Five Years of Studying Medicine, Three Years of Flirting With Guys - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Every Monday morning is the department’s grand shift change. Two or three rows of doctors and nurses are already standing inside the nurse station. Tang Linsheng had originally been following closely behind Tang Linsheng (Tang Lincheng), but seeing him head toward the doctors’ line, Linsheng quickly stopped in his tracks, turned, and headed toward the nurses’ line, standing at the very end.

Just as he got into position, the Head Nurse gave the word for the night-shift nurses to begin the handover. Noticing the girl next to him glancing his way, Tang Linsheng flashed her a smile and whispered, “Morning.”

The girl had straight bangs and a round face, wearing a pair of large, round black-rimmed glasses that nearly covered half her face. Seeing Tang Linsheng greet her, she leaned her head over quietly and said, “My name is Liu Junxian. Are you new?”

Tang Linsheng glanced imperceptibly at the Head Nurse, who stood with arms crossed listening to the handover, and nodded. “What about you?”

Liu Junxian pushed up her glasses, a hint of excitement in her voice: “Me too! This is my last department for standardized residency training!”

“Me to—” Tang Linsheng had just finished saying when he saw the Head Nurse’s gaze sweep toward him like a blade. He immediately fell silent, straightened his back, and stopped talking.

Liu Junxian curled her lip slightly without being noticed. Though she stopped talking, her eyes still weren’t on the night-shift nurse who was rambling through the handover. She looked at the boy standing beside her and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: In her final department, was she finally getting some eye candy?

The “male god” next to her was roughly 175cm tall. It was hard to judge his physique through the nursing scrubs, but his exposed ankles were slender, with two deep indentations beside the Achilles tendon a direct sign that the boy had thin legs without much excess fat. Looking further up, his hands hung naturally; his wrists looked more delicate than those of an average guy.

Liu Junxian clicked her tongue mentally. Fine, he has thin arms and legs, but it matches that soft and tender face of his. She couldn’t help but think that she really shouldn’t look for a partner in a hospital; you just can’t find any “manly men.”

Tang Linsheng was completely unaware that he was being scrutinized. After the nursing handover came the doctors’ handover for each group. As he listened, his eyes drifted toward Tang Lincheng.

The other man wore a long white coat, standing among the crowd of doctors like a “crane among chickens” (standing out). It wasn’t just because of his height advantage, but also the “spring breeze” smile he wore while listening to the handover. One look at him made one feel refreshed, as if the Monday morning drowsiness had completely vanished.

Tang Linsheng couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. Back in university, the Senior’s face when he wasn’t smiling was already enough to floor a crowd. Now that he was smiling so gently and handsomely, he’d likely become a sensation across the entire hospital.

After the grand handover ended, while most of the department was still present, Director Wei Yun of the 8th-floor West Cardiology Department spoke up with a smile: “Let me introduce everyone to our new Deputy Director, Professor Tang Lincheng.”

The doctors and nurses nearby had already noticed this new member during the handover and had been speculating wildly. Hearing Director Wei introduce him as the Deputy Director, they immediately beamed and clapped in welcome.

“Professor Tang is someone I scouted from the headquarters of the Hop (Hopkins) Clinic, the number one ranked clinic in all of America. He is an expert in cardiac rehabilitation, heart transplants, and myocardial infarctions. Having such a talent join us will greatly increase our department’s strength.” Director Wei patted Tang Lincheng on the back and praised him to the group, saying, “Why don’t you introduce yourself, Professor Tang?”

Tang Lincheng nodded and said with a smile, “Director Wei overpraises me. My main reason for coming here is to learn well from Director Wei regarding clinical knowledge and research capabilities.”

Wei Yun laughed heartily and stopped talking, simply patting his back affectionately. Instead, he looked at the Head Nurse and said, “Head Nurse Shan, I see you have a few new ‘little friends’?”

The Head Nurse nodded and jerked her chin toward Tang Linsheng’s side. “Introduce yourselves.”

Suddenly being called on by the Head Nurse, Liu Junxian quickly withdrew her gaze from Tang Lincheng and gave a simple introduction: “Hello everyone, I am the new residency trainee, Liu Junxian.”

“Hello everyone, I am also a new residency trainee, Tang Linsheng.”

As soon as Tang Linsheng finished, everyone’s surprised gazes snapped toward him. Some quietly asked those beside them if the two men had the same name; others remarked that since their names were the same, it would be hard to tell them apart in the future.

Seeing this, Tang Linsheng was about to add a clarification when he heard Tang Lincheng say with a smile: “This little friend and I share a bit of fate. His name is pronounced the same as mine, but his ‘Lin’ is the ‘Lin’ for wood (double wood), and his ‘Sheng’ is the ‘Sheng’ for life.”

“Hahaha, so that’s how it is,” Wei Yun laughed. “Director Tang’s name is the ‘Lin’ with ‘rain’ on top and ‘woods’ on the bottom, and the ‘Sheng’ formed by ‘sun’ and ‘complete.’ It seems the two of you really are destined. Not only is it your first day in Cardiology for both of you, but even your names sound the same, hahaha.”

More than that, we went to the same university, Tang Linsheng added silently in his heart.

After the grand handover, the doctors and nurses separated for their own specific briefings. The nurses stood by the treatment room, listening to the Head Nurse summarize the key points from the previous days’ meetings. She emphasized the department rules and requirements to the new trainees before releasing them to follow their mentors for bedside handovers.

Naturally, the two first-day trainees followed the department’s clinical instructor, Wang Fang, to the wards. The entire 8th floor was Cardiology. The very center was the CCU (Coronary Care Unit), and the east and west sides were the general wards, divided into 8-West and 8-East. There were three wards in total; the nurses were separated, but the doctors shared all three.

“The East and West sections each have twelve patient rooms. Generally, our nurses are split into 3 or 4 groups…” After the handover, the instructor Wang Fang stood by the nurse station giving the two newcomers their orientation. Mr. Wang (Teacher Wang) was nearly forty and slightly plump with large, double-lidded eyes. When her expression turned serious while talking to them, she came across as very stern.

After explaining the basic situation of the department, Wang Fang looked at the two standing obediently before her and said: “Before you arrived, I asked the teachers who trained you previously.” She glanced at Liu Junxian and said, “Little girl, keep your temper in check. Cardiology patients cannot get agitated. If they get worked up and their blood pressure spikes, you’ll be responsible.” Then she looked at Tang Linsheng: “Even though male nurses are rare in the hospital and are considered ‘treasures,’ Cardiology is a signature department of our hospital. The work intensity is very different from other departments. If you don’t do well, I will report it to the Nursing Department.”

Tang Linsheng and Liu Junxian looked at each other and nodded timidly, saying, “We understand, Teacher.”

“Good. Since it’s your first day in a new department, I’ll give you time to adjust. Familiarize yourselves as quickly as possible with our telemetry monitors, ECG machines, and so on…”

Before Wang Fang could finish, someone in front of the nurse station shouted excitedly. Seeing her look over, the person even smiled and waved: “I’m back! Oh! Hello, Teacher Wang!”

The newcomer was thin and withered, not very tall, and looked quite old. He seemed friendly when he smiled, and his voice was full of energy as he greeted her.

“Hello, Mr. Kong. Why are you back again!” Wang Fang gave him a smile and then called for a nearby nurse to admit the new patient.

Turning back to Tang Linsheng and the other, the smile on Wang Fang’s face vanished instantly. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes, shrugged, and whispered, “Now things are going to be ‘lively.’ Mr. Kong is back again.”