When I'm trying to save a female patient's life, I use a pair of scissors to cut open her bra.

But my fiancee, Scarlett Baxter, uploads a video of me pressing on the patient's chest to the Internet.

"I know you're saving the patient's life, but isn't protecting the patient's privacy important as well? Besides, you keep touching her chest! This makes me feel very uncomfortable!"

This incident goes viral on the Internet. The hospital I work at chooses to de-escalate this matter by demoting me and deducting my annual bonus. On top of that, I also receive a huge penalty for my actions.

I did everything I could to save that patient's life, and yet everyone decided to paint me as a molester.

Fine. I might as well not do anything, then. I'm not going to save anyone now.

This time, the entire hospital falls into chaos.

"Cody, this is a lesson for you. We're about to get married. Even if you're a doctor, you need to keep your hands to yourself!"

I stared at Scarlett Baxter, the woman I was about to marry. "Are you done?"

Scarlett froze. "W-What kind of attitude is that? Don't you realize your mistake?"

"Whatever." The moment I said that, something inside me snapped.

Scarlett's face turned bright red, as if I'd just insulted her in front of the world. "Whatever? Cody Parker, we're done! I'm not marrying you!"

After screaming, she snatched her phone from the table and stormed out.

The department chief, Gabriel Robinson, tapped the desk with a frown. "Look at the mess you caused! You've upset Scarlett so badly! Write a proper apology to quell the controversy. Next week, read it aloud at the hospital-wide staff meeting to admit your mistake."

I stayed silent.

His gaze flickered for a moment but quickly snapped back to that authoritative look. "This is both an order and a chance for you."

The next day, the hospital intranet and bulletin board posted a formal notice about my disciplinary action.

The words were harsh. "Due to violations of medical procedures and inadequate patient care, Dr. Cody Parker is hereby demoted and stripped of his annual bonus as a warning to others."

Every word felt like a public execution.

Oscar Cole, an intern, messaged me secretly. "Dr. Parker, we all know you were just trying to save someone. But… maybe just hang in there for now. Dr. Robinson's still angry."

I shut off my phone.

I could already guess what was really happening.

Gabriel's nephew, Lewis Robinson, who just returned from being abroad, started last week. Gabriel had long planned to promote him to replace me as the attending physician.

Scarlett's little stunt gave him the perfect excuse.

I returned to my desk and quietly turned on my computer.

I printed out every critical patient's records, surgery notes, and follow-up plans. Then, I formatted my work computer and erased all my personal research data and paper drafts.

A week later, at the hospital-wide staff meeting, Gabriel stood on stage, his voice booming. "...Due to Dr. Cody Parker's procedural violations, the hospital has decided to revoke his attending physician status."

The room went completely silent.

"Now, let's give a warm welcome to our newly hired, overseas-trained cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Lewis Robinson!"

A young man in a pristine white coat, his hair neatly combed, stood and nodded politely to the crowd.

Gabriel's eyes gleamed with pride as he announced, "From today onward, Dr. Robinson will take over all of Dr. Parker's responsibilities."

I sat in the corner, expressionless.

…

Lewis came over to my desk and tapped it with his finger. "Hey, pack your stuff up."

He lifted his chin, sneering openly. "Your new spot's over there in the corner, where the residents sit. Also, leave your work computer. I need to check it to make sure you don't take any of the department's core files."

I looked at him once and said nothing, quietly gathering my few personal things.

Lewis didn't seem satisfied, so he added, "Also, from now on, try to act like a professional. Stop behaving like some cowboy doctor."

I paused and looked at him. "Well, then. Can you please tell me what the diagnostic criteria and differential points for stress-induced cardiomyopathy are?"

Lewis froze, stammering, "Uh… Well, that… depends on ECG and echocardiography findings… It's a… kind of…"

I stopped looking at him. He huffed, clearly annoyed, and walked away.

I remembered three years ago when the hospital director, Kelvin Holder, personally came to the state hospital ICU to recruit me.

He'd shaken my hand and said, "Cody, come to our hospital. I'll give you full autonomy. Your CPR skills are top-notch. You can save more lives."

Looking back, it felt like a joke.

…

I'd been demoted to resident, with a lot less responsibility.

I no longer took part in emergency rescues. Instead, I followed the standard residency protocol to the letter. I did my rounds, wrote up charts, and issued medical orders.

I handed over my shift on time and left the second the clock struck.

Yesterday, a car accident patient arrived in critical condition. The nurse called me out of habit. I glanced at her and said calmly, "Go get Dr. Robinson. He's the attending physician now."

The nurse panicked. "Dr. Robinson's in the office! He said he's working on an important academic paper!"

I said nothing and walked out of the ward.

I didn't linger for any critical patients anymore.

After work, for the first time, I skipped the hospital library. I went to a fencing gym instead.

I strapped on the heavy armor, pulled the helmet down, and gripped the cold blade. I let all my anger and frustration out through every thrust and parry.

The next day, Lewis posted a file in the department group chat.

