Chapter 803: Greasy

"Softening the light, blending with the dust"—Ji Xiang found it very difficult to understand the meaning of this phrase.

A matter so absurd and peerless—something Ji Xiang would never believe no matter who told him—had actually occurred, causing his worldview to waver somewhat.

It was just a simple refund, yet the result of the Dean holding a meeting with the Department Heads was actually to have the Family Member go to the city to file a complaint against the hospital, and finally, go through the compensation process.

This result made Ji Xiang feel regret.

What were they raised on?

They couldn't even handle a trivial matter like a refund; no wonder Meng Laoshi said the hospital was just a big, broken ship. If you didn't push it and let it drift, it could still move; but once you tried to use force to ride the wind and break the waves, the ship might fall apart.

"In your condition, I suggest hospitalization for surgery," Meng Qingfei's voice came over.

Ji Xiang focused, pondering how the situation he encountered seemed vastly different from reality. Originally, he had wanted to experience the mindset of a Patient who didn't care about Acute Appendicitis and would eventually drag it out until Perforation and Peritonitis without agreeing to be hospitalized.

But he hadn't expected this!

Now what? What should he do?

Ji Xiang looked at Meng Qingfei, at a loss.

"I'm not staying in the hospital," the young girl said, "Doctor, just put me on an IV for two days. It's a small ailment; there's no need to be hospitalized."

"Do you know how serious your illness is!" Seeing the Patient didn't take it to heart at all and thought it was just a minor ailment, Meng Qingfei asked sternly.

"But I have classes to attend, Doctor. I really don't have time to be hospitalized," the Patient said, barely brushing him off.

"Lie down, let me examine you again," Meng Qingfei said.

Ji Xiang noticed that after Meng Qingfei, Meng Laoshi, finished speaking, a look of distrust appeared in the young girl's eyes, even some hostility.

Meng Qingfei also noticed this; he acted as if he hadn't said anything after speaking and turned to find Ji Xiang.

"Xiao Ji, come here."

"Meng Laoshi, what is it?"

Meng Qingfei hesitated for a moment; he felt a bit embarrassed and also a bit troubled.

He didn't hide any of it; it was clearly written on his face.

But it didn't take long before Meng Qingfei smiled, "Ask Bai Chuzhang for a favor?"

While speaking, Meng Qingfei rubbed his hands on the back of his White Uniform, as if he had just washed his hands and was wiping them dry on the uniform.

Making such a request, Meng Qingfei also felt very embarrassed.

"???" Ji Xiang was full of question marks.

"The Patient is from the university next door. Ask if Bai Chuzhang knows the phone number of their Teaching Director. If possible, find the Teaching Director and talk to them."

Although Ji Xiang was full of doubts, he did not question it and immediately dialed Bai Chuzhang's number to explain the situation.

"So that's how it is," Bai Chuzhang said, "Fine, send me the Patient's name and other information."

After Meng Qingfei sent the information to Bai Chuzhang and turned back to find the Patient, he found that she had already left, hunched over and moving slowly with a face full of displeasure.

Regarding this type of stubborn Patient, Meng Qingfei did not stop her.

He had said it many times; he was afraid that stopping her further would cause other issues.

Before Ji Xiang could ask, another carload of Patients who had drunk too much and gotten into an argument and fight while eating barbecue arrived.

A dozen or so people were disheveled; the big man leading them kept wailing and muttering something, which Ji Xiang couldn't hear clearly.

Treat them, what else could he do.

For the dozen or so Patients, those who needed Suturing got Sutured, those who needed examinations got examined, and afterward, there was Tetanus and writing Medical Records; in short, there was plenty to be busy with.

Similar situations usually involved the police, so the Medical Record had to be written carefully. After Ji Xiang finished Suturing several Patients covered in blood and filth, he focused on writing the Medical Records.

Just as he finished, a man around forty years old, wearing glasses, stood at the door of the Consultation Room and knocked.

"Hello, may I ask who is Doctor Meng?"

"I am." Seeing the man and the girl behind him, Meng Qingfei finally showed a relaxed expression on his face.

"I am from the Agricultural University..." the man began to introduce himself, then glared sternly at the Patient behind him, "Sorry, the child is ignorant and has caused you trouble."

"It's fine." Meng Qingfei wrote out the hospitalization notice, handed it to the bespectacled man, and then gave him a look.

The bespectacled man understood and, while pushing the wheelchair for the examination, found Meng Qingfei alone.

