Healing Doctor

Chapter 539 The Distance of Passion

The surgery went smoothly. After a clear diagnosis, cholecystectomy is just a basic surgery for a top-tier hospital like the First Affiliated Hospital.

As for postoperative anti-infection and symptomatic treatment, there are unlikely to be any problems, so the surgery becomes easier with each procedure.

After Director Kong left, Ji Xiang didn't follow. He quietly watched Director Yang and Zhai Yuhan perform surgery. He hadn't yet improved his surgical skills in hepatobiliary and gastrointestinal surgery, so observing more and gaining more experience was always beneficial.

Especially with Director Fan waiting outside, Ji Xiang was also very annoyed, as he didn't want to face Director Fan or the camera lens.

He had little interest in fame and just wanted to be a quiet doctor.

"Director Yang, why did you come up here?" The scrub nurse started chatting as the surgery was nearing its end.

"Let's see Dr. Ji's diagnosis." Director Yang's eyes narrowed unconsciously as he looked at the image on the television.

"Xiao Ji, Ji Xiang!" The scrub nurse was a little excited. "You looked so handsome on the show. Call me when you're done changing, and I'll go to the door to see you in person."

"Sigh..." Ji Xiang sighed helplessly.

"Leave me an autograph, no, I need a dozen or so. Some classmates have already started asking me about this show and you, one definitely won't be enough."

At this moment, Ji Xiang was truly embarrassed.

It's even more embarrassing than a wrong diagnosis.

It's even more embarrassing than when the anesthesia isn't strong enough during surgery.

Fame isn't always a good thing; at least Ji Xiang doesn't like being recognized wherever he goes.

"Xiao Lin, stop fooling around." Director Yang blocked the clueless person who wanted an autograph for Ji Xiang, and then said, "Let me test you young people with a question."

Ji Xiang noticed that Zhai Yuhan's sterile cap seemed to move slightly, as if her ears had perked up with muscle memory after hearing the word "exam".

"What kind of questions? Let Dr. Ji answer the medical questions, we can't do that," the scrub nurse said with a smile, completely uninhibited.

"Real-life questions."

Normally, the time to drive is when the surgery is nearing completion, but since Ji Xiang is considered a guest, one should still be more restrained in front of Ji Xiang.

Secondly, driving is all the same old routine, and it's lost its appeal, so people are interested in chatting about it, usually just casual conversation.

"My son said a few days ago that his new fitness tracker is malfunctioning. It automatically disconnects from the BeiDou positioning system at 9 PM every night, and his distance tracking for night runs stops. What do you think is going on?"

"I've switched to power-saving mode," Ji Xiang replied immediately.

"Huh?!" Director Yang was taken aback. He hadn't expected Ji Xiang to give an answer without even thinking. He turned to look at Ji Xiang with suspicion. "How did you know?"

"What is it? I don't understand." The scrub nurse didn't understand at all; this everyday question seemed even more difficult than a professional one.

"The power-saving mode automatically disconnects from BeiDou when the time is up. I encountered a similar problem 5 years ago," Ji Xiang replied with a smile. "Back then, I contacted the manufacturer and the sales department. My mother suggested contacting the technical department to resolve the issue, but I didn't agree. It was too much trouble, so I changed my night runs to morning runs."

"..."

"..."

What kind of answer is that?

Who knew Ji Xiang was actually a mama's boy?!

"Since I was running anyway, I discovered the benefits of morning runs after switching to them—I didn't have to stay up late, and my sleep schedule became much more regular. So even after I realized that my power-saving mode had caused the electronic system to disconnect from BeiDou, I didn't change it."

Director Yang turned back to continue the surgery, but Ji Xiang's words seemed to affect his surgical rhythm. He calmed down for a few seconds before recovering.

"Ha, that's so strange! I thought there was some kind of bug!" the surgical nurse laughed. "I encountered a bug earlier this year too."

"I was working overtime and performing surgeries during that period, and I was extremely busy and didn't sleep well. Soon, I discovered something very strange."

"What's wrong?" Zhai Yuhan asked, trying to be involved.

"I have a black mark on my chin."

"A mark?!"

"Yes, at first I didn't pay attention. I thought I had bumped into something or accidentally made it dirty. But it happens every day. There were two times when I had to be scheduled for extra surgeries, and it was only when the attending nurse reminded me that I noticed."

"At the time, I became more and more scared. Coincidentally, I was watching a Thai horror movie at that time, and I saw a black mark that appeared out of nowhere. My mind was filled with all sorts of random thoughts."

"Ha, how could that be?" Zhai Yuhan laughed.

"Of course not," the scrub nurse said, handing over the warm saline solution. "Then one day I observed it closely and realized it was numbers! Sister Zhai, you know what? I was thinking of The Three-Body Problem. But how could a mere scrub nurse like me possibly have the honor of receiving a death countdown from the Trisolarans?"

"Tsk tsk, your imagination is something else. But Xiao Lin, you're quite self-aware enough to know that aliens have nothing to do with you," Zhai Yuhan said. "So what's going on?"

"During that period, in order to ensure I got enough sleep, I had to drink a glass of milk every night at eight o'clock. I would drink it while watching TV shows, and my chin would be pressed against the carton of fresh milk. That's how I discovered the production date, which I took as a countdown to my death."

"Ha ha ha ha."

"Dr. Ji, everyone says that people from Northeast China are quite tough, is that right? You shouldn't be afraid when something like this happens," the scrub nurse asked.

"No way, there are plenty of places across the country with tough and unruly people, Northeast China is nothing like that," Ji Xiang said. "But a few years ago, there was a live streamer who immigrated to the United States. He was about forty years old at the time, and his name was Sanhouzi (Three Monkeys)."

"One day, a thief broke into her house. Her husband and... well, you could call them robbers, got into a huge fight. The eldest sister, Sanhouzi, came downstairs with her newly bought revolver and fired all the bullets in the house at the robbers."

"..."

"..."

"It was self-defense, and the lady is fine. What's interesting is that in the US, people usually need psychological counseling for their first murder, but this lady was fine; she just thought it was a very ordinary little thing."

After Director Yang finished rinsing the abdominal cavity and confirmed that the removed gallbladder was in good condition and there was no bleeding, he and Director Feng took another look at the appendix.

While performing the surgery, he listened to Ji Xiang chatting animatedly with the scrub nurse, and his fondness for Ji Xiang grew stronger.

He is highly skilled, humble yet principled, unlike Director Li Ming who was so subservient to Qin Chu.

Moreover, Ji Xiang doesn't make inappropriate jokes or suggestive remarks during surgery. He can handle any topic and keep up with conversations, and while he's enthusiastic, there's a subtle sense of distance between him and others.

This kid is really good.

It's a pity they couldn't stay.

Director Yang had a deep understanding of Ji Xiang, and the deeper his understanding, the clearer he was that the First Affiliated Hospital would definitely not be the final destination for someone like Ji Xiang.

It's such a pity that Director Yang didn't realize that in his mind, the First Affiliated Hospital was no longer a good match for Ji Xiang.

(End of this chapter)