68: Chapter 68 It's not shameful for each party to get what they want!
In the hallway, Lu Chen's steps were steady.
His mind was turning.
President Zeng Dayang's meaning was already very clear.
He would push through the matters regarding the Operating Room, and he would provide the opportunity for promotion to Attending Physician.
But the corresponding condition was that Lu Chen had to stand completely on his side.
From now on, in the eyes of the entire hospital, Lu Chen would be a person in President Zeng Dayang's camp.
It wasn't about being labeled.
It was about choosing to label oneself.
Lu Chen paused at the stairwell.
Was there hesitation?
Yes, but not much.
He was an orphan.
He grew up in an Orphanage since he was a child.
He had no background, no connections, and no family resources.
For someone who had nothing, if one wanted to rise quickly within this system, what could they rely on?
Rely on strength?
Strength is the foundation, but it is not everything.
If you have strength but no platform, you will still be suffocated.
President Zeng Dayang was giving him a platform, giving him resources, and giving him an accelerated path.
He would stand up for President Zeng Dayang, produce results for him, and save face for him.
Taking what you need.
There is no shame in that.
This is called being pragmatic.
Lu Chen resumed his stride, went downstairs, and returned to the Emergency Department.
...
Passing by the Yellow Zone, Shen Xiaoning was organizing medical records at the Nurse Station.
Seeing Lu Chen, her eyes lit up all of a sudden.
"Dr. Lu! Why did you go out so early today?"
"I went to the Administrative Building to handle some matters."
"What matters?"
"Work-related matters."
Shen Xiaoning pouted.
"You are always like this, you never tell me anything."
"It's not anything interesting anyway."
"I don't care, even if it's not interesting, I still want to know."
Lu Chen glanced at her.
Shen Xiaoning had her hair in a low ponytail today, with wispy bangs blocking half of her eyes.
The white coat hung loosely on her, but it couldn't hide that excessively exquisite face.
"You should cut your bangs; they are blocking your vision."
Shen Xiaoning was stunned for a moment, then her face turned red instantly.
"You, you noticed my bangs?"
"I'm saying they will affect your work."
"Oh."
Shen Xiaoning's expression slumped for a moment, but she quickly cheered up again.
"Then, then I'll go cut them after work today!"
Lu Chen had already walked far away.
Shen Xiaoning watched his back, clutching the medical record folder with both hands, and muttered to herself.
"He was concerned about me just now, right? That should count as concern, right?"
Sister Fang, who was beside her, said without looking up.
"It doesn't count."
"Sister Fang!"
"If someone says your bangs are blocking your vision and you interpret it as concern, then last time when I said your handwriting was ugly and told you to rewrite it, did you also interpret that as concern?"
"That's different!"
"Where is it different?"
Shen Xiaoning couldn't say where it was different.
But it was just different.
Sister Fang sighed.
"Young lady, don't put your mind on things outside of work. How long have you been here? There is still so much you need to learn."
"I know, Sister Fang."
Shen Xiaoning lowered her head and continued to organize the medical records.
But the corners of her mouth kept curling up secretly.
...
Lu Chen returned to the Red Zone and began his day's work.
The Red Zone was busy as always today.
In the morning, there were three emergency cases: one acute left heart failure, one massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and one severe pneumonia complicated by respiratory failure.
Lu Chen cooperated with Zhao Yaqin to handle the first two.
The third one was transferred to the ICU after he independently completed the Tracheal intubation.
It was another success.
Sun Ji watched the whole process from the side, having gone from initial shock to current numbness.
"Brother Lu, when you perform Tracheal intubation, can you not be so fast? I can't even see the steps clearly."
"Which step didn't you see clearly?"
"All the steps."
"Then don't watch."
"If I don't watch, how can I learn?"
"You can watch teaching videos; they have slow-motion replays."
Sun Ji's mouth twitched.
"Compared to you, I suspect the teaching videos are in slow motion."
Lu Chen didn't respond to that.
He was actually very willing to teach, but some things really couldn't be taught.
What the system gave him wasn't just knowledge.
It was muscle memory, spatial perception, and precise control.
These things couldn't be imparted verbally.
They could only be mastered through practice.
"Practice more, don't be afraid of making mistakes. After inserting the tube a few more times on the simulation mannequin, you'll get the feel for it."
