Chapter 23: Just Because We Cannot Do It, Does Not Mean He Cannot Either

Bai Yunxiao was stunned. “You’re absolutely certain?”

Even Yuan Gang, the deputy director of neurology, could at most restore the injured person to ninety percent of their original condition. Yet Lin Nan was claiming complete certainty?

Was Lin Nan truly that capable, or was he merely boasting?

Bai Yunxiao had held out some hope for him, but only that Lin Nan might offer a few worthwhile suggestions or ideas. After all, Lin Nan’s performance over the past two days had indeed been impressive enough to change Bai Yunxiao’s opinion of him.

He had never imagined that Lin Nan would volunteer to perform the surgery himself.

Seeing Bai Yunxiao’s astonished expression, and the hint of doubt in his eyes, Lin Nan felt somewhat helpless.

He had originally intended to be modest and say that he was only ninety percent certain. But if he did that, Director Bai and the others might not give him the opportunity at all.

So he could only speak the truth.

Jiang Yuan and Li Qin exchanged another glance, both seeing the shock in the other’s eyes.

They knew Lin Nan’s character fairly well. He was not the sort of person who blindly overestimated himself. Since he claimed he could complete the surgery with absolute certainty, then he probably truly could.

Just how much had this fellow learned behind their backs?

Yuan Gang frowned slightly and looked at Lin Nan with icy indifference.

This young man was being outrageously presumptuous. Even Yuan Gang himself would never dare claim to be absolutely certain of successfully performing nerve-repair surgery on a leg.

Xia Minghui also shook his head inwardly.

Confidence was a good thing in the young, but excessive confidence—confidence without any basis—was simply a lack of self-awareness.

Clearly, Lin Nan was one of those people who did not know his own limitations.

Perhaps Lin Nan did possess some ability, but that meager skill was nowhere near enough to support him through an operation of such difficulty, let alone give him complete certainty of success.

“Old Bai, isn’t this kid just fooling around? How could he possibly perform an operation of this level?” Yuan Gang said unhappily, looking at Bai Yunxiao.

Bai Yunxiao shook his head helplessly, then turned to Lin Nan. “Lin Nan, you can’t make a claim like that casually.”

Lin Nan replied seriously, “Director Bai, I’m not making a reckless claim. I’m certain I can perform this operation successfully, and I guarantee that the injured person’s leg will be left without the slightest aftereffect.”

“You say you’re certain, so we’re supposed to believe you?” Yuan Gang cast him a sidelong glance. “Surgery is no child’s game. Even the smallest mistake could cause enormous harm to the patient.”

Lin Nan noticed that Yuan Gang’s tone was unfriendly, but he did not take offense.

He could tell that Yuan Gang was merely concerned about the patient’s condition and was not deliberately targeting him.

“Director Yuan, Director Xia, the patient’s condition is critical and we cannot afford any delay. I hope you can trust me.” Lin Nan looked at the two men with utmost sincerity.

Yuan Gang and Xia Minghui remained silent.

Lin Nan was only a resident physician in the emergency department, and he was so young. How could they possibly trust him?

“Old Bai, what do you think?” Yuan Gang asked, turning to Bai Yunxiao again.

Bai Yunxiao considered it for a moment, then fixed Lin Nan with a piercing gaze. “Are you truly one hundred percent certain that you can perform this operation successfully without leaving the patient with any aftereffects?”

Lin Nan did not avert his eyes. He met Bai Yunxiao’s gaze directly.

“Yes.”

“All right. I have no objections.” Bai Yunxiao studied him deeply before nodding.

He was a highly rational man. If anyone else had made this claim—even top students like Li Qin and Jiang Yuan—he would have remained skeptical.

But for some reason, whenever it was Lin Nan saying such things, Bai Yunxiao inexplicably found himself viewing him through a lens of added trust.

So he decided to give Lin Nan a chance.

Yuan Gang and Xia Minghui’s expressions changed when they saw that Bai Yunxiao had actually agreed.

“Old Bai, have you lost your mind? You’re really going to let a mere youngster perform such a complicated operation?” Yuan Gang asked urgently.

Bai Yunxiao waved a hand. “I trust him.”

“What exactly do you trust him about?” Xia Minghui asked in a deep voice.

“I trust what he said—that he can perform the operation successfully,” Bai Yunxiao replied calmly.

Seeing how deeply Bai Yunxiao trusted him, Lin Nan felt a warmth in his heart.

Bai Yunxiao continued, “Although I believe you, you still have to persuade the patient and the family. You can enter the operating room only if they agree to let you perform the surgery.”

“I understand.” Lin Nan nodded, then hurried out of the office.

Yuan Gang said angrily, “Old Bai, you really are being foolish. Even I can’t guarantee that the patient won’t suffer any aftereffects following the operation, let alone a resident physician.”

“And if a medical accident really occurs, who will take responsibility? Can he afford to?”

“If he can’t, then I will,” Bai Yunxiao said calmly, each word deliberate.

“You—”

Seeing how stubborn Bai Yunxiao was, Yuan Gang and Xia Minghui were furious, yet there was nothing they could do.

Yuan Gang drew a deep breath and forced down his resentment before speaking again, his voice filled with confusion. “Why do you trust him so much?”

Xia Minghui also looked at Bai Yunxiao, a trace of puzzlement flashing in his eyes.

He could not understand it either. Bai Yunxiao was normally an extremely rational man, so why had he placed such absolute trust in a young doctor this time?

The young doctor was not even an attending physician.

Seeing the two men staring at him, Bai Yunxiao said mildly, “During yesterday’s gas explosion, Lin Nan precisely avoided the pulmonary artery and pulmonary vein in the injured person’s lung. He then made a small incision in the lung without error, inserted a catheter, and drained the fluid that had accumulated there. That bought us valuable time for further treatment.”

“Do you know how difficult that procedure was?”

Xia Minghui and Yuan Gang both frowned slightly.

They were not familiar with cardiothoracic surgery, so naturally they had no idea how difficult Lin Nan’s actions had been the day before.

Li Qin and Jiang Yuan nodded inwardly.

They knew very well how astonishing Lin Nan’s rescue operation had been.

Seeing that Yuan Gang and Xia Minghui remained silent, Bai Yunxiao continued, “Even if I had performed the rescue myself, I would have needed some time to locate a safe place to make the incision in the patient’s lung. I estimated that it would have taken me at least five seconds. But do you know how long Lin Nan took to find that safe location and make the incision?”

“Less than one second.”

“That means that, in this regard, even I cannot match him.”

At those words, Yuan Gang and Xia Minghui were left utterly dumbfounded.

Even Bai Yunxiao himself admitted that he was inferior?

Was that kid really so capable?

Had they underestimated him?

Seeing their shocked expressions, Bai Yunxiao shook his head. “Lin Nan is not as simple as you think. This alone shows that he possesses certain advantages and abilities that perhaps none of us have.”

“So just because we cannot do something does not mean he cannot do it either.”