GREAT DOCTOR 12
46. Currents Beneath the Surface
In Shanghai that afternoon, sunlight slanted through the tall windows of Fudan Hospital and into the oncology examination room, casting a cold light across the white walls. Several X-ray films were spread out on the desk by the physician, Zhang Lihua. He held a laser pointer in his hand, and the red dot slowly moved along the shadows on the images before finally stopping at an abnormal area in the breast tissue.
Sitting in the examination chair, Hu Meimei held her breath, her hands tightly clasped together on her knees. Her fingertips had turned slightly white from the pressure. She had been staring at the X-ray film from the beginning. Although she could not understand the images at all, she still instinctively wanted to find a trace of hope in the doctor’s expression.
Zhang Lihua pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose and said solemnly, “Ms. Hu, based on our preliminary assessment of this X-ray, there is indeed a tumor in your breast, and there are already signs of localized spread. Once the biopsy report comes back, we’ll be able to confirm this further.”
The moment his words fell, Hu Meimei’s face instantly turned pale. She had still been holding on to a sliver of hope, thinking that perhaps Lin Xiuling’s earlier judgment had simply been overly cautious. She had never expected another doctor to give her almost exactly the same answer.
She lowered her head and nervously twisted her hands together, while images of her wedding, her fiancé, and the future they had once discussed together kept appearing in her mind.
After a long while, she finally raised her head, her voice trembling noticeably. “What? You’re saying the same thing as that Dr. Lin? Then what about my wedding...?”
She did not finish the last few words. What she was afraid of was not just the disease. If she really had a malignant tumor, she did not know whether her fiancé would still be willing to marry her, nor did she know whether the married life she had dreamed of would be completely changed because of this.
For a woman who was preparing to enter another stage of her life, suddenly facing such a diagnosis was like seeing the happiness that had already been within sight suddenly disappear behind a thick fog, leaving her unable to see the way forward.
Seeing the sadness on her face, Zhang Lihua softened his tone slightly.
“When something abnormal appears in your body, it’s a reminder that you need to take care of yourself first. I think your fiancé should be able to understand once he knows about your condition. If it is ultimately confirmed to be a malignant tumor, you must actively receive treatment.”
Hu Meimei bit her lip and tried to hold back the tears that were about to well up in her eyes. After remaining silent for a moment, she asked as though grasping at her last lifeline, “Doctor, may I ask whether there’s a chance I can recover after treatment?”
Zhang Lihua did not answer immediately. He looked at the examination materials in his hand before raising his head.
“Ms. Hu, if by ‘recover’ you mean whether your breast can retain its original appearance and function, I can only say that we need to conduct further evaluation first.”
Hu Meimei’s shoulders drooped slightly. But just as she was almost falling into despair, a name suddenly surfaced in her heart. She raised her head, and a little light returned to her eyes.
“You know Dr. Lin Xiuling, right?”
Zhang Lihua was slightly startled, then nodded. “Of course I know her! Although I’m not close to her, she has a good reputation in the field of plastic surgery.”
Hearing this, Hu Meimei relaxed slightly. “Dr. Lin said she would ask her senior, a doctor named Yang, to perform the surgery for me.”
When she said “a doctor named Yang,” a trace of expectation was clearly audible in her voice. The confidence Yang Wen-Hua had shown in front of her at noon was still deeply imprinted in her mind. That man had not shown the slightest hesitation when he spoke, as though no matter how difficult the medical condition was, there would always be a way to deal with it.
Zhang Lihua lowered his head and thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up.
“A doctor named Yang? That should be Yang Wen-Hua, right? I’ve heard him speak before. He’s from Taiwan, and the new techniques he has developed are quite advanced.”
Hu Meimei’s eyes lit up. “Hearing you say that makes me feel a little more reassured.” She gently exhaled, and her tense shoulders relaxed slightly. At least, she felt that she still had hope.
However, the expression on Zhang Lihua’s face did not relax with hers. His brows knitted slightly, as though he had suddenly thought of a crucial problem.
“But...”
Hu Meimei looked at him in confusion.
After pondering for a moment, Zhang Lihua asked, “This Dr. Yang doesn’t have a local medical practice license. How can he perform surgery on you?”
Hu Meimei froze. The hope that had just begun to burn inside her suddenly felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over it.
Seeing her reaction, Zhang Lihua did not explain further. He simply stood up.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll ask the supervisor in charge of the relevant department.”
With that, he left the desk, walked to a corner of the examination room, picked up the telephone receiver, and called the surgery department.
The call was answered quickly.
“Hello?”
