Chapter 2 : Day One (1)

Today was Tang Zhen’s first day reporting to Renhua.
She woke up before the sky was light.

Right now, she was at a breakfast stall.
A bowl of steaming, fragrant millet porridge and two golden, crispy, tempting fried dough rings—a meal she could never get tired of.

After breakfast, Tang Zhen caught the first subway train but couldn’t manage to get a seat.

The rumbling subway sped through the tunnel.
People stood crowded together.
It was said that the average commute time in Jingbei was fifty minutes, but from here to the city center, it took at least ninety minutes.

People say that today’s young people like to “lie flat,” but Tang Zhen had no idea where that data came from.
In her eyes, on this rapidly moving train, not a single young person was “lying flat.”
Their faces were a mixture of sleepy exhaustion and bright anticipation for the life ahead.

So early, so diligent, so hardworking, and yet so full of sincerity.

Tang Zhen tensed her calves, which were a bit sore from standing.
An inexplicable sense of pride and excitement washed over her.
From now on, this diligence and hard work would also contain a share of her own sincerity and anticipation.

Tang Zhen was the first to arrive.
About half an hour later, the other new recruits started trickling in.

A long, black ponytail was tied neither high nor low at the back of her head.
She wore not a speck of makeup.
A beige dress just barely covered her ankles as she stood quietly by the window in the corridor.

The trees outside the window were lush and green.
Palm-sized leaves intertwined, casting a vibrant green energy that dissipated much of the hospital’s solemn atmosphere.

The poised and natural girl next door, with a proper, well-mannered sort of beauty that made her seem outstanding at first glance, yet not so eye-catching.

How should one describe such a person?
It was difficult to see her clearly at first glance.

Because “outstanding” and “not eye-catching” were inherently contradictory terms.

If you were outstanding, you couldn’t possibly be unnoticeable.
If you were unnoticeable, you couldn’t possibly be outstanding.

If someone could embody both of these qualities, there were only two possibilities—either you were putting on an act, or you lacked a certain kind of vitality.

Tang Zhen clearly belonged to the second category.

She was a top performer among her peers.
She had been smart since she was a child, a natural-born learner who could grasp anything with a single explanation—a typical “Gifted child.”
But everyone has their strengths and weaknesses; no matter how excellent one was, it was impossible to be without any flaws.
Her personality was introverted, and she wasn’t good at socializing.
Deep down, she possessed that bit of shyness and modesty inherent in a girl from a small town.
Aside from diligently focusing on her duties as a student, she never went out of her way to fight for anything for herself.

Smart and reserved were supposed to be bonus points.
But her shy personality, which kept her from competing or striving, made her seem, for lack of a better word… to be missing a bit of decisive, confident spirit.

Because of this, even though Tang Zhen was already on the official roster of Renhua Hospital, she preferred to believe she had hit the jackpot with a pie falling from the sky, rather than dare to believe it was because she was good enough.
After all, this wasn’t her small, third-tier hometown where she could run into an acquaintance just buying something from a store.
This was Jingbei, a hallowed sanctuary where the nation’s top elites gathered.

Perhaps you are gold, but this place is a glittering palace.

Chi Yuqin had performed six major surgeries in a row from the day before yesterday until last night.
She didn’t even have the energy to go home, let alone pay attention to whether new people had joined the department.

If Wang Qiugin hadn’t come looking for her because she couldn’t find her… she probably would have just slept there in her office.

Chi Yuqin had always been a light sleeper.
The moment the doorknob turned, she was awake.

“Why are you sleeping here?”

“Too tired, too lazy to go back.”

Wang Qiugin was one of the first senior doctors to return from studying in the United States on public funds.
She had worked in Renhua’s Cardiac Surgery Department for nearly forty years and was a master of both seniority and experience.
She had just retired a few years ago but was rehired.
Chi Yuqin was a student she had trained.
After more than a decade of a master-apprentice relationship, Chi Yuqin was no different from her own child.
Seeing her like this, her heart immediately ached for her.

She walked over quickly, took Chi Yuqin’s arm, and pressed her index and middle fingers together on her wrist.

Seeing this, half of Chi Yuqin’s sleepiness vanished.
She smiled and said, “You’re overreacting. I’m just too tired and was catching a quick nap.”

