Chapter 421: Chapter 420: Just This Once
The next morning, Yan Feifan and Yu Suye were walking their bikes through the south gate of the Affiliated Hospital when they ran into someone.
"Hey, Feifan, what a coincidence!"
"Dr. Yu, good morning!"
Realizing it was Sun Le, who had appeared out of nowhere with a sunny smile, Yan Feifan felt a headache coming on.
"Mr. Sun, good morning!" Yan Feifan greeted him.
Before the other man could even bring it up, he politely refused again. "Mr. Sun, Iāve been busy lately. I really donāt have time for the party youāre organizing."
"I know, I know!"
Sun Le said with a chuckle, "We all know your patients are scheduled six months out. You must be incredibly busy."
"But no matter how busy you are, you still have to sit down and eat, right? We can talk things over while we eat."
Sun Le continued, "Feifan, the main topic of this get-together is to plan the celebration for Mr. Shiās thirtieth anniversary of teaching."
"Mr. Shi is also retiring this year, so we were thinking of making his thirtieth-anniversary celebration a bit more grand."
"Feifan, youāre Mr. Shiās star student. I ran into him a while ago, and he specifically asked about you."
Hearing this from Sun Le, Yan Feifan found it hard to refuse again.
Shi Min had been Yan Feifanās physiology and anatomy professor in medical school.
He was known for being incredibly strict.
When it came to his students, Mr. Shi never turned a blind eye.
Not only that, but in any of his courses, a score below seventy-five on an exam was an automatic fail.
This earned him the title of "King of Killers" from generations of medical students.
Every year, a fair number of students had to retake his exams or repeat his courses.
In Mr. Shiās own words, there should really only be one standard for the physiology and anatomy course.
Either a hundred percent, or a failing grade.
If you couldnāt be one hundred percent correct about the physiological structure of the human body, how could you be a good doctor?
Unfortunately, Mr. Shiās exam questions were just too difficult.
In all those years, Yan Feifan was the only exception, scoring a perfect one hundred.
Although Mr. Shi had always been a conscientious and demanding teacher, his achievements in scientific research were few.
That was why, even now, he was still just an associate professor.
"Mr. Sun, Iāll attend the party."
Yan Feifan accepted, then added, "But let me be clear, I canāt stay for longājust for the meal."
Sun Le smiled faintly. "Itās good enough that you can come, even if itās just for the meal. Itās tonight at six-thirty, in private room 206 at the Lotus Fragrance Restaurant, not far from here!"
He then turned to Yu Suye and invited her, "Dr. Yu, if itās convenient, you should come along too."
"Thanks for the invitation. Iāll see," Yu Suye replied with a bright smile, giving a noncommittal answer.
After parting ways with Sun Le, Yan Feifan and Yu Suye parked their bikes in the rack behind the emergency building, then went to the research office to change into their white coats and other gear.
Afterward, Yan Feifan left the Emergency Department and hurried to the Neurosurgery Department.
As soon as he entered the directorās office, he noticed the atmosphere was off.
Mr. Loās expression was dark, without a trace of a smile.
Yan Feifan asked curiously, "Mr. Lo, youāre in a bad mood. Was there a misdiagnosis in the department?"
"Or a surgical accident?"
Lo Jun just shook his head slightly without offering an explanation and handed Yan Feifan two medical files in manila envelopes.
"These are two surgical patients for next week."
Yan Feifan took the manila envelopes, casually placed them with his briefcase, and noticed Lo Jun looked hesitant to speak.
"Mr. Lo, is there something you want to tell me?"
Lo Jun sighed and said slowly, "Xiaoyan, Iām responsible for scheduling the specific surgery times for every patient."
"Because thereās a long waiting list, and some patients canāt even get a spot, it inevitably creates opportunities for people to pull strings, call in favors, and even seek personal gain through their position."
"Xiaoyan, do you have any thoughts on this?"
Yan Feifan couldnāt help but smile. "Mr. Lo, I have no thoughts on it. Really, none at all."
"If I had to manage the schedule for so many patients myself, with all sorts of people coming to me every day, begging me..."
"With my personality, I definitely couldnāt handle it. I wouldnāt even be able to maintain my own normal work and life."
"Having you in charge, Mr. Lo, has solved a huge problem for me."
Yan Feifan asked tentatively, "Mr. Lo, has someone been gossiping?"
Lo Jun sighed again. "Thereās always gossip. People will say anything. I never pay it any mind."
"I just wanted to do my best to create a work and study environment for you thatās as free from interference as possible."
"But... I can control myself, but I canāt control the people around me."
Yan Feifan was a little confused, but then Lo Jun continued to explain, "My daughter-in-law, who fancies herself so clever, has inexplicably accepted quite a few ābenefitsā from others, and she thinks itās because sheās so capable."
Yan Feifan began to understand.
Yan Feifan didnāt know much about Mr. Loās family, only that his son and daughter-in-law both worked in public institutions.
"Mr. Lo, did someone show up at your door, holding this so-called āleverageā over you?"
Lo Jun sighed again, then said with a serious expression, "Xiaoyan, donāt worry about this messy business."
"At worst, sheāll lose her job. She needs to learn a good lesson, so she doesnāt bring even bigger trouble to the family in the future."
āIf you didnāt want me to get involved, you shouldnāt have said anything at all. Now that I know, how can I just stand by and do nothing?ā
āItās not like he was completely clueless about how the world works.ā
āBesides, Mr. Lo was truly and sincerely good to him.ā
Yan Feifan gathered his thoughts and said, "Mr. Lo, what that person wants is surely nothing more than to cut in line and get the surgery done as soon as possible."
"Thereās no need to make things so tense over something like this."
"Mr. Lo, itās no problem for me to work a little harder once in a while and do an extra surgery. My body can definitely handle it."
Lo Jun was visibly moved. He asked with concern, "Are you sure? Mr. Yu said that your health..."
Yan Feifan gave a dry laugh. "Mr. Lo, recovering my health isnāt something that happens overnight. According to Mr. Yu, itāll take at least a year or two to fully recover anyway."
"My current workload is already much lighter than it was a week ago."
"Being busy for an extra day or two once in a while wonāt hurt."
Yan Feifan pondered for a moment, then thought, āMight as well go all the way and be the good guy.ā
He then said in a low voice, "Iāve heard that some very popular, high-end restaurants, no matter how many customers they have, always keep one or two private rooms in reserve for unexpected special guests."
"If even restaurants do that, then I, knowing my own limits, should also leave some leeway for special circumstances."
"When it comes to their health, or even their lives, some patients will stop at nothing to get a chance at recovery."
"Mr. Lo, if you receive a request thatās truly impossible to refuse, you might as well agree to it. We can discuss it afterward."
Yan Feifan continued slowly, "According to Mr. Yu of Baining Medical Technology, the surgical robot should be released by the end of the year."
"By then, weāll have more options, and I think our situation will improve a lot."
These words from Yan Feifan moved Mr. Lu.
"Xiaoyan, hearing you say that is more than enough."
"Donāt worry. This is the one and only time. I will give the people around me a stern warning and tell them to watch their behavior from now on."
Lo Jun then said in a sharp voice, "Iām about to retire anyway. I have nothing to worry about or fear. Iāll definitely keep a close watch for you..."