It is truly convenient to deal with someone who understands, Ji Xiang smiled.

"The Patient's condition is very serious; there is a small probability that she will need to enter the ICU after surgery," Meng Qingfei said sternly.

The bespectacled man immediately became nervous.

"I suggest calling the student's parents. I will provide you with the specific Medical Record in a moment. If you need anything else, you can come directly to me."

"Okay." The Teaching Director was a bit dazed and responded in a low voice.

Entering the ICU, life in critical condition—to him, this was indeed a major matter, a huge matter.

He looked at Meng Qingfei with great gratitude, because he knew that if he hadn't known about this, and something had happened to the student when she went back, he would have been one of the scapegoats.

But now, everything was still within a controllable range.

"30 minutes, you take the Patient to be hospitalized first, and come to me to get the Medical Record after everything is handled."

After giving all the instructions, Meng Qingfei watched the bespectacled man push the Patient to be hospitalized, and Meng Qingfei finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Ji Xiang had one more Medical Record to write. After he finished, the bespectacled man hadn't come back down yet, so Ji Xiang took this opportunity to pull Meng Qingfei aside to get to the bottom of it.

"Meng Laoshi, do you often call Bai Chuzhang to solve difficult problems?" Ji Xiang asked with doubt.

"Of course not," Meng Qingfei laughed, "Before you came, I couldn't reach Bai Chuzhang; they wouldn't even answer if they saw it was my call."

"..." Ji Xiang felt that Meng Laoshi's words were a bit exaggerated.

"Isn't it because I'm going to the Medical Affairs Department too? It's just convenient to familiarize myself with the work in advance," Meng Qingfei looked at Ji Xiang with a smile.

"Then how did you handle similar Patients before?"

"Write an Informed Consent Form, signed in duplicate," Meng Qingfei said, "The Patient is stubborn and does not recognize my diagnosis or treatment method; if something happens later, we have something to absolve ourselves of responsibility. But, although doing this avoids responsibility, there is always some regret in one's heart."

Ji Xiang knew where Meng Qingfei's regret lay.

The Patient heard from somewhere that appendicitis can be treated with anti-inflammatory medication and doesn't require surgery, that it isn't serious, and she is insisting on it.

Yet she doesn't know that once an appendiceal perforation occurs and the abdomen is full of feces, infection-induced toxic shock is a major illness that requires the ICU.

"Xiao Ji, let me ask you, why do you think the Patient insists on not having surgery?"

Ji Xiang shakes his head.

"One day I was on emergency duty, and a man came in. He asked me how many scars his girlfriend had on her stomach and what kind of surgeries she had actually undergone."

"???"

"He was afraid his girlfriend had previously had a C-section or something, and besides that... all sorts of messy surgeries."

Ji Xiang understands partially, but he does not ask.

"That is just one possibility. Theoretically, a university student should have a correct understanding of appendicitis. Perhaps she is afraid of pain? Afraid of the knife? Afraid of blood? It's hard to say."

Meng Laoshi says this while stretching, looking relaxed.

"It's fine now."

"Meng Laoshi." Ji Xiang brings the topic back, "How did you know that Bai Chuzhang knows the Teaching Director next door?"

Meng Laoshi looks at Ji Xiang as if looking at a monster, his gaze complex.

Ji Xiang scratches his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Sigh." Meng Laoshi shakes his head, "Xiao Ji, some things are just quite meaningless to talk about. For example, do you know how much influence Bai Chuzhang has?"

"I don't know."

"Let's put it this way: there was once a Nurse in the Pediatrics Department who was beaten by someone and left with sequelae. The hospital just kept her on, what else could they do? You tell me."

Ji Xiang nods.

"At that time, Bai Chuzhang had just arrived at the hospital and was still a junior Doctor. He didn't know the Nurse, he just heard about it. It was the year before last or last year, the Nurse's son was taking the civil service exam, and after passing the written test, he reached the interview stage."

"Bai Chuzhang arranged the follow-up for him."

"If the kid is capable, he'll probably be promoted to a deputy section-level position in 5 years, and after that, it will depend on his own fortune."

"That powerful? Is it because of the Northeast?" Ji Xiang asks.

Meng Laoshi glances at Ji Xiang, "You think only the Northeast is like this? Are you kidding me?"

"For example?"

"For example, you."

"..." Ji Xiang feels ashamed.