The file was titled "Pilot Guidelines for Standardizing Medical Charts and Aligning with International Documentation Systems".

It was a dozen-page PDF filled with complex charts and definitions, introducing an entirely new medical chart template.

All terms had to use official full titles from the national medical association. No common abbreviations allowed. It even added massive sections for data analysis and references.

The chat went silent.

Seconds later, my phone started blowing up with private messages from colleagues.

"Dr. Parker, what the hell is this guy doing? He wants us to write a chart like it's a thesis?"

"Is he out of his mind? We're treating patients, not publishing papers!"

"Today on rounds, he made the nurse say 'cardiac pulsation frequency' instead of 'heart rate'! Seriously?"

"This isn't aligning with international standards. It's just extra work! By the time he finishes writing this for an emergency patient, they'll be dead!"

"Pure PowerPoint doctor! All talk, no action!"

I stared at Lewis's self-important notice, saying nothing.

An older colleague privately messaged me, asking what some of the "standardized terms" even meant.

I patiently explained, then turned off my phone.

My complete "check-out" attitude sharply contrasted with Lewis' useless micromanagement.

I used to be the backbone of this department. No matter how complicated the emergency, everyone felt secure with me around.

Now, the moment a critical patient arrived, chaos broke out.

Lewis would just stand off to the side, barking orders in all the standard terms from his new guide but never lifting a hand himself.

Colleagues' resentment grew, and some privately started to miss the efficiency and dependability I used to provide.

I knew they were waiting for a real crisis to hit.

…

I submitted my annual leave request to Gabriel—a full 30 days. It was the total time I had accumulated over the past five years.

Gabriel's expression darkened the moment he saw the leave request. "Cody, what is this supposed to mean?"

He slammed the paper onto my face. "The department needs hands right now! Are you taking this many days off to go against me?"

His voice dropped, full of threat. "Don't think that just because you're a resident you're safe. You still have a long career ahead of you. If you cross me, I have plenty of ways to make sure you can't last in this field! Keep this up, and it won't just be a demotion. I can fire you right now."

I said nothing. I pulled the medical checkup report I'd just done a few days ago from my pocket and set it on his desk.

"Dr. Robinson, I've been experiencing arrhythmia recently. My doctor recommended some rest," I said evenly.

"Long-term high-pressure work isn't good for the heart. You're my senior. You should understand that better than I do."

He picked up the report and scanned it. His face turned ashen and then flushed with rage. In the end, he couldn't find any argument.

"Hmph!"

He snorted, grabbed a pen, and signed my leave form.

I was about to turn and leave when Scarlett appeared.

She looped her arm through Lewis' and said with a mocking tone, "Well, well, Dr. Parker. A little setback, and you're already running?"

Lewis grinned and added, "Some people lack the skill, but their mental fortitude is even worse. Back where I practiced abroad, they would have been weeded out years ago."

"Don't think the department will collapse without you. Lewis here is way better than you. He's the real elite," Scarlett said.

Ignoring them, I walked straight out of the office.

At the end of the hall, the head nurse, Kaia Acevedo, called after me, "Dr. Parker."

She handed me an apple. "Remember that female patient you saved a few days ago?"

I nodded.

"She's the only daughter of Mr. Jabari Dodson, Crestfield Group's chairman. Mr. Dodson sent people to inquire about you, so he could thank you."

Kaia sighed. "But Dr. Gabriel blocked it. He credited the entire department, saying it was all thanks to Dr. Lewis' exceptional leadership. You're just too honest. You don't know how to fight for yourself."

I just nodded and thought that they weren't capable of handling this gratitude.

I boarded the high-speed train back home.

As soon as it started moving, my phone rang. It was Oscar. His voice was thick with panic, and he sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

"Dr. Parker! This is bad! Really bad! Crestfield Group's chairman just had an acute heart attack. He's been rushed to our hospital!"

My stomach dropped.

Oscar continued, "Lewis is the attending physician. He looked at the ECG and diagnosed an acute myocardial infarction, but the patient has special drug allergies, so he's afraid to use standard thrombolytics!

"He spent forever looking things up on his tablet, muttering about evidence-based medicine, but wouldn't make a decision! He's too scared to perform an emergency surgery, so he's asking the family to sign a transfer consent!"

Oscar's voice cracked. "Dr. Parker, this is an acute heart attack! Every minute counts! How can he even think about transferring him?"

Before I could respond, my phone vibrated and signaled Gabriel's number.

I hung up on Oscar and answered.

Gabriel's roar came through the line. "Cody! You get your ass back here immediately! If anything happens to Mr. Dodson, you'll regret it!"

I held the phone away, letting him blow off steam.

Then, I spoke calmly. "Dr. Robinson, first, I'm officially on leave. Second, I'm just a resident. I don't have the authority or the ability to handle a patient at this level. Isn't that overseas-trained prodigy, Dr. Lewis, supposed to be the expert in handling these complicated cases?"

With that, I hung up.