Chapter 617: There Are Benefits to Looking Old

The light from the mobile phone screen cast colorful reflections across Zhao Zhe's face.

After seeing this scene, he felt a bit guilty and subconsciously wiped away his sweat.

"Zhao Zhe, that's going too far." Lu Gang smoothed his hair and said with a curl of his lip.

The two were neither at the hotel nor at the department; Zhao Zhe knew there was an issue with this episode tonight, so he had come out early.

Lu Gang had never found an opportunity to get on camera and couldn't be bothered to follow the production crew, so seeing Zhao Zhe acting suspiciously, he had followed him the whole time.

On the side of the road, Zhao Zhe was watching the show while feeling the pinch of his data usage, all the while wiping away cold sweat.

Lu Gang kept curling his lip; in his eyes, whatever Zhao Zhe did was wrong.

"Lu Zhuren, I... the situation at the time was quite special," Zhao Zhe explained. "Xiao Ji wanted to use sketches to explain the difference between pediatric and adult Intussusception to the Patient and the Family Member. The Family Member had just made a move, and their emotions were extremely agitated; they wouldn't listen to a word."

"What did you do inside the room?" Lu Gang asked.

"I couldn't just watch Xiao Ji get hit, could I? Of course, I tried to persuade the Family Member and blocked Xiao Ji behind me," Zhao Zhe replied.

It was a perfectly reasonable statement, yet Zhao Zhe said it with extreme guilt, lacking any conviction.

"I asked you what you did."

"I was mainly worried that Xiao Ji would be pushed too far by the Family Member, that his blood would boil and he'd lose his head. I've been young too; I know that feeling. Back when I was in Yuanliao, I once got into an argument with a patient's family, and I ripped off my White Uniform and pointed at his nose, telling him to come outside and settle it one-on-one."

"Wearing the White Uniform, I am a Doctor; once I take it off to fight, who's afraid of whom?"

"But that was then, and this is now. If Xiao Ji really acted on impulse, I was afraid he'd be the one to suffer."

Lu Gang impatiently slapped the back of Zhao Zhe's head with a "Slap!"

"Stop nagging. I'm not Xiao Ji; explaining this to me is useless," Lu Gang said dismissively. "I'm asking you, what did you do in there?"

"Of course, I put on the air of a senior Doctor and scolded the Family Member. My face is full of wrinkles, which shows my Clinical experience; neither Miao nor Xiao Ji can compare to me." Zhao Zhe wiped away another "cold sweat," and seeing Lu Gang's serious expression, he continued to explain.

"The Tumor was blocked by intestinal gas on the scan, so it couldn't be seen. I just blurted out nonsense, saying there was a problem here and that we suspected a Tumor. If we don't operate, can you take responsibility if something goes wrong?"

"Heh." Lu Gang wore an expression that said, "I knew it would be like that."

"Although I don't work in Gastrointestinal Surgery, I know a little bit, and the situation was urgent at the time..."

"Did Xiao Ji look all confident, thinking he could definitely solve the problem once he stepped up?" Lu Gang asked.

"Uh..." Zhao Zhe hesitated.

Lu Gang's question made him fall into deep thought.

This wasn't something a member of the medical team should ask; it was like an enemy of Ji Xiang coming to watch a joke.

"I knew it, he's gotten arrogant! Young and naive, he really thinks Clinical work is that simple? We deal with people, all sorts of people. He learns a little something and thinks he's omnipotent, only to end up getting his head bloodied in the Clinical setting."

Lu Gang looked smug.

Zhao Zhe reacted instinctively and quickly said, "I think Xiao Ji's way of handling the problem was correct, but he just looks too young, and he happened to run into an agitated Family Member. I don't have any special skills, I just look a bit older, and our Chinese culture respects the elderly and cherishes the young, right?"

"Maybe... maybe I have an advantage in this regard."

"To hell with 'looking older.' You just said it yourself, you've got a face full of wrinkles, and those wrinkles are full of Clinical experience, so people believe you even when you're spouting nonsense. Tell me, Zhao Zhe, did you rely on that face to fool people back in Yuanliao?"

"Heh, you're not wrong. I used to use Dabao. Later, I realized that the younger I looked, the less people believed what I said. I stopped using Dabao, and plus, there were some family changes those years, so I look a few years older than my actual age. With plenty of Clinical experience, the Patient's trust is a bit higher."

Fortune and misfortune are intertwined; Zhao Zhe now felt there was nothing wrong with looking a bit old and weathered.

"And then?" Lu Gang's train of thought was unique; he flashed back to the original topic and continued to press.

"I said we needed to find Zou Fuzhuren to review the scans together."

As he spoke, Zhao Zhe looked at the phone screen.

On the show, Zou Fuzhuren was already rushing toward the scene.

In the Gastrointestinal Surgery Doctor's Office, Miao looked indignant, frowning and saying nothing, while although Zou Fuzhuren was short, fat, and drooled—hardly a good image—he possessed that full, imposing aura of a veteran Doctor.

Although Zou Fuzhuren and Zhao Zhe had never communicated and had never collaborated on a single surgery, and the words they had exchanged could be counted on one's fingers, Clinical experience could transcend time and space.

"Here, it's a Tumor." After asking about the medical history and performing a physical exam, Zou Fuzhuren reviewed the scans and pointed firmly at the CT film.

*Thump! * It sounded like a war drum being struck, and combined with the word "Tumor," the atmosphere of the show instantly became tense.

"Emergency surgery. Otherwise, if the Intestinal Obstruction lasts too long, the intestine will necrose, and the Patient won't survive 3 days."

Zou Fuzhuren said with certainty, leaving no room for doubt.

"Look at Zou Fuzhuren," Lu Gang said. "He's ugly, but there's an advantage to being ugly. The first thought an ordinary person has when they see Zou Fuzhuren is—this guy must have real skills, otherwise he would have killed himself long ago; how else would he have the face to see people?"

"..." Zhao Zhe was speechless.

Although Lu Gang's assessment was sharp and malicious, it seemed to have a point.

"You two old Clinical foxes, you look quite in sync. Even without meeting, your assessment of the condition is exactly the same. No wonder the Family Member believed you. Xiao Ji is still young; what was there to explain? Wouldn't it have been better to just state the most serious consequences directly?"

Zhao Zhe felt Lu Gang was right, but he couldn't badmouth Ji Xiang behind his back, so he pretended not to hear and continued watching the show.

"Bang~~~"

"Ouch~"

Two sounds came, interrupting the countless thoughts in Zhao Zhe's mind.

Focusing his gaze, he saw Lu Gang had been bumped by a guy wearing a yellow uniform and rabbit ears, causing him to stagger.

The guy was scared silly, as if hit by a freezing spell, entering a petrified state.

Zhao Zhe immediately tucked away his phone to check on Lu Gang's injuries.

At this moment, a strange thought crossed Zhao Zhe's mind—see, you just can't badmouth Xiao Ji, whether in front of people or behind their backs.

Lu Gang had just said a few words before being bumped by the delivery guy...

It didn't seem like anything was wrong. Before Zhao Zhe could help him up, Lu Gang stood up from the ground on his own, patted the dust off his body, and cursed, "Are you blind?"

"Grandpa, Grandpa, I'm sorry." The delivery guy was so nervous his rabbit ears were trembling.

"Sorry for what? Are you sorry to me, or am I sorry to you?"

Lu Gang stretched a little.

"It's me who's sorry to you, I'm sorry. Let's go to the hospital."

Speaking up to this point, the Surgery delivery guy was already on the verge of tears.

(End of chapter)