"No, no, Dr. Lu, I'm sincerely here to see you again."

"If you're really not feeling well, let's go out and have a meal. You just tell me how many drinks you want me to have, and if I so much as frown, call me a coward..." The young man was ready to risk it all.

Before he got injured, he thought life was like a gamble, everyone has only one life, who's afraid of whom?

But after crashing his motorcycle and injuring his leg, he realized people are made of flesh, it really hurts when you're in pain, and it's truly inconvenient when you can't move around.

"That won't do; our hospital prohibits patients from offering meals or drinks. If you're willing to have the surgery, you'll need to undergo preoperative examinations first, and I'll go prepare the discussion and consent materials for you."

"Once we rule out surgical contraindications, we'll go into the operating room for suturing..." Lu Cheng was in no hurry. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The young man's bleeding had long stopped, and a tendon rupture without active bleeding is considered a 'pseudo-emergency' surgery, which can wait a little longer.

In fact, the discussion and consent materials are standardized templates, but before the preoperative examination results come out and absolute surgical contraindications are ruled out, Lu Cheng would not take the patient into the operating room.

You can't overlook the youth's robust appearance; if there is truly a heart or other problem and something goes wrong on the operating table because of this small operation, it could lead to a lawsuit.

...

After preparing the necessary materials, Lu Cheng was contemplating a post-operative medication issue for a patient. He was debating whether to prescribe anticoagulants and ultimately decided against giving the order.

"Knock, knock, knock!" The sound of knocking came from the office door.

"Lu Cheng, this patient rushed back from Ji City." As soon as Zeng Huanqi, who was on duty at the emergency room today, spoke, Lu Cheng was taken aback.

Ji City is a prefecture-level city in Xiangzhou, with multiple top-tier hospitals like Xiangzhou People's Hospital, Xiangzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, and others, where the medical standards are evidently much higher than Long County People's Hospital.

Lu Cheng turned his head: "Auntie, you were injured in Ji City, shouldn't you have gone to the State Hospital?"

The patient was an aunt in her late forties, with her surgery already bandaged with sterile gauze and bandages, appearing like a flexor tendon rupture in Zone Two.

The aunt said, "Dr. Lu, I'm from Long County. My daughter is an orthopedic nurse at the State People's Hospital, and she told me that your surgeries are better."

"My daughter asked around, and they said my injury was a multiple tendon rupture. If not handled properly, it could easily lead to complications."

"Let me see your medical record..." Lu Cheng stepped forward and extended his hand to the accompanying person, presumably the aunt's husband, asking for the medical record book.

Upon seeing the diagnosis, Lu Cheng said, "Auntie, how did this happen? There are tendon ruptures in your wrist, fingertip, and the back of your fingers?"

"You also have vascular damage? Then you should have gone directly to the State People's Hospital, shouldn't you?"

"I cannot do finger artery suturing." Lu Cheng honestly admitted.

"It got caught in the machine... huh?" The aunt instinctively answered Lu Cheng's question, but upon hearing he couldn't handle it, she was stunned.

The aunt was a bit flustered: "So what do I do now? Should I go back to Ji City?"

Lu Cheng nodded: "You have a vascular injury, particularly in the 'No Man's Land,' which I'm currently unable to address!"

"If it were a vascular injury in another area, I could handle it."

"How long has it been since you got injured?"

The middle-aged man had been silent earlier, but now he spoke: "She was temporarily treated around nine-thirty in the morning, and then we immediately drove back."

"Dr. Lu, you're not joking, right?"

Lu Cheng shook his head: "Why would I joke about something like this? You transferred from Ji City to Long County for me; I'm thrilled you came, so why would I joke about something like this?"

"But if I can't do it, I just can't. However, please don't rush; let me call another doctor to see if he's available."

"If he's available, you won't have to transfer again; if not, you'll need to hurry back to Ji City."

"This tendon rupture involves a vascular injury in 'No Man's Land,' which I currently cannot handle."

Lu Cheng's suturing skill has reached (Specialization 20/20), and there's just one last step before advancing to the next level. However, to start vascular suturing in 'No Man's Land,' even at the entry level, he needs to take that final step.

