At 8:20 PM, the invited neurologist, Dr. Tan Xiao, finally arrived at the patient’s room.
To avoid interfering with Dr. Tan’s observation of Ren Xiaobao and the subsequent treatnt, and also to avoid any appearance of impropriety, Qiu Ge, Yan Feifan, and Yu Suye voluntarily left the room.
Qiu Ge led Yan Feifan and Yu Suye straight to the on-call doctors’ lounge on that floor.
As Qiu Ge pushed the door open and entered, she saw two young doctors sitting inside and said bluntly, "You two, go do your rounds."
"I need to discuss a case with Mr. Yan here."
The two young doctors ekly agreed and quickly vacated the lounge.
Before Yan Feifan and Yu Suye even had a chance to sit down, they heard Qiu Ge’s voice.
"Mr. Yan, how certain are you that Ren Xiaobao’s blindness, aphasia, and limb weakness are due to psychological factors—in other words, hysteria?"
"Dr. Qiu, there is no direct evidence."
"This diagnosis of hysteria is just a deduction I made by process of elimination."
Yan Feifan pulled over a chair, sat down, and said pensively, "Ren Xiaobao’s current symptoms point to three main possibilities."
"Surgical error!"
"An unknown tumor elsewhere in the body!"
"An autoimmune disease!"
Yan Feifan took the warm water Yu Suye had gotten for him in a disposable cup and continued, "After reviewing the surgical procedure, I found no mistakes."
"Even if there was a surgical error I missed, at most it would cause blindness and limb weakness."
"But there’s no logical explanation for the aphasia."
"There were no signs of hemorrhage or tumors in the brain’s language centers."
Qiu Ge let out a soft breath and said, "Even though I had that emotional lapse during the surgery, my overall feeling about the operation is still quite good."
"I wouldn’t say it was a transcendent performance, but it was certainly an excellent one."
Then, Qiu Ge gave a bitter smile. "But that emotional lapse will probably be used as strong evidence that I was unfit to perform the surgery."
Yan Feifan comforted her, "The entire procedure was recorded on video. The quality of our work is right there for all to see. The experts on the review board aren’t blind."
"Dr. Qiu, you don’t need to worry too much."
Yan Feifan took a sip of water and continued his analysis. "The probability of a tumor elsewhere in the body or an autoimmune disease suddenly appearing is very low."
"If he had them before, he’s been to so many hospitals and had so many tests recently, it’s impossible that nothing would have shown up."
Yan Feifan added, "Of course, we can’t completely rule out a new tumor or autoimmune disease that developed in the last few days."
"But that possibility is extrely small."
He then said slowly, "When that Mr. Ren was furiously denouncing us, I noticed that Ren Xiaobao was far too calm."
"He’s blind and mute, but he isn’t deaf."
"Besides, think about it. An eight-year-old boy wakes up to find he’s blind, mute, and paralyzed."
"And in less than a day, he’s just accepted his fate?"
"Isn’t his psychological resilience a little too strong?"
Hearing this, Qiu Ge was also taken aback.
She recalled, "Mr. Yan, now that you ntion it, I did feel sothing was off."
"This morning, when I got the news he’d woken up, I rushed over imdiately to examine him. The boy didn’t show any excessive agitation either."
"Even an adult wouldn’t be able to process their emotions in just a few days after learning they’d gone blind."
Yan Feifan continued, "I also thought about how, for the past few months, this child has been dragged by his parents to do all sorts of tests and treatnts abroad."
"For an eight-year-old, can you imagine the psychological pressure from all that fear and anxiety?"
"Also, judging by how Mr. Ren was shouting accusations at us in the hospital room without any regard for his surroundings, he doesn’t seem like a considerate person who would look after his son’s ntal well-being."
"Combining these points, I believe there’s a significant possibility that the boy’s blindness and aphasia are caused by hysteria."
A rare smile appeared on Qiu Ge’s face. She nodded and said, "Mr. Yan, after your analysis, I’m convinced."
"It’s not that uncommon for patients with hysteria to beco blind, or mute, or completely paralyzed."
