The elevator doors opened, he walked out, heading towards the operating room, the lady by the gate was surprised to see him: "President Huang, you haven’t been here in a while."

"Where? I’m here now." Huang Jiacai moved effortlessly.

"Professor Yang’s surgery?" the lady asked.

Huang Jiacai nodded: "Professor Yang’s surgery!"

The lady said: "In the third operating room, just went in."

Huang Jiacai thanked her, changed shoes, and walked to the changing room. He put down the box, donned the surgical outfit, wore a hat and mask, tightly wrapped himself up. Then he picked up the box, pushed the door open, and went inside.

Doctors and nurses bustling in the corridor, all wearing surgical outfits and masks, walking briskly. A nurse saw him, smiled and greeted: "President Huang?"

Huang Jiacai nodded in acknowledgment; some were old acquaintances, and some he couldn’t recognize.

The doors of the operating room opened, Huang Jiacai tiptoed in, greeted the instrumental nurse-brother, and began opening the box, taking out sterile packaged instruments.

Inside the operating room, everything was ready.

The shadowless lamp was on, the girl on the operating table was already anesthetized, lying there with her back marked with lines. The monitor beeped rhythmically, the anesthesiologist sat nearby, staring at the screen.

Yang Ping stood beside the operating table, looking at the images on the view box. Hearing the door open, he turned, saw Huang Jiacai, paused and smiled: "Oh, President Huang came personally?"

Huang Jiacai walked over, put down the box, and said: "I heard this surgery is very challenging, so I thought it’s better to come myself."

Yang Ping said: "This little matter, just let those below take a trip."

Huang Jiacai shook his head and started working.

He opened the box, took out the instruments one by one, placing them on the instrument table. Pedicle screws, connecting rods, corrective bars, rod-holding clamps, rod-turning wrench... each item was placed neatly, exactly where Yang Ping preferred them to be. After arranging them, he checked again, confirmed everything was correct, then nodded to Yang Ping: "It’s ready."

Yang Ping came over, picked up a screw, examined it, then put it down. He glanced at the girl lying on the operating table and said to the assistant beside him: "Let’s start."

The surgery began.

Under the shadowless lamp, cutting, exposing, placing screws, correcting, every move was as precise as a precision machine. Huang Jiacai stood by the instrument table, eyes fixed on the surgical field, ready to remind the nurse to hand Yang Ping the needed instruments.

The surgery reached the most critical phase—correction.

Yang Ping picked up the rod-holding clamp, looked at the images on the view box, and was silent for a few seconds. Then he turned his head, glanced at Huang Jiacai.

Huang Jiacai understood what he was thinking, the adjusting intensity of the new system was different from before, he needed confirmation.

He said: "Don’t worry, I’ve adjusted it, no problem."

Yang Ping nodded, turned back, and began correcting.

Once, twice, three times. The numbers on the monitor flickered, everyone’s eyes fixed on the surgical field. Huang Jiacai held his breath, a laser pointer guiding a rod-holding clamp, the nurse ready to hand it over.

Finally, Yang Ping put down the instrument and said: "It’s done."

On the view box, the new images showed, the severely curved spine had become straight.

Someone beside him gently exhaled, Huang Jiacai also breathed a sigh of relief, only now realizing his back was soaked.

Yang Ping turned around, looked at him, and said: "Manager Huang, this system is good."

Huang Jiacai smiled and said: "That’s good."

After the surgery, Yang Ping went to talk to the family, while Huang Jiacai stayed in the operating room, putting the instruments back into the box. The instrumental nurse came to help, he said no, he would do it himself.

Just like before, for Yang Ping’s surgeries, he always packed the instruments himself. Each item had to be cleaned, checked for damage, confirmed undamaged, then packed. Not to save money, but for peace of mind. He knew which person these things were used on, knew whose life they saved. Packing them was like saying goodbye, yet also waiting for the next meeting.

After packing, he carried the box out of the operating room. Yang Ping happened to come out of the family talk room, the family followed behind, wiping tears excitedly. Seeing Huang Jiacai, Yang Ping walked over and said: "Manager Huang, don’t rush to leave later, let’s have a meal together."

Huang Jiacai checked the time and said: "Okay, I’ll go put the things in the car first."

He carried the box downstairs, passed through the outpatient hall, returned to the car. After placing the box well, he sat in the driver’s seat, zoned out for a while.

He remembered the first day he shadowed Yang Ping a few years ago. That time, after the surgery, he also sat in the car dazed, replaying the scene just now over and over in his mind. Back then, he couldn’t believe he achieved what he has today.

Huang Jiacai felt happiest and most joyful when shadowing Professor Yang.

After resting for a while, he got off the car and headed back. At the hospital’s entrance, he happened to see Yang Ping coming out, having changed into his clothes, wearing a dark blue shirt.

Yang Ping said: "Let’s go, let’s eat at our restaurant."

Huang Jiacai said: "Sure."

The two went to the institute’s restaurant, ordered a few dishes, and chatted while eating.

After eating, Yang Ping said: "I have another surgery in the afternoon, heading back first."

Huang Jiacai said: "Okay, I’m going back to the company too."

Yang Ping nodded, turned, and headed back to the hospital. After a few steps, he suddenly turned around and said: "Manager Huang, thanks for today, don’t come yourself in the future, just send someone."

Huang Jiacai paused, smiled: "What hard work, shadowing is my forte." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Yang Ping also smiled, waved, and continued walking forward.

Huang Jiacai stood in place, watched his figure disappear into the crowd, then turned and walked towards the parking direction.

Back in the car, he started the engine and slowly drove out of the hospital.

On the way, he called his secretary: "This afternoon’s meeting will proceed as planned, I’m on my way. Is everything ready for tomorrow’s signing? Okay, I got it."

After hanging up, he continued driving.

His mind still on the surgery just before. Thinking of the girl lying on the operating table, thinking of the rod-holding clamp in Yang Ping’s hand, thinking of the straight spine on the view box after the correction was done.

The sense of achievement at this moment was higher than when he became chairman.

The car drove into the company gates, the security guard saluted. He nodded, parked the car, and turned off the engine.

Sitting in the car, he suddenly remembered something, took out his phone, and sent a WeChat message to the head of the R&D department:

"Three o’clock in the afternoon, meeting room, discussing improvement plans for spinal instruments. I just came back from Professor Yang, took some notes."

After sending, he pushed open the car door, walked into the company building.

In the elevator, he tidied up his clothes in front of the mirror, looking at the sharp middle-aged man in the mirror.

This person, is he still the young man squatting at the hospital entrance in the past?

He thought, yes.

Back then a person waiting for opportunity at the door, now a person carrying a box shadowing. The identity changed, money increased, status elevated, but still doing the same thing, bringing the best instruments to the best doctors.

This was enough.

The elevator doors opened, he walked out.

The secretary greeted: "President Huang, the R&D department people are already waiting in the meeting room."

He nodded and walked towards the meeting room.

Pushed open the door, the people inside stood up. He said: "Sit down. You should have seen today’s Professor Yang’s surgery, the new system worked especially well. But there are a few areas that can be improved. I’ve noted them down, let’s go through them one by one."

The meeting began.

Sunshine outside the window shone in, falling on the meeting table, on his open notebook.

The book was filled densely with words, written in the noodle shop earlier. Every word Yang Ping said, he wrote them down.

Because he knows, these words can save more patients.