Syaoran walked through the hospital with his steps full of anger and frustration. It was unwise to cross his path as you would unapologetically be shoved out the way while receiving a condescending comment. The hospital staff already couldn't stand him or were afraid of upsetting him in fear of losing their jobs, so despite being pushed out the way they could only voice their frustration quietly inside their heads.
Song Yuqi struggled a bit to keep up the pace with Syaoran as he was walking so fast. Song Yuqi would jog a few steps just to make sure he didn't lose sight of him and every now and then Syaoran would call back to him saying that even a tortoise could walk faster.
Once he got to the office of the Director, he swung the door open and stormed inside. Awaiting him sat the director in his chair with an expectant expression.
"Shouldn't you be conducting a surgery right now? You're jeopardizing the life of your patient-
Syaoran slammed his hand on his desk prompting a distasteful look from the Director.
"Shut the hell up! What the hell are you doing? Who assigned me to this surgery? I wasn't prepped at all or given a notice. Hell, I just walked through the door not even twenty minutes ago! I'm not doing a surgery I wasn't told about. Find another surgeon to do it. I'm not going to be responsible for the life of someone I didn't agree too. Besides my patient list is only supposed to be children, I don't know why I'm being called to the operating room of another department," Syaoran said with anger.
Truthfully, he suspected more to it. The Director doesn't like him and is always trying to screw him over. He has a patient survival of 95% only having lost one due to an unfortunate mishap which the hospital ended up getting sued for a wrongful death. The Director is constantly taunting him and trying to ruin his reputation--not that he has a good one, but he is a good doctor when he actually does his job and that can't be denied. Syaoran had tried to stay out of his way by simply not attending work since even he knew he wouldn't receive any consequences but part of the reason he never actually quit is because of his father and secondly because of the director who stops at nothing to ruin him. You could say it was out of spite he even pursued the career to begin with and not from the pressure of his father.
Having listened to Syaorans outburst the director put the folder down on his desk and put his hands together.
"None of our other surgeons are available. This patient needs immediate surgery and you're the only one who has experience with this procedure. Are you saying you won't do it? A surgeon denying a patient when he's fully capable and available? I don't think this is gonna fly well with the board," The director said with a smug. Syaoran gritted his teeth.
"Don't act as if I don't know what you're trying to do. You've been coming at me since I was a resident here. You just can't stand to see someone like me, someone better than you end up taking your place. Well I've told you more than once I have no desire of becoming director. I barely come to work as it is but you still try to screw me any chance you get. It's not about the directors position is it?" Syaoran spoke. The director made an unfavorable expression. Syaoran was clearly hinting at something deeper.
"I guess I have to report this to your father then if you refuse to do so," he said clenching his jaw.
Syaoran scoffed.
"Yeah, 'cause obviously you don't have the qualifications to order me around. Nor the respect," Syaoran said. He spit on his desk before turning on his heel and storming out. Song Yuqi walked up to the director and bowed.
"I apologize for his insolence Director."
With that, he quickly followed behind Syaoran. At that moment the director suddenly had an idea.
He leaned back in his chair with a sinister smile.
"Oh? Is that so? Well, I'll see about that."
————
Syaoran and Song Yuqi were walking down the hallway. Syaoran was visibly upset. Many who saw him avoided him like the plague.
"Are you really not going to do it?" Song Yuqi asked quietly. Syaoran stopped. He turned around swiftly facing Song Yuqi.
"Are you seriously asking that right now? You want me to just go and perform a surgery I know nothing about. Who the hell do you think I am? I'm not some fucking miracle worker. It's obvious he's trying to taint my name even more putting me in such an uncomfortable situation. I don't need any of this bullshit so early in the day," Syaoran said balling his fists. Song Yuqi looked down nodding slightly.
"And you know what. You're on no speak mode got it? I don't want to hear another fucking word from your mouth the rest of the day," Syaoran said once again turning around and shaking his head. Song Yuqi bit his lip and nodded. He followed after Syaoran biting back his tears.
As they were walking, they passed the lounge area where a woman was seemingly waiting for someone. She spotted Syaoran and immediately her demeanor changed. She quickly rushed up to Syaoran stopping him.
"Lady what! Move!" Syaoran said. He was already irritated and any and everything was at the top of the iceberg before he would explode. Now some random lady was interrupting his stress walk. She had tears in her eyes and a pleading look.
"Please save my husband! Please! The other doctors won't do it, but they said that you can. Please he's all I have I can't lose him!" She begged. She grabbed on to his clothes. This angered Syaoran.
"Get your disgusting hands off me. What do I have to do with your husband. I'm not the only doctor in the goddamn world. Don't come stopping me with your pathetic cries," Syaoran said shoving her away. He was about to walk past her until she stopped him again falling to floor.
"Please I'm begging you! I'll do anything! I'll pay you whatever you want just please. I have a terminal illness. My daughter, without her father will be alone. Please he has to survive. What will she do if both her parents are gone. Please I beg you," she choked out kneeling on the floor. Song Yuqi's eyes filled with tears. A mother filled with such desperation to go as far as to kneel before a doctor of all people. Begging a doctor to save her husband. It angered Song Yiqi.
