August 21st, Heng City, Hunan Province.
The sweltering heat of summer lingered over Heng City, baked by the scorching sun.
Inside the operating room of the Microsurgery Department at Hengnan University's First Affiliated Hospital, the cool blast of the central air conditioning dispelled the oppressive heat and impatience.
On the operating table lay a lean, dark-skinned middle-aged man. His left hand was propped on the sterile-draped operating platform. Tilting his head to glance at the young, sharp-featured doctor attending to his hand, the man joked,
"Doctor, you're so handsome—don't tell me you've got a bunch of girlfriends?"
Zhou Yanqing shook his head with a polite smile but didn't answer.
"Does being a doctor still depend on academic credentials? Or is it that your skills aren't up to par?"
Zhou Yanqing replied calmly, his voice steady.
"Doctors should focus on honing their skills. You can't rely on looks in this profession... unless you plan to make a living off your face. You know, some wealthy women these days—"
Before the patient could finish his thought, Zhou Yanqing interrupted, his tone serious and composed. Wearing a short-sleeved white coat, a surgical mask, and sterile gloves, he deftly maneuvered the needle holder between his thumb and ring finger. "Let's stop chatting. Just two stitches left."
"You wouldn't want me to get distracted and accidentally stitch an extra centimeter, would you?"
That shut the middle-aged man up, halting his endless chatter. Zhou Yanqing, with his left hand holding surgical scissors, quickly clipped the thread.
Finally, peace returned to the operating room.
A minute later, Zhou Yanqing finished the sutures, disinfected the wound, and applied a sterile dressing. He instructed the patient, "All done. Go to the ER for a tetanus shot, and you're good to go. Avoid getting the wound wet, and make sure to change the dressing regularly."
The man sat up, inspecting the dressing on his left hand. Nodding in approval, he remarked, "This bandage looks as sharp as you do. A friend of mine went to a small clinic last time, and the dressing they put on was a mess."
"It looked just like my buddy... that heavy-handed jerk."
"Try to talk less. It might help you avoid future conflicts," Zhou Yanqing added, his tone cautious as he packed up the surgical instruments.
"Doctor... do I talk too much?" The man asked, turning back as he left the room.
Zhou Yanqing ignored him—some people were destined to walk their own paths.
Once outside, the man immediately struck up a conversation with a young intern in the department.
The intern's voice was soft and youthful. "Of course, doctors in small clinics are usually just undergrads. Dr. Zhou is a specialized master's student in hand surgery. He also graduated from Hengnan University."
"He's more professional at handling minor injuries than many surgeons in our hospital."
"I don't believe it..."
"Dr. Zhou, that patient who doubted your skills and effort finally left! He was infuriating."
The moment Xiao Xuanli stepped into the operating room, she vented her frustration, her eyes wide with exasperation.
"Dr. Zhou, you're clearly the most diligent, hardworking, and skilled master's student in our department!"
Xiao Xuanli was an intern nurse at the hospital, soon to finish her internship and secure a permanent position.
Zhou Yanqing, while tidying up the operating table and tools, responded as he removed his gloves and walked to the sink, "It's fine to boast to the patients, but flattering me to my face is a bit much."
"I'm just a master's student in Hengnan University's affiliated hospital, after all."
Hengnan University was a top-tier institution in Hunan Province, with clinical medicine being one of its flagship programs.
Being an old and prestigious teaching hospital, its departments were strictly hierarchical—chief physicians, associate chiefs, attending physicians, and so on.
Master's students like Zhou barely counted as junior ward doctors.
There were six specialized master's students in the hand surgery department alone.
Xiao Xuanli, hands behind her back, earnestly remarked, "I wasn't exaggerating."
"Our teaching instructors say that any doctor who can suture in the ward must have survived the training room first."
"And it's tough for regular surgeons to make it through our department's training room."
The "training room" was a state-of-the-art skills practice facility, built with significant investment to help the hospital's doctors and medical students hone their surgical techniques.
In hand surgery, suturing was a core skill. Performing it in the ward or operating room required higher standards than in general surgery.
"Each specialty has its focus; there's no need to compare," Zhou replied as he dried his hands and threw the paper towel into the trash. His tone was calm, reflecting his self-awareness.
As Zhou's sharp, chiseled face passed by, Xiao Xuanli's breathing quickened. Still in her youthful "beauty is justice" phase, she quickly caught up to him, her soft voice full of curiosity.
"Dr. Zhou, I noticed our department's job posting last month. There's a slot for a master's graduate. Was that reserved for you?"
Zhou stopped briefly, sighing. "Our hospital usually only hires PhDs."
"Any occasional master's slots are reserved for top-tier 'freelancers' from prestigious schools."
"Freelancers?" Xiao Xuanli asked, puzzled, her small eyes blinking.
Zhou explained, "Exceptional master's graduates who couldn't secure PhD spots due to limited openings."
Hearing this, Xiao Xuanli gasped in surprise.
But Zhou's thoughts were elsewhere. As he sat at his desk, he stared at a transparent panel visible only to him:
[Thousand Refinements Training Complete: Performed 1,000 sutures on patients (1000/1000). Gained 2 Suture Skill Points. Earned Medal: Thousand Refinements.]
[Medal: Thousand Refinements—Unique Effect: Gain 1 skill point for completing 1,000 procedures for any medical skill.]
[Suturing upgraded from Proficient (2/3) to Specialized (1/5).]
[Daily Tasks Unlocked…]
Having just completed the 1,000-suture milestone with the last patient, Zhou felt a warm sensation in his hands. He muttered softly, "I wonder if this is real... or just my imagination."