"If you and Qinghe were together, you wouldn't have that conflict. She might even get more emergency calls than you do."
Shi Wenli chuckled. Before today, he hadn't realized Director Zhao was so eloquent.
Zhao Mingde, putting himself in Shi Wenli's shoes, continued, "Of course, it's hard to suddenly switch from a long-time colleague to a potential partner. There's a psychological hurdle. You don't have to answer me right away. Take a few days to think it over seriously. After all, it's a matter of marriage."
"I'm not just setting you up because Qinghe's father is my old classmate. It's mainly because both of you are so outstanding. If it works out, it would be a beautiful story."
Director Zhao's words were measured, and Shi Wenli didn't refuse on the spot. He didn't reject it because Xu Qinghe was different from other blind date prospects; he needed to treat this carefully.
This was the longest conversation Shi Wenli had ever had outside an operating room. The entire afternoon seemed much longer than usual.
--
In the afternoon, Xu Qinghe took on an emergency Type A aortic dissection case. The patient had been transferred that morning from a nearby hospital. Upon admission, the patient was unconscious. After emergency resuscitation, his vital signs temporarily stabilized. Director Gu Changshen had just come down from the previous surgery and quickly entered the operating room to review the patient's records and scans, determining the surgical plan.
At the medication preparation table, Xu Qinghe prepared and drew up medication as fast as possible, vial after vial. Her steadiness and efficiency were skills Zhang Xun had been striving to master. The perfusionist set up cardiopulmonary bypass urgently. The surgery employed deep hypothermic circulatory arrest with bilateral selective cerebral perfusion.
Halfway through the procedure, the patient's cerebral oxygen saturation suddenly dropped sharply. Xu Qinghe's voice was tense. "Director Gu, the right side's cerebral oxygen is dropping rapidly!" Gu Changshen immediately stopped the anastomosis.
Xu Qinghe quickly investigated potential causes. The airway was fine, the endotracheal tube position was correct. The perfusionist immediately checked the circuit; there was no blockage. They adjusted the unilateral perfusion flow and pressure, but the cerebral oxygen did not recover. After another adjustment, there was still no response. All conceivable causes had been ruled out, yet the problem persisted.
Xu Qinghe turned to Gu Changshen. "Director Gu, it might be compression of the head and neck." After confirming it wouldn't affect the surgical field, Xu Qinghe carefully adjusted the patient's neck slightly.
"The cerebral oxygen is back!" Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
At 7 p.m., the surgery was completed successfully. Jiang Yang was the second assistant. After finishing, he was so exhausted that he sat on the floor, leaning against the wall and dozing off for a few minutes. He had been working nonstop, standing for over ten hours a day. He didn't feel it during surgery, but once he stepped down, he couldn't move a step further.
Xu Qinghe returned after handing over in the anesthesia recovery room. Jiang Yang was still leaning against the wall, seemingly asleep. She gently patted him. "Sleeping like this isn't comfortable. Go home quickly."
Jiang Yang opened his eyes. "How's the patient?"
"Stable for now. Should be okay."
Jiang Yang nodded, bracing himself to stand. Seeing he had difficulty getting up, Xu Qinghe gave him a hand.
"Thanks, sis."
The two left the operating room together. Suddenly, Jiang Yang remembered something. "Oh, sis, I recall you live in the same neighborhood as Brother Shi, right?"
Xu Qinghe nodded. "Yes."
"Perfect. You can ride with me. I've already arranged with Brother Shi to go to his place tonight for tomato wontons." At that, Jiang Yang suggested, "Why don't you come with me to Brother Shi's for wontons? It's more fun with more people. I'll let him know."
Xu Qinghe had long wanted to try Shi Wenli's cooking, so she didn't refuse. Jiang Yang was enthusiastic and immediately called Shi Wenli. Shi Wenli had already arrived home and was preparing ingredients.
"Brother Shi, are you home? Sister Qinghe and I just finished surgery. We're coming over."
Shi Wenli was caught off guard.
Jiang Yang added, "No need to cook extra wontons. I'll pick up some grilled skewers on the way. We'll be at your place in about half an hour."
Shi Wenli hadn't expected to meet Xu Qinghe so soon.