Chapter 68: Specific Medicine

Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Specific Medicine

"Zhou Mo, go downstairs for me and see if Director Qi is here. If he is, bring him to see Yao Chengyun immediately."

The moment Yu Zhiming said it, he regretted it.

The excuse he’d just made up was far too clumsy.

This was Teacher Qi’s territory; did he really need someone to show him the way?

But Zhou Mo didn’t ask a single question and obediently left the examination room.

This also made Yu Zhiming realize that Zhou Mo had seen through his intention to get her to leave.

’Ugh, what a way to advertise my own stupidity,’ Yu Zhiming lamented inwardly.

After Zhou Mo’s footsteps faded, Yu Zhiming met Zhou Hao’s gaze and asked directly, "Zhou Mo isn’t your biological daughter?"

Zhou Hao shot up in shock, her voice low and sharp as she demanded, "How do you know that?"

"Who told you?"

Yu Zhiming pointed a finger at her lower abdomen and said, "I found out myself during the examination."

"Ma’am, you’re still a virgin."

Zhou Hao’s eyes instantly widened, her face full of disbelief.

"You can accurately diagnose something like that just by tapping a few times?"

Yu Zhiming nodded without offering much of an explanation.

After all, the truth was right there, more convincing than any words.

Zhou Hao sized him up and down with a sharp gaze, as if seeing him for the very first time.

"Momo said your auscultation and percussion skills are unparalleled in the medical world. I thought she was exaggerating."

"Now I see that Momo’s description was actually an understatement."

After a pause, Zhou Hao asked coldly, "So, how much money do you want to keep this secret?"

Yu Zhiming chuckled. "Ma’am, you’ve misunderstood."

"I could have pretended not to know and said nothing to you. But I felt it was necessary to let you know that I know."

"A patient shouldn’t hide anything from their doctor, and a doctor must be honest with their patient. It’s a two-way street."

To be honest, Yu Zhiming had hesitated about whether to pretend he didn’t know.

It was, after all, an extremely private matter.

But his father had always taught him to be open and honest, that there was nothing one couldn’t say.

Besides, she was Zhou Mo’s mother. It was better to be frank.

Yu Zhiming continued, "This matter falls under doctor-patient confidentiality. Without your permission, Ma’am, I won’t tell anyone."

"Ma’am, you can trust my character."

Zhou Hao stared into Yu Zhiming’s eyes in silence for a moment before saying slowly, "Zhou Mo is not a child anymore."

"I never planned to keep this secret from her forever. Telling her now isn’t really a big deal."

"Dr. Yu, you’d best not think that knowing my secret will help you fulfill some delusion."

Yu Zhiming’s eyelids twitched as he said in a cool, detached tone, "I like money, but a gentleman makes his fortune through proper means."

"Also, while Zhou Mo is excellent in many ways, I have no improper designs on her."

"Ma’am, you’re purely overthinking things."

Yu Zhiming then changed the subject. "Ma’am, you are in excellent health. My examination didn’t reveal any issues or conditions that require special attention or treatment."

Having said this, he turned and left the examination room without waiting for Zhou Hao’s response...

Twenty-eight minutes later, the belatedly arriving Teacher Qi finally appeared.

He hadn’t come alone.

Hurrying along with Qi Yue was a stern, unsmiling middle-aged man carrying a cryogenic container.

Qi Yue led the man straight into the emergency room and up to Yao Chengyun’s bedside.

"Yao Chengyun, I’m Qi Yue, the one in charge here."

"Do you have any idea how lucky you are today?"

As Qi Yue spoke to the somewhat dazed Yao Chengyun, he took the cryogenic container from the middle-aged man and opened it.

"First, you were lucky enough to run into my genius student, Yu Zhiming, who was able to spot your symptoms right away."

"And then, you were lucky enough to run into me..."

Qi Yue took a long, thin syringe from the container and explained, "This is the only experimental injection in the country that can neutralize ricin toxin."

"And I just so happened to have the opportunity to get a dose for you."

As he spoke, Qi Yue swiftly and efficiently injected the contents of the syringe into Yao Chengyun’s jugular vein.

