Chapter 286: Steel and Silk

Men are like steel, women like water.

It’s said that women who can master men do so because they know how to use softness to overcome strength. No matter how tough a man is, give him a wise and beautiful woman and he’ll just melt for her.

There’s no denying it—the female reporter had already used her sharp social skills to win Zhou Can’s favor.

At the very least, the way Zhou Can looked at her had lost that chilly, heartless edge.

But if she thought that meant Zhou Can would just agree to an interview, she was bound for disappointment.

“There’s no law that says a citizen has to accept an interview, right? You have the right to interview me, but I have the right to say no. I’m not a prince, so why is it that some girls always act like they’re princesses when they meet me?”

Zhou Can teased, a sly grin on his lips.

“That’s so mean! I always thought doctors were most skilled with a scalpel, but now I see your tongue is even sharper!” She realized this young doctor was way too good at verbal sparring.

If she kept this up, she’d end up losing even worse.

So instead, she leaned into her strength, switching tactics—she gave him a playful pout and stopped bothering to argue.

She made up her mind to change her approach.

“Dr. Zhou, I think you must have some misunderstandings about journalists. We’re not all out chasing headlines with no bottom line. See? Here’s my press card—I passed the real exam! It’s the paparazzi who are shameless and lack professional ethics.”

She was doing her best to clearly explain her identity and intentions.

It was clear she was sharp as a tack.

She could pick up right away from Zhou Can’s resistance exactly what the misunderstanding was.

Because of all the times Su Qianqian had been blackmailed and secretly photographed by paparazzi, Zhou Can really didn’t have the best opinion of reporters.

Now, listening to her explanation, he started to waver.

Every profession has its own specialty.

Switching fields is like looking at a mountain from across the valley.

He honestly had never realized there was a difference between paparazzi and real journalists.

Maybe it’s like the difference between doctors and plastic surgeons!

A lot of aesthetic doctors aren’t even licensed to practice medicine, yet they dare to wield the knife—offering double eyelids, nose jobs, liposuction, jaw shaving, you name it.

Even in some reputable cosmetic hospitals, only some staff are actually licensed doctors, and the rest aren’t qualified at all.

Paparazzi are more like leakers, not true journalists.

But many paparazzi do have sources in the business, and some of them are actually journalists themselves.

“I want to dig into this story because I think it’s meaningful—it can serve as a warning. Just think, if that girl had gotten a proper diagnosis two years ago, all those tragedies never would’ve happened.”

Her response made Zhou Can view her in an even more positive light.

“What do you want to know?”

Zhou Can clearly let his guard down.

“Haha, finally earned your trust! That was hard work. Let’s introduce ourselves—I’m Mu Qing, TV reporter at Satellite TV.”

The reporter had finally breached Zhou Can’s walls and let out a hearty laugh.

You could tell she was genuinely happy.

A person’s laugh says a lot about them—a petty villain’s laugh always sounds creepy, sinister, or just plain mean.

The scariest is someone who smiles without actually meaning it. People like that are usually vicious under the surface, downright rotten.

People with bold, straightforward personalities tend to have bright, infectious laughs.

Just like this reporter—her laughter was cheerful and full of life. She had a warm, open personality and good character.

“No wonder you’re so sharp-tongued, you really are a cicada come evening!”

Zhou Can looked amused after hearing her name.

“I’m not that clever, and I haven’t read enough books. Can you tell me what that means?”

She tilted her head, honestly perplexed.

Zhou Can noticed she had a really pleasant disposition—she never got mad, no matter what he said.

Maybe that came with the job, developed over time.

A TV reporter interviews all kinds of people; if you have a bad temper and snap back after a couple of jabs, there’s no way you could keep the interview going.

“Mu is a rare surname, and your press card does say Mu. The word itself means ‘evening.’ Qing was used in the past for a kind of cicada—small-bodied, square-headed, wide-foreheaded, with beautiful markings. It was a poetic term for a woman’s lovely head. ‘Qing-shou’ and ‘high-arching brows’ meant the same. In the evening, when the sun sets, it’s also when cicadas sing the loudest.”

“So your parents named you Mu Qing—it’s just like a cicada chirping nonstop at dusk! And you really showed off that talent just now, talking me into accepting your interview with your tireless tongue.”

