Rebirth of a Doctor Without Regrets

Time flies, and the end of January arrived amidst the daily hustle and bustle.

Li Renzhong, a resident trainee, is about to finish his rotation in the emergency department and will be transferred to the pathology department next.

He was full of curiosity and anticipation for the new department, but he had already been training under Wang Xiao for more than three months.

He needs to be given a final exam at some point.

Wang Xiao walked into the training room carrying a sealed box in his hands.

The sealed box was printed with the words "Simulated Skin for Plastic Surgery Department". Wang Xiao had to beg and plead with Xing Liqun, the director of the plastic surgery department, for a long time before he finally got it from his wife, Deng Chanjuan.

The plastic surgery department is generally quite laid-back, recruits few new staff, and has plenty of training materials—all things Wang Xiao had researched beforehand.

Li Renzhong came closer, staring curiously at the box.

Relamed's cosmetic suture module features an ultra-thin, layered design, low-tension properties resembling human skin, and even a natural skin tone.

A single module costs two to three thousand yuan, has a small area, and is only used a few times.

"This thing is much stronger than a pigskin!" Chang Wei also came over. He had heavy dark circles under his eyes and hadn't had time to shave, obviously he had been practicing all night again.

During this period, he seemed to be possessed, spending all his time in the training room after get off work every day, except for eating and sleeping, practicing suturing. He even declined the department dinners that he usually loved to attend several times.

"Xiao Li, come and sew a cosmetic needle for me as a graduation exam. If I pass, I'll treat you to a meal; if I fail, you treat me, how about that?" Wang Xiao said.

"Oh, no, no, Brother Xiao. I should definitely treat you to this meal. I've learned so much under your tutelage." Li Renzhong still acted like a junior doctor, very tactfully.

"You're right, it's only right that you invited Dr. Wang. But we can't just leave it like this without a little competition," Chang Wei rubbed his hands together, a competitive glint in his eyes, and patted the worktable, saying, "Xiao Li, how about we make a bet? We'll see who stitches better, five hundred yuan bet!"

Li Renzhong quickly waved his hand: "Dr. Chang, this is not a good idea. How could I dare to bet with you? You have far more experience than I do."

He knew in his heart how crazy Chang Wei had been training lately, staying up until the early hours of the morning almost every day in the training room.

Although I've practiced quite a bit, I don't intend to specialize in cosmetic injections. I just want to learn more and solidify my suturing fundamentals.

"What's there to be afraid of?" Chang Wei patted his chest, his tone full of confidence. "We're just exchanging skills. Winning or losing is a small matter; the main thing is to have fun. Besides, I'm a beginner myself. How could I possibly be a match for a young person like you?"

Having said all that, Li Renzhong could no longer refuse.

After all, being technically outmatched by senior doctors and finding amusement in it is also an important part of the junior doctors' job.

He could only nod reluctantly, "Well... alright then, I'll do as Dr. Chang says."

Wang Xiao has been spending most of her time at the hospital these past few days using the Da Vinci sleep method, frequently going to the operating room, and hasn't paid much attention to the progress of the two of them.

At this point, he was also curious about the skill level of the two individuals.

Wang Xiao took out two Relamed cosmetic suture modules from the sealed box and carefully fixed them on the operating table.

"The rules of the competition are simple: suture simulated lacerations in the same location, and judge the evenness of the stitches, the skin alignment, the tension control, and the suturing time. I will be the judge."

Chang Wei rubbed his hands together, put on a headlamp and a magnifying glass, grabbed the needle holder, and his fingertips trembled slightly with excitement.

After a period of staying up all night to practice, Wang Xiao finally had a chance to demonstrate his abilities. Only when Wang Xiao felt confident in his capabilities would he be given the opportunity to work with patients.

On the other hand, choosing a resident trainee as an opponent, although not very dignified, is also to ensure that there is no chance of failure, since one cannot afford to lose.

"Begin!" Wang Xiao gave the order, and the two of them started at the same time.

The practice room fell silent instantly, with only the soft click of the needle holder picking up the suture needle and the subtle friction of the thread passing through the simulated skin.

Chang Wei moved quickly, inserting the needle, threading the needle, and tying the knot in one smooth motion, clearly demonstrating his exceptional skill.

He would occasionally glance up at Li Renzhong, and seeing that the other man was a bit slower than him, he couldn't help but curl a smug smile into his lips.

In contrast, Li Renzhong, though slightly slower, took each step steadily and surely.

When it comes to this kind of delicate operation, "slow is fast" when you're not yet proficient.

Wang Xiao stood between the two, his gaze shifting back and forth between their actions.

Although Chang Wei's stitches were dense, in his pursuit of speed, the depth of several stitches was inconsistent, and there were even slight skin tears near the edge of the module.

Although Li Renzhong's suturing was slow, the stitches were so even that they looked as if they had been measured with a ruler. The skin was aligned smoothly, and the tension was controlled just right, so that no trace of suturing could be seen.

