CHapter 268


    Ulrich was suddenly consumed by panic. He rushed over and began inspecting Noe’s body


    meticulously.


    “Noe, did you hurt yourself and not tell anyone at home?”


    Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    “Calm down, Ulrich. The patient who was rushed in isn’t me.”


    She stood right in front of Ulrich, perfectly fine.


    “Besides, ra and I don’t have the same blood type.”


    Calvin removed his mask. “The emergency case was Dr. Caleb’s intern, Dr. Lowry. She attempted


    suicide by shing her wrists. We managed to save her, but her will to live is dangerously low. She


    needs careful monitoring.*


    Ulrich frowned. “Then why was Noe in the OR?”


    Calvin exined without skipping a beat. “I saw potential in Noe’s medical intuition and wanted


    her to get some hands–on experience. I’ve taken care of all the paperwork.”


    Noe didn’t need Calvin to ess the operating room, but she preferred not to reveal her


    extraordinary medical skills and often used Calvin’s name to book the OR.


    Ulrich grew even more puzzled. “I had no idea Noe was interested in medicine.”


    Noe subtly changed the subject. “Why did Dr. Lowry attempt suicide?”


    A teary–eyed intem pulled out a suicide note found in Dr. Lowry’s pocket.


    “She was overwhelmed, said she couldn’t take it anymore.”


    The note, written in elegant script, detailed a deep sense of despair.


    [I’m sorry, I can’t be the workhorse you want. I’m so tired. I was supposed to have a day off, yet


    here I am, working overtime again. Endless paperwork, assisting surgeries, and never enough


    learning–just grunt work. Can’t even go home for Thanksgiving, and I haven’t had a good night’s


    sleep in over seventy hours. My heart feels like it’s going to burst, yet I’m expected to keep


    working? At least now, I can finally rest. Goodnight. This world is beautiful, but I won’t being


    back…]


    The note wasn’t long, but each word was heavy with hopelessness. It was clear Dr. Lowry was in a


    dark ce.


    The intern sobbed uncontrobly. “Why would she give up like that? We were almost done with our


    internships. Things were about to get better…”


    Noe handed her a box of tissues, her gaze shifting to Ulrich.


    “Ulrich, has the hospital always been this harsh on interns?”


    Ulrich shook his head. “No, at least the interns under Professor Calvin and me get regr days off.


    The paperwork is endless; there’s no need to work them to the bone.”


    A middle–aged doctor in ab coat hurried over from another OR upon hearing the news and joined


    them.


    “How is she? Can you believe this? Why would she think of such a drastic step?”


    The neer was Dr. Lowry’s supervisor, Caleb.


    Noe’s gazended on Caleb, her voice cool. “It’s your refusal to let her rest and your exploitation


    of her that led her to despair. If you’re looking for someone to me, maybe start with yourself.”


    Caleb’s face turned beet red.


    “That’s nonsense! We’re all doctors here; who hasn’t gone through tough times? Did I force her to


    stay up all night doing paperwork? That’s on her for not being up to par! I managed my paperwork


    without losing sleep over it! I’ve done three days and nights straight in the OR. If I could handle that,


    why can’t she handle some paperwork without resorting to suicide? Young people these days are


    just too fragile, too selfish!”


    In Caleb’s view, Dr. Lowry simply couldn’t handle the pressure, which he saw as a rite of passage


    for all doctors.


    Even Ulrich, a prodigy, endured his fair share of hardship during his internship, although his family’s


    influence undoubtedly smoothed his path.


    “Not everyone is Ulrich. Ordinary people need to climb thedder step by step! Being a doctor


    requires dedication. If you can’t handle adversity and aren’t willing to push through, maybe it’s time


    to consider a different career.”


    Noe’s brows furrowed slightly as she listened to Caleb, who was vehemently denying any


    wrongdoing.


    “Since that’s what you believe, would you then subject your own child to the same conditions? No


    rest, on call 24/7, just to file reports. Would you be okay with that?”


    Being Caleb’s intern came with an unspoken rule of being always on standby, or risk not receiving


    certification for their training, effectively derailing their future careers. Interns had no choice but to


    endure, though not all could bear it.


    During the rescue, Noe noticed that Dr. Lowry’s physical state was already on the brink of


    copse. Even if she hadn’t resorted to suicide, the likelihood of her copsing or dying suddenly at


    work was rmingly high.


    Caleb was silent. To have his own child go through medical training under such conditions? Of


    course, he wouldn’t want that!


    Seeing Caleb speechless, Noe’s mockingughter filled the air.


    “Can’t bear the thought? Then have you ever considered that those you exploit are someone else’s


    children too?”


    Caleb choked out, “You don’t know anything! Being an intern is supposed to be tough!“.


    Ulrich pulled Noe closer, his gaze on Caleb cold and wary.


    “Dr. Caleb, my interns don’t go through that and they still sessfullypleted their training. If, in


    your eyes, the only way to improve is through exploitation, then I’ll request the hospital to send you


    on a mission to Africana. Maybe that will ‘improve‘ you.”


    Africana? An assignment there would mean missing out on all opportunities for advancement back


    home!


    Noe’s eyes held a hint of chill.


    “Dr. Caleb, taking students‘ research papers, putting your name on them, winning numerous


    awards, and having your wife listed as co–author on several? If I’m not mistaken, your wife isn’t a


    schr in the medical field. It’s quite remarkable that she could produce such outstanding papers.”


    Caleb broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. Exploiting students for personal gain was not


    new to him; it was amon practice in the industry, wasn’t it?


    ra spoke up with fury, “As a fellow researcher, nothing disgusts me more than academic theft!


    Dr. Caleb, I’ll be filing an officialint against you.”


    As a respected figure in the researchmunity, ra’sint would lead to a thorough


    investigation of Caleb’s publications, potentially ending his career.


    Trembling with rage and fear, Caleb could barely stand.


    “Ulrich, you’re just trying to snag that promotion right out from under me, aren’t you? Trying to set


    me up? Well, I’m not scared, I’ll tell you that much. And who gives you the right to send me to


    Africana? Even if you report me, you can’t just make stuff up. And I’ll also expose how the Schnabel


    family pulls all the strings around here. Why is it always you, Ulrich, getting all the des?”


    He seemed to have forgotten that he and Ulrich weren’t even on the same level when it came to


    being surgeons.


    Caleb was still trying to reassure himself, thinking it didn’t matter much since ra was just a


    researcher, and not even in the same field.


    Noe, with her head bowed, tapped on her phone screen.


    Half a minuteter, everyone’s phones suddenly lit up with notifications, pulling their gazes down. It


    was a report initiated by Pris Star Lab!


    The report used Caleb, a surgeon at Imperial Third Civic Hospital, of academic misconduct and


    exploiting students to the point of driving one to suicide.


    The whistleblower – Pris Star’s Loadstar.