Zhou Can explained with a playful smile.

“Aiya… so you’re saying I just got roasted in a roundabout way! Only educated people know how to insult you so well you barely notice.”

She clenched her delicate fists, but instead of hitting Zhou Can, she lightly thumped her own smooth forehead twice.

“Haha, I didn’t mean it as an insult—just saying you’re great with words.”

Zhou Can found this reporter kind of adorable. He even relaxed and laughed, thanks to her playful attitude.

A moment ago, he’d been weighed down by the tragic case of that cancer patient, but now he felt a bit lighter.

Still, deep inside, he had a burning urge to tackle cancer itself.

Right now, the two recognized treatment options for cancer are surgery and medication—like chemotherapy or radiation.

Surgery has to be done early. Some cancers just can’t be operated on, even then.

Chemotherapy is the main medical treatment, but there are even better drugs on the market—targeted therapy. The only problem? Targeted therapies are expensive and only work for specific genetic markers, like EGFR gene mutations, ALK gene fusions, HER-2 gene amplifications, and so on.

On top of that, there are experimental cancer immunotherapies that could turn T cells into super-soldiers.

These have even more promise, aiming higher than targeted therapies.

Targeted therapy comes from Western medicine, while cancer immunotherapy draws from both Chinese and Western medical philosophies—a whole new way to treat cancer.

If the research pans out, cancer could end up being as easy to treat as a common cold one day.

There are also cancer vaccines under development by major western pharmaceutical companies—the world is watching closely.

All in all, medical science is advancing at breakneck speed.

Take genetic sequencing—once unimaginable in the past, now it’s routine.

“Dr. Zhou, now that you’ve finished roasting me, can we finally start the interview?”

She steered the conversation back to work.

With no patients at Zhou Can’s table at the moment, she figured she’d better seize the chance to get the interview done.

“Go ahead! But only ask about the medical side—no sensitive questions, and nothing that will stir up trouble.”

Zhou Can was straightforward about his rules.

“I just want to hear you explain the whole course of this woman’s illness and what lessons can be learned from her case.” She’d already chatted with the girl for a long time and taken photos of her medical records.

All she needed now was Zhou Can’s expert analysis and summary to craft a thorough news piece.

“Just so we’re clear, I’m just a trainee—my medical knowledge has its limits. If I say something off-base or sound silly, I’m not responsible for the embarrassment.”

“Sure, no problem.”

Mu Qing agreed, nodding.

“Looking at the course of this patient’s two-year illness, I’d divide it into three stages. The first, back in August two years ago. She caught a chill and developed a fever, stuffy nose, and runny nose—looked just like a cold. Her temperature hit 38.7°C, not too high. Tests showed elevated liver enzymes, EB virus antibodies, and swollen lymph nodes all over. She got liver-protective and antiviral drugs, got better for a bit, then relapsed with high fever and cough.”

“If they’d paid closer attention at that point, maybe the disease wouldn’t have progressed to lymphoma. But lymphoma is notoriously tough to diagnose, especially in the early stages—it can fool even the best doctors.”

Zhou Can believed that by the time she had swollen lymph nodes everywhere, lymphoma was already in play.

Or at least, it had started to develop.

It’s the hardest time to make a clear diagnosis.

Analyzing this case had taught him a ton of valuable clinical lessons.

“About three months after her first hospital stay, she was admitted again with enlarged liver, fatty liver, enlarged spleen, and ovarian cysts. So in just three months, her illness went from basic cold symptoms to multi-organ involvement. She ended up hospitalized for over a month, but even after discharge, her fever kept coming back, off and on, for almost a whole year.”

Zhou Can felt that stretch was her best window for treatment.

Unfortunately, an external hospital expert’s carelessness—and the patient’s own lack of attention—meant things only got worse. In that year, the lymphoma took root and invaded multiple organs and tissues.

If only it had been caught then, surgery or targeted therapy could have been an option.

Sometimes, patients and their families shouldn’t blindly trust just one expert.

If an illness drags on forever or keeps flaring up, don’t just wait it out. If you need to change hospitals or doctors, just do it.

Never put all your hope in one tree.

“So, does that year count as the second stage?”

Mu Qing asked as she scribbled notes.

