The Unlucky Turn by Mark Twain 184

Walking away like this was something he simply couldn’t accept.

Ultimately, Zeus gritted his teeth and sat back down, his expression looking as sour as if he had swallowed a fly.

The interview began. Floyd started with some foundational professional questions. Although Zeus felt stifled and humiliated, his academic background was solid, and his answers were reasonably fluent.

“What are the emergency procedures for cardiac tamponade?”

“First, immediate pericardiocentesis must be performed to relieve pressure, while simultaneously notifying the operating room to prepare for surgery.”

“What are the classifications of aortic dissection?”

“Stanford Type A involves the ascending aorta, while Type B is limited to the descending aorta.”

Floyd nodded with satisfaction as he listened to Zeus answer fluidly.

“Hmm, your fundamentals are quite good. Worthy of a top medical school graduate.”

Zeus’s tense nerves relaxed slightly, and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of smugness.

See? A classically trained professional like him couldn’t be compared to some wild, unlicensed amateur from the streets.

Who did Leilani think she was? She must have just gotten lucky to be so highly regarded by Floyd. If it weren’t for the fact that he was in the middle of an interview, he would have exposed her right in front of him.

However, Zeus’s smugness didn’t last long. As the interview dragged on, Floyd’s questions became increasingly tricky. Beads of sweat began to form on Zeus’s forehead, though he struggled to maintain his composure.

“If a patient presents with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock, please design an anticoagulation protocol for this patient post-PCI under ECMO support.”

Floyd’s question was obscure, requiring knowledge across clinical practice, pharmacology, and medical research to answer correctly.

The moment the question was asked, Zeus’s response was noticeably less fluent than before. He began to stumble over his words.

Zeus pondered this single question for nearly half a minute before stuttering out a conclusion. Although his answer was halting, he managed to get it out.

Floyd narrowed his eyes but offered no evaluation. He proceeded to the next question, “What if the patient also has a history of HIT? As a doctor, how would you handle it?”

Zeus froze, his fingers unconsciously gripping the seam of his dress pants.

“…Switch to Argatroban?” Zeus sounded clearly uncertain, his tone shifting from a statement to a

10.25

question.

Floyd pressed on. “How would you arrange the dosage?”

“First, an intravenous injection of 0.1 mg/kg, followed by a maintenance dose of 0.5 to 1.5 μg/kg/min…”

Before Floyd could speak, Leilani, who had been quiet since the start of the interview, suddenly spoke up.

“Wrong.”

Her voice was soft, yet it pierced Zeus’s eardrums like a knife.

Zeus jerked his head around to glare at her, his reaction visceral. He felt that Leilani saw he was about to pass the interview and, out of jealousy, was deliberately interrupting to cause trouble for him.

“Where was I wrong? Don’t talk nonsense if you don’t understand.”

Leilani didn’t even lift her eyelids as she fluently pointed out his error.

“For HIT patients on ECMO, the preferred anticoagulant is Bivalirudin. Argatroban has a drug adsorption rate of over 40% in the extracorporeal circuit, so it shouldn’t be the primary recommendation. As a classically trained doctor, you should know this better than I do.”

Paulina hadn’t just taught Leilani ancient medical practices in prison. She was also well-versed in modern medicine.

Leilani possessed an incredible memory-practically photographic. It was just that usually, when treating others, she mostly showcased her acupuncture skills.

18:36

Cedella

Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.