Chapter 655

"Sha City's Star, situated beside the Zhen Four Stars. Above are the celestial phenomena, below are the prefectures and counties, hence it is called Star City." In Sha City, on the balcony of a high-rise hotel room, Fang Ziye analyzed while looking down at his phone, explaining to Luo Tingzhu.

The two sat snuggled together; Luo Tingzhu's large eyes blinked as she looked at the starry sky outside the window, her eyes narrowing: "I thought it was just that Sha City's night stars were very beautiful, that my appreciation level wasn't enough, and I couldn't see how it was better than other places."

"Have you eaten enough tonight? I saw you barely moved your chopsticks this evening; want to go downstairs and try some stinky tofu?"

"Stinky tofu is ultimately a Sha City delicacy; last time we weren't used to eating it, maybe this time we'll find the taste acceptable?"

After Fang Ziye and Luo Tingzhu arrived in Sha City this time, Luo Tingzhu's mother Ruan Qiutao even specially took a day off to bring the two of them to Juzizhou and Yuelu Mountain.

It was just that the weather was too hot, so they didn't go play anywhere else.

Sha City in August, the scorching heat was not the least bit less than Han City.

"Really going? Last time the two of us only ate two slices." Luo Tingzhu's brows furrowed slightly.

"Let's go try; come on, downstairs." Fang Ziye put away his phone and helped Luo Tingzhu, who was leaning against him, stand up.

Luo Tingzhu wrinkled her nose and followed Fang Ziye's suggestion.

……

After the two went downstairs and bought two small portions of stinky tofu, each only ate two slices before throwing the rest into the trash can, and then together bought a portion of Diabetic Friend Babao, becoming part of the human ant-flow on Nan Zheng Street Walking Street.

It must be said, the foot traffic on Nan Zheng Street is even greater than Han City's Han Zheng Street, and there are no closing hours.

It is now the evening of August 9th, 11:30 PM, the main street still has crowds like woven fabric, and one can occasionally hear the sound of motorcycles revving.

The two also joined the bustle, rushing from one shop to the next.

Luo Tingzhu still had the desire to stroll, but her shopping desire wasn't very strong; over the next hour and a half, she only bought a hat.

However, the joy of strolling isn't just buying things; perhaps participating in the pillar-like human flow, going with the crowd, relaxing and strolling leisurely is also a kind of genuine happiness.

"Wait for me a moment, I'll go buy a large sausage..." Fang Ziye said after the two came out of a shop.

"Get me one too, I'm going to buy Chayan." Luo Tingzhu said.

Regardless of how online reviews fluctuate, Luo Tingzhu herself is a loyal fan of Chayan Yuese; when in Han City she often drank it, but after going to En City she rarely drank milk tea; now that she's come to Sha City, she's already had two cups today.

About to finish off the third cup.

"Then I'll still have the Academic Atmosphere Lvgui..." Fang Ziye very sensibly took the initiative to request, giving Luo Tingzhu a certain psychological comfort; he also wanted to eat it, it wasn't just her being greedy.

However, just as Fang Ziye was queuing, he suddenly received a call from a stranger.

The registered location was Sha City.

He didn't have any friends in Sha City, did he? Fang Ziye narrowed his eyes, but after thinking for a moment, still chose to answer: "Hello, hi."

"Eh, Teacher hello, may I ask if you are Professor Fang Ziye? I am Senior Sister Xie Xin's junior brother, my name is Lin Chuan; Professor Fang, you can also call me Xiao Lin." The other party's voice sounded relatively young, and his tone was quite ingratiating at the moment.

Senior Sister Xie Xin's junior brother? Why is he calling me?

"Mm, hello Doctor Lin, may I ask what's the matter?" Fang Ziye asked.

Fang Ziye's own ordinary junior brothers are now very self-aware and don't often disturb Fang Ziye, knowing there is a certain "identity gap" between the two; unless it's important business, they won't contact Fang Ziye.

The levels are too far apart; if ordinary Master's and Doctoral students don't have anything particularly urgent, directly calling Fang Ziye is just wasting both parties' time.

"Professor Fang, don't misunderstand; it's actually like this: I was on duty today, and heard a patient in the department mention you."

"I thought, aren't you the Professor Fang that Senior Sister Xie Xin often mentions? Then I specially went to ask, and that Bed 24 said he knows you, and is quite familiar..."