"You're talking about the path for normal people. You aren't walking the path of a normal person."
"I am walking a normal path."
"A normal path can't produce a monster like you."
Lu Chen couldn't be bothered to explain.
...
Days passed one by one.
The pace in the Red Zone was fast.
Every day there were new emergency cases, new resuscitations, and new challenges.
In this high-pressure environment, Lu Chen was like a tireless sponge.
Absorbing experience crazily.
Ten days was not long, but it wasn't short either.
But for Lu Chen, the gains from these ten days were worth a year for others.
Suturing.
With at least three to five cases of trauma Suturing every day, from fine facial Suturing to deep tissue repair in the limbs, he had handled all kinds of wounds.
The progress of the Perfect-level Suturing Technique was steadily rising.
Tracheal Intubation.
In ten days, he had performed eleven Tracheal Intubations in total, three of which were difficult airways.
The progress of Master Level Tracheal Intubation had been pushed directly from 22 to 45.
Combo rewards, difficult airway bonuses, and the reinforcement card's 50% experience bonus—the triple buff superposition made for astonishing growth.
Basic Surgical Operations.
In the high-frequency practical work of the Red Zone, the progress bar of the Proficient Level 97/100 finally broke the critical point on the fourth day.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! Basic Surgical Operations has broken through to Master Level!]
That day, while Lu Chen was performing Debridement and fixation for an open fracture in the Resuscitation Room, he felt his hands suddenly become more obedient.
It wasn't that they were faster.
It was that they were more accurate.
The range, force, and angle of every movement were precise to a new level.
Master Level Basic Surgical Operations meant that his hands already possessed the operational standard of an Attending Physician.
The breakthrough in Internal Medicine Diagnostics came even earlier.
It broke through on the third day.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! Internal Medicine Diagnostics has broken through to Proficient Level!]
Proficient Level Internal Medicine Diagnostics, combined with the Eye of Truth, allowed Lu Chen's diagnostic speed in the Red Zone to rise another level.
Many times, he didn't even need to activate the Eye of Truth; he could be mostly correct just by his own judgment.
The Eye of Truth had become a verification tool, rather than a crutch.
This was a very important shift.
The system gave him a crutch.
But he was learning how to walk without one.
...
In these ten days, Zhao Yaqin's assessment of Lu Chen had risen several rungs.
"Your recent progress speed is not normal."
During lunch break, Zhao Yaqin sat across from him with coffee and said this.
"Where is it not normal?"
"Everywhere is not normal. Your diagnostic speed is faster, your operational feel is steadier, and even your way of communicating with patients is more seasoned than before. Did you secretly eat some medicine that opened your mind?"
"Sister Zhao, do you believe in Traditional Chinese Medicine?"
"What does that have to do with Traditional Chinese Medicine?"
"It's just that feeling of everything suddenly clicking. Maybe it reached a critical point of accumulation before, and it suddenly cleared up recently."
Zhao Yaqin looked at him.
"I believe you, my foot. When did you learn to fool people?"
"Learned it from you."
"Learned it from me? When did I teach you to fool people?"
"Every time you explain the condition to the patient's family."
Zhao Yaqin almost choked on her coffee.
"That's called a tactful expression, not fooling people. Did you spend too much time with those Nurses recently? You're getting more and more glib."
"No."
"Did you know that the matter between you and Shen Xiaoning has spread throughout the department?"
"What matter?"
"She brings you food every day, and you eat it every day. You tell me what matter."
"That's just the matter of delivering food."
Zhao Yaqin rolled her eyes.
"Fine, fine, fine, the matter of delivering food. As long as you're happy."
She stood up and walked away with her coffee.
After a few steps, she came back.
"By the way, there's something I'll tell you in advance. Director Li said that he allows you to independently lead the resuscitation process when Director Li or I am present."
"Really?"
"Really. He has seen your ability, and the whole department has seen it. You also need to control yourself well and don't get carried away."
"I won't."
"Mm, I believe you. Not because of what you said, but because of your character."
Zhao Yaqin left.
Lu Chen looked at her back, feeling an extra layer of gratitude for this mentor.
Zhao Yaqin was genuinely teaching him.
It wasn't perfunctory, and it wasn't just completing a task.
She was truly treating him as one of her own.
He would remember this kindness.