Wang Qiugin ignored her.
Only after confirming that her pulse was normal did she release her hand.

“There’s a bed in the on-call room. Go sleep there next time.”

“Mm, got it.”

Chi Yuqin stretched.
That nap had finally revived her a bit.
She got up and poured a glass of water for Wang Qiugin—

“What wind blew you here?”

“You didn’t see the group message?”

“I’ll look now.”

Wang Qiugin took the paper cup and waved her hand. “Don’t bother. I came to tell you about this.”

With that, she laid out the few résumés in her hand on the desk one by one— “Take a look.”

Chi Yuqin glanced over them. “More new recruits?”

“What do you mean, ‘more new recruits’? Isn’t it always this time of year?”

As Jingbei’s top-tier Grade-A hospital, besides upholding the medical maxim of ‘healing illnesses, healing the body, healing the heart; saving people, saving the country, saving the world,’ legacy and training were also top priorities.

Every year, in every department, any doctor with seniority had to mentor new recruits.
This was a rule, and also a tradition.

Chi Yuqin stood to the side, drinking her water without a word.
The moment Wang Qiugin saw her like this, she knew her old habit was acting up again.

Chi Yuqin’s abilities were beyond question; otherwise, she wouldn’t have reached the position of Deputy Director at such a young age.
It was just that her foul temper made her unpopular.
Otherwise, there would be no need for her to come and talk to her personally every time new recruits were assigned.

The résumés were spread out on the desk.
Wang Qiugin tapped her finger on them. “Look, so young. Every one of them is a vibrant young life.”

Then, she pointed again. “See, they’re all very outstanding. Especially this one, from Jingbei Medical University… an eight-year consecutive Bachelor-Master-Doctorate program. Her thesis is well-written, and she even won awards during her studies. That’s not easy.”

“For medical students, just looking at a résumé… doesn’t seem to be enough, does it?”
Chi Yuqin lifted her gaze slightly, her eyes sweeping over them again.

Director Wang smiled. “But you have to give young people a chance, don’t you? Besides, you weren’t much better when you first joined the hospital. Have you forgotten how many complaints you got for that sour face of yours?”

Chi Yuqin remained silent.

“I know what you’re thinking. You just find it troublesome. Newcomers… fresh out of school, with a belly full of theoretical knowledge. At first glance, they all look like elites, but they’re bound to freeze up when they encounter a real emergency. But if you put yourself in their shoes, who hasn’t gone through this? If you don’t let them get hands-on… don’t let them encounter a few emergencies, they’ll forever be just armchair strategists.”
Director Wang’s voice suddenly turned serious.
“I know you’re unwilling, but you have to mentor them even if you don’t want to. The hospital isn’t a place for you to fight alone. We are a disciplined and organized team. No matter how outstanding your professional skills are, if there’s a gap between the old and new generations in the future, how will we continue? Can you bear that responsibility?”

Chi Yuqin pinched the bridge of her nose.
Faced with her mentor’s stern words, she finally lifted her eyelids and looked at the résumés on the table.
Compared to her earlier perfunctory glance, her attitude was clearly much more serious.

“The gender ratio in our Cardiac Surgery Department is severely imbalanced this year.”

“Where is it imbalanced?”

Chi Yuqin pointed at the résumés, which were all female.

“Oh, that. Well, who told you to be late? Old Liu already picked his.”

“Was I really late, or did he do it on purpose? I remember him doing the same thing last year.”
Chi Yuqin never minced her words for anyone.
Even if a third person had been present today, she would have said the same thing.
“You should really find the time to knock some sense into him. Forming cliques is one thing, but now he’s stirring up gender antagonism. What’s he planning to do next?”

Wang Qiugin also had her issues with Liu Renzong’s actions, but there was nothing she could do.
After all, he had never said such things openly.
If she were to call him out on it, he would just deny it, and she would be the one who looked overly sensitive.

“How about… I go to his department and ask for someone for you?”

“No need.”
Chi Yuqin shrugged.
“I find the people he picks to be stupid.”

With that, she pulled a résumé from the pile without hesitation—

“Her.”

