Around eight o’clock at night, Lin Qian, Zhao Dongsheng, and Qiou Junfeng, having all finished work, gathered for dinner at an open-air table on the rooftop of Luo’s Private Kitchen.

It was late autumn, nearly November, and the Binhai evenings were already quite chilly—not exactly ideal for dining outdoors.

However, the private rooms at Luo’s Private Kitchen were incredibly difficult to book.

Zhao Dongsheng, who was hosting this gathering, had only managed to reserve this rooftop spot two days in advance.

The three of them had grown distant from Yan Feifan, who was no longer the person he used to be, but they still maintained their habit of taking turns hosting a gathering once or twice a month.

And though Yan Feifan no longer joined them, they all knew in their hearts that he was the very reason they continued to meet.

The life-and-death experience they had shared was gradually changing each of their lives.

They treated that experience as a shared asset, a badge of honor they silently maintained and protected.

After the three of them ordered, Qiou Junfeng glanced at the surrounding tables, all filled with customers, and couldn’t help but ask doubtfully, “Is the food here really as good as the legends say?”

“It’s so chilly, yet it’s still so crowded!”

Lin Qian chuckled lightly. “The rumors might be a bit exaggerated, but this is definitely the kind of restaurant you’ll want to come back to after just one visit.”

“It’s just too expensive. I can’t afford it!”

Lin Qian noticed Zhao Dongsheng’s expression was a little tense and changed the subject. “Zhao Dongsheng, did your surgery today not go well?”

“Or are you just upset about footing the bill tonight?”

Zhao Dongsheng forced a smile, then sighed softly. “It’s not that the surgery went badly. I just took a bit of a blow.”

Qiou Junfeng asked probingly, “A blow? Did Mrs. Chen chew you out? Or did that beautiful doctor say something to you?”

Zhao Dongsheng shook his head and said slowly, “During the previous surgical studies and practice sessions, I was always paired with that doctor from Baining Hospital, Yu Youwen.”

“I’ll admit, his performance was a lot better than mine.”

“After all, he’s a deputy chief physician and comes from a family of doctors. It’s only natural he’d be better than me.”

“But today, just like me, it was his first time truly participating in a penis reattachment surgery.”

“And I discovered that his performance in the actual surgery far surpassed his performance during practice…”

Qiou Junfeng cut in, “He was probably holding back during practice. And given his family connection to the beautiful doctor, it’s very possible he got some private coaching—maybe even from Yan Feifan himself.”

“You’re not seriously this discouraged just because he performed better, are you?”

Zhao Dongsheng took a sip of tea. “How could I be that petty? I’m just angry at myself.”

Before anyone could ask, he continued, “I know Yan Feifan gave me a huge opportunity by letting me join this surgical project, and I’ve put in a lot of extra effort and practice on my own time.”

“But during today’s surgery, not only did I fail to surpass my own limits, I couldn’t even perform at my best.”

“I’m disappointed in myself. I’m just mad at myself.”

Lin Qian comforted him, “It’s because you were too nervous and put too much pressure on yourself. Not everyone can be like that guy Yan Feifan, who performs even better when the stakes are high.”

“For most people, if you have ten points of skill, being able to use eight or nine of them is already pretty damn good.”

Qiou Junfeng chimed in, “Did Mrs. Chen or the beautiful doctor say anything?”

Zhao Dongsheng said softly, “Dr. Yu didn’t say anything, but Mrs. Chen did praise me, saying I did a good job.”

Qiou Junfeng chuckled. “See? That’s fine then. You still have more chances to prove yourself. Just do well from now on.”

“We doctors from ordinary families will keep getting better as long as we get opportunities. We’re all the late-bloomer type!”

He then turned to Lin Qian and asked, “Are those guys still giving you trouble?”

“Same as always!”

Lin Qian said with a dismissive look, “They’re just jealous that I get to participate in Yan Feifan’s charity foundation project and have targeted opportunities to improve my surgical skills every week.”

“I just treat them like they’re invisible. Anyway, my mentor is keeping them in check, so they don’t dare go too far.”

Qiou Junfeng nodded. “Right, that’s how you should handle them. The bigger your reaction, the more they’ll enjoy it.”

