Chapter 54

It was late at night, and Zuo Xutong sat alone in the waiting area outside the operating room. A large row of empty seats surrounded her, like an empty trial bench. She was like a prisoner awaiting her fate, suffering in the long silence.

Whether from the cold or fear, her body trembled uncontrollably.

"Permanent disability," "functional amputation"... The doctor's words echoed in her ears again and again. The person who had repeatedly extended a helping hand to her in her difficult life was about to lose his hand, and a great sorrow rose in her heart.

Hurried footsteps came from the end of the corridor. Zuo Xutong looked up and saw Dean Feng walking towards them.

"You're here too?" Zuo Xutong stood up and noticed that he was wearing cotton pajamas under his down jacket.

"I came with the ambulance. I just finished the admission procedures and paid the surgery fees downstairs," Dean Feng said, turning his head to see the red indicator light above the operating room door. "They're already inside?"

"Mm." Zuo Xutong nodded.

"Sigh, how could this happen? If only I had known..." He didn't continue, letting out a self-reproachful sigh.

When Zuo Xutong recalled leaving the nursing home, she saw the frightened elderly people standing in the courtyard, dressed in thin clothes, some even wearing slippers. So she said, "Director Feng, I'll stay here. You can go back to the nursing home first."

"Are you sure you can manage on your own?"

"Don't worry, I'll contact you immediately if anything happens."

Dean Feng was also thinking about the nursing home, but unfortunately he was too busy. Hearing what she said, he didn't hesitate any longer. He handed her the hospitalization papers and Peng Kun's personal belongings, then glanced at the operating room and left in a hurry.

The operating room lights stayed on for more than four hours. When Peng Kun was wheeled out of the operating room, he was still under anesthesia. His face was pale, and he lay on the gurney as if he were asleep.

Zuo Xutong stood up from the chair. The cold white light overhead was even more dazzling. She had been sitting outside motionless for more than four hours, and her legs were numb, but she still gritted her teeth and walked over.

The surgeon took off his mask, his voice sounding tired: "The nerves and tendons have been reconnected, but the damage was more severe than expected. We have done our best."

"To what extent can it be restored?" she asked.

"The recovery depends on nerve regeneration," the doctor paused and said truthfully. "The chances of a complete recovery are slim. The median and ulnar nerves were damaged together. These two nerves control most of the fine motor skills of the hand. Even if the nerves regenerate, normal function may not be restored."

Zuo Xutong remained silent, gazing at Peng Kun's hand wrapped in white gauze, her eyes filled with worry.

Seeing her expression, the doctor's tone softened: "Of course, the specific situation varies from person to person. If the recovery is good, you should be able to perform some simple daily activities, such as eating with a spoon and drinking from a cup. However, fine motor skills such as tying shoelaces and using chopsticks may be more difficult..."

"So, his hand can still move?" Hope rekindled in Zuo Xutong's heart.

"If nerve regeneration goes smoothly, with rehabilitation exercises, you should be able to do some simple flexion and extension movements, but you probably won't be able to do things that require a high degree of finger dexterity, such as writing, drawing, or playing the piano." After saying this, the doctor gave a few more instructions on postoperative care and nodded to the nurse.

Peng Kun was taken to the anesthesia recovery room. More than an hour later, he gradually regained consciousness. Seeing that his vital signs were stable, the medical staff arranged for him to be transferred to a regular ward.

At this time, the effects of the anesthesia had not completely worn off. During the transfer, Peng Kun stared silently at his hand, which had just undergone surgery, looking dazed. After arriving at the ward and being settled in, he fell into a deep sleep again.

Zuo Xutong sat beside his hospital bed, glanced at the time. It was already five o'clock. The sky outside was still dark, but there were noticeably more cars driving on the road, and the city was beginning to wake up.

There were two beds in the ward, but Peng Kun was the only patient; the other bed was empty. Zuo Xutong dozed off by the bedside, and when she opened her eyes again, it was already bright outside.

She stood up quietly and stretched her stiff neck. The person in the hospital bed was still asleep, and before he woke up, she decided to go out to buy breakfast and some toiletries for him.

The breakfast shop was quite crowded, so she queued up and bought two portions to go before hurrying back. On the way, she stopped at a supermarket to buy toiletries. When she returned to the ward, Peng Kun was already sitting up in bed.

"What are you doing here?" These were his first words to her, his tone serious and expressionless, as if overnight, their relationship had deteriorated to that of superior and subordinate.

Zuo Xutong was stunned. She had stayed at the hospital all night, cold and hungry. She hadn't even had time for breakfast before rushing back. She felt a little wronged, but quickly understood him. After all, he had just undergone such major surgery; it was normal for him to be in a bad mood. She took a deep breath and forced a smile: "I bought you breakfast, and..."

"What time is it now?" he interrupted her.

She took out her phone and turned on the screen: "8:10".

"Shouldn't you be on your way to work at this time?" He frowned and looked directly at her.

The doctor just came and explained the condition to him, without hiding the worst possible outcome. He also told him that nerve regeneration is very slow, and muscles that lose nerve control will gradually atrophy, eventually leading to hand deformity, becoming what is known as "claw hand." Even with good recovery, this atrophy and deformity is almost unavoidable.

After the doctor finished speaking, the first thought that flashed through his mind was "the Venus de Milo." It was a conversation he had with her on the banks of the Hun River, where she said she had a kind of mental fastidiousness and couldn't appreciate the Venus de Milo.

“You just had surgery, so I have to stay and take care of you,” she replied.

"Who approved your leave request?"

Zuo Xutong was stunned by his question and remained silent for a moment. After the surgery, he seemed like a different person, his attitude towards her cold and distant. However, she really didn't know what role she should play in staying here.

“Go to the company, we don’t need you here.” He said slowly and deliberately. Since they were destined to be apart in this life, no matter how unwilling he was, he would not force a perfectionist to accept a disabled person.

He didn't even have time to grieve for this suddenly ended relationship. The company had to keep running, and he couldn't afford to collapse, because he carried the fates of too many people on his shoulders.

Zuo Xutong placed the things she had bought on the bedside table, then handed him his ID card, phone, and car keys. She turned and walked towards the door, intending to leave immediately, but after taking a few steps, she couldn't help but turn back. Seeing him sitting alone on the hospital bed, she stopped and asked softly, "How about... I hire a caregiver for you?"

“No need, I can take care of myself,” he refused decisively.

"Then I'll leave work early today and go home to get you some clean clothes."

“My foot isn’t injured, I can get it myself.” After Peng Kun finished speaking, he realized that his hand was no longer able to drive. He was silent for a moment, picked up the car keys, handed them to her and said, “You drive my car to the company, I’ll take a taxi back.”

She hesitated for a moment, then took it.

He quickly added, "I'm going to postpone the MEA sample development project initiation meeting from 9:00 AM to 30 minutes later. You will go back to the company and chair the meeting for me. I'm now appointing you as the project leader. I will send an email to everyone later and ask all departments to fully cooperate with your work."

Zuo Xutong knew that he valued these samples very much, as this was a rare opportunity to open up the European market. In an instant, she found a reason for his bad mood and interpreted his indifference as anxiety.

"Don't worry, I'll make the sample as soon as possible." She left those words behind and turned to leave.