Zhang Lihua heard Zhao Xiaodong’s voice on the other end. Holding the receiver, he spoke politely.
“Senior Xiaodong, I’d like to ask you about something...”
He briefly explained the situation and then quietly listened to the response from the other end. A trace of surprise gradually appeared on his previously calm face.
“Understood. Thank you, Senior. I’ll relay the information to the patient exactly as you said.”
He was about to hang up when, as though he had suddenly thought of something, he asked, “Why is that?”
Several more words came from the other end of the line. Zhang Lihua’s brows relaxed somewhat, and he nodded.
“Oh, okay. I understand what you mean.”
After hanging up, he stood there in thought for a moment before turning and walking back to his seat.
Hu Meimei had been watching him nervously. Only after Zhang Lihua sat down did she eagerly ask, “Doctor, what did he say?”
Zhang Lihua organized the documents in his hand, and his tone returned to the calm manner expected of a physician.
“Ms. Hu, when the test results come out in a couple of days, please come to the hospital to pick up your medical records and give them to Dr. Lin Xiuling. Dr. Lin will handle your treatment from there.”
Hu Meimei froze for a moment, then gently nodded. Although she was still filled with anxiety, at least things had not reached a dead end. She reached out and touched her chest, taking a deep breath as though trying to tell herself that no matter what the result was, she had to face it bravely.
What she did not know was that, on the other side of this hospital, an invisible storm had already quietly begun.
47. Lin Xiaodong’s Scheme
In the plastic surgery department office, the afternoon sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, stretching Zhao Xiaodong’s shadow long across the room. He sat alone at his desk, leaning back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the sky outside the window. His unpredictable expression was reflected in the glass, and his originally calm face gradually became cold and stern.
He had just learned about Hu Meimei’s situation over the phone.
Yang Wen-Hua.
Those three words were like a thorn piercing his heart once again. He had known for a long time about the relationship between Lin Xiuling and Yang Wen-Hua, and he also knew that this physician from Taiwan had quite a reputation in the medical field.
But he had never expected Yang Wen-Hua to come to Shanghai, much less to prepare to demonstrate his skills in Zhao Xiaodong’s own area of expertise.
The corners of Zhao Xiaodong’s mouth slowly curled upward. It was not a smile, but a cold smile carrying a hint of menace.
“My opportunity has come!” he muttered to himself, his gaze still fixed outside the window, though his eyes had already turned dark and gloomy. “Yang Wen-Hua, if you dare show off your skills on my turf, I’ll make you find out who’s really the boss around here...”
His fingers lightly tapped the armrest of the chair, once after another, the rhythm slow and forceful.
At this moment, Zhao Xiaodong had lost the rationality a physician should have when facing a patient. What he was truly thinking about was no longer Hu Meimei’s condition or how to help the patient, but how to use this incident to force Yang Wen-Hua out.
In his eyes, Yang Wen-Hua’s appearance was not merely a medical exchange. It was more like a provocation. And he absolutely would not allow anyone to steal the spotlight on his own turf.
Zhao Xiaodong sat upright, reached out, and picked up the telephone receiver on the desk. He glanced down at the phone, and the smile at the corners of his mouth deepened.
After the call connected, he deliberately lowered his voice.
“Medical Inspection Office? I’m looking for Director Cao.”
“Please hold. I’ll transfer you. Director Cao, it’s a priority call.”
A moment later, a steady voice came from the other end.
“This is Cao Ming.”
Zhao Xiaodong immediately adopted a polite tone, and the cold smile on his face temporarily disappeared.
“Brother Cao, I’m Zhao Xiaodong, an attending surgeon at Fudan Hospital.”
Cao Ming on the other end of the line seemed to recognize him, and his tone immediately became friendly.
“Xiao Zhao! Our director attaches great importance to the international medical symposium your hospital is hosting recently!”
Zhao Xiaodong leaned back in his chair, but his eyes grew increasingly cold. He did not continue discussing the symposium. Instead, he went straight to his real purpose.
“I want to report an illegal medical practitioner. Please bring your people over to investigate.”
There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment.
“Oh?” Cao Ming’s voice clearly became more serious. “There’s an unlicensed practitioner operating in my jurisdiction? Give me the person’s information, as well as the time and location.”
The corners of Zhao Xiaodong’s mouth once again curved into a smug smile. He knew that this was exactly what he had been waiting to hear.
In the office of the Medical Inspection Division of the Medical Inspection Office, Cao Ming sat behind his desk. Several examination reports and official documents were piled on the desk. He reached into his pocket and took out a ballpoint pen, leaning slightly forward as he prepared to record the information he had received over the phone.
