Chapter 774: Dispute

"I have a friend whose husband and wife were very loving; they never quarreled their whole lives. But when his wife was in her thirties, she got Cancer. The malignancy was very high-grade, and she was gone in two or three months. She didn't suffer much."

"At the time, I thought my friend wouldn't be able to handle the shock and would have a total mental breakdown. So, when I knew his wife wasn't going to make it, I rushed over, wanting to comfort him to prevent any accidents."

"But the reality was the exact opposite."

Liu Zhuren slowly told Ji Xiang about a past event, and Ji Xiang listened earnestly.

Having experienced Empathy many times, Ji Xiang could easily put himself in their shoes, yet he did not let himself get lost in it.

"My friend was very calm about his wife's passing. He was polite and courteous to the friends and family who came to see her off, no different from how he usually conducted himself. There were even one or two moments where I felt a bit dazed.

That shouldn't be, I thought at the time; could it be that their loving marriage was all an illusion?"

"I also heard others gossiping that he might have had someone else on the side, or that he didn't want to spend money on his wife's medical treatment, but it didn't seem like that—at least from my perspective."

"On the day of the funeral, when my friend was talking to people, he still had his habitual smile on his face. In short, it was completely different from what everyone imagined; no grief could be seen."

As he spoke, Liu Zhuren looked at Ji Xiang; Ji Xiang's expression was peaceful, without the slightest change.

"Later on, about half a year passed, and people started introducing girlfriends to him. My friend was technically a widower, and although he had a child, he was still young, and his income, physique, appearance, temperament, and status were all top-tier. Calling him a 'most eligible bachelor' would definitely not be an exaggeration."

"But no matter what kind of person was introduced to him, even if it was a college graduate in her twenties, he would reject them directly without even looking."

"Later, there were rumors that he had someone on the outside all along. They were told so vividly that I almost believed them."

"Rumors, after all—the more bizarre they are, the more they spread. Everyone seems to like that."

Ji Xiang thought of Shen Lang.

This Lang Ge... he seemed somewhat similar to the people Liu Zhuren was talking about, yet there were also great differences.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

"Another year passed, and many rumors fell apart on their own. One day we were having a gathering, and everyone started talking about when we were young. There wasn't any particular point that triggered memories, but he suddenly burst into tears."

He cried so miserably.

I consider myself well-traveled and experienced, but that day he scared me. I had never seen him cry like that before."

"!!!"

Ji Xiang was stunned for a moment.

A year and a half—a full year and a half!

The emotions of Liu Zhuren's friend had been suppressed for a year and a half before they were finally released.

"What happened after isn't important," Liu Zhuren said lightly. "Looking back on this incident later, I guessed that my friend's previous calmness was a form of self-protection. People, in their subconscious, all have an instinct for self-protection."

"But I can't explain it clearly; I just guess that at the time, his subconscious wanted to forget this matter, so it wasn't until time slowly passed that it finally erupted one day. But after all, a year and a half had passed, the wound had mostly healed, and he didn't go completely insane."

Ji Xiang sighed.

"Zhuren, what happened after that?" Ji Xiang asked, pressing him just like Shen Lang would.

"He is still on his own now. No matter who tries to persuade him to find someone else, he just shakes his head; he has no intention of it at all. Last year, his son got into college, and he still had no thoughts of finding a girlfriend or getting married again."

"In his words, if he remarried, he would have to take down his wife's photos, and the house wouldn't feel like a home anymore. It's better as it is now. Seeing the photos makes him feel like his wife is still there."

The words were very plain, but Ji Xiang could feel a tremendous force enveloping him.

After thinking for a moment, Ji Xiang suddenly asked, "Zhuren, have you read 'Cabbage Soup' by Turgenev?"

"Cabbage soup? Pearl, Jade, and Cabbage Soup?"

"It's a short story about the most capable young man in a village who suddenly passes away. The mistress of the village, upon hearing about the young man's mother's situation, goes to visit the old peasant woman, wanting to comfort her."

"She sees this old woman who just lost her son standing in front of the table, in the center of the small hut, unhurriedly and with a calm expression, raising her right arm again and again."

She scoops up the thin cabbage soup from the blackened pot and drinks it spoonful by spoonful."

