Chapter 778: Doing as One Pleases Without Overstepping Boundaries

Ji Xiang guessed many possibilities, but he dismissed every single one.

He could never guess why Lin Jiuze's father was described as a family scandal, and Ji Xiang was particularly curious.

However, Lin Jiuze said his father was an old scientist, so he would absolutely not exaggerate.

Ji Xiang knew that the young people sent to study in the former Soviet Union back then were all Elites of that generation.

Even if half a lifetime of hard work had gone down the drain, the retirement benefits provided by the state were certainly good, so how could there be any family scandal?

At most, he would go square dancing and chat up old ladies; at that age, what else could he do?

In Ji Xiang's mind, this was nothing at all.

When a titan of the medical world in his seventies was swept up in a scandal, everyone would give the Old Man a thumbs up and praise him for being vigorous in his old age.

Therefore, Ji Xiang believed that Lin Jiuze was worrying too much and overcomplicating things.

Even if there were some melodramatic business about fighting over family assets, to a professor like Lin Jiuze who had received an offer from Massachusetts, it was simply not an issue.

A single academic report abroad could fetch tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars; could Lin Jiuze really be short of that little bit?

After getting off the plane, Ji Xiang did not go to the hotel with Deng Chaohong, Zhao Zhe, and Tang Yan, but instead followed Lin Jiuze into a ride-hailing car.

Lin Jiuze's face was gloomy; one look and it was clear his mood was not high.

Ji Xiang did not dare to ask.

Perhaps Lin Jiuze's father was a dark scientist, and it was possible he had been tinkering with some black technology all these years.

The kind that was insane, which was why Lin Jiuze was always so unhappy; Ji Xiang could even vaguely perceive Lin Jiuze's aversion toward his father.

The ride-hailing driver was different from the drivers in the Imperial Capital; he was silent and polite, without any idle chatter about this and that.

It was just that the route was becoming increasingly strange, and finally, the car stopped in front of a resplendent... massage parlor.

After getting out of the car, Ji Xiang was full of astonishment.

Among countless conjectures, Ji Xiang thought the one about Lin Jiuze's father being a dark scientist was the most likely.

But what kind of scientist would conduct research in a massage parlor or a foot bath center?

What was going on? Could it be that Lin Jiuze's father was really still as sharp as ever?

He looked around; this was a Commercial Street, and there were no residential buildings in the vicinity at all.

The last guess also fell through.

"Here," Lin Jiuze said helplessly.

"Here?"

"Yeah, my dad kills time here every day," Lin Jiuze said helplessly.

"!!!"

"Sigh."

This time, Ji Xiang finally understood why Lin Jiuze was so unhappy.

Whose father wouldn't go home every day and instead live in a foot therapy, bathing, or massage parlor? Who would be happy?

Habitually feeling Empathy, the moment Ji Xiang thought of his own father living here every day, he couldn't help but shiver.

Having already arrived, Lin Jiuze was decisive in his actions; without further hesitation, he walked straight in.

Ji Xiang followed behind Lin Jiuze, full of curiosity.

"Looking for Uncle Lin," Lin Jiuze said directly after walking in.

The front desk manager looked at Ji Xiang, and hearing another person's voice in his ear, he was so startled he shuddered.

But when he heard "Uncle Lin," his face was full of smiles.

"Uncle Lin is getting a foot massage."

"I'm his son, take me there."

"Alright, please this way."

The manager bowed and walked in front very politely, while Lin Jiuze followed behind with a face full of gloom, and Ji Xiang observed Lin Jiuze.

Every family has its own skeletons in the closet; that saying is truly correct.

But why was the Old Man so energetic? Could it be that Ternary could transform the human body? Or perhaps...

Ji Xiang thought about all sorts of messy things in his mind, not even noticing that he looked exactly like Shen Lang.

Arriving outside a private room, the manager was just about to knock, but Lin Jiuze pushed the door open.

Ji Xiang's Agility stat was extremely high, and his eyesight was good; he even activated his Eagle Eye at the first moment, finding a position with a good view to look inside.

But he didn't see any inappropriate activities; he only saw a white-haired Old Man lying on a massage chair, reading a newspaper while chatting with the female technician giving him a foot massage.