“Okay, give me the person’s information, as well as the time and location.”
As he listened, he quickly wrote down the relevant details on the paper.
Sunlight from outside fell across the desk. The originally peaceful afternoon seemed to acquire an unusual tension after this phone call.
Cao Ming stopped writing. After confirming that the information was correct, he said in a low voice, “All right. I’ll personally lead the team to make the arrest.”
The call ended, and the office became quiet again.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Fudan Hospital, Zhao Xiaodong put down the phone and slowly leaned back into his chair. He stared out the window, and that strange smile once again appeared on his face.
At that moment, he seemed already able to see the situation Yang Wen-Hua was about to face.
What he did not know was that what he had truly set in motion was not merely an investigation into medical licensing, but a storm that would soon affect the fates of Yang Wen-Hua, Lin Xiuling, and Hu Meimei.
48. Surprise Inspection of the Operating Room
That afternoon in Shanghai, the commercial district remained crowded and noisy, while traffic on the streets moved slowly under the sunlight. The transparent glass doors of Qingxiu Jiaren Medical Aesthetics Clinic kept the noise outside at bay. Inside, the faint smell of disinfectant filled the air. The white walls, neat reception desk, and bright lights made the entire space look clean and quiet.
Zhang Dongmei sat behind the reception desk organizing medical records, occasionally looking up at the waiting area.
Just then, the glass door was suddenly pushed open from outside. Cao Ming entered with Li Xiong and three medical inspection officers, striding into the clinic.
The group exchanged no pleasantries. The heavy sound of their footsteps fell one after another on the polished floor, immediately creating an unsettling atmosphere in the previously quiet clinic.
Zhang Dongmei looked up and saw several unfamiliar men walking toward her with serious expressions. She could not help freezing for a moment. She instinctively stood up, both hands gripping the edge of the reception desk, and asked warily, “May I ask whom you’re looking for?”
Cao Ming did not answer. He simply pulled an identification card from his pocket and flashed it in front of her. With a stern expression, he said, “Medical Inspection Office. We received a report that there is an unlicensed medical practitioner performing surgery on patients at your clinic.”
“An unlicensed medical practitioner?” Zhang Dongmei’s expression changed slightly. She quickly understood that these men were not ordinary visitors, but had come specifically for the clinic.
But the director was clearly inside the operating room performing surgery on a patient. If these people really intended to enter and conduct a search, the surgery would inevitably be affected.
She barely managed to remain calm and immediately reached for the telephone on the desk.
“Please wait a moment. Let me inform the director.”
Her hand had just touched the receiver when Cao Ming suddenly reached out and firmly pressed down on the telephone. Zhang Dongmei froze and looked up at him.
Cao Ming’s gaze turned cold, and the corners of his mouth tightened slightly.
“You’re trying to tip her off, aren’t you?”
“I just want to notify the director. You suddenly came in, so I have to let her know first—”
“No need to notify her.”
Cao Ming interrupted her directly, then turned to Li Xiong behind him and instructed, “Li Xiong, you stay outside and keep watch. Everyone else, come in with me and conduct the search.”
Li Xiong immediately nodded. “Yes, Director.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he stepped forward, his tall body directly blocking Zhang Dongmei’s path. Zhang Dongmei was forced to step back half a step, a trace of panic flashing in her eyes. She knew she was no match for these people in a confrontation, but thinking of the patient undergoing treatment inside the operating room, she still summoned the courage to block the entrance to the hallway.
“You can’t go in. There’s an operation in progress.”
Her voice trembled slightly with nervousness, but she still tried to keep it firm.
Cao Ming glanced at her without answering. He waved his hand, led the three medical inspection officers around the reception desk, and headed directly toward the operating room.
Zhang Dongmei stood where she was, anxiously watching them from behind, but Li Xiong blocked her completely. She tried several times to follow them, but each time she had to stop. All she could do was watch helplessly as Cao Ming and the others quickly made their way toward the operating room.
The atmosphere in the hallway grew increasingly tense.
Cao Ming reached the operating room door. Without even knocking, he reached out and forcefully pushed the door open.
The sound of the door crashing open was particularly jarring inside the operating room. The focused and quiet surgical environment was instantly disrupted by the sudden intrusion.
Lin Xiuling was standing beside the operating table. She wore a surgical cap and mask and was dressed in sterile surgical attire, her eyes focused intently on the surgical site. Two nurses stood on either side of the operating table, assisting her with the procedure.
Hearing the loud sound of the door opening, Lin Xiuling immediately looked up. When she saw Cao Ming and three unfamiliar men barging into the operating room, a trace of astonishment first flashed across her eyes, quickly replaced by alertness.
