People thought she had some kind of driving phobia, but the truth was she was used to pondering cases while walking, often getting distracted. If she brought that habit into driving, it would affect safety, so she simply didn't drive.
That was also why Shi Wenli would give her a ride when he ran into her on the way to or from work.
Seeing that Zhang Xun still didn't intend to leave, Xu Qinghe guessed: "Still upset about this morning's medication drawing?"
Zhang Xun finally had a chance to explain: "Senior sister, I was a bit nervous back then. Please don't think poorly of me."
Senior sister drew medications cleanly, neatly, and steadily.
Once during an emergency rescue, she drew medications at an astonishing speed; before he could see the steps, she had already drawn them and was ready to inject.
But him?
He couldn't even hold steady while drawing propofol.
Xu Qinghe had been through that stage too: "The first time I drew medication, I got scolded by the director. It's fine; you'll get better with practice."
Zhang Xun felt grateful.
Her saying she got scolded by the director was purely to comfort him.
Everyone in the department knew she had naturally steady hands.
Xu Qinghe still had to visit tomorrow's surgical patients. Zhang Xun felt awkward leaving early and planned to follow. Xu Qinghe saw he was already very tired and told him to go home and rest, not to let his mindset collapse.
They headed to the elevator.
Once inside, she pressed the button for the neurosurgery ward.
Tomorrow, her first anesthesia case was a neurosurgery craniotomy.
Seeing it was the neurosurgery ward, Zhang Xun naturally thought of Shi Wenli.
"By the way, senior sister, are you close with Director Shi from neurosurgery?"
"We're on decent terms."
"Has Director Shi finished his postdoc?"
"He finished before he went abroad for training." Xu Qinghe was curious: "You know him?"
Zhang Xun: "Sort of. I interned in neurosurgery for a while in my sophomore year."
Back then, Shi Wenli hadn't even started his postdoc. Zhang Xun hadn't expected him to have finished so quickly.
He couldn't help but marvel: How did Shi Wenli manage to conduct research while handling such a large surgical volume?
The elevator stopped at the neurosurgery ward floor, and Xu Qinghe stepped out.
Since she had finished surgery late today, she had missed the pre-op big discussion in neurosurgery. Before visiting the patient, she planned to first find the patient's attending physician, Ding Qihang, to get the details.
Ding Qihang was just coming out of the office, and they met face to face.
"Dr. Xu, you're here." Ding Qihang greeted her, pointing toward the office. "Our Director Shi is in."
For complex grade-four surgeries, the lead surgeon and lead anesthesiologist needed to discuss the anesthesia plan. Tomorrow's lead surgeon was Shi Wenli.
Xu Qinghe asked, "Has he finished surgery?"
"Yes, he's waiting for you to discuss the anesthesia plan."
Xu Qinghe was no stranger to Shi Wenli's office; she had been there many times.
The office door was wide open.
In front of the computer, Shi Wenli was reviewing the patient's imaging data.
He was wearing a white coat over a light gray inner layer, looking gentle and refined.
Having not seen each other for a year and with little contact, there was a certain estrangement.
Xu Qinghe knocked on the door.
Shi Wenli was focused on the screen and looked up at the sound.
She had a folder in one hand, the other in the pocket of her white coat, her hair neatly tied up.
A year ago, for complex neurosurgery cases like this, she was only the second anesthesiologist, assisting the anesthesiology director and team leader. But in just one year, she could independently handle grade-four high-risk surgeries as the lead anesthesiologist and work alongside him.
He hadn't been in the country and didn't know her specific situation, but it was easy to imagine that she must have specialized in neurosurgery anesthesia, working continuously at high intensity every day, probably without any rest time.
Shi Wenli gave a gentle smile: "Just finished surgery?"
"Mm."
Xu Qinghe walked in and pretended not to know: "When did you get back?"
Shi Wenli put down the mouse: "Last Friday."
Xu Qinghe smiled and said, "What's up with your luck? It was snowing heavily the day you left for training, and now it's snowing heavily when you return."
As soon as she said it, she felt it was a bit improper—she remembered so clearly the day he left and what the weather was like that day.
Shi Wenli laughed, didn't think much of it, assuming she was joking, complaining that 'it snows as soon as you come back'.
He said, "Suddenly dropping to minus seven or eight degrees—you anesthesiologists must be swamped these days."
The recent temperature drop had led to a surge in nighttime emergency surgeries. The anesthesiology department was short-staffed, and even those not on call were called in for surgeries in the middle of the night.
He had misunderstood her meaning, so Xu Qinghe decided to go along with it: "Tell me about it. I didn't get off surgery until 2:30 AM yesterday, and today I'm on the day shift as usual."
"That's like working two day shifts plus a night shift. Aren't you tired?"
Xu Qinghe said, "It's okay."
During the year he was away, she worked overtime every day, completing anesthesia for over three hundred neurosurgery cases in addition to other surgeries.
Shi Wenli pulled out the chair beside him and gestured for her: "Have a seat."