Volume 1: Rise
Hard to Bear
I will not let you suffer injury in vain
On the third day of entering the ICU, Gu Yanzhi experienced severe bradycardia1, with her heart rate once dropping to 40 beats per minute. When the ICU called Lu Qingshi, she was at the outpatient clinic, and she ran all the way from the outpatient building to the intensive care unit.
A crowd surrounded Gu Yanzhi’s bed, and the monitoring equipment was beeping continuously. Lu Qingshi pushed through the crowd, dropped the stethoscope hanging around her neck onto her chest, and said, “Atropine 0.5mg IV push, bring the bedside ultrasound over, quickly!”
Everyone seemed to have found their leader, and they busied themselves quickly. A nurse jogged over with the medicine, while Yu Gui rolled up her sleeve to administer the injection.
The sharp needle pierced into the skin, and a look of pain appeared on Gu Yanzhi’s face as her whole body twitched. The breathing tube inserted into her throat was also very uncomfortable, and two lines of clear tears slid down from the corners of her eyes. She desperately shook her head, trying to break free, while several people struggled to hold her down. Yu Gui, midway through the injection, found it impossible to continue, her eyes slightly reddening.
“Captain Gu…”
“What are you standing around for? Go get a rope and keep her from moving!” Lu Qingshi shouted, seeing the risk of the tracheal tube slipping, her eyes bloodshot.
From the neck down, Gu Yanzhi was securely tied from head to toe. Yu Gui continued to inject the needle while wiping her tears. Hao Renjie couldn’t bear to watch any longer, turned, and punched the snow-white wall.
“If I had known we’d be sued, it might have been better not to save them!”
In this rescue, the biggest sacrifice was made by Gu Yanzhi. If she knew that the people they fought so hard to save ended up suing them for profit, how cold-hearted would she feel?
Under the effect of the medication, her heart rate gradually returned to normal. Lu Qingshi sighed in relief, her gaze falling on Gu Yanzhi’s dry, cracked lips, her heart slightly moved.
“Give me a cotton swab and warm glucose water.”
She squatted beside her bed, using a cotton swab dipped in glucose water to gently moisten her dry, cracked lips, her expression focused and serious. Yu Gui wanted to speak several times but swallowed her words, silently closing the door, leaving the room quiet for them.
Gu Yanzhi’s throat moved; the water was very sweet, and she was very thirsty. The tube in her throat burned painfully, and her internal organs also hurt. She was very uncomfortable and longed for relief.
Her eyelids moved, and two lines of clear tears flowed again. Lu Qingshi’s hand paused, then clenched tightly into a fist.
“I know this is very uncomfortable…” she said, still lowering her head, her voice slightly trembling, “But you must endure, Gu Yanzhi.”
She finally called her full name, and water stains fell on the sheet: “Our competition hasn’t yet determined a winner, you must keep going, I won’t let your injury be in vain.”
At noon, Stubborn Head, as a representative of the firefighting team, came to visit her, and as he was leaving, Lu Qingshi called out to him.
“Let’s have a meal together.”
Facing the straightforward invitation from the pretty female doctor, Stubborn Head scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed: “Well… we have discipline…”
Lu Qingshi turned and left: “About your Captain Gu’s matter.”
Stubborn Head stuck out his tongue, quickly put on his hat, and followed her. He sighed with relief but also felt some regret. However, self-awareness is valuable, and someone like Doctor Lu, who is both beautiful and capable, is unlikely to fancy him, unless—she was blind.
“How is it today?” Yu Gui asked as she changed into protective clothing and entered the pediatric intensive care unit. The child lying in the bed was sleeping with closed eyes, breathing steadily, and had stable vital signs. The nurse handed her the medical record.
“It’s okay, the infection is also under control. Doctor Song just came and said in a few days the child can be transferred to a regular ward.”
Doctor Song is a senior attending physician in pediatrics. Yu Gui felt relieved and asked again, “Has An’an’s mother been here these days?”
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The nurse rolled her eyes: “Isn’t she in your emergency hall every day holding a banner and refusing to leave? Where would she find time to come here?”
Yu Gui awkwardly thanked the nurse and left the intensive care unit. In the corridor, she encountered a five or six-year-old child, peeking into the rooms through the glass shield doors one by one.