Cao Ming stood in the doorway, sweeping his gaze around the operating room. The first thing he said was, “Where’s that unlicensed doctor?”
Lin Xiuling’s brows immediately furrowed. She looked at the group in front of her, both shocked and angry.
This was a sterile area where surgery was in progress. Any unauthorized person who barged in could compromise the surgical environment. What she found even more unacceptable was that these people had completely ignored basic medical procedures and simply forced their way inside.
She reached up and removed her mask, looking coldly at Cao Ming.
“Who are you? Why did you barge into the operating room?”
Her voice was not loud, but it contained unmistakable restrained anger.
As she spoke, her eyes quickly swept toward the video equipment in the corner of the operating room. That system had originally been connected to Yang Wen-Hua.
Lin Xiuling’s heart suddenly tightened.
She knew very well that Cao Ming and his group had come specifically for Yang Wen-Hua. If they saw that the video system was still on, things would only become more complicated.
Without saying another word, while Cao Ming’s attention was focused on the operating room, she quickly reached out with her right hand toward the control panel and decisively shut off the video system.
The image on the screen immediately disappeared.
Her movements were quick and natural, and she showed no sign of anything unusual on her face. But in her heart, she already understood that this was not an ordinary inspection.
Cao Ming, as expected, asked, “Where’s that unlicensed doctor from Taiwan, Yang Wen-Hua? Where did you hide him?”
When she heard Yang Wen-Hua’s name, Lin Xiuling’s eyes immediately turned colder.
Cao Ming continued, “Our Medical Inspection Office received a report that your clinic is allowing an unlicensed doctor to perform surgery on patients.”
Lin Xiuling looked at him without answering immediately. Her chest rose and fell slightly with anger, but she knew that the more flustered she became at this moment, the easier it would be for the other side to find something to use against her.
She took a deep breath, and suddenly a cold smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.
“The operating room is only this big. Which eye of yours saw an unlicensed doctor in here, Officer?”
She said it without the slightest courtesy.
Cao Ming’s face immediately stiffened somewhat. He had barged in aggressively, convinced that Yang Wen-Hua was inside the operating room and that he would be able to arrest him on the spot the moment he entered.
But now, as he looked around, there was no one in the operating room except Lin Xiuling and the two female nurses. There was no fourth person.
The operating room was not large. All the medical equipment was clearly visible, and there was nowhere for anyone to hide.
Cao Ming looked around carefully once again, and his expression gradually became awkward. The confidence and forcefulness he had displayed moments earlier faded considerably.
He knew he had come up empty-handed, but he was unwilling to admit that he had been misled by faulty intelligence.
He cleared his throat, forcing a slight smile onto his face.
“The information may have been incorrect. Sorry for the disturbance. Let’s go.”
With that, he turned around and was about to leave.
“Wait!”
Lin Xiuling’s voice suddenly rose.
Cao Ming stopped in his tracks.
Lin Xiuling could no longer suppress the anger in her heart. Standing beside the operating table, she stared coldly at Cao Ming, without the slightest trace of courtesy left in her eyes.
“When you barged into the operating room, did you ever consider that the patient could develop a bacterial infection because of you?”
She spoke word by word, her tone filled with the physician’s sense of responsibility for patient safety.
“This is an operating room, not a place you can enter whenever you want. You came in without even following basic protective procedures. If the patient develops an infection because of this, who will be responsible?”
Cao Ming’s expression became ugly.
Of course, he knew that Lin Xiuling had a point. But in front of his subordinates, there was no way he could admit that he had made a mistake. Nor was he willing to be publicly lectured by a physician.
He pressed his lips together and deliberately adopted a strictly businesslike expression.
“We are carrying out our official duties in accordance with the law. Dr. Lin, please understand.”
Lin Xiuling looked at him, her eyes growing even colder.
“If the patient develops a bacterial infection because of this, I will definitely file a complaint with your director.”
She said it firmly and decisively, leaving no room for compromise.
Cao Ming’s face instantly turned livid. He stared at Lin Xiuling for several seconds, a trace of anger flashing in his eyes.
But since the investigation had found nothing, he had no reason to remain. He could only force down his resentment.
“Do as you wish. Let’s go.”
After coldly throwing out those words, he turned sharply and waved his hand. The three medical inspection officers immediately followed him.
When Cao Ming walked out of the operating room, his face was so gloomy it seemed as though water could drip from it. The confidence and arrogance he had displayed when entering had completely vanished, replaced by the anger of someone who had just been publicly humiliated.
