“Hope… naturally, there is some. But you should also know the severity of your uncle’s condition. Director Zhang just explained the dangers of a massive myocardial infarction very clearly to you… So you naturally need to be a little prepared…” Xu Ze sighed softly as he looked at Zhang Linyun.
Hearing Xu Ze’s words, Zhang Linyun’s eyes quickly reddened again, and two glistening teardrops, as if on a string, gently slid down her somewhat gaunt cheeks.
Seeing Zhang Linyun’s sorrowful expression, Xu Ze sighed inwardly, then took a tissue from his pocket and handed it over.
Zhang Linyun looked at the tissue Xu Ze offered, was momentarily stunned, then reached out to take it, gently wiping the tears from her cheeks.
She had almost forgotten for a moment that the man before her no longer belonged to her, and had thought he would, as before, gently use a tissue to wipe away a smudge of oil at the corner of her mouth or a tear from her eye.
“Aze… I know you’re very skilled. Can you please save my dad? I love my dad so much, I don’t want to lose him… My mom and I can’t lose him… Without him, we wouldn’t even know how to go on living…” Zhang Linyun recalled the legends about Xu Ze from their school days and finally couldn’t help but plead with him once more: “Aze… please help me, okay…”
Seeing Zhang Linyun crying so heart-wrenchingly before him, looking up at him with such a pitiful expression, Xu Ze sighed softly. He naturally knew about the Zhang family’s situation. Without Zhang Lizhi, the mother and daughter might indeed struggle to get by.
But this wasn’t something he could just help with because he wanted to. With his current abilities, saving Zhang Lizhi was truly no easy task.
“Aze… I know it was all my fault before, I was terrible. You can hate me, you can despise me, but please save my dad… please save him, okay…” After hearing Zhang Jiangyou explain her father’s condition earlier, Zhang Linyun now fully understood how critical this situation was. Seeing Xu Ze now felt like grasping at a lifeline she couldn’t let go of.
Xu Ze pursed his lips, looking at Zhang Linyun who was crying inconsolably. His heart was heavy. If he were in her shoes, facing a critically ill loved one on the verge of separation, powerless to help, he probably wouldn’t be much better off.
Lifting his head gently, Xu Ze looked out the window at the bustling street scene with its flow of people and vehicles. He let out a soft sigh, then nodded. “Alright… I’ll try…”
“Really? Aze…” Hearing Xu Ze’s words, Zhang Linyun’s beautiful face, tear-stained like pear blossoms in the rain, looked at him with a hint of surprise and hope in her eyes. “Just a try…” Xu Ze shook his head slightly, cautioning her.
“Mm-hmm…” Zhang Linyun nodded repeatedly. Now that Xu Ze was willing to help, she didn’t care whether it was just a try or not. As long as there was hope, she was happy.
Beds in the First Affiliated Hospital were always full. The condition of the room where Zhang Lizhi, who had been hastily transferred from another hospital last night, was in bed 35 wasn’t very good. It housed three patients, and with a few accompanying family members, it felt quite cramped.
However, all things considered, getting a bed in the First Affiliated Hospital was already fortunate. Often, there were no beds available, and many people couldn’t even get admitted.
Seeing her daughter return with red eyes but wearing a rare, happy smile as she accompanied Xu Ze in, Zhang’s mother quickly stood up and smiled at Xu Ze. “Doctor Xu…”
“Hello, Auntie. I’m here to take a look at uncle…” Xu Ze smiled and nodded at Zhang’s mother, always polite to elders.
“Oh… okay, okay… good!” Zhang’s mother quickly stepped aside, letting Xu Ze examine her husband. She was just as anxious as her daughter now, and naturally happy that Xu Ze had come to have a look.
After leaving the director’s office earlier, Zhang’s mother had specifically asked her daughter about Xu Ze’s situation. However, Zhang Linyun wasn’t entirely sure either, only knowing that Xu Ze’s medical skills were extremely impressive.
So, although Zhang’s mother was happy to see that her daughter had indeed managed to invite Xu Ze over, regardless of whether Xu Ze could help her husband, finding an acquaintance in this hospital where they knew no one was certainly a good thing.
Xu Ze walked over. This time, he didn’t use the stethoscope hanging around his neck. Instead, he directly placed his right hand on Zhang Lizhi’s chest.
The cardiac monitoring system quickly fed back information on Zhang Lizhi’s heart condition into Xu Ze’s mind. Looking at the ECG waveforms, which were several times clearer than the paper ECG strips, Xu Ze sighed softly. A massive myocardial infarction; the thrombolytic therapy really didn’t seem to be working very well.
Xu Ze thought hard but couldn’t recall any specific, extraordinary treatment methods in his memory. He decided he’d have to consult Xiao Dao to see if he had any good ideas.
“Xiao Dao, analyze the current best available plan…” Xu Ze commanded softly.
