Chapter 671: Asking for a Few More Days of Leave

Lin Jiuze stood silently in the corner; at this moment, he was like an invisible man, his mind a blank slate as he quietly watched Ji Xiang.

Ji Xiang was explaining the pathophysiology of how hypertension leads to Acute abdomen, his logic rigorous and seamless, and he even cited several Gegan baodao as supporting evidence.

And the results of his own "observation" of the Patient proved that Ji Xiang was right.

Lin Jiuze did not know how on earth Ji Xiang had arrived at that diagnosis!

It was such an inconspicuous point; Lin Jiuze believed that no matter who else was in his place, they could not have pinpointed the problem as clearly as Ji Xiang.

Strange!

It really was very strange.

The vacation was coming to an end, and Lin Jiuze did not want to leave because his goal had not been achieved.

When at Massachusetts, Lin Jiuze was known for his formidable diagnostic skills and delicate surgical technique; otherwise, he would not have received a professorship offer from Massachusetts General Hospital before the age of 30.

Yet, the two things he prided himself on were not even worth mentioning in front of Ji Xiang.

This was very embarrassing.

Lin Jiuze was also a favored son of heaven; although his face was always filled with an innocent expression, that was only because no one was worth his concern.

Watching Ji Xiang talk eloquently, causing a crowd of Experts and professors to nod frequently, a sense of unwillingness rose in Lin Jiuze's heart.

Even a fire of jealousy was burning in Lin Jiuze's heart.

After the consultation ended, Lin Jiuze ran to the Fire Exit to call his teacher.

"Teacher, I'm so sorry to disturb you so late."

Tang Chenghua's hearty laughter came from the other side of the phone.

"Jiuze, do you want to come back?"

Lin Jiuze felt a bit awkward.

He hesitated for a moment and asked, "Teacher, can I take leave from the hospital for a while longer?"

"..." Tang Chenghua was silent.

After a few seconds, he asked, "Why?"

Lin Jiuze told his teacher about several diagnostic cases he had encountered recently.

"I thought my diagnoses were very clear, and I had seen these Patients in person, but in the end, I still couldn't reach a definitive diagnosis. Yet Doctor Ji Xiang could reach the answer very quickly, just like today's Acute abdomen being caused by Malignant Hypertension; I still need to go back and search for the several Gegan baodao he mentioned."

"Jiuze, the appointment letter has just been issued, so it's not impossible to take leave." Tang Chenghua weighed his words. "However, there is really no point in you being over there. Your medical team is waiting to be established, and it's not good for you to keep delaying your return."

Lin Jiuze was silent.

Tang Chenghua knew that this student of his was very stubborn; although he looked gentle, he was actually completely different from how he appeared.

"Then I will help you ask for another month of leave, but you must hurry back when the time comes. Didn't you say last time you wanted to invite Doctor Ji Xiang to Massachusetts? What did he say?"

"He said he cannot go abroad."

"Haha, it must be that his foreign language level isn't up to par, and he has a lingering fear. I guess he has to keep a dictionary handy even when reading literature. But it's no wonder; many people in the country learn 'mute English'."

"Teacher, when Doctor Ji Xiang communicated with Neymar, he used Portuguese, very fluently," Lin Jiuze said.

"..."

"I feel that he doesn't go abroad not because he doesn't dare, but because he cannot. As for why, I don't know either. There are many secrets about this young Doctor."

"One month, no more than that." Tang Chenghua had no interest in talking about a small domestic Doctor; he gave Lin Jiuze a deadline.

"Okay!"

Lin Jiuze nodded.

The two chatted for a few sentences when suddenly Zhao Zhe's voice came from the Fire Exit door.

"At your age, you must not 'hand-charge'; 'hand-charging' is the beginning of a lifetime of sin. Once you 'hand-charge', there is no turning back; you will only become more and more depraved."

A bizarre, absurd feeling arose in Lin Jiuze's heart; he said goodbye to Tang Chenghua and hung up the phone.

Zhao Zhe walked into the Fire Exit and, acting as if he hadn't seen Lin Jiuze, sat down on the steps in a carefree manner, talking on the phone about 'hand-charging'.

Suddenly looking up, Zhao Zhe saw a figure and was so startled that he shuddered all over, his phone hitting the ground.

When he saw it was Lin Jiuze, he clutched his chest, his face a bit pale.

"Doctor Lin, why are you here?"

"I was making a call to the hospital," Lin Jiuze smiled, his face full of an innocent expression. "Zhao Yisheng, what are you doing?"

"Making a call to my son."

Son?

Lin Jiuze knew that Zhao Zhe had divorced many years ago and had never known he had a son.

That was no wonder; children still need their fathers to teach them some things while growing up.

'Hand-charging', huh? It wasn't a big deal for a father to explain the dangers to his son.

"Carry on," Lin Jiuze smiled.

Zhao Zhe picked up his phone from the ground. "Son, I just ran into a colleague. Where were we?"

"Oh, oh, don't think I'm joking with you. It's true; it's the summary of your dad's many years of experience."

Lin Jiuze paused and scratched his head.

This guy Zhao Zhe really had no serious business; he wasn't even talking straight to his son.

"'Hand-charging', if you can avoid it, avoid it; it's all a bad habit. What do we rely on? Of course, it's technique! It's talent! It's awesome hand speed!"

"..."

It was getting more and more outrageous.

"The 6-yuan 'first-charge' is a scam. Once you charge once, it's hard to stop. You think 6 yuan is so cheap, but later you'll think, 'I have this, I can't be without that,' and you'll keep charging. I regret it so much now."

"!!!"

Lin Jiuze froze.

Six yuan for a hand-poured coffee?

Thoughts spun over and over in his mind as he looked at Zhao Zhe; it took a long time before he realized this "first-pour" wasn't that "hand-pour," but likely meant the first top-up in a game.

Telling a child not to spend money on games was indeed a father's responsibility, but...

Why was he even listening to this here?

"Those are all scams. When the weekend comes, I'll take you out and show you your dad's skills!"

"Son, I'm hanging up now."

Zhao Zhe hung up the phone, his face full of a kind, fatherly smile.

But the smile came to an abrupt halt; Zhao Zhe shivered, for he saw Lin Jiuze again.

Forcing a smile, Zhao Zhe clutched his chest and asked, "Doctor Lin, you're still here."

"I just finished calling my teacher; I was missing my teacher a bit." Lin Jiuze smiled and sat down beside Zhao Zhe. "Zhao Yisheng, how old is your son?"

"Twelve. After the divorce, he went with his mother, but I can go see him on the weekends. My son is so smart; he learns everything he tries..."

Zhao Zhe began to ramble on, and Lin Jiuze did not find it annoying.

Several times in between, Zhao Zhe forgot Lin Jiuze's presence and startled himself while talking, but fortunately, he was able to carry on a conversation with himself, so even forgetting Lin Jiuze's presence didn't affect his words at all.

It was just that being startled so often made Zhao Zhe feel as though his coronary arteries were under immense pressure.

"My son is going to be a doctor in the future, too," Zhao Zhe finally imagined aloud.

"Zhao Yisheng, in the few days since I returned to the country, I've heard people say that persuading others to study medicine invites heaven's wrath. You..."

"Pah, you don't understand."

(End of this chapter)