My Medical Skills Give Me Experience Points Chapter 1303 - 514: Ruthless Refusal, Shock and Sorrow (Part 2)

Once he wrapped up his words, Deputy Director Lu bid farewell and abruptly ended the call.

That grief-laden tone from Deputy Director Lu left Zhou Can feeling uneasy deep down.

After all, they had shared several years as colleagues side by side.

They were like comrades-in-arms as well.

Particularly in the operating room, where they battled together toward a shared purpose, working in perfect sync.

Such connections aren't easily weakened by a couple of mishaps.

The deepest bonds in life form among classmates, comrades-in-arms, and those tested by hardship.

Witnessing Deputy Director Lu fall to this state from a fleeting lapse into greed and temptation, Zhou Can sensed a heavy, choking weight pressing on his chest.

Perhaps discussing it with Director Xue Yan and gauging her stance was the proper move.

Zhou Can planned to head to Cardiothoracic Surgery after his shift ended that afternoon and raise the issue with Director Xue Yan.

It wasn't about begging on Deputy Director Lu's behalf, merely sharing the facts—that the old colleagues lured to the Third Hospital faced harsh treatment there.

A Third Hospital that rose through such shady tactics was bound to falter soon enough.

…

Zhou Can stayed swamped the entire day.

Patient influx at the Emergency Department surged wildly, surpassing the unit's full limits.

These days, the Emergency Department staff pushed beyond capacity nonstop.

Exhaustion gripped everyone fiercely.

Barring surprises, Zhou Can's surgical crew ought to grow once more.

Director Lou himself approached to discuss it, urging him to add another medical assistant and an extra OR nurse.

A proper surgical team demands no fewer than three scrub nurses, three medical assistants, and a chief surgeon.

For elite squads, the setup turns impressive.

They might boast dozens of pros, featuring lead surgeons honed in niche areas, folded in as assistant chiefs. Take a premier cardiac surgery group: assistants expert in Orthopedics, cardiovascular work, separations, anastomoses, neurosurgery, and more... That's what defines true elite status.

Thus, Zhou Can's group had a lengthy path ahead to elite heights.

When he finally exited the operating room post-shift that night, Su Qianqian waited outside with his dinner in hand.

Colleagues spotting this always flashed jealous grins.

Such romance sparked pure envy.

As he ate, Zhou Can scanned missed calls and WeChat notifications.

Only friends or family could reach his WeChat.

Regular folks struggled mightily to snag his personal line these days.

Yet some with strong "links" dug up his number via back channels and rang him relentlessly.

Early on, during lulls, Zhou Can picked up or returned calls to inquire.

These days, unknown numbers sans contacts got ignored flat-out.

He had no option amid the frenzy.

A quick five-to-six-minute chat? Still too brief. Phone talks seldom resolve issues anyway.

Patients needing his eyes could register at Tuya Hospital directly.

Bed spots or surgery slots? Only pals, kin, or the rare heartbreaking case he spotted qualified for his pull.

He'd drop a word, make it happen.

Director Xue Yan had rung him with a voice note too.

Urgency was clear.

Among misses, one strange number dialed nineteen times.

Despite no answers, it persisted without pause.

This caller was nuts or in dire straits.

He opted to check Director Xue Yan's WeChat message first.

One at a time was the way.

"Zhou Can, Lu Xiangbei jumped off a building to commit suicide. He’s currently in critical condition and being resuscitated in the hospital."

This bombshell hit Zhou Can like needles stabbing his heart.

Agony surged through him.

Suicide from Deputy Director Lu was the last thing he foresaw.

Deputy Director Lu often soured chats and fumbled niceties. Yet in research and the knife work, he shone as a genuine master.

Had he lacked such outstanding abilities, the Third Hospital would never have dispatched Vice President Zhang himself to recruit him with those irresistible conditions.

Grown-ups tend to act with stark pragmatism.

Earlier that morning, Deputy Director Lu had reached out to Zhou Can begging for aid. Turned away, he likely saw no path forward.

His voice back then had rung with genuine despair.

