Chapter 783: Those Who Do Not Empathize with Others Are People with Strong Hearts

"What do you plan to do next?" Shen Lang asked.

"What do you mean, what do I plan to do?"

Although "Self" did not understand, Ji Xiang understood Shen Lang's meaning in a split second.

Grandfather was already failing, reaching the terminal stage of dying; the three depressions sign just now was very obvious, and that feeling of being unable to catch one's breath was truly fatal.

Being alive was an ordeal for the Old Man every single second.

Although Thoracic Cavity Closed Drainage Surgery had been performed and the symptoms of dyspnea had been relieved, that was only an emergency measure, not a cure.

The key point is!

During his internship, Ji Xiang had seen many patients with terminal Lung Cancer; there was a lot of pleural effusion, and as time passed, the protein substances in the pleural effusion would solidify, forming fibrous cords.

When the pleural effusion could be drained, the lung tissue could still maintain a certain level of function, providing the body with the most basic blood-oxygen exchange.

But as the fibrosis became more severe, the symptoms of dyspnea became increasingly serious after the pleural effusion could no longer be drained.

Just like that inability to breathe from a moment ago, it would be the norm in the near future, and it would only get worse.

Even in the end, neither Thoracic Cavity Closed Drainage nor puncture would be able to solve the breathing problem.

This involved a complex dilemma.

"Sigh, haven't you seen terminal Lung Cancer patients? Is your brain full of mush, not considering the future at all?" Shen Lang puffed a cloud of smoke into "Self's" face.

"Self" fell silent.

"Let me give you a piece of advice."

"Lang Ge, go ahead," "Self" said sincerely.

Shen Lang hesitated for a moment; he didn't speak directly, but thought for a long time.

But until the end, Shen Lang still didn't say anything, just sighed deeply and patted "Self" on the shoulder, "I'm going back to sleep. If anything happens, call me directly; I live nearby."

"Lang Ge, thank you."

"Don't mention it." Shen Lang looked deeply at Ji Xiang, his gaze seemingly telling Ji Xiang that this matter should be dealt with decisively.

Because Ji Xiang was in observer mode, he did not have the ability to actively communicate with Shen Lang. He watched Shen Lang silently, savoring Shen Lang's unspoken words.

"Don't be so dejected," Shen Lang said seriously. "The overall way and principles of handling problems are just those Extreme Points. Cong Wen is a beast; why is he a beast? He knows what he's doing."

"First of all, Aortic Dissection itself is not an incurable disease; it's just because the boss was old, and he didn't want to suffer himself, so he chose to leave peacefully. Anyway, at the time, I felt it was better to respect the boss's wishes; Cong Wen was being a bit meddlesome."

When Shen Lang reached this point, he felt it was particularly boring and sighed deeply, "I won't say any more. You know it all; it's meaningless for me to say more."

Watching Shen Lang's departing back, "Self" fell into deep thought.

Cigarette after cigarette was smoked; Ji Xiang even felt the entire room had been smoked blue.

Until the sky began to brighten, "Self" seemed to have made up his mind, put on his White Uniform, and walked out of the Duty Room.

Morphine, 5mg intravenous injection.

Improving Heart Failure, combined with sedation, the Old Man finally fell into a deep sleep under the influence of the medication.

Looking at the red pleural effusion in the Chest Bottle, looking at Grandfather's sleeping face, everyone knew that nothing could be done.

From then on, "Self" asked for leave directly from Department Head Zhou and stayed by the hospital bed the whole time.

Whenever symptoms like dyspnea or rapid heart rate appeared, he would provide the same treatment.

Compared to the situation before him, those things he encountered during Empathy were nothing at all; Ji Xiang compared them carefully, and his mindset was gradually reversed.

Both Shen Lang's meaning and "Self's" final actions were extremely similar to the story Shen Lang told about the boss's end.

Although that matter was stopped by Department Head Zhou and resolved satisfactorily, in essence, it was the same.

Every time he saw Grandfather's state and connected it to his own "loss of composure" while performing surgery earlier, Ji Xiang's heart gradually calmed.

Compared to the life-and-death separation before him, everything he had experienced in previous Empathy sessions was not worth mentioning.

A week later, the Old Man left peacefully; Ji Xiang knew it was not a death caused by the disease. If it were just Lung Cancer, with active treatment, Grandfather might have been able to live for a while longer.

