I tried my best to keep Luo Hao from accidentally peeing on you.

The surgery was complete.

A pleasant voice echoed in Luo Hao’s ears.

【Daily Mission: The Stubborn Stone has been completed.】
【Mission Details: Successfully resolved complications resulting from residual stones following laparoscopic cholecystectomy, common bile duct exploration, and T-tube drainage.】
【Mission Duration: 1 week.】
【Mission Reward: 10,000 EXP, Peer Admiration +1.】

Luo Hao did not yet understand what "Peer Admiration" meant. However, perhaps it was just his imagination, but after the mission was completed, he caught Wang Guohua giving him a deep, complex look.

"Director Guohua, take a rest. I'll take the patient back."

Wang Guohua hesitated for a moment.

Luo Hao noticed this expression; it seemed that before he had spoken up, Wang Guohua had intended to escort the patient back to the ward himself. But Luo Hao figured he was overthinking it and didn't dwell on it.

"Director Guohua, have you and Director Shi met before?" Lin Yuming asked.

Wang Guohua took off his gown and gloves, beginning to chat with Director Shi.

Lin Yuming left, laughing and talking with Directors Wang and Shi, while Luo Hao and Chen Yong returned the patient to the ward.

The surgery had been a great success. In less than an hour, the patient’s jaundice was visibly fading. Even without Luo Hao saying a word, the patient's family could see the improvement, and the man’s face was filled with joy.

Back in the doctor’s office, Luo Hao sat down to write the surgical notes.

However...

Writing surgical notes was supposed to be simple; it was effortless for Luo Hao. But for some reason, Chen Yong was acting strangely, hovering behind him with a hesitant, tongue-tied expression.

Given that Chen Yong was wearing a mask, one could only imagine he looked as if he were suffering from severe constipation.

"Chen Yong, is something the matter?" Luo Hao asked.

As he asked, he glanced at the system panel in the top right corner of his vision. After the two missions, the "Peer Admiration" stat had increased to +2.

*Could this passive attribute be the cause?* Luo Hao wondered to himself.

"Luo Hao, do you really not play games?" Chen Yong asked in a low voice.

"..." Luo Hao sighed.

Chen Yong really didn't know how to talk to other men. Recalling how Chen Yong could chat and laugh with his blind date, and then looking at his current tangled expression, Luo Hao was even more certain of this.

"I don't play anymore. I deleted Steam," Luo Hao said.

"Uh..."

"What exactly do you want? I still have surgical notes to write. By the way, go help me check the patient’s T-tube drainage volume."

Chen Yong hesitated repeatedly before dropping his guard. "I want to learn ERCP and minimally invasive surgery from you."

"Good grief, why are you agonizing over such a small thing? If you want to learn, just learn. Once you're proficient, you can do it yourself," Luo Hao said with a hint of disdain. "But are you married?"

"I don't plan on having children. Being alone is fine, or being with someone else is fine, but children are too much trouble."

Luo Hao had no intention of pressuring him into marriage; he wasn't Chen Yong’s parent. Besides, he didn't want to get married himself. Furthermore, while ERCP surgery involved radiation exposure, the dosage was definitely not high. One could still perform the surgery without children, or theoretically, just avoid the radiation for six months before trying to conceive.

If Chen Yong wanted to learn, Luo Hao had no intention of gatekeeping. But what was with the gaming obsession?

"Chen Yong, why do you keep asking me if I play games?"

Chen Yong hesitated. "My mentor said that no matter what, if men go to an internet cafe and play a few rounds together, their relationship will improve."

Luo Hao was speechless.

Chen Yong had likely poured all his skill points into his love life, otherwise he wouldn't be stupid enough to take Jiang Wenming’s words literally. He felt truly at a loss for words.

"No problem, familiarize yourself with the equipment first," Luo Hao said. "By the way, go check the patient’s T-tube drainage volume for me."

"Sorry about that," Chen Yong said sheepishly. "I've always felt bad about troubling others."

"How bad do you feel?" Luo Hao asked with a smile.

"When I go for a haircut, even when the barber is supporting my head, I secretly tense my muscles because I'm afraid of tiring them out."

"Then how do your parents feel about you not wanting children?" Luo Hao asked casually while writing the notes.

