Chapter 201 - 200: Worth Befriending

Chapter 201: Chapter 200: Worth Befriending

In the blink of an eye, it was Monday again, the start of another busy week.

After a full day and night of recovery, Yu Zhiming’s temperature had returned to normal, though his body still felt a bit sore.

Because he had to work in the outpatient and emergency clinic, Yu Zhiming arrived at Huashan Hospital ten or twenty minutes earlier than usual.

He first went to the Qi Yue Medical Research Center to change into his white coat, then hurried to the outpatient and emergency clinic with Qiao Lei...

It was still consultation room number fifteen. As Yu Zhiming walked into the familiar room, he felt a strange sense of displacement, as if a lifetime had passed.

It was as if he had been sleepwalking for the past two days. Only now did he finally feel his feet planted firmly on the ground, having broken free from the illusion and fully regained his senses.

He knew this meant he had finally shaken off the lingering effects of the explosion.

’Damn, the aftereffects of this thing are really dragging on...’

Yu Zhiming tidied up a bit, made his preparations, and began to see his first patient of the day.

She was a thirty-three-year-old white-collar worker, dressed in professional attire with a neatly trimmed, layered short haircut that gave her a sharp and capable look.

She had come specifically for a breast examination.

The woman told Yu Zhiming that she had a small lump in her left breast. It didn’t hurt or itch when she touched it, but she was very worried.

After an examination, Yu Zhiming told her it was a breast fibroadenoma, a type of benign tumor.

It’s caused by a combination of high estrogen levels, hormonal imbalance, and the body’s sensitivity to estrogen. Long-term stimulation from estrogen causes the glandular epithelial tissue and fibrous tissue in the breast to overgrow and become disorganized, which forms the tumor.

After a professional explanation, he specifically told her, "Your fibroadenoma is only about a centimeter in diameter. There’s no need to worry. Just keep an eye on it."

Yu Zhiming then asked, "Are you planning to get pregnant?"

The patient, named Guan Qin, said a little embarrassedly, "Doctor, I don’t even have a boyfriend."

Yu Zhiming acknowledged this with a sound and advised, "If you do plan to get pregnant, you’ll need to have it surgically removed."

"Because this type of tumor is related to elevated estrogen levels, changes in your hormone levels during pregnancy and breastfeeding can cause it to grow rapidly."

Guan Qin acknowledged this and asked, "Doctor, can I have it surgically removed now?"

"I feel like it’s a ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment. I’d feel more at ease if I just got rid of it early."

Yu Zhiming nodded. "If you insist, that’s fine. It’s a minor, minimally invasive procedure, and you won’t need to be hospitalized."

Guan Qin said hastily, "Doctor, I want the surgery."

Yu Zhiming acknowledged her decision, didn’t try to persuade her further, and began filling out a treatment form for her.

’A woman Guan Qin’s age, living in a fast-paced metropolis like Binhai... relationships could spark in an instant. Who knew, fate could strike, and one night could lead to a baby on the way. It was definitely more reassuring to get the tumor removed sooner rather than later.’

Just as Yu Zhiming was filling out the form, he caught a glimpse of Guan Qin’s right eyeball making a rapid movement out of the corner of his eye.

He quickly looked up and met Guan Qin’s slightly nervous gaze and her clear eyes.

Her eyes looked completely normal.

It was as if the rapid eye movement he had just seen was merely a hallucination.

’But it wasn’t a hallucination.’

Adhering to the principle of never ignoring an anomaly, Yu Zhiming had Guan Qin lie down on the examination bed again.

This time, Yu Zhiming examined Guan Qin’s eyes and her brain.

Two or three minutes later, Yu Zhiming was filling out a new referral form.

"Ms. Guan, you need to be referred to neurosurgery for further cranial tests."

"I suspect you have a tumor in your brain..."

Guan Qin was completely dumbfounded.

"Doctor, you can’t be mistaken, can you? I just came in for a breast exam. How could I have a brain tumor?"

"I haven’t had any headaches or dizziness."

"How could I have a brain tumor? It’s impossible..."

Yu Zhiming had Qiao Lei escort the distraught Guan Qin out of the consultation room and began to see the second patient...

By twelve-ten in the afternoon, Yu Zhiming had seen a total of thirty-one outpatients.

His efficiency had clearly improved, which made Yu Zhiming very happy. His appetite had increased as well, and he got an extra meat dish in the staff cafeteria.

As he and Qiao Lei were looking for an empty table with their trays, he saw Dr. Cui Zhitan, the deputy director of general surgery, stand up and wave at him.

"Dr. Yu, over here, over here!"

The four-person table where Doctor Cui was sitting was already full.

But at a look from him, the other three tactfully picked up their trays and left, freeing up the seats.

Qiao Lei, ever perceptive, also went to find another table.

Yu Zhiming sat down across from Doctor Cui.

"Doctor Cui, what brings you to join the common folk for lunch in the cafeteria with us young doctors today?"

Doctor Cui chuckled. "I almost always eat lunch in the cafeteria. It’s just that with surgeries and other things, I often can’t make it at the regular time."

"I heard you saw the big star, Rao Yi, on Saturday?"

