Chapter 22: Seeking Medical Advice

Ji Xiang was startled.

"Your servant cannot sit, your servant cannot sit..." This phrase is just too vicious, damn it!

Is it really necessary!

What kind of deep-seated grudge could make someone say such a thing to another person!!

Ji Xiang frowned as he watched the woman named Xiaomo walk away, feeling "his own" heart being stabbed like a knife.

This feeling was extremely complex, containing inferiority, sorrow, and something inexplicable. These complex emotions blended together, turning into a blade that kept piercing his heart.

It hurts...

Ji Xiang could feel that pain.

It was not the pain of a needle prick to the head; this agony came from the depths of his soul.

As the woman left, the last of Dahai's composure was shattered by that phrase "your servant cannot sit," and he burst into uncontrollable, wailing sobs, regardless of the surprised expressions of passersby.

A long time,

A long time,

A long time.

Dahai gradually stopped, and he blankly lit one cigarette after another.

Cigarette butts littered the ground, and Dahai's eyes were vacant; life had lost its direction, and his self-esteem had been completely shattered by that phrase "your servant cannot sit," beyond repair.

One night passed just like that.

Although Ji Xiang was merely an observer, he was extremely patient and did not feel annoyed.

Moreover, Ji Xiang understood that this was the System NPC using cinematic language to tell him that only ghosts know what a patient seeking Extension Surgery has been through.

At the first light of dawn the next day, Dahai booked an Expert Number for the Urology Department at a local hospital on his phone.

He, who usually pinched every penny, was very generous this time; the 500-yuan expert registration fee did not stop Dahai.

Queuing, waiting for the consultation, entering the Consultation Room.

Dahai stated his purpose directly and took off his pants behind the curtain to show the Expert.

"You don't need to have surgery for this." The old Expert, having seen countless people, remained calm and said after a glance, "This thing is fine as long as it works; what's the point of getting cut for no reason."

"Doctor, I want to reach over 18 centimeters," Dahai said firmly.

"What are you thinking?" The old Expert pushed up his reading glasses with his middle finger; his tone was not impatient, but carried a bit of helplessness.

He had likely encountered too many patients similar to Dahai in his medical career.

"Visually 12.5cm, that is already above the average level. This is a mental illness; either you get over it yourself, or go see a Psychological Therapist."

"Are you saying I'm crazy?!"

Ji Xiang could already feel Dahai's anger like a flame, that evil fire ready to be unleashed upon the old Expert.

Dahai was not a bad person; Ji Xiang could even feel his kindness, which could be described as a cowardly kindness.

But people, after all, have moments when they lose their heads.

Dahai was no exception.

"Your servant cannot sit" had shattered all his self-esteem, and all his suppressed rage was nonsensically about to be unleashed on the old Doctor.

Ji Xiang only hoped not to encounter a human tragedy in the System Space.

"Sit down, sit down," the old Expert said unhurriedly. "Look at you, what kind of state are you in. This is a hospital, keep your voice down, and I will explain it to you in detail."

Dahai clenched his fists and stood before the old Expert.

"Every medicine has its side effects, and surgery is the same. Do you think this is magic? You think one surgery can turn 12.5cm into 18cm?"

"Extension Surgery, simply put, requires severing the Suspensory Ligament, which will affect the angle and stability; it won't hang completely limp, but it won't be able to stand straight either."

"..." Dahai was startled, his tightly clenched fists involuntarily loosening.

"What you think is absolutely different from the facts." The old Expert sighed. "I have worked in the Urology Department for so many years, and the surgery I am most reluctant to perform, or even watch, is Extension Surgery."

"Why?" Dahai was somewhat bewildered.

The old Expert picked up a pen and drew a sketch on a piece of A4 paper.

"Here, the surgery involves stripping away the outer skin, cutting the ligament, and pulling out the part hidden inside."

Pulling out... Ji Xiang had different thoughts about the old Expert's choice of words.

But this slightly vulgar vocabulary made Dahai feel fear.

Can that thing be pulled out?

Indeed, this is really not something to think about; once you ponder it carefully, that sense of fear will rise from the bottom of your heart, leaving your whole body cold.

"Your length is sufficient; there is no need to do it. I believe only a few types of people truly need such surgery, for example, patients with burns or patients with traumatic severance."

"This is a mental illness," the old Expert advised earnestly. "Nowadays, people say all sorts of things on the internet—average annual salaries of millions, average lengths of eighteen centimeters—I haven't seen many eighteen-centimeter ones in my entire life."

Hearing the old Expert use the word "I" (laozi), Ji Xiang smiled.

So it was "talk therapy."

He calmed his mind and patiently listened to the advice from the old Expert from the system.

"Let me tell you, blood engorgement in the Corpus Cavernosum affects the blood flow of the entire body. You know the NBA star Ibaka, right? Fans calculated through photos that he has 28cm, which is why his nickname is '28-ka'."

But do you think his brain is sufficient?

The longest one recorded in the world was 58cm; do you know how that person died?"

Dahai was confused by the old Expert's train of thought, and he shook his head blankly.

"Blood engorgement in the Corpus Cavernosum led to cerebral hypoxia, and he died as a result," the old Expert said.

For a moment, Ji Xiang didn't know if this old Expert was making a dirty joke or being serious.

In his memory, it seemed there was a tribe in Africa where people could wrap it around their waist.

"So, it's enough as long as it works. If it doesn't, you should lose some weight; less fat on the lower abdomen will also help," the old Expert continued. "I do not recommend surgery purely for the sake of surgery."

"But..." Dahai hesitated.

"Young man, surgery is a very serious matter. Aside from a few necessary ones..."

