Chapter 57

Director Zheng's strange actions also caught the attention of his colleagues. Seeing the director of the internal medicine department at the city's First People's Hospital, a renowned expert in internal medicine across the city, pay so much attention to a young man and even chase after him, all the experts were deeply surprised.

Seeing Director Zheng return, President Wang, the head of the First People's Hospital, asked curiously, "Director Zheng, who is that young man? Is he very important?"

Director Zheng wanted to explain that the young man was the one who had saved Gong Jianguo, but with so many doctors from other hospitals around, he could only vaguely say, "President Wang, do you remember? The family member of the patient Gong Jianguo I mentioned to you before... the person we've been looking for."

"Oh!" As the head of a major hospital in the city, President Wang was no fool. He turned to look in the direction where Xu Yan had disappeared, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, and said meaningfully, "Is it him? That young man?"

"Yes, it's him."

"Hehe, he does look quite young..."

At this moment, a commotion arose from the front, and a few people came down the stairs. President Wang recognized the person leading the group and turned to the experts, saying, "Everyone, please pay attention. Secretary Li from the Municipal Committee has come to welcome us."

As he spoke, Deputy Secretary Li Shangyuan of the Municipal Committee was already walking over quickly, shaking hands with the experts warmly and saying repeatedly, "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, I'm sorry! Thank you all for coming, thank you!"

As the president of the First People's Hospital and deputy director of the Municipal Health Bureau, President Wang was familiar with Secretary Li. Among the experts who came this time, he was unofficially the leader. He stepped forward to represent everyone, first introducing the experts and professors to Secretary Li: "This is Director Zheng from the First People's Hospital... This is Professor Xu from the Sichuan Medical University Affiliated Hospital... This is Professor Zhao from the City Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital..."

After introducing the experts and professors, President Wang said politely, "Secretary Li, these are the elites from our city's major hospitals. Upon receiving instructions from the Municipal Committee Office, we in the health system have made every effort to organize the strongest team to treat the patient. We will do everything possible to save the patient. Secretary Li, saving a life is like putting out a fire. Let's skip the formalities and have the experts go up and examine the patient first, shall we?"

President Wang's attitude was impeccable, not only because the patient was the family member of the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Committee, but also because he had already learned about the condition on the way and knew that Secretary Li's father-in-law was likely suffering from primary organ failure, a mysterious and incurable disease. The patient, being an elderly man nearly ninety years old, was in a very critical condition.

President Wang and the experts secretly speculated that the chances of saving the patient were very slim. Therefore, they had to maintain a proper attitude to avoid the patient's family blaming them if the treatment was ineffective—this was a point where the experts and the medical team upstairs shared a similar mindset.

Li Shangyuan nodded and said, "Alright, experts, please follow me. The patient is on the second floor—Li Zhuo, you lead the way for the teachers."

Secretary Li led the experts to the second-floor bedroom. After examining the patient, reviewing the treatment records, and questioning the doctors of the treatment team, the experts frowned and looked serious.

President Wang said to Secretary Li, "Secretary Li, could you find us a quiet place to discuss?"

"Sure, please come to the dining room—conditions are humble, I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

The experts closed the door and gathered to discuss. Secretary Li and his family waited for over ten minutes but still saw no sign of the experts coming out. Despite his usual composure, Secretary Li was deeply concerned about his father-in-law's condition and his own political future. He walked back and forth outside the dining room, hearing the intense discussion inside, and finally couldn't hold back. He pushed open the door and walked in, smiling and asked, "President Wang, experts, I'm a layman, but I'd like to listen to your opinions. Would that be a problem?"

Since Secretary Li had spoken, which expert would be so tactless as to object? Everyone naturally agreed and invited Secretary Li to sit down. President Wang introduced the experts to Secretary Li, saying, "Secretary, the teachers have all agreed that the medical team's previous diagnosis was correct and the assessment of the condition was accurate."

Secretary Li nodded slightly, his eyes bright as he looked at everyone, "So, everyone also believes that Mr. Wen's illness is that primary... organ failure?"

"Yes, it's primary organ failure."