“Optimal treatment plan… Electro-acupuncture therapy… Feasibility of other plans is zero!” It was rare for Xu Ze to ask for his opinion, so Xiao Dao was very straightforward, telling Xu Ze directly: “You haven’t even broken through to Level Three in two months, you’re just a tiny bit away. So there’s no other way. If you were Level Four… I could happily tell you, you could handle it easily. But now, you have to use your best tool and take it slow…”
“Ugh… Myocardial infarction. There’s no information on treating this in the electro-acupuncture emergency protocols…” Xu Ze frowned slightly, speaking.
Hearing Xu Ze’s words, Xiao Dao shook his head endlessly, muttering reproachfully: “Idiot… How did I end up with a host like you?”
“Before, when you removed stagnant cold and clots for people, didn’t you use bioelectric energy? What’s the difference with this heart attack? Isn’t it just a problem of blood vessel blockage? The vessels on the heart are just a little bit smaller. Helping to clear them won’t be too difficult for you…”
“Right… why didn’t I think of that?” Xu Ze’s eyes lit up, and he exclaimed happily.
Hearing Xu Ze’s joyful shout, Xiao Dao grumbled gloomily: “You’re happy alright, but I’m the unlucky one. My energy reserves are already low; who knows how much more this is going to consume…”
Naturally, Xu Ze and Xiao Dao’s communication was done through mental telepathy within Xu Ze’s mind. Zhang Linyun and her mother, standing nearby, were completely unaware of it.
They just watched curiously as Xu Ze, unlike other doctors who used stethoscopes, simply placed his hand over the area of the heart.
Zhang’s mother looked at Xu Ze’s actions with surprise, then glanced at her daughter beside her. Finding that her daughter didn’t seem to think anything was amiss, she had to suppress her doubts and continue watching Xu Ze.
Zhang Linyun watched Xu Ze’s movements with hope. She knew he was different from other doctors, that he had some unique methods when treating people. That was why she held such great hope for him.
The Tao Xiao incident at Star University back then, and the basketball quarter-finals, Xu Ze had demonstrated his extraordinary healing abilities on both occasions. Zhang Linyun hoped Xu Ze could use those abilities to help her father, even just a little.
Watching Xu Ze’s previously serious face suddenly show a faint hint of a smile, Zhang Linyun’s heart leaped. Knowing Xu Ze as she did, she understood that he must have thought of a solution, and one he was at least somewhat confident in…
Amidst Zhang Linyun’s nervous anticipation, Xu Ze gently withdrew his hand. He looked at Zhang Linyun and nodded. “I have a method I can try. But I need to get the hospital’s approval, and most importantly, you need to agree…”
“What method?” Zhang Linyun asked without hesitation.
“I know an acupuncture technique that might be effective for your uncle’s condition… If you agree, I’m willing to try it…” Xu Ze looked at Zhang Linyun, then at her mother.
Hearing Xu Ze’s words, Zhang Linyun felt a surge of joy inside. She knew Xu Ze’s acupuncture was very powerful. Still, she asked cautiously: “Will it have any other adverse effects?”
“It shouldn’t… But I can’t guarantee that there won’t be any other issues at all! After all, heart attack patients can have complications at any time!” Xu Ze said slowly.
Zhang Linyun nodded, glanced at her mother who also seemed hesitant, and then said to Xu Ze, her voice tearful but hopeful: “Alright, Aze. I’m entrusting him to you. Please, please save my dad!”
Hearing Zhang Linyun’s words, Xu Ze turned to look at Zhang’s mother again. Although he was confident there wouldn’t be major problems, she still had to agree. Also, when he discussed it with Zhang Lide and the others later, Zhang’s mother would have to agree and sign the consent forms. Otherwise, no matter how much Zhang Lide trusted him, others would never agree to let him perform acupuncture on a patient who could have complications at any moment, without the family’s signed consent.
Seeing the questioning look in Xu Ze’s eyes, Zhang’s mother hesitated briefly. She then turned to look at her daughter and saw the confident look in Zhang Linyun’s eyes regarding Xu Ze. Remembering Xu Ze’s performance earlier that morning, she finally sighed softly and nodded. “Doctor Xu, please do your best…”
Seeing that Zhang’s mother had also agreed, Xu Ze said: “Alright, since Auntie agrees, I’ll go discuss it with Director Zhang now. It shouldn’t be a big problem, but you, as the family, must sign the consent form. Otherwise, I won’t be able to treat your uncle… After all, the First Affiliated Hospital has no precedent for using this treatment method!”
Since Zhang’s mother had chosen to trust her daughter, she naturally trusted Xu Ze as well. She had no objections at this point.
Convincing Zhang Lide wasn’t too difficult. Lately, he had come to trust and have confidence in Xu Ze immensely. Xu Ze’s recent performance had fully demonstrated his abilities. Plus, Zhang Lide had witnessed the power of Xu Ze’s acupuncture during the competition for the Guillain-Barré syndrome research project. He had no reason to object.
However, Xu Ze hadn’t anticipated running into trouble with Zhang Jiangyou, the director of the Cardiology Department…
