Zhang Yuze felt as though he had barely closed his eyes when someone pinched his shoulder, jarring him awake.
“Dr. Zhang, get up.” An expert from the surgical team bent down beside the narrow on-call bed. “Dr. Liu’s almost done. You and Assistant Xu need to get ready for disinfection.”
Blinking groggily, Zhang Yuze registered his surroundings- the cramped, dimly lit on-call room- and then the warm weight draped across his side. He glanced down to see Xu Li still fast asleep, one arm looped protectively around his waist, face buried in his back.
The surgical expert raised an eyebrow, glancing at the empty lounge beds scattered around the room. “Are… The other beds broken?”
“…” Zhang Yuze sighed, reaching back to swat Xu Li on the hip. “Wake up, you idiot.”
Xu Li stirred, groaning in protest. “Five more minutes…” He mumbled.
“This dog insisted on squeezing onto my bed…” Zhang Yuze grumbled.
The expert didn’t say a word, though the knowing look in his eyes spoke volumes. His mental commentary might as well have been written in flashing neon lights: So the rumors are true! Workplace couples are really something else!
Suppressing a headache, Zhang Yuze shook his head and dragged Xu Li upright, both of them sitting up with a heavy head and sore eyelids. Looking at the time, Liu Hongbo’s surgery had passed three hours as well, a lot more than the original plan.
“Is everything going well…?” Xu Li asked in a daze.
By the time they stumbled toward the operating room, the surgical update from the frontline was less than promising.
“The whole-cavity return was tougher than expected,” the expert reported grimly. “Dr. Liu reshaped the deformed heart valves, but due to complications, the operation has taken three times longer than planned. As of now, the heart’s been stopped for six hours.”
Xu Li’s brows furrowed. “A pediatric heart can only endure about ten hours of circulatory arrest under optimal conditions.”
“Which means…”
“There are less than four hours left.” Zhang Yuze finished quietly.
For a while, the faces of the three people present were extremely heavy. Four precious hours. A thousand stitches. A race against death.
…………
It was already one o’clock in the morning, and the hospital corridors stretched in harsh white under the cold fluorescent lights. As they passed by the waiting area outside the operating room, they spotted Ge Haoran’s parents huddled together on the worn plastic bench. Their fingers were intertwined, knuckles bone-white from gripping each other so tightly.
Their hollow, tear-stained eyes stared blankly at the glowing red “IN SURGERY” light.
Motionless. Silent.
This wasn’t the first time they had waited outside an operating room, nor the second… Or even the tenth. They had spent years praying in countless hospitals across the country, clinging desperately to hope each time, only to be beaten down by disappointment.
Now, this was the final judgment. If Ge Haoran survived, he would finally live free of pain—a chance at a normal childhood. If he didn’t… This operating room would become his final resting place.
Xu Li focused on Zhang Yuze’s eyes. Although it was said that doctors had seen many lives and deaths on the operating table, such scenes would always move people. And so, Xu Li gently touched Zhang Yuze’s elbow, grounding him. His voice was steady, filled with unwavering certainty.
“We can do this.”
Zhang Yuze exhaled slowly, forcing himself to believe it as well. “Yeah. We can.”
…………
Standing by the operating table again, Zhang Yuze and Xu Li looked at each other, their eyes focused and ready. At 1:30 a.m., the third phase of Ge Haoran’s full-cavity return surgery officially began.
Zhang Yuze looked at the tattered structural tissue, the deep incision revealing a battered battlefield—a heart misshapen by countless previous procedures, scar tissue weaving across its fragile surface. With practiced precision, he guided the first stitch, piercing the delicate tissue with absolute focus.
The suturing routine they had drilled so many times at home now felt second nature. Each motion was instinctive, calculated, and perfectly synchronized. Without exchanging words, Xu Li followed his rhythm, weaving sutures swiftly and securely, sealing each critical point. He predicted every move, adjusted every tool, and tied every knot as if they shared one mind, four hands acting as one.
The assistants watched, breath held, awestruck by the seamless coordination. “How long have they been working together?” Someone whispered in disbelief. “I’ve never seen synchronization like this.”
Neither of them answered since neither had time to process anything beyond the pulsing demand to move faster. Every passing second dragged Ge Haoran closer to the edge.
However, halfway through the final suturing, exhaustion began to set in, and the tremor in Zhang Yuze’s hands was no longer subtle. His fingers cramped painfully, struggling to grip the scissors, feeling like every stitch was becoming a herculean effort.
His mind willed his body to keep moving, but even the strongest will had its limits, and even mountains and rivers would get exhausted.
Finally, Xu Li spoke quietly, his voice steady like steel: “I’ll take over.”
Without argument, Zhang Yuze surrendered the scissors, stepping back just enough to support Xu Li. His trembling hands steadied as he became the assistant, carefully securing hooks and guiding sutures from the sidelines.
And Xu Li, calm and resolute, stepped into the lead. His hands moved with a precision born from countless sleepless nights spent studying surgical anatomy, his youthful dream of becoming a top surgeon burning brighter than ever.
Despite everything that had happened and despite being sidelined in the past, this was where he belonged. The operating table was his battlefield.
His eyes stayed sharp, unwavering. Even in the suffocating stillness of the pre-dawn hour, surrounded by uncertainty and fatigue, Xu Li carried the operation with steady, unyielding determination. His confidence radiated like a lighthouse in the storm, guiding them both through the darkest night.
For a moment, as he watched Xu Li work, Zhang Yuze’s chest ached. Not from exhaustion, but something deeper.
It was admiration. Raw, fierce, and undeniable.
