Chapter 107 - 106: As One Pleases

Chapter 107: Chapter 106: As One Pleases

Yu Zhiming jogged over to where Director Zhao Shan and the others had gathered and saw the problem.

On the sidewalk, an SUV had flipped onto its side, crushing an electric scooter.

It had also pinned the scooter’s owner.

A woman in her twenties.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. The most deadly part was a sharp piece of plastic, two or three centimeters wide, that had broken off the SUV’s body. In a cruel twist of fate, it had stabbed right into the woman’s neck.

Yu Zhiming leaned in for a closer look and estimated that the plastic shard had pierced about six or seven centimeters into her neck.

What’s more, the other end of the sharp plastic was still attached to the SUV’s body, meaning it was under tension and had some give.

This was why no one dared to move. They were terrified that the slightest shift of the SUV would cause the plastic shard to slice the woman’s carotid artery.

If that happened, not even a god could save her.

Seeing the situation, Yu Zhiming didn’t wait for instructions. He lay on the ground, scooted under the vehicle, and placed his hand on the woman’s neck.

The moment his fingers touched her, he realized just how lucky the woman was.

The plastic shard had barely scraped past the carotid artery. Not only that, but her jugular vein, trachea, and esophagus were also unharmed.

Yu Zhiming then checked the rest of her body.

To his relief, he discovered that aside from her legs being pinned, she had no other major injuries.

Yu Zhiming looked at the woman. She was still wearing her helmet, her face pale, not daring to move an inch. He comforted her, "You’re incredibly lucky. You don’t have any life-threatening injuries."

The woman’s expression was taut. Despite Yu Zhiming’s reassurance, she couldn’t help but retort, her voice trembling, "If I were *that* lucky... I wouldn’t be... lying here."

"I don’t want to die! You have to get me out of here!"

"Don’t worry, we will absolutely get you out," Yu Zhiming promised, his tone firm.

’This rescue couldn’t wait. If a sudden gust of wind were to move the car, the consequences would be unimaginable.’

After a moment’s thought, Yu Zhiming made his decision.

He reached out with both hands. The limited space forced him into an awkward position as he gripped the plastic shard in the woman’s neck.

"I’m Yu Zhiming from Huashan Hospital. What’s your name?"

"I’m Li Han," the woman replied simply.

"Hello, Li Han."

"Li Han, listen to me. In a moment, I’m going to have the people outside slowly lift the car."

"I’m going to hold the plastic shard steady to guide it out as they lift, making sure it doesn’t damage any blood vessels in your neck."

"You’re going to feel some pain during this. It might become intense, but you absolutely cannot move."

"Not even a twitch. Do you understand?"

Li Han blinked, and tears streamed down her face.

"I understand. I won’t move, no matter how much it hurts."

Yu Zhiming said encouragingly, "Li Han, just trust me. If you can get through this, you’re going to be okay."

"Surviving a disaster like this is a sign of good fortune to come."

"Li Han, one day you’ll live in a big house with a husband who adores you, and you’ll have a happy life together with your cute, mischievous children."

After painting this rosy picture for Li Han, Yu Zhiming took a deep breath and shouted to the people outside.

"Everyone, listen up! Wait for my command..."

"Get ready to lift the car. Don’t apply any force yet! Don’t apply any force! Wait for my signal to lift."

"Remember, lift straight up! It has to be a vertical lift..."

At Yu Zhiming’s words, Director Zhao Shan gathered a group of fifteen people, including himself—a mix of doctors, firefighters, and police officers.

They surrounded the overturned SUV, each person finding a position to get a good grip and exert force.

Director Zhao Shan braced himself and called out, "Dr. Yu, we’re all ready."

Yu Zhiming braced his hands, gripping the plastic shard in Li Han’s neck to keep it from moving.

"Remember, apply pressure slowly. Very slowly. Lift the body of the car gradually."

"It has to be a gradual lift!"

After emphasizing the point one last time, Yu Zhiming took another deep breath and shouted, "Ready... Begin..."

"Slowly add pressure, and lift!"

"Slowly... up..."

As he continued to shout instructions, Yu Zhiming heard the vehicle above him let out a terrifying GROAN and CREAK.

It sounded as if it might come crashing down at any second, like a boulder falling from a cliff.

Yu Zhiming suppressed his terror and focused on the plastic shard in his hands, feeling it slowly begin to rise.

His nerves were stretched taut as he controlled the shard with both hands, preventing it from so much as grazing the carotid artery—a touch would be like triggering a landmine.

"Good, just like that, slowly..."

Suddenly, Yu Zhiming heard a muffled groan of unbearable pain escape Li Han’s lips.

"If you want to live, you bear this pain!"