Seeing Lin Jiuze enter, the female technician was a bit confused, but the Old Man could see Lin Jiuze directly.

"Jiuze, when did you get back? Why didn't you tell me in advance?"

"Dad, why are you still..." Lin Jiuze said angrily.

"Sit," the Old Man said with a smile, then looked at Ji Xiang.

"Eh? This young man... looks a bit familiar." The Old Man's eyes narrowed unconsciously.

Ji Xiang felt his gaze like two blades.

For a person in his seventies, such a sharp gaze and such vigor were truly rare.

"Uncle, hello," Ji Xiang bowed deeply and respectfully.

"You... you..." The Old Man put down the newspaper and reached out to tap his own head, seemingly recalling something.

"My name is Ji Xiang, you can just call me Xiao Ji."

"Ji Xiang? What is Ji Yongchang to you?"

"He is my father," Ji Xiang was startled, but still answered respectfully.

"Oh, oh, oh, no wonder. The son-in-law of the Qian Family, no wonder he looked so familiar," the Old Man said with a smile, "Come, Xiao Ji, sit here."

"Dad!" Lin Jiuze frowned.

Lin Jiuze, who usually had an indifferent expression as if he had a cerebral hemorrhage, had an extremely expressive face when facing his father, filled with displeasure.

"Uncle, hello." Ji Xiang didn't think much of it; he didn't sit directly on the sofa next to the Old Man, but instead cheerfully pulled over a small stool and sat down beside him.

The Old Man glanced at Ji Xiang, then looked at Lin Jiuze, and asked, "Want to get a foot massage together?"

"In a bit, let me chat with you for a while first," Ji Xiang said with a smile.

"Oh."

"Your life, sir, is truly carefree."

Lin Jiuze felt as if Ji Xiang were grabbing him by the collar and slapping him in the face, *smack, smack* ringing out.

"Jiuze thinks I'm an old man with no sense of propriety."

"Pfft, this is called 'following one's heart without overstepping the rules.' I don't think Doctor Lin is right," Ji Xiang said. "My dad always says that when he was young, there were too many rules and constraints, and he never reached the state of following his heart. I didn't understand before, but seeing you, I think I roughly know what it's about."

"Hahaha." The Old Man laughed loudly, pointing at Lin Jiuze, "Look at Xiao Ji, then look at you."

"..." Lin Jiuze was speechless.

"Why did you two suddenly come back?"

"Uncle, we came back to perform a surgery, a small Achilles Tendon Repair, nothing big," Ji Xiang said nonchalantly. "How do you manage your meals here?"

"The cafeteria staff adds a portion for me," the Old Man said. "I just eat whatever. If someone happens to be craving something, I go to the market to buy some seafood and bring it home to cook. The girls are very clever with their hands; the seafood they make tastes quite good."

"It must taste better than at a restaurant," Ji Xiang said with some envy. "Sitting in a recliner, with all the young women in the kitchen and living room—it must be very lively."

"You like to join in the fun too? Your dad is a cold-natured guy."

"I don't like it. Every day when I get home, I just chat with my dad occasionally; he doesn't even say a hundred words a day," Ji Xiang said softly. "A few months ago, when I went to the market to buy groceries, I ran into someone tethering a dog. It looked like they had picked it up to kill it for meat, so my dad bought the dog back."

"Now that there's a dog at home tearing things apart, it's much livelier. My dad said a few days ago that he's planning to move to the countryside for a few days while I'm away."

"What's over there?"

"When I went to see it last time, there were many sheep. The leader is a four-month-old lamb wearing a bell; the sound is very crisp. There are also two border collies. Every day, the border collies take the cattle and sheep out to graze. It's worry-free; you don't have to manage them much."

"I want to go to the countryside too, but I can't bear to leave this place," Lin Jiuze's father smiled slightly. "Don't listen to us talking, apply a bit more pressure."

"Yes," the foot massage technician replied.

"It doesn't matter, it's the same everywhere," Ji Xiang said very calmly.

The Old Man took a look at Ji Xiang, sizing him up from head to toe, "You don't look like your dad when he was young."

"My mom says the same thing," Ji Xiang said cheerfully. "But my dad says that deep down, we are alike."

"Dad, do you know each other?" Lin Jiuze asked in surprise.

