It was early fall, with leaves fluttering in the balmy air and a steady drizzle breaking the lingering humidity.

At Tian Bei First Hospital, the OR’s “IN USE” light was on, and the whole place was filled with the smell of disinfectant. The white light from the surgical lamp gently illuminated the operating table, while the heart monitoring device displayed an array of vital indicators.

Blip—blip—blip—

Suddenly, the silence of the OR was broken by a series of beeps from the device, signaling abnormal vital readings.

At that moment, a woman’s panic-filled voice cut through the quiet OR.

“Dr. Shi, the patient’s blood pressure is dropping… Dr. Shi, the patient’s heart rate is accelerating!” With increasing urgency and panic in her voice, the woman cried out, “Dr. Shi, the patient’s body temperature is dropping! So is the blood oxygen saturation level. Dr. Shi—”

The woman was abruptly interrupted by an even-toned command. “Be quiet.”

The emotionless and direct command was laced with stoicism. It was effective, yet exceptionally gentle and soothing. Truly, it was an awesome sound. The nurse was speechless.

The three or four medical staff members in scrubs appeared unperturbed by the exchange. They silently continued their respective tasks of assisting the man working in deep concentration under the surgical lamp. In the soft light, his chiseled profile emanated masculinity and vigor, seemingly accentuated by the surgical mask he wore while his pale forehead, covered by a thin film of perspiration, exuded a delicate translucency. The dense brows, just a tad upturned at the ends, added a gentle touch of flamboyant restraint. His pitch-black eyes seemed capable of unfathomable emotion. This was a man destined to outshine others with his genius, radiating brilliance like the constellations in the winter skies.

Lowering his gaze—his long, thick lashes casting a dark shadow under the eyes—he said in a gentle, soothing tone, “Suction.”

The calm voice, like a light breeze gently blowing, made it seem as if this were simply an exercise in cutting lifeless flesh rather than the reality; this was a major surgery with a success rate of less than 5 percent.

Calm, cool-headed, and focused, yet elegant and methodical—this was the impression the panicky nurse had of the lead surgeon.

Without losing his composure, he instructed in his even and mild tone, “Vascular forceps. Tweezers. Hemostat.”

Wow! His voice sounded so strong.

A pair of gloved hands, long, sleek, and even more delicate than the renowned Jiangnan beauties, was methodically incising the patient’s heart, revealing layer after layer.

With a faint smile, he said with a trace of jubilance, “Found it.”

Under the gleam of the scalpel, the tumor hidden in the vein appeared like a bloodied mass of flesh. The man deftly sliced it away in one cut.

Blip—

The piercing blips of the monitoring device stopped. The patient’s vitals were normal again, and all alarms were turned off.

The nurse manning the monitor heaved a sigh of relief, the tension easing from her furrowed brows as she said, “BP and pulse back to normal.”

With barely a glance, the lead surgeon started to close up the blood vessel swiftly and confidently. Within 10 minutes, he put down his scalpel.

Still in his soothingly pleasant voice, low and a little raspy, he said, “Dr. Zhou.”

The assisting surgeon replied with a smile. “Got it. I will finish up. Good job, Dr. Shi.”

Nodding slightly, he said, “Good job, everyone.”

Putting down his scalpel, he stepped aside from the glow of the surgical lamp, his tall, slightly thin physique making even ordinary surgical scrubs seem couture. Such was the charisma of this ultra-attractive man that even a view of his back drew involuntary stares.

The nurse tore her gaze away, placing her hand on her chest and saying, “That was close. I really thought that the patient would—”

The department nurse in charge of blood transfusion asked, “Your first time in the OR?”

“Uh-huh.” The nurse nodded. Her name was Ye Lan, newly transferred from the outpatient clinic where she had spent three years, and, yes, this was her first OR experience.

Going about her task of cleaning up, Matron Liu advised, “In the future, don’t act up in the OR. Dr. Shi doesn’t like too much unnecessary noise during surgery. It would…” Matron Liu paused, measuring her words before continuing, “affect Dr. Shi’s mood while he operates.”

The rookie nurse was speechless in response. Feeling wronged, she wondered if the super-talented surgeon’s skills varied according to his mood.

Ye Lan muttered, “But wasn’t the patient indeed in danger?”

“Danger?” Matron Liu had an incredulous look on her face at this remark and asked, “Haven’t you heard through the hospital grapevine?”

Tian Bei First Hospital was the largest public hospital in H City, comprising 17 buildings that housed all the departments and the live-in department heads. There was no way she, located in Block One, could have picked up on any rumors about a cardiac surgeon in Block Nine.