The old Expert spoke on and on, completely extinguishing the anger in Dahai's heart and also closing the distance between himself and Dahai.

"Just like various cosmetic surgeries and such, stuffing things into the body—is it necessary? To be honest, I don't know either. In my view, people are all about the same; beautiful or ugly is just a standard of the era."

"Go back, get a good night's sleep. No matter what anyone has said, I don't suggest you take it to heart."

The old Expert personally saw Dahai off, and as he was leaving, he patted Dahai on the shoulder, just like the habit of a System NPC.

Seeming to have learned something, Ji Xiang recalled the old Expert's words from beginning to end. But if asked what he had actually learned, Ji Xiang wasn't sure.

He hadn't expected to gain this insight while experiencing Empathy.

But although the old Expert's words briefly dispelled Dahai's thoughts, it didn't last. A few days later, Dahai went around to all the major hospitals in the city again, seeking to have an Extension Surgery.

In Ji Xiang's view, Dahai had truly been devastated by the words of the woman named Xiaomo.

The phrase "Your concubine cannot do it" was like a knife, stabbing Dahai's heart until it was a bloody mess.

However, all the major hospitals refused the surgery because there were no surgical indications, and Dahai grew more irritable day by day.

Ji Xiang was not impatient, but instead immersed himself in feeling the change in the mindset of a patient who had been hurt.

A few days later, after his "medical seeking" yielded no results, Dahai noticed some text on a lighter by chance and came to the Peking Union Medical College Andrology.

He remembered that many years ago, when Ji Xiang was in high school, the ministry issued a document forbidding private hospitals from using names that could be mistaken for Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Huaxi, or Xiangya.

When Dahai entered the hospital, a pretty and well-groomed triage Nurse greeted him with a smile.

Dahai was cautious and shy, unable to even speak a sentence clearly.

Arriving at the Consultation Room, a gray-haired Doctor wore a smile that made people feel pleasant; both the environment and the attitude were incredibly good.

Compared to this, public hospitals were simply hell.

"Young man, what's the matter?"

Dahai was terrified that the other party would refuse him again, so he whispered his request.

"Oh, a very simple minor surgery, and the cost isn't high," the old Doctor said with a chuckle. "Only doing the extension? Do you want to do the thickening as well?"

"!!!"

With just one sentence, Dahai was completely conquered.

Whatever those doctors who had refused him before had said, it was all forgotten in this moment.

Ji Xiang sighed deeply.

Ji Xiang had heard his teachers talk about the reasoning behind this during his internship, but most of it was fragmented complaining.

Ji Xiang didn't care, and he didn't want to understand; to Ji Xiang, all of this was like the meaningless one-minute K-line charts his old man watched—he just liked them.

But immersing himself in the mental journey of a patient left Ji Xiang feeling a bit confused.

He could already foresee what Dahai would encounter.

Do pitiful people always have something hateful about them?

If it were before, if he didn't know Dahai's mental journey, Ji Xiang would have thought so.

But after experiencing it himself, he had a different understanding of Dahai. That phrase was truly too hurtful, and the standard of 180, 180, 180 was also very absurd.

Just like that, under external stimulation, Dahai stepped into a carefully designed trap step by step.

Ji Xiang also knew why he had to experience this through immersion, unlike the Empathy during the circumcision—it was uncontrollable.

If it were him, he definitely wouldn't come to have the surgery.

The silver-haired old Doctor opposite continued to chatter; his facial expressions appeared so ferocious and terrifying to Ji Xiang, making one feel annoyed.

But Dahai looked as if he had found a soulmate and was completely captivated.

Because of his tight budget, Dahai first asked how much the surgery would cost. From 7,000 to 40,000, Dahai retreated step by step, while the old Doctor opposite pressed him step by step.

Although he was pressing him, his sense of proportion was just right, leaving Ji Xiang speechless.

Admitted to the hospital, undergoing examinations, preparing for surgery—Ji Xiang watched silently.

The pre-operative procedures were actually standard: measuring the length in flaccid and erect states, local Skin Preparation of the surgical area, and disinfection.

On the night before the surgery, Dahai touched the prickly surgical area after the Skin Preparation, feeling excited.

Ji Xiang felt Dahai's excitement in his heart.

But Ji Xiang was not excited; on the contrary, he didn't know why he began to feel a bit depressed.

The next morning, with an empty stomach, Dahai was taken to the operating room.

Lying on the operating table, Ji Xiang looked at the shadowless lamp as if looking at a vast, white wilderness, feeling increasingly lost in his heart.

"Young man, don't be nervous; it's just a minor surgery," said the old Doctor, standing beside Dahai wearing a cap and mask.

"Yes, Sun Yuanzhang, I'm not nervous." Dahai tried hard to suppress his complex emotions, but his voice still trembled slightly.

Sun Yuanzhang began to get busy, disinfecting the surgical area and preparing for the surgery.

"Young man, you are too fat," Sun Yuanzhang said while preparing to lay out the drapes.

"I'll lose weight once I'm better," Dahai said shamefully.

"You should have Liposuction here," Sun Yuanzhang pressed on the fat at Dahai's pubic bone. "Extracting a certain amount of fat will yield better results, with a gain of 1-2 centimeters."

"..."

Ji Xiang was silent; was this adding charges after getting on the operating table?

He had only heard of this before, but had never encountered it.

If it were Ji Xiang, he would rather crawl out of the operating room at this moment than continue communicating with this Sun Yuanzhang.

But as soon as Dahai heard he could grow another 2cm, his body began to tremble, and he said repeatedly, "Good, good, good!"

(End of this chapter)