“Which room are you from, little one? Quickly return to your ward; you can’t walk around here freely.”
Yu Gui squatted down in front of him. The little boy’s face was dirty, his eyes big and bright, showing some liveliness, and he held half an uneaten bun in his hand, speaking in a soft, childlike voice.
“I’m here to find my sister.”
Yu Gui looked around, noticing that during the lunch break, the nurse station was also empty: “Your sister lives in here?”
“Mm!” The little boy nodded vigorously, spreading out his palm to show her the half bun: “Sister hasn’t eaten in several days. Doctor sister, can you help me find her?”
Most children living here cannot eat independently and rely solely on nutrient solutions to maintain their daily energy needs. But looking at his big eyes, Yu Gui couldn’t bring herself to say this, so she rubbed his head.
“What is your sister’s name?”
“She is called Li An’an.”
Yu Gui was suddenly stunned, feeling a mix of emotions. The little boy came over again, tugging at her clothes hem, his eyes filling with tears: “Please, doctor sister, my sister hasn’t been home for a long time. I miss her very much.”
Yu Gui took out a tissue from her pocket to wipe his tears and also wiped his nose: “And your mother? Why doesn’t your mother come to see your sister?”
The little child lowered his head, holding her hand: “Mother won’t let me come; I secretly ran over.”
In an instant, her heart seemed to be hit, and a sour feeling spread from her chest. Yu Gui grasped his hand: “Then promise me, after seeing your sister, you must obediently return to your mother’s side.”
The little boy then broke into a smile and held her hand: “Mm!”
After coming out from the outpatient hall and seeing his mother’s back from afar, the little boy let go of Yu Gui’s hand, ran over, and hugged her thigh: “Mother!”
An’an’s mother was searching everywhere for her missing son, and was caught off guard by his hug, her eyes filling with joyful tears as she gave him a light slap on the forehead: “You troublesome thing, where did you run off to!”
The little boy, excited, pointed at Yu Gui and said: “Mom, it’s this doctor sister, she took me to see sister!”
He shook her arm: “Sister woke up and even talked to me! The nurse aunt also gave me candy, mom look!”
He opened his palm, showing two White Rabbit milk candies that were nearly melted.
An;an’s mother slapped the candies from his palm, her face turning cold as she poked his forehead, loudly scolding: “You little rascal, someone gives you a tiny bit of favor and you get lured away! Those in white coats are no good! She’s the one who sawed off your sister’s leg! And you still call her sister! Ungrateful thing, see if I don’t beat you to death!”
As she spoke, she pulled down his pants and hit his butt with the shoe sole. The little boy cried loudly, looking at the candy on the ground, while An’an’s mother scolded even more fiercely: “I let you run! Let you run! Since young, your worse-than-animal dad didn’t care about you, and I raised you and your sister with so much hardship! You run again!”
Yu Gui couldn’t watch any longer, so she went over to pick up the candy, shielding the boy, her hand marked with several red welts as she put the candy into his pocket and wiped his tears.
“I’m disciplining my child, who do you think you are! Get out of the way!” An’an’s mother said, trying to pull her again.
Yu Gui stepped back voluntarily, knowing she had no right to interfere, but some words were hard to hold back.
“Whatever grievances adults have, no matter what, the child is innocent.”
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An’an’s mother spat on the ground: “Stop pretending to be compassionate like a cat crying over a mouse! Quickly call your hospital leader to compensate! This matter can’t be resolved without 500,000! Once we get the money, we’ll leave!”
“Yes, compensate!”
“Quickly call your leader out!”
“No compensation, no leaving!”
“Yes! Not leaving!”
The people following An’an’s mother were all emotionally charged. Unlike the professional medical troublemakers from last time, these people wore dull gray clothing, with almost no brand names visible. Some faces seemed familiar; they were survivors from that fire and residents on the same floor as An’an’s mother’s family.
Her gaze fell on An’an’s mother’s belongings: a large quilt without a pillow, a hot water kettle nearby, a plastic bag containing a few leftover white flour buns, and an opened lunch box with pickles.
This family is truly poor. Perhaps Teacher Lu was right, there is only one disease in the world—poverty, which doctors cannot cure no matter what.
