Night falls.
Medical Center.
Adam, feeling refreshed after assisting in another surgery, walked through the hallway and noticed Cristina and the others gathered together. He paused.
"What are you all doing here? Aren't you afraid of getting yelled at by Nazi?"
For interns, life was tough—if a resident doctor saw them standing around idly, it would make them uncomfortable. Interns were supposed to be busy all the time.
After all, the residents had gone through the same ordeal back in their day.
Why should the new interns get special treatment?
"We're comforting Liz," Meredith said. "Her patient recognized her from Bethany's Whisper and refused to let her perform his examination, let alone enter the operating room."
"And then?"
Adam glanced at Liz, who looked dejected.
"And then?"
Meredith was momentarily stunned.
"This is a teaching hospital," Adam reminded her. "Who gets to enter the operating room is up to the doctors, not the patients—unless he wants to go to another hospital. Did Nazi actually ban you from the OR?"
"She let me decide," Liz murmured.
"So?"
Adam gave her a puzzled look.
"I really wanted to participate, but I couldn't."
Liz hesitated before repeating what the patient had told her:
**"You see, I've fantasized about you before. About all the women in those photos, actually. I'm not proud of it, but that's the truth.
Do you know what they're going to do to me today? I have cancer. They're going to lift my legs, expose me in front of everyone, and remove my prostate and nerves—basically castrate me.
Maybe it's hard to understand, but I don't want one of the women from my fantasies to watch me get neutered."**
"Hah."
Hearing this, Adam couldn't help but laugh.
What's so hard to understand?
What would it feel like to be castrated in front of your goddess?
There was no Zhihu (Chinese Q&A platform) yet, but even without it, anyone could figure it out.
And he wasn't proud of his fantasies about women in photos?
Classic old white guy thinking!
A normal person in his position would feel embarrassed, wouldn't they?
"What's so funny?"
Liz frowned. "If he doesn't want me there, shouldn't I respect his wishes?"
"No! What he doesn't want is cancer! What he wants is to stay alive!"
Adam scoffed. "As for everything else he's thinking, you're a medical intern authorized by a resident to enter the OR. You don't need to consider his personal feelings.
Otherwise, what's next? Are you going to respect and accommodate all his fantasies about you too? You're a doctor, not a Bethany's Whisper model! If you can't handle something this trivial, why are you even in medicine?"
Liz was stunned.
Adam ignored her and instead turned to Cristina and Meredith with an amused look.
"Why are you looking at us like that?"
Cristina snapped.
"I'm just curious."
Adam grinned. "At a time like this, shouldn't you two be fighting for the surgery?"
Cristina's face darkened.
If she had the chance, she absolutely would have. No way would she be sitting here 'comforting' Liz.
To her, Liz was completely ungrateful for what she had—way too sentimental.
But by the time Cristina heard about the case, it was already too late. George had snagged the spot.
That made her secretly curse Nazi—was she into soft-looking, feminine guys like George? Otherwise, why did she always choose him whenever an opportunity arose?
"We're friends," Meredith said with a genuinely warm smile. "Friends come first."
Adam just smiled without commenting.
Meredith was already sleeping with attending neurosurgeon Shepherd, following him into advanced neurosurgeries whenever she wanted.
A simple prostate nerve removal? It didn't hold the same appeal for her anymore.
When you have everything, you can afford to say things like friends come first.
Just like how Adam could say, I don't care about money—I just want to be a doctor and save lives.
It's easy to be selfless when you already have it all.
"Who's the lead surgeon?"
Adam asked casually.
"Dr. Victor," Liz replied.
"Hah."
Adam chuckled and shook his head. "Interesting."
"What's interesting?"
Cristina asked, curious.
"You don't know Dr. Victor?"
Adam raised an eyebrow. "His motto is: *Young people like to gamble with cancer. At my age, I know efficiency is key.*"
"You're saying… he's going to remove all the related nerves, even if some could be preserved?"
Cristina immediately caught on.
"They call him 'Soft Hands.' His methods are a bit crude, but they get the job done."
Adam smirked. "That patient will never be able to twist his face at a photo again…"
Once the prostate is removed and the surrounding nerves are completely cut, there'll be no sensation left.
No desire, no problem.
This is exactly why people get second opinions for serious illnesses.
Different doctors have different approaches, and their levels of aggressiveness vary.
Some prioritize success rates above all else and push patients to make major sacrifices without caring about their quality of life afterward.
If you don't know there are other options, that's one thing. But if you find out later? That's pure agony.
Take this patient, for example.
Mentally, he was already prepared for castration.
But did he have to be fully castrated?
Not necessarily.
There was a chance of residual cancer cells, sure—but combined with chemotherapy, the results could still be decent. And more importantly, he could retain his sexual function.
For any man, if you gave him that choice—without exaggerating the risks—he would 100% choose to keep it.
But 'Soft Hands' Victor? He wouldn't bother.
One reason is the surgery's success rate.
The other?
Preserving those nerves takes more time and effort.
Why waste an extra hour doing delicate work when he could be enjoying his afternoon tea?
People like to think doctors are all noble, making choices solely for the patient's best interests.
But in reality, doctors are just professionals.
Most choose this career for the high income and prestige.
Victor was already in his sixties. His stamina wasn't what it used to be, and after decades in the field, he'd become desensitized.
If he had to push through an extra hour of grueling surgery just to preserve a patient's sex life, would he bother?
No surprise there.
"OMG!"
Liz jumped up and ran toward the OR.
"Where is she going?"
Cristina scoffed. "Is she really going to piss off Victor just so a guy who didn't even want her near him can keep fantasizing about her?"
Adam shrugged.
At least this time, Liz took action on her own instead of relying on him.
For the sake of a patient's well-being, she was willing to offend an attending physician.
It was a bit foolish, but it was hard to dislike.
Hopefully, she'd stick to it.
This just proves one thing: when something goes against your principles, you have to push back.
If you don't push back hard enough, how will the other person ever wake up?
Barney needed it.
Liz needed it.
Some people just need a reality check.
And Adam? He was more than happy to give it to them.
Ring, ring.
His phone rang.
Adam glanced at the caller ID and answered, surprised.
"Joey?"
After hearing what Joey had to say, Adam was speechless.
Joey—classic you.
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