After failing to find the doctor, Li Yun was glad he was a surgeon and not a detective. Police work involved a lot of leg work, and often, it resulted in nothing. It wasn't simple to catch a criminal like in the episode of Detective Canon. The only thing Li Yun got out of the investigation was what hospital to avoid if his parents ever needed immediate medical attention.
Starting the new work week, Li Yun walked into the ER. Immediately, he caught an elderly woman who was about to fall. He called the nurse, and told her to bring the woman a wheelchair and then move her to the neurology department. He circled around the ER giving out different commands to the nurses and residents.
"Doctor Han, prepare penicillin for a patient with potential staph!" Li Yun cried out.
Even before he was the attending, everyone had a level of understanding that anything Li Yun suggested was bound to be correct. He wasn't always on the mark, but close enough that they trusted his judgment. However, ever since he became the attending, there was a different sort of aura. No matter how strange the command or diagnosis, Li Yun must be correct.
Chief Gao and Doctor Hao watched Li Yun from behind the nurse's station. It was like watching a director directing a movie set.
"Is his head going to become too big?" asked Doctor Hao.
"Like it wasn't before?" Chief Gao sneered.
"Well, you have to admit he has the ability to. Could you diagnose a patient so fast?"
"That's not how you diagnose a patient," Chief Gao wanted to say that it was borderline supernatural. Li Yun's ability eerily resembled stories he had heard as a child about the ancient doctor, Bian Que. Bian Que had x-ray abilities and could diagnose a patient's illness on sight. It was so unbelievable that Chief Gao had to tell Li Yun to slow down, but he also knew that Li Yun wouldn't risk a patient's health if he wasn't sure. Quick decisions and judgment were as important as accuracy in the ER. "He's going to evolve from a Nian to a Xian(Immortal)."
Li Yun overheard them as he passed by. He didn't believe he could diagnose every illness, but he could determine what specialist a patient should see and how urgent the illness was on sight. Qivi confirmed the diagnosis to a greater degree of accuracy, but it was limited. He couldn't confirm neurological and lymphatic disorders like Parkinson's without actually going through the patient's physical and history.
"Why aren't you two helping out?" Li Yun asked the two senior doctors gossiping from behind the nurse's station.
"Oh ho, he's acting like he's our superior now," Dr. Hao teased.
"The last time I check, I'm still the Chief," Chief Gao barked back.
"We also have a thing called lunch hour," said Dr. Hao, who knew Li Yun spent at most 5 minutes to get his meal.
Li Yun was about to respond when his cellphone beeped.
"Doctor Li, do you have a moment to review a case?" Chief Lim unexpectedly requested.
Li Yun agreed. He arrived in Chief Lim's office and greeted her.
"The general surgery department has a patient who needs to undergo an appendectomy," Chief Lim explained. "They recommend that you assist them with the case."
The general surgery department didn't like anyone in ED, so the case must be either complicated or the patient had unusual demands.
"The patient is an actress, and she wants minimal scarring," said Chief Lim.
"She's the daughter of some local boss or something?" asked Li Yun.
"Yep, 20-years old Chen Bingbing," said Chief Lim. "Her father is related to the Imperial City Chen's family. He's a local politician and happened to be a friend of Chairman Dan."
"Chairman Dan?" Li Yun wondered. Chairman Dan was the one who got him the interview in the first place.
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
"Do you happen to know them? They specifically requested your help."
"I don't recall the name."
Chief Lim showed him the picture of a young woman. Li Yun narrowed his eyes a bit. She did seem familiar, so he may have encountered her before. Thinking back, there was a young woman that looked different from the group of ethnic minorities he had saved during the mudslide. Everyone was drenched in rain and mud, so looking at a picture of an actress in full makeup didn't help him recognize her. He wasn't able to see her in the in-patient area at Binchu Hospital, so it was likely she was transferred to a different hospital.
"Her case is pretty simple, and all the doctors are fighting to handle her case," Chief Lim explained. "However, Mr. Chen requested that you handle the case. He heard that you have an interesting ability and wondered if it was possible for you to operate using single incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS)."
Li Yun thought it would be possible. Although he couldn't see the organs themselves, he could discern the location using the appendicular arteries. It was possible to insert a scissor and forceps into the belly button. He would not need a laparoscope with light and a camera, so the opening would be smaller.
