Chapter 62: A National Specialty

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: A National Specialty

Dinner?

Absolutely not!

Although what Yu Zhiming had heard so far were just baseless rumors, it was better to err on the side of caution with this kind of thing.

He couldn’t just run up to Teacher Qi like a fool and ask if it was true, could he?

Under these circumstances, it was best for Yu Zhiming to keep a certain distance from Zhou Mo and avoid any compromising situations.

It wouldn’t be good if it affected his relationship with Teacher Qi.

Yu Zhiming politely refused, "Zhou Mo, as you know, the experimental treatment for that patient starts today. I need to stay and monitor the patient’s subsequent physical changes."

"That could mean I’ll be here for a day or two."

After a pause, Yu Zhiming asked directly, "Zhou Mo, if you have something on your mind, just say it."

"If it’s something I can help with, you don’t need to treat me to a meal. If I can’t help, treating me a hundred times would be useless."

Zhou Mo’s eyebrows curved into a smile. "Dr. Yu, it’s nothing major. I just wanted to ask you to give my mom a physical check-up."

She explained further, "My mom... well, she has a bit of a phobia about hospitals and clinics."

"Every year for her physical, I have to drag her there kicking and screaming. It takes a huge effort just to get her to go once."

"Dr. Yu, your skills in auscultation and percussion are unparalleled in the medical world. I was thinking, maybe in a relaxed setting like over dinner, you could give my mom a physical exam."

’So that’s what this is about!’

Yu Zhiming relaxed and said with a light chuckle, "That’s a small matter. I can help with that."

"Since your mother doesn’t want to come to the hospital, we could find a private room at a teahouse near the hospital, or a place with a lounge. It doesn’t have to be over a meal."

Then another thought occurred to Yu Zhiming, and he reminded her, "Zhou Mo, does she need a gynecological exam?"

"If she needs a gynecological exam, then contact with private areas will be unavoidable."

"Having that kind of examination done outside of a hospital might feel a bit strange for the person being examined."

Zhou Mo froze for a second, a blush creeping onto her face. "Oh my, I completely forgot about that."

"At my mom’s age, a gynecological exam is definitely necessary."

"I was originally planning to bring my mom here without telling her the real reason, but if that’s the case, I’ll need to talk to her about it beforehand."

Zhou Mo said apologetically, "Dr. Yu, let me talk it over with my mom first, and then I’ll confirm the time and place with you, okay?"

Yu Zhiming replied casually, "No problem, just let me know in advance..."

At 8:50 AM, the two deputy chief physicians, two attending physicians, and Yu Zhiming were all gathered in the main office.

Besides them, a dozen or so others—including visiting physicians, residents, and interns—had also come to the main office to wait.

Everyone stood quietly, not saying a word, exchanging glances and sizing one another up.

As a newcomer making his first appearance, and already a person of interest, Yu Zhiming was undoubtedly the center of everyone’s attention.

Yu Zhiming was observing them as well.

’Fifteen new people, eleven men and four women. This gender ratio is a bit skewed.’

’After all, in the clinical medicine program at medical school, the male-to-female ratio is usually around one-to-one.’

He then remembered that all the official doctors at the medical research center were male; there wasn’t a single female doctor.

’Is Teacher Qi biased or discriminatory against female doctors?’

As Yu Zhiming’s mind wandered, he heard the door being pushed open and saw Teacher Qi, clad in a white coat and wearing a serious expression, walk in from the adjacent office.

He swept his authoritative gaze across the room, and without saying a word, turned and walked toward the door to the hallway.

Yu Zhiming was about to follow but suddenly realized no one else had moved.

Not a single person.

He quickly slammed on the brakes.

Yu Zhiming’s upper body swayed, but he managed to stop his leg just as it was about to step forward.

He quickly turned to look at the two Deputy Chief Physicians, Han Shuo and Xie Jianmin, whose seniority and status were second only to Teacher Qi.

Han Shuo met Yu Zhiming’s gaze, made an "after you" gesture, and said with a chuckle, "Dr. Yu, you are the Director’s last and only official disciple."

"Naturally, you should be the one to walk right beside him."

’Well... ’

Yu Zhiming truly hadn’t expected them to make an issue of walking order at a time like this.

