Chapter 619: Unraveling the Mystery Behind the Sick Child’s Condition

There was no questioning Tuyu Hospital’s test results—this child was definitely infected with tuberculosis bacteria, and it had already reached his spinal cord.

But with this new development, figuring out the true cause of his condition became complicated.

Based on the somatosensory evoked potential tests, they originally thought the child had injured his first pair of cervical spinal nerves, which led to his upper-level paralysis. Now, with the discovery of spinal tuberculosis, it was clear the cause needed a full reassessment.

Zhou Can suspected that the injury might have just been the trigger.

After the cervical injury, the spinal cord’s defenses dropped further, giving the tuberculosis bacteria an opportunity to multiply unchecked and take over the spinal cord.

At the time of the neck injury, a hematoma formed, causing the child’s immediate paralysis.

No crying, no movement—that was all the proof needed.

Following treatment, the blood clot around the neck began to dissolve, and the pressure on his nerves slowly eased. But that’s when the TB bacteria began their full assault, wreaking havoc on his spinal nerve conduction.

This also explained perfectly why the child lost almost all motor function, yet could still feel pain.

Even more, the pain sensation faded from the upper medulla downward, supporting the idea that the infection likely began at the tailbone or somewhere deep in the lower abdomen.

An infection always unfolds in stages.

The body’s organs are tightly linked but still independent, like walled cities in their own right.

When bacteria or a virus conquer one city, it takes time and a new breakthrough point to move on to the next.

Some organs have an almost impenetrable defense—it’s extremely hard for invading bacteria to get in.

Once Zhou Can straightened out his thoughts, the diagnosis became clearer.

“The conduction issue in this child’s first pair of cervical nerves probably isn’t directly related to the TB infection.”

That was his first main point after reviewing the case.

Since the tuberculosis bacteria were storming through the spinal cord from below, working their way methodically upward,

it made little sense that the farthest pair of cervical nerves would be the first ones to be affected. It just didn’t add up.

Of course, it’s not unheard of in battles for someone to break through the front lines and attack the rear stronghold.

Bacteria are relentless and cunning. Maybe they seized on the first pair of cervical nerves while they were weak from injury and snatched control.

“At the start, it was definitely the hematoma compressing things. The neck injury caused the paralysis. But now, since the blood’s long been reabsorbed and the neck is mostly healed, a normal case should see at least some improvement in movement. But right now, there’s zero sign of recovery—which only leaves two possibilities.”

After careful deliberation, Zhou Can narrowed it to two possible causes.

First, the neck injury was just too severe. Even after the blood cleared, the nerves couldn’t recover—some of the spinal nerves might be partially severed. It’s possible but not likely.

Because lower-level conduction and sensory nerves were still open, they weren’t cut off completely.

If there really was nerve severing, sensation would disappear altogether—not slowly fade.

The second, and far more likely, option—TB bacteria took advantage of that initial neck nerve injury. The infection led to a slow-burning conduction disorder in the cervical spinal nerves.

Still, even that theory left some questions.

Zhou Can was starting to regret how little he’d read when he needed it most. He felt short on both knowledge and experience.

Since spinal nerves were involved, he’d probably need to consult the master scalpel of Neurosurgery—Director Wu Baihe.

Getting up and about more wouldn’t hurt either.

His relationship with some department chiefs was anything but solid.

Except for a few, like Chief Liu of General Surgery, Director Xueyan of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Dr. Tang Fei in Pediatrics, and Director Tan in Internal Medicine—those who had real rapport with him, he didn’t have to bend over backward to maintain ties.

Even if they went a year or two without contact, they’d still be old friends.

With Wu Baihe, though, it was more like a cautious acquaintanceship.

There’s an old saying—a gentleman’s friendship is like plain water. If you don’t keep in touch, it just fades over time.

Director Wu was a decent man, no doubt, but he was also proud and solitary. That made him a little distant, a little formal with others.

Then again, Zhou Can and Director Wu had never been truly close.

