“Hmm?” Everyone was surprised by Xu Ze’s answer and quickly turned their attention to Professor Li on the podium.
Professor Li was also visibly astonished. He hadn’t even started teaching the key points of diagnosing tuberculosis from X-rays yet. He had only brought up the X-ray as an example and was about to explain it when he noticed Xu Ze seemed distracted. He had asked the question to snap Xu Ze back to attention, never expecting the young man to answer correctly after just a few glances.
Despite his surprise, Professor Li nodded, his eyes filled with appreciation as he looked at Xu Ze. “Well done, well done. This is material we haven’t covered yet, and you were able to identify it as tuberculosis and even classify it. That’s impressive. For most clinicians with limited experience in reading X-rays, diagnosing this accurately isn’t easy. You’ve done very well!”
Hearing Professor Li, who rarely praised anyone, use the word “impressive” four times to commend Xu Ze, many students were stunned. Zhang Ziyang, who had been gleefully anticipating Xu Ze’s embarrassment, now looked furious, his face turning pale. He had hoped to see Xu Ze scolded by the professor, but instead, Xu Ze was being praised. It was utterly frustrating for him.
“Alright, let’s continue the lecture,” Professor Li said, suppressing his curiosity about Xu Ze. He turned back to the board and resumed teaching.
Xu Ze, now fully alert, paid close attention for the rest of the class. He absorbed every word as Professor Li analyzed common chest X-rays related to the respiratory system, storing the knowledge firmly in his mind.
After class, several female classmates were about to approach Xu Ze to ask him about skincare tips when Professor Li unexpectedly walked over and sat down beside him. The girls immediately backed off, giving Xu Ze some much-needed relief.
In Xu Ze’s eyes, Professor Li was far easier to deal with than the girls. He thought this might be a good opportunity to chat with the professor and perhaps find a way to subtly warn him about something important.
Professor Li sat down and smiled at Xu Ze. “You answered that question very well earlier. It seems you’ve been studying medical imaging diligently!”
“Diligently?” Xu Ze broke into a cold sweat internally. “If it weren’t for the AI assisting me, I wouldn’t have been able to figure it out at first. It wasn’t until you explained it later that I truly understood.”
But he couldn’t say that out loud. Offending the professor was out of the question, especially since his grades depended on him. Instead, Xu Ze humbly replied, “You’re too kind, Professor. I recently came across a similar chest X-ray on a medical forum while browsing online, so I was able to answer.”
“Hmm… very good. Staying humble and diligent is what young people should strive for,” Professor Li said, his eyes filled with admiration. He nodded approvingly. “Regardless, being able to correctly diagnose a tuberculosis case from an X-ray before formal instruction is quite impressive.”
He then patted Xu Ze on the shoulder and encouraged him warmly, “Keep up the good work. Take advantage of your youth to learn as much as you can. Don’t waste time like some young people who only know how to have fun. This knowledge will be invaluable in the future.”
“Thank you, Professor. I won’t let you down,” Xu Ze replied with a look of deep respect and gratitude, his expression serious. Professor Li felt immensely satisfied, thinking to himself, “This young man is truly teachable…”