After Li Yun agreed, Doctor Lim set up the appointment time for Li Yun to see the patient the next morning. On the way, Li Yun dragged An Luchang along to the meeting. The reason? An Luchang was slightly good-looking. He was a good meat shield for any young and easily impressionable young lady.
"Why am I going?" An Luchang asked as they walked to Dr. Lim's office.
"It's training," said Li Yun. "You are to tell me what type of pulse she has and what type of person she is."
"But she's 20, how am I supposed to read someone who doesn't have wrinkles?"
"Just guess, you already know a bit of her background. Oh, are you really 25?"
"What's wrong with being 25?"
"You're a damn virgin."
"I don't believe in premarital sex."
"Is that just an excuse for not trying hard enough?"
"Why do you sound like my mother?"
"As much as the children would like to disagree, parents know a lot more about their children than the children know about themselves. Don't pretend to know more than your parents, it is one of the symptoms of 5th grade syndrome."
An Luchang didn't respond and gave him a blank reaction. In other words, no comment.
They stopped talking as soon as they entered the room. Mr. Chen and his daughter Chen Bingbing were seated across from Chief Lim. They all stood up when Li Yun entered. Li Yun wasn't used to the greeting, but he couldn't deny that his ego was a bit stoked.
"Doctor Li, it's great to finally get the chance to greet you," Mr. Chen greeted Li Yun with a strong handshake.
"Typical politician," Li Yun thought. Warm and welcoming, but lacked a bit of sincerity.
Li Yun smiled back warmly. His smile also lacked sincerity, but his charm made up for it. Mr. Chen ignored An Luchang, but Chen Bingbing was kind enough to greet them both. Li Yun could see why all the general surgeons were fighting to take her case. She was healthy, with only a minor inflammation in the appendix. In addition, saving her meant a potential favor from Mr. Chen.
She was different from what he had originally thought. Although she was pretty, she didn't seem to be overly confident, seemed like a warm person, and had a natural supportive peach luck shen. He wondered if this was in-born, or if she had developed it after the mudslide.
In Li Yun's group of friends, Bufu had what people called the seductive peach luck and Xuxu had a direct peach luck. His cousin Wu Ling had developed a sparkling peach luck.
"Doctor Li, we have met before last year, but I don't think you will remember me," she said.
"I remember," Li Yun responded. "You were a volunteer?"
She nodded. "I was helping at a local school."
Li Yun wondered why a daughter of a politician would want to be an actress. Was it for influence? Celebrities could easily influence the masses. After explaining the procedure, everyone agreed and scheduled the operation for Friday morning.
"What do you think of her?" Li Yun asked An Luchang as they walked back to the ER.
"Is her aura what they called peach luck?" asked An Luchang.
Li Yun nodded. "Usually people have some degree of peach luck, but there are people who radiate it from their very being that draws people to them," said Li Yun. "It's a type of charm."
"Ah, I see, is that why you also have all five types of peach luck?"
Li Yun nodded, he wasn't born with it. He had accumulated them after a bit of understanding and training of shen and its connection to face reading. People with supportive peach luck gave out a warm and caring aura. A doctor would benefit from this type of aura as it would help a patient heal faster. People with dreamy peach luck have a spiritual and sensitive aura. It was an aura suited for artists. People with seductive peach luck have a mysterious and sensual aura. Although the aura wasn't about sex appeal, the mysterious aura had the ability to attract a lot of people. People with direct peach luck are usually intense and strong willed. A great aura for people in business. People with sparkling peach luck have a fun and playful aura. Everyone naturally wants to be around a bright and happy person.
"Can you guess what her peach luck is?"
"I'm going to guess the supportive peach type. But... It's unusual since she wants to be an actress." An Luchang suddenly thought of something. "If she wants to be an actress, is it possible for her to be training her aura?"
Li Yun nodded. "That's a good hypothesis. Actors and actresses who understand how to manipulate their shen are likely to be better at acting. It's possible that she has a very good acting coach."
"So you think she's acting?"
"What do you think?"
An Luchang was lost in thought. He wasn't sure if Chen Bingbing was genuine or acting.
"Not that, do you think she's pretty or cute?"
An Luchang stared blankly at Li Yun. "Why should I care?"