This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

”Ah, yes, there was such an incident. What’s wrong, Director Chu? Did anything happen to that student?”

After hearing Chu Xuwei’s question, a question mark immediately appeared over Du Heng’s head.

If something went wrong, why are they only coming to me now? It’s been ten to twenty days; the bone cracks must have begun to heal, right? Or did the kid appreciate my intervention, sparing him the agony of surgery and inserting a metal plate, and he’s here to give me a silk banner?

It wasn’t surprising that Du Heng would think this way, because it was impossible for something to have gone wrong.

Firstly, I’m very aware of my current skill level. Besides, he was sent to the hospital. If my reduction wasn’t done well, they would have definitely performed surgery to reset it. The worst that could have happened was that the boy suffered a bit more pain, since administering anesthetic on the main road wasn’t realistic. Moreover, I have my cheat tool, and it already confirmed that the reduction I performed was an effective treatment.

While his mind was racing, Chu Xuwei on the other end explained Director Li’s situation. ”Doctor Du, would it be convenient for you to make a trip? If not, I can decline for you.”

Du Heng held his mobile phone but didn’t answer Chu Xuwei immediately. He habitually tapped his fingers on the tabletop. ”Director Chu, did Director Li mention anything specific?”

”No, but from his tone, it sounds like he’s taken an interest in your reduction skills. Moreover, this Director Li is quite famous in the field of the Department of Orthopedic Traumatology in the entire Capital. For him to call you now, he must have encountered some difficult situation.” Chu Xuwei slightly emphasized the word ”famous,” as if subtly reminding Du Heng.

Du Heng noticed the change in Chu Xuwei’s tone. After a moment’s thought, he said, ”How about I go and see what’s going on first?”

”That sounds good. I’ll send you Director Li’s contact information in a bit.”

After hanging up, Du Heng turned to Du Xuejing, who was warming her hands with a hot drink beside him. ”Do you know the First Affiliated Hospital of your school?”

Du Xuejing was happily sipping her drink and sharing her joy with her classmate. Hearing Du Heng’s question, she replied without looking up, ”I know it. It’s right next to our school, very close.”

Du Heng grabbed his things and stood up. ”Let’s go. I’ll take you back on the way.”

Du Xuejing had overheard Du Heng’s phone call and didn’t make a fuss. She stood up obediently. ”Let’s go, Little Uncle.”

After a few steps, she asked again, ”Little Uncle, I’m going home the day after tomorrow. Will you come to see me off?”

”I won’t be able to make it. You can go back on your own.”

”Oh!” Du Xuejing sounded a little disappointed. But the thought of flying home soon made her spirits lift again.

Little Uncle is the best, so generous and magnanimous. He’s truly willing to spend money on me and the family. Unlike my mother, who didn’t even give me money when I started university. Although things had eased up a bit later, her monthly living allowance was only 800 yuan, which was far too stingy. Every time I asked for more, she would compare it to Little Uncle’s student days ten years ago, when his living expenses were just over 100 yuan a month. It was truly exasperating. Thankfully, Little Uncle secretly gives me an extra one to two thousand yuan each month, so I still live quite comfortably.

Du Heng didn’t know what Du Xuejing was thinking. He dropped his niece off at her school and then walked towards the hospital, asking for directions along the way.

Director Li and the refined man were talking in the office. Seeing Du Heng knock on the door, Li Chengzu asked, puzzled, ”I am Li Chengzu. And you are?”

”My name is Du Heng.”

Li Chengzu was slightly taken aback for a moment, then quickly stood up and came forward with a hearty laugh. ”So you’re Doctor Du! Hello, hello.”

Although Chu Xuwei had told him Du Heng was a young man of twenty-nine, seeing him in person, Li Chengzu was still surprised by Du Heng’s youth.

After some brief pleasantries, Li Chengzu explained why he had sought out Du Heng and introduced the refined man beside him.

The refined man, having heard from Director Li about the person he was recommending, felt a little uneasy. He’s too young. In the Capital, doctors his age are usually either just starting their careers or are still students. Faced with such a young ’expert,’ he felt somewhat apprehensive.

However, given the case Director Li had described and the fact that Director Li was indeed an expert in this field, he could only follow the arrangement. The alternative was to heed Director Li’s advice and opt for surgery with a metal plate.

Li Chengzu took out Qinqin’s X-ray film and showed it to Du Heng for careful examination.

Only after Du Heng put it down did Li Chengzu ask, ”Doctor Du, this is the situation. The patient, due to her work, doesn’t want any scarring and hopes to recover through conservative treatment. Now that you’ve seen the film, do you think conservative treatment is feasible?”

Du Heng’s brow furrowed slightly. He didn’t rush to answer Li Chengzu’s question but instead asked, ”Director Li, weren’t X-rays of the patient’s wrist and hand taken?”

Li Chengzu paused. ”What’s the matter, Doctor Du?”

