Chapter 2406: with translation of chapter title

Mao Chi was sent to the special care ward, and as time passed, his condition gradually stabilized.

Zheng Lao Ban again explained to him what the gastroscopy showed, speaking at length, and only then did Mao Chi feel reassured.

The days of water fasting were also hard, his lips dry and cracked. Water, which he usually thought unimportant, had become precious.

But the large hematoma visible in the gastroscopy images left Mao Chi with lingering fear, so he dared not drink water casually. As for his lover's expression, it was quite something; he never imagined that eating a few fish bones would land Mao Chi in the hospital.

Zheng Ren offered a few words of comfort, then went back to see the patients. The remaining Shou Bing are all done by Zhao Wenhua, who keeps working hard and still hasn't finished.

After Fugui'er left, this side began to suffer a shortage of staff, and Zheng Ren missed Liu Zewei's presence.

When will Old Gao arrive? Zheng Ren silently wondered.

……

……

It was already early June, the weather gradually becoming hot, and Northern Province was no exception.

The rising temperature added a hint of irritability; after finishing the Shou Bing, Gao Shaojie sat blankly in the Gengyishi, thinking.

As the college entrance exam approached, the child's pressure grew, and so did the parents'. Gao Shaojie felt that in recent days his hair loss had noticeably accelerated; if this continued, he'd end up like Old Liu.

Ah, he sighed.

The pressure is great, but he cannot show it, lest he add more pressure to the child. Just a few more days—Persist, persist.

Gao Shaojie felt the child was pitiful; many times he wanted to let the child give up. He himself worked hard, and the money he earned seemed enough for the child to live a lifetime—why bother with the college entrance exam, only to face 996 after graduation?

But that's not how it works.

The pros and cons in between could be talked about for three days and three nights without finishing, and that's only possible if you don't have someone like Su Yun who's turned ETC into a nitpicking expert.

But Gao Shaojie felt sorry for the child, and deep down he harbored some worry.

From a physiological perspective, a person under stress secretes large amounts of stress hormones, the most important being adrenaline, dopamine, and cortisol.

He has felt this himself, and quite often.

After long hours of doing Shou Bing, his body is in an excited state, and post-op Gao Shaojie feels he can even smell the adrenaline and cortisol diffusing from his body.

Although it's not as easily recognizable as the corn-syrup smell given off by platelets, Gao Shaojie knows he is in a stress state.

Now he must recover quickly, otherwise, over time, these hormones will inflict severe harm on the body.

Starting from sophomore year of high school, Gao Shaojie felt that his son was already under tremendous pressure.

Back then he was still naive, never feeling such great pressure; just reading books daily was enough. But now children mature early, and he puts pressure on himself to cross the narrow bridge of thousands of troops.

Gao Shaojie doesn't know if it's psychological, but he always feels he can sense his son's rising Hormone levels.

Adrenaline activates the sympathetic nervous system, making consciousness alert and ready to face threats; cortisol's role is to rapidly break down bodily proteins to supply energy needed for combat.

Clinically, these are termed stress states. Typical examples include stress ulcers, etc., which must be explained to patients' families as postoperative complications.

He hopes that kid isn't too fragile, Gao Shaojie mused.

A smooth college entrance exam, after which the world would be his oyster… just thinking of that made Gao Shaojie's heart lurch, like riding a roller coaster, quite unpleasant.

Long-term production of large amounts of adrenaline and cortisol in the body causes great harm.

For example, salmon swimming upstream to their spawning grounds need tremendous energy to fight the current and keep leaping to overcome river barriers and turbulence.

Going upstream sounds easy, but actually achieving it is quite difficult.

To overcome all obstacles, salmon produce large amounts of cortisol internally to break down protein for energy. High cortisol levels cause the salmon's flesh to rot within days after spawning, leading to death.

The salmon's migration process is arduous; Gao Shaojie feels humans are like salmon. To perpetuate the species, we must strive desperately, letting our bodies endure Hormone stimulation.

After leaving the ocean, salmon no longer feed; during migration they must withstand the water's impact and leap over ladder-like obstacles, many half a meter high, requiring their full effort to "leap" up.

Because the water above the steps is turbulent, even after clearing them many fish are washed back down by the rush, and worse, some get stuck on rocks or wooden forks at the step, unable to move.

The wolves, bears, and eagles that lie in wait, and the fate of dying after spawning, all resemble a human's arduous journey.

No matter how one changes or strives, the eventual outcome is surely death.

Thinking and thinking, Gao Shaojie involuntarily became lyrical.

Too much stress makes it inevitable to have melancholy thoughts about spring and autumn. Just as Gao Shaojie felt sad, the phone rang.

"Just finished surgery."

"What smart pills, don't let the child eat those things randomly."

"Bought it, no matter, I'll go back and check the drug ingredients."

Gao Shaojie hung up the phone and let out a long sigh.

His lover was in a state of agitation and anxiety, on the verge of breakdown. Not knowing who she'd heard it from, she actually bought "smart pills" to give to the child.

Fortunately, over the years he has remained relatively dominant; before giving the child medicine, she would ask him a question.

"Is this something you can just eat!"

Gao Shaojie felt a bit angry—what nonsense, these so-called smart pills sound like bunk.

Regarding this, Gao Shaojie knows little; upon hearing the three words "smart pills," his first thought was the movie *Limitless* starring Bradley Cooper.

In the film, they developed a new drug called NZT-48; after taking it, the brain's potential is fully unlocked, life is like having cheat codes.

If not taken, one quickly becomes a fool, even risking death. The drug also has stage symptoms that look frightening.

If such a thing truly existed, Gao Shaojie feels he couldn't take it; it would be pure exploitation—draining the pond to fish, burning the forest to hunt.

It's really infuriating—the busier he gets, the more chaos arises, and yet these smart pills are selling like hotcakes; isn't that just nonsense?

He sighed, but in an instant thought of someone.

Not Zheng Lao Ban, but his assistant beside him—Su Yun.

He's exactly like someone who took smart pills, with all kinds of cheats in life. Forget it; if we're talking about cheats, Zheng Lao Ban's seem even bigger.

……

……

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