"Her face is sunken and dark, her eyes are swollen and bloodshot, but she stands solemn and straight, as if she were in a church."

Ji Xiang recited it with ease; Liu Zhuren knew he was reciting a niche short story.

This child's memory is truly good, and the short story he randomly found actually fits the 'story' he just told perfectly.

"'Good heavens!' the mistress thought. 'At a time like this, she can still drink soup? How can this person be so cold? Does she not know the warmth or coldness of the human world?'"

At this very moment, the mistress remembered a few years ago, when she lost her baby daughter who was only nine months old, because she was too grief-stricken, she refused to go to the villa near St. Petersburg to escape the summer heat and spent the entire summer in the city!"

Liu Zhuren listened silently.

Although he hadn't read this story, and although Ji Xiang was only retelling it, from the expressions and words of the Patient's Family Member just now, to his friend's experience, and now to this—listening to the simple yet powerful language, Liu Zhuren's mood was inexplicably complicated.

"The mistress asked, 'Are you not grieving?'"

"'My son Vasya is already dead,' the old peasant woman said in a calm voice, tears of grief rolling down her sunken cheeks at that moment."

"'Of course I am sad.'"

"'He is dead, and I have gone with him; he has torn my heart out of my body.'"

"She sobbed uncontrollably, but suddenly returned to a calm tone, 'However, this soup cannot be wasted; there is still salt in it.'"

"Zhuren, to be honest, I didn't understand this article at all at the time. What does a son have to do with salt?"

Ji Xiang said very candidly.

"So, I went to ask my father."

"Your father? You two have a pretty good relationship; I thought you would hold a grudge because he used a burner account to pretend to be a girl and flirt with you." Liu Zhuren laughed.

Ji Xiang was slightly embarrassed, but still smiled, "My father just wanted to teach me a lesson. No matter who it is, everyone will eventually be deceived. In his words, rather than letting others deceive me, he might as well do it himself."

"..."

Liu Zhuren expressed his confusion regarding the thought process of this strange father and son.

"What did your father say?" Liu Zhuren asked.

"He said it very simply—'Why don't they eat minced meat?'" Ji Xiang replied calmly. "I have always found it hard to understand, not knowing what 'why don't they eat minced meat' meant, but today I seem to understand a little bit."

"I see."

Liu Zhuren nodded.

Ji Xiang's maturity had found a relatively perfect explanation.

Ji Xiang was worried that Ji Xiang might have misunderstood, so he specifically explained to him why the Family Member had such strange language and expressions.

But the father had already provided relevant education long ago, and Ji Xiang had even thought more about it than he had himself.

"It's more or less that meaning, Xiao Ji, I personally think you..."

"Zhuren, excuse me, let me interrupt for a moment." Ji Xiang bowed slightly and said politely and respectfully.

"Hmm?"

"I believe the Patient can still be saved; it is a bit too early to be sad."

"..." Liu Zhuren paused for a moment.

"It's like this, I feel that since the Patient's mother is a Nurse by profession, she has the basic skills for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, and the rescue was timely; this point is very important. After the Patient lost spontaneous breathing, the duration of hypoxia might not necessarily be very long, nor will it necessarily cause any irreversible damage."

"But the Patient still has no spontaneous breathing now," Liu Zhuren emphasized. "It is not wrong to judge it as Brain Death or a Vegetative State."

"However, why don't we give it a try?"

Liu Zhuren pondered; he did not answer Ji Xiang directly, but after about a minute of silence, he picked up his phone.

Calling Bai Chuzhang, Liu Zhuren did not say that this matter was Ji Xiang's idea, mainly explaining the Patient's condition.

"How about trying Double Plasma Exchange?" Liu Zhuren asked. "It's just that the cost is relatively high, and I estimate the Family Member will find it hard to bear. After all, they are a former employee; do you have any way to handle it on your end?"

Bai Chuzhang said something on the other end, and a knowing smile appeared on Liu Zhuren's face.

Hanging up the phone, Ji Xiang asked impatiently, "Zhuren, how is it?"

"Our hospital just acquired Double Plasma Exchange, and it costs 6,000-7,000 yuan per session, plus other expenses; the Family Member will likely find it hard to afford."

"Since it's new equipment, let the manufacturer cover it, and have technical personnel come for another on-site training. Doing this is also for the manufacturer's benefit, to promote the product faster."