As a newbie eager to learn the ropes, Ye Lan asked Matron earnestly, “What? A rumor?”

Without waiting for Matron to respond, Dr. Zhou, who was suturing, said, “Five years in medicine, 672 surgeries, of which 43 had success rates of below 5 percent. Mistakes or death statistics…” Halting for effect, he emphasized, “Zero.”

Wow! Was this for real?

Matron Liu added, “You could safely say that once Dr. Shi has agreed to operate, he will pull the patient back from the brink of death.”

Such exemplary surgical skills—truly an ace of the Tian Bei First Hospital…

Starry-eyed, Ye Lan gasped adoringly, “Dr. Shi is awesome!”

“You’re still too young to be able to discern normal from talented,” Dr. Zhou said with a laugh. He himself had been in practice for 15 years before he’d encountered real talent.

The door to the OR suddenly swung open, and the man walked out unhurriedly.

The family members waiting anxiously in the corridor rushed toward him. “Dr. Shi! Doctor, how is my son?”

A gray-haired man of about 60 grabbed his wrist. The man removed his surgical mask with his free hand and looked at the old man, saying, “The operation was a success.”

Behold, a clean-cut and handsome man. The unmasking revealed a face of perfect proportions with features daintier than those of a woman but without a hint of femininity, although his lips were a bit pale compared to the intense darkness of his eyes and brows.

The old man was stunned for a second before he tore his gaze away. The old man was the patient’s father. Judging by his yellowed nails, he had probably worked in the chemicals industry as a young man. He held onto the doctor’s hand and said repeatedly, “Thank you, Dr. Shi. Thank you, Dr. Shi.”

With a gentle smile, he said, “You are most welcome. It was my job to help him.”

“Thank you, thank you. If not for you, Dr. Shi, my son would have…”

The old man choked up and could not find the words. The man gently patted the back of the hand that was still gripping his arm and said in a comforting voice, “I still have other patients to see to.” Then he turned around and left.

The old man was stunned. Dr. Shi’s hand was so cold. He had studied up on this doctor, his son’s attending physician, and had heard that not only were his medical skills superb but also that he was a very kind and good person. Even “Dr. Shi” was a gentle-sounding name, much like the women of Jiangnan.

The disinfection room was located after a right turn at the end of the corridor from the OR. Since it was late in the afternoon, the room was deserted and a little dark despite light shining from a row of lamps.

Shi Jin lowered his head, half his face hidden in the shadows. Under the rushing sound of running water, he repeatedly washed the wrist that had been gripped by the old man earlier, first applying soap, then using the soft brush to scrub over and over until his skin turned red before rinsing. Having washed away the dark yellow suds of disinfectant, he dried his hand methodically with an aseptic cloth.

As he lifted his head, the reflection in the stainless-steel disinfection cabinets revealed the exquisite face of a man with eyes of hidden depths…

In the lobby of the surgical block, the LCD TV was switched on. Although it was time for the evening news, it appeared that a live concert was being transmitted, judging by the unusual images on-screen, accompanied by piercing screams and heart-pounding noises.

Two nurses were watching TV at the Information Desk. Taking center stage under the spotlight, in a stadium of thousands, was a woman in shorts and a jacket, with long, fluffed-up hair and a face covered with heavy, dark makeup. As she delivered the final strain of her song in her husky but unique voice, she lifted her head slightly, held up her guitar, and kissed the strings, proclaiming, “This is my glory. You are my glory.”

The voice was drowned by the continuous, thunderous applause and wild, piercing screams of the frenetic fans.

On the other side of the TV screen, similar howling could be heard.

“Ah… ah… ah…”

Meanwhile, at the Information Desk, Nurse Han felt her head spinning as though her blood was being flushed out of her system! Feeling giddy, she pressed one hand against her forehead while grasping her colleague tightly with the other, exclaiming, “Quick, hold me up! I’m going to faint!”

Her colleague, Nurse Zhao, glance briefly at the woman on the TV. The guitar-playing rock singer was, indeed, a beauty who exuded a cold mystery. Her smile was more seductive than innocent, but still… She then glanced back at the palpitating Nurse Han, saying, “Don’t you think you are overreacting?”

Her colleague gave her a blank stare and gazed adoringly at the screen. “You don’t understand. As a long-standing Sheng fan, no one would deny wanting to marry our Lord Sheng. The very point of Lord Sheng’s existence is to give the male species a run for their money!”

Lord Sheng.

Now, there was only one woman in the entertainment industry that had been crowned “Lord,” and that was the writer and singer of rock music, Jiang Jiusheng—a woman of cool and devilish charisma with a chilling laugh.