After a pause, he asked gossiping, “Lin Qian, that Tang Ba… is it true he’s already run through all the pretty nurses in your plastic surgery department?”

Tang Ba was Tang Zheng, and the rumors about him at the hospital were getting more and more scandalous.

It was said that no fewer than thirty ex-girlfriends had come forward to attest that he was at most eight centimeters long, could only manage eight thrusts, and never lasted more than eight seconds.

Lin Qian said with a displeased expression, “You actually believe such a ridiculous rumor?”

“From what I’ve heard from my colleagues, this Dr. Tang is extremely arrogant. He wouldn’t even give the pretty nurses in our department a second glance. He usually only dates rich girls from well-off families.”

Just then, a waiter arrived with their food.

Lin Qian, who was starving, couldn’t be bothered to defend her plastic surgery department any longer. She picked up her chopsticks and eagerly started eating…

Meanwhile, at the Yan family’s home in Zuimo Court, they were also just starting dinner. Yu Suye had only been back from the hospital for a short while.

She was now in charge of the penis reattachment surgery, which meant she had more responsibilities. She had to wait for the patient to wake up and confirm everything was fine before she could leave.

“Did the surgery go smoothly today?”

In response to Yan Feifan’s question, Yu Suye first gulped down half a bowl of soup to soothe her stomach.

“Overall, it was okay. At least there were no mistakes!”

She added, “It’s just that Dr. Zhao’s performance was somewhat disappointing. I can only give him a passing grade.”

“Mrs. Chen and I discussed it and decided to give him two more chances to prove himself!”

Yan Feifan let out a soft “Oh?” just as Yu Suye asked, “I heard another one of your comatose patients woke up?”

Yan Feifan’s voice was bright with excitement. “Not one, but two. The other patient was on their way to the cardiology department when some reckless guy, running with his head down, crashed into the gurney. The patient fell to the floor, hit their head, and got a huge lump—and it woke them up.”

Yu Suye couldn’t help but laugh. “That guy got lucky. If he’d run into any other critically ill patient, he’d have been in a world of trouble.”

She placed a piece of food on Yan Feifan’s plate with her chopsticks. “Five out of six deeply comatose patients waking up within a month… that’s a truly astonishing success rate. It might not be the last time it ever happens, but it’s certainly unprecedented.”

“Congratulations, Feifan!”

Yan Feifan smiled with a hint of pride but replied humbly, “They were carefully selected patients, and the sample size is too small to be considered generalizable or representative.”

“However, Dr. Qiu and I have discussed it, and we think we can officially start working on the special issue.”

“We’re hoping it will serve as a catalyst, attracting more medical experts to get involved.”

Hearing this, Yu Suye asked, “Feifan, since you’re publishing all your research findings, you wouldn’t mind if neurologists from Baining Hospital came to learn, would you?”

Yan Feifan shook his head. “I don’t mind, but I plan to gradually step back from the subsequent research.”

“The project will be handed over to Dr. Qiu.”

Yan Ziruo, who was eating beside them, said with confusion, “Feifan, you pulled out of the penis reattachment surgery, and now you’re going to pull out of this research on waking up comatose patients too.”

“Why do you always pull out of a project right when it starts bearing fruit and is ready for wider application?”

“This habit of ‘fire one shot and move on’ doesn’t seem like a good thing, does it?”

Yu Suye answered for Yan Feifan, “Sis, it’s actually a very smart move for Feifan.”

“First, he doesn’t have the time and energy to manage everything.”

“Second, he’s already achieved results and provided the methods and a path forward. No one can deny his contribution.”

“By stepping back now, Feifan is essentially retiring from it with his reputation and achievements intact, leaving the tedious and detailed work to those who follow.”

Yan Ziruo seemed to only half-understand. She asked for confirmation, “Feifan, does that mean that no matter what discoveries other people make in this field later on, the honor for developing it will still be yours?”

Yan Feifan nodded, then added, “It’s not that absolute. You could say that any future achievements in this field will be built on the foundation I laid. At the very least, they’ll have to give me a mention.”

Yan Ziruo said, “Oh,” and then asked, “What about the profits?”

Yan Feifan smiled. “Sis, I’m not an idiot. I won’t let myself get short-changed…”

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