Chapter 35: Done in Passing

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Done in Passing

On Saturday morning, Yu Zhiming, sporting dark circles around his eyes, was having a complimentary breakfast at the hotel buffet with his sister and Xiaoxue.

"Damn, a house worth over ten million, a two-million signing bonus, and a million-dollar luxury car..."

Yu Xiangwan had the incredulous look of someone obsessed with money.

"Fifth Brother, if I’d been in your room last night, I definitely couldn’t have resisted that massive temptation. I’d have been crying and begging you to say yes."

While peeling a boiled egg, Yu Zhiming sighed softly. "Yeah, so, so much of that lovely money everyone adores. Why did I have to be so resolute and turn it all down?"

"Sis, tell me, if I went back to that Dean Gu now and said I’m in, do you think he’d look down on me?"

Yu Xiangwan’s expression instantly shifted, and she put on a saintly air.

"Oh, Fifth Brother, you can’t be greedy. Be careful you don’t bite off more than you can chew."

"The terms Huashan Hospital offered you are already more than good enough. Don’t get greedy, or you might take a huge fall."

Then, in a grave and earnest tone, she added, "You have to remember, there’s no such thing as a free lunch."

"The more they give, the more they’ll want. Be careful they don’t squeeze you dry."

Yu Zhiming played along, "You’re absolutely right, Sis. That’s what I was thinking last night too, and that’s why I was so firm in my refusal."

He suddenly noticed Xiaoxue blinking and staring at him as if he were a stranger.

"Xiaoxue, why are you looking at me like that? Did I get even more handsome?"

Fu Xiaoxue’s eyebrows curved into crescents as she giggled. "Uncle, I just never imagined you’d be in such high demand that someone would eagerly spend millions upon millions to headhunt you."

"Are you even the same uncle I know?"

"The one and only, genuine article. Of course I am."

With practiced ease, Yu Zhiming flicked the little girl on the forehead, then added with a smug look, "You’re finally realizing just how incredible your uncle is, eh?"

Fu Xiaoxue giggled. "I always knew you were amazing, Uncle. I just never knew you were *this* amazing."

"Uncle, I’m so proud of you!"

Those were words Yu Zhiming loved to hear. As a reward, he gave her the boiled egg he had just peeled.

Yu Xiangwan took a sip of her soy milk and asked, "Fifth Brother, what’s this ’collaboration’ Dean Gu was talking about? What kind is it?"

"It’s basically a part-time gig, like being a visiting consultant," Yu Zhiming said casually. "I’d go to their Ning’an Hospital for a consultation or to examine a patient whenever I have time, things like that."

He paused, then changed the subject. "What are you two planning to do today?"

"Where are you going to have fun?"

Yu Xiangwan’s interest was instantly piqued. "Hah!" she exclaimed. "Since Xiaoxue and I decided to stay, today is all about shopping! We’re buying presents for you to take back home."

"Hey, Fifth Brother, transfer me some more money later."

"You’re returning home triumphant this time, so the gifts should be a bit nicer. Let them share in the joy."

Yu Zhiming nodded in assent...

After breakfast, Yu Xiangwan and Fu Xiaoxue left the hotel to go shopping with Yin Wenzhu.

Yu Zhiming, meanwhile, returned to his room. He rested with his eyes closed until nine-thirty, then rushed over to Huashan Hospital.

Teacher Qi had mentioned that an old friend of his was coming in for a checkup today...

In Teacher Qi’s office, Yu Zhiming met his old friend.

His name was Qin Mao. He had short, jet-black hair, and though he was in his fifties, he was in excellent shape.

He had a well-proportioned build, not too fat or too thin, with no potbelly, and the skin on his face showed little sagging.

It was just that his complexion was a bit sallow and dull.

Teacher Qi’s old friend had not come alone.

He had brought his daughter, Qin Jue, with him.

His daughter had long, wavy hair. She was tall and elegant, with bright eyes and white teeth, wearing a long off-the-shoulder dress that revealed her delicate collarbones, and a pair of stiletto sandals.

She was quite a sight!

Her appearance did a lot to lift Yu Zhiming’s somewhat weary spirits.

"Zhiming, your trouble sleeping in a strange bed is pretty stubborn, huh? Your dark circles are getting worse by the day."

Yu Zhiming smiled sheepishly. "It certainly is stubborn. It’ll take me some time to adjust."

Qi Yue snorted and pointed a finger at Qin Mao. "This fellow has always been convinced there’s nothing wrong with him."

"You give him a thorough examination. I want you to be sure to find *something* wrong with him."

Qin Mao’s eyes widened, and he snorted. "You old codger, you just can’t stand to see me doing well, can you?"

Though his words were defiant, his body was honest; he dutifully lay down on the long sofa in the seating area.

Once Yu Zhiming started the examination, he did indeed find a problem.

"Uncle Qin, have you been experiencing some stomach discomfort lately?"

Qin Mao froze, then flipped himself into a sitting position.

