Chapter 393: The Heart of a Healer, The Light of Kindness

As the two were chatting, Director Tang Fei of the department had already made her way over personally.

She was accompanied by two other hospital leaders.

Among them was Du Qiongqiong, head of hospital publicity. She’s the director of the Crisis Management Department at Tuyu Hospital. Three years have passed and she’s as elegant as ever—beautiful, capable, and always with a faint, confident smile.

She was a natural-born diplomat.

The other leader was Xiang Shangren, head of the hospital’s Public Welfare Department.

Zhou Can had only seen him in the hospital’s leadership profile; they’d never really interacted.

After all, Tuyu Main Hospital alone has thousands of employees. Even as colleagues, many might never cross paths in their entire careers.

“Director Tang, you’re here!”

Zhou Can greeted Tang Fei along with Mu Qing as they moved to welcome the group.

“Let me introduce—you’ve already met Director Du from the Publicity Department, and this is Director Xiang from Public Welfare.”

Director Tang Fei was clearly making introductions for Zhou Can and Mu Qing’s benefit.

“Hello, Director Du. Hello, Director Xiang.”

Zhou Can smiled and offered greetings to them both.

“It’s been three years, Dr. Zhou. You’ve only become more impressive.” Du Qiongqiong replied with a playful smile, her words carrying a double meaning.

“Director Du has a remarkable eye; she sees excellence everywhere. Even someone as ordinary as me must have a little sparkle, right? I’m at least self-aware of that.” Zhou Can’s combination of praise and self-deprecation got everyone laughing.

“Haha, I’ve long heard there’s an extraordinary young doctor named Zhou at Tuyu. Meeting you today is truly like a breath of spring air! Dr. Zhou, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Director Xiang shook hands with him enthusiastically.

“We’re also grateful for Director Xiang’s compassion today! Oh, by the way, this is reporter Mu Qing from the Satellite TV, and that’s Lao Qin, the cameraman from the TV Station.”

Zhou Can took the chance to introduce the two television crew members.

“Nice to meet you! Female reporters really are beautiful—every one of them looks like a celebrity, and the grace is just outstanding.” Director Xiang offered flattery non-stop as he glanced at Mu Qing.

Middle-aged men almost always behave similarly around attractive young women.

If you summed them up in a word: Passionate.

“So, where’s the child who needs help?”

“Over there! The child’s grandfather came along too.”

After meeting the child and his family, the hospital leadership chatted with them briefly, then asked Zhou Can to examine the child and come up with a treatment plan. Director Tang Fei from Pediatrics would supervise.

Meanwhile, the TV reporters were following with their cameras almost the entire time.

The hospital also arranged for someone to record the process from start to finish to later edit and use as promotional material.

There was one subtle but telling detail.

There are plenty of experienced pediatricians and specialists, but whether it was Director Tang Fei, Director Xiang from Public Welfare, or even Du Qiongqiong from Publicity—they all tacitly agreed that Zhou Can would examine the child and set up the initial treatment plan.

At least for the early stages, that’s how things would go.

This showed the hospital still intended to shape and strengthen Zhou Can’s public image. It’s a way of building momentum and leveraging publicity, helping him gain renown.

To truly establish a name as a top doctor, you need more than just exceptional skill—a hospital has to invest resources from every angle.

Judging by what’s happening, Tuyu Hospital is pulling out all the stops in cultivating and promoting Zhou Can.

Naturally, Zhou Can didn’t waste the opportunity. He conducted a thorough examination, gathered the child’s medical history, and ordered all needed tests—including a bone marrow aspiration for samples.

……

By late afternoon, nearly five o’clock, all the test results for the child came back.

The results showed that he had aplastic anemia, and it was the non-severe type—a much better outcome than it could have been.

If it had been the severe type, treatment would be much harder, with a less certain prognosis.

When it comes to treating blood diseases, Zhou Can isn’t exactly a specialist.

But diagnosing the cause? That’s his forte.

This child had no family history of leukemia, and given their mountain village home, the risk of radiation exposure was low.

Chemical causes were just as unlikely.

For instance, long-term use of chloramphenicol antibiotics, overused sulfa drugs, or benzene exposure. But the boy came from a poor family, so there was little chance he’d been exposed to things like harmful levels of formaldehyde or benzene from a fancy, newly renovated house.

Zhou Can asked carefully—turns out the family lives in a dilapidated mud-brick house; it’s an old home.

As he checked the labs, Zhou Can also noticed something else—the boy had hepatitis.