"For example, the former director of the Neurosurgery Department had a special relationship with a certain big shot in the Imperial Capital, addressing each other as master and disciple. Once, he invited the big shot to perform an Aneurysm Surgery. The surgery was successful, and while eating, the director received a phone call; his niece had passed the civil service exam in Shanghai and wanted to know if she could go to a better department."

"As a result, one phone call from Ran settled it."

Ji Xiang scratches his head; he remembers the kind of things he experienced during Empathy.

The whole hospital held a meeting, but the final conclusion was to let himself go to the city to file a complaint against the hospital, and then the hospital would provide compensation.

The origin of the world must be absurd, Ji Xiang thinks.

"Let's not talk about that. Bai Chuzhang can lower the difficulty of many things within the hospital. Basically, things that are hell-level difficulty are only A-level difficulty in his eyes."

"A few years ago, when the director of the Department of Glandular Surgery had just taken office..." Meng Laoshi says this and looks at Ji Xiang seriously, "Xiao Ji, let me ask you, if you become a director in the future, who is the first relationship you will build in the hospital?"

"It would be the Medical Affairs Department, definitely the Medical Affairs Department and the relevant Vice President." Ji Xiang gives a definite answer.

The image of that short, chubby man also appears before Ji Xiang's eyes. In Empathy, did the Director of Medical Affairs have the ability to solve his problem?

He should have, it's just that he doesn't know why he wasn't willing to do so.

No matter how big the trouble gets, the Medical Affairs Department is a clean office, so nothing will happen to them. Perhaps, the short, chubby man was secretly fueling the flames.

Thinking of this, Ji Xiang's train of thought opens up instantly; the more he ponders that short, chubby man, the more capable he seems.

"Right, it is the Medical Affairs Department." Meng Laoshi's words interrupt Ji Xiang's train of thought, "The director of the Department of Glandular Surgery had just taken office and encountered 3 Medical Disputes, including a major nosocomial infection event."

"In the end? They were all smoothed over by Bai Chuzhang. At that time, Bai Chuzhang took people to inspect the Department of Glandular Surgery, which was actually to endorse the new director, telling the dishonest and restless Attending Professors, 'This is my person, Lao Bai's person, don't you mess around.'"

"A county magistrate is not as effective as the current administrator; that is probably the logic." Meng Laoshi summarizes.

"What about the Dean?" Ji Xiang asks.

"Heh, the Dean and Vice President level will indeed help say a word, but what do you do if the Medical Affairs Department refuses to accept it? You don't even need to express an attitude directly; just being a few minutes slower when handling things is enough." Meng Laoshi laughs.

Ji Xiang now has a personal understanding of everything he experienced during Empathy.

"Everything follows the normal procedure, and no faults can be picked out, but things just cannot be pushed forward. Isn't that infuriating?" Meng Laoshi looks at Ji Xiang playfully and says.

"It is." Ji Xiang is thoughtful.

"For the Patient just now, assuming it was 2 years ago, before I met you and wasn't familiar with Bai Chuzhang, I would definitely have her sign two words and press a fingerprint. The Patient keeps one, I keep one. The signed form must be locked in a cabinet for at least 1 year."

"Meng Laoshi, have you encountered a similar situation?" Ji Xiang asks vaguely, but Meng Laoshi understands what he means.

"I have." Meng Laoshi nods, "A few years ago, I met an old gentleman, about 60 years old. He was walking past our hospital at night and, because he felt uncomfortable, he stopped by to get a check-up, mainly wanting to get some medicine."

"He had a mass on his back with poor mobility. I suspected it was a Tumor, or even more likely a Metastatic Tumor. At that time, I wanted the old gentleman to have an examination, but he refused and demanded medicine."

"What gave me a headache was that the more I said, the more he felt I was a black-hearted Doctor, similar to the student's thinking today."

"I think he just wanted to get medicine, but felt it was a bit of a loss to register just to get medicine, so he stopped by to see me."

"..."

Ji Xiang looks at Meng Laoshi helplessly.

Encountering a similar situation is indeed very troublesome.

"At that time, I had no other choice but to write a detailed explanation of the condition and have the Patient sign it himself—refusing further examination for personal reasons, and taking responsibility for all consequences."

"And then?" Ji Xiang asks.

"About 3 months later, the Patient's son came to the door. At first, he was a bit angry, pointing at my nose while talking. Although he hadn't cursed or made a move, it looked like he was about to do something."

