Chapter 791: Thanks

Chapter 791: Chapter 791: Thanks

"Li Xu." Dean Ai Rong grasped Li Xu’s hand tightly, his eyes full of undisguised admiration. "Incredible, truly incredible. Your lecture today was absolutely brilliant—one could even say it was awe-inspiring.

"You not only showcased an extremely profound foundation in traditional Chinese medicine, but more importantly, you used practical actions to teach these arrogant students the most fundamental lesson: there are no shortcuts in studying medicine. One must read extensively and completely digest and internalize the classic texts."

"Thank you for the praise, Dean Ai."

Hearing the dean’s compliments, Li Xu actually felt a little ashamed. In reality, his "flawless backward recitation" today was a bit of a trick.

It was a cheat-like ability granted by the system, akin to reading from a memory hard drive. If he had to rely on his own brain to memorize one hundred and eighty thousand words by rote, no matter how smart he was, he could never recite it backward so smoothly and without hesitation.

However, only he knew this secret; no one else would ever figure it out.

Deep down, Li Xu genuinely disliked using the system’s cheat abilities just to show off. Using the system’s intelligence to treat illnesses and save lives was accumulating good karma, and he felt at peace with that. But using it purely to flex his skills made him feel utterly unjustified.

It was like playing a competitive video game: a player using aimbots and wallhacks running up to mock and flex on technical players who had practiced hard for thousands of hours. It was simply unsportsmanlike and hitting below the belt.

However, today’s situation was different. He had been blatantly provoked to his face.

Li Xu’s principle had always been, "I have cheats, but I keep a low profile. If I don’t provoke you, we mind our own business."

But if someone thought he was easy to bully and insisted on publicly provoking him... then he had no choice but to drop the humility and show them what an overwhelming beatdown looked like.

Afterward, at the earnest invitation of Director Liang and Dean Ai, Li Xu and Song Sisi followed them to the school’s VIP dining room for a hearty lunch.

During the meal, the group had a pleasant conversation. Dean Ai even subtly expressed his hope that Li Xu could return to his alma mater more often to participate in teaching reforms.

After lunch, everyone went their separate ways.

Meanwhile, at the Feng City Medical Affiliated Hospital’s emergency department ICU observation room, Shi Haoping, the deputy director of the emergency department, pushed open the ward door and walked in.

By the hospital bed, the patient’s eldest son saw Director Shi enter. He quickly put down his water cup, stood up, and greeted him politely, "Director Shi, you’re here for ward rounds."

"Yes. How is your father doing today? Feeling any better?" Director Shi asked, walking over to the bed and checking the data on the monitor.

"Doctor, my dad seems to have a bit of a cough today." The patient’s son frowned, reporting with some concern. "Although he’s not coughing hard and doesn’t have much strength, every time he coughs, his right chest hurts terribly. The nurses gave him painkillers earlier, but they didn’t seem to have much effect. Also, he keeps saying he has no appetite and can’t eat. And for the past two days... he hasn’t had a bowel movement."

The patient lying on the bed was the very same elderly man Li Xu had encountered by chance a few days ago on his way to work—the one who had been knocked off his electric scooter by a Mercedes and suffered rib fractures.

At that time, the elderly man had been rushed by ambulance from the accident scene to the Feng City Medical Affiliated Hospital, which boasted stronger comprehensive capabilities.

Upon arriving at the emergency department, he was diagnosed with multiple rib fractures accompanied by traumatic pneumothorax and acute respiratory distress syndrome. His condition had been extremely critical, so he was sent directly to the ICU for emergency resuscitation.

Fortunately, the treatment had been timely. Two days later, the elderly man’s condition stabilized. His tracheal tube was removed, he was taken off the ventilator, and he was transferred to the emergency department’s intensive observation room for continued inpatient treatment.

"Well, these are normal complications." Director Shi pulled back the blanket to check the fixation band and drainage tube on the old man’s chest. He explained to the patient’s son, "Your father has multiple rib fractures. Although the broken ends aren’t obviously displaced, the periosteum is rich in nerves. The moment he coughs, his chest cavity expands, pulling on the fractured ends. That will definitely cause severe, piercing pain. Ordinary painkillers really can’t suppress this kind of fracture pain.

"As for his lack of appetite and constipation, part of it is because long-term bed rest slows down gastrointestinal motility. The other part is due to the pain and trauma stress response. I’ll prescribe some medication to promote gastrointestinal motility and relieve the constipation. Also, I’ll switch his pain injections to something a bit stronger."

After signing the medical record and giving a few more instructions, Director Shi turned and left the ward.

Not long after Director Shi left, the patient’s daughter-in-law arrived with a thermal lunch box.

The patient’s son took the lunch box and, while pouring water for his wife, relayed Director Shi’s earlier words with lingering fear. "Honey, when Director Shi did his ward rounds just now, he said that although Dad’s injuries are severe, thank goodness the broken bones didn’t pierce his heart or major blood vessels.

"Director Shi specifically emphasized that back at the accident scene, it was incredibly fortunate that the passing young doctor had experience and didn’t let us or the driver move Dad recklessly. Otherwise, even the slightest improper movement could have caused the fractured ends to dislocate and pierce his lungs or heart. The risk would have been astronomical. If that had happened, even an Immortal couldn’t have saved him."

"Oh my, we truly met a savior." Hearing this, his wife also broke out in a cold sweat.

"Yeah," the patient’s son nodded. "Tomorrow morning, you stay here and look after Dad. I’ll make time to visit the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I must go and thank Dr. Li in person."

The next day, the emergency department lobby of the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine was as bustling as ever. Jiang Guojun walked in, carrying a basket of local eggs and a case of milk.

He looked around before approaching the triage desk to ask the nurse, "Excuse me, nurse, does Dr. Li Xu work here?"

The young nurse was entering information into the computer and asked without looking up, "Yes, Dean Li works in our department. What do you need him for?"

"Dean Li?" Jiang Guojun paused. Had he found the wrong person?

Back on the road, that young doctor had clearly said his name was Li Xu.

"That’s right, Dean Li Xu, the vice-dean in charge of professional affairs." The young nurse looked up, noticed the items in Jiang Guojun’s hands, and asked somewhat warily, "How are you related to him?"

"Oh, I don’t know Dean Li personally. But my father got into a car accident a few days ago, and thanks to Dr. Li saving his life at the scene, I came specifically to thank him," Jiang Guojun quickly explained, his tone growing even more respectful.

So the young man was already a vice-dean at such a young age. No wonder his medical skills were so miraculous.