The Surgeon’s Studio

Zheng Ren watched it with his eyes and mouth wide open.

It felt strange seeing himself in the third person.

Onscreen, he stood before the bed in the emergency resuscitation room surrounded by helpers. As they lifted the patient onto the bed, its headrest tilted at a 30-degree angle, Xie Yiren prepared the needles and equipment required for vascular catheterization beside him.

Each patient took them less than ten seconds to process.

Central venous catheterization was immediately followed by an IV of methylene blue and Zheng Ren rushed to the next bed to repeat the whole procedure on another patient.

“That day, the staff of Sea City General Hospital followed their superior’s orders and provided emergency rescue just in time. Their united reaction and outstanding skill led them to save one patient after another from death.

“The doctor in this scene was key to the entire rescue operation: chief resident of the emergency department of Sea City General Hospital, Dr. Zheng Ren.”

This was the first name mentioned in the documentary. Both Zheng Ren and Su Yun were stunned.

It was completely different from what they had expected!

Had the vultures who thrived on schadenfreude and sensationalism turned over a new leaf? How strange!

A snicker appeared at the corner of Su Yun’s mouth.

Old Chief Physician Pan straightened his back instinctually as he watched the screen, both hands on his knees like a political commissar at his final mobilization before a battle.

Mr. Sun smiled but remained quiet, giving Old Chief Physician Pan a thumbs-up.

The documentary continued to be chaotic and shaky. Soon, someone approached and politely asked the reporters to leave.

On their way out, the camera zoomed in on a patient who had been treated with methylene blue.

The greyish-blue color had faded, creating a momentary but stark visual contrast between life and death.

“The emergency department of Sea City General Hospital handled the emergency rescue of the nitrite poisoning excellently. Their service will set a strong standard for Sea City’s future achievements.”

Then, the emergency rescue was replaced by a timelapse of moving clouds to signify the ruthless passage of time.

All the otherwise-perfect documentary lacked at this point was an interview with a survivor.

After that, the scene cut to a park full of people line dancing, doing tai chi, jogging and walking their dogs.

It was quiet and peaceful.

“It is with their protection that citizens can live their lives so peacefully,” the female voice went on, “No one knows if misfortune will accompany the morrow. They are our last line of defense and protection, and they will never back down.”

An old man with silver hair appeared before the camera and pointed at the tree beside him, “I remember very clearly; on the 6th of November, I had been taking an afternoon stroll in the park when I saw a few old men hitting trees[1]. Under normal circumstances, I would’ve never believed that hitting a tree can improve one’s health, but that day…” The old man scratched his head in embarrassment and continued, “I was told that my body was not in good enough shape for such a practice, but I had to prove myself. I had not expected to feel a sharp pain in my stomach after a single bump. At first, I thought it was simply a stomachache, but after a few more attempts, I lost my vision and consciousness. When I woke up, I was already in the ICU with a tube in my mouth. It was horrible.”

At that, Tang Xiu revealed herself as the narrator.

Her delicate features shimmered under the camera. As it turned towards her, she seemed to be lost in thought but was shaken from her stupor. “Are we rolling?”

The outtake had not been edited out of the documentary, making it seem more natural.

“Good day, all. I’m Tang Xiu from Sea City Metropolis Daily and the old man you saw just now is my father. I was working in my office on the 6th of November when I received a phone call telling me that he was in critical condition and being resuscitated in Sea City General Hospital.”

She smiled and paused to adjust her fringe.

“There are so many scam calls these days, so I didn’t believe it at first, expecting them to ask me for money. However, the caller hung up without saying anything further, so I immediately knew something was wrong. I called 114 to check the source of the call and confirmed that it was from the emergency department of Sea City General Hospital.

“I panicked and even lost my heels while running. Later, I found multiple cuts on my feet that I still have no idea the source of.”

As she was willing to share such an embarrassing experience, her euphemism and openness made her seem cute.

“I reached the emergency department and met Chief Pan, who briefed me on what happened and asked me to sign the surgical consent form. When we reached the operating theater, they had already performed the emergency procedure and managed to rescue my father. At the time, I thought that…”

Halfway through her speech, Tang Xiu’s memory was dragged back to that fateful night.

Her voice began to tremble.

However, she quickly regained her composure and continued, “My father received treatment just in time and was able to recover very well. Here and now, I would like to represent our family and express our sincere gratitude to all the doctors and nurses working in the emergency department of Sea City General Hospital.”

After her interview, pictures of the staff of the emergency department began to roll.

Zheng Ren’s simple, honest face appeared right after Old Chief Physician Pan’s.

After going through the entire department, the scene returned to Zheng Ren.

“Not long ago, Dr. Zheng Ren was invited to Imperial Capital to participate in the research of a new surgical method. However, shortly after his arrival, he was involved in an unfortunate incident.”

Tang Xiu’s voice became sharper and the picture of Zheng Ren smiling slowly faded away.

A phone camera video began playing.

It was one of the leads Tang Xiu had found after reaching Imperial Capital. She knew that an official account had uploaded the video, but that had been taken down after only two hours for unknown reasons.

After some digging, she found the source and paid a tidy sum to purchase the video clip.

The camera was shaking frantically, a nightmare for anyone with motion sickness. However, the irregular trembling came with a sense of authenticity, as if the fear experienced by the person behind the camera was spreading to its audience.

A man lay in the middle of a pool of blood, while Zheng Ren performed his emergency rescue, head lowered in the direction of the camera.

Suddenly, he lifted his head and yelled something gutturally; his visage was terrifying and the veins on his neck bulged out as he screamed.

The crack in his voice was heart-wrenching, but his words were lost in the commotion.

Soon after, a doctor brought him an incision set and other equipment. After organizing them briefly, Zheng Ren tore open the man’s shirt and made a cut in one swift motion.

He then inserted his hand into it before any blood could pour out.

At the same time, blood dripped from his left shoulder.

The video was too real and gory, the atmosphere so heavy that it choked even the viewer.

General public notwithstanding, even the women in the room cried out.

“Argh!”

[1] 撞树 refers to the practice of rubbing one’s back or “bumping” against trees, a practice among some elderly people said to improve circulation, stimulate acupoints and lead to better health. It is not an uncommon sight to see older people do this in Beijing parks.