But this kind of living had no quality of life; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it lingering on in a steadily worsening condition.

And this was a lingering on with no hope in sight and no future to see.

Whether what "Self" did was right, Ji Xiang did not understand.

At the moment the Old Man's Electrocardiogram went flat, Ji Xiang had an epiphany.

Before he had time to feel the emotions in "Self's" heart, light flashed before his eyes, and he returned directly to the System Operating Room.

"Teacher, I'm back," Ji Xiang said steadily.

One event, one instance of Empathy, and Ji Xiang seemed to have grown up overnight.

"Hmm, have you figured it out?" the system NPC asked.

"Teacher, I have a question," Ji Xiang looked into the system NPC's eyes and asked seriously.

"Speak."

"If it were you who developed Aortic Dissection and chose to leave peacefully, would Zhou Jiaoshou have gone against your wishes after you used the 'milk'?" Ji Xiang asked.

"Yes."

"How should I view this matter?" Ji Xiang asked a very strange question.

How should I view it? The system NPC seemed to be amused by this question; he looked at Ji Xiang with particular kindness.

Ji Xiang did not avoid it, meeting the system NPC's gaze.

"The matter isn't that complicated. I knew what Zhou Congwen meant; if the surgery were successful, I could live. If I died, I would die on the operating table, under full Anesthesia, and wouldn't suffer," the system NPC explained with a smile. "In short, he could fight for a chance."

So that was it!

It was he who had overcomplicated it; Ji Xiang suddenly realized.

"By the time I reached that point, I had eaten and seen enough in my life, traveled across the country, seen all the mountains and rivers; I really couldn't think of any regrets. If there were any, they weren't things my personal ability could reach."

"My name is in the textbooks, there are surgical procedures named after me on the operating table, and I have saved countless lives in my lifetime; I left very calmly, with no regrets."

"!!!" Ji Xiang's overflowing passion was ignited by the system NPC's few words, and it began to boil.

"Are you ready?" The system NPC no longer spoke of itself, but returned to Ji Xiang.

"Seems like it." Ji Xiang grinned, flexed his fingers, and performed a suturing motion.

Everything was under control!

During this experience of Empathy, after more than a week of observation and reflection, he had untied the knot in his heart.

"Teacher, I have another question," Ji Xiang said. "Lang Ge said that those who do not empathize with others are the ones with strong hearts."

"But the system set up the Empathy system, isn't it for the purpose of letting the Doctor empathize with the Patient?"

"Heh." The system NPC smiled slightly. "First of all, everything moves in a spiral; there are advantages and disadvantages."

"The so-called: seeing a mountain as a mountain, seeing a mountain not as a mountain, and seeing a mountain as a mountain again."

Uh...

Ji Xiang was slightly stunned.

Ji Xiang used to think this kind of Zen-like talk was nonsense.

But having experienced it personally, combined with the inner torment that even reached the point of being unable to perform surgery, looking back at this sentence now, he had a brand-new understanding.

"Roughly so, you didn't understand it wrong," the system NPC said. "But the system's Empathy doesn't work the way you think. Letting you feel the joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness of the Patient and the Family Member is just a byproduct."

"Then what is the original purpose?"

The system NPC laughed, his hunched back straightening slightly, and he waved his hand.

Ji Xiang immediately returned to reality.

Holding the Needle Holder in his hand, a small hand wearing a sterile glove was reaching over.

Tang Yan gently patted the back of Ji Xiang's hand to show comfort, telling Ji Xiang to try not to be nervous and to complete the surgery smoothly.

"Hmm?" Ji Xiang looked up at Tang Yan.

"Nervous? I see you usually perform surgery quite well; why don't you just crack a joke to relax a bit?" Tang Yan narrowed her eyes and whispered to comfort Ji Xiang.

Lin Jiuze, who was performing the Angiography, cast a surprised look; he stared at Ji Xiang, as if trying to find an answer from him.

"I'm fine, I'm just good at surgery, my joking skills aren't that great." Ji Xiang took a deep breath and began suturing.

Tang Yan's mask moved, as if she were pouting.

Ji Xiang started joking, and the speed was incredibly fast, yet he actually claimed his joking skills weren't good.