"You’re uncanny, kid. I actually have been feeling a bit bloated the past few days, and I get full as soon as I start eating."

"I never told Old Qi about this, yet you managed to find it just from a physical exam!"

Qin Mao then asked worriedly, "Is it a serious problem?"

Meeting the concerned gazes of Qi Yue, Qin Mao, and his daughter, Yu Zhiming answered honestly, "I don’t know if it’s serious. I just feel like your stomach is a bit... limp, like it can’t move properly. It gives me the sense that it’s very uncomfortable."

"’Limp? Can’t move properly? Uncomfortable?’"

Qin Mao bluntly questioned Yu Zhiming’s professionalism. "What kind of diagnostic terms are those?"

"You’re supposed to be a professional doctor. Do you just diagnose based on feelings?"

"This protégé of mine diagnoses exactly by feel!"

Qi Yue defended him in a serious tone. "Zhiming possesses immense medical talent and diagnostic intuition."

"However, due to his limited foundation and experience, he’s at a stage with some diagnoses where he knows *what* is happening, but not yet *why*."

"But if he says there’s a problem, then there is definitely a problem."

"Qin Mao, what time did you have breakfast? I need to determine when to schedule a detailed gastric exam for you."

When Qin Mao heard Qi Yue use his full name, he knew the man was genuinely angry.

He couldn’t help but study Yu Zhiming once more.

’This kid is really something else.’

’He actually made that old fellow Qi Yue turn on an old friend like me over such a trivial thing.’

Qin Mao replied stiffly, "I figured I might need a gastric exam, so I haven’t eaten since last night."

"In that case, come with me!"

Qi Yue was the first to walk out of the office, with Qin Mao right behind him.

Yu Zhiming fell half a step behind Qin Jue...

"Miss Qin, you’ve got some dust on the back of your dress..."

Before Qin Jue could respond, Yu Zhiming raised his hand and patted her on the lower back.

Looking slightly uncomfortable, Qin Jue turned her head and said, "Thank you!"

Qin Mao first underwent a CT scan of his stomach.

The resulting images were a shock to everyone.

There, in the lower part of his stomach, was an egg-sized shadow with well-defined edges.

Upon seeing the result, Qin Mao was so frightened his legs turned to jelly, and he could no longer walk.

Qi Yue then dragged him away for an endoscopy...

When the image from inside the stomach appeared clearly on the monitor, Qi Yue and Yu Zhiming discovered a dark, round mass inside Qin Mao’s stomach.

After considerable effort, Yu Zhiming managed to use the endoscopic forceps to extract the sphere, which turned out to be a ball composed of a large amount of hair and food debris...

Relieved that his old friend didn’t have cancer, Qi Yue’s mood lightened considerably. "Old Qin," he said cheerfully, "we’ve known each other for so many years, and I never knew you had pica."

"I do not have pica!"

His face dark with embarrassment, Qin Mao stared intently at the disgusting hairball, which was composed mainly of yellow and black fur.

"This must be fur from Big Hua and Big Huang. My wife took a liking to raising cats last year."

"I just have no idea how all this cat fur got into my stomach."

Qin Jue exposed him. "Dad, Mom might be the one who ’raises’ the cats, but you’re the one who cuddles them the most every day!"

After the false alarm, Qin Mao’s vigor returned, but now his stomach was rumbling, and he felt unbearably hungry.

He declared his intention to treat Qi Yue and Yu Zhiming to a grand meal...

Yu Zhiming sat in the Mercedes-Benz GLK that Qi Yue was driving, following the Qin father and daughter’s car.

"Teacher, why aren’t you driving the Cayenne?"

"I’m waiting on the accident analysis report for that spontaneous combustion incident. I don’t feel right driving it until then."

Qi Yue offered a brief explanation, then asked casually, "What do you think of that young woman, Qin Jue?"

Yu Zhiming replied quietly, "She’s a very nice girl. It’s just that she’s already taken."

Qi Yue was stunned. "She doesn’t have a boyfriend. Otherwise, Old Qin wouldn’t have deliberately brought her here to meet you."

Yu Zhiming replied flatly, "Teacher, judging from the shape and size of her uterus, she’s about a month pregnant."

"Are you sure it’s a pregnancy and not a uterine fibroid?"

Yu Zhiming said, a note of frustration in his voice, "Teacher, I’m not so incompetent that I can’t distinguish between a pregnancy and a uterine fibroid."

Qi Yue let out a long "Ooooh" of realization.

"So you figured that out with those few pats you gave her, under the pretext of getting dust off?"

"You’re really something else, kid. Plenty of tricks up your sleeve."

Yu Zhiming adamantly denied it. "Teacher, I was really just patting the dust off out of kindness. The examination was just a force of professional habit."

Qi Yue snorted, his face a mask of disbelief.

"I have three daughters, but the eldest is already married, and the youngest isn’t old enough yet."

"Ah, Zhiming... how about you wait a few more years?"