The patient Chen Yu was operating on had lost the thumb and index finger of his right hand in an accident years ago.
Now that he had the financial means, he wanted to restore the appearance and function of his right hand through surgery.
However, the patient's big toes were thick and short.
Chen Yu mainly used the patient's slenderer second toes from both his left and right feet as the main framework to reconstruct his right thumb and index finger.
During the operation, Yan Feifan realized that his role as a surgical assistant was not just for show.
He ended up doing most of the suturing.
By the middle and later stages of the surgery, as soon as Chen Yu aligned the trimmed sections, Yan Feifan would instinctively begin suturing without so much as a glance from him.
The surgery ended at nearly twelve-thirty in the afternoon.
By the time Yan Feifan cleaned up and got to Cafeteria Number One for lunch, it was already past one o'clock.
He had just gotten his food and sat down when a shadow fell over him. He looked up to find Yu Suye sitting across from him, also with a tray of food.
"Why are you having lunch so late?"
As far as Yan Feifan could recall, she and Mrs. Qin had left after eleven-thirty, during the final stages of the surgery.
"A few car accident victims came into the ER. I just finished up."
Yu Suye explained, then said with a hint of envy, "It's been almost three weeks, Feifan. You've already been in the operating room several times, but I'm still just stuck in the ER."
Yan Feifan explained in a serious tone, "It's mainly because Mr. Wang is fast-tracking my training."
"I'm sure Mrs. Qin has a proper plan for you."
The matter with Wang Chuan's daughter wasn't much of a secret at the Affiliated Hospital, so Yu Suye could guess the general situation.
She hummed in agreement and said, "I'm not in a rush either. After handling different types of patients every day during this period, I really feel like I've improved a lot. I feel much more confident."
"Baining Hospital has fewer emergencies, so there aren't many training opportunities like this."
Yan Feifan chuckled. "Your family's Baining Hospital is expensive. Ordinary people wouldn't dare go there for treatment."
"But being a doctor at Baining must be much more comfortable. The workload isn't heavy, and the pay is high."
Yu Suye extended her hand as if to shake on it. "In that case, I'm inviting you to come work at Baining. Will you come?"
Yan Feifan said with a straight face, "I'm a loyal member of the Binhai University Medical College faction. I can't be a traitor."
Yu Suye snorted lightly, took a bite of food, and teased, "Baining Hospital has quite a few doctors who were poached from the Affiliated Hospital."
"That's them, not me," Yan Feifan declared with a look of righteous passion.
Yu Suye chuckled. "You're being treated like a treasure by so many people at the Affiliated Hospital right now. Of course you don't want to leave."
After a pause, she suddenly said, "Feifan, the next time you're the lead surgeon for an operation, can I be your assistant?"
"I really miss the feeling of standing by an operating table."
"Sure, no problem!" Yan Feifan agreed without hesitation.
'It's not really appropriate to keep letting Mr. Wang handle the trivial assistant tasks when I'm the lead surgeon. I really do need someone to do the grunt work.'
Suddenly, Yan Feifan thought of something else.
'According to my development plan, just the ten pediatric plastic surgeries for the plastic surgery center and the orphanage we agreed on earlier will probably take a considerable amount of time.'
'If we don't make a move on that 1.06 million in donations soon, it'll be hard to answer if the donors start asking questions.'
'Besides, Xiao Man had also envisioned that once this charity project has been running for a while, she would try to get the TV station to do a report on it, which might bring in more financial support.'
'So, a certain volume of surgeries is necessary.'
Yan Feifan said slowly, "Su Ye, you're an attending physician. By Baining Hospital's standards, your skill level must be quite high."
Yu Suye said proudly, "Of course. There's no grade inflation when it comes to physician evaluations at Baining Hospital."
Yan Feifan said slowly, "A large proportion of the children with deformities and disabilities at the orphanage have limb deformities and injuries."
"I'll give you some of their files and let you be the lead surgeon..."
"For real?"
Yu Suye excitedly cut Yan Feifan off, then asked doubtfully, "Feifan, can you really make that decision?"
Yan Feifan explained, "A few days ago, I secured a charitable donation for the plastic surgery center, so I have some say in the matter."
Seeing Yu Suye about to speak excitedly, Yan Feifan quickly added, "Let me make one thing clear first. It's volunteer work. You won't be paid."
"No problem. I'd even be willing to pitch in some money."
Yan Feifan added, "Also, your surgical plans must be approved by Mrs. Qin and Mr. Wang first."
Yu Suye nodded. "That's a given."
She then urged, "Feifan, when can I get the files for those poor children?"
Seeing her impatience, Yan Feifan chuckled and said, "I'll have Ye Lin, who's on the evening shift, make a copy of the files and get them to you as soon as possible."
He reminded her, "Don't bite off more than you can chew. Don't pick cases that are too difficult."
Yu Suye promised, "I'll stick to the principle of picking apples I can reach by jumping."