Chapter 1: Young Man, You Often Reward Yourself, Don't You?

"Dr. Lin, there’s a patient in the emergency department—he’s listless and in bad shape. Director Bai asked you to come and take a look."

An anxious voice rang in Lin Nan’s ear.

Lin Nan glanced around, his expression somewhat bewildered.

He was in an office at the moment. On the desk before him sat a computer and several patient files.

Wasn’t he attending the International Medical Summit? How had he suddenly appeared here?

Could it be that… he’d traveled through time?

He steadied himself, and soon confirmed the truth—he really had gone back ten years, inhabiting the body of someone with his same name. Coincidentally, this man was also a doctor, a peer in the same profession.

But the original’s current position was only that of an ordinary resident physician—quite a far cry from Lin Nan’s own status as a world-class surgeon.

The thought brought a wry smile to his lips.

"Dr. Lin, are you listening to me?" The young nurse beside him, seeing his lack of response, spoke up again, her tone urgent.

She was in her early twenties, dressed in a crisp white nurse’s uniform. Her figure was graceful, her features sweet and delicate—a picture of understated beauty.

"Ah?" Lin Nan still seemed a little dazed.

"There’s a patient in the emergency department. Director Bai wants you to come along," the nurse, Xiao Li, explained once more.

"A patient?" Lin Nan finally came back to himself.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the discomfort of his recent transmigration.

Well, since I’m here, I’ll adapt as best I can. Saving lives comes first.

"Lead the way," Lin Nan said with a nod.

He followed Xiao Li out of the office.

"Tell me about the patient," he asked as they walked.

Xiao Li quickly replied, "He’s a high school senior, seventeen years old. He was brought in around 2 p.m."

Lin Nan nodded slightly.

Soon, Xiao Li led him into a consultation room.

On the bed lay a young man, looking drained and powerless, his face pale and cheeks sunken—a picture of exhaustion.

Seated beside him was a middle-aged woman, likely his family member, her face creased with worry.

A middle-aged doctor in a white coat was meticulously examining the boy, assisted by two younger doctors.

"Director Bai," Lin Nan greeted the middle-aged doctor with a smile.

Bai Yunxiao, associate chief of the emergency department, was known for his integrity and beloved by young doctors and nurses alike.

Seeing Lin Nan enter, Bai Yunxiao nodded slightly, "Come over and take a careful look as well."

Lin Nan walked over to the two young doctors.

Li Qin grinned broadly at him, while Jiang Yuan nodded in greeting.

Lin Nan returned their smiles.

These two had joined the hospital at the same time as his predecessor, both also resident physicians.

Li Qin had completed both his undergraduate and master’s degrees at the prestigious Linhai University Medical School, was fluent in four foreign languages, and was a top student with exceptional skills. Jiang Yuan was equally impressive—he’d graduated from the renowned Concord Medical College in the capital and came from a distinguished medical family.

Lin Nan’s predecessor, though he’d graduated from a top-ten medical school, couldn’t quite compare to these two.

Li Qin was outgoing and cheerful, while Jiang Yuan was reserved and serious—their personalities could not have been more different.

After finishing his examination, Bai Yunxiao turned to the three residents. "What are your conclusions?"

"Jiang Yuan, you first."

Jiang Yuan nodded. "From my examination, there are no external injuries. X-rays and pathogen tests show nothing abnormal; his organs are healthy. My preliminary diagnosis is that psychological stress has led to his listlessness and fatigue."

"After all, high school students these days are generally under a lot of pressure. Psychological issues are quite common."

Bai Yunxiao listened, then shook his head in silence.

Jiang Yuan’s face stiffened.

Had he misdiagnosed?

Bai Yunxiao turned to Li Qin. "Your thoughts?"

Li Qin replied, "The patient has no external injuries, and his organs are fine. I suspect severe anemia is causing his fatigue and weakness—these are classic symptoms."

Bai Yunxiao shook his head again.

Li Qin hesitated.

Was he wrong too?

Jiang Yuan frowned, turning to the mother. "Ma’am, does your son do heavy physical labor? Or perhaps he’s studying too hard? Overexertion could also cause these symptoms."

The boy’s mother quickly replied, "No, my son is a senior in high school, with a heavy academic load—we’d never ask him to do hard labor. Besides, our family is well-off; there’s no need for such work. As for studying, he’s diligent but not to an extreme. He always goes to bed before eleven and gets enough rest and nutrition, so he shouldn’t be overworked."

Jiang Yuan deflated, at a loss.

Bai Yunxiao turned his gaze to Lin Nan. "Lin Nan, your opinion?"

He didn’t expect much—of the three residents, Lin Nan’s abilities were the most average. Though diligent, he lacked the brilliance of talent, and Bai Yunxiao doubted he’d ever rise far in the profession.

Lin Nan nodded and said, "The patient’s fatigue and weakness are due to physical depletion."

Bai Yunxiao raised his brows. "Be specific—what’s causing the depletion?"

Lin Nan smiled gently, then looked at the patient. "Young man, you reward yourself quite often, don’t you?"

At these words, Bai Yunxiao’s heart gave a start, surprise slowly overtaking his previously calm expression.

He understood immediately what "rewarding yourself" implied.

For Lin Nan to notice that…

Li Qin and Jiang Yuan exchanged odd glances.

As adult men and doctors, they both knew exactly what Lin Nan meant.

"Reward himself? What does that mean?" the middle-aged woman asked, looking at her son, puzzled.

But while she remained confused, the boy on the bed instantly flushed, ducking his head and avoiding Lin Nan’s gaze.

Seeing her son’s pallor give way to a sudden blush, the mother’s eyes widened. "Son, why is your face red?"

"Mom, I—" he stammered, clearly uncomfortable.

Lin Nan saw the mother still looked lost, so he leaned in and quietly explained.

At once, her eyes widened in astonishment, and she shot her son a look both amused and exasperated.

So the boy had been secretly doing that at home?

Bai Yunxiao regarded Lin Nan with new respect.

He’d underestimated him. This was an extremely subtle cause, one that even experienced attending physicians might miss, as it was easily confused with other conditions.

"Lin Nan is correct. The patient’s physical depletion and weakness are due to overindulgence in… that sort of activity," Bai Yunxiao confirmed.

Li Qin stared at Lin Nan in amazement. "Old Lin, you could tell from just this?"

Lin Nan merely smiled.

Was this so difficult? Before crossing over, he’d been one of the world’s leading surgeons—what case or patient hadn’t he seen?

Jiang Yuan, too, looked at Lin Nan in stunned silence, his typically stoic face full of surprise.

How had he seen through it?

Noticing the boy hiding under the blanket, Lin Nan said gently, "There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Adolescents are naturally curious about such things. Occasionally releasing hormones is fine, but too often, and it harms the body—leading to fatigue, lack of focus, and weakness."

The boy’s face was as red as a monkey’s behind—mortified to realize his recent weakness was due to frequent self-reward.

Regret washed over him.

The mother, caught between exasperation and amusement, said, "You rascal, so all this trouble was your own doing—I thought you were seriously ill!"

The boy gave a sheepish grin, not daring to speak.

"How often do you…?" Lin Nan asked curiously.

The boy replied reluctantly, "About three times a day."

Lin Nan was momentarily taken aback.

Three times a day?

He couldn’t help but marvel inwardly—youth truly is formidable.