Ji Xiang recalled the difficult problem the System Operating Room NPC gave him at the very beginning.

It seemed that Liu Zhuren had formed a habit of ordering Bai Chuzhang around, though he rarely did so.

"Thank you, Zhuren."

"Why are you thanking me?" Liu Zhuren waved his hand nonchalantly. "Let's go, let's go see the Patient's specific situation."

Ji Xiang was very grateful for Liu Zhuren's trust.

Even though Liu Zhuren held an opposing view, he agreed directly to his insistence, prepared to try according to his plan, and even intended to use the Double Plasma Exchange method.

In the System Operating Room, he had performed the treatment using Double Plasma Exchange under the guidance of a senior Doctor.

Double Plasma Exchange is a new technology developed from Membrane Plasma Separation technology.

Compared to the Membrane Plasma Separation method, this technology has the characteristics of high safety, a wide range of applications, less loss of nutrients, and lower plasma usage.

It is a type of Selective Plasma Separation Therapy that achieves the goal of treating diseases by performing secondary separation on pathogenic plasma after primary separation, and then returning the plasma, after the pathogenic factors have been removed, to the body along with the formed elements of the blood.

Because the Patient ingested an unknown drug, they lost spontaneous breathing and were judged to be in a state of Brain Death or a Vegetative State.

But Ji Xiang had performed rescues many times in the System Operating Room, and it was finally proven that the Patient had lost spontaneous breathing because the drug acted to inhibit the respiratory center.

Double Plasma Exchange can "filter" the drug out in the shortest possible time.

This is also a therapeutic diagnostic method that can determine whether the Patient is truly in a state of Brain Death or if it is drug-induced respiratory center inhibition.

Arriving at the Intensive Care Unit again, in the department corridor, Ji Xiang was stunned to see Zhou Tianbo and Wei Fusi arguing.

Vaguely, the sound came over, and Ji Xiang's ears twitched.

"The Patient still has the possibility of treatment; I firmly reject performing the transplant surgery directly."

Zhou Tianbo seemed to have grown weary, and his attitude had become very firm; he said it quite bluntly.

Ji Xiang watched from afar, and he could even feel the change in the aura around Zhou Tianbo.

Previously, Zhou Tianbo had always maintained a gentle and elegant image, but this time he was particularly firm, as if he were a long sword unsheathed.

"Zhuren, why is Professor Wei still here? I remember he came for a Flying Knife a few days ago, and it seemed he had returned to the Imperial Capital."

"He probably received news about a transplant; his nose is sharper than a dog's," Liu Zhuren said with disdain.

"Is the surgical volume very important?"

"The surgical volume is not the main point for the Outstanding Youth selection, but if two people have similar backgrounds, status, education, literature, and backers, then the surgical volume becomes an objective indicator."

"Oh."

"Zhou Jiaoshou Tianbo has accumulated enough surgical volume, and Gu Lao placed him here for assistance work a long time ago. Professor Wei's opponent is not Zhou Jiaoshou, so..."

Liu Zhuren did not finish, stopping at the point.

"Old Zhou, what do you mean by this!" Wei Fusi seemed a bit anxious, asking with a red face.

"I don't mean anything, I just think the Patient's condition can still be treated," Zhou Tianbo said seriously.

"You!"

"Old Wei, let's treat the illness first," Zhou Tianbo patted Wei Fusi on the shoulder.

Wei Fusi shrugged his shoulder, shaking off Zhou Tianbo's hand.

From far away, one could already see the sparks of conflict erupting between the two.

Liu Zhuren, with a face full of smiles, walked over quickly. "You two, what are you busy with?"

Zhou Tianbo and Wei Fusi shut their mouths simultaneously, and Wei Fusi glared fiercely at Zhou Tianbo.

"We just held a small consultation."

"Consultation? How come I didn't know about it?" Wei Fusi was surprised.

"Ha, the Patient is, after all, in our Second Affiliated Hospital; even if there is an organ transplant coordinator here to investigate and complete the procedures, that is under the premise that the Patient has been diagnosed with Brain Death," Liu Zhuren began to speak in official jargon, his words flowing extremely smoothly.

"The diagnosis in the Medical Record still has a question mark, don't be in such a hurry."