"I've met his father twice. A young talent. If you could catch up to half of Xiao Ji... Ji Yongchang, that would be great," the Old Man said leisurely.

"Doctor Lin is very impressive."

"How do you two know each other?" The Old Man sat half-reclined on the massage chair, soaking his feet and getting a massage, with Ji Xiang keeping him company with small talk.

Watching this bizarre scene, a strange and inexplicable emotion rose in Lin Jiuze's heart.

His own father had become increasingly improper in his old age, spending every day in a place like this.

It was said that when the girls had real customers, he would even sit outside and keep watch.

A few years ago, he was swept up in a raid, and the phone call even went to his own mobile phone while he was studying in the United States. It was as embarrassing as it could possibly be.

A father who could be described with countless negative terms—disgracing the family, losing face, lacking dignity—was being described by Ji Xiang as "following his heart without overstepping the rules."

Since when did Ji Xiang know how to butter people up?

Damn it!

Lin Jiuze looked at Ji Xiang, feeling dazed.

He even had an illusion—that Ji Xiang was actually his father's youngest and most favored son.

Ji Xiang was chatting with the Old Man, and the topic had already flown to the other side of the sky.

"I met an old Patient in the hospital who claimed to be able to suck away people's lifespan. Tsk tsk, sir, you tell me, what is that even about?"

Listening to Ji Xiang's story, Lin Jiuze silently found a small stool and sat down.

This foot bath place was clearly different from others.

Ordinary foot bath places had their curtains drawn tight, with only the dim light of a television, but this room had excellent sunlight.

The sunset glow shone in, spilling onto Ji Xiang's face. He was chatting spiritedly with the Old Man, which gave Lin Jiuze an indescribable feeling.

"The Family Member's nerve was truly great; they just froze the old man's remains in a freezer. You tell me."

"It's not uncommon," Lin Jiuze's father replied calmly. "It's just that inspections are stricter now. In the past, when a colleague passed away, they would keep collecting the pension, and it wouldn't be discovered for over a decade. Calling this kind of secret pension-collecting 'sucking away people's lifespan' isn't an exaggeration. Originally, this money should have belonged to someone else. Tsk tsk."

"There are so many messy things in the hospital. I even encountered..."

Ji Xiang was like someone possessed by Zhao Zhe, incredibly talkative, sitting happily on the small stool, keeping Lin Jiuze's father company with meaningless small talk.

It was just like in a roadside inn, a few shots of strong liquor down, with a rough driver bragging wildly.

Lin Jiuze felt that many of the things were completely unreliable.

Things like sucking away lifespan were obviously nonsense.

Yet his own father was particularly fond of this, chatting happily with Ji Xiang.

After the ninety-minute foot bath was finished and his feet were wiped dry, Lin Jiuze's father waved his hand, "No more for today, I'm going out to eat with the kids."

"Uncle, your child is really good-looking."

Lin Jiuze's father glanced at Lin Jiuze, smiled, and patted Ji Xiang on the head, "He's still young. In a couple of years, after he's weathered a bit and has more of a masculine air, he'll look even better!"

Good-looking... Ji Xiang sighed inwardly; he didn't really accept being described that way.

But it didn't matter.

"I stay here for the whole day; it's very comfortable," Lin Jiuze's father said, walking out of the foot bath center with his hands behind his back.

"That's right!" Ji Xiang said eagerly, "My classmate said there's an old doctor of traditional Chinese medicine at Huaxi who showed them the scars from moxibustion during class."

"Oh? You even got burned from moxibustion?" Lin Jiuze's father asked curiously.

"No, no, no, it's because they've been doing moxibustion for a lifetime, and there's a big pit sunken into the Zusanli point," Ji Xiang added. "There are big pits on both Zusanli points; Uncle, do you think the acupoint could have been burned away?"

Lin Jiuze's father shook his head, signaling that he didn't know.

"I don't know either, but they say that old gentleman is over eighty, and his voice is like a booming bell," Ji Xiang said with envy. "I was just thinking that once I'm past the age of being hot-blooded, I'll also do moxibustion every day."

"But seeing you today, soaking your feet and getting a foot massage is also quite nice. Are the girls strong enough?"

"You can choose the ones who are strong!" Lin Jiuze's father began to share his experience.

Lin Jiuze stood behind, listening in a daze.