"Did I say I didn't want to get married?" Chen Yong reflexively countered with disdain, but then realized his tone was off and softened slightly. "I said I didn't want children."

"Oh, right, I misunderstood."

"I’ve always felt that by not getting married, not buying a house, and not paying a dowry, one can avoid most of life’s troubles. Whenever my parents try to persuade me, I give them solutions."

"First, a long-term home in the city center and a luxury home in the suburbs—doesn't matter if it's a villa or not."

"..." Luo Hao’s hand froze on the keyboard as he turned to look at Chen Yong.

"Second, get me a stable, 'iron rice bowl' job, and find me a 'pretty' iron rice bowl partner."

"Ha!" Luo Hao laughed. This guy Chen Yong must still be in his rebellious phase to talk to his parents like that.

"They couldn't manage that, so they don't nag me as often anymore."

Luo Hao shrugged.

"I’ll go check the patient's drainage."

Chen Yong strode away.

Luo Hao continued writing the surgical notes. He wasn't surprised by Chen Yong’s desire to learn a new technique. Young doctors were sharp and had an upward-striving heart. The old tracks were crowded; only new tracks offered room for growth—it was a blue ocean.

Whether they could sail, or secure a place in the future, depended on individual luck. Take Chen Yong’s mentor, Jiang Wenming; he had the skills, the ability, and the meticulousness, and he’d learned the new technology early on. Yet, in the end, he was relegated to the outpatient clinic.

...

"Youren, the patient you didn't take in today? Luo Hao finished the surgery for you," Wang Guohua said while sitting in Wen Youren’s hospital room.

Wen Youren was stunned.

"Master, wasn't it you who did it?"

Wang Guohua briefly recounted the surgical process. "Your surgical level is still lacking, don't blame yourself. I tried, and I couldn't get the stone out either."

Hearing this, Wen Youren felt incredibly stifled. Even though he knew it was the truth, it was still unpleasant to hear. Even though Wang Guohua was using himself as a negative example, Wen Youren still felt a deep, stinging shame.

"Don't be unconvinced." Wang Guohua sighed. "I'll think of a way."

"Think of a way? What way? Why think of a way?" Wen Youren, still feeling indignant, asked a flurry of questions.

"You and they aren't drinking from the same pot," Wang Guohua said.

Crude, but accurate.

"You’re at this age; you can't change anymore. It’s too difficult to improve your surgery significantly, so I’ll try to see what I can do."

"See what?" Wen Youren pressed.

"You blockhead! You're so dense it shows on your face!! What else could I mean?! We aren't drinking from the same pot, so I’ll try my best to ensure Luo Hao doesn't splash his 'pee' on you!" Wang Guohua scolded.

"..."

Wen Youren felt unconvinced from the inside out, the word 'stifled' written all over his face. Wang Guohua was also angry, sitting in silence with a dark expression.

A long time later, Wang Guohua silently stood up and walked out of the ward with his hands behind his back. Although Wen Youren was reluctant, he put on his slippers to see Wang Guohua off. No one spoke; an invisible barrier seemed to have appeared between them.

...

*Ring, ring, ring~*

The phone at the nurse station rang.

Ten seconds later, the nurse shouted, "Brother Chen! Call from the Emergency Department—a patient with peritonitis is being brought up shortly!"

Luo Hao looked at the surgical notes he had just finished as the system's "Ding-dong~" sounded in his ears.

【Emergency Mission: Treating Constipation】
【Mission Details: The patient suffered a bowel perforation due to an attempt to treat constipation. Please perform emergency rescue to stabilize the patient.】
【Mission Duration: 8 hours.】
【Mission Reward: 10,000 EXP, Diagnostic AI Fragment +1.】

*Huh? A mission.*

But the mission name sounded a bit strange. What did "treating constipation" mean, and how did it lead to bowel perforation?

Bizarre. Usually, people used glycerin enemas to treat constipation, and while some people joked about taking them orally, it wouldn't cause a bowel perforation. Luo Hao hadn't seen many such cases; the most absurd one he’d heard of involved someone inserting a bar of soap into their anus for lubrication.