At the other end of the hallway, Li Xiong saw the director coming out and immediately stepped aside.
Cao Ming did not even look at Zhang Dongmei again. He simply led his men in large strides toward the clinic exit.
Zhang Dongmei watched their backs as they left. Only after the glass door closed again did she let out a long breath.
Inside the operating room, Lin Xiuling remained standing where she was. She lowered her head and glanced at the video equipment, which was now turned off, and her expression slowly became serious.
The situation had happened so suddenly. If she had not shut off the video system in time, she could hardly imagine what the consequences would have been.
And now, although Cao Ming had not found Yang Wen-Hua, it was obvious that the matter was not truly over.
She raised her head and looked at the now-closed operating room door. A strong thought surfaced in her mind.
Who exactly had reported them to the Medical Inspection Office? And why did that person know that Yang Wen-Hua would be in the operating room?
These questions were like a shadow quietly settling over her heart.
But the patient was still lying on the operating table before her.
Lin Xiuling closed her eyes for a moment and slowly suppressed the anger in her heart.
When she opened her eyes again, she had already regained the composure expected of a physician.
She put her mask back on, turned around, and returned to the operating table.
No matter what was happening outside, the patient’s life remained the most important thing to her at that moment.
And behind this seemingly sudden medical inspection, an undercurrent targeting Yang Wen-Hua had already quietly begun to surge.
49. Lin Xiuling’s Office
The afternoon sunlight slanted through the blinds, casting alternating bands of light and shadow across the floor of Lin Xiuling’s office.
Several medical records left over from the surgery were still spread across the desk. The faint smell of disinfectant lingered in the air, mingling with the footsteps and low conversations coming from outside the clinic, leaving the entire office filled with a lingering sense of tension that had not yet completely subsided.
Yang Wen-Hua was already sitting at the desk waiting.
He leaned slightly against the back of the chair, holding the surgical record in his hand. His expression appeared relaxed, but a trace of fatigue remained between his brows.
He lowered his head and flipped through the final few pages, making sure that every procedure had been fully documented before slowly closing the file.
Just then, the office door opened, and Lin Xiuling and Zhang Dongmei walked in one after the other.
The moment Lin Xiuling entered, she could not help frowning. She placed the documents in her hand on the desk as though she still could not understand what had happened moments earlier, her tone carrying obvious displeasure.
“That group from the Medical Inspection Office just barged into the operating room. It was completely outrageous.”
As she spoke, she raised her hand and gestured toward the direction from which those people had entered earlier. Her expression was a mixture of anger and helplessness.
To her, the operating room was the place where medical personnel most needed to maintain focus and order. Any unplanned intrusion could put an ongoing operation at risk.
Yang Wen-Hua looked up at her, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, though there was little surprise in his eyes.
“It was outrageous.”
He placed the document on the desk and leaned forward slightly, speaking calmly.
“Even if they were there to arrest an unlicensed doctor, they shouldn’t have barged directly into the operating room. When surgery is already in progress, any unexpected disruption can affect a physician’s judgment and even endanger the patient’s safety.”
Hearing this, Lin Xiuling gently exhaled. She pulled out the chair opposite Yang Wen-Hua and sat down, while Zhang Dongmei stood to one side organizing the documents on the desk.
“After all, this isn’t Taiwan.”
Lin Xiuling leaned back against the chair, her brows still not completely relaxed.
“Officials here sometimes just dare to act recklessly like this. The rules are one thing, but when something actually happens, it’s another matter altogether. Fortunately, you weren’t there at the time. Otherwise, I really don’t know how things would have turned out.”
As she said this, her eyes unconsciously fell on Yang Wen-Hua, and a trace of concern appeared in them.
Although she had not actually been afraid during the chaos just now, one thought had remained in her mind and refused to go away—if Yang Wen-Hua had really been in the operating room at the time, facing those officials who had suddenly barged in, given his personality, he probably would not have backed down easily.
At that point, whether the surgery or an argument with them would have become the priority might have created an entirely different kind of trouble.
Unexpectedly, Yang Wen-Hua merely smiled faintly, appearing even more relaxed than she had imagined.
“Other than that little unexpected incident, the entire operation went perfectly.”
After saying this, he deliberately spoke the final two words in English, a confident smile appearing on his face.
Lin Xiuling looked at him. Her previously tense expression finally relaxed somewhat, and she could not help laughing as well.
“Yes, Senior. I really do have to learn from you in that regard.”
She shook her head slightly, admiration in her eyes.
“Your courage and attention to detail really aren’t something just anyone can manage. You dare to act, and you can still take care of every detail. That’s a skill I need to learn.”