"I had no choice but to open the cabinet, take out the signed form, and show it to him. After seeing the signed form and the fingerprint on it, the Family Member stopped talking and turned around to leave."

Ji Xiang spreads his hands.

"From now on, whenever I encounter a similar situation, I will photocopy the signed forms. I'll only hand out copies and keep the originals well hidden. Be careful, and you won't make any major mistakes."

"If I hadn't been able to produce the solid proof that the old gentleman refused the examination back then, do you believe I would have been 'hammered'?"

"I believe it." Ji Xiang sighed. "Meng Laoshi, it really is quite difficult."

"No, no, no." Meng Qingfei smiled slightly. "The lesson that incident taught me is—if you encounter such patients, finding a way to resolve and communicate without delaying treatment is the best outcome."

"???" Ji Xiang was full of question marks.

"Take today for example. If the patient had gone back, they would have developed Infection-induced Toxic Shock before long. If Bai Chuzhang hadn't mediated, what do you think would have happened?" Meng Qingfei asked.

"The patient probably would have been very hard to save."

"Right." Meng Qingfei's eyes shone as he said softly, "Although avoiding trouble is the priority, provided that a clear diagnosis can be made, one should still try their best to provide a clear diagnosis and treatment. We are doctors, after all, here to heal the sick and save lives."

"Ha."

That was well said.

Ji Xiang immediately recalled the time he couldn't even get a refund and was kicked around like a ball.

Without experiencing it personally, one truly cannot feel how difficult it is to be a Patient.

Thinking of Bai Chuzhang, Ji Xiang felt more and more that the short, fat Wei Chuzhang in the Empathy simulation had a problem.

He most likely knew how to handle the matter.

But since the intelligent system was made by a domestic tech company without borders and used in Clinical practice, he had long been critical of it, so he appeared to be putting out the fire on the surface while secretly inciting him to do something.

As for how it was finally resolved and what the little short, fat man's psychological state was, Ji Xiang did not know.

But that person was definitely not simple, and was deliberately causing trouble.

"Everyone benefited from today's events." Meng Qingfei smiled, reached out, and held up one finger. "First, we didn't have to face the tragic scene of parents wailing after a patient passes away—the white-haired sending off the black-haired. Although it has nothing to do with you or me, and everything that needed to be said was said, and the evidence was preserved, it's better not to see it if you can avoid it."

Ji Xiang nodded.

"Second, the school's Teaching Director doesn't want students to have accidents either; after all, there are management loopholes, which can be big or small."

"Third, Bai Chuzhang used this matter to do a favor for the Teaching Director, and if we meet again in the future, it will be a good connection."

"Meng Laoshi, does anyone say that doing things this way is very 'greasy'?" Ji Xiang asked.

"Pfft." Meng Qingfei didn't mind Ji Xiang's "offense." He smiled. "What's wrong with being greasy? Must one always be dressed in fine clothes and riding a fast horse, wielding a sword to the ends of the earth? I'd like to, but reality doesn't allow it."

"From another perspective, the oil in 'greasy' is also a lubricant..."

Having said this, Meng Qingfei glanced at Ji Xiang.

"I haven't been corrupted by the Urology Department," Ji Xiang said.

Meng Qingfei continued, "In daily work, whether facing colleagues, patients, or Family Members, they are all people. As long as there are people, there will be all kinds of bumps and friction. A little more lubricant makes things easier for everyone."

"Then I understand," Ji Xiang said respectfully.

Indeed, he didn't feel there was anything wrong with being greasy itself; coming from Meng Qingfei's mouth, it even seemed to become a merit.

"With today's matter, the patient lived, Bai Chuzhang earned honor points at the university next door, and we have a clear conscience. Isn't it all quite good?" Meng Qingfei said. "What do you think, Xiao Ji?"

Ji Xiang smiled; it was indeed so.

If they had followed the style of handling things in the Empathy simulation, the patient would likely have lost their life.

"By the way, Xiao Ji, I always feel that Bai Chuzhang acts a bit too hastily. For your qualifications, applying for the Outstanding Youth... it's more appropriate to go for the Green Seedling Plan. Young man, don't be anxious, take it slow."

"Meng Laoshi, my conditions seem to be almost met."

"???" Meng Qingfei was stunned.

Ji Xiang briefly told Meng Qingfei about his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Massachusetts General Hospital and the research center, and Meng Qingfei's jaw almost dropped in shock.

