CH 53.2

At 9 p.m., Jiang Xu was sitting at his desk when Shen Fangyu came over and snapped his fingers in his ear, “Going home?”

Jiang Xu said “yes,” but he didn’t move.

Shen Fangyu followed his gaze and saw a few checklists on the desk.

A suspected tumor had been found on the young girl’s other ovary, and there was also a lump in her stomach.

There had indeed been a misdiagnosis at the lower-level hospital; Ren Miao’s illness wasn’t primary ovarian cancer but most likely metastatic ovarian cancer; the tumor on the ovary was more like a metastasis, while the true primary tumor was most likely the one located in the stomach.

This type of tumor that originates in the gastrointestinal tract and metastasizes to the ovary, also known clinically as a Krukenberg tumor, is very rare.

Metastatic cancer of the ovary is a completely different concept from primary ovarian cancer, which means that the young girl’s tumor had metastasized to distant areas. It also meant that her staging had jumped straight from stages one and two to four, the worst prognosis, and, colloquially, what one might call advanced cancer.

“It was discovered too late.” Shen Fangyu commented.

Jiang Xu shook his head and said, “I want to try.”

“You go back first,” he said, as he glanced at Shen Fangyu, gathered those examination reports, and turned to walk upstairs. Shen Fangyu grabbed him from behind and said, “Gastrointestinal surgery is on the ninth floor, are you going to climb the stairs?”

Jiang Xu swept him a glance, not bothering to ask Shen Fangyu how he had guessed that he was planning to go to the gastrointestinal surgery department.

But he had to admit that this kind of heart-to-heart and tacit understanding between him and Shen Fangyu often gave him a very subtle feeling in his heart.

It was as if he understood him very well.

He stepped back and turned around to take the elevator. The numbers climbed little by little, and Jiang Xu walked into the gastrointestinal department on the ninth floor in silence. Shen Fangyu didn’t follow him in but waited for him at the door.

“Senior Brother An.” When Jiang Xu entered, An Wei really hadn’t left yet.

When he was on his rotation in the gastrointestinal surgery department, An Wei was Jiang Xu’s supervisor, and they had always had a good personal relationship over the years. They had the same amount of diligence and were still working overtime at this moment.

“Jiang Xu?” An Wei was a little surprised to see him. “What brings you here?”

Jiang Xu didn’t exchange too many pleasantries with An Wei, he handed An Wei Ren Miao’s examination report and said, “I want to operate on her.”

The medical files were detailed; he was most proficient in obstetrics and gynecology, that is, in the resection of metastatic tumors, but the prognosis of Krukenberg tumors was closely related to the resection of the primary tumor. Jiang Xu wanted An Wei to work with him on this surgery to remove the primary tumor of gastric cancer.

An Wei read through the examination report, and after a long silence, he pushed the report back to Jiang Xu with a clear refusal.

“Senior brother An ……” Jiang Xu said, “Her primary tumor is not serious and can be operated on.”

“But the ovaries have metastasized bilaterally, Jiang Xu, and there are ascites,” An Wei sighed. “I can cut the primary tumor, but can you remove the metastases? You don’t know how bad the prognosis is for Kuchenberg’s tumor, the residual tumors are a time bomb if you miss by even one centimeter, and even if you do,” he shook his head, “it’s still a gamble.”

“I’m sorry, Jiang Xu,” he said, “you’d better find someone else, I don’t want to get myself into trouble.”

Jiang Xu knew An Wei’s concerns, he pursed his lips and said to An Wei, “I’ve spoken to the patient and the family, all are cooperative and want the operation.”

Without surgery, she can only wait for death. According to Ren Miao’s current condition, she would probably not live more than three months, and surgery was the last attempt to prolong her life.

“Jiang Xu, I think you still haven’t suffered enough.” An Wei sighed and said bitterly, “How many patients’ families say one thing before surgery and another after? For such a young girl, do you think her family can accept her dying in your hands?”

“This disease progresses fast, when the time comes, the little girl’s condition will worsen day by day. You know the progression of cancer is slow at first and then fast, but the family will not know that. They will only say that the person who was improving is getting worse day by day.”

“In my opinion, you shouldn’t have taken the case in the first place, and you shouldn’t have given hope to the patient’s family. In case the surgery doesn’t work out,” An Wei said, “ you can only wait for daily complaints when the person is gone.”

He pointed to a handful of white plastic flowers used for funerals in the corner of the office and said to Jiang Xu, “See,” he then pointed to the empty desk where Jiang Xu was sitting, “the person in the seat your in received those mornings, along with a threatening letter written in blood. I don’t know if it was paint or real blood, but it scared him so much that he said he wouldn’t come to work anymore. He had to take time off from the director, even though it wasn’t paid leave.”

An Wei said, “If it were any other disease, it would be fine, but with this case, it’s not surprising that it was rejected everywhere else.”

“Senior brother An, the case of the Kuchenbur tumor I operated on two years ago is still alive.” Jiang Xu retorted, “There is hope.”

