Delirium

They would still eat together whenever their schedules matched up, occasionally joined by Zhang Yijie who would show up.

Song Shuyi's experiment also continued, stumbling along.

At the group meeting in the second week, Director Li calmly humiliated everyone as usual. When it was Cen Zeng's turn, his expression actually softened a bit, and he said he was finally starting to look like an X University medical student.

As Cen Zeng listened, he subconsciously glanced at the expressions of the people around him. Song Shuyi smiled at him. Perhaps he had seen it wrong, but a flash of worry had crossed the senior brother's face.

"What's all this giggling about?" Li Aimin spoke up, and everyone held their breath.

After the meeting, Cen Zeng and Song Shuyi were walking out together when he bumped into Senior Zhang's shoulder, and the newly printed papers scattered all over the floor.

He said sorry, but the senior brother didn't stop, instead glaring at him. After Song Shuyi helped him pick everything up, he let out a soft sigh in the room where only the two of them remained.

The junior brother's expression, however, remained unchanged, as serene as a deity, unfazed by favor or disgrace.

"He's not having an easy time either..." Song Shuyi said. "It's rather complicated."

Cen Zeng nodded and said, "It's okay, I don't mind."

"You should mind a little." Song Shuyi started to speak, then shook his head. "Forget it."

Fortunately, this person was the type who wouldn't ask if you didn't tell.

Cen Zeng helped him with some odd jobs, then said goodbye and went to class.

After he left, Xu Zhenqing looked up from her work and chatted with Song Shuyi for a bit about a small project they were recently collaborating on. In the end, she sighed and said, "You should keep an eye on Xiao Cen."

Song Shuyi scratched his hair and replied, "Of course. Don't worry, Sister Xu. I guarantee I'll complete the mission."

On the afternoon of the third day, Director Li was in the laboratory with a stormy expression on his face. He called out a few names and asked where they were.

Those with classes went to class, those teaching went to teach.

He walked around in a circle, glanced at Song Shuyi who was busy with an experiment, then at Cen Zeng who was organizing data. He sighed softly and said, "Cen Zeng, you're a third-year, right?"

Have the hospital clerkship rotations started yet?

"The clerkship starts after the midterm exams," the undergraduate student replied.

"Alright, Cen Zeng, you're with me. Just get the data sorted and give it to me by noon tomorrow. Zhang Yuhao, finish up what you're doing quickly, then go to the Emergency Department, they're short-staffed."

It wasn't an illusion; the others in the laboratory who hadn't been called out each breathed a sigh of relief.

Cen Zeng put on his white coat and followed Li Aimin through the laboratory into the ward area.

Someone rushed out into the corridor, shouting that the patient in bed twelve needed resuscitation. Li Aimin didn't even pause. He looked down at his watch and said, "Two-forty. Fifteen minutes left until we need to check the second set of data."

"You go in and take a look first..." he said. "Bed seven just had surgery. Get familiar with the situation first, wait for me."

As the door opened, only the sounds of breathing and the beeping of instruments could be heard in the ward.

The old man in bed seven had his eyes closed, his fingers twitching occasionally. His family wasn't there. In bed eight next to him was a young man wearing headphones, watching a drama and letting out soft laughs from time to time.

He was halfway through the medical record in his hand when a nurse pushed the door open. "Something's a bit strange with bed seven today."

"His blood pressure is a bit low..." she said. "But the monitor didn't alarm. I don't know if the machine is broken."

As she spoke, she went to adjust the instrument's wires.

Cen Zeng didn't move, lowering his head to look at the record book by the bed.

He said, "It's not the machine that's broken. It's that yesterday's injection was administered too quickly, and the 500ml of Ringer's solution wasn't fully replenished today as per the doctor's orders."

The nurse was stunned for a moment.

"You're a student?"

"Yes, in Teacher Li Aimin's lab..." he said. "I'm here with him today for my clerkship."

He turned the patient's record book over and handed it to the nurse. "Look here, the intake and output volumes don't match."

The nurse flipped through it and clicked her tongue. "You read through that pretty fast."

"It was alright."

When Director Li pushed the door open, the nurse was already standing by the bedside, planning to re-hang the IV drip after Li Aimin had taken a look and confirmed it.

Seeing him and hearing his conclusion, she smiled and said, "Are all the students from your lab this good at reading medical records?"

Li Aimin frowned. "What is it?"

She casually recounted what had just happened, saying this student was quite sharp and asked if he was about to start his clinical practice soon.

Director Li glanced at Cen Zeng without a word, then turned and nodded. "It's still early. He can only do experiments for now."

After saying that, he led Cen Zeng to look over the patient again and asked a few questions, his expression unchanged.

Before entering the next ward, he placed a medical record in Cen Zeng's hand. "Next, go take a look at the patient in bed four. She's been complaining of pain ever since her surgery the day before yesterday. The nurse said she started cursing and hitting people this afternoon, saying there's a snake under her bed. The record is here, take a look."

Cen Zeng opened the medical record. The handwriting was messy, but it didn't hinder reading. He quickly scanned it once, then flipped back to look at a few key points.

Patient is 84 years old, using pethidine for post-operative pain relief, has a history of cerebrovascular disease, a low baseline cognitive score, poor sleep for the last two nights, and a record of climbing out of bed. No delirium assessment was recorded upon admission.

He thought for a few seconds and said calmly, "High probability of drug-induced acute delirium. I suggest discontinuing the pethidine first and switching to acetaminophen or NSAIDs depending on the situation, while also increasing nighttime nursing surveillance."

Li Aimin nodded. "Well said. Also, a GCS score or the CAM can further aid in diagnosis. Low-dose quetiapine or risperidone would also be options for pharmacological intervention, remember that."

