Inside the office, Xia Tian had just ordered a breakfast delivery. After being caught in the crossfire of three women arguing in the cafeteria, he'd been so busy trying to mediate that he hadn't had a single bite to eat.
"Hey, Xia Tian! Did you hear the news?"
"The hospital's going to reward you."
"Your heroic chest surgery on the street is all over the news. You've become a symbol of excellence for our provincial hospital. Word is the director's planning to give you a bonus."
Wang Xiaobei leaned in, eyes gleaming, and made a discreet gesture with his fingers.
"A hundred thousand?"
The recognition itself wasn't all that important.
Praise doesn't put food on the table.
But money—that's something real.
To a fresh graduate, one hundred thousand yuan wasn't small change. Xia Tian felt a thrill of excitement.
"Is that true? You better not be messing with me."
Wang Xiaobei frowned. "Come on, man. We've been bros for years. Would I lie to you?"
"Just wait. Once the department head shows up, he'll tell you himself."
With a mix of anticipation and nerves, Xia Tian watched the clock.
At 8:30 a.m., the director still hadn't arrived.
Maybe he was in a meeting, or perhaps summoned by the hospital leadership.
Xia Tian grew anxious.
By 9:00, there was still no sign of him.
He decided to stop waiting and got to work.
A young boy was rushed into the emergency room with a laceration on his right forearm—about ten centimeters long. The child, around nine years old, was crying. Xia Tian sprang into action, checking the wound.
"Little buddy, can you make a fist for me?"
The boy sniffled and obediently clenched his small fist.
"Good job. Now try moving your arm a little so big bro can see."
With his mother's help, the boy completed the motions.
Since the hand could move freely and the boy could grip without pain, the tendons and bones were intact. The wound was superficial—it just needed stitching.
These simple sutures were typically assigned to intern doctors.
There were seven interns in the ER, and to ensure fair training, they rotated turns for procedures.
Today was intern #1's turn. Next would be #2, and so on.
Technically, Wang Xiaobei was up next.
But Xia Tian, momentarily distracted, looked around and asked, "Whose turn is it today?"
Fatty Yang chuckled and said eagerly, "What do you mean whose turn? You saw the patient first, so of course you should do the suturing, Tian-ge."
Intern #1 chimed in, "Exactly! Let Tian-ge handle it."
Intern #2 added, "Right, it's Tian-ge's patient. We'd never take it from you."
In an instant, everyone was deferring to him, calling him "Tian-ge" instead of just "Xia Tian."
Ahem.
Xia Tian felt a little awkward—some of these interns were older than him. Still, remembering his recent 50% boost in dexterity and itching to put it to use, he nodded.
"All right. I'll handle this one."
Just then, Wang Xiaobei walked in, his face clouded with disappointment.
"This patient… was supposed to be mine…"
Before he could finish, a colleague snapped, "What do you mean yours? Tian-ge examined him, so it's Tian-ge's case."
"What, Wang Xiaobei? You trying to snatch patients from Tian-ge now?"
"Tian-ge's my idol! Try stealing from him and see what happens!"
Wang Xiaobei was stunned.
What the hell was happening? He wasn't stealing anything—it was his turn, by the schedule!
He wanted to protest, but the fierce loyalty of his coworkers made him think twice. He swallowed his words.
Sobs softly...
Xia Tian pulled on a pair of sterile gloves and prepped a syringe of anesthetic.
Turning to the boy's mother, he said gently, "Mom, could you cover his eyes? The anesthetic might sting a little, but it'll be over quickly."
Before she could act, the boy had already buried his head in her arms.
Xia Tian first applied two drops of anesthetic to the wound to dull the pain, then injected the rest. The boy flinched slightly, and Xia Tian comforted him in a soothing tone.
"Don't move, little guy. It'll stop hurting soon. You're being so brave~"
Three female interns watching from nearby had stars in their eyes.
"Tian-ge is so gentle."
"He's not just gentle—he's kind, focused, and even generous. He always treats us to milk tea. He's a total treasure!"
"I want to marry him... I need to marry him!"
Smack!
One of the girls slapped herself in the face.
"Snap out of it! A broken-down mess like you doesn't deserve a treasure like Tian-ge! You're only fit to be his simp!!!"
The male interns rolled their eyes and muttered under their breath.
"These women are terrifying when they go full fangirl…"
"Totally over the top. Say a few nice words and they're ready to propose."
After applying the anesthetic and cleaning the wound, Xia Tian picked up the suture needle.
There are many techniques for stitching a wound. The most basic is similar to sewing fabric. But since the injury was on the forearm—a visible area—using that method would leave a nasty scar.
To ensure a better cosmetic outcome, Xia Tian chose intradermal suturing.
He selected a 3-0 absorbable suture, positioning the needle at the ideal depth—not too close to the edge, not too far. He inserted the needle parallel to the skin's surface.
This method was more complex, and Xia Tian had only practiced it on grapes before—this was his first time performing it on a real patient.
He was a little nervous at first. But after the first two stitches, he relaxed.
He had 50% more dexterity, after all.
His hands were like those of a surgeon with 20 years of experience.
This? Child's play.
So easy.
Eight minutes. That's all it took—from anesthesia to final bandage.
His coworkers were dumbfounded.
Intern #1's jaw dropped. "Holy crap. Tian-ge used intradermal sutures… and only took eight minutes!"
Intern #2 gasped. "And the stitching is perfect. Just a faint line—won't leave a scar. His technique is cleaner than Director Zhang's!"
The three girls were about to explode with excitement.
"Oh my god, Tian-ge is so dreamy! How can he be this perfect?"
"The way he focused while stitching… He was glowing! I'm in love."
"I will marry him! I must!"
Several male interns jumped in to restrain the fangirls. One of them, sporting a thick beard, scolded them.
"Cut it out. He's our coworker. Office romance never ends well."
"By the way, anyone know what Tian-ge likes to eat?"
"I want to get him a gift."
All three girls turned on the bearded guy.
"Excuse you? We all know you like soy milk!"
"You just said office love never ends well, and now you want to flirt with Tian-ge?!"
"You hypocrite."
The bearded intern arched a brow and sneered.
"In a world of bullets and shrapnel—who needs happiness?"
"All I need... is action."