“And you have only that one case,” An Wei said, “Patients’ cases vary widely, we look at statistical probabilities, and in her case, even if the doctor said outright that he couldn’t and wouldn’t do the surgery, the regulatory authorities wouldn’t pick a fault, and I’m only advising you for your own good, let her be transferred to another hospital. ”

“Jihua is already the top hospital in the country, if Jihua doesn’t take her, who else will?”

An Wei glanced at him and said, “You also know no one else will take her.”

“She’s only seventeen,” Jiang Xu said, “she’s at her immune and physical best, if she’s lucky, she might not relapse.” He pressed his brow, “she’s still so young. ”

“Where’s the luck in that?” An Wei said, “If she was really lucky, she wouldn’t have gotten this disease.”

“Senior brother An, you are only responsible for cutting the primary tumor.” Jiang Xu took a deep breath. “Any subsequent problems with this patient will be my responsibility, including the follow-up problems with the patient’s family.”

He assured An Wei, “I’ll make it clear to the patient to come to me if she has any opinions on the outcome of the treatment, and it will definitely not affect you.”

“Senior brother An,” he looked at An Wei, “I have to give it a try.”

“What if I don’t agree?”

“There are so many doctors in gastroenterology, I’ll find someone else if you don’t say yes.”

An Wei gave him a look and said, “They won’t say yes even if you go to someone else.”

Jiang Xu’s eyes were firm, “I can always try.”

An Wei looked at his expression and sighed. He didn’t say anything for a long time, and Jiang Xu neither urged him nor got up to leave, he just sat next to him and waited for him to think.

It was only after a long time that An Wei said, “When I was on rotation before, Director Hou said that you were particularly stubborn. I used to find your temperament okay at the time; it was just that you were too serious most of the time, but now I realize that the old man’s eyes are really poisonous.”

He suddenly stood up and bent down to pick through the pile of white plastic flowers from the patients and picked up one, saying, “I can do the surgery, but I’ll make it clear to you that if the family really makes trouble with the hospital later, I won’t help you.”

“Thank you, senior!”

“Jiang Xu,” An Wei said, “I still advise you to think again.”

He handed the plastic flower to Jiang Xu and said, “We were all creeped out by these flowers today and were going to throw them away, but Director Hou didn’t allow it and had everyone in the department to take one as a reminder to be vigilant at all times and remember that saving lives is important, but nothing is more important than ourselves. I think you should take one too.”

Jiang Xu glanced at the funeral flower.

“…… It’s not necessary.”

“Take it.” An Wei forced it into his pocket and said, “Or I’ll regret it.”

Jiang Xu knew that An Wei had good intentions, so he didn’t refuse anymore. Seeing that he had accepted the flower, An Wei urged him out. “Okay, go, go,” he said, covering his heart, “looking at you reminds me that I am doing something stupid.”

Jiang Xu let him push him out and shook his head helplessly. He had just closed the door on An Wei when his clothes suddenly moved and the flower in his pocket was taken away. Jiang Xu raised his eyes and was surprised to find that Shen Fangyu was still leaning against the door. “You didn’t leave?”

He and An Wei had been talking for a long time, and there wasn’t even a chair outside, so he had to stand.

“Well, I was afraid he would bully you.” Shen Fangyu broke the plastic flower in his hand in three or two tries and threw the pieces into the bin, saying, “Receiving flowers that are stuck in graves is bad luck.”

“What are you doing?” Jiang Xu said disapprovingly.

“You’re not allowed to receive flowers from other people,” Shen Fangyu said. “I’ll order you another bouquet of roses if you like flowers, this time in yellow, okay?”

Jiang Xu understood that Shen Fangyu knew he was in a bad mood and had started talking nonsense to cheer him up, so he said, “Senior brother An has already agreed.”

“Of course he would agree,” Shen Fangyu glanced at Jiang Xu and said with a teasing tone, “Who could say no to you?”

Jiang Xu leaned against the corridor and subconsciously uttered, “Huh?”

Shen Fangyu hooked the corners of his lips and said, “Nevermind. I just think that Dr Jiang is particularly handsome and caring.” He put his hands on Jiang Xu’s shoulders and said, “But it would be nice if you could share some of your love with me.”

“My love only goes to the patients,” Jiang Xu replied to him in a serious manner, “I still hope you don’t get sick.”

“There’s no hope of being your patient in this life anyway.” Shen Fangyu laughed, “But you’re my patient.” He paused and added, “The most special patient.”

“Tch.”

Jiang Xu smiled at his words and turned his head away before looking at Shen Fangyu again.

From Jihua’s corridor, one could see the stars twinkling in the sky outside, falling in twos and threes behind Shen Fangyu, and when Jiang Xu looked at Shen Fangyu, those stars fell into Jiang Xu’s eyes.

So his eyes also twinkled like the stars. After a subtle flicker, he said: “My next day off is set.” He invited, “Can you….come home with me next week?”