Groggy, Yan Feifan was shaken awake to find it was broad daylight and his sister gazing at him with concern.
"Feifan, did you overdo it yesterday afternoon?"
"No!"
Yan Feifan replied, sitting up in bed. He yawned and said, "Last night's debate…"
"I was thinking about a medical problem until midnight and went to bed too late."
"Sis, what time is it?"
Yan Ziruo tossed a change of clothes for her brother onto the bed and hurried him, "It's already seven. Get up and eat…"
After a quick breakfast, the siblings rushed out the door.
At the bus stop not far from their apartment complex, they had to fight their way through the back door to squeeze onto the first Route 865 bus that came along.
Yan Ziruo was pressed so tightly against Yan Feifan she couldn't move an inch.
She said with an expectant look, "Feifan, we just have to hang in there for another week or two, and the new car will arrive."
"Then we won't have to suffer through these packed buses anymore."
At that moment, squashed and uncomfortable, Yan Feifan couldn't even bring himself to worry about the danger of his sister becoming a menace on the road.
He complained, "That dealership is so inefficient. I can't believe we have to wait this long."
Yan Ziruo giggled. "It's mostly because they didn't have the color I wanted in stock. It has to be special-ordered from the factory."
"That's why it's taking a little longer…"
As the bus jolted along, the siblings chatted idly about the car. Full of bright hopes for the future, they hardly noticed how uncomfortable the crush of people was anymore.
Suddenly, a terrified shout came from the front of the bus.
"Someone fainted!"
"Someone really fainted!"
"Stop the bus! Stop the bus!"
Hearing the cries, Yan Feifan immediately yelled, "I'm a doctor! I'm a doctor! Let me through, let me take a look!"
At his words, the passengers in front of him did their utmost to part to either side, clearing a path for him.
Yan Feifan and Yan Ziruo quickly made their way to the front of the bus with little effort.
Directed by the other passengers, Yan Feifan saw a man in his thirties or forties with a short crew cut. He was slumped in a seat, his head lolled to the side and his eyes shut tight.
As Yan Feifan moved to check on him, a girl's timid voice sounded beside him.
"Doctor, doctor, he suddenly fell on me. I couldn't push him off, and that's when I realized he'd fainted."
"So I gave him the seat."
"Doctor, is he okay?"
'He's far from okay. This is serious.'
Yan Feifan reached for the man's carotid artery but couldn't find a pulse. He then checked for breath and found none.
He lifted the man's eyelids and saw his pupils were starting to dilate.
Yan Feifan quickly pulled the man from the seat, shouting, "Everyone, back up! I need space to perform emergency treatment!"
The moment he spoke, something incredible happened.
The jam-packed bus cleared a space large enough for a person to lie down in almost an instant.
Then, a loud voice rang out.
"The next stop is a hundred meters away."
"Doctor, can he hold on?"
By now, Yan Feifan had already laid the man flat on the floor and started performing CPR.
He shouted, "The patient's in cardiac arrest! He needs to get to a hospital for emergency treatment right away!"
After a moment's pause, the driver's loud voice rang out again, "Attention passengers, this is an emergency. We won't be stopping."
"We're going directly to the District Central Hospital."
With that, Yan Feifan felt the bus lurch forward as it sped up.
Then, another thought struck him.
While performing chest compressions at a rate of eighty per minute, Yan Feifan urgently shouted again, "Go to Ren'ai Hospital! The nearby Ren'ai Hospital!"
"The district hospital isn't equipped to handle this! They can't save him."
"Alright, Ren'ai Hospital it is!"
After the driver shouted his reply, his booming voice came again, "Dispatch, dispatch, this is a Code Two emergency, a Code Two emergency! Please respond, please respond."
Now, the only sounds on the bus were Yan Feifan performing CPR and the driver's loud voice echoing through the cabin.
"This is dispatch, this is dispatch, driver 726, go ahead!"
"I have a passenger in cardiac arrest on my bus who needs immediate medical attention. I am on my way to Ren'ai Hospital."
"Please have headquarters activate the emergency protocol and coordinate!"
"Understood, headquarters. Please drive safely, 726…"
Right now, besides continuously performing CPR, there was nothing else Yan Feifan could do for the man in cardiac arrest.
The only other thing he did was have Yan Ziruo help remove the man's thick coat to lower his body temperature.
