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

When Tang Zhendong arrived at the emergency room, the hem of his shirt was not yet tucked into his pants.

The person had barely passed through the automatic door when the voice arrived first: "Who said I couldn't wait for you to slowly walk over?"

No one answered the call in the emergency room.

Xu Desheng lay on the bed, his face ashen, as if coated with cement. Nurse Zhao held the oxygen mask with one hand and stared at the monitor with the other. A young nurse next to him handed a signature board to the family member, her voice rapid as if she were racing against time.

"This is the informed consent form for emergency coronary intervention. The doctor has already explained the risks. Please sign here."

Xu Desheng's son, his hand trembling so much he could barely write, gripped the pen: "You were just saying you had a stomach problem, how come you suddenly need surgery?"

Tang Zhendong grabbed the electrocardiogram and glanced at it.

"Who told you it was just a stomach problem?"

The son instinctively looked at Zhou Kai.

Zhou Kai's face was grim.

Tang Zhendong didn't have time to investigate further. Pointing to the electrocardiogram, he said, "Inferior wall myocardial infarction, with the risk of malignant arrhythmia at any time. You can ask questions, but don't delay. I will write down the risks and timelines clearly. What's delayed is the time needed to open the blocked blood vessel."

That's a strong statement.

Xu Desheng's son was so frightened that his pen trembled and he signed the document immediately.

The patient was wheeled to the catheterization lab.

On the way, Xu Desheng was still mumbling, "I won't do it, my stomach..."

Tang Zhendong bent down and shouted at him, "Old Xu, we can worry about your stomach later. Right now, your heart is blocked. If you want to go home and turn off the gas, you'll have to clear this blockage first."

The old man opened his eyes, looked at him for half a second, and finally stopped struggling.

The catheterization lab door is closed.

Lin Ye stood outside the door, his shoulders leaning against the wall, and his calves started to ache.

Three emergency rooms in two days.

He has woken up the heads of three departments: cardiac and vascular surgery, neurosurgery, and cardiology.

They were all directors.

Nurse Zhao handed him a bottle of water from the side: "Drink this, or you'll have low blood sugar again."

Lin Ye accepted it: "Thank you."

Nurse Zhao looked at the catheterization lab door and said, "Your shift schedule doesn't look like a night shift; it looks like the head doctor is waking us up for a test."

Lin Ye had just taken a sip of water when he almost choked.

Half an hour later, Tang Zhendong came out of the catheterization room, still wearing his gloves.

"The right crown is closed, but it's now open."

Xu Desheng's son's legs went weak on the spot, and he grabbed the wall for support: "It's activated? Then my dad..."

"It's stable for now." Tang Zhendong glared at him. "If you ever mistake chest tightness for a stomach problem again, buy yourself a blood pressure monitor first, so you don't have to come to the hospital and cause a scene."

The son nodded repeatedly.

Tang Zhendong turned to look at the people in the emergency room, his gaze finally landing on Lin Ye.

"Your name is Lin Ye?"

"Yes."

"Standardized residency trainee?"

"Yes."

Tang Zhendong frowned: "What's the procedure in your emergency department now? Residents call the head doctor directly?"

Zhou Kai, as if he had finally seized an opportunity, immediately said, "Director Tang, I was there at the time, but Lin Ye was in a bit of a hurry..."

"You're here too?" Tang Zhendong looked at him. "Then why weren't you the one who hit me?"

Zhou Kai felt as if his throat was blocked.

He hadn't closed the medical record folder in his hand yet.

He saw the electrocardiogram.

He stood by the bed when Xu Desheng's blood pressure dropped.

If we really want to follow the process, no one can claim to be just passing by.

Lin Ye glanced at him but didn't finish him off.

The red light in the catheterization lab was still on.

Xu Desheng lay inside; his blood vessels had just been opened.

At this point, arguing about who is more dignified will only make your voice sound unpleasant.

Zhou Kai was speechless.

Tang Zhendong slammed the electrocardiogram on the table: "Such clear ST segment elevation, don't tell me you're waiting for troponin. By the time it comes out, you'll be half dead."

Zhou Kai's face flushed red.

At the office door, Qin Hai, the head of the emergency department, walked in.

He arrived at some unknown time, still holding that thermos in his hand.

"Director Tang, please don't let the fire spread to my department."

Tang Zhendong sneered: "Who am I supposed to lash out at? Your department's resident trainees have woken up three department heads these past two days, and the First Municipal Hospital's phone bill is going to go up."

Qin Hai put down his thermos and said calmly, "The person has been saved."

Tang Zhendong looked at him.

"Aortic dissection, intracranial hematoma, myocardial infarction." Qin Hai counted on his fingers, "Three patients, one in the ICU, one who underwent neurosurgery, and one whose blood vessel is being opened in the catheterization lab. If you want to criticize the procedures, I'll listen. If you want to criticize him for acting haphazardly, you'll have to criticize the electrocardiogram, aortic CTA, and cranial CT scans first."

The office fell silent.

The water bottle in Lin Ye's hand was squeezed so hard it made a cracking sound.

Qin Hai stood in front of him without turning around.

Lin Ye looked at Qin Hai.

Qin Hai didn't look at him, and continued, "Of course, rules must be established. From now on, Lin Ye will not be allowed to work the night shift alone. All high-risk cases must be reported to the superiors and the department head simultaneously."

Tang Zhendong sneered: "Are you going to take care of him, or are you going to provide him with bodyguards?"

Qin Hai took a sip of water: "It all counts."

Tang Zhendong didn't say anything more, picked up the electrocardiogram and walked out.

As he reached the door, he suddenly turned back: "Lin Ye."

"Director Tang."

"Next time you send an EKG, don't take a crooked one. I almost twisted my neck looking at it."

After saying that, he left.

Nurse Zhao lowered her head, trying not to laugh.

Qin Hai glanced at Lin Ye: "What are you laughing at? Write another statement."

Lin Ye: "...Yes."

He has already written about aortic dissection and epidural hematoma, and now he is going to write about myocardial infarction.

The three statements were on the table, not thick when stacked, but like three small stones, pressing down on his chest.

Nurse Zhao glanced at it as she passed by: "What's the title this time? 'Explanation Regarding My Intentional Insult to Wake Up the Third Head of Department'?"

Lin Ye paused, his pen poised.

Qin Hai coughed. "Nurse Zhao, are you free?"

Nurse Zhao picked up the treatment tray and left, saying, "Busy, busy saving you doctors who can't speak."

That morning, someone at the nurses' station took a picture of the night shift schedule.

I just wanted to remind everyone which day Lin Ye was on duty.

Less than half an hour later, the schedule appeared in several departmental group chats.

Someone circled Lin Ye's name below the photo.

A line of text was added next to it.

[This person works the night shift; the supervisor should be careful to turn off their phone.]