Director Wang’s eyes immediately crinkled into a smile—

“Look at that, what a bright little girl. You can tell at a glance she’s a sharp and clear-headed person.”

“Let me be clear first. If she’s not up to par, I won’t show any mercy.”

“Don’t worry about that. If she’s not up to par, I’ll be the first one to let her go.”

With the matter settled, Wang Qiugin left the office.

Chi Yuqin leaned back in her chair and picked up the résumé she had kept, looking at it again.
Her eyes fell on the two-inch, red-background ID photo.
Her gaze lingered on the photo for a few seconds, then briefly scanned the rest.

‘Bright and fresh?’

Her eyes were quite pretty.

‘Her brain had better be useful too.’

About forty minutes later, the new recruits had gotten their work IDs, been assigned to their departments, and changed into their white coats.

By the time they returned to the inpatient department, it was time for rounds.

Tang Zhen looked down at the photo on her work ID.
It was taken just before her graduation.
A white shirt, a ponytail, a faint smile that didn’t show her teeth, and only a light layer of powder and almost colorless lipstick on her cheeks.
A proper and comfortable kind of beauty.

She heard the door to the doctors’ office open and looked over.
A slender woman with a beautiful face walked out from the backlit area.
As she passed the hand sanitizer dispenser on the wall shelf, she quickly raised her hand and pressed it twice.
Her hands were so fair they seemed to glow, her fingers longer and more slender than most people’s.
With a few rubs, the sanitizer spread evenly over her hands.

Chi Yuqin’s expression was impassive, her gaze fixed forward.
She swept past Tang Zhen like a gust of wind.
Besides the smell of sanitizer, there was another faint, clean scent that filled Tang Zhen’s nose.

Then… she pushed open the door to a patient’s room and strode in.

Tang Zhen froze for a moment before reacting.
She hurried to follow before the door could swing shut.

“Dr. Chi, you’re here.”

“How are you feeling today?”

Chi Yuqin’s voice was cool, her expression devoid of any smile, carrying a natural air of expert authority.

Her voice wasn’t loud, but very light.
If you couldn’t see her face, it had a certain clear and pleasant quality.
But paired with that face, it inexplicably made one’s heart tremble.

Tang Zhen stood at the foot of the bed.
From this angle, Chi Yuqin’s profile looked as sharp as if it had been carved with a knife.

She suddenly remembered what Chen Min had said last night—

“Have you heard of Chi Yuqin from Renhua’s Cardiac Surgery Department?”

“I have. What about her?”

“Beautiful, sharp-tongued, ruthless, and difficult to deal with. Don’t ever be fooled by her beauty.”

Halfway through the rounds, another person came in.

“Dr. Chi, I’m so sorry. I just went to the restroom.”

Tang Zhen recognized her.
She had been in the changing room earlier when they were getting into their coats.

The girl’s timid and trembling demeanor received no mercy from Chi Yuqin.
She didn’t even turn her head, only stating coolly, “It’s fine. I will deduct points.”

After that, she continued to the next ward.

As she passed the crowd, her gaze remained fixed forward.
Her tall, straight back left behind only four words—cold and merciless.

Tang Zhen lowered her head, slowly exhaling the air from her lungs and then stealthily taking a breath.
Whether she was difficult to deal with was still up for debate, but from what she had seen so far, she was definitely not very gentle.

Beautiful, but not gentle.

Chi Yuqin hadn’t noticed Tang Zhen at all.
When she walked, she only ever looked ahead.
As for the things beside her, whether people or objects, she never cared.

Chi Yuqin was very proud, but she had the capital to be proud.
She came from a family of doctors, was brilliant, and on top of her natural talent, she was also incredibly hardworking.

At thirty-three, when others were still scratching their heads trying to get promoted to attending physician, she was already the Deputy Director of Cardiac Surgery.
She had participated in nearly four thousand surgeries of all sizes and had been the chief surgeon in over a thousand.
She was known as the First Sacred Hand of Renhua’s Cardiac Surgery Department—both a young key member and a primary target for cultivation by the hospital’s leadership.

Everyone both loved and hated her.
They hated her foul temper, but that didn’t include her innate intelligence.
They loved her superb skills, but only on the operating table.

They say all roads lead to Rome, but some people are born in Rome.