Chapter 740: Chapter 739: Thanks and Apologies

He had been asleep for who knows how long when he vaguely sensed someone approaching.

He really wanted to ignore it and keep sleeping.

After all, he hadn’t finished last night’s surgery until after one in the morning.

He sent the girl to the ICU, waited for her to wake up for a basic cognitive and physical exam, and confirmed there were no issues with the surgery. Only after putting her back to sleep could Yan Feifan finally relax and return to his office in the Little Red House to wash up and rest.

The postoperative care for a heart transplant patient is no less important than the surgery itself.

This was also an area that Yan Feifan needed to monitor throughout the entire process, as well as focus on learning and mastering.

After all that running around, by the time Yan Feifan lay down on the large bed in his office, it was nearly four in the morning.

Feeling like he hadn’t rested enough, Yan Feifan wanted to keep sleeping, but he was worried the person had come to see him about something important.

His sense of responsibility compelled him to pry open his incredibly heavy eyelids.

The next thing he knew, Yan Feifan saw a blurry face with wide-open eyes leaning in close.

Startled, he shot bolt upright in bed.

Yan Feifan vigorously rubbed his face and eyes, trying to clear his head and his vision.

Just then, a man’s voice sounded by his ear.

"Tsk tsk, Yan, this is a nice office. You’ve even got a bed this big. It’s as nice as any bedroom."

As his vision cleared, Yan Feifan saw Dr. Gu Lin standing by the bed, with Dr. Deng Chunming behind him.

He quickly glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was 9:26 in the morning.

"Mr. Gu, Mr. Deng, what brings you here?"

Yan Feifan asked, then hurriedly got out of bed and anxiously followed up, "Is something wrong with the girl?"

Gu Lin shook his head. "The girl’s fine. All her vitals are still within acceptable ranges."

"If something were really wrong with her, we would have handled it for you. We wouldn’t be showing up here so leisurely."

After a pause, Gu Lin tutted again, a strange tone in his voice, "Four hours and twenty-one minutes!"

"You’re really something, Yan. You and Mr. Ni went and showed us up without so much as a peep."

Relieved to hear the girl was fine, Yan Feifan quickly tidied the bed, then folded it up against the wall.

By the time Gu Lin finished speaking, Yan Feifan had already finished.

"Heh heh, I didn’t expect to break the four-and-a-half-hour mark in one go either."

Yan Feifan explained with a light chuckle, "I wasn’t really thinking about the time last night. Everything just felt very smooth."

"It wasn’t until the girl’s heart was successfully restarted at the end that I realized we had a chance to hit the time target, so I sped things up a bit."

Gu Lin harrumphed. "I’m happy that you and Mr. Ni were the first to hit the time goal. I really am."

"I’ll spare you the congratulations."

"There’s something I need to confirm with you..."

As he said this, Gu Lin glanced at Deng Chunming beside him and continued, "About that bet between me and Mr. Deng... was the bet to see which of us would be the *first overall* to hit the time goal?"

"Or was it just a competition between me and Mr. Deng?"

"Yan, don’t you claim to have a photographic memory?"

"You were a witness when we made the bet, so you must remember it clearly."

’You came all this way just to wake me up for *this*?’

Yan Feifan complained silently to himself but kept a straight face as he said, "Mr. Gu, as I recall, the bet was..."

"...which one of you and Mr. Deng could first get the surgery time under four hours and thirty minutes!"

As soon as these words were out, Deng Chunming glanced at the smug-looking Gu Lin and mocked, "So what if he remembered correctly?"

"You’re not the first one to hit the goal anymore. It was Mr. Ni and Yan."

"Is there any point in competing over this now?"

Hearing this, Gu Lin suddenly deflated a little and sighed, "That’s true. What’s the point of beating you?"

"It doesn’t mean much if I’m not the first!"

Seeing that Dr. Gu was quite competitive and really cared about being first, Yan Feifan said cautiously, "Um, Mr. Gu, Mr. Deng, Mr. Ni and I had a lot of luck on our side to hit the time goal."

"If it had been Mr. Gu’s patient who got the chance for the heart transplant last night, maybe we wouldn’t have been the first."

"I think we should be comparing the time taken for the *first* surgery using the dual-surgeon technique."

