This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

”I’ve lost my composure.” The Director of the Gastroenterology Department quickly calmed himself and added, ”I spoke in haste just now, but it’s all for Professor Lan’s sake. However, as to whether or not to perform the surgery, it’s up to you, Director Lan.”

Hearing this, Director Lan’s face relaxed slightly.

The Director of the Gastroenterology Department sighed. He didn’t know why, but Director Wu’s words just now had provoked a trace of anger in him. Now that he had come to his senses, he realized his emotional outburst stemmed from feeling insulted. A renowned director from a nationally renowned hospital, a respected figure in the industry, had been busy for more than ten days, only to have to wait for a young man from the remote Northwest. Is he saying I’m not as good as him?

Previously, those leading experts from the Capital had come one by one, pointing fingers and dictating terms. But their fame and age were undeniable, so he had endured their interference. However, this didn’t mean he was willing to let others meddle with his patients. And now, to think he actually had to wait for some nobody! The anger in his heart flared. He understood now. He had been harboring resentment, and it was being triggered by this Doctor Du, whom he had yet to meet.

At this moment, Director Lan, who had just been momentarily reassured by the Director of the Gastroenterology Department, began to waver once again. He had a point. If we wait for Doctor Du to arrive tonight or tomorrow, and then spend a day or two verifying his diagnosis, what if Dad doesn’t improve? Then there really will be no chance left.

After weighing his options, Director Lan suddenly stood up. ”I’ll go talk to my father again.”

Without acknowledging the others in the office, he walked straight towards the ward.

In the hospital bed, Lan Changhua was in very poor condition, especially his mental state; he was in a daze.

Director Lan walked to the bedside, asked his sister to step aside, and softly asked, ”Dad, do you want to eat something right now?”

Lan Changhua struggled to open his eyes, his gaze slightly scattered. He glanced at his son by the bedside a few times, then after a few seconds, said, ”Not hungry.”

”How about going to the bathroom?”

This time, Lan Changhua didn’t speak, merely shaking his head almost imperceptibly.

Feeling both helpless and distressed, Director Lan held his father’s hand and hesitated for a moment before saying, ”Dad, let’s get the surgery done. Director Qian just said that if you have the surgery now, your body can still handle it. If we wait another two days, there will be no chance for surgery anymore.”

Lan Changhua stubbornly shook his head again. ”I still have a chance. As long as Xiao Du comes, I still have a chance.”

”Dad, is a young man really worth so much of your trust?” Director Lan asked, somewhat frustrated.

”You don’t understand.” Lan Changhua closed his eyes in discomfort.

That remark only made Director Lan angrier. ”Then tell me! If you tell me, then I’ll understand.”

”You don’t understand. You’re not a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, so you wouldn’t understand,” Lan Changhua muttered again. ”Don’t feed me orange peel; it’s a bit bitter. Buy me some canned fruit instead.”

”What?”

Standing by the bed, Director Lan was puzzled and even glanced at his father’s mouth. No one was feeding him orange peel. Suddenly, he realized his father was becoming delirious.

This realization made Director Lan abruptly decide: he had to arrange the surgery for his father. He couldn’t delay any longer.

Gently placing Lan Changhua’s hand under the blanket, Director Lan prepared to turn and find Director Qian. Just as he stood up to leave, he heard Lan Changhua suddenly speak again. ”No surgery. I won’t be able to withstand it. I’m a doctor too. I know my own body very well. I won’t make it off the operating table. I’ll just wait for Xiao Du. Xiao Du will definitely...”

Lan Changhua smacked his lips and paused for several seconds. Just as Director Lan was losing patience, his father spoke again, ”Did we have bitter melon today? Why is my mouth so bitter? You know I don’t like bitter melon.”

Director Lan stood rooted to the spot. His father’s episodes of delirium were becoming more frequent.

At this moment, Director Lan’s younger sister walked over to him. ”Brother, what do we do now? You have to make a decision! Are we just going to stand by and watch Dad suffer while we wait for that doctor from out of town? Besides, is he even reliable? What if he isn’t, and we end up wasting precious time?”

Director Lan himself was deeply frustrated. His father’s words had shaken the decision he had just firmed up, leaving him indecisive once more. Director Lan didn’t answer his sister. He stood silently, gazing at his bedridden father, deep in thought.

Just as he was grappling with his indecision, Director Wu slowly walked in. ”What did the Teacher say?”

”No surgery. He insists on waiting for Doctor Du.” Director Lan turned to Director Wu, his expression earnest. ”Wu, tell me the truth, is Doctor Du really capable?”

Director Wu gave a wry smile. ”You’ve read Doctor Du’s profile at least ten times already.”

Director Lan’s face was tinged with worry. ”Wu, my work is in medical projects. I understand the intricacies involved better than you do. For such a young doctor to be in charge of a national-level project and a provincial-level one... it’s genuinely hard to believe. The main thing is, he’s been in Jinzhou all this time, a world away from us. I can’t help but question the specifics.”

Director Wu smiled helplessly. He understood Director Lan’s doubts and anxieties; after all, his father’s life was at stake. ”Let me reiterate: everything you’re doubting is absolutely true. There isn’t a shred of falsehood in any of it.” Director Wu was earnest as he spoke, ”Also, I’m sure you haven’t just looked at the written materials I gave you. You’ve also searched for information about him online, haven’t you?”

”Yes, I found a lot of information,” Director Lan nodded, not remotely embarrassed about having investigated Doctor Du privately. ”But there’s just so much information online, and it’s all too... too...”

Seeing Director Lan struggle for the right word, Director Wu supplied, ”Too exaggerated?”

”Yes, exaggerated, exactly!” Director Lan readily agreed. ”It’s so exaggerated it’s hard to believe a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner barely in his thirties could possess such a level of skill. It makes me feel like he’s one of those internet celebrities manufactured by some PR company.”

”I can also assure you that all that online information, including those short videos, is completely genuine,” Director Wu continued slowly. ”Actually, the cancer project the Teacher is currently handling was initially applied for under the Teacher’s name, but it was intended for Doctor Du. It’s just that, due to some misunderstanding at the time, Doctor Du returned to Jinzhou right before the New Year last year. The events that followed are all detailed in the materials you’ve already seen.”

Director Lan stared intently at Director Wu. ”Wu, forget everything else for a moment. Just give me a straight answer: can Doctor Du cure my father?”

The question brought a series of wry smiles to Director Wu’s face. How could he guarantee that? He hadn’t just seen Du Heng’s skills on paper; he had witnessed them firsthand. But when it came to treating illness, no doctor could offer a guarantee before they’d personally handled the case. This was especially true when other leading traditional Chinese medicine experts in the Capital had already examined the patient and found no solution. Even he couldn’t say for sure. He harbored some doubts himself. Du Heng was undoubtedly skilled, but was he truly more capable than these leading experts in the Capital?

While the two men were agonizing over the decision, Du Heng, the very Doctor Du they were discussing, had already boarded the last flight of the afternoon and was rushing towards the Capital.

Cao Binghe, having received the news, hurried into the hospital room, mobile phone in hand. ”Director Wu, Director Lan, Doctor Du is on the plane! He’ll arrive in the Capital in two and a half hours. Should we go pick him up?”

”Of course, we must pick him up.” As soon as Cao Binghe finished speaking, Director Lan made his decision.