"You! The Family Member has already agreed!!!" Wei Fusi was a bit anxious.

"So what? The Family Member is not a Doctor."

"..."

Wei Fusi felt that the whole world was targeting him.

Ji Xiang also did not understand what exactly Wei Fusi was thinking.

He had heard that there were several Orthopedics Department professors in Shanghai and the Imperial Capital who could turn minor illnesses into major ones, but Ji Xiang had not quite believed it.

Perhaps it was truly because his own family circumstances were relatively good, so some things were hard to understand.

Ji Xiang thought to himself.

However, no matter how he consulted the system NPC about similar matters, he was unwilling to answer; it seemed to fall into the category of "family scandals should not be made public."

"Professor Wei, wait a moment, I am, after all, the director of the relevant department at the Second Affiliated Hospital." Liu Zhuren did not mention Ji Xiang at all, instead taking everything upon his own shoulders, not caring in the slightest whether Wei Fusi was happy or willing.

"Let us first obtain a definitive diagnosis."

"How do you intend to proceed?" Wei Fusi asked helplessly.

"Double plasma exchange; we will see after doing it a few times."

"Such an expensive procedure! And the Patient no longer has spontaneous breathing, you are! This is!!"

Wei Fusi was somewhat angry.

Liu Zhuren smiled, shrugged his shoulders, and walked directly into the intensive care unit ward.

The Patient lay on the hospital bed, their chest rising and falling with the Anesthesia Machine.

Although there were still basic vital signs, and the vital signs could be considered relatively stable, the Doctors present all knew that this was merely the machine maintaining the most basic operation of the human body.

"Is there spontaneous breathing?" Liu Zhuren asked.

The Doctor in the intensive care unit shook their head.

"I just reported to Bai Chuzhang, and we believe there is still a necessity for treatment; let's try it."

Liu Zhuren took full responsibility, taking all the problems upon himself.

Ji Xiang stood to one side, listening silently.

He knew in his heart the degree of care Liu Zhuren had for him; as a small Standardized Training Student, his words indeed did not carry weight, and more importantly, if the Patient before them were treated according to Wei Fusi's statement, there would be no fault in that either.

And Liu Zhuren had originally held thoughts similar to Wei Fusi's.

The Family Member had already agreed, so why go through all this trouble? Besides, a Patient in need of an organ is also a Patient.

But just because of his own insistence, Liu Zhuren directly changed his attitude, even showing no courtesy to the professor from the Imperial Capital.

It was truly worry-free; Ji Xiang did not say a single word of nonsense, following by Liu Zhuren's side and watching the Patient silently.

Soon, the machine was pushed in, and Bai Chuzhang also followed behind.

"I have looked into the situation; is this Xiao Ji's opinion?"

Bai Chuzhang truly understood his old friend; he stated the truth of the matter as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Yes." Liu Zhuren nodded and looked at the dark-faced Wei Fusi.

"Let's try it; one cannot just rush to perform organ transplantation while there is still room for investigation." Bai Chuzhang stated his attitude plainly.

"When I worked in the Neurosurgery Department, I once rescued a Patient with cardiac arrest." Bai Chuzhang continued, "There was no 'Sabo' back then; we took turns, over a dozen medical staff rotating to perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and squeeze the manual resuscitator."

"One hour and twenty-three minutes later, the Patient was successfully rescued and recovered spontaneous breathing."

"Afterward, the Patient had no issues and was clear-headed and articulate."

Bai Chuzhang spoke quite a bit, his voice slightly loud; Ji Xiang knew this was meant for Wei Fusi to hear.

Watching the intensive care Doctor set up the double plasma exchange for the Patient, Bai Chuzhang chatted idly: "The provincial station invited me to do a program these past few days; I originally wanted to popularize Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. Universal popularization, I think it is very necessary."

"That is true; when I worked in the emergency room in the past, some Patients arrived too late. If there had been similar conditions, the possibility of saving them would likely have been high."

"I remember when Xiao Ji went to film the variety show, the program also popularized the Heimlich maneuver." Bai Chuzhang said.

Wei Fusi's complexion grew increasingly ugly.

Although Bai Chuzhang was just chatting idly, his inclination was very obvious.

Wei Fusi did not know who exactly he had offended; Zhou Tianbo? That should be impossible. Zhou Tianbo was supporting the First Affiliated Hospital.

