The family waiting area.

The middle-aged man shakily stood up.

The woman beside him also got to her feet. She’d been sitting for so long that she swayed, and Gu Yizhou, who was next to her, quickly caught her.

Gu Yizhou’s eyes were bloodshot. He stared intently at the approaching Yang Xu and Jiang He, his lips trembling involuntarily.

He was terrified.

As a fifth-year medical student, he knew all too well how difficult this surgery was.

So... he was afraid of hearing *that* kind of news.

Yang Xu stopped, took off his mask, and said softly, "The surgery was a success. We’ve sutured the deep ruptured blood vessel, and the patient’s vital signs are now stable..."

As soon as he said that, the middle-aged woman’s legs gave out, and she collapsed back onto the bench.

She had long since cried all her tears out. Now, all she felt was a sense of utter exhaustion, her vision swimming.

The middle-aged man first stood frozen in place. A few seconds later, his eyes reddened as well.

He turned around, his back to the others, and wiped his eyes. Then, he pulled a small, newspaper-wrapped square from the inside of his jacket.

He walked quickly to Yang Xu and tried to shove the newspaper packet into the pocket of his white coat.

"This is just a small token of our appreciation. You must accept it..."

Yang Xu pushed the packet back. "Keep your money. The subsequent costs in the ICU will be significant. I’m a doctor; saving lives is my duty."

The man tried to press it on him again, but Yang Xu had already taken half a step back, creating some distance.

At this moment, Gu Yizhou, who had been standing to the side, finally snapped back to reality.

He let go of the bench he was holding onto and walked over to Yang Xu, tears shimmering in his eyes.

"Professor, thank you. I’m also a student at Southern Medical University—a fifth-year in the clinical college. I know how difficult this surgery was. Today, you..."

Yang Xu turned slightly to the side, revealing Jiang He standing behind him.

"Don’t just thank me. This is your junior brother, Jiang He. He was the third assistant in tonight’s surgery, and he played a crucial role. I’d go so far as to say that without him, the operation might not have succeeded."

Gu Yizhou froze.

’A junior brother?’

’So... a fourth-year?’

’How is that possible?’

Gu Yizhou frantically searched his memory for the name.

Finally, he remembered.

"You... you’re the champion of the Thinking Competition?" Gu Yizhou was stunned, because he realized this junior brother wasn’t a fourth-year—he was a third-year!

Jiang He nodded calmly. "Yes. Hello, Senior Brother."

Gu Yizhou stood there dumbfounded, his mind a complete blank.

Yang Xu smiled and began giving instructions to the family.

Jiang He politely stepped back behind Yang Xu.

After several consecutive hours of intense focus, the strain on his nerves was only now beginning to make itself felt.

’Maybe it’s because I haven’t performed surgery in so long. My back feels a bit stiff, and my fingers are sore...’

But along with this fatigue came a sense of profound comfort.

Perhaps this was the most captivating part of being a surgeon.

You pull a soul back from the edge of a cliff and watch their family climb out from the abyss of despair. That tangible emotional feedback is something no amount of money or status can buy.

However, not every time you push open the doors to the surgical wing are you met with gratitude...

Jiang He suddenly recalled a surgery from his past life.

It was an extremely high-risk resection of a massive abdominal tumor.

The patient was a father in his forties.

The surgery itself went smoothly, and the tumor was completely resected.

But before they could close the abdomen, the unexpected happened.

Due to long-term pressure from the tumor, the wall of the inferior vena cava suffered an irreversible tear, triggering massive disseminated intravascular coagulation.

Jiang He had made no mistakes. The entire team gave their all, fighting to save him for four hours, but they were ultimately powerless.

Blood went in, bag by bag, only to gush out by the handful.

In the end, the waveform on the monitor still became a piercing, flat line.

They couldn’t save him.

That day, as he was scrubbing out after the surgery...

Jiang He played out the impending scene in his mind countless times.

’How would the family react?’

’Would they grab him by the collar and curse him out? Would they collapse to the floor, wailing hysterically in despair? Or would they just stare at him with dead, disappointed eyes?’

He had experienced all of these scenarios before. He was prepared to bear the full force of their anger.

However, when he took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy doors, the hallway was quiet.

There was only a little girl.

The patient’s daughter. She was about four or five years old, with her hair in a ponytail, standing all alone outside the operating room.

The little girl was holding a slightly wilted bouquet of carnations, ready to give to her father.

When she saw him come out, her eyes lit up. She trotted over, blinked her big eyes, and asked in a clear, bright voice:

"Mister Doctor, when can my daddy come out? Tomorrow is my birthday, and he promised he’d take me to the zoo. He can’t break his promise again."

Those words shattered him.

He didn’t even know how he managed to open his mouth, or how much strength it took to utter the words, "I’m sorry."

Being a doctor... it’s a profession that truly carries too much weight.

Every surgery, every incision, determines the joy and sorrow of an entire family...

Although that had happened many years ago, Jiang He kept the memory locked away in his heart.

’This lifetime, I have to perform *that* surgery perfectly.’

—Let the father take his daughter to the zoo, as many times as she wants.

Just then, Gu Yizhou finally recovered from his shock.

His expression turned complicated.

It was a mix of gratitude, shame, and... a deep self-loathing.

SMACK—

Gu Yizhou suddenly slapped himself across the face.

The blow was extremely heavy. The middle-aged couple jumped in surprise and quickly turned to look at him. Even Yang Xu raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I’m so useless." Gu Yizhou gritted his teeth as tears finally streamed down his face. "I’ve studied medicine for five years, but when a life was on the line, all I could do was wait outside like an idiot..."

"Junior Brother, thank you. I used to think I was decent enough, but today I realized I’ve barely even scratched the surface."

"I can’t keep coasting like this anymore. Junior Brother, if I can’t even protect the person I love, what right do I have to wear this white coat..."

He was getting emotional.

He was in a state of self-blame, desperate to prove himself.

Jiang He offered a word of comfort. "Senior Brother, don’t say that. You’re already outstanding."

After saying this, Jiang He was suddenly reminded of Lu Xiaolin.

’Seems like I comforted Senior Brother Lu the same way...’

Jiang He added, "Senior Brother, I’m currently running a research project on the application of peripheral blood miRNA in early tumor screening. Next week, I’ll be holding a basic theory test for applicants. Those who pass can join my lab."

Without a moment’s hesitation, Gu Yizhou nodded emphatically.

"I’ll go! I’ll definitely take the test!"

Jiang He gave him a thumbs-up.

He then turned to Yang Xu. "Professor, shall we go?"

"Yes, let’s go." Yang Xu smiled at Jiang He. "You worked hard today."

"You worked hard as well, Professor."

The two of them turned and walked side-by-side toward the elevators at the other end of the hall.