Nurse Liu thought of her seven-year-old fraternal twins who had been at loggerheads since birth. The only time they took a united stand was when they worshipped Jiang Jiusheng as her moronic fans. What was it about this woman that could command utter adoration from men and women of all ages?!

Still reeling from her idol worship, Nurse Han turned around and saw this person, like a beauty that had just stepped out of a Chinese brush painting, depicting effortless and easy-going beauty.

“Dr. Shi!” she shouted sweetly.

Nodding ever so slightly, Shi Jin shifted his gaze to the TV and watched in full concentration.

“Are you also… a Sheng fan?” Nurse Han was shocked by her own question.

Shi Jin shook his head. At that moment, someone had switched the channel. He picked up the rounds schedule and left.

Staring at Dr. Shi’s long legs that seemed to extend to the sky, Nurse Zhao contemplated this. “Don’t tell me Dr. Shi has also been mesmerized by your idol?”

Her twins had always maintained that, compared to Lord Sheng, the lords in their family were walking examples of the ravages of life.

“Impossible! For other men, maybe, but Dr. Shi is at the very top of the food chain!” exclaimed Nurse Han, the romantic in her fueling the birth of a new rumor. “Then again, I do think that the look in Dr. Shi’s eyes was even more crazed than mine.”

Laughing, Nurse Zhao gave her a gentle gibe, saying, “Don’t make him seem as moronic as you.”

Dr. Shi was an unreachable bloom. That was to say, in a hospital of ten nurses, nine of them had ulterior motives to ensnare him, while the remaining one was already married.

“I’m an old-school fan, not a moronic one!” Nurse Han protested. “I’m all for helping Lord Sheng procreate!” Glancing at Dr. Shi walking away in the distance, she said in a serious tone, “Really, the last time I was in Dr. Shi’s office. I accidentally looked at his desktop and saw an HD picture of my goddess. Definitely an adoring fan with love eternal for Lord Sheng! Dr. Shi is so secretive. A clandestine affair, perhaps?”

Nurse Zhao slapped her. “Dr. Shi is the noblest of the nobles—an unreachable gentleman. Don’t you drag him off his pedestal.” She then opined, “I don’t think he likes women.”

Whoa! Highly classified information! Nurse Han detected a trace of a sordid affair festering away.

“One time, the Dean’s you-know-who—that exquisite beauty—in the heat of the moment, tugged at Dr. Shi’s clothes. Rumor has it that Dr. Shi obliged and stripped on the spot, methodically and in a refined manner. After which…”

Excitedly, Nurse Han asked, “After which, what?”

It was a well-known fact that the Dean’s eye lusted after the handsome Dr. Shi!

Nurse Zhao laughed. “After which, Dr. Shi poured out a bottle of medical alcohol and lit them up. He then, in a polite and gentlemanly manner, asked her…” Nurse Zhao paused and cleared her throat to mimic the nobleman’s elegance as she said, “There’s still some alcohol left. Do you want to wash your hands?”

One could imagine just how devastated the Dean’s beauty must have felt.

So like a nobleman—a silent killer!

“He is indeed worthy of his godly seat on the pedestal! Way beyond the reach of mere mortals like us,” Nurse Han lamented. She then grabbed the remote control and switched channels back to the rock concert, continuing to gyrate. “That said, I still think that they are a match made in heaven—one, a delicate, unreachable bloom. The other, a cold yet charismatic goddess. Ah… what a sight to behold!”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Nurse Zhao shook her head with a disgusted look. “You have a slutty look on your face.”

A slutty look? So what?!

“None of Lord Sheng’s 30 million fans could plead innocent to lusting after her! I am proud to lust after her! I am very curious, though, as to what it means for a man like Dr. Shi to admire someone.”

Shaking her head, Nurse Zhao said, “I have absolutely no idea.”

Nurse Han continued to indulge in her musings about the exchange between the unreachable bloom and the charismatic goddess…

Anyone who had met Shi Jin would have agreed that this was the 21st century’s last nobleman—one who exuded grace with ease and subtlety and was suave but never shallow. Shi Jin fit the bill perfectly.

“Cardiac Surgeon Shi Jin.” These were the words simply stated on the plaque outside his office.

He switched on his computer and sat down, peeling off his white coat. Massaging the space between his brows, he lifted his gaze to the computer screen. With his eyes filled with passion, he stared at the image on the screen for a very long time and lifted his hand to caress the woman’s face on the screen.

“Sheng Sheng…”

His pale lips gently murmured these words, and his eyes were two deep, dark pools speckled with red.

“Sheng Sheng. Sheng Sheng…”

Leaning forward, he placed his lips on the cold screen against the woman’s lips in the image. His gaze burned with obsession.