More than half an hour later, Chang Wei was the first to put down the needle holder, and not long after, Li Renzhong also finished.

Wang Xiao didn't speak. He first picked up Chang Wei's module and examined it carefully. Then he compared it with Li Renzhong's work. Finally, he placed the two modules side by side on the workbench and said, "The outcome is quite obvious. You'll see for yourselves."

Chang Wei stepped forward, his smile instantly freezing.

There are a few irregular stitches and slight tears on my module, but they are still within acceptable limits.

Looking at Li Renzhong's work, the stitches are fine and neat, and the skin is as smooth as ever, making it perfect.

Even if I'm a little faster, the difference in quality is still immediately apparent when comparing the two.

"How could this be..." Chang Wei found it hard to accept.

He had clearly trained longer than Li Renzhong, only slept four hours a day, and even practiced suturing techniques while eating and defecating. How could he lose to a resident trainee who had only trained for three months?

Chang Wei slapped five hundred yuan into Li Renzhong's hand, but Li Renzhong dared not accept it and kept trying to return the money.

"Dr. Chang, you stitched it very well, but you were a little too hasty. I was just lucky."

"Good luck?" Chang Wei's expression gradually twisted.

The image of his ex-wife pulling the child and slamming the door as she left, calling him "useless," kept flashing through his mind.

There's also the disappointed look in my parents' eyes when they rebuild their old home on their own land and I can't afford to contribute, so I have to ask my brothers for help.

And then there was the disdainful smile on Director Lin's face when I went to see him to request a return to the Department of Cardiac Surgery.

I promised my wife seven years ago that I would be promoted to deputy director next year, but I failed every year.

What else could it be but bad luck? Am I really such a useless person?

He slammed the needle holder to the ground with a loud crash, his face turning bright red.

"It must be Wang Xiao, you didn't teach me anything real! You're deliberately messing with me, you don't want me to learn! You were so patient when you taught Li Renzhong, but you just brushed me off when you taught me. Do you think I'm too old to learn, so you're hiding it from me?"

Chang Wei looked at Wang Xiao with red eyes, full of grievance and doubt, "You don't want me to take over your position in the emergency room at all; you just want to keep me under your thumb and watch me make a fool of myself!"

"Chang Wei, you're over forty. Your skin is sagging, your finger dexterity is declining, and you learn fine motor skills slower than younger people. This is a physiological process that I can't change."

Seeing his breakdown, Wang Xiao wasn't angry. She simply bent down, picked up the needle holder from the ground, and gently placed it on the operating table.

"After all, I don't have a background in plastic surgery. If you really think I'm not teaching well, you can use your connections to find someone in plastic surgery to learn systematically. That's the way to make good use of connections, instead of just forming cliques and tripping others up."

Li Renzhong also came over to comfort Chang Wei, "Dr. Chang, Brother Xiao isn't that kind of person. Why don't you hold on for a while longer?"

"This is your last chance to establish yourself in the Second Hospital," Wang Xiao said, looking at him. "If you're really capable, calm down and practice hard instead of complaining here."

Chang Wei remained silent for a long time before leaving the two of them behind and running towards the restroom.

Wang Xiao sighed: "Now I understand why the medical affairs office puts water conservation signs all over the emergency room restrooms."

After that day, Chang Wei seemed like a different person.

He stopped staying up all night studying and stopped pestering Wang Xiao to teach him.

Instead, he would go to the plastic surgery department's practice room every night without fail to hone his techniques from the department's only newcomer.

Having found new practice methods, I gradually regained my confidence.

That's just how people are; you still have to compare yourself to yourself and make steady progress every day.

On January 31st, at the emergency department's monthly summary meeting, Director Gong held the report provided by the finance department and couldn't stop smiling.

"I have great news to share! Our emergency department's revenue has increased by 30% this month, and Wang Xiao's expertise in cosmetic suturing deserves much of the credit!"

Cheers erupted in the conference room, and Director Gong gave special praise to Wang Xiao.

The increased income brings tangible benefits to the department.

A coffee machine has been installed next to the nurses' station, providing unlimited freshly ground coffee.

The hospital approved the late-night snack subsidy and the reimbursement for taxi fares in the early morning, which I hadn't been able to apply for in ten years.

The bedding that had been used in the duty room for ten years was finally replaced with new ones.

The monthly revenue increase may not cover the cost of these benefits, but it shows that the hospital is confident in the revenue-generating capacity of the emergency department.

Wang Xiao was awarded the title of "Emergency Pioneer," though this award was created by Director Gong himself and was not an official one.

After the meeting, Chang Wei followed behind Wang Xiao, his face no longer showing the humble humility he had displayed before, but rather a hint of hostility: "Wang Xiao, you may really be a genius. But geniuses are busy, and it's impossible for them to focus on just one technique: cosmetic injections. Sooner or later, I will surpass you and steal your title of 'Emergency Room Pioneer'."

Wang Xiao smiled, also feeling that Chang Wei was more comfortable as an enemy. "Alright, I'll be waiting for you."

The sucker who takes over.