The hand that had been shaking just a moment ago had returned to normal; Ji Xiang's movements were smooth and comfortable, and even just watching, one could perceive a beautiful rhythm.

"Young man, don't rush, take your time," the Circulating Nurse watched the surgery from afar and also comforted Ji Xiang.

"Sister, thank you," Ji Xiang smiled.

"Ji Xiang, you should still say something; I always feel like you're too nervous," Tang Yan said.

Ji Xiang looked up at the Angiography image; the Eagle Eye skill had already been activated.

"My mom carries photos of her and my dad when they were young, and every time she encounters difficulties, she takes them out to look at them."

"Your parents' relationship is really good." Although Tang Yan didn't know why Ji Xiang was saying this, she still followed along with Ji Xiang's words.

It was visibly obvious that Ji Xiang was acting abnormally today, so it was best not to add more pressure to him at this moment.

After all, both emotionally and rationally, one should take care of Ji Xiang.

Emotionally, as comrades in the same medical team who had performed so many surgeries together, comfort was expected.

Rationally, the high surgical fee for Wembanyama was not a small amount; one shouldn't let a single mistake affect the earnings!

"Oh, it's not what you think." Ji Xiang began suturing again, his hand speed neither fast nor slow, everything just right.

"My mom told me that whenever she encounters difficulties, as long as she looks at this photo, she can gain motivation and comfort."

"Because my mom knows..."

"If she has a way to live with this madman for over 20 years, she definitely has the ability to handle anything!"

"F*ck!" Tang Yan didn't expect such a reversal and accidentally cursed out loud.

"My dad is indeed..." Ji Xiang said while suturing, "Like when I was in school, he registered a fake account pretending to be a girl to cyber-date me. I've never seen any parent do such a thing; it's simply too much."

"How did you survive it?" Tang Yan felt like Ji Xiang was a pure lamb trembling in the clutches of a demon.

"No need to survive it; my dad said he wanted me to experience the beatings of society in advance. Rather than letting others beat his son, he might as well do it himself."

"!!!"

"!!!"

"!!!"

This kind of bizarre educational philosophy left not only Tang Yan, but also the Director Liu behind her and the Attending Professor dumbfounded.

They had never heard of such a way of raising children.

Deng Chaohong pretended to be busy; performing as the surgeon required extremely profound acting skills. He did trivial work, leaving the focus to Ji Xiang.

This surgical procedure was simply too difficult; Deng Chaohong had never understood how it should be done.

"Later, before I graduated, I wanted to start a business. Do you know what my dad said?"

"Start a business? Do you have money?" Tang Yan asked.

"I have a family fund, and my mom can also sponsor me a little."

"How much is a little?"

"Not much, but my dad didn't agree," Ji Xiang said while working.

Lin Jiuze could clearly perceive the change in Ji Xiang before and after that 0.5-second "stare."

Before, Ji Xiang was inexplicably nervous.

After, Ji Xiang looked like he was chatting and talking nonsense, but in fact, he had recovered that feeling of having everything under control.

It was truly strange; Lin Jiuze looked at Ji Xiang carefully, but in the end, he couldn't see any clues.

"Why didn't he agree? I heard that the most wasteful way for a rich second generation to spend money is starting a business, though it seems your parents don't care about that little bit of money."

"I told my dad that there are plenty of opportunities in the market, for example, the internet, Bitcoin, buying property, Taobao, cross-border e-commerce, and so on."

"Yeah, what did your dad say?"

"My dad said that I also missed out on the opportunities to lose my entire fortune, like E-Zu-Bao, Ofo, Tron, LeEco, P2P, and so on."

"Ha."

"My dad told me a lot, gave countless examples, and in the end, he said that for someone like me with a 'dumbass' mindset—only seeing people eat meat but not seeing the thief get beaten—especially the idea that if I don't pick up money when I go out, I'm losing it, my mentality would collapse very quickly if I ever tried to start a business."

"It seems... what your dad said makes some sense."

"Of course, look at the second son of the Lao Li family, how is he? The information he has is top-tier. At the very beginning, he was successful and hailed as a 'Little Superman' or something, bought real estate in Ginza, but in the end, wasn't it his dad who bailed him out?"

"Young Master Wang was also riding high at the start, but later on, it was his mom who bailed him out."

"My dad said, as long as you don't start a business, you'll avoid 10 years of taking the long way around."