Yu Zhiming grunted in affirmation. "It was just a physical check-up. She was very concerned about breast issues."

Doctor Cui nodded. "You’re now the recognized authority on breast examinations. You’ll have more celebrities coming to see you in the future."

"Hey, is it true or not?"

"What’s true or not?" Yu Zhiming was momentarily confused.

Doctor Cui lowered his voice and asked, "I mean, has Rao Yi had surgery on her breasts?"

"Don’t they say a lot of stars have had plastic surgery?"

Yu Zhiming was amused. He never expected that a distinguished big shot from general surgery would have a gossipy side.

"They’re real. She’s a singer, not a movie or TV actress who needs a perfect face and figure."

Doctor Cui let out a disappointed "Oh."

After a moment’s pause, he said slowly, "My youngest son is a sophomore at No. 2 High School. On Friday, his math teacher approached him, seemingly at random."

"He asked if his father worked at Huashan Hospital, and also if his father knew you, Dr. Yu."

Yu Zhiming pressed, "Did the math teacher say what it was about?"

Doctor Cui shook his head and sighed, "He didn’t!"

"Some teachers nowadays are so crafty. When they want something, they’ll say something ambiguous and full of hidden meaning to the student, leaving the parents to figure it out for themselves."

"The parents then have to figure out the teacher’s true intentions and find a way, either openly or discreetly, to get them what they want."

Yu Zhiming chuckled. "Doctor Cui, you’re a medical expert at Huashan Hospital. The teacher should be the one trying to curry favor with you."

Doctor Cui snorted lightly. "My kid is in their hands. How could they possibly suck up to me?"

"Dr. Yu, let me tell you, every time I go to a parent-teacher conference, it’s an agonizing experience. We parents get criticized by the teachers like we’re little kids."

"Dr. Yu, when you have kids of your own someday, you’ll understand just how formidable teachers can be."

Yu Zhiming just smiled, unconvinced.

He then asked jokingly, "Teacher Cui, are you planning on sending me to this teacher to be dealt with as they please?"

Doctor Cui laughed. "How could I possibly do that!"

"I figured that if the teacher was asking about you, it must be for one of two reasons: a check-up or a consultation."

"I wanted to book an appointment with you in advance."

Yu Zhiming nodded lightly. "No problem. I can always squeeze in the time to see one or two more patients."

"Thanks, Dr. Yu."

After thanking him, Doctor Cui sighed again. "Kids are just here to collect debts."

"You look after them every day, more diligently than you even look after your own parents. You wear yourself out on both ends."

Yu Zhiming buried his head and took two large bites of food as Doctor Cui’s voice sounded in his ear again.

"Dr. Yu, I have a pancreaticoduodenectomy scheduled for tomorrow. Are you interested in participating?"

"Of course I’m interested."

Yu Zhiming replied without a second thought.

The pancreaticoduodenectomy was widely recognized as one of the most difficult operations in general surgery.

If he had a chance to witness it, he certainly didn’t want to miss it.

But then, Yu Zhiming remembered something and said regretfully, "I promised Academician Tan yesterday that I would attend an exchange meeting with some doctors from the United States tomorrow."

Doctor Cui smiled. "Since you’re not free tomorrow, I have a gastric tumor resection scheduled for Thursday."

"You can participate as my surgical assistant."

Yu Zhiming quickly agreed. "If nothing major comes up on Thursday that absolutely requires my presence, I will definitely be there for the gastric tumor resection..."

After lunch, Yu Zhiming didn’t return to the Qi Yue Medical Research Center to rest. Instead, he went straight back to the outpatient and emergency clinic.

He wanted to hurry up and finish seeing the fifty outpatients who had registered for appointments today.

Arriving at consultation room fifteen, Yu Zhiming was called out to by someone.

"Dr. Yu, do you remember me?"

Yu Zhiming stopped, turned, and sized up the young man who had an embarrassed look on his face.

"I do. You’re Xu Jin. Your brother’s pneumonia and mediastinal tumor, have they cleared up?"

Xu Jin bowed slightly. "Dr. Yu, he’s fully recovered. We were actually planning to fulfill our promise and treat you to a big meal this past weekend."

"It’s just that..."

Xu Jin looked ashamed. "Last Thursday, we got into a little argument and scuffle with some guy."

"All our money... we had to use it all to compensate him."

Yu Zhiming chuckled lightly. "Xu Jin, don’t worry about it. When we talked about a big meal, it was just a joke."

"Besides, the hospital has strict rules against doctors accepting meals from patients. We can get disciplined for it."

"So, even if you had come today specifically to treat me, I wouldn’t be able to go."

Xu Jin said with a solemn expression, "Dr. Yu, you’re our benefactor. When we give our word, we have to keep it."

"Dr. Yu, please just wait a few more months for us."

"Once we’ve earned enough money, we will definitely come back and fulfill our promise to treat you to a big meal."

After saying this, Xu Jin gave Yu Zhiming a deep bow, then turned and jogged away.

Qiao Lei, who had been watching from the side, clicked his tongue in admiration. "You rarely see people who honor their word like that these days."

"Dr. Yu, he’s the kind of person worth befriending!"

Yu Zhiming shot him a sideways glance. "Hurry up. Time to get back to work..."