Super Doctor - Chapter 153

“Old man…” The moment Xu Ze’s words left his mouth, everyone in the room sucked in a sharp breath.

In the history of Xingda First Affiliated Hospital, Xu Ze was probably the first junior doctor in decades who dared to call the head of Internal Medicine an “old man” to his face.

But at that moment, Zhang Lide couldn’t even bother to react to the insult. Instead, he glared at Xu Ze and barked, “What nonsense are you spouting, kid? You think you can cure Guillain-Barré syndrome in five days?”

Right now, Zhang Lide was fixated on Xu Ze’s claim that he could treat Guillain-Barré syndrome in just five days. He was deeply wary of Xu Ze—after underestimating the young man earlier, he had already suffered a humiliating blow to his pride.

Yet now, Xu Ze was declaring he could cure this condition in five days. Zhang Lide refused to believe it. But seeing the same calm confidence on Xu Ze’s face as before, and remembering the sting of his earlier mistake, he couldn’t help but waver. So he scowled and demanded loudly, “Five days—are you serious?”

“I said five days, so five days it is,” Xu Ze replied impatiently, frowning slightly at the arrogant old man before him.

“You’re really sticking to five days?” Zhang Lide’s voice was icy.

“Yes, five days,” Xu Ze sighed in resignation.

“Impossible! You little brat, you’re lying through your teeth! Five days is absurd—even abroad, it takes at least seven or eight days to treat Guillain-Barré syndrome!” Zhang Lide’s eyes bulged as he spat the words furiously.

“Believe what you want. Either way, our Emergency Department will do it in five. If you can match that, then take the case.” Xu Ze’s tone was cool.

The two of them stood there, locked in a heated argument, eyes blazing. The onlookers were stunned—no one had ever seen the usually dignified Director Zhang Lide lose his composure like this.

Dean Ou glanced between the two men, then at Director Qu, who stood nearby looking smug. With a sigh, he said, “Lao Qu… about this five-day claim…”

“Five days. If we say five days, then it’s five days.” Director Qu’s earlier excitement had faded, but his resolve remained firm. “Dean, our Emergency Department guarantees it’ll be done in five.”

“You’re serious? This isn’t something to joke about.” Dean Ou studied Qu’s determined expression, then turned to Xu Ze, who was still locked in a staring contest with Zhang Lide. He sighed. “I’ll admit, this kid has some skills, but are you really willing to stake your reputation on him?”

“Dean, even if you don’t trust Xu Ze, you should trust me. Since I’m making this promise, I’ll deliver a complete research report in five days.” Qu’s voice was unwavering.

Dean Ou frowned, then glanced at Zhang Lide and Xu Ze, still arguing. “Lao Qu, it’s not that I don’t trust you or don’t want to give you this chance. The problem is Zhang Lide—if that old coot really kicks up a fuss, even I won’t be able to rein him in.”

Qu’s expression darkened. The dean had a point—if Zhang Lide decided to make trouble, dealing with him would be a nightmare.

But this was his last shot. He couldn’t back down now. He had to shut the old man up, or his research project would be as good as dead.

With a cold snort, Qu turned to Zhang Lide. “Zhang Lide, our Emergency Department said five days. What more do you want? Or are you claiming you can do it in five too?”

Zhang Lide smirked. “Qu Zhiyuan, you’re in your fifties—how can you believe this kid’s nonsense? Use your common sense! Five days to cure Guillain-Barré syndrome? Do you even hear how ridiculous that sounds?”

“The institution that first discovered this syndrome abroad takes over a week to treat it. You’ve already spent two days on this patient, and your treatment plan is at least somewhat effective—that’s why I said seven days. But this brat is spouting nonsense, and you’re buying it? If all the directors at Xingda First Affiliated were like you, we might as well tear down our ‘Triple-A Hospital’ sign and replace it with ‘Qingshan Mental Asylum’!”

Qu’s face flushed with anger. “Fine, Zhang Lide! I’ll stake my word on this—if we don’t cure the patient in five days, I’ll avoid you on sight for the rest of my career!”