When they walked in, they were met with the old woman's face. The wrinkles on her face seemed carved into her bones, yet she was still shouting indignantly, "There's a snake, there's a snake!"

Seeing Cen Zeng, she leaned in and said, "Young man, someone here wants to harm me! They all want to harm me!"

She pointed at the nurse and at Director Li standing beside him.

Then she leaned in mysteriously and said, "There's a big snake under the bed, I saw it."

He listened, silent for a moment, then said, "It's alright, I'll help you catch it."

He squatted down on the spot, comforting the old woman while listening to Director Li communicate with the nurse.

Before they left, the old woman still looked worried and anxious. Beside her bed was only the other patient next door, who was trying to keep her distance.

After finishing the rounds, having read many medical records and asked numerous questions, the number of times Li Aimin nodded was almost the total sum since he had joined the laboratory.

He didn't know if it was an illusion, but the person beside him kept standing closer and closer. He had moved several times, but their sleeves would always touch.

He stood further back, waiting for Director Li to walk ahead, but the man turned around. "Don't dawdle, keep up."

After they finished one round of ward checks, Li Aimin told him to follow him back to his office in the laboratory building, saying he had something to talk about.

He waited for his supervisor to walk into the office first, but the man stood at the door and said, "You, come in."

Cen Zeng silently took two steps forward.

Director Li was behind him, and he closed the door.

Silence. Outside the window, people in twos and threes could be seen pushing wheelchairs.

"You have a lot of talent." Li Aimin still hadn't sat down, merely standing opposite him. "I see a younger version of myself in you."

"Thank you, Director Li."

"Want to improve even more?" The person in front of him smiled, looking every bit the elite. He was well-maintained, and his smile was suave and elegant.

Cen Zeng stood his ground, unmoved.

The image of the old woman in her delirium appeared before his eyes.

'There's a snake,' she had said. But when he looked down, what he saw were the instrument wires, entwined around strings of data and every living person.

"I think I'd rather take my time," he replied.

"It seems you still don't understand what your teacher means." Li Aimin moved closer and closer to him, his hand already resting on his shoulder.

Cen Zeng was considering how he could get away when there was a knock on the door.

Cen Zeng took a step back and was the first to open the door.

Two people were standing at the door: Senior Sister Xu Zhenqing and Senior Brother Song Shuyi.

Both of them looked extremely urgent, each holding a lab notebook, and they rushed in without any regard for the situation.

"Director Li, Director Li, come take a look at today's experiment results."

"Director Li, I helped Shuyi take a look—"

"Who taught you to just barge into your supervisor's office?"

Cen Zeng replied, "Director Li, I was the one who opened the door."

"Forget it..." Li Aimin frowned, his expression returning to its usual impatience. "You two are PhD students. What kind of behavior is this, being so reckless?"

He glanced at both of them and said, "You can't even figure out something this simple?"

"Are you two going to finish your PhDs or not? If not, pack your bags and get out. Don't waste the country's money being useless here."

After ranting for a while, he turned back to Cen Zeng and said, "We'll talk about what just happened later. Song Shuyi, you get out first. Xu Zhenqing, you stay. Let's discuss your recent paper."

Song Shuyi shot him a look, and Cen Zeng was pulled out into the hallway by him.

"Let's see if he closes the door," he whispered from a blind spot outside the office.

They waited quietly for twenty minutes before Xu Zhenqing came out. Seeing the two of them, she laughed and said, "You two are like a pair of door gods."

"Sister Xu, are you okay?" Song Shuyi's voice was very low.

"I'm fine, just have to rewrite my paper. He knows you two are out here." She looked up and asked Cen Zeng, "Are you okay, junior brother?"

"I'm fine," Cen Zeng replied. "Thank you both."

"You should be thanking Sister Xu. She was the first to notice something was off and told me to keep an eye out long ago. Good thing Director Li didn't send me to the Emergency Department today."

Cen Zeng looked at his senior sister. She just smiled and said, "Don't be scared."

His eyes swept over her slightly trembling hands, then looked at Song Shuyi's still-shaken expression. In the emergency exit where only the three of them remained, he asked in a low voice, "Is life so difficult for you all because you offended him?"

Song Shuyi knew his junior brother was honest, but he didn't expect him to be this honest.

"Haha..." He waved his hand. "It's also because I'm not good enough."

"You're not." The junior brother had been here since summer vacation and was now very difficult to fool. "Your experimental skills are excellent, and you've given me a lot of useful guidance. But the topic you're researching is very niche, and he doesn't give you enough support or guidance."

"Junior brother, don't analyze it so much," Xu Zhenqing said. "Some things are better left unsaid."

She lowered her eyes slightly. "I have to go revise my paper. Shuyi, you try a few more data points. If there's anything else you can't figure out, we'll discuss it again."

She waved her hand and left first, leaving Cen Zeng and Song Shuyi to look at each other in silence.

"This place is truly rotten," the junior brother said, his voice calm.

"Hospitals are like that. Speaking of which, what made you decide to study medicine back then?"

"Some nurses and doctors were very kind to my mom. What about you?"

"Watched too many American TV shows." Song Shuyi grinned. "American TV shows are a bad influence. I thought doctors who rushed to a car crash to save lives, all while sleep-deprived with a deadpan face and in the middle of a fight with their partner, parents, or kids, were super cool."

"And now?"

"Now I just think I was a clear and foolish high school student back then."

"Is this the only way?" Cen Zeng asked.

Song Shuyi knew what he wanted to say, but he just patted his shoulder. "There's still a long road ahead. Just endure it. If you can't take it anymore, come find me, and we'll cry in each other's arms."