The little Standardized Training Student who had been keeping him company on night shifts was actually about to become a Doctor of Philosophy?!

And it was a degree from Harvard Medical School, a double doctorate at that.

Emmmm, people are indeed different.

Meng Qingfei sighed. "Then I overthought it. I recently studied your hard metrics and thought the Green Seedling was more suitable. I didn't expect, I didn't expect... I didn't expect."

He said "I didn't expect" three times in a row.

"Heh." Ji Xiang felt a bit embarrassed, but more than that, he felt a sense of pride in front of a teacher he was familiar with.

"Actually, it's best to go to Peking Union Medical College Hospital. It's the most convenient place to apply for and pass the medical Outstanding Youth. However, with a double doctorate from Harvard Medical School and a workstation and project team, it shouldn't be a problem."

A Nurse called for Meng Qingfei outside, and he and Ji Xiang stopped chatting and ran out to get busy.

The night in the Emergency Department is just like this—messy, leaving one not a moment of leisure.

……

……

Zhou Tianbo and Wei Fusi were drinking.

After returning to the Imperial Capital, Zhou Tianbo was no longer as busy as before and was preparing various materials for the Outstanding Youth selection.

"Tianbo, I wish I had your thorough preparation," Wei Fusi said, feeling very depressed.

"Don't say that. I checked, and there are still enough spots," Zhou Tianbo said with a chuckle.

In fact, Zhou Tianbo had prepared for the Outstanding Youth for at least two and a half years, while Wei Fusi was cramming at the last minute; the gap between the two was huge.

It's just that this couldn't be said to Wei Fusi's face.

"By the way, Tianbo, you now have the reputation of 'Miracle Hands Rejuvenating the Spring'."

"Ah?"

Wei Fusi seemed to be joking, his eyes flickering. "I'm truly envious. So many patients come looking for you; you have more surgeries than you can finish."

Zhou Tianbo smiled; it wasn't something he had achieved through steady, hard work.

"Do you have Prostatic Hypertrophy?" Wei Fusi suddenly asked.

"???" Zhou Tianbo was full of question marks.

"You always urinate on your hands, 'Urinate-on-hand Rejuvenating the Spring'," Wei Fusi said, then laughed out loud.

Zhou Tianbo sighed; he knew Wei Fusi very well. When they were in the Provincial Hospital, Wei Fusi was always a bit impatient in his work. After being retorted by Ji Xiang a few times, he hadn't restrained his jealousy toward him at all since returning.

This person, it's no wonder his teacher doesn't pay much attention to him usually.

"Tianbo, do you think I have a chance this year?" Wei Fusi didn't realize he had offended anyone; he frowned and asked.

"I think you have a chance." Zhou Tianbo was still honest; he said sincerely, "I've studied everyone who has a chance this year, and I think you have a chance."

Wei Fusi's eyes lit up, "Really!"

"Really, but..."

"But what?" Wei Fusi asked.

"There is a dark horse, have you noticed?"

"Who?"

"Ji Xiang from the Second Affiliated Hospital. When I was at the First Affiliated Hospital, I heard people saying the Second Hospital was messing around, preparing to let a Standardized Training Doctor participate in the selection for the Outstanding Youth Fund. I came into contact with Ji Xiang early on; I met him around the time he first started his Standardized Residency Training at the Second Affiliated Hospital."

A look of disdain appeared in Wei Fusi's eyes.

"Listen to me, if it were someone else, your qualifications would be sufficient, and you could at least put up a fight. If it's Ji Xiang... it's really not certain."

"Impossible, he doesn't even meet the red line requirements."

Zhou Tianbo thought the same; he believed this was Ji Xiang's only weakness.

"At the time, I was doing a Phimosis Surgery with Ji Xiang, and I was scolded like a dog. I didn't feel anything wrong on the operating table; everything felt natural. You know what a superior Doctor is, right? It was about that, similar to how Gu scolds me."

"You're just a coward," Wei Fusi said dismissively.

"Sigh." Zhou Tianbo shook his head, "Later, during an emergency rescue, Ji Xiang opened a path through the Corpus Cavernosum to deliver fluid. It was only after that time that I began to take this young man seriously."

"In short, be careful of him."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Wei Fusi still remembered Ji Xiang, and he remembered being retorted by Ji Xiang. He recalled it once, slammed his wine glass down, and said, "He doesn't even meet the red line; if he can be elected as an Outstanding Youth, I'll eat this wine glass."

(End of chapter)