As she said this, however, her smile slowly faded, and her expression became colder.
She remembered the surprise inspection just now, and the doubts in her mind surfaced again.
“But I still have to get to the bottom of this.”
Lin Xiuling reached for the pen on the desk and twirled it between her fingers twice. Her tone gradually became more certain.
“I’ll go ask Zhao Xiaodong about it. Other than him, I really can’t think of anyone else who would do something like this and report us.”
Hearing the name Zhao Xiaodong, Zhang Dongmei’s movements paused slightly, and she looked up at Lin Xiuling.
Yang Wen-Hua did not respond immediately. He watched the pen continuously turning between Lin Xiuling’s fingers, seemingly already guessing what she was thinking.
After a moment, he gave a soft laugh.
“Oh?”
Lin Xiuling looked up at him.
Yang Wen-Hua folded his hands on the desk. His expression remained gentle, but his tone carried a hint of caution.
“Even if Zhao Xiaodong personally admitted that he was the one who reported you, what could you actually do to him?”
Lin Xiuling froze for a moment and did not answer.
Yang Wen-Hua looked at her, his tone becoming even gentler.
“Xiuling, it’s better to resolve a conflict than to deepen it. Knowing the truth is one thing. Whether you really want to tear all ties apart is another.”
His words left Lin Xiuling silent for a moment.
She lowered her head and looked at the pen in her hand. The questions she had already prepared suddenly made her wonder whether she should really say them aloud.
She was not afraid of Zhao Xiaodong. She simply did not want the relationships among the people at the clinic to become even more complicated.
But if someone was secretly watching her and even stabbed her in the back at a critical moment, would simply choosing to forgive him mean that the same thing would happen again the next time?
Thinking of this, she slowly raised her head. The anger in her eyes had faded considerably, replaced by a sense of caution.
“You’re right.” She paused for a moment, a thoughtful smile appearing at the corners of her mouth. “If we really make this into a bigger issue, it won’t do anyone any good. But from now on, I’ll still have to be careful around Zhao Xiaodong.”
Yang Wen-Hua nodded. “That’s the right way to handle it.” His voice was not loud, but it carried the calmness of someone with more life experience. To him, medical work was inherently filled with complicated human relationships and conflicts of interest. A truly smart person was not someone who had no enemies, but someone who knew when to stay on guard and when to let things go.
Lin Xiuling understood what he meant. She put the pen back on the desk and opened the surgical record again, her eyes falling on several postoperative care instructions.
“What about what comes next?”
Yang Wen-Hua looked at her. “You need to manage the patient’s follow-up care properly, especially infection control within the hospital.” He pointed at the records on the desk, his expression becoming serious. “A successful operation is only the first step. If postoperative care isn’t handled properly, all the effort that came before could end up being wasted.”
Lin Xiuling nodded. “I will.”
After saying this, she looked up at Yang Wen-Hua, and her eyes suddenly softened. The two of them remained quietly still for a brief moment.
Outside the window came the sound of passing vehicles, while the sunlight had already slowly moved from the desktop toward the corner of the wall.
At that moment, Lin Xiuling suddenly realized that once this surgery was over, Yang Wen-Hua would be leaving as well. Looking at her senior before her, she suddenly felt a trace of reluctance that she could not put into words.
“Wen-Hua, are you in a hurry to go back?”
Yang Wen-Hua was startled. He then leaned back in his chair and glanced at the time.
“Yes!” He smiled. “I really should head back soon. I can’t keep troubling Su Junsheng with the work at the hospital.”
At the mention of Su Junsheng’s name, Lin Xiuling’s eyes lit up.
“Su Junsheng?” She straightened slightly in her chair, and a hint of interest immediately appeared on her face.
“He’s one year behind me, and he’s very eager to learn!” As she spoke, the corners of her mouth lifted, as though she were already imagining the scene of the two physicians meeting. “You two should get along really well. He likes to study things in depth. Whenever he encounters something he doesn’t understand, he’ll keep asking questions until he gets to the bottom of it. Your personality is just the same—you like to get to the bottom of things. I think you two will really match.”
Yang Wen-Hua listened to her introduction, a faint smile appearing on his face.
“Really?”
“Of course.” Lin Xiuling nodded, her tone very certain. She glanced out the window as though she had suddenly remembered something, then turned back with an even brighter smile.
“But before you go back, there’s one more thing.”
Yang Wen-Hua raised an eyebrow.
“What is it?”
Lin Xiuling stood up and casually organized the documents on the desk, an expression on her face that made it clear she would not take no for an answer.
“Have dinner with me.”
Yang Wen-Hua froze.