He felt somewhat irritable, even introducing some conspiracy theories, feeling that someone was deliberately targeting him.

But who that person was, Wei Fusi had no idea.

The double plasma exchange equipment was installed and began to operate; Wei Fusi simply crossed his arms and stood in front of the Anesthesia Machine panel, watching the values and waveforms on it.

Bai Chuzhang walked over and subsequently adjusted the Anesthesia Machine from IPPV Mode to A/C Mode.

The respiratory rate was 15 breaths per minute.

IPPV Mode is a basic method of air delivery, characterized by the ventilator delivering air to the Patient in a regular, mandatory manner regardless of the Patient's spontaneous breathing, unaffected by the Patient's spontaneous breathing, with all parameters provided by the ventilator.

And A/C Mode is assist-control ventilation; simply put, if the Patient breathes, the ventilator helps you; if the Patient does not breathe, the ventilator controls the ventilation!

"You are truly confident." Wei Fusi said coldly.

"I am used to fiddling with Anesthesia Machines." Bai Chuzhang said indifferently, "Back when I first came to the hospital, besides the Anesthesiology Department, the first Anesthesia Machine in the hospital was allocated to our Neurosurgery intensive care unit."

Uh...

Wei Fusi was startled.

This person did not look very old, but these words made one's imagination run wild.

In the past, Anesthesia Machines were rare; Wei Fusi had not experienced that era, but he had heard people talk about it.

"At that time, whenever the Anesthesiology Department encountered a situation they couldn't handle, they would come down to consult me." Bai Chuzhang smiled slightly, "Once, the pressure was extremely high; we searched for a long time and couldn't find the problem, and it turned out to be water accumulation in the tubing."

Wei Fusi had no intention of debating with this old Doctor; he watched the waveform on the Anesthesia Machine intently.

A/C Mode had already been set; if the waveform changed even slightly, it would prove the Patient had spontaneous breathing.

But, was that possible!

In Wei Fusi's view, the Patient was already Brain Death and had no spontaneous breathing at all. He had once changed the mode to SPONT Mode, and it was changed back in less than ten seconds.

The Patient could only rely on the machine to provide breathing.

The respiratory rate set by Bai Chuzhang was 15 breaths/min, the actual respiratory rate was also 15, and the respiratory waveform was very regular, indicating that the Patient had no spontaneous breathing and was entirely controlled by the Anesthesia Machine.

The waveform was very stable and regular; Wei Fusi felt that all of this was a waste of time.

Hearing the voices of Bai Chuzhang and the others chatting nearby made Wei Fusi increasingly unhappy.

"Old Wei, don't be anxious, take a rest." Zhou Tianbo felt that Wei Fusi was a bit embarrassed and came over to ease the suffocating atmosphere.

"What is there to rest for? I'll just stand here and watch," Wei Fusi said coldly. "I don't believe a Patient with Brain Death can get better using Double Plasma Exchange. If this actually works, then it's a medical miracle! I'll go apply for a Nobel Prize for you all."

"Look at what you're saying," Zhou Tianbo scratched his head. "Clearing the residual drugs in the blood should help the Patient wake up; there is at least a glimmer of hope."

Wei Fusi was unhappy inside and simply threw a tantrum, ignoring Zhou Tianbo and just watching on their own.

Double Plasma Exchange takes 3-5 hours each time.

After 2500ml of plasma and 4 hours and 22 minutes, Wei Fusi was still maintaining their original posture, standing in front of the Anesthesia Machine and staring at the waveforms on the Anesthesia Machine without blinking.

Ji Xiang had already finished today's surgeries and, upon returning to the intensive care unit, saw Wei Fusi's back.

This person is truly stubborn and persistent, Ji Xiang thought to himself.

"The first exchange ended 12 minutes ago; have the waveforms on the Anesthesia Machine changed!" Wei Fusi pointed at the values and waveforms on the Anesthesia Machine panel and rebuked in a deep voice.

"It's so regular, all breathing performed by the Anesthesia Machine; I really don't know what you all at the Second Affiliated Hospital are thinking. The technical level is actually this low!"

"Old Zhou, I didn't expect that after being here for less than a year, your level would also be dragged down to this point!"

(End of this chapter)