Summer staggered back to the dorm, groggy and disoriented. Back when she was with Li Tiantian, Li never allowed her to drink. In their five years together, she'd only ever had a single glass of beer. But now, unshackled and free, she had indulged a bit too much.
Without even showering, she collapsed onto the bed and passed out.
Around 4 a.m., a wave of nausea sent her rushing to the bathroom, where she vomited so violently it felt like the world was spinning.
But once it was out, her mind cleared.
Still feeling a bit hungry—and with the day off ahead—she decided to take a hot shower and cook herself a bowl of instant noodles.
While waiting for the noodles, Summer checked her Grace Bottle.
The sight was alarming—the bottle was nearly overflowing.
Again?
There hadn't been any particularly complicated surgeries recently... Was this really all from saving lives?
Then it dawned on her—it must have been the father of the fracture patient.
Grace, after all, meant gratitude.
It didn't always take saving a life to earn someone's gratitude. Sometimes, even saving a life wasn't enough. But she'd helped by fronting the money for the man's treatment; the family's emotional gratitude made sense.
Curious, she tapped the "Draw" button.
[Reward: World-Class Radical Hepatectomy for Stage IV Liver Cancer]
[Reward: 100 Curious Medical Facts]
[Reward: 80% Mastery in Surgical Dexterity]
[Reward: One Small Energy Elixir]
Four rewards in one go—one more than the first time. A flush of excitement hit her at the sight of the liver cancer surgery technique.
Surgical procedures were ranked into four levels of complexity.
Level 1 was basic—things like ingrown toenail removal or excision of a sebaceous cyst. Interns typically started here.
Level 2 was moderately challenging—appendectomies or removal of fibroadenomas in the breast.
Level 3 marked a steep climb: laparoscopic cholecystectomy, laparoscopic appendectomy. These demanded five or more years of hands-on surgical experience.
Level 4? The pinnacle of difficulty—radical surgeries for thyroid cancer, gastric cancer, and more. These carried significant risk and were typically handled by seasoned department heads or elite specialists.
And now, out of nowhere, she'd received a world-class Stage IV liver cancer radical surgery technique.
How could she not be thrilled?
She instantly absorbed the surgical experience.
Her manual dexterity leapt to 80%.
Flexing her fingers, she smiled in satisfaction.
Then there were the 100 curious medical facts…
She blinked in confusion.
What kind of knowledge was this?
After agreeing to receive them, the facts poured directly into her mind.
They were fascinating.
For instance: The earliest clinical symptom of colorectal cancer is a change in bowel habits and stool shape.
Or: Pelvic metastases are most commonly caused by gastric cancer.
Or: The most common intracranial tumor? Neuroepithelial tumors.
It took more than an hour for all 100 facts to fully download into her brain. Once she had digested them, she was amazed. The wealth of small but valuable knowledge—preventative tips, treatment strategies—was incredible.
She couldn't help but feel like her eight years of medical school and grad school had been for nothing. What had she really learned in all that time? A flick of the system's finger had given her more.
After internalizing the new information, her eyes turned to the small bottle of energy elixir.
A tiny container held a clear liquid.
"Hey, System," she said, eyeing it skeptically, "what the hell is this energy bottle?"
"You're not trying to poison me, are you?"
The voice returned, cold and flat:
[Show some respect. The System is here to help you.]
(Why would I waste poison on a broke soul like you? Got nothing better to do?)
Ahem…
"So what does this energy bottle actually do?"
[The Small Energy Elixir grants the host six hours of heightened stamina. When used during periods of extreme fatigue, it restores alertness instantly, without side effects.]
Six hours of energy?
Could it also boost that kind of stamina?
[It could. If the host desires, it's ready for use. However, the system kindly reminds you—most women can't handle six hours. You might want to consider finding a strong male partner instead.]
Pffft! What nonsense are you talking about?!
"Great stuff, great stuff."
"Thanks, System."
"I'll save the energy bottle for a night shift."
She slipped the elixir into her pocket, finished the noodles, cleaned up the vomit, and finally drifted into a restful sleep.
Children's Hospital
Li Tiantian arrived early. As a top-performing student with both academic excellence and refined manners, she had been well-regarded from the start of her internship. Her sweet looks and gentle way of speaking made her a favorite among colleagues.
Everyone expected she would be offered a permanent position. The department head had even hinted at taking her as a protégé.
With the head planning to retire in five years, it was likely she'd become the new head by then.
Everything had been going perfectly.
Until three days ago.
A livestream by Xia Tian had shattered her carefully curated image. Her popularity within the hospital plummeted. Once adored as the charming sweetheart, she was now vilified as a heartless cheater.
As soon as she entered the office, several female interns exchanged knowing glances and snickered behind her back.
She didn't know exactly what they were laughing at—but it was clearly aimed at her. And it wasn't friendly.
Sure enough, when she reached her desk, her office chair was gone.
"Where's my chair?" she asked.
"Did you move my chair somewhere?"
Her eyes bore into the others.
They were all girls—girls who had recently become obsessed with Xia Tian's videos. They now called him "Hubby Xia" and fantasized about marrying him.
Their admiration for Xia Tian had turned into scorn for her.
Apart from them, who else would mess with her chair?
A chubby girl with glasses looked up and grinned.
"Oh, your chair? I think it's behind the door."
"There was an emergency last night. An elderly patient came in. He couldn't lie down, only sit, so we moved your chair for him."
Li Tiantian glared at her and went to retrieve it.
The chair had been dumped behind the door, soiled and reeking with a foul, yellowish substance.
She reached for it, only to feel a slimy, sticky mess that smelled strongly of feces. Gagging, she stumbled back in horror.
"What is this?!"
"What smells so bad?!"
The chubby girl giggled. "Oops, forgot to mention—he had dementia. He had an accident during the check-up."
"The family offered to clean it, but the old lady's pretty old herself. No way we'd make her do that."
"You're young, Dr. Li. Just take it out and give it a wash."
"Scrub it well and let it dry in the sun—you can still use it."
Urgh!
Li Tiantian ran straight to the restroom to vomit.
As she bent over the sink, retching, a former classmate entered. They had graduated together and were both interning at the children's hospital.
The classmate shot her a sidelong glance.
"Well, well. Pregnant already?"
"Is it Xia Tian's or Song Pengfei's?"
"If it's Xia Tian's, you'd better get rid of it. Don't drag him down."
"If it's Song Pengfei's, then congratulations."
"Not that he'd ever let his mistress keep the baby. He'd force you to abort, then toss you aside."
"Oh, right—he already did toss you."
"You really think a guy like Song Pengfei would take back someone else's castoffs?"