When I'm on the night shift, all the department heads can't sleep.

Lin Ye squatted down in front of the young man, not rushing him to lie down.

"Don't panic, tell me slowly. How long have you been playing the game?"

"More than ten hours..."

The young man was panting.

"It's the weekend today, and I've been playing since noon. I suddenly felt palpitations, tightness in my chest, and numbness in my hands and feet. I searched it on Baidu, and it said it's a warning sign of sudden death..."

"What Baidu says doesn't count. Get an electrocardiogram (ECG) first. Have you had any heart problems before?"

"No...it's just staying up late."

Lin Ye performed an electrocardiogram on him. The waveform showed sinus tachycardia without any ischemic changes.

My blood pressure was measured again, and it was normal.

My heart rate is over 110, which is a bit fast, but it doesn't match the description of "sudden death".

"An electrocardiogram has been done, and no heart problems have been found so far."

"You're breathing too fast right now, exhaling too much air. Numbness in your hands and feet is a sign of breathing too fast. Follow me, don't inhale too deeply, and lengthen your exhale slightly."

The young man followed Lin Ye's rhythm and slowly adjusted his breathing. After a few times, his hands stopped shaking so badly.

"Are you really okay?"

He was still a little skeptical.

"It seems more like hyperventilation, combined with staying up too long and being stressed."

"But an electrocardiogram cannot replace subsequent examinations. We need to do a blood test first, observe the patient for a while, and then decide whether the patient can leave if the results are normal."

The young man felt relieved, but also a little embarrassed.

"Then... I should be alright, right?"

"Most likely nothing will happen."

Lin Ye wrote the list.

"Next time you play games, remember to take a break and have a drink of water."

"Okay, okay." The young man nodded. "You scared me to death."

Lin Ye told him to lie down on the observation bed and had the nurse draw his blood.

He glanced at the time; it was almost one o'clock.

No one came to the emergency room in the middle of the night.

Lin Ye finished writing the medical record, leaned back in his chair, and heard Ma Hao's footsteps coming and going at the other end of the corridor.

The two met across the corridor and then went back to their seats.

Ma Hao stayed in the observation area, while Lin Ye stayed in the examination room, separated by a corridor. Neither of them spoke much.

One person on each side, just shout if there's any noise.

Around 2 PM, Lin Ye went to the observation area again.

The young man is asleep, breathing steadily, and the numbers on the monitor are normal.

On the bed next to her, an old woman turned over, and the blanket slipped down halfway. Lin Ye pulled it back up for her.

The observation area was quiet, with only the regular beeping of the monitors.

Before dawn, Lin Ye went to see the young man again.

He was awake, lying motionless on the bed scrolling through his phone. When he saw Lin Ye, he smiled a little embarrassedly.

"Doctor, have I finished observing them?"

Lin Ye first measured his heart rate, which was 82, much more stable than when he arrived.

The chest tightness, palpitations, and numbness in my hands and feet have all subsided.

The blood test results are in. The high-sensitivity troponin level is normal. Several hours have passed since the onset of symptoms. Based on the electrocardiogram and changes in symptoms, there is no need to retest for now.

"We've observed the situation carefully; we can leave now."

"Go back and get a good night's sleep. If you experience chest tightness, shortness of breath, fainting, or severe heart palpitations again, come back anytime."

The young man felt as if he had been granted a pardon, turned over and got up, then remembered something.

"Should I come for a follow-up appointment tomorrow?"

"There are no new symptoms, so there's no need for a follow-up examination."

"Next time, staying up less is more effective than a follow-up check-up. Don't work non-stop today, put down your phone and go to sleep."

The young man agreed and left.

Lin Ye stood by the bed for a while, glanced at the numbers on the monitor, and then returned to the examination room.

At 7:30, the day shift doctors began to arrive.

Lin Ye explained the situation of the night shift: there were originally three people in the observation area. Liu Yang was discharged today. The night shift also admitted a young man who stayed up all night playing games. His electrocardiogram and troponin were normal. After observation, he was let go.

The day shift doctor nodded and took it.

After finishing his shift, Lin Ye walked towards the duty room to change his clothes and go home.

He paused briefly as he passed the observation area.

Liu Yang had already changed his clothes and was sitting on the edge of the bed. His younger sister was standing at the door, carrying a bag in her hand.

"Brother, did you get the follow-up test results?"

"Take it." Liu Yang took it out of his pocket. "You seem to care more than I do."

"I was afraid you'd forget things." His sister handed him the bag. "I brought you some clothes, change into them."

Liu Yang took it, but didn't rush to put it on. He glanced at his sister first.

"You took leave?"

"I took a class break, I have enough time."

"Have you eaten yet?"

"I've eaten." The younger sister paused, "but I'm not full. You'll treat me when you're discharged from the hospital."

Liu Yang smiled.

"Okay, please."

Lin Ye stood at the door, listened to the siblings' conversation, and remained silent.

Liu Yang looked up, saw him, and smiled.

"Good morning, Dr. Lin. I'm being discharged today."

"Good morning, what a coincidence." Lin Ye walked in. "The follow-up examination results are good. Go back and get some rest. If you feel any discomfort in your chest, come in immediately."

"Hmm." Liu Yang nodded, then added, "I'm planning to check out that job. He said they're short-staffed for logistics, and I think it seems like a good fit."

"Go take a look, and we'll see if it's suitable."

The younger sister, standing nearby, had a sudden flash of interest.

"Brother, are you really going?"

"Go give it a try. I can't keep you thinking about it all the time."

The younger sister didn't say anything, lowered her head, and slightly curled the corners of her mouth.

"Then we're leaving."

Liu Yang picked up the bag, but his younger sister had already walked to the door and was waiting for her brother.

"Dr. Lin, thank you."

"Of course."

The brother and sister left the observation area one after the other.

The younger sister walked ahead, taking two steps and then turning back to wait for her older brother.

Liu Yang followed behind, his face still a little pale, but his steps were steady.

Lin Ye stood in the corridor, watching their figures disappear through the doorway.

He looked away and walked towards the duty room.

Liu Yang's words, "I saved her, not for this reason," are still ringing in my ears.

Lin Ye changed out of his white coat, folded it neatly, and put it in the closet.

When I came out after changing my clothes, it was already broad daylight.

The streets were not crowded in the early morning, and the breakfast stalls had just set up, with steam rising from them.

After walking through the woods for a while, the morning breeze carried a slight chill.

He boarded the bus, found a window seat, rested his head against the glass, and closed his eyes.

I went over the events of the night in my mind. The person is gone, but the matter remains.

That's how it is in the emergency room, one shift after another.

During the night shift, a person who almost lost their life saving someone was discharged from the hospital, and a person who stayed up all night playing games thinking they were going to die suddenly went home.