"So I gave Senior Sister Xie Xin a call, and Senior Sister Xie Xin forwarded Professor Fang your phone number to me..." Lin Chuan explained meticulously.

"Bed 24? What's his name?"

"Liu Gaobo."

"Why is he hospitalized?" Fang Ziye's eyes sharpened.

"Spinal osteosarcoma... solitary, currently no metastasis." Lin Chuan replied: "Professor Fang, you didn't know?"

"Thank you, I indeed didn't know about this matter." Fang Ziye's tone had no change whatsoever.

This isn't Lin Chuan's fault; if Fang Ziye encountered a patient who said they were an acquaintance of Professor Duan Hong, Fang Ziye would also personally call Professor Duan Hong to ask and communicate in advance.

To avoid any misunderstandings arising post-surgery.

Fang Ziye knows very well that even some professors in Spine Surgery currently don't want their relatives to be hospitalized or have surgery with him, just afraid that if complications arise afterward, the entanglement won't be clear.

"Then Professor Fang, you?" Lin Chuan's tone became nervous.

"Let's talk about the follow-up later; it's not early now, Liu Gaobo's surgery hasn't been done yet, right?" Fang Ziye asked.

Luo Tingzhu's father is Luo Pan, mother Ruan Qiutao. After the two separated, Luo Tingzhu gained a stepmother Lan Limin and a stepfather Liu Gaobo.

Fang Ziye had eaten dinner with Liu Gaobo, Ruan Qiutao, and younger sister Liu Xia this afternoon; if the other party had undergone surgery, it would be impossible for Fang Ziye not to notice.

"Not yet; Liu Gaobo happens to be in Professor Deng Dongkai's group; currently Senior Sister Xie Xin is also temporarily following Professor Deng Dongkai's group as an attending physician, mainly in charge of spinal tumors..." Lin Chuan said.

"Thank you, Doctor Lin; if there's a chance next time, I'll definitely have Professor Qiao Yongjian connect us and treat you to a meal! ~" Fang Ziye said.

"Ah? You also know Professor Qiao?" Lin Chuan was very surprised.

"Mm, I know him; thanks for the trouble, I still have some other things here, hanging up first." Fang Ziye decisively hung up the phone, then continued queuing to buy stinky tofu.

Xiangya Third Hospital's Spine Surgery, Fang Ziye originally shouldn't be familiar with it, but by a twist of fate, he seems to have successively gotten to know the Chief Director of Spine Surgery Xie Youwen, and the next Absolute Expert Professor Qiao Yongjian.

Professor Xie Youwen is still the Chief Director of Spine Surgery today; he is Senior Sister Xie Xin's uncle; the other two professors are Deng Dongkai and Liu Xiao.

The people queuing to buy Chayan were far more than those queuing for large sausages; Fang Ziye had already bought his here, while Luo Tingzhu was still queuing waiting for verification.

"Tingzhu, should we delay going to Ya City by a day or two?" Fang Ziye approached, handing her the large sausage while suggesting.

Their scheduled wedding photo travel shoot is the 14th, which is next Wednesday; the 13th is when the two need to pick clothes; even landing on the 12th or 13th wouldn't be late.

Originally the two's plan was to play for two days first, afraid they wouldn't want to move after shooting the wedding photos.

"Why?" Luo Tingzhu was already taking small bites; meat juice burst in her mouth, and she felt extremely satisfied.

Fang Ziye then didn't conceal anything and fully recounted the phone call he had just received to Luo Tingzhu.

Hearing this, Luo Tingzhu first froze, then somewhat nervously pulled the large sausage that had reached her mouth back down; her hands' movements were a bit stiff.

Tone hesitant: "Then? Is Xiangya Third Hospital's Spine Surgery surgical level good or not?"

"Is Xiangya Hospital perhaps better?"

Luo Tingzhu was neither anxious nor overly worried; she simply offered advice with the attitude that when a problem is encountered, it must be solved.

"This matter depends on what you think in your heart."

"You yourself are a staff member of our research group; you should know that the spine also has its own independent blood circulation system."

"If time is relatively ample, my suggestion is to temporarily postpone the surgery and wait for our research project to be approved..." Fang Ziye spoke to this point and lowered his head slightly.