Yu Gui’s expression darkened, she didn’t speak further, and turned to step into the outpatient hall. The group looked as if they wanted to follow, but An’an’s mother stopped them: “Forget it, forget it, don’t go in, or the police will come again.”
“An’an’s mom, they say, small trouble small compensation, big trouble big compensation, no trouble no compensation. Now you have quite a bit of money, you can get a bigger house, and save a lot for your little treasure!”
The apartment was burned down, and those with savings moved to other places to live, while those without money, like An’an’s mom, stayed here for two days, there for a night, or coped under a bridge for a night. Here gathered are the city’s lowest-level laborers.
It was these people who originally encouraged her to cause trouble at the hospital. An’an’s mom glared at the speaker: “Rest assured, you won’t miss out on your hard-earned money!”
The wide floor-to-ceiling windows allowed an unobstructed view. The banner at the hospital entrance had been up for several days. These people came before dawn and stayed late into the night, finding the hospital’s heating and hot water a rather good place to stay.
Dean Meng leaned on the corridor railing, watching everything below, and took off his reading glasses: “Go, give each of them a packed meal, and have the cafeteria prepare their meals daily from now on.”
Director Liu held an enamel cup, almost spraying out his tea: “This… Old Meng, are you out of your mind?”
He shakily pointed at the people below: “They’re suing us, yet you want to feed them. Aren’t you afraid they’ll stay and not leave?”
“Then mark off a place in the outpatient hall for them, as long as they don’t disrupt the normal medical order, let them stay as long as they want.” He wiped his reading glasses with a cloth and glanced at his old colleague.
“Or, clear out your medical office for them to live in. I’ve had many reports saying your medical office is spacious with leisure facilities, even grander than my director’s office!”
Director Liu was taken aback, pointing at him speechless, but inwardly more reassured, looking at the banners at the hospital entrance, his eyes suddenly emitted sharp intent.
“Oh, it’s rare indeed that our Director Lu invited me to such a luxurious café for dinner. Tell me~ do you have some intention towards me?” Qin Xuan winked repeatedly, but Lu Qingshi ignored it and handed over the menu.
“Shut your mouth and order.”
“Not fun,” Qin Xuan said, feeling rebuffed, but seeing the menu decorated with luxurious gold, she could practically smell the money, so she let it go.
Halfway through the meal, Lu Qingshi cleared her throat: “That…”
Qin Xuan, chewing on her salad, took a file folder out of her Hermès bag and handed it to her: “Here, what you wanted, Director Lu. When have I ever been slow? I asked Lao Bao, a private detective friend, to investigate. It cost quite a bit.”
Lu Qingshi was very satisfied: “I’ll transfer the money to your card later.”
She put down her fork, watching her slender, scallion-like fingers press on the snow-white paper, flipping through it page by page, and suddenly said: “I went to see Director Liu to test the waters. The hospital’s stance, including the Health Commission’s side, is to maintain stability and compromise. Do you really want to go head-to-head with the hospital?”
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“If you ask me, you probably won’t bear much responsibility. At most, you’ll get fined and suspended for a few months, and within half a year, the position of Emergency Department Director will still be yours. Why bother…”
Lu Qingshi looked up at her, her eyes a bit cold: “How long have you been in practice?”
“No more, no less, ten years,” Qin Xuan said, poking at the cake on her plate with a fork: “I’ve seen many big and small medical disputes, but every time it’s about swallowing one’s anger. If it’s my fault, so be it. If it’s not my fault, it still has to be my fault. It’s frustrating.”
Lu Qingshi nodded. Yes, frustration—perhaps it’s the deepest feeling for every medical worker, and she’s no exception.
Only this time, she does not plan to endure it anymore, not for herself, but also for the heroes injured in this fire so that they will not feel disheartened by the world’s coldness.
There are too few people like Gu Yanzhi, who have such a pure heart.
Heroes should be recognized, and her injury should not be in vain.
Lu Qingshi placed this document along with her injury assessment report clipped together on the table.
“With this, can we request the procuratorial organ to initiate prosecution in court?”
LP: That mother… I’m speechless at the shamelessness!
Footnotes
- Bradycardia: A medical condition characterized by an abnormally slow heart rate, typically defined as fewer than 60 beats per minute in adults. It can cause symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, and shortness of breath, and may require medical intervention if it leads to inadequate blood flow to the body.