For a person in cardiac arrest, lowering their body temperature can reduce the chance of cerebral edema and mitigate further neurological damage.
In recent years, news of sudden death among the young and middle-aged was becoming more and more common.
Most of these cases were due to organic heart diseases that went undetected or were not properly treated due to personal negligence.
Coupled with factors like excessive mental stress, sleep deprivation, an irregular lifestyle, and an unhealthy diet, this often leads to sudden cardiac death.
A few minutes later, Yan Feifan was still performing CPR.
Seeing him already drenched in sweat, Yan Ziruo said worriedly, "Feifan, let me take over for a bit."
"I've been trained in CPR, too."
Yan Feifan shook his head. "You don't have the experience. You won't be able to control the rhythm and force."
"I can keep going…"
Just then, he heard someone shout, "Look, the cars ahead are making way for us."
Then someone else replied, "The traffic radio station must be broadcasting about us."
"Listen…"
Following this, a female host's urgent voice came over a radio, "We interrupt this program with an urgent message."
"A Route 865 bus with a license plate ending in 726 has a passenger in cardiac arrest and is urgently heading to Ren'ai Hospital."
"The bus is currently traveling northbound on Liu Changshan Road. We ask all vehicles on this road to please yield and clear a path for life…"
Just then, someone else shouted, "A police car is coming to clear the way!"
The words had barely faded when Yan Feifan heard the faint wail of a siren. At the same time, he felt the bus pick up even more speed.
This gave him a little more hope.
Suddenly, Yan Feifan heard his sister start shouting as if possessed.
"Hey, stranger! My brother is fighting for your life!"
"The driver, the radio host, the police officers outside, and so many other people I don't even know are all working to save you."
"You can't give up on yourself!"
"Hang on! Hang on! Hang on!"
Soon, her cry of "Hang on!" was taken up by everyone on the bus, a unanimous roar that seemed to shake the heavens…
At 8:16 AM, with a police escort clearing the way and an entire bus cheering them on, Route 865 bus—license plate ending in 726—enjoyed a clear path and finally pulled up to the entrance of Ren'ai Hospital.
The emergency team, already waiting at the entrance, transferred the man onto a gurney with lightning speed…
The moment he stopped CPR, after nearly half an hour of strenuous work, Yan Feifan had no strength left and collapsed onto the bus floor.
If Yan Ziruo hadn't caught him, he would have collapsed completely.
Amidst the passengers' spontaneous applause, Yan Feifan was helped to a seat. Someone even brought him a cup of hot soy milk.
Yan Feifan really needed something to drink, so he didn't refuse.
However, his arms and hands were so sore and weak, trembling so much that he couldn't even hold the cup.
He had to let Yan Ziruo hold it for him to drink.
Looking at her brother, drenched in sweat and utterly drained, Yan Ziruo said with concern, "Why don't you take the day off? Don't go to the hospital today."
Yan Feifan shook his head. "I have something important this morning. I have to go to the hospital!"
He looked at his own trembling hands and sighed. 'My body may have recovered, but my stamina hasn't returned yet.'
"Next, I'll need to focus on building up my strength and endurance…"
Because of the emergency, Yan Feifan was still on his way to the Affiliated Hospital at 9:40.
Seeing that he wouldn't make it before 9:50, Yan Feifan had no choice but to dial Director Qee Sheng's number.
"Director, are you with Mr. Qin?"
"Yes! Hey, kid, why aren't you at the hospital yet?"
"There was an unexpected incident on the way. Director, please hand the phone to Mr. Qin!"
A moment later, a cool voice came through the phone. "Go on."
"Mr. Qin, I really did encounter an unexpected event!"
Yan Feifan explained the situation in a few words, then added, "Mr. Qin, I've chosen my future path."
"Oh? And what is your choice?"
"A general practitioner!"
Yan Feifan quickly explained, "I know this choice might sound absurd, arrogant, and like I'm overestimating myself."
"But it truly is the result of much consideration last night. And I believe I have a real chance of achieving this goal."
"Mr. Qin, I'll break this larger goal down into smaller ones. Trauma surgery will be my first."
"Mr. Qin, I promise you…"
Speaking into the phone, Yan Feifan said solemnly, "If I can't earn your approval and satisfaction, I won't greedily move on to the next small goal."
"Mrs. Qin, are you still willing to take me as your apprentice?"
PS.
Thank you to my old friend "chlorine" for the generous support!