Chapter 333: Chapter 332: Everyone is Thick-skinned

The experimental reconstructive surgery, coordinated by Mrs. Yu, was performed on a recently deceased cadaver.

The surgery was scheduled in a laboratory in the Affiliated Hospital’s teaching building.

The operation began at 8:30 in the morning, with Chen Yu, Yan Feifan, and Yu Suye taking turns as lead surgeon and assisting one another.

Qin Ying was also on hand to offer advice and suggestions, take notes, and perform some of the duties of a circulating nurse.

For this surgery, they chose the phalanges of the longest second toe from both the cadaver’s feet to transplant...

The experimental surgery was finally completed at nearly four in the afternoon.

Chen Yu looked at the reconstructed part, which now resembled a curved bow, and sighed softly. "It’s lost its vitality. Everything is so rigid."

Yan Feifan reached out and tried to bend it.

As soon as he let go, it sprang back into place.

"Mrs. Yu, Mrs. Qin, I think we need to increase the angle of flexion between the joints... AH... CHOO..."

Yan Feifan couldn’t help but sneeze.

It was summer, but to preserve the cadaver, the laboratory was kept at a constant temperature of four to five degrees Celsius.

Although they had prepared beforehand, with Yan Feifan in particular bundling himself up in layer after layer of clothing, he still couldn’t quite take the cold after seven or eight hours in such a low-temperature environment.

After exchanging a look with Qin Ying, Chen Yu said, "The surgery is complete. At the very least, it proves that Feifan’s concept is viable."

"Let’s return the cadaver to the specimen room first, then we can head back to the office to discuss this..."

The group worked together to clean up the lab, returned the cadaver to the specimen room, and then went back to the emergency department’s teaching and research office.

Now back in their summer clothes, they gathered in the sofa area, sipping hot tea as they began their discussion.

"What if..."

Yu Suye proposed, "Wouldn’t it be even better if the nervous system could control it autonomously?"

"Maybe we could invite a neurosurgery expert to join our project?"

Chen Yu glanced at her and said flatly, "The more complex the function, the harder it is to implement, and the more likely it is to have problems."

"This is the first time we’re doing a reconstructive surgery like this. We shouldn’t aim for perfection right away. Let’s focus on successfully implementing the basic functions first."

Looking a little unconvinced, Yu Suye turned to Qin Ying for support, only to see her shake her head as well.

"Mrs. Chen is right."

"We can’t bite off more than we can chew. We should focus on getting the basic functions right first. Simple and practical is best."

"This is likely due to a compensatory effect, which has led to a rich development of sensory nerve endings in that area."

"Severing and then reattaching them, while ensuring most of the sensory nerves regain function, is also a major challenge."

She looked at Yan Feifan and said, "Feifan, when it comes to reattaching minute nerves, both Mr. Wang and Mr. Lo are experts in the field."

"You should consult with them frequently during this time."

Yan Feifan nodded and grunted in agreement.

Chen Yu also spoke up, "The toe joint has a limited range of motion. To enhance its flexibility in all directions, allowing it to hang down as much as possible when not in use, we’ll need to further modify the joint socket."

"As for that part..."

Qin Ying cut in, "Su Ye and I will handle that. We’ll use a 3D printer for physical prototyping."

Chen Yu smiled. "Good."

"In that case, I’ll be specifically in charge of the connection between the phalanx and the pubic bone, as well as the connections between the phalanges themselves."

She looked at Yan Feifan and smiled. "Feifan, you’ll be in charge of the main task of severing and reattaching."

"Especially the nerve anastomosis and the grafting of the surrounding muscle tissue."

Yan Feifan nodded. "No problem..."

After briefly assigning their respective responsibilities, the group delved into a detailed discussion about the issues identified during the experimental surgery that needed improvement.

At nearly six in the evening, a saxophone version of the song "Jasmine" suddenly rang out, interrupting their discussion.

Yan Feifan picked up his phone and was surprised to see it was a call from Zhao Xiaoting. He rejected it directly and the discussion continued.

But a moment later, the phone rang again.

This time, it was a call from Mr. Wang.

Yan Feifan didn’t feel right rejecting another call, so he answered.

"Mr. Wang, what’s up?"

"What are you busy with right now?"

Yan Feifan replied softly, "I’m discussing a surgical plan with Mrs. Qin and Mrs. Yu."

Wang Chuan said "Oh," on the other end, then continued, "Is that so? Then I won’t disturb you."

"We’ll talk at dinner. I have something I need to tell you."

Yan Feifan quickly said, "Dr. Qiu already made plans with me. She’s treating me to dinner tonight."

"Mr. Wang, if it’s urgent, please just tell me over the phone. If not, we can talk later..."

After a moment of silence, Wang Chuan’s voice came through the phone. "Dr. Qiu is treating you for that last surgery, right?"

"Simple. I’ll just shamelessly crash her dinner. We can talk at the table then."

"I’ll call her right now..."

Hearing the call disconnect, Yan Feifan couldn’t help but think, ’Mr. Wang sure makes himself at home.’

He hadn’t even put his phone down when it started ringing again.

This time, it was a call from Mr. Liu.

The moment Yan Feifan answered, Liu Jin’s cheerful voice came through. "Feifan, that surgery you performed on the leader was a huge success. They said the post-op checkup was perfect."

"Feifan, tonight, I’m treating."

Yan Feifan quickly replied, "Mr. Liu, I have plans tonight. Dr. Qiu Ge is treating me to dinner."

"Dr. Qiu from neurosurgery?"

"Is it because of the surgery for Mr. Ren’s son?"

After Yan Feifan grunted in confirmation, he heard Liu Jin say over the phone, "In that case... I’ll just have to shamelessly crash her dinner."

"Hold on, I’ll talk to her about it myself..."

Yan Feifan returned to the sofa with his phone and sat down. Meeting the gazes of Chen Yu and Qin Ying, he explained, "I promised Dr. Qiu this morning that I’d attend a dinner she’s hosting tonight."

"I didn’t expect that after Mr. Wang and Mr. Liu found out, they both said they’d crash Dr. Qiu’s dinner too."

Chen Yu let out a soft "oh" and said, "Their goal isn’t to freeload a meal. They probably have something to discuss with you."

She suddenly smiled. "It’s almost dinnertime. If one or two people are already crashing, I might as well tag along and crash Dr. Qiu’s dinner with you."

Yan Feifan couldn’t help but let out a gasp. He then saw Chen Yu shoot a provocative glance at Qin Ying and say smugly, "Speaking of which, Dr. Qiu and I are what outsiders jokingly call two of the ’Five Golden Flowers’ of the Affiliated Hospital."

"I’ll take this opportunity to get a little closer to Dr. Qiu." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Qin Ying snorted. "Compared to Dr. Qiu and the other four, with your level, you were probably just thrown in by some busybodies to make up the numbers."

Ignoring Chen Yu’s furious expression, she looked at Yan Feifan and said casually, "I don’t have anything going on tonight either. I suppose I can reluctantly tag along and join the fun."

’Great,’ he thought. ’One after another, they’re all so shameless!’

As Yan Feifan was lamenting this internally, he felt Chen Yu’s sharp gaze on him.

"What are you standing there gaping for?"

"Hurry up and call Dr. Qiu."

"You don’t need me to teach you what to say, do you? You need to make Dr. Qiu *want* to invite us!"

"Understand?"