It's currently Lu Cheng's only gap in local suturing expertise.

"What? Dr. Lu..." The couple looked quite distressed.

On one hand, it's a hassle; on the other, they wonder if their daughter might be unreliable.

However, fortunately, Professor Tong Yuan'an was free today. As soon as he heard Lu Cheng's request for help over the phone, he agreed without hesitation.

"Xiao Lu, you rarely ask for my help, and I can't say no. Just have the patient wait for me in the emergency department!"

"Let's perform the surgery together." Professor Tong said with a cheerful grin.

After being somewhat 'overwhelmed' by Lu Cheng a few days ago, Professor Tong Yuan'an, the chubby guy, had become a bit withdrawn. Lu Cheng thought he was either upset or just moody.

However, it turned out not to be as dramatic as imagined, and Lu Cheng explained: "Professor Tong, there's a simple flexor tendon case in the lower limb A3 zone that needs handling, please do it first, and once I finish on my side, I'll come to learn from you."

"Oh, by the way, Professor Tong, this patient was transferred from Ji City and has been delayed for nearly two hours, so her surgery may need to be prioritized."

A sharp voice came from Professor Tong's side. "What?"

"Ji City's patient got referred to Long County? This is the first I've heard of it..."

"Professor Tong, it was a misunderstanding, and it's one I can't resolve alone, so I had to ask for your help." Lu Cheng's tone was gentle and conciliatory, fully aware of his limitations.

Lu Cheng would never venture into areas beyond his expertise. If there's someone to ask for help, he certainly wouldn't pretend to be high and mighty.

After the phone call, Lu Cheng explained to the couple, "I've asked Professor Tong, a hand surgery professor from Xiangya Hospital, to come. He happens to be visiting our hospital, and his skills are much better than mine."

"So consider yourself lucky, but please don't be so hasty next time."

"For emergencies like these, try to seek treatment nearby to avoid wasting time..."

Lu Cheng's manner was genuinely warm. Although the couple felt a bit awkward, they could only respond, "Thank you, Dr. Lu."

"Since Professor Tong is from Xiangya Hospital, I suppose we made the right choice." The aunt's troubled expression finally eased a bit.

[By soothing the patient's emotions, the menopausal anxiety syndrome was alleviated to a certain extent, earning 0.8 Skill Points!]

To Lu Cheng's surprise, a significant amount of Skill Points suddenly came through, prompting him to look at the aunt thoughtfully.

Indeed, at forty-five, she's in her menopausal years, which might be why she insisted on transferring from Ji City to Long County for better treatment outcomes.

At this age, menopause is typical...

"Okay, I need to go handle another patient's discussion and consent. Later, Dr. Du will come to discuss and get your signatures. Once you're done, Professor Tong should be here."

"All your previous blood test results are already completed. Just get an EKG, and if nothing unexpected arises, you can proceed with the surgery."

"There's no need to worry; since you've come, you might as well stay. At least Professor Tong will be here." Lu Cheng added, his voice low.

"Okay, okay..." The aunty nodded, barely managing a small smile.

[By soothing the patient's emotions, the menopausal anxiety syndrome was alleviated to a certain extent, earning 0.9 Skill Points!]

The aunt indeed awarded high Skill Points!

That being said, this aunt is undoubtedly quite difficult to deal with.

Lu Cheng then asked nurse Tian Duoduo from the nursing department to escort the two to the nurse's station to rest. After calling the surgery backup team member Du Daihua, Lu Cheng also contacted Zhang Tiesheng.

Professor Tong would need an assistant for the operation, and Tong Yuan'an might not bring Peng Kun, so someone from the emergency department had to assist in the surgery.

Additionally, Lu Cheng made a phone call to Lin Qianlong to explain the situation and his 'assessment' of the aunt's emotions!

"Yes, Xiao Lu, you did well."

"This patient, being overly cautious and hearing rumors, was referred from Ji City. We must approach this situation carefully in advance."

"I'll be right there!~" Lin Qianlong didn't shirk responsibility nor blamed Lu Cheng for calling him to the emergency surgery room...