Super Doctor - Chapter 116

Xu Ze leaned back on the sofa with a sigh, swirling a glass of red wine before taking a small sip. He glanced at Sun Linfei and remarked, “Seems like we’ve caused quite a stir this time…”

“What are you talking about?” Sun Linfei’s cheeks flushed slightly as she feigned innocence. “This has nothing to do with me. I didn’t do anything.”

Watching her play coy, Xu Ze chuckled but didn’t press further. Instead, he mused, “Vice Mayor Zhang must be seething with hatred for me right now, but there’s nothing he can do. After all, he’s still deeply wary of the Tang family and Old Master Tang.”

“Oh? You know about that?” Sun Linfei looked at him curiously, surprised. “That’s true—I didn’t expect you to be so well-informed. Did Old Master Tang tell you?”

Xu Ze shook his head with a faint smile. “Of course not. But he probably assumed I’d figure it out. I took down three members of the Zhang family in one go. If Zhang Yi could swallow that kind of humiliation, he wouldn’t be Zhang Yi.”

Sun Linfei sighed softly. “You really dare to act, don’t you? Taking on the Zhang family alone—honestly, I don’t even know what to say about you sometimes…”

“What’s done is done. No point regretting it.” Xu Ze’s expression remained calm. “I wouldn’t have acted if I wasn’t prepared. At the very least, with Old Master Tang backing me, Zhang Yi wouldn’t dare move openly against me.” He paused, then added, “That situation back then—I had to do it. Otherwise, I’d never have peace of mind.”

“That’s just how you are,” Sun Linfei said with a resigned smile. “You seem so laid-back on the surface, but once you set your mind to something, no one can sway you.”

Xu Ze grinned, downed the rest of his wine in one go, and set the glass back on the coffee table. After a moment, he grimaced. “Red wine really should be sipped slowly. Gulping it like that is such a waste.”

“Tsk, enjoying wine requires the right mood. You can’t just rush it like that,” Sun Linfei teased, covering her mouth as she laughed at his disgruntled expression.

“True… I’m not in the right state of mind for wine right now.” Xu Ze sighed, then looked up at her. “How’s your family reacting to all this?”

Sun Linfei stiffened slightly, a flicker of unease crossing her face before she forced a smile. “They haven’t said much. They’d prefer I didn’t date anyone in college, but they know you and I are just… close friends. What could they possibly object to?”

“Is that so? Good.” Xu Ze’s lips curved slightly, a faint glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. If that was the case, then there shouldn’t be any major issues between him and Sun Linfei for now. Given a little more time, everything would work out.

…..

Final exams were approaching, and the campus was tense with students cramming day and night—highlighting textbooks, memorizing notes, and desperately trying to survive the last stretch of the semester.

Xu Ze, however, remained utterly unfazed. His mind was already packed with every scrap of knowledge he needed. Though some details were slightly muddled, it wasn’t anything major—certainly nothing that would jeopardize his grades.

His real focus was on his training. His goal was to reach the sixteenth cycle within half a month and advance to a Level 2 Medical Corpsman by the start of the next semester.

In the virtual space, Xu Ze was still struggling with piano lessons. There was no denying that Xiao Dao—with its hyper-realistic simulations—was an excellent teacher. In just three or four days, Xu Ze had gained a decent level of proficiency and could now clumsily play “A Comme Amour” from start to finish. Though the piece wasn’t exactly beginner-friendly, Xu Ze had already absorbed the fundamentals through direct knowledge infusion. The only thing holding him back was practice.

Most of his remaining time was spent at the clinic. These days, he rarely lingered in the main consultation room, mostly just helping Sister Luo with injections or stepping in to see patients when Dr. Zhang was swamped.

But thanks to his recent performances, Xu Ze had gained a small reputation in the neighborhood. More and more patients were specifically requesting him.

Dr. Zhang, far from being resentful, was actually quite pleased with this development. The only one who seemed bothered was Zhao Qilong, who watched with barely concealed envy.

Xu Ze, however, kept to himself. He was just biding his time at the clinic, helping out where he could without stepping on toes. For now, life was peaceful—though unbeknownst to him, that peace wouldn’t last much longer.

While the Zhang family couldn’t touch him directly, they could certainly make life inconvenient. Plans were already in motion to ensure Xu Ze wouldn’t enjoy his current comfort for long.

As for Zhao Qilong, he had long since accepted reality. Knowing he was no match for Xu Ze, he’d toned down his arrogance—at least on the surface.

Dr. Zhang noted the change with quiet approval. His old friend had spoiled this disciple too much, but the boy had talent and a quick mind. His biggest flaw had always been his pride. Thankfully, a little tempering here had done him some good.

Business at the clinic was booming, and Dr. Zhang couldn’t help but feel that agreeing to take Zhao Qilong in at his old friend’s request had been the right call. Without a licensed physician on-site whenever he was away on house calls, things would’ve been far too risky. But with Zhao Qilong here—and Xu Ze keeping an eye out—he could finally relax.

With that thought in mind, and with no patients currently waiting, Dr. Zhang gave Zhao Qilong a few instructions, nodded at Xu Ze, and headed out for his rounds.

…..

Illness, of course, waits for no one.

No sooner had Dr. Zhang left than a patient was carried in—an elderly woman, groaning in pain.

Zhao Qilong’s eyes lit up. Normally, he had to run every diagnosis past Dr. Zhang, making him feel like a glorified intern. But today, with the old man gone, he could finally play the role of a proper attending physician.

He quickly motioned for the patient to sit, then began taking her history.

The woman’s family glanced around, noting Dr. Zhang’s absence, but said nothing. “People say Dr. Zhang has a talented young protégé—that ‘Dr. Xu’ who’s sometimes even better than the old man himself. This must be him.”

Zhao Qilong listened intently as the woman described her symptoms: severe upper abdominal pain, sweating, vomiting—all starting shortly after taking her usual aspirin and other heart medications.

“Aspirin can cause gastritis or ulcers,” Zhao Qilong thought, excitement rising. “This is textbook.”

“Have you had stomach problems before?” he asked.

The woman nodded weakly. “Yes… my stomach’s always been sensitive. Sometimes it hurts after eating.”

That sealed it for Zhao Qilong. Confident in his diagnosis, he pressed firmly on her upper abdomen, eliciting a sharp cry.

“Definitely gastritis.”

He turned to the family. “She has acute gastritis. Given the severity, she’ll need an IV.”

The middle-aged man accompanying her nodded eagerly. “Whatever you say, Doctor.”

Pleased with their deference, Zhao Qilong scribbled out a prescription for stomach protectants and anti-inflammatories and sent them off to the pharmacy.

As the family helped the woman to the injection room, Xu Ze hurried over to assist.

The woman’s pallor and the way she clutched her stomach set off alarm bells in his mind. “This doesn’t look good.”

Once she was settled, he asked gently, “Where exactly does it hurt, ma’am?”

She pointed to the spot just below her sternum. “Here… it came on suddenly, worse and worse… I’m sweating so much… feels like I’m dying…”

Xu Ze’s frown deepened. “That’s the stomach area, so Zhao Qilong probably thinks it’s gastritis. But…”

Severe, persistent pain. Sweating. Vomiting. And now this “sense of impending doom”…

Gastritis could cause pain and vomiting, but sweating and the feeling of dying? Those were red flags—classic signs of a myocardial infarction.

And while the pain wasn’t in the typical chest location, he vaguely recalled a medical text mentioning that some heart attacks presented as upper abdominal pain.

“If this is a heart attack…”

Xu Ze’s blood ran cold. A myocardial infarction could lead to cardiac arrest at any moment.

“…she could drop dead right here.”