Seeing his reaction, Lin Xiuling could not help laughing.
“Consider it a farewell dinner for you.”
Her voice sounded casual, but she was much more serious inside than she appeared on the surface. After they parted this time, she had no idea when they would see each other again. She did not want this rare reunion to remain nothing more than an operation, an unexpected incident, and a few hurried words of greeting.
Yang Wen-Hua looked at her, seemingly reading the trace of reluctance she had left unspoken in her eyes.
He remained silent for a moment. The smile on his face gradually deepened, and finally he nodded.
“All right. Since my junior wants to see me off, I can’t refuse her.”
Hearing this, Lin Xiuling’s smile became even brighter.
“That’s more like it.”
She picked up her handbag and turned to leave the office. When she reached the door, she looked back at Yang Wen-Hua once more.
The glance was brief, but it contained many emotions left unspoken.
Yang Wen-Hua was looking at her too.
Their eyes met briefly in the air. Neither of them said anything, yet it seemed that both understood that this farewell dinner was not really saying goodbye only to a senior who was about to leave, but also to this rare moment of reunion.
50. A Restaurant in the Commercial District
Night had quietly fallen over Shanghai’s commercial district. Neon lights along both sides of the street reflected off the glass windows, casting flowing colors over the restaurant’s soft lighting.
The restaurant was not luxurious, but it was tastefully decorated. Several small round tables were arranged along the walls. The aroma of food drifted through the air, accompanied from time to time by the light clinking of utensils and the laughter and quiet conversations of diners at neighboring tables.
In the far corner of the restaurant, Lin Xiuling and Yang Wen-Hua sat facing each other, with two simple meals on the table between them.
After a busy day, the two of them had finally set aside the tension of the hospital and clinic and had a rare opportunity to sit down and have a meal together like ordinary friends.
Lin Xiuling picked up her spoon and slowly stirred the soup in her bowl, but did not drink it right away.
She looked up at Yang Wen-Hua sitting across from her, a thoughtful expression on her face.
From his calmness and composure before the surgery, to his decisiveness when facing unexpected situations, and then to the tolerance he had shown toward Zhao Xiaodong in the office just now, she suddenly realized that there were many things about this senior of hers that she had never truly learned in medical school.
She put down her spoon and said softly, “Wen-Hua, I’ve really learned a lot from you—things I never learned in school.”
Yang Wen-Hua looked up and gave her a gentle smile.
“Such as?”
Lin Xiuling smiled slightly. After thinking for a moment, she said, “The doctor-patient relationship.”
Her voice became more serious than before.
“At school, we learned how to diagnose diseases, how to perform surgery, how to prescribe medication, and even how to deal with all kinds of medical risks. But very few people ever truly told us what attitude a doctor should have when facing a patient. Watching you handle things today made me realize that the doctor-patient relationship itself is a discipline.”
Yang Wen-Hua picked up his glass and took a sip of water. When he set it down, his eyes were calm and firm.
“The ancients used to say that a doctor should have the heart of a parent.”
He leaned forward slightly. His tone did not sound deliberately instructive. Instead, it was more like he was talking with an old friend.
“Actually, the doctor-patient relationship isn’t as complicated as people imagine. If we are willing to make the patient’s health our highest priority, many problems will naturally become simpler.”
Lin Xiuling listened quietly.
Yang Wen-Hua paused for a moment before continuing.
“When a patient walks into a hospital, they’re already vulnerable. They entrust their body, and even their life, to the doctor. That is an enormous act of trust. If a doctor’s first thought isn’t how to make the patient well, but how much he can get from that patient, the trust between doctor and patient will quickly disappear.”
Lin Xiuling’s eyes moved slightly.
She lowered her head and gently moved the food around on her plate with her chopsticks, but her heart was touched by those words.
She had been a physician for many years. She had seen countless different medical situations and had seen some doctors treat medicine as a career. She had also seen people turn patients’ fears and anxieties into opportunities to make money.
But she had truly encountered very few people who could put a patient’s health first the way Yang Wen-Hua did.
“You’re right.” She raised her head, her expression becoming solemn. “A doctor can’t make money against his conscience, caring only about the benefits in front of him while ignoring what will happen to the patient in the future.”
As she said this, her gaze remained on Yang Wen-Hua’s face.
At that moment, she suddenly felt that this man sitting before her was very different from the doctors she had known in the past.
A server carrying a drink passed by the two of them. Lin Xiuling moved slightly to the side to make room. After the server had passed, she seemed to suddenly remember something and reached for her handbag.
“Oh, there’s one more thing.”
