This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

Du Heng’s actions showed his stance, and Xu Pinglin, not one to beat around the bush, held up the money and asked Du Heng one last time, ”If I really put this money away, you still have time to reconsider.”

Looking at Xu Pinglin with an irritated expression, Du Heng responded, ”Just take it. I’m a man of my word. I won’t back out.”

”Fine, I am going to put it away.”

Xu Pinglin opened the drawer and put the money inside.

Just as he was about to speak, the office door was pushed open, and in walked Dr. Hou.

Dr. Hou seemed to be in low spirits. After exchanging a brief greeting with Du Heng, he turned to Xu Pinglin and said, ”Director Xu, Xue Yiwen wants to be discharged from the hospital.”

Upon hearing this, Director Xu’s hand, which was just lifting something, froze in mid-air, and his brows furrowed deeply. ”But I just spoke with him this morning. Why does he want to leave the hospital now?”

Dr. Hou shook his head. ”I am not sure. He called me over just now and said that he wanted to be discharged. When I asked why, he didn’t explain.”

Xu Pinglin stood up. ”Let’s go and see what’s going on.”

After taking a few steps, he remembered that Du Heng was still in the room. Realizing that it was impolite to leave abruptly, he turned and apologized to Du Heng, ”I’m sorry, please wait for a moment. I have an urgent matter to attend to.”

Just as he was turning to leave, a thought struck him, and he paused, saying, ”Actually, you should come with me.”

Caught off guard, Du Heng objected, ”I think I’ll pass. My girlfriend wants me to go shopping.”

”Come with me. You might be able to help.”

Help in what way? Make what happen?

But before Du Heng could protest further, Xu Pinglin, allowing no argument, pulled him out of the room.

From the moment Du Heng accepted the money and even offered some back, Xu Pinglin’s attitude towards him had subtly changed.

While others might not have noticed, Du Heng, as the one directly involved, felt this shift quite acutely.

Previously, though their relationship was cordial, there had always been a slight formal distance between them.

But from the moment Xu Pinglin prepared to put the money away, from his tone of voice, Du Heng sensed that Xu Pinglin was speaking to him as a close friend.

And now, this action indicated that Xu Pinglin no longer treated Du Heng as an outsider. Regardless of whether Du Heng was willing, he was expected to go with him.

A few steps later, they arrived at the hospital room. A man, emaciated but neatly dressed, sat on the edge of the bed. The bed itself was tidily made, with two bags, apparently containing clothes, placed on it. At the man’s feet lay a dark plastic bag, its shape suggesting it held items like a washbasin and slippers.

The sight of the neatly dressed man and his packed belongings caused Xu Pinglin’s expression to change several times, finally settling into grim seriousness.

”Xue Yiwen, didn’t we agree this morning that you’d actively undergo treatment? What is this all about?” Xu Pinglin asked, trying to control his emotions and speaking softly to the man.

Upon seeing Xu Pinglin enter, a flicker of embarrassment crossed the man’s face, yet he replied with an extremely firm tone, ”I want to be discharged. I want to go home.”

Xu Pinglin was becoming a little angry, but his voice grew even calmer. ”Give us a reason. You can’t just leave the hospital without any cause.”

Facing this straightforward question, the man named Xue Yiwen chose silence, lowering his head without a word. After a long pause, he merely reiterated in a hushed voice, ”I just want to go home. I don’t want treatment.”

Confronted with such a response, Xu Pinglin felt a rising anger but had nowhere to vent his frustration. ”Xue Yiwen, from your admission last Friday until today, you must be well aware of the kind of person I am, how our department has treated you, and what we’ve done for your sake. Now you just say you want to go home and refuse treatment. Do you think that’s fair to the efforts our medical team has put in?”

Dr. Hou, who had entered with them, suddenly interjected, ”Are you worried about the medical expenses? Director Xu already told you that we can start the treatment first, and you don’t have to pay the full amount upfront. Besides, we’ve also applied for financial aid for you. You don’t need to worry.”

Du Heng cast a surprised glance at Xu Pinglin and Dr. Hou.

As a fellow medical professional, he understood perfectly what Dr. Hou’s words implied: the patient could defer payment, settling the bill later when he had the money. He could even, after being treated, simply abscond and not acknowledge the debt.

The department would bear any resulting consequences.

In an era where it was often said that ”a visit to the operating room costs as much as ten thousand taels of gold,” the actions of Xu Pinglin and his team were truly a mark of conscience and a model for the industry.

It was a very subtle statement, but its meaning was perfectly clear.

Whether understood or not, this was as much as they could say.

If they were any more explicit, the entire department could face punishment from the hospital.

And judging by Xue Yiwen’s appearance, he seems like a smart person who should understand the meaning of these words. Surely, he wouldn’t want to be discharged because of money?

Indeed, upon hearing Dr. Hou’s words, Xue Yiwen quickly shook his head. ”No, it’s not that. I genuinely don’t want the treatment.”

Xu Pinglin, his patience wearing thin, nevertheless continued to persuade him, ”You’re in the mid-stage of gastric lesser curvature cancer, and the spread isn’t very severe yet. After surgical removal, you have a high chance of recovery. Even if it eventually recurs, you could extend your life by another three to five years. Think about your child. He’s only a little over two years old and desperately needs his father’s companionship. Can you bear to leave him? Don’t you want to accompany your child as he grows up?”

His child was undeniably this young father’s most cherished treasure. Upon hearing Xu Pinglin mention his child, Xue Yiwen’s emotions wavered, and his expression became conflicted.

However, within a few seconds, he once again shook his head firmly, an added layer of seriousness in his expression. ”Director Xu, I am truly grateful for your help, but I’ve really decided. No more treatment. I want to go home.”

His patience finally exhausted by this seemingly unappreciative man, Xu Pinglin repressed his anger and asked one last time, ”Tell me the reason. I deserve to know why. If you’re planning to transfer to another hospital, we won’t stop you.”

Xue Yiwen sat on the bed with his head lowered, speaking in a very soft, flat tone, ”I’m not planning to transfer. I genuinely don’t want treatment anymore. I’ve researched it. For someone like me, already in the mid-stage, the chances of a complete cure are slim, and the probability of recurrence after surgery is very high.”

Dr. Hou interjected urgently, ”But surgery can prolong your life, allowing you to spend more time with your child. Isn’t it good to be able to watch your child grow up with your own eyes?”

Xue Yiwen lightly shook his head, his gaze still downcast. ”Without surgery, I can live for another two or three years. With surgery, it’s maybe three to five years, seven or eight at best. Those few extra years aren’t necessary.

”My child is still young and doesn’t understand things. If I go now, he won’t be too sad. But in a few more years, when he’s older and understands, if I were to pass away then, how heartbroken he would be.”

His words plunged everyone present into silence.

Xue Yiwen suddenly turned his head to look out the window. Through the westward-facing window, he could see the sun slowly setting.

The sunlight was brilliant; even refracted by the glass, it was still dazzling.

Xue Yiwen squinted slightly, letting the sunlight bathe his entire face. The look of contentment on his face seemed to tell everyone that he had truly come to terms with his situation.