His voice also became even lower: "If you wish, I can step in to have the surgery called off, delaying the surgery and treatment."

"Osteosarcoma will not deteriorate to an especially severe degree within one or two months."

Fang Ziye had the capability to help with this favor; Fang Ziye could be certain of this point, but whether to help or not still had to be decided by Luo Tingzhu.

Liu Gaobo had perhaps never treated Luo Tingzhu well, had never given her money, had neither given birth to her nor raised her.

But Liu Gaobo could agree to Luo Tingzhu's mother Ruan Qiutao sending her half the money each month; this counted as generous and sensible.

Under heaven, stepfathers and stepmothers who raise stepchildren by their side and can treat them equally are few and far between; moreover, in Luo Tingzhu's case, a stepdaughter far away at the edge of the sky who had almost never met them?

"Senior Brother, what do you think I should do?" Luo Tingzhu lost her composure.

What she feared most was handling this kind of relationship.

"If you are willing, leave it to me." Fang Ziye raised his head, his tone firm.

"Or if you have any thoughts, you can also speak them out."

Luo Tingzhu shook her head: "I don't know."

"Mainly I'm also afraid we can't solve his problem. Instead it would delay treatment; at that time, how would you face them, Senior Brother?"

Having Liu Gaobo postpone surgery — this isn't as simple as going out to buy a bottle of water.

Although it's said it won't deteriorate in the short term, what if it does deteriorate? What if treatment is delayed, and what if Fang Ziye personally performs surgery or conducts treatment on him, but the outcome is also poor?

Then would her own mother, and Liu Xia, hate Fang Ziye for a lifetime?

If the two of them now let things take their course, even if Liu Gaobo's surgery outcome is truly poor or it recurs, it would be unrelated to them.

She, Luo Tingzhu, and Fang Ziye were in the most natural state.

The world absolutely does not revolve around Fang Ziye and Luo Tingzhu; there are far too many patients, and for them to be able to enter a top-tier hospital like Xiangya Third Hospital for treatment already counts as relatively good luck in the short term, to have secured a bed.

"Yeah... if the outcome is also poor then..."

"But no matter how you choose, there will be regret. Just standing from my angle, my advice to you is: you tell Ruan Auntie and Liu Uncle the whole story of this matter from beginning to end, exactly as it happened!"

"Let them make the choice." Fang Ziye said.

If it were an unrelated person, Fang Ziye could choose to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear. But Liu Gaobo and Luo Tingzhu already had an inherent bond that could not be severed.

Luo Tingzhu could refuse to acknowledge Liu Gaobo, but she couldn't very well refuse to acknowledge Ruan Qiutao and Liu Xia; after all, Luo Tingzhu was too alone.

This time, Luo Tingzhu did not blindly follow Fang Ziye's advice directly: "Let me think a bit more, Senior Brother."

After the two finished buying milk tea, they walked silently toward the hotel.

If it weren't for Liu Gaobo's hospitalization, the two of them fundamentally wouldn't have had this kind of hesitation; but the world is often like this — accidents can never be predicted.

The next day, Fang Ziye and Luo Tingzhu got up early, ate a bowl of round rice noodles, and then came early to the downstairs of the community building where Ruan Qiutao lived.

Liu Xia was six years younger than Luo Tingzhu; she was only twenty this year, a junior, majoring in Environmental Engineering, currently on summer break at home.

Liu Xia's height was slightly shorter than Luo Tingzhu's, and she also wasn't as enthusiastic as Lan Tianluo, but she was fairly sensible; upon seeing Luo Tingzhu she still called her Sister.

"Where's Liu Uncle?" Luo Tingzhu entered and didn't see Liu Gaobo, so she asked feigning ignorance.

"Your Liu Uncle went out to buy vegetables; he'll be back in a while. I had him drive to buy some seafood. Little Fang, Tingzhu, is there anything you want to eat? I can send him a message..." Ruan Qiutao was still very polite.

She hadn't maintained herself very well; at over fifty, she already appeared slightly old, but from her brows and contours one could see the charm of her youth, perhaps not inferior to Luo Tingzhu's looks.

Her face now had quite a few wrinkles, and her eyes were also slightly cloudy; although she wore a smile, worry was hard to conceal.