Sharp as ever, she kept her recorder running, planning to replay Zhou Can’s analysis when she wrote the article to avoid any misunderstandings.

“That year is the transition from stage one to stage two. The real second stage came 14 months into the illness, when she started having ringing in her right ear, hearing loss, and nasal congestion—ended up hospitalized again. By then, the lymphoma had already invaded her major organs and was causing serious problems. Especially in her eye exam—they found mild granulomas.”

“Did you know? Medically, a granuloma is when infection or trauma triggers inflammation and cells proliferate into a grainy mass. But the thing is, when granulomas show up, it’s a big warning sign. They’re almost like cancer’s advance team.”

Zhou Can shared as much from his own experience as possible.

Hopefully, the article would help people watch out for granulomas and not be fooled by their cute-sounding name.

Just like how a pretty woman can be deceptive, or an adorable tiger cub can still be ferocious.

You can’t judge things by their surface.

“I’ll highlight that in my piece—people need to know just how dangerous granulomas can be.”

Mu Qing completely understood why Zhou Can was stressing this point about granulomas.

“If the real cause had been found in the second stage, not just the granulomas, maybe there was still hope of a cure. Sadly, after her last hospital stay, the diagnosis was double granulomatous uveitis, and her treatment was very conservative—just prednisone, azathioprine, eye drops for conjunctivitis, and that was it.”

Thinking about it, Zhou Can couldn’t help but feel heartbroken.

They say it’s never too late to mend the pen after losing the sheep.

But the external specialist’s treatment was honestly hard to watch.

If professional etiquette didn’t forbid it, Zhou Can would’ve loved to expose that so-called expert. Such a sensible girl wasted by an incompetent doctor—it was nearly criminal.

“The third stage began 19 months after onset. She was hospitalized for pain in both feet and soles, couldn’t even stand. At that point, the lymphoma had invaded her central nervous system—there was nothing medicine could do. From this case, I think there’s a link between EB virus infection and lymphoma. If a patient’s got persistent EB virus infection and recurring fevers that don’t resolve, you must watch out for lymphoma.”

After analyzing the whole case, Zhou Can summed up the lessons for doctors and patients alike.

[You have, for the first time, thoroughly analyzed an ultra-difficult case and uncovered the pathological link. Pathology experience +1000.]

[Congratulations! You have acquired a special medical skill: Benevolent Heart. Effect unknown. Current EXP 1/.]

To his great surprise, reviewing this case earned Zhou Can two major rewards.

A pathology experience bonus of 1000—his biggest ever.

Perhaps the system decided he’d had a genuine breakthrough in pathology, and so rewarded him so generously.

This in-depth analysis wasn’t just about the points—it truly elevated his clinical thinking.

He could feel his perspective, his diagnostic reasoning, his approach—all had reached a new level.

If he had to put it in words, before, he used to focus on just one point. Even with his unconventional thinking, it was like standing on tiptoe, peering in one direction.

Now, he’d learned to stand atop the peak and look at the big picture.

To analyze every case from multiple perspectives.

This way of expanding from the details to the whole is something only the most outstanding chief physicians ever master.

He’s only at attending level right now, but to have this awareness? That’s really something.

From now on, he would have an edge in every diagnosis he made.

And it was a pretty big edge.

Paired with his unconventional thinking, it was hard to imagine his limits. When it came to tough cases, his diagnostic power would be on a whole new level.

His skill might even double.

Agreeing to this reporter’s interview didn’t just get him a big reward in pathology experience—Zhou Can unexpectedly acquired a brand new, special medical skill.

He had no idea what it was for, yet.

But considering it took 100,000 experience points just to reach the next level, it had to be chief physician-tier.

He was confident that, over time, its value would reveal itself in his practice.

He was in no rush.

It’s like winning a high-tier blind box in a lottery—does it really matter what it holds?

A box of that level would never contain cheap trinkets.

If there’s something worthless inside, it just ruins the reputation of the box.

In all his experience with the system, he’d never seen it play tricks or rip him off.

“Alright, that’s it for the interview this time. If there’s anything I didn’t understand, or I missed something, I’ll ask you again next time. Is it alright if I have your personal phone number?”

Reporter Mu Qing put away her notebook and recorder.