Chapter 75: Thank You

Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Thank You

Liu Jin hurried to the Armed Police General Hospital in the southern part of Binhai. In an office in the outpatient emergency department, he found Yan Feifan.

He saw Yan Feifan sitting motionless on a chair, like a statue.

The afternoon sunlight streaming through the window missed Yan Feifan’s body entirely, landing on the floor.

Liu Jin sighed to himself. He walked slowly over to Yan Feifan and patted him on the shoulder.

"Feifan, I just spoke with Mr. Huang Qiansheng from the Armed Police General Hospital. The preliminary examination shows..."

Liu Jin explained softly, "The boy’s adrenaline levels were nearly ten times the normal standard, and his thoracic cavity was full of blood."

"Combined with what the little girl said, the boy must have experienced a superhuman burst of strength while carrying his sister on his back."

"The result was that his heart couldn’t take the strain and ruptured."

Liu Jin squeezed Yan Feifan’s shoulder again and said persuasively, "You know as well as I do that in a situation like his, the only sliver of hope is getting him into an operating room immediately."

"Feifan, this isn’t your fault. On the contrary, you saved his sister. You made sure his sacrifice wasn’t in vain."

Yan Feifan’s body stirred, and life seemed to return to him.

"Teacher, I’m fine."

"I’ve seen my share of life and death in the hospital these past few years."

Yan Feifan said slowly, "There’s a limit to what one person can do. I understand that."

"I just regret..."

"If I had just gritted my teeth and carried the little girl out of the woods myself, maybe the boy could have seen his sister get rescued."

"He wouldn’t have died with his eyes still open..."

He felt something cool on his cheek. Wiping it with the back of his hand, he was surprised to find it was wet with tears.

Just then, a tissue appeared before his eyes.

Yan Feifan took the tissue, wiped his eyes haphazardly, and said with some embarrassment, "A gnat flew into my eye."

"Yes, there are a lot of gnats when the weather gets warm."

Liu Jin agreed in a deadpan voice, then added with a self-deprecating tone, "I still clearly remember when the first patient I was responsible for passed away."

"I broke down sobbing in the operating room, just like a child."

"A lot of people at the hospital still remember it..."

Liu Jin sighed softly again. "It’s only in the last few years that they’ve stopped teasing me about it."

After a pause, he said seriously, "Every associate director, every chief physician in this hospital... who among them hasn’t lost dozens, if not hundreds, of patients?"

"To put it bluntly, that’s the path you must walk to become what patients call a good doctor, an expert, a famous physician."

Liu Jin comforted him, saying, "To reach the peak, you must endure the pain; to wear the crown, you must bear its weight."

"Feifan..."

Just then, Liu Jin heard the sound of hurried footsteps.

Immediately after, he saw Yan Ziruo and a young girl with a ponytail rush in.

"Feifan, how are you?"

"Mr. Yan..."

Yan Feifan, who had stood up, found each of his arms grabbed by his sister and Tian Yu, who peppered him with concerned questions.

Seeing their worried faces, Yan Feifan forced a smile. "I’m fine. How could anything be wrong with me?"

Yan Ziruo looked her brother over. Seeing that he seemed to be in acceptable spirits, she said with some relief, "As long as you’re okay!"

She glanced around and asked, "Where’s Mr. Xiao?"

"Did she go back already?"

Yan Feifan explained, "She’s in the office next door, probably giving the police a detailed account of what happened."

"The police are involved?" Yan Ziruo was a bit confused.

Liu Jin spoke up to explain, "After all, someone died, and a fourteen-year-old child at that."

"The police need to investigate and determine if it was an accident."

He then added pointedly, "It’s good that the police are involved. Once we have their official findings, it will make a lot of things easier to handle."

"These days, it’s hard to be a good person. You can never be too careful."

Liu Jin quickly declared, "Feifan, don’t you worry one bit. No matter what happens, the hospital will be your strongest backer."

Just then, Wang Chuan strode in and said in a low voice, "The hospital pays law firms millions in legal fees every year, and that’s on the low end."

"They don’t just take our money and do nothing."