"Why won't you help her," Song Yiqi whispered.
"Look at this plebeian. Dares to kneel in front of me. Well, it's suits you. It's only right for you low class trash. Even if you were to kneel all day, you'd be wasting my time. Beg and cry and see if I give a damn," he said looking down on her with disgust. Hearing those horrible words be said toward a hopeless mother made Song Yuqi burn with fire.
"You…how can you stand here and see that poor woman lose her dignity to beg you to save her husband? Are you not a doctor? When has someone ever had to beg a doctor for help. Aren't you supposed to be willing to do whatever you can. I know doctors can't save everyone, but you have the skills to do what others can't. How can you be so cruel," Song Yuqi said looking at Syaoran with tears flowing from his eyes. He had that same desperation just like the woman. It bothered him. Syaoran was a bit surprised. Not because Song Yuqi was crying but because he actually stood up to him. It had only just hit him in that moment that any anger he was about to burst had subsided.
"Look at her…. how can you let her do that…" Song Yuqi said. From his point of view, he could understand the woman on a personal level. It brought back painful memories he had buried away. It was long before he met Syaoran. Syaoran scoffed. He looked down at the woman still kneeling.
"How pathetic," he said looking at her. He began walking off. Song Yuqi stood in disbelief. Was he seriously walking away. How could someone be so heartless? Is it really possible for someone to be born like this? He quickly went to the woman ushering her off the ground.
"Please don't do this," Song Yuqi said holding her. She was crying profusely. Syaoran stopped. He sucked his teeth before turning around to face the two. Seeing them together he thought how well Song Yuqi looked beside her. Both looking like a charity case.
"Be lucky I decided to do a little charity. After all it's one of the obligations of the rich to contribute a little to society. Although it's just for show of course," Syaoran said. He turned to Song Yuqi.
"I expect an absolutely bone breaking massage from you later since I'll be stuck in a surgery for the next couple hours. I'm going to be hangry and so pissed," Syaoran said. He turned around walking off. The woman looked in confusion looking to Song Yuqi for confirmation.
Song Yiqi smiled at her with reassurance. Although it was with discriminating intentions, Syaoran still decided to do the surgery. Even if he thought it as a charity Song Yiqi was sure her husband would be saved. The worst possible profession for someone like Syaoran to be in was a Lawyer and a Doctor. But lucky for him Syaoran did take his studies seriously while going to med school and graduated at the top of his class. It was unfortunate however that Syaoran did not treat people equally and only saw others through a classist system.
If there's anything he really hated was letting that director have his way. So, Syaoran sucked it up and made his way to the operating room. He was pissed off having had no coffee this morning and then running into two absolute dickheads only to come to work and be thrown into a surgery after months of not working. Surely this was entirely his fault, but Syaoran would never fault himself. Of course, there was always someone else to blame. Syaoran began putting on his scrubs. The whole time however he was complaining. He was absolutely livid about the director. He walked in the operating room tension filling the air. The room was already ready, and everyone was waiting for him. He scoffed in amusement. He took the lead surgeons position and examined the patient.
Regardless of what I might feel as of now you are my patient. Be grateful you have my god hands to save you, Syaoran thought to himself.
"Explain. Now," Syaoran said. The surgical first assistant began quickly explaining.
"Thoracic Aortic dissection repair. The tear is in the left aorta where it exits the heart."
Syaoran scoffed.
"Patient history. Any previous surgeries?" Syaoran asked.
"Yes, he recently had an open-heart surgery. Because of this we need to be careful of any complications."
First day back and it's such a difficult surgery. I take it back. Not anyone can do this... he thought.
But with that thought he only boosted his ego even more.
"Scalpel" he said. The scrub nurse handed him the scalpel. Performing a Thoracic aorta dissection was by far one of the most difficult surgeries to perform as it pertained to one of the body's main arteries: the aorta. It is a life-threatening risk if the blood goes outside of the aortic wall and could possibly kill the patient. Carrying out this surgery takes the steadiest and patient hands. Performing an open-heart surgery in general can be very risky and can lead to many complications so it's important to carefully resolve the issue while making sure the heart isn't under stress for a long period of time. The Cardiac Perfusionist will keep track of their vitals and make sure the patient is receiving adequate oxygen. Once the heart starts to fall under stress it becomes the point of critical time. Time is of the essence when problems arise. But thanks to Syaoran's impeccable skills such things could only be seen as child's play. It was true, he was born with God hands they said. Everyone he touched were healed by those god hands. He took pride in it when he wanted to. People couldn't understand how someone so bright could throw it away for a life of materialistic things and self-centeredness. It was out of character for a doctor. But then again who could call Syaoran a doctor? He was far from it. But his skills were undeniable when put to use. And for that reason, people couldn't exactly blame his status on nepotism.
After about several hours the surgery was finally completed. Syaoran took a deep breath. His steady hands hovered over the patient's chest. He looked toward the surgical assistant.
"What's your name?" He asked. But it was more of a demand.
"I'm resident Zhang Ning, sir," he responded.