"It’s not impossible for Ren Xiaobao to exhibit all three symptoms at once."
Yan Feifan said softly, "This is just my personal analysis and deduction. Now we’ll have to see what Dr. Tan diagnoses."
"Dr. Tan is an expert in clinical hypnosis."
Yan Feifan said expectantly, "If it really is caused by psychological factors, a single hypnosis session should give us the answer quickly."
Qiu Ge glanced at her watch and said hopefully, "Mr. Yan, you probably don’t know how much I’m hoping your judgnt is correct."
Yu Suye chid in, "Dr. Qiu, Feifan’s diagnostic and surgical record still has a hundred percent success rate to this day."
Yan Feifan shot her a look and said, "Past records don’t guarantee present or future success."
"Frankly, I just asked Dr. Tan to co over to rule out the possibility of hysteria."
"Essentially, it’s still a gamble."
Qiu Ge said with feigned ease, "Even if it’s a gamble, hearing that you’ve maintained a hundred percent success rate has suddenly boosted my confidence quite a bit."
Yan Feifan gave a light chuckle and said humbly, "My so-called success rate only started being calculated after I recovered and returned to work at the hospital."
"It’s only been a short ti. I’ve only taken on a handful of patients and surgeries, so it’s not really a aningful statistic..."
Just then, the sound of a text ssage alert ca from Yu Suye’s phone.
She took out her phone and tapped on the screen.
"Feifan, it’s a ssage from your sister."
"She’s asking what ti you’ll be back and if she should prepare dinner."
Yan Feifan thought for a mont and said, "It should be before ten."
"No need to prepare dinner; we already ate on the plane."
"When we get back, we can just make so noodles or wontons for a late-night snack."
Yu Suye said, "Oh," and, following Yan Feifan’s instructions, her fingers flew across the screen, tapping out a few lines of text that she sent to Yan Ziruo.
"Mr. Yan..."
After Yu Suye finished sending the ssage, Qiu Ge t Yan Feifan’s gaze and said solemnly, "Regarding Wednesday night’s surgery, I haven’t formally thanked you yet."
"Mr. Yan, thank you."
Yan Feifan quickly replied, "Dr. Qiu, you’re too kind."
"I should be the one thanking you. Having the honor of observing your entire surgical procedure was more valuable than ten years of study."
Qiu Ge’s face flushed, a rare sight, and she waved her hand. "Mr. Yan, don’t embarrass ."
"Looking back, for a Chief Physician like myself to freeze up and drop the ball at a critical mont in surgery..."
"My whole life’s reputation..."
At this, Qiu Ge’s expression darkened. "And with that Hu Xue around, it looks like this embarrassing incident can’t be kept secret."
"I really didn’t expect her to sell out."
Yan Feifan analyzed, "It’s probably that Mr. Ren gathering potential evidence to prepare for a lawsuit."
"Not everyone can hold to their principles when faced with his financial offensive."
Qiu Ge nodded and sighed softly. "That’s true."
"Thinking about it, I myself stooped for five million and took on this risky surgery."
"Faced with Mr. Ren’s large checks, and perhaps the offer of a high-paying, easy job, how could a nurse who only makes a few thousand a month not be tempted?"
She looked at Yan Feifan and said apologetically, "Mr. Yan, I’m sorry you got dragged into this."
"It’s possible we won’t see any of the benefits from this surgery, and we’ll be tied up in a lawsuit instead."
Yan Feifan chuckled lightly. "Dr. Qiu, it’s not over ’til it’s over. We don’t know the final outco yet..."
After that, the three of them made small talk, enduring the agonizingly slow passage of ti as they waited for Dr. Tan Xiao to erge from the patient’s room...
At 9:38 PM, Yan Feifan suddenly heard the sound of hurried footsteps approaching from outside the lounge door.
Then, the lounge door was thrown open.
The person who burst in was Ren Chuqiu.
Her face was flushed as she shouted excitedly at Yan Feifan, "Mr. Yan, Xiaobao can see..."
"He can really see..."
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