”Looking at this fracture site, there are varying degrees of displacement both superiorly and inferiorly. The displacement closer to the palm is more pronounced, and these bone fragments are quite small and irregular. This doesn’t look like an injury from blunt force trauma; it seems to have been caused by a significant twisting force.”

Du Heng put down the X-ray film, looked at the two men, and asked, ”How did this injury happen?”

The refined man thought for a moment. ”I’m not too sure. Qinqin’s assistant told me. She said that after filming, Qinqin missed a step getting out of a car and braced herself with her hand. When she got up, her arm was in excruciating pain, so they rushed her to the hospital. The assistant is with Qinqin in the hospital room now. Shall I call her over?”

”Filming? A celebrity?” Du Heng was slightly surprised. He hadn’t expected to treat a celebrity one day.

The refined man was taken aback by Du Heng’s question. ”Doctor Du, you don’t know our Qinqin?”

Du Heng looked at the refined man, speechless. I’m busy treating patients during the day and studying books at night. Even so, I’ve only read a tenth of the books in my cabinet. Where would I find the time to know who your Qinqin, or whoever she was, is?

”Let’s not get sidetracked. Let’s stick to the patient’s condition.” Du Heng didn’t want to waste time and brought the conversation back on topic. ”This injury is about what I expected. The patient braced herself with her hand as she fell. Her hand was unstable, and combined with the force of her body suddenly falling, it resulted in such an injury. With her arm in this state, I suspect there might also be some issues with her wrist and hand.”

He picked up the film again and glanced at it. ”This arm is too thin; it’s practically just skin and bones. If there were a bit more flesh, it would offer some protection to the bone.”

Li Chengzu nodded in agreement. He’d had the same thought when he saw the X-ray film. Although the muscles weren’t clearly imaged, the general outline was visible. His first thought then was also that her arm was too thin.

However, the refined man standing beside them couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Did they think his Qinqin was like these crude men? If she were heavier, she wouldn’t look good on camera. Besides, Qinqin’s beauty was a ’bone-structure beauty’; if she had more flesh, how could her beauty be appreciated? These two were crude men; they didn’t know how to appreciate true beauty.

Prompted by Du Heng, Li Chengzu also picked up the X-ray film and examined it carefully. The irregular fracture line, that was clear. The displacement at the distal end, that was also clear. But this supposed displacement at the proximal end—he’d studied the film for ages and couldn’t see it at all.

”Doctor Du, this proximal displacement, how did you see it?”

”Look here.” Du Heng pointed. ”Following this line downwards, don’t you see that this fracture site is offset by about three millimeters?”

Damn! Li Chengzu almost choked. Three millimeters? Are your eyes rulers? And micron-precision rulers at that!

He took two deep breaths before continuing, ”Doctor Du, I’ll have someone take new X-rays of the patient’s wrist immediately.”

Du Heng had initially wanted to say it wasn’t necessary; he could just go over and feel it with his hands to know for sure. But considering the current situation, it probably wasn’t enough for me to be sure; these two needed to be convinced. Moreover, the patient was a celebrity. Although I don’t know what kind of celebrity she is, it’s better to be cautious; celebrities often come with a lot of drama.

”Alright then. Let’s get X-rays of the wrist and hand. It’s better to rule it out.”

Li Chengzu exchanged a few more words with the refined man, then took out his phone and made a call.

Afterward, the three of them chatted idly in the office while they waited.

Li Chengzu was very curious about Du Heng’s experiences, and Du Heng was also very interested in orthopedic surgeries. The two of them chatted enthusiastically. Both were highly skilled, and as they talked, they found a growing sense of camaraderie, like old friends meeting for the first time.

However, while they were enjoying their conversation, the refined man was thoroughly bored. The Essex-Lopresti fractures, Colles fractures, distal radius flexion-type fractures, and humeral head depression fractures that Du Heng and Li Chengzu discussed made his head spin; he couldn’t understand a single thing. He wanted to interject but couldn’t find an opening. He wanted to leave, but that would be impolite. So, he could only sit there like a fool, watching the two of them chat.

They talked for about twenty minutes, and just as their discussion was getting animated, it was interrupted by Li Chengzu’s phone ringing.

”Doctor Du, we should find some time to talk properly. I still have many questions about bone healing and soft tissue repair around wounds that I’d like to discuss with you.”

”I feel the same way.”

The two men smiled at each other and then began to examine the images that had been uploaded to the system.

At this moment, any thoughts about Du Heng being too young had completely vanished from Li Chengzu’s mind. His only thought was that this Doctor Du’s understanding of bones was incredibly precise. The only regrettable thing was that he didn’t perform surgery. If he did, orthopedics would immediately gain another leading expert, a top-tier one at that. Suddenly, Li Chengzu had a bold idea: he wanted to poach Du Heng for the orthopedics department. Such an orthopedic talent would be wasted in a muddle-along place like the adult internal medicine department.

While waiting for the system to load the images, Li Chengzu suddenly asked Du Heng, ”Doctor Du, have you ever considered a career in orthopedics?”