Luo Hao pondered the content of the system mission, and soon he heard the "clack-clack" sound of a gurney being wheeled across the floor. This was the sound doctors and nurses hated most; it caused hormone levels in the body to spike to an infuriating degree, primarily adrenaline and dopamine.

Luo Hao stepped out of the office, and Chen Yong was already receiving the patient. The nurse skillfully hooked the patient up to an ECG monitor, and Chen Yong began the physical examination.

It was visibly apparent that Chen Yong’s hand pressing on the patient's abdomen felt as if he were pressing against a wooden board—a classic sign of a "board-like abdomen." Generally, just touching it once was enough to confirm, so there was no need for further examination; they needed to hurry to place a gastric tube, a urinary catheter, and prepare for surgery.

But Chen Yong’s hand remained on the patient's stomach, unmoving.

"Luo Hao, come take a look at what’s going on," Chen Yong said, unsure of himself.

"What’s wrong?"

"I feel something inside the patient's stomach, and it occasionally moves."

"That's impossible. With a board-like abdomen, the stomach is as hard as a wooden board; how could you feel something moving?" Luo Hao stepped forward, habitually rubbing his hands together to warm them before placing them on the patient's stomach.

The patient’s stomach was rock-hard. Luo Hao couldn't feel anything wrong.

"It was there just a second ago." Chen Yong tried again, but to his surprise, he felt nothing.

"The doctor in the ER ordered a CT scan, and we ran up here as soon as it was done," the transport attendant said. His expression was strange; he tried to look serious, but the corners of his mouth were twitching uncontrollably, as if his mind had lost control of his facial muscles.

"Insert the gastric and urinary tubes, and draw blood for labs," Luo Hao ordered the nurse, then walked back to the doctor’s office. He opened the imaging system, entered the patient's name, and a bizarre image appeared before him.

There was a hard object about 6-7 cm in diameter and 20 cm long inside the patient's colon.

"Damn, what the hell did they stuff in there this time?" Chen Yong cursed.

"Do you often see patients like this?" Luo Hao looked at the image, then glanced at the system mission, still feeling a bit lost.

"Not often, but I see two or three a year," Chen Yong said. "Don't bother asking; if you do, they'll just say they sat on it by accident."

"It’s like that foreigner who stuffed a WWII artillery shell into his rectum and claimed he slipped and sat on it," Luo Hao remarked casually.

"Another big job," Chen Yong sighed.

In the image, the massive object was lodged in the colon near the diaphragm. It likely couldn't navigate the turn, so it got stuck, causing the bowel to rupture and leading to fecal peritonitis. The patient’s condition was clear; there was no choice but to prepare for surgery.

Luo Hao picked up his phone, thought for a moment, and dialed Wang Guohua. "Director Guohua, we have a patient with a foreign body in the bowel. Preliminarily, it’s a bowel perforation with peritonitis," Luo Hao reported.

Wang Guohua’s voice on the other end was heavy. Chen Yong pricked up his ears, but couldn't hear exactly what Wang Guohua said.

"Understood, Director Guohua. Dr. Chen and I will prepare for surgery; I’ll call you when we’re in the OR."

Hanging up, Luo Hao stood up, energized. "Prepare for emergency surgery."

Chen Yong frowned slightly, looking conflicted.

"Good grief, it's just a job of 'scooping dung'," Luo Hao laughed. "If you want, you can be the assistant, or you don't have to scrub in. Director Guohua and I can handle it."

"Have you ever done this? Don't talk nonsense if you haven't. The last time I did this surgery, I almost died from the stench."

"I've done it. There are more patients like this in Beijing. Emmm, Chengdu seems to have the most. A century of West China Hospital, gold-standard dentistry, and ace proctology."

"!!!"

"Spray some perfume on your mask. It doesn't help much, but you'll feel a tiny bit better."

"You've really done it?"

"Don't ask so many questions." As Luo Hao spoke, he dialed another number. "Uncle, I’m about to go into surgery. Do we still have any stock of protective face shields and goggles from the pandemic a few years ago?"

Chen Yong stared at Luo Hao, stunned. *Who the hell is this? A rookie who hasn't been in surgery for years? He acts like an old hand who lives in the operating room every day.*

"We have to scoop dung, no other way. I saw the staff spreading de-icing salt during the snow last year wearing those full-body suits, so I figured there should be plenty of inventory left."

