Coffee Stains on a White Coat

In a hospital corridor where the smell of disinfectant mingles with the aroma of coffee, an accidental spill leaves a conspicuous coffee stain on the white coat of Lu Zhao, a cardiothoracic surgeon. The stain marks an imperfect beginning, and becomes the starting point of his story with Su Wan, a resident physician.

Set in the high-pressure world of medicine, this novel follows Lu Zhao, the rational and icy “refrigerator doctor,” and Su Wan, a warmhearted idealist with unshakable resolve. From an awkward first meeting to standing side by side at the operating table as lives hang in the balance, they face complicated doctor-patient relationships and the brutal demands of their profession, while also confronting the wounds and shackles within themselves.

When the coffee stain is washed from the white coat, what remains is not a blank space, but a mark of how they grew together. More than a love story about career growth and mutual healing, this is an ode to all the medical professionals who stay true to their ideals through the exhaustion of everyday life. It shows us what “true healing” means: treating illness and mending hearts.