Ivan nodded.
The news spread like wildfire.
The next day, the news that "world-renowned plastic surgery master Ivan Kovalevsky is stuck at Sanbo Hospital" circulated within the dical community. By the third day, discussions on social dia began to explode. By the fourth day, entertainnt news also picked up the story—"The Godfather of Plastic Surgery cos to China, celebrities line up to book appointnts."
Director Lan’s office phone was blown up, and the hospital’s switchboard broke down three tis. The nurse station in the Plastic Surgery departnt was flooded with flowers and gifts, all addressed to "Professor Ivan."
"The situation is out of control," Director Lan said in an ergency eting, rubbing his temples, "Yesterday, I received seventeen ’introductions,’ from Ministry of Health officials to business tycoons, all wanting to jump the line. Today is even more exaggerated; a celebrity agent ca directly to my ho, far more explosive than last ti."
He looked at Ivan, with an apologetic expression, "Professor Ivan, if you’re feeling troubled, we can enhance security and limit visitors..."
But Ivan laughed, a kind of hearty, like a seabird’s laugh: "I’ve encountered such situations all over the world, but here it’s more crazy, more vibrant. Director Lan, let’s use this attention, rather than be overwheld by it."
"What do you an?"
"Case selection," Ivan said, "It’s not about who has power or influence, but who needs it the most, who can best demonstrate our technical value. Celebrities, models, if they indeed have severe functional issues or congenital deformities, we can consider it. But if it’s just about ’a more perfect nose,’ ’a sharper chin’..."
He shook his head, "Then I’m sorry, please go through my agency per market rates."
This will offend many people! Director Lan was quite worried in his heart.
But Ivan was indifferent: "My ti is limited, it must be used on the cutting edge, it must help those who truly need it."
The Plastic Surgery departnt at Sanbo Hospital announced the standards for patient selection. Despite this, people with connections still ca in droves.
An agent for a top-tier actress flew directly to Nandu, with a seven-figure "consultation fee," requesting to "jump the queue for a minor nose adjustnt." To avoid embarrassing Director Lan, Ivan personally t with her, but not in the clinic, it was in the hospital’s eting room.
Ivan looked at the photos brought by the agent: "Your artist is beautiful, her nose is a typical example of Oriental beauty, gentle, harmonious. If surgery is done, it might disrupt this harmony. My surgeries make people more beautiful, not the opposite. If you insist on surgery, I suggest revising your aesthetics..."
The agent could only leave dejectedly.
Another visitor was a top supermodel, her needs were more complex, not costic, but reparative. Three years ago, an accident left her face scratched; although surgery was done, faint scars remained, affecting her career.
The supermodel said, "I watched your lecture, you said scars can ’blend,’ can no longer dominate visually. I do not seek perfection, only to return to the runway, not defined by scars under the lights."
Ivan carefully examined her facial scars, extending from the temple to the cheekbone, the original surgery was successful, not noticeable unless scrutinized, but the scars affected subtle expressions.
After a mont, Ivan said, "It can be done, I can help you beco more perfect, especially in micro-expressions."
This case was included in Ivan’s surgery plan. Not because she is famous, but because her needs are genuine, her expectations reasonable, and her case holds academic value, the impact of facial scars on expressions, so surgeries remove scars successfully, but forget their impact on expressions.
The real sensation was Ivan’s "open teaching surgery."
Director Lan proposed, broadcasting so surgeries via a secure internal network to dostic plastic surgeons live, retaining video for teaching purposes. Ivan agreed, but insisted on one condition: all live cases must have the patient’s explicit consent, and patient identity remains strictly confidential.
The first open teaching surgery: a young man with severe post-burn neck contracture. The patient, burned as a child, had a neck fused to the chest, head movent severely limited, unable to look straight for twenty years.
"Such cases are common in burn units," Ivan said during the pre-surgery briefing, "but treatnt is often untily or incomplete, leading to lifelong disability for the patient. Today, we’ll demonstrate not just technique, but timing—when to operate, how to design skin flaps, how to prevent post-op contracture recurrence."