Yang Wen-Hua watched as she took a white envelope out of her bag, his eyebrows lifting slightly.
“What is this?”
Lin Xiuling did not answer immediately. Instead, she placed the envelope on the table and gently pushed it toward him.
“See for yourself.”
Yang Wen-Hua picked up the envelope and opened it. Inside was a U.S. dollar check issued by Citibank.
His brows immediately furrowed slightly.
Seeing his expression, Lin Xiuling explained, “This is something that Ms. Hu gave you separately.”
She paused, her tone becoming more certain.
“I think you should take this money.”
Yang Wen-Hua looked down at the check. There was no delight on his face. Instead, he quickly put the envelope back on the table and pushed it toward Lin Xiuling.
“I don’t need the money.”
His movement was natural and completely without hesitation.
Lin Xiuling was stunned.
“You really don’t want it?”
“No.” Yang Wen-Hua shook his head, his expression still calm. “If you don’t know what to do with it, donate it to charity.”
Lin Xiuling looked at the envelope he had pushed back to her and remained silent for several seconds.
Such a large sum of U.S. dollars was not something anyone could easily refuse. Yet Yang Wen-Hua had not even looked at it a second time.
She raised her head, a trace of unmistakable surprise in her eyes.
“All right.” She finally nodded and took the envelope back. “Then I’ll donate it in your name.”
Yang Wen-Hua smiled faintly.
“That’s good.”
Lin Xiuling looked at him, even more curious now.
She could not help asking, “Why are you so indifferent to money?”
Yang Wen-Hua leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment before smiling.
“Actually, there’s nothing particularly special about it. I live a very simple life. Every month, I keep only a small portion of my salary for living expenses, and I send most of the rest to clinics in underserved rural areas to support places where medical resources are limited.”
The chopsticks in Lin Xiuling’s hand stopped in midair.
“Most of it?”
“Yeah.” Yang Wen-Hua nodded, his expression as natural as though this were the most ordinary thing in the world.
“Some places don’t even have basic medical equipment. In some remote rural areas, when residents get sick, they have to spend a long time just trying to find a doctor. There isn’t much I can do, but if my income can help some people receive basic medical care, I think that makes it worthwhile.”
Lin Xiuling stared at him.
People were still laughing and talking in the restaurant. Servers were still busy carrying dishes. The neon lights outside the window continued to flash.
But to her ears, those sounds suddenly seemed far away.
For the first time, she felt so clearly that there seemed to be an invisible distance between herself and Yang Wen-Hua.
She saved lives too. She treated her patients’ illnesses. She had also sincerely cared for every patient she treated.
But she had to admit that, in this prosperous city, she had long since become accustomed to measuring success in a different way.
The size of her clinic, her income, her reputation, the status of her patients, and other people’s opinions of her—these things had gradually become part of her life without her even realizing it.
Yang Wen-Hua, however, took most of the money he had worked hard to earn and sent it without hesitation to remote rural areas where he had no personal interest or benefit.
Thinking of this, she could not help giving a bitter smile.
“Wen-Hua...”
Yang Wen-Hua raised his eyes.
Lin Xiuling looked at him. There was no trace of teasing in her eyes now, only genuine emotion.
“Standing in front of you, I suddenly feel as though I’m covered in the stench of fame and money.”
Yang Wen-Hua was startled at first, then laughed.
“Don’t say that.”
He picked up his glass and took a small sip. After setting it down, he looked into Lin Xiuling’s eyes.
“Everyone has their own choices in life. There’s no need to compare yourself with someone else.”
Lin Xiuling said nothing.
Yang Wen-Hua smiled slightly and said gently, “As long as you have the heart to do it, you can do the same.”
His words were soft, yet they were like a stone tossed into Lin Xiuling’s heart, slowly sending out circle after circle of ripples.
She looked at Yang Wen-Hua and suddenly realized that what truly attracted her to this man might never have been his medical skills.
His composure, his confidence, his kindness, and the ease with which he never needed to prove himself to anyone—those were the things that made it impossible for her to look away.
Lin Xiuling lowered her head, an unconscious, faint smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.
She picked up her glass and took a sip, using the act of lowering her head to hide the unusual emotion gradually rising in her eyes.
But the thought had already quietly taken shape in her heart.
A man like Wen-Hua is truly worth cherishing.
She raised her head and looked once again at Yang Wen-Hua sitting across from her.
The light brushed across the side of his face, making his features appear especially gentle.
At that moment, Lin Xiuling realized for the first time that what truly makes a man captivating is not how much he possesses, but how much he is willing to leave for others once he has it.
And a man like that was someone she did not want to miss.
