The Enhanced Doctor
Chapter 32 - 032 Liu Banxia Self-recommendation

Chapter 32: 032 Liu Banxia Self-recommendation

(Thanks to my good friend 08a for the encouragement and reward)

Now that he was at the hospital anyway, and with only a few hours left before dawn, Shi Lei simply went to the on-call room and fell sound asleep.

This could be considered a doctor’s skill, making the most of every moment to rest as much as possible. Especially when on duty, even five minutes of sleep could greatly rejuvenate the body.

As Liu Banxia gazed at the sleeping Shi Lei, his heart filled with gratitude. To wake up from a deep sleep like that, especially out of concern for me, must require incredible willpower. Shi Lei rushed over entirely because he was worried about me. If it weren’t for such a great mentor like Shi Lei guiding me at the Second Hospital, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

DING! Mission Issued: Stay at the Hospital!

The host, Liu Banxia, feels immense gratitude towards Attending Physician Shi Lei and has made a momentous decision in his heart: to stay at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Binhai Medical College to prepare for advancing his medical abilities in the future.

Mission Reward: None. Mission Failure: Deduct 1,000 experience points, randomly select three highest-level skills and deduct one level from each, suspend mission issuance for fifteen days.

Just as he was about to leave, Liu Banxia was utterly stunned. What is this? No reward, only punishment? Why drop an even more critical mission on me when I’m happiest?

He was genuinely panicking now. These missions are my lifeline! Is the system really going to be this ruthless and force my hand just because my thoughts were a bit complicated?

Even though Chen Jianyong had advised him to get a good rest today, Liu Banxia found it hard to sleep. After a restless night, when morning finally came, he went to wait outside Zhou Shuwen’s office.

There’s no turning back once a move is made. Proctology isn’t my ambition; Director Zhou Shuwen is the only one who can help me now. Even if I could go to the Proctology Department to complete this mission, I wouldn’t be able to face Shi Lei. He hopes I’ll stay in General Surgery.

"What do you need? You have ten minutes. I have a surgery, and afterward, I have to attend a meeting in the provincial capital," Zhou Shuwen said, frowning slightly at Liu Banxia waiting by his door.

"Director Zhou, I want to stay in our hospital’s General Surgery Department. Um... even the Emergency Department would be fine. I want to treat patients and save lives," Liu Banxia said hastily as he followed Zhou Shuwen in.

"Why?" Zhou Shuwen asked calmly.

"I rescued a patient last night. Um... I’m not looking for praise. But after saving that patient, I regained my confidence," Liu Banxia replied.

"I used to think about going into plastic surgery to make money from cosmetic procedures. The patient we couldn’t save the day before yesterday made me terrified of handling critically ill patients. Now I understand. Money can be made anywhere; working in General Surgery or the Emergency Department, you can still earn money."

"But saving a patient’s life... this... I can’t quite put it into words. It’s not that I feel a sense of achievement or satisfaction, exactly. I just feel... happy."

"Anything else?" Zhou Shuwen glanced at him impassively.

"Er... that’s all," Liu Banxia said, awkwardly rubbing his hands.

"Oh... I see," Zhou Shuwen replied without looking up.

Liu Banxia was sick with worry. It’s obvious Director Zhou isn’t very satisfied with my self-recommendation. Can’t he see how dismissive he’s being? But there’s nothing I can do. I don’t know why my usually eloquent self just became so tongue-tied, unable to even get my words out clearly.

"Do you know why Shi Lei gave up such a promising future in the Proctology Department?"

Just as Liu Banxia reached the door, Zhou Shuwen suddenly asked.

Liu Banxia quickly turned back and shook his head. "Director Zhou, I honestly don’t know. If Shi Lei hadn’t arranged that surgery for me, I wouldn’t have even known he’d worked in the Proctology Department before."

"Years ago, when he was on rotation in the Emergency Department, a patient came in with abdominal pain. That same day, there was a major car accident, and with so many patients needing urgent treatment, that particular patient was overlooked, leading to a ruptured appendix," Zhou Shuwen explained.

"Although they later realized something was wrong with the patient’s condition and attempted a series of emergency measures, he still died on the operating table. It was from that point on that Shi Lei dedicated most of his focus to appendectomies and acute abdominal pain."

"You could say this case was Shi Lei’s fault, at least in part, because his examination wasn’t thorough enough. However, the patient had a very high pain tolerance. There were only so many doctors on the night shift, and with numerous other patients with open wounds needing immediate attention, Shi Lei’s oversight occurred."

Liu Banxia fell silent. He hadn’t known Shi Lei had such a history. Having recently gone through a similar experience himself, he naturally understood how incredibly difficult it must be to overcome such mental hurdles. Shi Lei hadn’t just done it; he had done it exceptionally well.

"Regarding your request to stay at the hospital, Shi Lei also brought it up with me yesterday," Zhou Shuwen continued. "I won’t give you an answer on this. As a doctor, setting aside all external factors, what ultimately counts are your medical skills. You may leave now; I have another surgery."

"Thank you, Director Zhou," Liu Banxia quickly replied before stepping out.

A subtle, complex feeling stirred in Liu Banxia’s heart. Shi Lei has unknowingly done so much for me. Well, no use overthinking it now. I should head to the Proctology Department first and get some work done. I promised Guan Wei yesterday that we’d tackle the caseload together.

What Liu Banxia didn’t know was that back in the office, Zhou Shuwen smiled, then picked up the phone after a moment’s thought.

"Director, what is it?" Shi Lei’s voice came through once the call connected.

"Let me ask you, did you say anything to Liu Banxia?" Zhou Shuwen inquired.

Shi Lei was taken aback and felt a little apprehensive. "Director, I didn’t say anything to him. Did he cause trouble again? Er... well, in a way, he did. He rescued a patient last night, and it seems he had some sort of epiphany afterward."

"Explain," Zhou Shuwen said.

Shi Lei quickly recounted what he knew of the situation to Zhou Shuwen over the phone.

"TSK TSK, this kid really has some nerve," Zhou Shuwen remarked after hearing Shi Lei’s report.

After a moment of silence from Zhou Shuwen, Shi Lei tentatively asked, "Director... what has he gotten himself into now?"

"He just came to block my door, telling me he wants to stay at the hospital, even if it’s in the Emergency Department," Zhou Shuwen said with a chuckle.

"Director, his performance recently has been genuinely excellent," Shi Lei quickly interjected.

"Nonsense. I know you’re protective of him, but you can’t make his case for him," Zhou Shuwen retorted. "Let him sweat it out for a while. Hmm... for the time being, don’t assign him to night shifts in the Emergency Department. Have him manage the inpatient wards at night instead. That’s all." With that, Zhou Shuwen hung up.

Shi Lei, still holding the phone, grinned. Looks like Liu Banxia really has a shot at staying at the hospital. Even though the Director didn’t say so explicitly, it implies he’s considering it. Otherwise, why would he meddle in a resident’s assignments? This is probably the final test for Liu Banxia.

His joy, however, was soon tinged with worry. Liu Banxia is too audacious; who knows when he might actually stir up some huge trouble. Isn’t he just acting on impulse? Daring to block the Director’s office first thing in the morning! Even if you want to recommend yourself, you have to be tactful about it and find the right time!

He shook his head, just hoping Liu Banxia wouldn’t cause any more trouble before his residency ended. Otherwise, things could really go south. So many people want to get into the Second Hospital each year. His bachelor’s degree isn’t much of an advantage to begin with. If he screws up again, he’ll truly have no chance.