The finger reattachment surgery for the five-year-old boy started at 12:30 PM and didn’t end until nearly 9:00 PM.
The blood vessels in the five-year-old’s finger were barely 0.3 millimeters in diameter.
This made suturing them an order of magnitude more difficult than for an adult.
Fortunately, this was just within Yan Feifan’s capabilities.
If they had been any thinner—with a diameter below 0.2 millimeters—he would have been unable to do anything.
Although the boy’s finger was successfully reattached, it had been crushed and severed by a door, causing severe trauma to the muscle, bone, nerve, and other tissues at the site of the injury.
While debriding the wound, Yan Feifan had to remove a significant amount of necrotic muscle and nerve tissue, along with fragments of the shattered finger bone.
As a result, the boy’s reattached index finger was shortened from three segments to two.
This slightly impacted both its future function and appearance.
There was nothing Yan Feifan could do about it.
After the surgery, the exhausted Yan Feifan and his surgical assistant, Yu Suye, decided not to return to Zuimo Court.
After dinner and a quick wash-up, the two fell asleep in each other’s arms on the sofa in Qin Ying’s medical research office.
The next day, Thursday, Yan Feifan was the lead surgeon for an operation to remove an intraspinal tumor.
Yu Suye performed a rather rare surgery to correct an elbow hyperextension deformity on a girl from the orphanage.
At 9:30 PM, Binhai Satellite TV’s program, Social Weave, aired a special feature produced by Xiao Man titled "Rebirth."
The documentary chronicled the experiences of Wang Dongdong and An’an before and after their plastic surgeries at the Affiliated Hospital’s Plastic Surgery Center.
Before her surgery, An’an was missing her nose and part of her upper lip due to an injury, which made her appearance somewhat frightening. As a result, all frontal shots of her on television were censored.
It wasn’t until after An’an’s surgery that her face was shown clearly.
The special ended with a freeze-frame of An’an and Wang Dongdong, both beaming with radiant smiles.
This was the first time Yan Feifan had seen the final edited version of the program, and the first time he had seen An’an and Wang Dongdong fully recovered.
Judging from the freeze-frame alone, the two girls not only had sweet, adorable smiles, but they also looked quite beautiful.
Of course, a good deal of the credit went to the cinematographer for capturing the perfect shot and their clever use of lighting.
It was even possible the shot had undergone some post-production touch-ups.
But undeniably, the greatest credit belonged to Yan Feifan’s formidable surgical skills, which had completely reshaped their faces.
This was especially true for Wang Dongdong. The difference in her appearance was so vast, a transformation from Dongshi to Xishi, that it was truly unforgettable.
Although the special’s theme was supposedly a call for society to pay more attention to the lives and development of abandoned children, Yan Feifan felt it was more like an official promotion for the Affiliated Hospital’s Plastic Surgery Center, showcasing its positive image and capabilities.
The Center’s Director, Wang Chuan, was presented as the undisputed star of the show.
While Yan Feifan appeared multiple times in the special, the framing of the shots often portrayed him as Wang Chuan’s subordinate.
Furthermore, Wang Chuan was featured speaking several times, discussing the charity project and some of its funding issues.
As for Yan Feifan, he didn’t say a single word in the entire special, like a mere background character meant to enhance Wang Chuan’s magnanimous image.
This left Yan Ziruo deeply dissatisfied.
"I can’t believe Wang Chuan is that kind of person."
Yan Ziruo was seething with anger.
She yelled indignantly, "Feifan, you did Wang Dongdong’s surgery! You reconstructed the nose of that little girl with amnesia!"
"You did the plastic surgery for the other children, too."
"So how come the special makes it look like it was all Wang Chuan’s achievement?"
"Just because he’s the director, does that mean all the credit for his subordinates’ work automatically goes to him?"
After watching the special, Yan Feifan also felt a little unsettled.
However, he didn’t suspect Wang Chuan would do something as crude as stealing credit.
’It makes no sense. Yanyan’s surgery hasn’t even started!’
’Perhaps he has other considerations?’
Just then, Yan Feifan’s phone rang.
It was Wang Chuan.
"Speakerphone, Feifan! Put it on speakerphone!"
Yan Ziruo said, filled with righteous indignation, "I want to hear just what kind of explanation he’s going to give."
Yan Feifan put the call on speaker.
Then, Wang Chuan’s voice came from the phone. "Feifan, you’ve seen the special feature filmed by Reporter Xiao, haven’t you?"
"Just finished it!"
Yan Ziruo answered for her brother, adding, "And I have to be honest, I’m not happy about it."
"I’m not happy, either." Yu Suye also leaned her head in, firmly supporting Yan Ziruo.