/100 → Progress 91/100]

[Manual Hemostasis (Master Level): Progress 29/100 → Progress 42/100]

[Laparoscopic Appendectomy (Master Level): Progress 64/100 → Progress 78/100]

[Basic Theory of Emergency Medicine (Introductory Level): Progress 33/100 → 95/100]

[gratitude points change: +100 (Gratitude from patient Shen Yu and his family)]

[Current total gratitude points: 180 points]

Lu Chen looked at these numbers.

In three days, every skill had seen steady growth.

Although there was no massive explosion, the advantage was the comprehensive progress; there were no shortcomings holding him back.

Then he noticed one more message at the bottom.

[Hidden Event Assessment Complete]

[Event: Host actively protected the patient in a non-safe environment, refused violent threats, and did not retreat.]

[Assessment Result: Meets the conditions for "Healer's Guardianship"]

[Reward being distributed...]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining a special gratitude points reward +100]

[Current total gratitude points: 280 points]

Lu Chen raised an eyebrow.

A special gratitude points reward; this was an unexpected gain.

280 gratitude points. There was still a long way to go to reach the 1000-point threshold for the lucky draw.

But one step at a time; no need to rush.

He closed the system panel and picked up the Emergency Medicine textbook again.

He flipped to the page he had last seen and continued reading.

After reading for about forty minutes, his phone vibrated again.

It was a call from the director of the Orphanage.

Lu Chen answered.

"Mom."

"Xiao Chen, have you eaten?"

"I have."

"Have you been on a business trip these past few days? I called you, but no one answered."

"Yes, I went to a Hospital in another city for a three-day exchange and study."

"Oh, that's good. I thought you were too busy to answer the phone again. Last time you..."

"Mom, I'm fine, don't worry."

"Okay, okay, I won't worry. Take care of yourself out there."

"Yes."

After hanging up, Lu Chen sat on the bed in a daze for a while.

These moments were when he was most clear-headed.

The system gave him talent beyond ordinary people and skills that crushed his peers, but the system couldn't give him money.

He still had to earn money himself.

When he was promoted to Resident Physician, his salary would increase.

When he moved up further to attending physician, his income would change qualitatively.

But those were things for the future.

What was most important now was to walk every step in front of him well.

Continue upgrading skills, continue accumulating credentials, and then, when the opportunity comes, seize it firmly.

He closed the textbook, turned off the light, and lay down.

The city lights outside shone through the gap in the curtains, casting a thin line of light on the ceiling.

It was very quiet.

Lu Chen closed his eyes.

The three-day exchange at Guangfu Hospital was over.

Back to Central Hospital, back to the Emergency Department, back to his home turf.

Starting tomorrow, keep working.

Keep upgrading.

Keep making money.

His breathing gradually became even.

The phone screen lit up; it was a new WeChat message.

[Shen Xiaoning: Dr. Lu, goodnight.]

Lu Chen was already asleep and didn't see the message.

The screen turned off automatically.

The Duty Room plunged back into darkness.

Outside the hallway, the lights of the Emergency Department were still on—always on.