Director Liu held the X-ray film in his hand, his face frozen in sheer disbelief.
"Is this real?"
He regretted the question the moment it left his lips.
Real or not? The film was right there in his hand.
But… how could this be possible?
"How did he do it?" Director Liu stared wide-eyed at Dr. Mu, desperate for an answer. But Dr. Mu just spread his hands helplessly.
"I have no idea how he did it. I didn't witness the reduction. By the time I came over from the OR, the patient had already been sent to the ward and the cast was in place."
Director Liu gawked at the film for a second longer, then barked out, "Where is he?"
"Where's Xia Tian?"
"He's back in the ER."
"Let's go. We need to find him."
In the ER office, a patient with a laceration had just arrived. It was Wang Xiaobei's turn to do the suturing, with the other interns gathering around to observe. Suturing was child's play for interns—maybe not perfect, but enough to get by.
Wang Xiaobei had stitched up dozens of patients before. Normally, he'd be cool and confident. But today? He was a wreck.
He glanced nervously at Xia Tian.
"Brother Tian, could you... not stare at me like that?"
Interns were like baby birds, eager for every crumb of knowledge. When one was hands-on, the others swarmed in to watch. Xia Tian stood nearby as usual.
"What's wrong?"
"Am I distracting you from your grand performance?"
He used to watch all the time—why not today?
"You're making me nervous…"
Wang Xiaobei looked ready to cry.
Why did a suture god have to stare him down? The pressure was too much!
"Alright then." Xia Tian shrugged. With a 50% buff in manual dexterity from the system, he really didn't need to watch someone stitch. He'd be better off reading instead.
One of the interns turned to him, puzzled.
"Brother Tian, weren't you supposed to be in surgery assisting with a bone plating procedure? Why are you back so soon?"
Before Xia Tian could respond, Yang the chubby intern lit up, eager to spill the tea.
"You guys don't know? Brother Tian is a total beast. That surgery didn't even happen—he manually set the fracture! No plates needed. The patient's already got a cast in ortho."
"Manual reduction?"
Li Yajun took a sip from her thermos, her voice shrill and skeptical.
"A tibial fracture with three separate breaks? You think that can be fixed manually?"
"One wrong move, the bones don't align, and the patient spends the rest of his life limping. And he's only 23!"
Yang flinched, glancing cautiously at the notorious iron maiden. One wrong word, and he'd get flamed alive.
"We did an X-ray after the reduction," he said timidly. "Then consulted ortho. Dr. Mu said it was okay, so we casted it."
Li Yajun arched an eyebrow.
"Dr. Mu? He's only the deputy director. Did you show it to Director Liu? He's the one who has the final say on something that important."
"Did you even ask him?"
Yang and Xia Tian exchanged a look.
Busted.
She was going to kill them.
Yang muttered, "He was in surgery… so we didn't get a chance. But Dr. Mu said it was fine, so we just…"
"Just? Just?!"
Li Yajun's eyes flared.
"Is saving lives something you take this lightly?!"
"Didn't your professors teach you in med school? Carelessness kills."
"Don't just stand there—go find Director Liu and report everything you did without permission."
Xia Tian stood up and gave Yang a wink.
"I'll go."
"No need for all of us to take the heat."
If there's going to be a scolding, let it fall on me alone.
Just as he reached for the door, it burst open. Director Liu, Dr. Zhang, and Dr. Mu stormed in together.
Director Liu was clutching the film in hand, face flushed with excitement, striding straight toward Xia Tian like a man possessed.
The way he charged, Xia Tian half-feared he might get tackled and kissed.
"Director Liu… is something wrong?"
Xia Tian instinctively stepped back.
"This film… did you do this?"
Director Liu waved the image in front of him. Xia Tian glanced at it—it was the post-reduction X-ray of the fractured leg.
He nodded. "Yes, that's my work."
"How did you do it? I want the details—all the details."
Director Liu's eyes sparkled with an almost childlike eagerness.
Xia Tian placed three pens on the table and gave a basic demonstration.
Afterward, he scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
"It's hard to explain like this. Manual reduction depends a lot on the specific trauma. It's not something you can really capture through a few motions on a desk."
Director Liu rubbed his chin and stared at the pens, deep in thought.
He had to admit—Xia Tian was right. This kind of thing needed to be taught hands-on. Words weren't enough.
Still…
"A three-segment fracture, successfully reduced manually… that's almost unheard of. I've only managed two segments myself. Do you have some kind of secret technique?"
I have a system, Xia Tian thought.
He'd had the system since day one, and it had gifted him decades' worth of bone-setting experience. His hands were basically operating at a world-class level—something no small-town hospital director could compete with.
But of course, he couldn't say that.
He coughed lightly and made up an excuse.
"As long as it's a closed fracture, manual reduction is viable. If you can do one segment, or even two, then why not three?"
"The key is to try."
"You've already mastered the technique, Director Liu. Three segments should be no harder for you. The only thing holding you back is your mindset. You've convinced yourself it can't be done."
"But we should never stop improving."
"The next time you encounter this situation, I hope you'll give it a try. I know you can do it."
Xia Tian sat calmly, while Director Liu stood awkwardly in front of him. His tone was that of a teacher advising a student—and that made things… awkward.
After all, Liu was the head of the department, a man in his fifties.
And Xia Tian? Barely in his twenties.
Logic and hierarchy said Liu should be the one offering guidance—not receiving it.
But… why did his heart flutter like a student being mentored by a master?
What would you like to do with the next chapter?