That declaration gave Zhang Lide pause. Qu Zhiyuan must have lost his mind to swear something like this over a kid’s wild claim. Still, he couldn’t back down now—no matter how tempting the image of Qu bowing out of his way forever might be, this research opportunity was too valuable to let slip.

With a cold laugh, Zhang Lide retorted, “Qu Zhiyuan, this isn’t about personal grudges. This project affects our hospital’s reputation. Internal Medicine is the most qualified department to lead it, and I’m confident we can cure the patient in seven days with a complete research package. But your Emergency Department is making reckless claims based on nothing but this kid’s word. How can anyone trust that? How can Dean Ou? This isn’t a game!”

His words left Qu speechless. Zhang Lide had a point—Xu Ze was young, just a rotating intern. Who would believe him besides Qu himself? Even Qu’s own subordinates, like Wu Yue, probably had their doubts.

Smug at having silenced Qu, Zhang Lide sneered. “Lao Qu, you’ve been a doctor for decades, a director for years—how can you be so naive? This isn’t something to gamble on!”

Qu trembled with fury but could only glare helplessly.

Seeing their director so agitated, Wu Yue and the others quickly stepped in. “Director, calm down… Let’s not argue further. We can discuss this later…”

With their coaxing, Qu finally sat back down, still seething.

Then, a clear voice cut through the tension.

“Director Zhang, what would it take for you to believe I can cure this patient in five days?”

All eyes turned to Xu Ze.

Zhang Lide studied the stubborn young man, then scoffed. “Kid, medical treatment isn’t a joke. I’ll never believe your five-day claim, so drop it. I won’t hand this precious opportunity to a bunch of braggarts like you. Wasting it would be an unforgivable loss for the hospital.”

Xu Ze smiled faintly and shook his head. “In that case… I’ll just have to show you what our Emergency Department can do.”

“Show us? How?” The crowd buzzed with curiosity. Even Dean Ou and Vice-Dean Qian leaned in, intrigued. After Xu Ze’s earlier surprise, they were eager to see what he had up his sleeve.

Qu, too, brightened slightly. Maybe there was still hope—it all hinged on Xu Ze now.

With calm assurance, Xu Ze explained, “As you all know, the patient’s current condition allows only minimal leg movement—just slight shifts on the bed and lifts of a centimeter or two.”

“After my treatment today, his muscle strength will improve significantly. His legs will be able to rise at least half a foot off the bed.”

“What?!” The room erupted in disbelief.

That was impossible! The Emergency Department had already spent two days adjusting the treatment plan just to get the patient’s feet to twitch. Now Xu Ze claimed a single session would let him lift his legs half a foot?

Even Qu was stunned. Was Xu Ze peddling some kind of miracle cure? Instant results? That couldn’t be real!

His stomach churned with doubt. He’d barely mustered the courage to promise five days—now Xu Ze was talking about immediate effects?

If not for his trust in Xu Ze’s character, Qu might have seriously considered jumping out the window. As a veteran doctor trained in traditional medicine, he believed in steady, evidence-based treatment. Xu Ze’s words turned everything he knew upside down.

Zhang Lide was the first to recover. With a mocking laugh, he pointed at Xu Ze. “If medicine worked like that, what would we need hospitals for?”

“But it does. Do you believe me now?” Xu Ze met Zhang Lide’s scornful gaze steadily.

After a long pause, Zhang Lide shook his head with a cold chuckle. “Fine. Just for the sheer audacity of your claim, I’ll play along, you little madman. If you can actually improve the patient’s condition to that extent today, I’ll walk away and never interfere with this project again.”

“Not only that—if you want to rotate through Internal Medicine later, I’ll welcome you with open arms. If you choose to work here after your rotations, I won’t stand in your way. Deal?”

Xu Ze’s eyes gleamed. This was exactly what he wanted—Zhang Lide’s promise to back off.

“Then it’s settled. A gentleman’s word is unbreakable.”