"If we don't have them, we can still do the surgery, but it’ll be torture. I’m young, so I’m not afraid, but I’m worried that Director Guohua’s eyes will tear up, and he won't be able to see the surgical field clearly."

Luo Hao began to complain, shifting the responsibility onto Wang Guohua. Soon, he hung up with a smile and gave Chen Yong an "OK" gesture.

"You aren't really going to wear a gas mask into surgery, are you?" Chen Yong asked, his eyes wide.

"Scooping dung is too much of a nightmare. When I was in school, the chief resident’s locker was full of little gadgets rarely used, like goggles."

"Specifically for scooping dung?!"

"Yeah, our patient volume is low, but Beijing’s volume is high. You see all sorts of weird patients there."

Before the pre-op preparations were finished, Lin Yuming arrived at the office carrying a box, looking annoyed.

"First time I've ever heard of needing goggles for surgery," Lin Yuming scolded.

"Heh."

Luo Hao never turned down a favor. He checked the goggles with a grin. They were all sealed; although they had been gathering dust in the warehouse for years, the seals seemed fine, and they were still usable.

"Director... Director Lin, how much more of this equipment do we have in the warehouse?" Luo Hao tried to change the subject.

"That’s not for you to ask. How’s the patient?"

"Acute peritonitis, emergency surgery needed. I don't know what it’ll be like inside. Hopefully, we'll get lucky and the surgery will go smoothly," Luo Hao said.

Heavy footsteps sounded outside, like a war beast from a game approaching. It was Wang Guohua.

"Director Guohua, sorry to bother you in the middle of the night," Lin Yuming said, rubbing his hands and greeting him with a smile.

"Why are you here? Is there a problem with the patient?" Wang Guohua looked at Lin Yuming suspiciously.

"It's just that Luo Hao told me he might have to 'scoop dung,' and I remembered you once mentioned that what you hated most during such surgeries was the stinging in your eyes."

*Stinging?*

Luo Hao paused. Even though he was a pure-blooded Northeasterner, it took him a few seconds to figure out what Lin Yuming meant by that slang.

"We had some goggles in stock from the pandemic a few years ago that weren't being used. And look! They’re finally coming in handy!"

Wang Guohua was slightly moved. He saw the goggles on the table and picked one up to weigh it. "When I saw these goggles a few years ago, my first thought was that they would be useful when scooping dung in the OR. I didn't expect that day would actually come."

Wang Guohua patted Lin Yuming’s shoulder hard. Although there was an age gap of nearly 20 years, Wang Guohua was as strong as an ox; his slap was so loud it nearly dislocated Lin Yuming’s shoulder.

Luo Hao truly felt the mysterious power of 'Peer Admiration +2' working on Wang Guohua.

"Hope they’re useful," Lin Yuming said, wincing.

"They'll definitely be useful. At the very least, better than operating with bare eyes. I don't care much about the smell; a little stench is fine. I grew up with an outhouse, so the smell wasn't much better. But when my eyes tear up, I really can't see the field, and after a long time, it starts to sting." Wang Guohua held the goggles, clearly fond of them.

"Director Lin, I didn't think you’d be so thoughtful. Meticulous as a needle, the Medical Affairs Director has really made a refined person out of you," Wang Guohua praised.

"I don't have that kind of clinical experience; it was Luo Hao who said so," Lin Yuming said. "Luo Hao said that when he was at Peking Union Medical College, his mentors always kept these on hand. So when he asked me for them, I went to grab them."

Even though Lin Yuming’s words were a bit disjointed, it didn't matter. Wang Guohua was a pragmatist; as long as the surgery wasn't delayed, anything was fine. As for why Lin Yuming was rambling, he didn't care.

Once pre-op was ready, the ER staff wheeled the patient to the operating room. Luo Hao carried the box to go change.

"Too many, there are over a dozen here," Lin Yuming stopped him.

"The scrub nurses and the anesthesiologist need them too."

Lin Yuming had forgotten that. He didn't follow them into the OR to "suffer," but as he watched Luo Hao’s retreating back, his emotions were somewhat complex.