"Hahaha, are you going to apply to be a security guard?" Tang Yan asked with a smile, "It's not very hard to find a position in our hospital's security department; you won't take the long way around for your whole life."

Ji Xiang finished the surgery while spouting nonsense.

He felt a bit regretful; when he was buying cigarettes for the System NPC in the System Mall, he had actually seen a Restoration Potion.

He estimated that if it were diluted and used for irrigation, Li Muzhi could stand up right after the surgery and run for everyone to see.

If that were the case, it would indeed be great, but it was beyond this era.

The System NPC wouldn't do it either.

Ji Xiang felt a bit of pity.

But this type of surgical procedure itself seemed to transcend the era, it was just that the effect wasn't as obvious as the potion.

He also didn't know when he would be able to unlock the usage permissions for the potion.

Ji Xiang estimated that it would never be possible in his lifetime.

"Professor Deng, is there some special reasoning behind the position of your suturing?" Director Liu asked in a low voice from behind, looking puzzled.

Deng Chaohong sighed deeply in his heart, feeling somewhat frustrated.

The possibility of performing a perfect show on the operating table was not very high.

After all, those watching the surgery were not people who knew nothing about medicine, but old veterans who had been grinding away in the operating room for decades.

He had already tried his best, and coupled with Ji Xiang's strange actions earlier, which drew attention, the possibility of hiding it was not high.

Deng Chaohong did not suspect that Ji Xiang was intentionally trying to embarrass him; he understood Ji Xiang.

Facing Director Liu's question, Deng Chaohong did not answer, but instead proceeded step-by-step with the Double Needle Suture with Ji Xiang.

There wasn't much of the Achilles Tendon Repair left to suture, and the surgery ended within 10 minutes.

After finishing the tendon, Deng Chaohong glanced at Ji Xiang, turned around and left the operating table, leaving Ji Xiang responsible for suturing the skin.

This was also something a junior Doctor had to do.

"Professor Deng, I didn't understand the surgery." Director Liu said bluntly.

Deng Chaohong smiled; wasn't it expected that he wouldn't understand? He had followed dozens of similar surgeries and still didn't understand it now.

"The surgery is actually not difficult; there is a small amount of capillary blood supply in the Achilles tendon."

Deng Chaohong began to explain the relevant content to Director Liu.

Deng Chaohong couldn't perform the surgery himself, but he knew every one of Ji Xiang's scientific research articles by heart. At this moment, he brought them all out and spoke with great authority.

Director Liu was a bit dazed listening to him.

"Professor Deng, why did you let your assistant perform the suturing at the beginning? Your assistant's level doesn't seem very high." The Attending Professor beside Director Liu asked.

"Xiao Ji? His level isn't very high?" Deng Chaohong smiled, "Qin, from Shanghai Hepatobiliary Hospital, wanted to take Xiao Ji as a Closed-door disciple last year."

Hearing this gossip, the pupils of both Director Liu and the Attending Professor shrank almost simultaneously to the size of pinpricks.

Everyone had heard rumors about Qin from Shanghai Hepatobiliary Hospital, but since it was kept under wraps, what everyone heard were just fragmented, piecemeal bits, and they were too psychedelic to be believed.

But who Qin Chu was, and what his current state was, everyone saw clearly.

Director Liu suddenly became curious.

"Professor Deng, this way please." Director Liu very politely invited Deng Chaohong to the changing room, preparing to ask in detail.

Only then did Deng Chaohong breathe a sigh of relief.

Xiao Ji had so many stories; just taking one or two out was enough to prove that what he did was correct.

They left, Lin Jiuze and Zhao Zhe finished the Angiography, Zhao Zhe applied pressure to stop the bleeding, and Lin Jiuze came up behind Ji Xiang.

"Doctor Ji Xiang, what happened to you just now?" Lin Jiuze asked very seriously, "Why did I feel that your initial psychological pressure was a bit high, to the point that the surgery went out of shape?"

Facing Lin Jiuze's question, Ji Xiang did not avoid the topic.

"I've talked with Neymar," Ji Xiang said, "Athletes, their psychological states are all similar, wanting to achieve results. Although Li Muzhi and Neymar have a world of difference in fame and status, the longing for results deep in their hearts is the same."

"I was also moved by Neymar's emotions; I didn't feel anything at the time, until I faced Li Muzhi, which triggered that kind of mindset."

