Chapter 827: Admitting Fault

Chapter 827: Chapter 827: Admitting Fault

At the Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, in the consultation room.

Li Xu had just finished giving a massage to a patient with a herniated lumbar disc. He washed his hands, getting ready to grab a drink of water.

His phone vibrated twice in the pocket of his white coat. He took it out and saw a WhatsApp message from Liu Haohui.

"Dean Li, are you free after work? Director Ju would like to treat you to dinner. He has some things he wants to discuss with you in person."

Li Xu was slightly surprised. He thought of the patient with the high fever. According to his calculations, the large dose of plaster decoction should have taken effect by now, and the patient’s fever had definitely broken. He originally thought Ju Jiahong would send him a message discussing the dosage or thanking him, but he never expected such a formal invitation.

"Discuss in person?"

A faint smile touched the corners of Li Xu’s lips. He could roughly guess Ju Jiahong’s current state of mind—it was the struggle of a proud genius facing a harsh reality check.

Li Xu had always had a favorable impression of Ju Jiahong. In Renmin Hospital, a place filled with power struggles and complex networking, Ju Jiahong was one of the rare few purely dedicated to honing his medical skills. Though he was a bit arrogant and conservative, his core values were upright.

"Sure. Send me the location."

Li Xu’s long, slender fingers danced across the screen as he typed his reply.

At Feng City Hospital, Liu Haohui looked at the reply on his phone and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Director Ju, he agreed."

Ju Jiahong sat in his chair, his gaze fixed on the old locust tree outside the window that had already begun to shed its leaves. He gave a solemn nod.

"Good."

The location for dinner was set at a time-honored restaurant near Feng City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

As the host, Ju Jiahong arrived half an hour early. Since he was sincerely admitting his mistake, he naturally had to keep his posture extremely low. He absolutely couldn’t let Li Xu, the "victim," cross half the city to go over to Renmin Hospital. Furthermore, in his mind, the Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine now seemed to carry an indescribable sense of gravitas because of Li Xu’s presence.

"Ju Jiahong is treating you to dinner?"

After work, Lin Guorui, the director of the internal medicine department, heard this shocking news just as he came out of the ward. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Li Xu, who was taking off his white coat. "That ’Saint Heir of Feng City’ is actually taking the initiative to buy you dinner?"

"Yes, Dr. Liu made the appointment," Li Xu nodded, his expression as calm as usual.

"It’s because of that high fever patient from the exchange conference, right?" Lin Guorui quickly connected the dots; after all, news traveled fast in the traditional Chinese medicine circles.

He sighed with some emotion. "It seems you really beat him into submission. The 150-gram dosage didn’t work, so he turned around and used the 250 grams you suggested... No, I heard he used 280 grams, and the fever broke with a single dose after sweating. Old Ju really lost all his face this time, but at least a life was saved."

Lin Guorui opened his mouth, wanting to half-jokingly ask, "Can you bring me along?" After all, an "apology dinner" between such top-tier geniuses was a rare sight. But he swallowed his words immediately. He understood that this occasion was for Ju Jiahong to mend his pride and confidence. If Lin Guorui tagged along, wouldn’t it just make Ju Jiahong die of embarrassment in public all over again? If he were dealing with someone narrow-minded, they would probably flip out on the spot.

Although Li Xu didn’t bring Lin Guorui, he did bring Song Sisi. Bringing his girlfriend made the gathering feel more private and helped ease the awkward tension following their "showdown."

Ju Jiahong hadn’t come alone, either. As the "lubricant" between the two, Liu Haohui naturally accompanied them the entire time.

"Brother Haohui," Li Xu greeted politely as he and Song Sisi walked into the private room.

"Dr. Li, Dr. Song, you’re here." Liu Haohui quickly stood up, then looked somewhat nervously at Ju Jiahong beside him.

"Director Ju." Li Xu looked at Ju Jiahong and gave a slight nod.

Ju Jiahong was already on his feet, his expression extremely complex. It was the dejection of having his arrogance thwarted, yet it also carried the clarity of someone waking from a long dream.

"Dr. Li, Dr. Song, no need to be so polite. Please, come in."

Ju Jiahong stepped aside, politely gesturing for the two of them to take the seats of honor. The four took their seats in turn. The fragrant tea on the table curled into the air, but it couldn’t mask the subtle tension in the room.

After sitting down, Ju Jiahong skipped the pleasantries and cut straight to the chase. "Dr. Li, the first reason I invited you here today is to fulfill my promise. During the exchange conference, I was stubborn and questioned the 250-gram plaster dosage you suggested. Facts have proven that I’ve stayed in my comfort zone for too long and become overly conservative. Although the patient showed short-term improvement after taking the 150-gram dosage, his condition quickly rebounded fiercely, just as you predicted. Yesterday, I used 280 grams, and he recovered with just one dose. I lost this round, and I concede defeat wholeheartedly."

After speaking, he picked up his teacup, raised it above his head with both hands, and offered a deep, respectful toast to Li Xu.

"You’re being too polite, Director Ju." Li Xu picked up his own teacup and returned the gesture, his tone calm and gentle. "Dialectic debates in medicine are naturally a matter of different perspectives. As long as the patient is saved in the end, the disagreements along the way serve as stepping stones for progress. You were also considering the patient’s safety. There is no right or wrong here, much less winning or losing."

This was Li Xu and Ju Jiahong’s second deep interaction. In truth, Li Xu was not at all unfamiliar with the name "Ju Jiahong." Back when he was tending the medicine cabinet at the clinic, it was the name of the "perfect child" he constantly heard about in medical journals and from his peers. Deep down, Li Xu had always held a level of respect for Ju Jiahong for becoming a chief physician at such a young age.

"A mistake is a mistake; there’s nothing to hide." Ju Jiahong put down his teacup, staring at Li Xu with burning eyes. "Apologizing is only part of the reason I invited you here today. The more important aspect is that I hope to interact with you more. I used to think I had reached the pinnacle among my peers, but now I see that there is always someone better out there. Moving forward, I’d like to learn a lot more from you, Dr. Li."

When he uttered the word "learn," Ju Jiahong felt a complex swirl of mixed emotions. "Learning from others" was something he used to say often, but back then, he was directing it at senior national medical masters like Wang Chuyun and Song Luojun. It was a matter of etiquette from a junior to his seniors. But now, saying that word to a peer who was several years younger than him—that feeling was truly difficult to swallow.

"When I was working at a grassroots clinic, I often heard people mention you, Director Ju. I wouldn’t dare claim you need to learn from me; let’s just exchange ideas and progress together," Li Xu remained modest.

Beside them, Liu Haohui lowered his head to sip his tea, feeling that the atmosphere was incredibly awkward. He knew Ju Jiahong too well. The "Saint Heir" had sat blankly in his office for three hours this afternoon. His worldview must have been undergoing a complete reconstruction.

"When I was having lunch today, I ran into Director Zhong Dongyang from Hepatobiliary Surgery."