"Director Lin, Luo Hao is certainly thorough. I really didn't expect a young lad like him to be so meticulous," Wang Guohua’s voice came from behind, startling Lin Yuming.

In an instant, a smile appeared on Lin Yuming’s face, and he bowed slightly to show respect. "Director Guohua, what do you think of Luo Hao?"

"Hmm?"

"Luo Hao has been very active lately. I don't know much about surgery, but two directors from the First Hospital of the Medical University have asked me several times about Luo Hao going there for further training."

"What's the point of further training? To be a 'black doctor' and work for them for free? Dream on." Wang Guohua was clear-eyed about these things. As soon as Lin Yuming brought it up, he guessed what the other was thinking.

"The Mining Hospital is gradually declining, no way around it. Luo Hao is a Ph.D. from Peking Union, and I’m not willing to see him stay at the Mining Hospital either."

Lin Yuming expressed his intentions accurately and unambiguously. Seeing that Wang Guohua’s expression didn't change, he bowed even lower. "Director Guohua, please give the younger generation some guidance during the surgery later."

Wang Guohua was half a head taller than Lin Yuming, looking down and squinting at him.

"I’m thinking of letting Luo Hao go see the First Hospital after the New Year. If the kid can’t stay in Beijing, that’s fine, but at least he should go to the provincial capital, right?"

"Director Lin has a good plan," Wang Guohua teased. "I also think Dr. Luo is quite good. Don't worry, if there are any issues during the surgery, I’ll teach him."

The two old foxes talked back and forth, mixing truth with falsehood, reality with illusion. Neither believed the other, but their expressions remained sincere, earnest, and heartfelt.

...

Luo Hao changed and entered the operating room, handing out the goggles. Upon hearing they had to "scoop dung," the doctors and nurses in the OR complained bitterly, even with the goggles.

"Luo Hao, how many of these surgeries did you do in Beijing?" Wang Guohua looked at the patient’s scan, not surprised by what foreign body was in the intestine, but asking calmly.

"Quite a few. I’ve only done about a dozen myself."

"Alright then. You’ll be the primary surgeon today, and I’ll be your assistant," Wang Guohua said. "But let’s be clear: this surgery is different from the last one. Last time, I couldn't get the stone out, you used laser lithotripsy, and you handled the hardest part of the surgery."

"My temper is very bad. They all know it."

Wang Guohua seemed to be rambling, but Luo Hao understood.

"Director Guohua, what are you saying," the circulating nurse quickly interjected. "What’s wrong with shouting a few times during an emergency? It’s all to save time and bring the patient back."

Wang Guohua smiled slightly. "If you don't do well, I will throw instruments. Remember that one time during surgery? I threw a hemostat at Youren’s head, almost contaminating the surgical field."

"If I do something wrong, please tell me. If I still can't do it after three times, I’ll step back and assist. I will never treat the operating table like a joke," Luo Hao replied firmly.

Wang Guohua nodded. The beauty of this kid Luo Hao was that he could finish the sentence after Wang Guohua just gave him the lead. He didn't seem like a young man at all.

The anesthesiologist finished the anesthesia as quickly as possible. Luo Hao nimbly put on the goggles and went to scrub in. After disinfecting and gowning, Luo Hao didn't stand on ceremony and walked straight to the surgeon's position.

Wang Guohua just watched calmly, without saying a word of nonsense.

Luo Hao calmed his mind, reviewed the situations he had encountered in the system’s operating room, and reached out for the iodine-soaked gauze.

Disinfecting again, wiping clean, Luo Hao took the scalpel and made a massive incision.

Wang Guohua’s expression didn't flicker; he just quietly assisted by pressing to stop the bleeding and using electrocautery to coagulate. Layer by layer, they separated the tissues, their coordination as seamless as if they had been operating together for a lifetime.

"Prepare for peritoneal protection." Luo Hao lifted the patient’s peritoneum with a forceps and said softly, "Scalpel."

Wang Guohua stepped back half a step, eyes fixed on Luo Hao’s hands. He was clutching a gauze pad, his posture somewhat stiff.

The scalpel descended, Wang Guohua retreated another 10cm, and the gauze pad lifted slightly.

However, the thing they had imagined didn't happen, and Wang Guohua froze in surprise.