Fang Ziye tugged Luo Tingzhu's hand, and only then did Luo Tingzhu say: "Mom, don't hide it from me anymore, and don't put on an act anymore."

"Last night, a fellow trainee of one of my Senior Sisters happened to call us, because when Liu Uncle was hospitalized in the department, he mentioned my name and Senior Brother Fang's name; that Senior Sister knows me and Senior Brother Fang..."

"Xiangya Third Hospital, Spine Surgery Bed 24 Liu Gaobo, spinal nodule." Luo Tingzhu did not speak the osteosarcoma biopsy diagnosis, afraid of shocking Ruan Qiutao and Liu Xia.

Hearing Luo Tingzhu's words, Ruan Qiutao and Liu Xia looked at each other in dismay.

Liu Xia had a standard melon-seed face, very thin, chopstick legs, a slender neck; compared to Luo Tingzhu, although her looks could still hold their own, she lacked a touch of plump beauty.

Her expression right now was incredulous: "Sister, you still know doctors at Third Hospital?"

Luo Tingzhu did not reply: "Mom, if I suggest to you, suggest to Liu Uncle, to temporarily postpone surgery for a few months, would you be willing to listen to my suggestion?"

"That is to say, wait roughly one to two more months before going to the hospital for treatment."

Hearing this, Ruan Qiutao did not agree immediately, but looked Fang Ziye and Luo Tingzhu up and down: "Why do you suggest this?"

"This kind of mass should be treated promptly after discovery."

"And we've already scheduled surgery for next Tuesday; if we go tell the doctor to cancel surgery and request discharge now, wouldn't that be not too good?"

Fang Ziye knew it was his turn to speak: "Ruan Auntie, actually I originally shouldn't speak, but on this matter I will be clearer than Tingzhu."

"Because one of the research projects our research group is currently working on is related to the treatment of orthopedic masses, but it hasn't passed the clinical trial phase yet."

"If this research project can be established, it might be possible to eliminate such a mass without needing major traumatic surgery."

"Ruan Auntie, please don't rush to ask; if we put ourselves in your shoes, Tingzhu and I originally could have made no suggestions at all; the risks you're considering, we've all considered too."

"We're not doing this to show off ability or to grandstand."

"If you're willing, today there will be a doctor who will come find you and Liu Uncle to talk together."

"You and Liu Uncle deliberate carefully, and then we'll contact by phone, okay?" Fang Ziye knew he was too young, so it was very hard to gain a stranger's trust at first sight.

So, if there are a few rounds of mediation in between, it would be better.

Therefore, last night, after Luo Tingzhu agreed to give advice, he contacted Professor Qiao Yongjian.

Professor Qiao Yongjian heard that Luo Tingzhu's 'stepfather' was hospitalized in Third Hospital's Spine Surgery, and it was osteosarcoma; in less than three or four minutes, he had Professor Xie Youwen of Third Hospital's Spine Surgery call Fang Ziye.

Professor Xie Youwen's attitude and tone were very kind; he said he would discuss again with Liu Gaobo and the family multiple times, fully respecting all their decisions.

Later, Xie Xin also called...

"This?" Ruan Qiutao looked Fang Ziye up and down, hesitated for a few seconds, then silently nodded.

She was a college student of the nineties, and her current job was relatively respectable; her cognition, knowledge, and thinking patterns were not so rigid, and she could be considered reasonable, so Fang Ziye actually didn't need to "show off"!

The ages of Fang Ziye and Luo Tingzhu were the best cover; they could even choose to ignore it knowingly.

True doctor friends—few would give you a guarantee like that; most would deal with you in a more official, more polite way...

Because the more one understands medicine, the more one understands the great uncontrollability of this field, and the more one feels one's own ignorance.

Unless? Fang Ziye's skills were not refined, or he truly had some assurance.

Liu Xia couldn't accept so much all at once; originally, her father having a tumor had already made her especially panicked, and in recent days her parents had "ordered" her to cooperate with the act, so she had actually been slightly dissatisfied in her heart for a long time.

"But what if it gets worse?"

"What if the timing of treatment is missed?" Liu Xia's voice was on the verge of tears.

"My father was originally going to have surgery the day before yesterday, but because he heard you were coming, he specifically postponed the surgery."

"We asked the doctors; postponing a few days is definitely fine, but postponing one or two months, someone online said..."