"Suture. You can do that much right," Syaoran said. Zhang Ning nodded and began to suture the chest. Syaoran turned around. The scrub nurse removed his gloves.
His back was killing him after standing bent over for so many hours. He quickly left the room in a hurry. He was dying to get that massage. He was thinking about it the whole surgery. Only a pro like him could think about something else other than the surgery at hand while performing a surgery. Focus is of the utmost importance and if you are distracted you could make a fatal mistake. But his skills precede him. After sanitizing he exited the operating room. It was as if he were seeing daylight for the first time. Upon leaving the room he was met by a group of residents in training. He rolled his eyes at the sight of them.
"That was amazing Doctor Bai. That's one of the most difficult surgeries to perform. Of course, with you performing the surgery it was bound to be successful. We learned a lot from watching you," a resident said cheerfully. Syaoran looked at her with an annoyed expression. She was new indeed otherwise she would not have said anything. But neither did anyone stop her. At some point you have to learn about the 'Syaoran Lore'.
"Here's a lesson for you. If you start clapping the moment you finish a surgery then you should give up right away. Wait until they wake up first before you start to celebrate. Just because you finish doesn't mean it was successful. The main part is whether they'll wake up perfectly fine. Next time don't open your mouth. You're not even qualified to speak to me let alone deserve even a scolding," Syaoran said. He quickly turned away.
The resident girl stood there confused.
"Did I say something wrong?" she asked. Another resident patted her on the shoulder.
"You shouldn't have said anything at all," he said walking past her. She stood there perplexed unable to figure out what she did wrong.
-
"So from what you've said, Lu Shains gang was wiped out by Jang Lins gang. And now everyone is fighting over who takes over the territory?" Kang Weizhe summarized. Naomi nodded.
"Lu Shain's gang covered the central import from out of China. It makes smuggling things in and out of the country much easier and secretive too. It's a good way to stay under the radar especially from law enforcement," Naomi explained.
"Initially Jang Lins gang was going to take over after they wiped them out but apparently there was a whistle blower and the cops showed up surveying the area so they had to leave. Now the surrounding gangs got word of it and want to duke it out with each other over who gets it. The central import is one of the biggest territorial aspects needed in terms of solidifying ourselves at the top and controlling other gangs. I don't mean to start a war but it's imperative we take it for ourselves," Naomi finished.
"Wow, I've been gone for too long and everything is in shambles. You know that central import used to be my territory until I had to leave for undisclosed reasons. If anything it belongs to me," Eren chimed in. He has his usual sly expression which usually meant he was up to no good. Kang Weizhe ignored him.
"How many gangs are vying for it?" He asked.
"Including us would make fifteen."
Kang Weizhe sat in thought. The central import was one of the biggest export and import spots for all kinds of things. It was convenient due to its use of travel by sea. And being able smuggle things in and out while going unnoticed. Kang Weizhe dealt within the illegal firearms trade as well as the export and import of substance use. It was all dirty work but it was work that brought in the big bucks and unfortunately the lifestyle his father groomed him for.
Having such a territory would greatly benefit him and his organization. Not only that but other gangs would have to go through him if they wanted to conduct any kind of business and ultimately he could make the decisions and cut out deals. Taking over this territory was basically becoming the leader of all the gangs in the city. It was an assertion of power that many sought after.
Lu Shains gang had been the holder of it for over a decade and many gangs had tried taking over only this time a new gang that's been making its rounds succeeded in their attempt to overthrow them. Now it's just a matter of who gets it first.
"It does sound enticing and it will definitely benefit us. However, I just brought my sister back from the states. As much as I want to, I cannot involve myself in such things at the moment now that my sister is back. For the time being her safety is my biggest concern. I don't think getting into a war right now is a good move until I get her situated. For right now let's lay low and observe," Kang Weizhe instructed. Naomi nodded a hint of worry in her expression.
"I'm just saying, your sister isn't going to be a problem for us right?" Naomi asked.
"No." Kang Weizhe said simply.
"Well, I'm just making sure. We don't need anything that will inconvenience us. We have things to do that need urgent attention and we can't have obstacles getting in our way," Naomi spoke alluding to Kang Weizhe having a weakness now that his sister is back.
"My sister won't be an issue so you can mind your business. No one knows she's back and I expect it to stay like that," Kang Weizhe said giving them a warning look.
"Oh dear. You know you look so murderous when you look like that. It drives me crazy. I almost want to kill you," Eren said coyly. Naomi scoffed.
"As if you could do anything to Weizhe. Even a cockroach could drop you to the floor," Naomi remarked.
"Well, I think cockroaches are more into old hags whose cherry has been the public toilet of the whole city, you fucking whore," Eren responded.
"Why you-!
"Enough. Take your catty chat outside and get the hell out of my house already," Kang Weizhe said walking away from them. Eren stood with a smug look on his face. Naomi sucked her teeth as she turned on her heel and stormed out the door.
"Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" Eren shouted. He chuckled to himself.
"Now on to much more important things," he said trailing after Kang Weizhe.
——
Boubi
Posted: 05/06/24
Next Chapter: This Dainty Flower is Delicate!