This brought the light back to Gu Lin’s face. He nodded in approval. "Right, that’s how it should be. That’s fair and reasonable."

"Mr. Deng, I’m sure Mr. Liang and I can get under four and a half hours on our first try with the dual-surgeon technique."

Deng Chunming was rather speechless. He said with a hint of disdain, "Fine. We’ll do it your way."

"If your and Mr. Liang’s surgery time is less than Yan and Mr. Ni’s, I’ll concede defeat."

Deng Chunming ignored the delighted Gu Lin and asked Yan Feifan, "So that little boy with the ectopic heart is definitely not coming?"

Yan Feifan explained, "Strictly speaking, it was my charity foundation that rejected the funding for the boy’s surgery."

"His parents demanded that we cover their food, clothing, housing, and transportation, as well as compensate them for their lost wages."

"Those parents sound like a handful."

"Given the complexity and high risk of the surgery, I thought it was best to reject it."

Deng Chunming let out a soft "oh" and said, "True, no need to look for trouble."

"Our cardiac surgery department is nationally renowned. We’re not short on any kind of heart patient. We just have to wait patiently."

After a pause, he urged, "Mr. Gu, we should get back. We have a pile of things waiting for us."

Deng Chunming was just about to turn and leave when he remembered something else.

"Hey, Yan, you’ve been busy all night. Don’t bother coming to cardiac surgery today. Get a full day’s rest."

"Oh, right, there are some guests in the outer office. They should be waiting for you, too..."

After seeing Mr. Gu and Mr. Deng off, Yan Feifan was surprised to find that the people waiting for him in the next office were Zhang Yi, the deputy chief of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, along with Li Songzhu and Zheng Libin, who had come to ask for his help on Tuesday night.

Yan Feifan invited the three of them into his office and asked directly, "Mr. Zhang, are you here about that partial skull?"

Zhang Yi said in a clear voice, "Mr. Yan, I’ve brought these two men here today for two reasons: to thank you, and to apologize!"

"Thank me and apologize?" Yan Feifan was a little confused.

Zhang Yi explained, "We’re here to thank you because, thanks to the facial reconstruction you drew, Mr. Yan, we were able to run a comparison against the national missing persons database and find two potential matches."

"We reviewed the information on these two missing persons and asked the police in the cities where they were last seen to assist with inquiries at cosmetic surgery clinics. Ultimately, we were able to confirm the identity of the individual."

Zhang Yi let out a soft sigh and said, "Now that we’ve confirmed the identity, we have a breakthrough in the investigation. It’s only a matter of time before the case is solved."

"Mr. Yan, thank you!"

As he said this, he stood up and saluted Yan Feifan.

Zheng Libin and Li Songzhu also rose and saluted Yan Feifan.

"Please, don’t. I was just doing my part."

After this polite exchange, Yan Feifan quickly gestured for the three to sit down again. "And the apology?" he asked.

Zhang Yi’s voice turned grave. "The apology is because two of my officers, Li Songzhu and Zheng Libin, violated department regulations."

He explained further, "Li Songzhu had submitted an official request for your assistance in the investigation, Mr. Yan."

"However, it was denied by his superiors."

"He and Zheng Libin disregarded that decision and came to seek your help privately. This was an act of insubordination, and it seriously interfered with your work and life."

"On behalf of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, I apologize to you."

After saying this, Zhang Yi stood up again and with a snap, gave Yan Feifan another salute.

Yan Feifan said, unconcerned, "Mr. Zhang, there’s no need to apologize. Really, there’s no need."

"It wasn’t a bother to me at all."

"I’m very happy to have the chance to contribute a little to a police investigation. I mean that sincerely."

Zhang Yi chuckled lightly. "Of course I know that, Mr. Yan. You have a benevolent heart. But rules are rules, and a violation is a violation."

Yan Feifan noticed that Li Songzhu and Zheng Libin looked a bit dispirited and asked, "Mr. Zhang, they won’t be disciplined too harshly for this, will they?"

Zhang Yi said gravely, "Li Songzhu will have his salary reduced by one grade, and he will be ineligible for promotions or commendations for one year."

"As for Zheng Libin, he’s being transferred to a suburban police station to serve as a political instructor..."

PS.

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