Ji Xiang really knew how to talk, and listening to him, if one didn't know his specific age, one would never guess he was just a young Doctor in his twenties who had just graduated.

Ji Xiang was familiar with all sorts of messy, trivial matters, and he chatted quite congenially with the old man.

Passing by a small shop at the entrance, Lin Jiuze's father packed a few dishes, and Ji Xiang carried them home, skipping along.

A bottle of Red Star Erguotou, the small table was set up, and Ji Xiang handed the Old Man a cigarette.

"Heh heh, your dad rarely drinks."

"I rarely drink either; the cigarettes are just kept for communicating with Family Members. We're chatting happily today, heh," Ji Xiang said with a chuckle.

Lin Jiuze was even a bit dazed; he couldn't tell if Ji Xiang was truly chatting congenially with his old man or just trying to butter him up.

But then again, buttering up his old man didn't seem to be of any use.

An "old rascal" who only knew how to spend his days at the foot bath center—even saying it out loud made him feel a bit ashamed.

"Your dad is one of the few ruthless men I've ever met." Lin Jiuze's father began to drink and eat, and started commenting on Ji Yongchang.

"His temper is much better now."

"Another thing is, a few years ago when I was hospitalized for a check-up, I met a young man."

Ji Xiang habitually pricked up his ears to listen to the gossip from Lin Jiuze's father.

"His mother was a Patient with Renal Failure, an acute case, and they said the hospitalization and treatment would cost eighty or a hundred thousand," Lin Jiuze's father recounted. "His family was poor and didn't have that much money. Let me ask you, if you encountered something like this, what would you do?"

Lin Jiuze's father looked at Ji Xiang.

Ji Xiang scratched his head, "Uncle, I don't know."

"That's true, born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you probably don't know how a single penny can stump a hero. Without money, it's truly difficult."

In Ji Xiang's mind, a flash of his old father in the cold wind carefully organizing small bills, and "himself" going to the cafeteria to buy something good for his father only to drop it on the ground and be mocked by classmates, crossed his mind.

Without money, it is indeed very difficult.

But Ji Xiang didn't refute Lin Jiuze's father's words; instead, he pricked up his ears to listen to the Old Man gossip while drinking.

"That young man was working in a factory, and he directly stuck his right hand into the machine, crushing his little finger."

"!!!"

"It was a sweatshop, so there was no need for labor arbitration; the boss could only pay to avoid disaster, and he paid 80,000 yuan to settle the problem."

"At the time, the young man told me he felt quite sorry for the boss."

"When your dad was young, he was much more ruthless than him."

Ji Xiang secretly noted down Lin Jiuze's father's words. Of course, what he remembered was just the ruthless man who crushed his little finger to pay for his mother's medical treatment; he didn't care at all about the old man saying his own father was ruthless when he was young.

"I've also encountered similar things." Ji Xiang followed the topic of Lin Jiuze's father and began to speak; the various incidents and events he encountered in the world of Empathy were quite interesting to recount at this moment.

"Uncle, do you know about the BDSM community?" Ji Xiang took a sip of wine and asked with great interest.

Lin Jiuze frowned slightly.

How did Ji Xiang get to this! He didn't expect that the thick-browed and big-eyed Ji Xiang would play so wildly.

"I've heard the girls mention it," Lin Jiuze's father said with a smile. "Why, do you like this too?"

"No, no, I met a girl in the Emergency Department who had been beaten up quite badly," Ji Xiang gossiped. "Later, I heard them talking about it; that girl was crying and cursing at the same time."

"She said that the white-collar workers in big cities in their suits and leather shoes are not human; they pretend to be a 'S' in the BDSM community, but they don't actually have any such hobbies."

"Work pressure is high, they need to decompress, so they mix into the local BDSM community, find an 'M' after work, and give them a sound beating, cursing while hitting them—'Do you have any strategic thinking at all? Do you even know what consumption downgrade is!'"

"'You don't even know business models or chaotic management, how are you going to open up the industrial chain loop?'"

"In short, every other word out of their mouths is that corporate jargon used in the workplace today. Sometimes they cry while they're hitting, even more miserably than the 'M' is crying."

"Hahaha." Lin Jiuze's father laughed up at the sky.

Lin Jiuze listened to Ji Xiang spouting nonsense, dumbfounded.

