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

The third floor of the administration building, outside the medical affairs office.

The corridor at nine in the morning was blindingly bright, a stark contrast to the cold, foggy lights of the emergency room late at night. Lin Ye stood leaning against the wall, a half-stained patch of iodine still clinging to the cuff of his white coat.

Sun Zhiqiang stood next to him, his face long and drawn, clearly not wanting to talk.

A voice came from inside the door: "Come in."

Pushing open the door, Liu Zhenhua, deputy director of the medical affairs department, sat behind his desk, on which lay two copies of medical records—one for Chen Jianguo's type A aortic dissection and the other for Liu Peng's acute epidural hematoma.

"Lin Ye?"

"Yes."

"Third year of residency training?"

"Yes."

Liu Zhenhua took off his glasses and tapped the table with his fingertip: "Two days, two high-risk cases were identified. One was referred directly to the head of cardiac and vascular surgery, and the other was a patient who underwent a cranial CT scan. The results were both correct, I'm putting this out there for now."

Lin Ye didn't reply.

Liu Zhenhua turned to the consultation record page of the medical record, where the words "Emergency Department Resident Liaison Director" were clearly circled in red pen.

Sure enough, he pushed the medical records in front of the two of them: "But the procedure was wrong."

Sun Zhiqiang quickly tried to smooth things over in a low voice: "Director Liu, the situation was indeed too urgent at the time."

"When isn't it an emergency room emergency?" Liu Zhenhua looked up. "If every resident trainee could directly appoint a department head based on their own judgment, what would be the point of the hospital's on-call system? Who would take responsibility if something went wrong? Who would explain if the family complained about excessive testing? Who would sign off on the patient's discharge if they died during transport?"

The office air conditioning was on full blast, but Lin Ye's back felt a little damp.

Liu Zhenhua stared at him: "You saved someone, that's a good thing. But you're not the attending physician, not the chief resident, and certainly not the department head. You can offer suggestions, but you can't give orders about the rescue."

"I did not direct the rescue."

Sun Zhiqiang's face changed instantly.

Liu Zhenhua also stopped moving.

Lin Ye spoke calmly: "I reported the high-risk status, provided supplementary evidence for the physical examination, and kept written records of all the examination and consultation requests. Before the final procedures were carried out, Teacher Sun gave informed consent."

Sun Zhiqiang's lips twitched.

That's true.

It sounds like he's been nailed to the record as well.

Liu Zhenhua stared at Lin Ye for a few seconds, then scoffed, "You're quite good at writing medical records."

"Dr. Qin from the emergency department had given me a heads-up before."

Liu Zhenhua slammed his pen on the table: "Then let me remind you. From now on, when you're on night shift, all high-risk situations must be reported to your superior first. If you can't find your superior, report to the on-duty supervisor. Don't think you can be right every time just because you guessed correctly the last two times."

Lin Ye nodded: "Understood."

"Go back and write a statement explaining the situation, focusing on how the process was changed. I'm not asking you to write a report on your achievements."

Liu Zhenhua pushed the two medical records back, his fingertip hovering over the consultation time column.

"Also, don't just keep the phone records on your own phone. Log them into the department's registration platform, write down the patient's medical history, and record them in the nurses' station's consultation log. You might think you're saving time, but the family might think you're going through the motions later; you might think the head doctor has already agreed, but what will you provide as evidence when they ask for it later?"

He looked up at Lin Ye.

"Hospitals aren't TV dramas. The people you save won't come forward to testify for you every day, but the medical records will."

It may sound harsh, but it's the rule in the book.

Lin Ye carefully put away the medical record pages: "I've memorized it."

Liu Zhenhua then put his glasses back on: "There's one more thing. You're a resident trainee, and your file is with the Department of Science and Education. If there's a problem with the process, it won't be something that can be resolved with a few words of criticism within the emergency department. Suspension of rotation, delayed graduation, or being sent back to your original unit—I'm not kidding."

Sun Zhiqiang's face also darkened.

These words were more powerful than any of the previous reprimands.

Lin Ye had considered writing a self-criticism, being scolded by the director, and even being complained about by his family. But when the words "delayed graduation" came crashing down on him, his hands, which were resting on his knees, slowly clenched.

He wanted to stay at the First Municipal Hospital.

I aspire to be an emergency room doctor who can truly handle any situation.

But if he has to push himself to the edge of a cliff every time he saves someone, how many times can he take that risk?

Liu Zhenhua noticed his silence and softened his voice: "It's probably a good thing. Only through fear can one realize that rules aren't just for show."

Lin Ye looked up: "But the rules can't let patients just wait to die."

The office fell silent instantly.

Sun Zhiqiang almost reached out to grab his sleeve.

Liu Zhenhua glanced at Lin Ye for a few seconds, but didn't get angry. He simply slammed the medical record shut: "That's why I told you to learn the procedures, not to shut up. Get out."

After leaving the medical department, Sun Zhiqiang remained silent the entire way.

He suddenly stopped when he was almost at the entrance of the emergency room.

"Linye."

"Teacher Sun."

"You were quite clever to say 'Teacher Sun knew' just now."

Lin Ye paused for a moment, then said, "That's just how it is."

Sun Zhiqiang laughed angrily: "Fine, the facts. Remember, in the emergency room, you have to write down the facts, and you also have to know how to speak. No one will stop you from saving lives, but don't put everyone on the spot."

Lin Ye nodded.

He doesn't actually dislike Sun Zhiqiang.

The other person's white coat pocket still had a corner of the consultation registration book sticking out. Lin Ye glanced at it, and suddenly the red light on the door of Chen Jianguo's operating room and the monitor with the alarm going off in Liu Peng's CT room flashed through his mind.

The automatic doors in the emergency room opened with a "ding".

An elderly man in his sixties was helped in by his son. He was clutching his chest and kept muttering, "My stomach is bloated, I feel a burning sensation, and I'm sweating profusely from the pain."

The son was sweating profusely with anxiety: "Doctor, my dad has had a chronic stomach problem, and the medicine isn't working. He just said he felt tightness in his chest."

Sun Zhiqiang glanced at the triage slip: "First, do an electrocardiogram, draw blood, and follow the chest pain procedure."

Zhou Kai, the attending physician who had just come down from the ward to provide support, casually remarked, "You have a history of acid reflux, right? Don't start by pressing on your chest for pain; it might scare the family."

Lin Ye walked over and saw the old man sitting on the triage chair, his forehead covered in a fine layer of sweat, his left hand unconsciously rubbing his left chest.

The pale blue lettering popped up in my field of vision.

[Emergency room alert activated.]

Patient: Xu Desheng, male, 67 years old.

Symptoms: Bloating, acid reflux.

High risk: Acute inferior myocardial infarction.

[Probability of misdiagnosis: 76%]

[Key abnormality: Chest tightness, sweating, and radiating pain were described by the patient as stomach pain.]

[Effective treatment window: 31 minutes and 22 seconds.]

Lin Ye reached out and took the electrocardiogram splint from the side.

Zhou Kai frowned: "What are you going to do now?"

Lin Ye handed the electrode pads to the nurse next to him.

"Do an electrocardiogram first."