"Said..." Liu Xia didn't continue.

But Fang Ziye understood her; that was her biological father.

Liu Gaobo's illness had nothing to do with Luo Tingzhu and Fang Ziye, and his illness wasn't contracted because Fang Ziye and Luo Tingzhu were coming, but her worry was genuine.

"Liu Xia, I know your worry, but I have no way to answer this question for you."

"Every choice has its pros and cons."

"The current choice is between two options: the first is to undergo surgery according to the plan, then treat according to the existing plan."

"The second is to wait, wait for the clinical trial to pass approval, striving for better efficacy while risking possible deterioration." Fang Ziye had already explained quite boldly.

Facing unrelated others, Fang Ziye absolutely wouldn't dare speak like this.

"Can't do it now? Must we wait?" Liu Xia asked.

"Right! If the procedure is wrong, even if the result is right, as long as those who participated will be held accountable; at worst, sentenced to prison, at medium, stripped of practicing qualifications, at light, given a Major Demerit and fined, etc."

Fang Ziye and Luo Tingzhu were on the flight to Ya City; the beautiful scenery outside the window was reflected, but Luo Tingzhu's mood was still not high.

"Don't overthink it; we've already looked at Uncle Liu's case and pathology results. Based on our professional knowledge, we predict this situation can definitely wait." Fang Ziye comforted her.

Hearing this, Luo Tingzhu turned her head to look at Fang Ziye: "Senior Brother, I was actually thinking, should I not have helped him?"

"After all, I have no blood relation with him."

"I also sometimes wonder if my attitude toward Uncle Liu Gaobo is better than toward my own father, being more merciful to him, but harsher toward my parents."

This is common human emotion; Fang Ziye replied: "Because they are your parents, sharing blood with you."

"Even if you blame them, resent them, they are still your parents; no one can change this result."

"And because they are your parents, you will order them more strictly, hoping they can give you a happy family, but you won't ask others to give you happiness, nor can you."

"Because others are not your parents; you know it's impossible."

"Those bound by blood to you can inflict double the harm, because you find it hard to believe."

"But they didn't actively harm you; you saw it too—actually, Luo Shu and Aunt Ruan are both living quite happily now."

"Although I've never met Luo Shu, based on Tian Luo's description, I guess Luo Shu should be someone with a relatively high IQ but relatively simple-minded, who only likes doing research."

"Aunt Ruan is a relatively clever person, more intellectual, but also more emotional; she needs companionship, needs someone to understand her."

Fang Ziye summarized: Luo Tingzhu's father was the type who was first-rate at technology but in life you couldn't beat a fart out of him with eight sticks—a "high-IQ researcher."

Because anyone who understood human relations a bit, Luo Tingzhu's grandmother wouldn't have personally brought Luo Tingzhu along, but would have driven Luo Tingzhu's father away.

Nor would she have allowed Luo Tingzhu and Tian Luo to become so "stiff" as children, leaving behind a knot/obsession.

As for Luo Tingzhu's mother? She was a literary youth woman who liked small romances; being apart for a long time, she couldn't get along with someone bone-deep simple-minded.

"Actually, you are quite like Aunt Ruan from the bone; you look stubborn, but deep inside, you're like a clingy Brown Sugar Candy." Fang Ziye laughed.

Luo Tingzhu patted Fang Ziye once, turning worry into a smile: "Then will Senior Brother dislike me?"

"No, because I'm not Luo Shu; I, uh, am not simple-minded." Fang Ziye stood with his hands behind his back.

After speaking, he took out two bags of nuts from his pocket.

Luo Tingzhu instinctively smacked her lips, feeling a bit greedy, wanting to eat.

Fang Ziye opened the bag, handed it to Luo Tingzhu, then said: "We should actually be relatively more tolerant toward relatives, but also relatively more strict."

"So when we have confidence and ability, we shouldn't think of avoidance, but rather face and solve problems more directly."

"Even if we make a mistake, we'll take responsibility, but we won't regret it."

Fang Ziye said, slightly lowering his head.

He in the past had also avoided; it was his own maternal grandmother.

His grandmother's fracture—the closed reduction wasn't done by himself; it was because at that time Fang Ziye's technical ability was insufficient to break the inner demon in his heart; Fang Ziye was afraid, he felt it wasn't steady...

(Chapter End)