What the hell is all this.

"I am a Doctor with professional ethics, so I held back my laughter at the time, but later I saw my mother's company annual meeting, and the things said at the annual meeting... hahaha."

As Ji Xiang spoke, he also laughed out loud.

"The bosses of big internet companies are just like the 'S' in the BDSM community; this matter, it's really hard to say."

"You kid, you are quite interesting." Lin Jiuze's father drank his wine. "The hospital is indeed a window where you can see a lot of human nature. It's a pity, you all should be the third or fourth to last generation of Doctors; I'm afraid you won't be able to hear these gossips in the future."

"Hmm?" Ji Xiang was slightly startled. "Uncle, what do you mean? Doctors shouldn't disappear, right? Although the current medical environment is not good, that's only temporary."

"More than twenty years ago, everyone said that artificial intelligence couldn't defeat humans. As a result, Deep Blue appeared and beat Kasparov to a pulp. Then, humans said again, chess calculations are few, Go relies on feeling, that is unique to humans, and artificial intelligence must never get involved."

"But later on, you know too," Lin Jiuze's father said. "Ke Jie is the most talented player I have ever seen, note, the most!"

"What about Nie?"

"He can't compare to Ke Jie, and Old Nie... let's not talk about this. Ke Jie lost to AlphaGo. Artificial intelligence hadn't even started to exert its strength, and it was already a peak that humans could never touch."

"Uncle, what do you mean..."

"Do you think that the profession of Doctor is something artificial intelligence cannot get involved in?" Lin Jiuze's father asked.

"No." Ji Xiang frowned, suddenly thinking of Meng Qingfei using his phone to go online to perform a Differential Diagnosis.

If, assuming it is if, there were such a machine!

The words of Lin Jiuze's father suddenly enlightened Ji Xiang.

Some thoughts that existed in the deepest parts of the consciousness suddenly surfaced.

"Many years ago, I thought surgery would be the first to be replaced, but the reality is that diagnosis was replaced instead," the Old Man said leisurely, "However, it looks like there should still be 20 years left."

"What about after 20 years?"

"Look at the Go players today; that is the future of you doctors."

Ji Xiang wrote down the Old Man's words, preparing to ask the System NPC in the System Operating Room tonight.

"It's a pity that machines are cold, unlike a little doctor like you who is interesting."

As he spoke, the Old Man turned his head and glanced at Lin Jiuze.

When it came to being cold and strange, Lin Jiuze was the first to come to mind.

Ji Xiang smiled, "Uncle, surgery and such haven't kept up yet."

"Not necessarily," Lin Jiuze suddenly added, "Boston Scientific works closely with us. Surgical approach guidance already appeared over a decade ago, but it was time-consuming and laborious back then. Now, it's more mature and perfect; many doctors here in Massachusetts use intelligent surgical approach guidance before surgery."

"In the future, it will all be machines," the Old Man said, "But machines are extremely boring, and little fellows as interesting as you are rare."

"Let's have a drink," the Old Man raised his wine glass, happily clinked it against Ji Xiang's, and looked at Lin Jiuze with dissatisfaction, "He is just a block of wood."

"I also rarely talk to my dad when I go home," Ji Xiang laughed, "Father and son are just like that. The last time was when I asked about the Ghost Bed, and my dad talked to me very formally for once."

"That's still better than this block of wood," the Old Man looked at Lin Jiuze with dissatisfaction, "He can't even stand going for a foot massage."

"Foot massages are a good habit. You just squat over there, have someone to chat with, and it can clear the meridians. No matter how you look at it, it's a better way to kill time than other activities, and it's more comfortable."

Lin Jiuze was completely speechless regarding this "sycophant" Ji Xiang.

But after being told this by Ji Xiang, the various thoughts in Lin Jiuze's mind about "misfortune of the family" faded a lot.

With Ji Xiang intentionally keeping the conversation going, the Old Man ate the meal with great delight.

It wasn't until after nine o'clock that Ji Xiang, seeing it was getting late, suggested the Old Man rest early, and then he left.

"Doctor Ji Xiang, I didn't expect you to be this kind of person."

Lin Jiuze saw Ji Xiang off, looked into Ji Xiang's eyes, and said in a deep voice.

(End of this chapter)