The following morning at dawn, the door to the Vice President’s office stood slightly ajar. Just as Zhou Mingzhu was about to knock, she saw Shen Jianyi inside, examining X-rays against the morning light. A fresh bundle of tea leaves sat in his mug, waiting for hot water.
The Vice President’s eyes were severely bloodshot and swollen, with dark bruises underneath. A few more strands of white hair seemed to have appeared at his temples since the last time she saw him; his entire person radiated an air of total exhaustion. He hadn't closed his eyes for days while at the front lines, and on the train ride back, he had performed emergency surgery on two wounded passengers, followed by two more operations the previous night.
Zhou Mingzhu noticed his hand trembling slightly as he held his tea mug—the telltale muscle spasms that follow thirty consecutive hours of surgery.
Chapter 76