Noticing that some light had returned to Yao Chengyun’s eyes, Qi Yue continued, "I know you still have many doubts, but the facts will speak for themselves."

"You are not going to die. You are going to live and be healthy."

After saying this, Qi Yue turned and left the emergency room.

The middle-aged man, who had been silent the whole time, placed the used disposable syringe back into the container, picked it up, and also left the emergency room.

Yu Zhiming followed them out and saw the middle-aged man stride directly toward the stairwell without saying a single word.

Yu Zhiming followed Qi Yue back to the director’s office, unable to hold back his questions any longer.

"Teacher, was that really a specific antidote?"

"Doesn’t everyone say there’s no cure for ricin poisoning?"

Qi Yue nodded. "Would I lie about something like this? That would be utterly pointless."

"The antidote is real, but it’s also exceedingly rare."

Qi Yue lowered his voice. "Ricin is a poison commonly used in international assassinations."

"A special domestic department, to prepare for any eventuality, expended considerable resources to develop a neutralizing agent."

"However, the quantity is small, the cost is high, the shelf life is short, and it’s only effective for patients in the early stages of poisoning."

Qi Yue then explained vaguely, "As it happens, I know someone in that special department. And as it also happens, they had a dose that was about to expire."

"That’s why I said that patient’s luck is really quite good."

Yu Zhiming muttered under his breath, "If she were truly lucky, she wouldn’t have been poisoned with a nearly fatal toxin in the first place."

Momentarily stumped, a slightly frustrated Qi Yue changed the subject. "Have you called the police?"

"The police?" Yu Zhiming looked confused.

Qi Yue pointed out, "The castor bean plant is poisonous, and it isn’t grown in Binhai or the surrounding areas. The possibility of accidental ingestion is extremely low."

"The most likely scenario is that she was intentionally poisoned."

"It’s best to have the police investigate and trace the origin of the toxin..."

Yu Zhiming dialed the police emergency number and briefly explained that a patient had been poisoned with ricin.

He put down his phone, looked at Qi Yue, and apologized sheepishly, "Teacher, I was a bit panicked today. I dropped the ball at a critical moment. I’ve disappointed you."

Qi Yue stared at Yu Zhiming with a serious expression until the younger man squirmed uncomfortably. Then, a smile suddenly broke out on his face.

"I received a detailed report on your handling of the patient, your prescribed treatments, and your overall response on my way here."

"Your series of actions, while not excellent, involved no fundamental errors. They were... satisfactory."

"Considering your level of experience, I’m actually quite satisfied with your performance. It has also helped me make up my mind about something I was hesitating on."

"I was originally thinking of postponing it, but now I see you’re more than capable of handling it."

Before Yu Zhiming could ask, Qi Yue continued, "Zhiming, starting next week, you’ll spend a day working in the outpatient and emergency departments."

"The Outpatient and Emergency Department is a great place to train a doctor’s all-around skills. You also need exposure to more patients."

Yu Zhiming said, "Oh," and seeing that Qi Yue had nothing else to add, he took his leave and went to the large office next door.

The instant Yu Zhiming casually closed the door, a soft murmur reached his ears.

"Hmph. If you were excellent in every single way, how would us old folks even survive..."

As Yu Zhiming stood there stunned, a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist and forcefully pulled him into a corner.

Faced with a dazzling face drawing ever closer, Yu Zhiming found himself pressed against the wall with no room to escape.

’Am I about to get pinned to the wall?’

The thought had barely formed in his mind when Zhou Mo’s pleading voice sounded by his ear.

"Dr. Yu, you have to tell me, without hiding anything. Does my mom have a terminal illness?"

’So that’s what this is about!’

The flutter in his chest subsiding, Yu Zhiming looked into the clear, worried eyes so close to his own.

"It’s not a terminal illness. It’s just some very private issues. I was worried your mom would be embarrassed with you there."

Zhou Mo thought about it and realized that was indeed a possibility.

"Dr. Yu, are you sure you’re not lying to me?"

"My mom and I only have each other. If she really has a serious condition, I don’t want to be kept in the dark."

Yu Zhiming raised his right hand. "Zhou Mo, I can swear to you, there’s truly nothing seriously wrong with your mother..."