His gaze fell on Yan Feifan, and he said with some dissatisfaction, "This is hardly a huge deal. Why are you so listless? You have no energy at all."

"We’re doctors, not gods. We can’t save everyone. As long as you did your best, you should have a clear conscience."

Yan Feifan explained in a small voice, "I’m just heartbroken!"

"After all, he was only fourteen, and he gave his life to save his sister. He died right in front of my eyes."

Wang Chuan lectured, "Life is unpredictable. His situation is indeed tragic. But you’ve been in the ER lately—have you not seen enough people losing their lives to all sorts of accidents every day?"

"Feifan, you are destined to become a great physician of your generation. You need to have a strong heart."

Liu Jin couldn’t listen anymore and interrupted, "Mr. Wang, Feifan is only twenty-four this year. It’s his first time experiencing something like this. It’s completely normal for him to be emotionally shaken."

"Think back to how you were at his age."

"Developing a heart of stone takes time and tempering."

Wang Chuan opened his mouth, but facing Liu Jin, who knew him inside and out, he didn’t have the confidence to say anything too harsh.

He changed the subject. "How about this, Feifan, you take tomorrow off and rest at home."

"I’ll talk to Mr. Qin."

Yan Feifan quickly refused, "Mr. Wang, I don’t need to rest. To be honest, keeping myself busy at the hospital will stop me from overthinking."

Liu Jin urged, "Feifan, you really do need a rest!"

He then pointed at Yan Feifan and said to Wang Chuan, his voice full of dissatisfaction, "How long has he been in your hands?"

"Even I can tell he’s obviously lost a lot of weight since the day he came to report to me."

Hearing this, Yan Feifan couldn’t help but touch his own face.

’Have I really lost weight?’

’I weighed myself last week, and I’d actually gained half a pound.’

"Wang Chuan, I know you’re eager, but you can’t work Feifan to death, can you?"

Facing Liu Jin’s accusation, Wang Chuan said, a little guiltily, "I’ve been controlling his workload. I haven’t pushed him past his limits."

Liu Jin snorted. "Getting to the hospital at seven in the morning and not leaving until eleven at night, you call that ’controlling’?"

Wang Chuan argued, "Isn’t that how all residents get through it?"

Liu Jin flared up. "Is Feifan a normal resident? His body hasn’t even fully recovered yet!"

He added in a heavy tone, "It seems I really need to sit down with you and Mr. Qin and have a good, long talk."

Seeing the two of them start to argue, Yan Feifan was about to try and mediate when Xiao Man walked into the office, accompanied by two police officers.

One of the officers, who appeared older, said formally, "Mr. Yan, we’ve basically finished our initial investigation. We will consider all the factors and give a clear conclusion as soon as possible."

"If we need any further information, we’ll contact you again."

"That’s all for now. Goodbye."

After seeing the two officers out, Yan Feifan suggested, "Should we get going too?"

Liu Jin nodded. "Let’s go. This isn’t our turf."

He added, "I’ve already spoken with Mr. Huang. If the boy’s parents agree to an autopsy, he’ll notify us when the results are in..."

Just as they stepped out of the office, they heard a girl’s heart-wrenching screams. "My brother’s not dead! He’s not dead!"

"You’re lying to me! You’re lying..."

"I want to see my brother! I want to see my brother..."

Soon, the voice faded away.

’The girl must have been given a sedative.’

The sound cast a somber mood over Yan Feifan, Xiao Man, and the others.

They had just walked out of the main entrance of the outpatient emergency department when a mournful voice called out from behind them, "Excuse me, please wait a moment!"

Yan Feifan, Xiao Man, and the others stopped and turned around.

They saw a middle-aged man and woman with sorrowful expressions walking over, supporting each other.

The couple approached the group.

The middle-aged man looked at Yan Feifan and Xiao Man and asked, "You two must be Mr. Yan and Mr. Xiao, right?"

Both Yan Feifan and Xiao Man nodded.

"We’ve already heard the specifics of what happened from the doctors and the police."

"If it weren’t for you two, we would have lost both our children today."

"Thank you! Thank you so much..."

The middle-aged man, supporting his wife, bowed deeply to Yan Feifan and Xiao Man...