At this point, Director Wang hesitated slightly, coughing to clear his throat, "I'll report in detail to Secretary Li. The experts have no objections to the diagnosis and have reached a consensus. However, there are some differences in the treatment plan. Some experts agree with the medical team's opinion to continue using the strong heart medication and triple therapy; but Professor Xu from the Sichuan Medical University Affiliated Hospital and Director Tang from the City Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital believe that the strong heart medication and triple therapy have not been effective in the past and should be replaced with a potent hormone and old ginseng decoction plus triple therapy. Some other colleagues think that neither of these treatments will be effective, and the treatment should focus on stimulating the patient's vitality using bold and aggressive acupuncture to enhance the secretion of adrenaline... We are still discussing which treatment is better. Secretary Li, could you give us some guidance?"

Li Shangyuan frowned slightly, then smiled and shook his head, "President Wang, you're teasing me. I'm an administrator, how would I know about these professional issues? These are matters for President Wang and the experts to discuss. I just have a layman's question. If there's anything inappropriate, please don't laugh at me."

"Secretary Li, please go ahead."

"About the strong heart medication, the hormone and old ginseng decoction, and the aggressive acupuncture, which has a higher cure rate? In the past treatment of primary acute organ failure, which has been more effective, with a higher success rate? The hospital should have records, right?"

Secretary Li's question was like a sudden cold wind, freezing the smiles on the experts' faces. For a moment, some coughed, some looked down at their notebooks, and some bent to tie their shoelaces—no one dared to meet Secretary Li's gaze.

Secretary Li was somewhat surprised and looked inquiringly at President Wang, "What's wrong, President Wang? Did I say something inappropriate that made the experts laugh?"

"Uh, well..." President Wang looked very troubled. After a moment's hesitation, he couldn't avoid Secretary Li's bright gaze and had to reluctantly tell the truth, "Secretary Li, to be honest, primary organ failure is a new and dangerous disease that is a major challenge in the medical field worldwide. So far, whether it's the strong heart medication and triple therapy, the hormone and old ginseng decoction, or acupuncture, they are all experimental, and their effectiveness cannot be guaranteed. In fact, there are no records of this disease being cured worldwide. Patients with this disease... their mortality rate is almost one hundred percent."

Secretary Li's face darkened slightly, but he didn't seem overly shocked. He knew that the medical team treating his father-in-law was composed of experts from top hospitals like 301, 302, and Peking Union Medical College Hospital, all of whom were top-notch in the country. The expert medical team from the capital had already hinted to him that his father-in-law's condition was terminal and the chances of recovery were slim. He was aware of this, and inviting the city's expert team was just a last-ditch effort.

Secretary Li took out a cigarette from his pocket, trying to light it with trembling hands, but failed after several attempts. He asked in a trembling voice, "Is there really no hope at all?"

President Wang looked at Secretary Li sympathetically, coughing to clear his throat, "Well, Secretary Li, we say this to prepare you for the worst. We understand that the old man was previously in good health. As long as we do our best, there is still a chance of a miracle."

Secretary Li understood the implication—recovery would require a miracle. He sighed painfully and asked, "Old Wang, has your First People's Hospital ever treated such cases before?"

"Yes, and quite a few."

"Then, have any been cured?"

President Wang shook his head and said softly, "Secretary Li, I don't want to hide anything from you. There have been no cases of cure..."

At this moment, President Wang suddenly thought of Gong Jianguo's case—although the hospital hadn't figured out the reason for Gong Jianguo's sudden recovery, this didn't stop him from using it as a ray of hope for Secretary Li: "Well, it's not entirely impossible. I almost forgot: Secretary Li, just last week, a patient with primary organ failure at our hospital was cured and has been discharged."

Secretary Li's eyes lit up, "There's a case of cure? Who was the doctor who performed the miracle?"

"It was handled by Director Zheng from our hospital's internal medicine department. He's here today—Director Zheng, could you introduce Gong Jianguo's case to Secretary Li?"

Director Zheng, who was lost in thought, was startled and replied with a bitter smile, "President Wang, we just followed the usual triple therapy. I can't take credit for it... I think the key was the young man surnamed Xu, his role was crucial."

Secretary Li was confused, "The young man surnamed Xu? President Wang, is he a young doctor at your hospital? Did you invite him this time?"