Ji Xiang described it simply, half-true and half-false.

Lin Jiuze sighed, "Being too sensitive is not suitable for being a Doctor."

"Hehe, 'seeing a mountain is not a mountain, seeing a mountain is still a mountain'." Ji Xiang quoted the System NPC's words to Lin Jiuze.

Lin Jiuze was stunned for a moment.

"The surgery is done, Doctor Zhao."

"Mm, I'm here." Zhao Zhe replied honestly.

"Explain the details of post-operative recovery to them. They are all professional athletes; they should have their own set of things."

"Should be, I'll go talk to them." Zhao Zhe replied.

The post-operative treatment effect would take some time to show, and Ji Xiang didn't dream of using the potions from the System Mall on Li Muzhi.

After sending Li Muzhi back, Ji Xiang finally let out a long breath.

Recalling the various things that happened during the surgery, Ji Xiang still felt like he had had a dream.

Being unable to perform surgery is a joke, yet this joke has happened to him.

This experience made Ji Xiang clearly feel that he had grown.

Perhaps this is the growing pain one must experience to mature. Fortunately, the surgery was not delayed; if he were really like the doctor mentioned by the system NPC who had an Anastomotic Leakage while performing Esophageal Cancer surgery and kept having one accident after another, Ji Xiang didn't know if he could withstand such a blow.

As long as it's over, it's fine.

After the surgery was finished, Ji Xiang was not interested in the polite formalities of the local hospital; he and Lin Jiuze were absent from dinner that night.

If Ji Xiang had a choice, he would rather go keep Meng Qingfei company on duty.

The next day, the medical team took a flight back to the Provincial Hospital.

After getting off the plane, when exiting the terminal, Ji Xiang saw Bai Chuzhang standing at the arrival gate to greet him.

"Bai Chuzhang, why are you here?" Ji Xiang was somewhat surprised.

"Professor Ji has returned from a Flying Knife, isn't it only right that I come to pick you up?"

"..." Ji Xiang broke into a sweat, feeling somewhat at a loss.

He understood Bai Chuzhang and knew deeply how terrifying this person was.

Although Ji Xiang was not afraid, he did not want to provoke this person. Did he do something wrong? Ji Xiang immediately began to recall.

"An Expert contacted the hospital, and the Dean threw it to me." Bai Chuzhang only joked for a moment, then immediately said, "Dr. Merz, an Expert in Sports Medicine, do you know anything about him?"

Ji Xiang shook his head.

Lin Jiuze's brows, however, locked together.

Bai Chuzhang noticed the change in Lin Jiuze's expression out of the corner of his eye; he looked down at the ground and asked, "Professor Lin, do you know him?"

"Yes, when Massachusetts General Hospital hired me last year, Dr. Merz cast a dissenting vote."

"Oh." Bai Chuzhang suddenly understood why.

Wherever there are people, there is a world of conflict; it's just that the rules of the world are a bit different.

"The first surgery Wembanyama had in Boston was likely performed by someone related to Dr. Merz, so they expressed their lack of understanding regarding Wembanyama coming to the Provincial Hospital for a second surgery."

Lin Jiuze spoke politely, but Bai Chuzhang immediately realized what had happened.

"So that's how it is. Professor Lin, what is Dr. Merz's level of skill?"

"Quite high. Their medical team belongs to the top-tier Sports Medicine group in Massachusetts. Because of a conflict regarding my hiring and that of a doctor from the imaging department, there were some minor frictions."

Minor frictions?

Although Lin Jiuze said it lightly, Bai Chuzhang knew all too well what kind of bloody storm lay between them.

In almost every department of every hospital in the country, the hiring of every department director and every Attending Professor has a similar story; it's just that the protagonists of the stories are different, and the intensity of the struggle varies.

Bai Chuzhang knew of the most brutal instance, where two candidates for department director directly came to blows, and one of them was beaten into a cerebral hemorrhage, leaving them with a lifelong disability.

As for the consequences... it's a long story.

Even now, Bai Chuzhang hasn't figured out how the person who beat the other into injury escaped imprisonment and successfully became the director.

Given the medical standards of Massachusetts General Hospital, it is estimated that the level of bloodshed in their professor hiring is not at all inferior to that in the country, and perhaps even worse.

It seems they have encountered trouble.