His initial guess was a viral infection that went untreated, which developed into hepatitis.

Further testing confirmed his suspicion. The boy had indeed contracted a hepatitis virus.

With both the cause and the illness identified, they could finally make a treatment plan.

“Director Tang, we’ve nailed down the cause—the hepatitis virus infection went untreated, leading to hepatitis and aplastic anemia. My experience is somewhat limited, so for safety’s sake I’d like to request a blood disease specialist to help finalize treatment.”

This was a very savvy move by Zhou Can.

Truth be told, once the cause was found, you could just follow the textbook and prescribe the standard treatment.

Given the level of his Pathology Diagnosis and Pharmacological Reasoning skills—already at a deputy chief level—he was fully competent to design the right plan.

But instead of hogging the spotlight, he handed the chance to the pediatric blood disease experts.

Lots of people would fight to claim all the credit for themselves.

It takes real character to give others the stage and not seek all the glory.

“Alright, I’ll ask Chief Physician Chen Jiaojiao to join the discussion and help draft the plan for this case. But you can’t just step aside now—the child’s care and ongoing follow-up are on you.”

Director Tang Fei gave Zhou Can high praise for letting others shine.

At the same time, she made it clear—Zhou Can couldn’t back out.

He’d be fully responsible for the case, from start to finish.

It was obvious the hospital would make sure Zhou Can’s role was front and center when it came time for publicity.

Soon, Dr. Chen Jiaojiao from Pediatric Hematology arrived to work with Zhou Can on the treatment plan. The case was given special priority: the child would be admitted as a public welfare patient, all expenses covered. That’s another story.

No sooner had the plan come together than Mu Qing got to work on a news draft, starting a crowdfunding campaign online.

She also said she’d contact the local authorities back in the child’s hometown right away, hoping to get them coordinated for support and help the family secure a minimum living allowance.

She was downright proactive about doing good deeds.

It made Zhou Can look at her with newfound respect.

A kind-hearted woman always seems more beautiful in a man’s eyes.

“Dr. Zhou, this is your turf. Lao Qin and I have been running around all day—how about dinner’s on you tonight?”

Mu Qing jokingly pushed the request.

“You got it! The hospital cafeteria is all yours. Dinner’s on me.”

Zhou Can agreed without hesitation.

Lunch had already been provided by the hospital. After all, they depended on the media to say good things and boost positive publicity.

As for whether Mu Qing and Lao Qin got any red envelopes behind the scenes, Zhou Can wasn’t sure.

“Hmph! You’re so stingy! Just the cafeteria? I thought you’d at least take us for a fancy five-star dinner!”

She playfully pouted.

“Haha, why is it that you, as a reporter, always dream of eating like a king? That’s not a good habit, you know.”

Zhou Can didn’t really care about the cost. He just didn’t see the point.

Plus, he didn’t want to get too personally entangled with Mu Qing outside of work.

You need to know where to draw the line in life.

“And what’s so bad about it?”

Mu Qing challenged with a little sass.

Lao Qin just quietly tidied up beside them, keeping out of it.

“For starters, it doesn’t look good. You’re here for public benefit coverage and charity work. If it got out that you enjoyed high-end banquets afterward, people would talk—and their criticism would be enough to drown us all!”

She’s a reporter, after all. With her professional background and media experience, she definitely understood the risks.

“You make some sense there. What’s your second reason?”

She nodded, clearly convinced.

Mu Qing agreed with Zhou Can’s point.

“Second, it’s bad for you personally. Eating fancy meals all the time makes it easy to gain weight and mess up your figure. There’s an old saying—luxury is easy to get used to, but hard to leave behind. If you start craving the high life, you might lose track of what matters, and there goes your flawless image as a top reporter!”

Zhou Can kept a straight face, laying on the nonsense thick.

Pfft!

She couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh.

“You sure know how to spin it. How many girls have you sweet-talked with that glib tongue? Since I still have a good impression in your mind, I’ll let you off the hook for the five-star feast tonight.”

Mu Qing forgave him quickly, much to Lao Qin’s disappointment. He’d been hoping to tag along for a fancy meal.

“Come on, Mu Qing! You know Dr. Zhou’s just making excuses—why’d you let him off so easy? My big dinner… gone again! It’s tough working with you!”

Lao Qin played the victim.

“Hah, quit whining. Maybe Dr. Zhou will get you an extra chicken drumstick.” Mu Qing shot back with a grin.

“Sure! Not just two—five if you want. Our hospital cafeteria’s drumsticks are legendary: crispy outside, juicy inside, full of flavor.”