The surgery lasted over two hours, with Ivan as chief surgeon, Director Lan as first assistant, supported by Sanbo Hospital’s team. More than five thousand doctors nationwide watched online, the comnts section flooded with technical discussions.
"Pay attention to the anatomical layers here," Ivan said while operating under the microscope, "the neck skin is thin, tightly adhered to deeper structures. Precision is crucial during separation, neither damaging the carotid artery nor disrupting the blood supply to the flap. We must anticipate the stress distribution after flap transfer, ensuring natural skin movent when the patient lifts, lowers, or turns the head. This anticipation must beco instinctive, not just chanical asurent and calculation."
The surgery was highly successful, the patient could look straight forward the day after surgery, tears streaming down his face. The surgery’s recording went viral in the dical community, becoming classic teaching material.
The second open teaching surgery: a young girl with congenital facial deformity. Hemifacial microsomia, missing auricle, underdeveloped jawbone, had already undergone multiple surgeries with no satisfactory results.
Ivan patiently explained, "This is part of a series of treatnts, I can’t solve all issues at once, I have to plan for her next fifteen years. Today, we’re reconstructing the ear using rib cartilage carving combined with skin expansion techniques. The key is spatial positioning—ears are not flat decorations, they have depth, angle, dynamic functional organs, and it’s not just any ear, but a specific person’s ear, all ears must harmonize with the face, head, and the entire person."
During surgery, he detailed the techniques of rib cartilage carving: how to preserve blood supply to the cartilage mbrane, shape it according to the three-dinsional model of the opposite ear, and create natural concave and convex structures within limited space.
His speed was incredible, but without losing the finesse of a plastic surgeon.
"You see," he held up the sculpted cartilage scaffold, "this is not just the fusion of engineering and art, every curve has a function, every thickness has a purpose. But once it’s implanted in the body, it becos a part of the patient, it becos art."
This surgery also generated great reaction. But its deeper impact was, it promoted the concept renewal of congenital deformity series treatnt in China, no longer "one surgery at a ti," but long-term planning, multi-disciplinary collaboration, a systematic treatnt targeting the lifelong well-being of the patient.
As Ivan’s stay extended, the reputation of Sanbo Hospital’s Plastic Surgery departnt reached unprecedented heights.
But Ivan remained clear-headed. He worked over twelve hours daily, refused all comrcial activities, dia interviews, social engagents. His ti allocation was simple: surgery, ward rounds, teaching, summarizing with Director Lan.
The editor-in-chief of a leading dostic fashion magazine, through various connections, sought out Director Lan, hoping to do a cover story on Ivan to "create an international image for Chinese plastic surgery," but Ivan refused.
After completing these surgeries, Ivan eventually left China.
His departure was without ceremony, one morning, Director Lan and Tang Shun escorted him to the airport.
But at the hospital’s entrance, he saw an unexpected scene: dozens of doctors, nurses, and patients’ families standing there silently.
A middle-aged woman stepped forward, the mother of the post-burn neck contracture patient, bowed deeply: "Thank you for enabling my son to hold his head up."
A young man, father of the girl with congenital facial deformity, holding his child: "She will rember you, for a lifeti."
The supermodel was also in the crowd, without makeup, wearing a hat: "I’m returning to the runway next week, the first photo I take, I’ll send it to you."
Ivan responded to each one, shaking hands, embracing.
Then he turned to Director Lan, the two embraced tightly: "You can call yourself my student from now on, work hard, academic questions can always be discussed. Plastic surgery is different from other surgeries, it must be an art, I hope you can slowly understand it."
"I will!" Director Lan said.
Finally, he turned to Yang Ping, the two didn’t hug, just shook hands.
"Thank you, Professor, you helped surpass myself."
"Continue," Yang Ping responded.
Ivan turned and walked into the hospital gates, climbed into the sedan, and the crowd slowly dispersed.
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