President Wang and Director Zheng exchanged a glance, both smiling bitterly. Although President Wang didn't want to expose his hospital's incompetence, he couldn't bluff in front of the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Committee: "Secretary Li, here's what happened. Last week, our hospital admitted a patient with this strange disease. After a consultation by our expert team, we determined that the patient was beyond saving. However, the patient's family brought in a young man, and somehow, in just half an hour, the patient was completely cured and could do twenty push-ups on the spot. We were amazed. After three days of examination, we confirmed that the patient was fully recovered and could be discharged."

Secretary Li's eyes sparkled with excitement, and he asked in a trembling voice, "You're sure it was that young man? He cured this terminal illness?"

President Wang shook his head, "We asked the young man, but he firmly denied it. However, after ruling out all other factors, we concluded that this was the only possibility. Otherwise, we couldn't explain the patient's sudden miraculous recovery."

Secretary Li said firmly, "Where is that person? Can you contact him? Can you invite him here? Tell him, no matter how much it costs, as long as he's willing to help, it's fine!"

President Wang and Director Zheng exchanged a glance, their faces showing a strange expression. Secretary Li was puzzled, "President Wang, Director Zheng, what's wrong?"

"Secretary Li, in fact, we just saw this young man at your house. Since you invited him, why didn't you let him treat the patient? To be honest, he's much more effective than we are in treating this strange disease."

Secretary Li's eyes widened, "You mean, he's at my house?"

Director Zheng nodded, "When I came in, I saw him, and then he left... Secretary Li, you didn't know about this? He wasn't invited by you?"

Li Shangyuan's eyes twitched, and he shook his head, "I didn't know—what does he look like? What was he wearing?"

"He looks young, about twenty years old, tall, wearing a dark blue suit, and very handsome..."

Before Director Zheng could finish, Secretary Li stood up abruptly, grabbing Director Zheng's hand and walking out, "Let's go, we'll talk outside—President Wang, come with us."

Secretary Li hurriedly led President Wang and Director Zheng out, calling his wife Aunt Wen and his sons Li Zhuo and Li Yuan. He asked urgently, "Tongdan, Zhuo, Yuan, where did the master that Xiaoyu brought go? Call him—no, invite him over!"

Li Zhuo and Aunt Wen exchanged a glance, both puzzled. They didn't understand why their father was so eager to find a quack, especially with two hospital experts present—inviting a quack to treat a family member, while not a big deal, could still be a significant issue if it became public and was used against their father's political career.

Li Zhuo chose his words carefully, "Cousin Xiaoyu brought Master Xu into the ward, and he was about to treat Grandpa, but then Little Yuan came back and said he needed to test Master Xu's skills before letting him treat Grandpa. Master Xu seemed unhappy and left without a word—Dad, why are you looking for him?"

Hearing that his youngest son had driven Master Xu away, Li Shangyuan's face twitched, and he almost fainted from anger. He glared at Li Yuan coldly, "You drove Master Xu away?"

Li Yuan sensed the danger in his father's cold tone but, being used to his privileged life, he held his head high, "Dad, that Xu guy is a fraud. I asked him what kind of cultivation he practiced, and he couldn't answer. He didn't even show any skills, clearly guilty and nervous..."

"Slap!" Before he could finish, Li Shangyuan slapped him hard, making Li Yuan see stars and stagger back, falling against the wall.

"You good-for-nothing! Get out! Get out!"

Li Shangyuan took a deep breath, looking at his stunned youngest son, his wife, and his eldest son, and growled, "You animal, go out and bring Master Xu back! If you can't bring him back, don't come back—both of you, go find Master Xu! Even if you have to kneel, bring him back!"

Faced with Li Shangyuan's anger, Aunt Wen and Li Yuan were at a loss. Aunt Wen muttered, "The child made a mistake, but you don't have to hit him so hard, old Li..."

Li Shangyuan waved his hand irritably, "What do you know! This is President Wang and Director Zheng from the People's Hospital. The experts said that the only one who can save Grandpa is Master Xu! Xiaoyu brought back a savior, but you drove him away. This animal deserves a beating! If Grandpa dies, it will be his fault!"

Hearing Secretary Li's words, everyone was shocked—no one expected that the quack Xiaoyu brought back had such great abilities, even the president and the chief doctor of the People's Hospital praised his skills!

Thinking about how Master Xu was about to treat Grandpa but was driven away by Li Yuan, the Li family felt deep regret. Even the rebellious Li Yuan didn't dare to argue, holding his red face and hiding against the wall, not daring to speak.

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