He had always respected Xu Li’s skill. However, that night… Seeing him take control, fearless and resolute, that respect reached its peak. Xu Li wasn’t just competent. He was simply extraordinary.
His partner. His equal.
We’ll finish this together, Zhang Yuze thought, tightening his grip on the clamps.
Outside the operating room, Liu Hongbo paced restlessly, unable to rest despite his exhaustion. His gaze remained fixed on the small window overlooking the surgical floor, ready to step in if anything went wrong.
But what he saw stunned him.
Through the sterile glass, he witnessed a perfect synchronization. A seamless partnership, unlike anything he’d ever seen before. The inconspicuous surgical assistant, Xu Li, stood steady, wielding his tools with precision and confidence, matching every calculated movement of Dr. Zhang Yuze.
They operated as one.
…………
After countless hours of tireless work, the last suture was secured. The tiny, damaged heart that had once been frail and deformed now beat within its reconstructed cavity—a patchwork of stitches, tubes, and medical miracles. It wasn’t perfect, but it was whole.
All that remained was the final test.
Inside the operating room, the air hung heavy with anticipation. The heart, dormant for nearly ten hours, had to restart. Or else, everything would be lost.
Monitors glowed coldly under the harsh surgical lights as the entire team held its breath, feeling that every second stretched into eternity. For the first time, uncertainty gripped even Dr. Zhang Yuze’s calm demeanor. His eyes remained fixed on the ECG monitor, begging it to spark to life.
Suddenly, beneath his sterile glove, he felt something. His little finger was being gently hooked…
… Xu Li.
They couldn’t openly hold hands in the sterilized operating room, bound by the rigid rules of procedure, but that subtle touch spoke volumes. It was a quiet reassurance, a simple reminder that they stood together, unwavering, ready to face whatever came next.
BEEP—
The faintest blip appeared on the monitor. The rundown little heart quivered.
BEEP—BEEP—
The second heartbeat came stronger, its pulse steadying.
The rhythm continued, faint but growing with each beat, like a machine awakening after a long slumber. Oxygen and blood surged through the fragile arteries, bringing warmth and life back to the little patient’s body.
They had done it.
A ripple of restrained joy swept through the room. Behind masks and fogged-up surgical goggles, weary eyes glistened with relief. The finish line was in sight, but there was no time to celebrate—only the critical closing tasks remained.
The success was captured on film by the hospital’s medical documentary team, a record of yet another medical triumph against insurmountable odds, and Liu Hongbo, observing from the gallery, let out a deep, shaky breath. His sharp eyes softened as he watched the two young doctors finish their work with practiced grace.
“The future is so scary…” He murmured.
…………
By the time the final procedures were complete, the first light of dawn pierced through the hospital windows. The cold, sterile corridors that had felt so desolate now seemed bathed in new life, a testament to the fact that hope returned with the morning sun.
Drained but victorious, Zhang Yuze and Xu Li emerged from the operating room after showering and disinfecting. Their faces were haggard, dark circles painted beneath their tired eyes, but the soft morning glow made them seem almost radiant.
The battle was over.
As soon as they reached the hospital stairwell, Zhang Yuze’s knees buckled. The adrenaline that had kept him going was gone, leaving him utterly spent. He let gravity take over, sliding down the wall until he hit the cold floor with a quiet thud.
His head lolled back as his eyelids grew unbearably heavy.
Xu Li barely managed to collapse beside him, stretching out in a starfish-like sprawl. His head naturally tilted until it rested against Zhang Yuze’s shoulder. For a moment, neither of them spoke. They simply let the overwhelming relief settle over them, savoring the stillness after the storm.
Despite his exhaustion, Zhang Yuze turned his head slightly, stealing a glance at Xu Li’s worn but peaceful face.
A tired chuckle escaped his lips.
“What are you laughing at?” Xu Li mumbled though he couldn’t help grinning in return.
The two dissolved into quiet, exhausted laughter, the sound echoing warmly through the empty stairwell. It was laughter born of relief, triumph, and shared understanding. A moment that belonged solely to them.
After catching his breath, Xu Li raised a shaky hand and gave a thumbs-up. “Zhang Yuze…” He said hoarsely, his voice filled with genuine pride. “You’re the most badass doctor I’ve ever seen.”
Zhang Yuze met his gaze, his eyes shining with equal admiration. “And you’re the best surgical assistant I’ve ever worked with.”
Xu Li’s throat tightened, emotions surging unexpectedly. He tilted his chin up proudly, refusing to let the tears win.
Silence fell once more until, out of nowhere, Zhang Yuze whispered: “Silly dog…” He closed his eyes, and his conscience became blurred for a slight moment, only able to continue talking nonsense by relying on his mouth. “You know… That overseas study program that’s opening soon. If your performance qualifies and you pass the written exam, you could get a dual degree abroad and become a certified surgeon when you return.”
Xu Li’s head snapped up, startled into excitement. However, before he could respond, he realized that Zhang Yuze’s eyes were already closed—his expression relaxed and peaceful, on the verge of sleep. Still, his quiet words continued, soft and unguarded: “I’ve only tried to fall in love twice in my life… Once with Shen Mo, and I’ve bitterly regretted that one. But giving you this chance… I’ll never regret that. You’ve always been worth it.”
His breathing evened out, slipping into the deep sleep his body desperately needed.
Xu Li stared at his sleeping face, warmth spreading through his chest like liquid sunlight. His heart felt impossibly full, overflowing with emotions he couldn’t begin to name. He leaned closer, brushing his lips against the corner of Zhang Yuze’s mouth in a feather-light, almost reverent touch.
“Don’t worry.” Xu Li whispered, his voice steady with conviction. “I’ll never let you down.”
I’m relieved..