Yu Zhiming warned her sharply, then bellowed another command, "Good, lift slowly..."

The next five or six seconds felt like an eternity.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yu Zhiming could see the serrated edge of the slowly retracting shard snagging and tearing out a dozen strands of muscle tissue.

’He had to harden his heart and ignore it...’

The moment the tip of the shard was free from Li Han’s neck, Yu Zhiming’s voice cracked as he yelled, "Now!"

"Move it sideways! Get the car away, fast!"

Before the words had even left his mouth, light flooded his vision. The vehicle that had felt like a mountain pressing down on him was lifted and moved aside by more than a dozen strong men.

Immediately, two doctors carried Li Han to a clear area nearby to examine her.

Yu Zhiming tried to roll over and get up, but he found he didn’t have an ounce of strength left.

Still, he was in a relatively good mood.

Having finally played a key role and saved someone, the feelings of powerlessness and frustration in Yu Zhiming’s heart had dissipated considerably...

「After the on-site rescue mission concluded」

Yu Zhiming returned directly to his apartment in the Zijin Garden District.

To his surprise, Gu Qingning wasn’t there.

"Did her check-up turn up something serious?" Yu Zhiming asked, a little worried.

Yu Xiangwan shook her head. "After we saw our eldest sister off at the high-speed rail station, I went with her to Ning’an Hospital for a check-up. She had a colonoscopy, too."

"The doctor said they didn’t find anything suspicious, no polyps either. He said it was likely intussusception caused by disrupted intestinal motility, probably from overeating."

"Qingning is staying at the hospital. She said they want to observe her overnight."

Yu Zhiming hummed in acknowledgment. Then he heard Yu Xiangwan ask cautiously, "Fifth Brother, I saw the news about that accident. There’s a lot about it online."

"I heard a lot of people died. Was it dozens?"

Yu Zhiming scoffed. "Don’t listen to that online nonsense. Those people don’t know anything. They hear one little thing and blow it completely out of proportion, just making stuff up."

"The number of people who died at the scene, plus those we couldn’t save, is seven so far."

"The final death toll will likely exceed ten..."

Yu Zhiming took a long, hot shower, then forced himself to eat some of the hearty dinner his Fourth Sister had specially prepared.

After ten o’clock that night, he sat at the desk in his bedroom, staring at his laptop screen as a thousand thoughts raced through his mind.

’To be honest, he was still reluctant to follow Teacher Qi’s suggestion. The idea of writing something to quiet the online chatter about Jingda Medical School didn’t sit well with him.’

’After all, it wasn’t *him* who was in the wrong.’

’Still, Yu Zhiming understood his teacher’s intentions. They all moved in the same professional circles; it wasn’t wise to make the relationship too tense.’

’Taking a small step back could open up a world of possibilities.’

’After all, Jingda Medical School’s influence couldn’t be underestimated. There was no need to create such an adversarial relationship.’

’Knowing when to compromise was simply part of being an adult.’

And after experiencing the tragic accident that evening, Yu Zhiming suddenly felt that...

’nothing was more important than being alive. All the other messy details were just passing clouds.’

’He even had a fleeting thought of becoming a monk.’

’Of course, the thought was just a flicker. He had too many ties he could never sever.’

After a moment of contemplation, Yu Zhiming began to type on his computer...

"’Morally corrupt,’ ’a disgrace to medicine,’ ’a benevolent healer with masterful skill,’ ’a saint of the medical arts’—in the short span of two or three days, all these extreme labels have been applied to me, all because of the reversal of a single incident."

"When you think about it, it’s quite laughable."

"In real life, I’m surely not as good as they say, but I’m definitely not as bad, either. Online, however, it’s one extreme or the other."

"Shouldn’t this give us all pause for reflection?"

"As for being rejected after the second-round interview for Jingda Medical School, I suppose I should actually be thankful."

"If everything had gone smoothly back then, if I had just gone to graduate school like everyone else, I wouldn’t even have graduated by now."

"Everything that happened in the past made me who I am today."

"We shouldn’t dwell on the past. We should ground ourselves in the present and cherish everything we have now."

"The emergency rescue at the scene of the major accident this evening made me realize something with profound clarity..."

Yu Zhiming wrote whatever came to mind. Before he knew it, he had poured out several thousand words.

And to his surprise, after writing so much, he genuinely felt a sense of relief, his thoughts much clearer and more organized.

However, a quick review showed him that the reflection was written completely on a whim, lacking any real central point or theme.

Seeing it was almost midnight, Yu Zhiming felt the exhaustion in both his body and mind.

He couldn’t be bothered to edit it, so he simply posted it under his own name on a medical forum...