’Is this some unique characteristic of our country?’

By now, Teacher Qi had already left the main office, and Yu Zhiming didn’t have time for polite deferrals.

He strode quickly out of the main office and jogged a few steps to catch up with Teacher Qi.

Behind him, Han Shuo, Xie Jianmin, and the others followed in a rush, like a tide surging forward.

And so, Yu Zhiming’s first hospital rounds at Huashan Hospital with Teacher Qi began...

The Qi Yue Medical Research Center didn’t have many inpatients—only twenty-one.

For every patient, Qi Yue would kindly and amiably ask a few questions about their condition, sometimes even performing a brief hands-on examination.

Most importantly, he would randomly single out someone next to him and ask a question about the patient.

Sometimes it was about a specific patient metric, sometimes about the patient’s response to treatment, and other times about suggestions for medication adjustments.

The questions were almost never repeated.

Yu Zhiming noticed that whenever it came to the questioning part, nearly all the young doctors on rounds would hold their breath, their tension levels shooting up to the max.

The ones who were chosen would break out in a sweat, sometimes even fumbling over their words.

’Is it necessary to be this nervous?’ Yu Zhiming was a bit puzzled.

After a full round, Yu Zhiming also discovered that the inpatients here were mainly divided into two categories.

One category consisted of patients with incurable conditions, where the focus was on physical recovery and stabilizing their illness.

For example, patients with various types of lupus erythematosus, Alzheimer’s disease, progeria, complex rheumatic diseases, and so on.

The other category consisted of patients with rare diseases and other difficult-to-diagnose cases.

For example, spinocerebellar ataxia, Fabry disease, Huntington’s disease, maple syrup urine disease, severe myoclonic epilepsy in infancy, tuberous sclerosis, and so on.

Previously, Yu Zhiming had only ever seen these rare diseases in medical textbooks.

Seeing so many real patients at once today, he felt like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden—a real eye-opener...

Coming out of the last patient’s room, Qi Yue asked, "The patient in Room 9, any new thoughts from anyone?"

After waiting a few seconds with no response, Qi Yue waved his hand dismissively.

The next moment, the crowd following him scattered.

Now, the doctors would adjust their patients’ treatment plans based on the latest physical conditions.

The nurses and interns would carry out the new plans, performing check-ups and administering medication as ordered.

The new day’s busy work officially began...

At 10:10 AM, Yu Zhiming, along with Teacher Qi and Nurse Chief Yan Wenjing, returned to private room number nine.

The patient, a middle-aged man named Xu Feng who was thin but in relatively good spirits, was sitting on his bed talking with his wife and son.

Qi Yue was the first to speak. "Xu Feng, today we will officially begin your treatment."

"We suspect that your wandering, intermittent pain is caused by a specific manifestation of the herpes zoster virus."

"We are going to attempt to trigger the virus by lowering your own immunity."

"This is an experimental treatment. It carries certain risks, including the possibility of death."

"You can read about the specific risks in the informed consent form."

As Qi Yue spoke, Yan Wenjing handed Xu Feng a risk disclosure form and an experimental treatment agreement.

Seeing this, Yu Zhiming felt that something was not quite right.

’Teacher Qi is being vague and general about the risks. It feels like he’s deliberately downplaying the serious parts to steer the patient’s decision.’

Sure enough, after Xu Feng took the forms and gave them a quick glance, he was ready to sign.

Yu Zhiming couldn’t hold back and interjected, "Xu Feng, the potential risks of this upcoming treatment are truly significant."

"Shouldn’t you consider it more carefully?"

Xu Feng glanced at Yu Zhiming and said dismissively, "Back at the Provincial Hospital, they also droned on and on about all the risks of disability or death before every treatment."

"And I still ended up here just fine."

"Of course, the illness wasn’t cured either."

"I trust Expert Qi. The day before yesterday, he was so detailed in his questions. I knew then that Expert Qi is different from the others. He’s the real deal."

After saying this, Xu Feng picked up the pen and signed his name on the disclosure form and the treatment agreement.

Qi Yue then instructed, "Nurse Chief Yan, get Xu Feng prepped and move him to the ICU..."