Truth is, even Director Xueyan and Dr. Tang Fei were also proud sorts. Zhou Can earned deeper friendship with them only because of major business ties or sharing difficult times.

Take Director Xueyan—she and Zhou Can were both Dr. Hu Kan’s disciples, so they had a strong bond as fellow students.

Later on, Zhou Can had stepped in and helped her out of a tough spot, when she was desperate and at rock bottom. Over time, they became like real siblings—ties unbreakable.

Even when her ex-husband once tried to have Zhou Can killed, it didn’t put a dent in their trust.

His ties with Dr. Tang Fei were more about mutual advantage.

Pediatrics needed a heavy hitter like Zhou Can.

Simple as that.

Finishing lunch, Zhou Can glanced at his packed afternoon surgery schedule, sighing at his own fate as a workhorse.

He still had three level-three surgeries and two difficult level-two operations to lead before the end of the day.

Looks like he’d only get to consult Wu Baihe when he was finally off duty.

To be polite, he decided to send Wu Baihe a heads-up first.

They weren’t close enough to just drop in unannounced.

If it was Director Yin of Neurology, he wouldn’t need an appointment—he could just walk in whenever.

“Director Wu, I have a tricky case I’d like to discuss with you. Could I come by after work if you’re available?”

He sent a WeChat text.

Unless things were so hectic he couldn’t even type, Zhou Can preferred writing messages to senior doctors—out of respect.

It’s just basic courtesy.

If the subject was complicated, then he’d call or send a voice memo.

“ok!”

Director Wu replied with a single simple emoji.

For Director Wu to reply instantly and agree to meet Zhou Can—that was already impressive.

Plenty of people tried to talk to Wu Baihe and came away empty-handed.

It wasn’t even an isolated incident.

Zhou Can had heard of at least ten doctors who’d faced the same. Trying to consult Wu Baihe usually took someone of attending physician rank at least.

Aside from prodigies like Zhou Can, most residents didn’t have that sort of confidence.

To put it bluntly, a resident standing in front of Director Wu could easily be overwhelmed by his aura and end up stammering. In that tense state, they’d barely get a word out.

So most would rather avoid the discomfort altogether.

“Thank you!”

Zhou Can replied with a bowing emoji.

He was excited—the child’s real cause of illness might finally be uncovered today. Once they pinned it down, treatment could actually begin.

Wanting to get off work sooner, he threw himself into the afternoon’s surgeries without complaint.

Qiao Yu was about to go abroad soon, and Zhou Can cherished these last chances to work together.

Honestly, with his favorite scrub nurse leaving, finding another that fit so perfectly wouldn’t be easy.

Thankfully, he’d asked around and started searching for one already.

His surgical team was finally taking shape: trusted anesthesiologist Qu Zi, nurse and senior dietitian Jiang Wei, and two medical assistants—Pu Dingdong and Yang Zhi.

Even Luo Shishen was finishing his residency soon and had already asked Zhou Can to save him a spot.

Three assistants were about as many as Zhou Can’s team could reasonably handle.

After all, he had to account for labor costs.

The upside of training his own aides was high loyalty and strong teamwork. Everyone really knew each other, ready to pull together no matter what.

Downside—it just took too long to train them up.

While both Pu Dingdong and Yang Zhi had decent surgery skills (especially Yang Zhi, who was already accomplished when he joined), under Zhou Can’s intense mentorship and hands-on training, they excelled.

Their progress so far was outstanding.

As for old Luo Shishen—Zhou Can just didn’t have much hope.

Luo’s foundation was weaker than the others, and frankly, he was better suited to running errands. As an assistant, sure. As lead surgeon? Zhou Can wouldn’t dare.

……

It was evening—6:17 pm—before Zhou Can finally exited the operating room, exhausted.

Even with his best efforts, he just couldn’t rush surgeries.

Patient safety always came first.

A single careless mistake in the rush could lead to disaster. Not worth it.

His mastery of the Rapid Surgical Technique and Steady Scalpel Technique was stuck at level two with no progress. As a result, his operations were slower than before.

