Surgery Godfather-Chapter 1977 - 1344: Mandatory Vacation

Months of continuous global upheaval, intense cooperative negotiations, and exhausting efforts on complex cases, like a continuously pressurized furnace, have forged the team’s resilience, yet consumed them greatly.

Everyone had some degree of fatigue on their faces. Even the usually energetic Zhang Lin couldn’t help but down two cups of strong coffee in the break room after hosting a delegation from a certain Middle Eastern country’s medical team. Rubbing his temples, he smiled wryly at Tang Shun, "It feels like my brain’s been emptied. Now, hearing words like ’system,’ ’regulation,’ and ’cooperation’ triggers a conditioned reflex."

Tang Shun deeply empathized. Not only did he have to handle the increasingly heavy international academic coordination at the institute, but also shared part of Ruixing Medical’s work in technical alignment, while dealing with his wife Li Yingtong’s sporadic "prenatal anxiety" as her due date approached.

Song Zimo was troubled by another "sweet burden." His relationship with Tang Fei had reached a substantial breakthrough, and they planned to meet each other’s parents. However, this had been postponed due to their recent busyness.

Since Song Zimo needed to devote most of his energy to the clinical portion of the system regulation theory experiment, many major surgeries fell on Xu Zhiliang’s shoulders. Xu Zhiliang, much like a diligent old ox, worked earnestly and tirelessly, yet he too was quite exhausted recently.

Not to mention the young researchers, resident doctors, and technical staff, who were bearing concrete and heavy workloads, while also facing enormous pressures from the external spotlight and high internal standards.

The team, like a string tightened for too long, needed to relax.

This week, Lele’s latest review report brought the most heartening news. The boy’s immune system indicators had consistently stabilized within the normal range, vascular inflammation activity had completely ceased, and kidney function remained intact, allowing him to completely return to school.

"It’s alright now," Yang Ping concluded "clinically cured, entering long-term follow-up phase" on Lele’s case report, and said to Lele’s parents, "Keep up with the weekly telephone follow-up, and come back every three months for a comprehensive system evaluation. In daily life, maintain balance, avoid excessive fatigue and infection. Ice cream... occasionally, a small one is okay."

Lele cheered, while his parents’ eyes brimmed with tears. They gripped Yang Ping’s hand tightly, words caught in their throats.

Almost at the same moment, another more weighty case file was delivered to Yang Ping’s desk: "Sisi..."

Yang Ping’s memory was instantly stirred. Sisi had late-stage osteosarcoma with multiple metastases, who relapsed after surgery and several chemotherapy sessions, and was deemed "almost hopeless to treat." She was the first volunteer for the K Therapy clinical trial, and the most critical, heartbreaking one. The treatment process was exceptionally arduous, frequently near the brink of catastrophe, yet Sisi and her parents showed remarkable resilience and trust.

Now, this latest follow-up report showed: imaging exams revealed no tumor residue or recurrence indications; blood tumor markers remained consistently negative; and her physical development was catching up to her peers.

Yang Ping closed his eyes, leaning against the chair back. Lele’s stable recovery and Sisi’s long-term remission, these two weighty cases of healing, like the clearest of springs, washed away all the fatigue, pressure, and disturbances accumulated over the days. They silently spoke of the ultimate meaning of all this struggle, perseverance, and resistance.

What could be more comforting to a doctor’s heart than this?

He opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the piles of cases, academic cooperation drafts, and meeting invitations on the desktop... then looked out the window at the courtyard, where several young researchers walked by briskly with tired faces.

It’s time to let everyone rest a bit.

At the team’s weekly meeting in the afternoon, Yang Ping did not discuss any specific research topics.

"Today, we won’t talk about work." Yang Ping’s opening statement stunned everyone, "I want to say, thank you all for your hard work during this period."

He looked around at every familiar face in the meeting room, the faint blue under Tang Shun’s eyes, Lu Xiaolu’s slightly furrowed brows, the visible fatigue on Chu Xiaoxiao, Jiang Jitong, and other young people’s faces.

"From Stockholm, to the Three Kingdoms incident, to the patient alliance storm, and then to global cooperation negotiations, various challenges... we’ve been like a sports team enduring several consecutive high-intensity seasons," Yang Ping said calmly and sincerely, "A string wound too tight will break. We need rest. We need to return to life itself. We need to recharge ourselves."

He announced the decision: "Starting tomorrow, the institute will enter a two-week ’mandatory rest period.’ Non-emergency clinical work will be handled by the on-duty team, all research project progress will slow, and administrative and external affairs will be paused or minimized."

The meeting room was silent at first, followed by a relieved sigh and low murmurs.

"Tang Shun, Song Zimo," Yang Ping named, "both of you should quickly organize and handover any transferrable work, and then you must spend time with your families. Tang Shun, Dr. Li’s due date is next month, you need time and energy to prepare. Song Zimo... go on a vacation with Tang Fei."

Tang Shun and Song Zimo exchanged glances and saw the relief and appreciation in each other’s eyes.

"Dr. Xu, you too, take your wife out for a walk, relax, the department will pause surgeries for two weeks." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Zhang Lin, turn off your phone, go hiking, or simply sleep for a few days."

"Chu Xiaoxiao, Jiang Jitong, and all you young people, those wanting to travel should submit a report, expenses will be covered by the institute; those wanting to visit family, hurry and buy tickets; and those who just want to stay home and rest, don’t come to the institute, just relax."