Ayuri poked the mirror.
Then, she knocked on it.
Then, just to be sure, she smacks it hard.
Nothing.
Ayuri stood in front of the mirror, her reflection stared back at her, just as confused.
"You demon, show yourself!" she snapped, hands on her hips.
The mirror remained silent, reflecting only her own equally weird stance and incredulous expression.
Frustrated, Ayuri stuck a pen between her nose and upper lip, balancing it, crossing her eyes at the ridiculous sight.
'This… this is ridiculous.'
Her wish had been granted, sure... but this wasn't what she meant!
She was supposed to be out of that rural nightmare, not thrown into a high-pressure hospital!
Look at this sparkling-clean, ultra-modern world.
And the bathroom, look at the technology!
A faucet that automatically detected her hands, a sensor toilet, and a soap dispenser that gave the perfect amount without fail.
"Now this… is civilization."
But then, reality hit her.
How would she get back?
Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of footsteps approaching the hall.
Panicked, Ayuri jumped up.
The mirror shimmered for half a second, and she swore she saw the other Ayuri looking just as bewildered before it returned to normal.
She scowled.
'Oh, now you want to work?"
No response.
She rolled her eyes. 'Fine. Whatever.'
If she was stuck here, she'd deal with it.
Still distracted, Ayuri stepped out of the washroom absentmindedly—
And crashed into a solid wall of muscle.
—BUMP.
The clipboard in the man's hands hit the ground. Papers scattered everywhere
A few nurses and doctors nearby gasped.
It's over.
Ayuri blinked, rubbing her forehead.
What the-?
"Dr. Zither."
A low, icy voice snapped her back to reality.
Ayuri stared at the man standing before her, tall and refined, dressed immaculately in a white coat.
His dark eyes were cold, a steel-like presence.
And an air-conditioning level that could make a fully heated hospital freeze over.
"Did you leave behind your eyes in the washroom?"
His words were ruthless.
Ayuri gulped.
The nurses looked away, pretending they hadn't witnessed a murder in progress.
Who was this man again?
The man stooped down, gathering the fallen papers accurately.
Then, without looking at her, he walked past her.
For a moment, he paused.
"What are you still doing standing there stupidly? Are you skipping your rounds?"
Ayuri's eyes finally registered his nameplate.
Director Yuzi Ren.
Oh.
Oh, hell no.
Her stomach dropped.
Ayuri's mind raced.
This was the director? The same cold-blooded boss who had scolded the other Ayuri to tears just yesterday?
And now, she had bumped into him on her very first day in this world?
'Great start.'
She shuddered.
"C-Coming."
She scrambled to follow after his long strides as she quickly fell in line behind Yuzi Ren as he led the group of doctors toward the ward.
---
[Neurosurgery Department]
Yuzi Ren strode through the ward with speed and purpose, without wasting a moment.
Ayuri kept up, barely.
The first patient was a middle-aged man who had recently undergone brain tumor removal surgery.
"Vitals?" Yuzi Ren asked, his eyes fixed on the chart.
The nurse quickly read them out.
BP: 125/80. Heart rate: 78 bpm. Oxygen saturation: 99%.
Yuzi flipped through the file, scanning ridiculously fast before shutting it.
The interns behind him scrambled to keep up.
Then, his eyes suddenly landed on Ayuri.
"Dr. Zither."
Ayuri stiffened.
The other interns held their breath.
"What's your assessment?"
She met his gaze, her brain working at lightning speed.
The patient had stable vitals, but there was still weakness in his left side.
She glanced at his CT scan results on the chart and clicked her tongue.
"Expected post-op weakness is expected. But…" She started, "his grip strength is still below average for this stage."
She walked over, lifting the patient's left hand gently.
"Sir, can you squeeze my fingers?"
The patient tried, but the grip was noticeably weak.
Ayuri frowned.
"It could be a mild ischemic event during surgery," she said. "A follow-up MRI would be a good idea to check for any post-op stroke or edema."
The room went silent.
One of the interns visibly gulped.
Yuzi Ren paused.
Then, with a short nod, he said,
"Order the MRI."
The nurse scribbled down the order immediately.
Then, without another glance at her, he moved on to the next bed.
The interns stared at Ayuri for a moment before they rushed to follow.
At the next bed, he barely spared the patient a glance before asking, "Dr. Li, tell me about the patient's symptoms."
An intern, Dr. Li, stiffened and quickly started reading from his notes.
"Uh, 45-year-old male, post-op for a ruptured aneurysm. No signs of—"
"Stop," Yuzi cut him off.
Dr. Li froze.
Yuzi turned to Ayuri.
"Dr. Zither, what should he have started with?"
Ayuri resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
She tilted her head, looking at Dr. Li.
"You should've started with the neurological exam findings," she said simply. "That tells us immediately if there's a post-op complication."
Dr. Li looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole.
Yuzi gave a brief nod.
"Good."
He turned back to the patient.
"What do you feel when you move your right leg?"
The patient hesitated. "Tingly… like pins and needles."
That was not a good sign.
Yuzi barely paused and issued his instruction.
"Start nimodipine, and keep monitoring. Dr. Zither, what's the next step if the symptoms worsen?"
"Transcranial Doppler to check for blood flow changes," Ayuri answered immediately.
Yuzi nodded again.
"Good. Keep up."
And just like that, he moved on.
The interns hurried after him like a flock of terrified sheep.
Ayuri grinned confidently.
Now this is getting interesting.
At the front of the group, Yuzi thought to himself.
'Hmm... this intern can be taught.'
---
Ayuri hummed a tune as she stepped out of the hospital, finally, work was over.
She pulled out the note with her address.
Lingjiing Palace?!
That can't be right.
Lingjing Palace was one of the most expensive residential complexes in the city.
Her lifestyle here was way too different!