“Jiang Wei, I’ll be making rounds late tonight, maybe really late. Why don’t you go home? I have to see Director Wu now, and I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”

He turned to Jiang Wei.

“All right, then I won’t join you for rounds tonight. I’ll go help Qiao Yu prep some documents for her trip overseas.”

Jiang Wei agreed with a smile.

Ma Xiaolan shot Qiao Yu a look of envy.

“Qiao Yu, I’m so jealous—you’re finally going abroad! If only I could study overseas too, then I wouldn’t feel so insecure around my fiancé.”

She and Qiao Yu hadn’t exactly hit it off at first.

On their first day, they almost got into a fight.

But Zhou Can’s assertive interference made her back down, and gradually, she patched things up with Qiao Yu.

Now the three nurses had become close friends.

“There’s nothing to be jealous of. If you want to study abroad, it’s not that hard. After all, you’ve got a built-in tutor at home—make use of him!”

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Qiao Yu laughed.

“No, thanks. When Mr. Du teaches me, it’s like listening to scripture—I just want to fall asleep. I’ll just wait for you to come back and teach me instead.”

Ma Xiaolan’s words had everyone laughing.

Leaving the operating room, Zhou Can’s gaze drifted to a bench not far away.

And sure enough, there was Su Qianqian, undeterred by weather or anything else, already waiting faithfully with a warm meal for him.

This simple routine was now what Zhou Can looked forward to most every evening after work.

Bathed in love, Su Qianqian had grown even more stunning. She’d gained an elegant, dignified air—like a noblewoman.

Boosted by her career, her whole aura shone, sharp and magnetic.

Even someone like Jiang Wei, accomplished and well-educated, couldn’t help but feel outshined standing next to her.

“Honey, National Day is just a little over a month away. Will you be able to take some time off for our wedding?”

Su Qianqian had every detail of their wedding planned perfectly.

Her biggest worry now was whether Zhou Can could get leave from work.

“I’ve already spoken to Director Lou. A long honeymoon is out, but a day or two off for the wedding should be fine.”

Tuyu Hospital was one of the province’s top hospitals, packed with talent. Business would go on with or without Zhou Can.

At worst, some areas might slow down a bit.

“That’s a relief. Watching you rush around nonstop every day, I was scared you wouldn’t get time off. For the wedding banquet, I’ve only invited close colleagues, a few important leaders, and some friends. My family isn’t planning a big banquet on their side. Is that okay with you?”

Truthfully, Su Qianqian wasn’t really the homebody type.

She just liked her peace and quiet and spending time at home.

In fact, she was often out networking for work or gathering with friends—meeting close girlfriends was common.

Thanks to the meteoric rise of Jin Yu Interactive, the local entertainment scene was now ranked fifth in the country.

And the upward momentum hadn’t slowed in the slightest.

Provincial authorities gave Jin Yu Interactive plenty of support, since it was now the industry leader and really boosted the local economy and cultural scene.

Because of this, countless students from the Imperial Capital—performance majors, music students, models—had started moving to the city to build their futures.

Many were even her old college classmates.

Word got around quickly how well Su Qianqian was doing, and more than a few classmates showed up hoping for her help.

She helped wherever she could.

That’s just how kind girls are. Even after being bruised by the world, they still believe life is beautiful and hold onto that kindness.

But Su Qianqian’s kindness now was more mature than before.

She’d help where she could, but if it was beyond her abilities or she didn’t think it was worth it, it didn’t matter how much anyone begged—she wouldn’t budge.

Zhou Can had taught her this survival rule.

She listened to his advice seriously.

Living together, she’d always placed Zhou Can at the very center of her world.

Maybe it was because, back when life was darkest, he’d rescued her. She trusted and depended on him deeply, and maybe even felt a bit of worship.

After all, beautiful women have always loved heroes—that’s been true since the beginning of time.

And Zhou Can was absolutely her hero.

“Your uncle and aunt haven’t called again to pester you, have they?” Zhou Can asked with concern.