Zhou Can remained unaware if he contacted others afterward.

Still, learning of Deputy Director Lu's suicide attempt struck Zhou Can with profound heartache.

Without defecting, Deputy Director Lu might now occupy a key leadership role in Tuya Hospital's Cardiothoracic Surgery Department.

A single misstep condemns one eternally.

For Deputy Director Lu, this penalty felt excessively harsh.

"Which hospital is Director Lu in for treatment? I just finished my shift; I’ll head over to visit him."

Zhou Can sent Director Xue Yan a voice message in response.

Events had unfolded; the priority now lay in any chance to rescue him.

Zhou Can simply couldn’t grasp why Deputy Director Lu resorted to suicide. With his superior surgical expertise, barring a stay at the Third Hospital, he could have easily advanced at another facility!

Even settling in the provincial capital at a somewhat lesser tertiary hospital, he’d promptly claim the full benefits and status of a chief physician.

Tuya Hospital boasted immense prestige in provincial and national medical circles.

Other hospitals everywhere esteemed Tuya's physicians.

Much like those from Imperial Renhe Hospital, who command great respect across the field when seeking new positions.

Plainly speaking, that embodies true "gold content."

Director Xue Yan, likely tied up, left Zhou Can’s message unanswered.

Under these circumstances, phoning her would almost certainly fail to connect.

During surgeries, physicians silence their phones completely, skipping even vibrate mode.

This held especially true for chief surgeons like Zhou Can and Director Xue Yan, demanding absolute concentration. A sudden call amid a vital operation phase might disastrously divert attention.

Zhou Can opted to return the call first to that unknown number that had dialed nineteen times.

Two rings later, it connected right away.

"Hello, may I ask what you needed from me earlier?"

Zhou Can inquired courteously.

"Hello, is this Dr. Zhou Can?"

A young woman’s slightly raspy voice emerged from the line, as though she’d wept intensely and lingered in emotional turmoil. Alternatively, it could stem from a natural, smoker’s throat.

"Yes, speaking."

"Hello, Dr. Zhou, I’m Lu Fen. My father is Lu Xiangbei..." Her introduction faltered as her voice cracked briefly.

Deputy Director Lu’s daughter, then.

"Just past two this afternoon, my father texted me to look after myself well, mentioning he’d penned a suicide note in the study. Alarmed, I rang him instantly, but his phone was off—no answer. I alerted the family at once, and we began a frantic search. Soon, police and hospital calls confirmed he’d leaped from a building..."

Recounting her father’s jump, the woman dissolved into sobs.

"Miss Lu, I completely get your overwhelming grief. Could you tell me which hospital is treating Director Lu?"

"Dad’s at Provincial People’s Hospital undergoing resuscitation. He remains comatose, with multiple critical notices issued. Severe brain hemorrhage, ruptured spleen too—his state is dire. I’m reaching out because Dad’s note explicitly instructed: if calamity struck him, deliver a letter to you. He believed you’d deliver justice for everyone."

That explained Lu Fen’s relentless calls to Zhou Can.

Her father’s building plunge for suicide would ignite sorrow and rage in anyone there.

What forced her father to this desperate end?

She grasped fragments, yet not the entire truth.

Though her father clung to life now, death hovered perilously close.

Her one resolve: carry out his final plea for justice.

Zhou Can never anticipated Deputy Director Lu, facing death, pinning hopes on him for retribution—a profound trust and desperate faith.

The words of the dying ring true, their hearts mirroring stark clarity.

Likely, in those last instants, Deputy Director Lu pierced the veils of deception and worldly chill.

Zhou Can proved the sole figure worthy of his trust.

He was convinced Zhou Can would surely secure justice on his behalf.

Perhaps it stemmed from how Zhou Can once championed every medical worker in the hospital, insisting on safeguards for the safety of frontline clinical staff, while boldly confronting the security chief and the deputy director of general affairs—both backed by formidable influences.

This noble and steadfast image had burrowed deeply into Deputy Director Lu’s heart.

That’s precisely why, in his final moments, he handed this task over to him.