The Anesthetist’s Arcane Gift

Chapter 9: Countering Moves

Qi Bo’s phone rang at that moment. Seeing the string of numbers displayed on the screen, he couldn’t help but frown.

It was the phone number of his university classmate, Zheng Biao.

Qi Bo, once a promising anesthesiologist, had fallen so low that he was now working as a gynecological anesthesiologist at a private women’s hospital. The root cause of his downfall, in truth, could be traced back to this very Zheng Biao.

Qi Bo and Zheng Biao were classmates at Yunfeng Medical College. Their relationship had always been strained. Zheng Biao, relying on his family’s influence, acted arrogantly and often bullied others at the college. Qi Bo, unable to tolerate such behavior, had even gotten into physical confrontations with him. Since Zheng Biao had practiced martial arts from a young age and trained at a boxing gym during university, Qi Bo was soundly defeated every time they clashed.

Back then, their conflict was limited to personal animosity. After graduating, Qi Bo—single, focused, and academically outstanding—was recruited by the City People’s Hospital. After a year of hard work, he earned his medical license and became a resident anesthesiologist. One day, while monitoring a patient’s anesthesia during surgery, he noticed that the hospital’s deputy director and chief physician, Zheng Haotian, reeked of alcohol and could barely hold his surgical instruments steady.

Concerned for the patient’s safety, Qi Bo urged Zheng Haotian to step aside and let another doctor take over. Instead, he was met with a barrage of insults and threats.

As expected, the surgery ended in failure. The patient died due to excessive blood loss. Despite Qi Bo’s best efforts as an anesthesiologist, he couldn’t save the patient’s life. Driven by his conscience, he revealed the truth to the patient’s family. As a result, Zheng Haotian was forced to pay 300,000 yuan to settle the matter privately.

Zheng Haotian, a well-known medical expert in Yunfeng City and deputy director of the hospital, was married to Hu Xuelan, the director of the city’s Health Bureau. The couple had amassed a fortune over the years, so the compensation wasn’t a financial burden.

What truly enraged Zheng Haotian was being “betrayed” by a rookie anesthesiologist who had only just joined the hospital.

By a twist of fate, Zheng Haotian’s usual anesthesiologist had been on leave that day, and Qi Bo, known as a rising star in the department, was called in to fill the gap. That unfortunate coincidence led to his public disgrace, leaving him furious. At a hospital executive meeting, he spent half an hour cursing Qi Bo’s name, nearly giving himself a stroke.

After receiving the money, the patient’s family refused to cooperate with the authorities and left town. Zheng Haotian then accused Qi Bo of slander and personal vendetta. With his wife, Hu Xuelan, pulling strings at the Health Bureau, and no patient family to support Qi Bo’s account, he was labeled as “ethically compromised” and fired from the hospital. Due to pressure from certain officials, no public hospital in Yunfeng City would hire him again.

This was why Qi Bo had no choice but to quietly take a job as a gynecological anesthesiologist at the private Liangjia Women’s Hospital.

Zheng Haotian was none other than Zheng Biao’s father.

Having fought with Zheng Biao in university and later exposed his father’s medical malpractice, Qi Bo had inadvertently made enemies of two generations of the Zheng family. Now, Zheng Biao was undoubtedly determined to drive Qi Bo into complete ruin.

Staring at Zheng Biao’s phone number on the screen, Qi Bo had a sinking feeling.

It seemed that despite his efforts to keep a low profile, Zheng Biao had discovered his current job. Was he planning to take that away too?

Force him out of Liangjia Women’s Hospital?

Push him into some back-alley clinic?

Small clinics didn’t even need anesthesiologists.

That would leave Qi Bo with no choice but to flee to another city—but his family didn’t want him to leave.

After a deep breath, Qi Bo answered the call. There was no avoiding it. He had to face it head-on, find out what game Zheng Biao was playing, and prepare his response.

“Qi the Hero, Qi the Young Master, Qi the Great Doctor—how did you end up slumming it at a women’s hospital?” Zheng Biao’s mocking, taunting voice came through the phone immediately.

“Got a problem with that?” Qi Bo replied coldly. The sound of “Young Master Zheng” still stirred a deep frustration within him.

With no backing and no connections, Qi Bo was utterly at the mercy of the Zheng family in the hospital system. And physically, he couldn’t beat Zheng Biao in a fight. The psychological shadow of their past clashes remained, heavy and bitter.

“You’ve been hiding, haven’t you? Desperate to cling to this last job?” Zheng Biao’s tone oozed smugness. “But all it takes is one phone call from me, and Dean Liang at Liangjia Women’s Hospital will toss you out like yesterday’s trash. Then where will you go? Out on the streets?”

Qi Bo remained silent. He knew Zheng Biao wasn’t bluffing. With his mother, Hu Xuelan, still in charge at the Health Bureau, no hospital in the city would dare oppose him.

Qi Bo was just a fledgling anesthesiologist—no fame, no connections, and an average background. In this field, that made him easy prey.

When he first arrived at Liangjia Women’s Hospital, Qi Bo had found it hard to adjust. Coming from a prestigious hospital, he initially felt ashamed to be working in a place where even the nurses held more authority than he did. But after a few days on the job, he discovered something unexpected—he actually enjoyed the work.

The surgical cases, many involving younger patients with unique challenges, provided him with both technical stimulation and a renewed sense of professional pride.

And then, of course, there was the medical ethics system he had inexplicably acquired—one that rewarded him for completing tasks, enhancing his skills and knowledge in return. He was on the verge of unlocking advanced anesthesia techniques.

“Feeling scared now? Regret your choices?” Zheng Biao sneered. “You should’ve thought twice before crossing my family.”

“What do you want?” Qi Bo asked, suppressing his growing anger. He could sense that this call wasn’t just about intimidation.

“What do I want?” Zheng Biao laughed. “In Yunfeng City, I make the rules. You think you can fight back? Want to get kicked out of that hospital? Or maybe take another little ‘training session’ with me at the gym?”

Zheng Biao relished crushing Qi Bo’s pride, savoring the control he held. In college, he had already beaten Qi Bo multiple times for interfering. Now, he regretted not breaking him completely when he had the chance. If he’d crushed Qi Bo earlier, the incident at the People’s Hospital—and the 300,000 yuan compensation—might never have happened.

This time, he would show no mercy.

Qi Bo stayed silent. With someone as unreasonable as Zheng Biao, arguing was pointless. He only needed to know what was coming.

“This call is to give you an opportunity—a chance to keep your job,” Zheng Biao finally said, his voice dripping with false generosity. He was playing a cat-and-mouse game and loving every second of it.

Qi Bo listened patiently, knowing there was no way this would end well.

“Tomorrow. Tailong Boxing Gym. A proper sparring match. One-on-one. You show up, we fight. Win or lose, I’ll let you keep your job for a year. But if you don’t show up…” Zheng Biao paused, savoring the moment. “Let’s just say, not only will you be out of a job, but your two close friends back at the People’s Hospital—Zhao Huiping and Hu Yin—they might be looking for new work too