Zhou Can hyped them up with a grin.

Sharing these lighthearted moments with Mu Qing did a lot to ease Zhou Can’s sadness.

The death of Dr. Hu Kan had hit him harder than he cared to admit.

But adults don’t usually wear their emotions on their faces—they hide grief deep inside.

“Yeah, right! Keep bragging.”

Mu Qing laughed until her shoulders shook.

The three of them headed to the cafeteria, meal talk continuing all the way.

As host, Zhou Can really did get them extra drumsticks. The cafeteria food was basic, but drumsticks were always a hot item. Fried and braised eggs were also popular.

“Dr. Zhou, for these two drumsticks, I’ll share a bit of intel with you.”

Lao Qin, finally happy, leaned in to speak quietly to Zhou Can.

“What kind of intel?”

Truthfully, Zhou Can’s impression of Lao Qin was pretty average. As Mu Qing’s cameraman, he barely registered most days.

“The Third Hospital has just brought in a famous heart surgeon from Japan. Word is this guy’s a huge authority in the field. They’ll probably make it official soon, and when they do, the media coverage is going to explode. It’ll be big news across the province and maybe even nationwide.”

Lao Qin was a good bit older than Mu Qing.

He had to be in his forties at least.

With many years in the TV news world under his belt, Lao Qin had plenty of experience—his judgment could be trusted.

“Thanks for sharing something this important. If he comes to our hospital, you get extra chicken every time.”

Zhou Can expressed his gratitude.

Everyone has their own way of surviving in this world.

You wouldn’t expect it, but Lao Qin was always up to date on inside news.

“Honestly, it’s just because I saw how upset you were at Dr. Hu Kan’s memorial yesterday, and knowing you were his protégé—I thought I’d give you, and your surgical team, a heads up. Don’t let them catch you off guard. Just don’t throw me under the bus, alright?”

Lao Qin added with a wink.

“Don’t worry, I understand the rules. For you to give me this tip is a huge favor. Even if I report it up the chain, no one will press me about the source. If they ask, I’ll know what to say.”

Zhou Can assured him.

It’s only right to make sure he felt at ease.

“I trust your character. From what I’ve heard, your medical ethics are top-notch. That’s exactly why I’m willing to help you out.”

With that, Lao Qin tucked into his chicken and fell silent.

“Dr. Zhou, you’ve helped me out so much this time. Should I give you a little reward in return?”

She clearly meant helping the boy named Xie Miao.

Zhou Can really had contributed both time and money.

“You want to promise yourself to me? Sorry, I’ve already got a girlfriend. You’re a little too late.”

The words had barely left Zhou Can’s lips before he regretted it.

Practicing the Rapid Surgical Technique left him with one side effect.

His mouth was faster than his brain. His hands too.

Lately, it was getting worse.

Who knows if Mu Qing might start taking him seriously? He hadn’t meant anything by it, but if he kept joking, it could cause trouble.

“Dream on! There are plenty of ambitious young men after me—and as great as you are, you’re still not quite enough for me to make that promise!”

She tried to brush it off, but her tone wasn’t entirely natural.

Pride matters to every girl.

Zhou Can’s joke clearly dented her ego a bit.

Though the two had known each other for over a year and were already close.

“Hehe, that’s because I know you wouldn’t ever go for a little doctor like me! I’m just messing with you. Not enjoying the food? Want me to get you something else?”

Seeing she’d eaten very little, Zhou Can offered to fetch more.

“No need. I usually eat very little at dinner.”

She shook her head, explaining.

“Trying to keep your figure?”

Zhou Can asked.

Mu Qing really did have a great figure—not just from youth, but discipline.

“You already know. Gaining weight is a girl’s worst enemy, right?”

She rolled her eyes at him.

“Honestly, women go the extra mile to look good for the people they care about. Most who fear gaining weight are just worried their husbands will stop appreciating them. If you want to stay slim, try fish, shrimp, and veggies—they’re safe. Fried food, pork, and rice? That’s what packs on the pounds.”

Zhou Can gave some professional advice on eating right.

To a doctor, just exercising isn’t enough for weight control.

Especially after thirty, a woman’s metabolism just slows down and weight creeps up faster.

“Thanks for the advice. And you know, talking to you is kind of fun sometimes. Like how you think women worrying over weight is really all about wanting to look good for someone special. That’s deep—guys bust their backs for their families for the same reason.”

For a moment, she and Zhou Can really connected.