Liu Amei adjusted her position again, seemingly finding a slightly more comfortable posture. "After going to the hospital in Yangcheng, he told me that he would take me home. But he also said that I couldn’t make a fuss or object to him bringing other women home in the future, or else he would kick me out."

Du Heng felt extremely uncomfortable as he listened. He never thought that there could be such shameless and unscrupulous people in this world.

As the two waited for Liu Amei to continue, she suddenly lost the urge to talk about the man.

Du Heng and Cao Binghe did not press further. Discussing such a disgusting person would only dampen their moods; the priority now was to address Liu Amei’s condition.

Ovarian cancer is one of the most common tumors in the Gynecology Department. Its incidence rate is lower than that of cervical cancer and endometrial cancer, ranking third among gynecological malignant tumors. However, the mortality rate of this disease exceeds the combined rates of cervical and endometrial cancer, making it the leading cause of death from gynecological cancers.

But this disease is not incurable.

Du Heng looked at Liu Amei. "Can I take your pulse?" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Liu Amei glanced at Du Heng and nodded, trying to sit up. Du Heng hurriedly said, "You can just sit like that."

Du Heng sat down next to Liu Amei, placing her hand on the armrest of the chair to take her pulse.

After taking her pulse, Du Heng felt that Liu Amei’s body was still in good condition; her qi was not lost, her stomach qi was not depleted, and she could possibly be cured with his prescription.

But the current problem is, where did Liu Amei’s organs go? They couldn’t have disappeared for no reason; otherwise, Liu Amei wouldn’t be alive and well. However, the imaging results from several major hospitals showed no sign of organs in her abdominal cavity. If it was just one hospital’s check-up result, it could be considered a mistake. But when three or four hospitals had the same result, it was no longer a matter of error.

Du Heng took a deep breath. He felt sympathy for Liu Amei and was very interested in her case. He wanted to give it a try. "Liu Amei, I suggest that you be admitted to the hospital now. Inpatient treatment is the best option."

Liu Amei said again, "I don’t have any money left. I only have a few hundred yuan on me."

Du Heng mentally calculated the costs. Even if he used pure traditional Chinese medicine for treatment and didn’t order many tests, there were still significant costs. The fees for investigating the organ disappearance, hospitalization, and decoction medicine would likely amount to 50,000 to 60,000 yuan, possibly even around 100,000 yuan. This expense must be paid upfront before they could apply for reimbursement in their hometown, and the reimbursement ratio wouldn’t be high. Moreover, the cost of food and drink during hospitalization, as well as various miscellaneous expenses, would likely amount to several thousand yuan.

Cao Binghe was in a dilemma, not knowing whether he should speak up.

As he hesitated, Du Heng lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said decisively, "You can rest assured about the hospitalization. I will cover your expenses."

Seeing that Liu Amei wanted to refuse, Du Heng waved his hand and said, "To be precise, a celebrity is helping you with the expenses. As you know, it’s easy for celebrities to make money. Tens of thousands of yuan means nothing to her."

Du Heng didn’t say he was using his own money, so as not to make Cao Binghe feel awkward. He decided to use the ’labor fee’ Li Qin had given him yesterday as a favor.

With that settled, Liu Amei still wanted to refuse, but Du Heng didn’t give her a chance. He asked her to wait in the office for a while; he and Cao Binghe would go handle her admission procedures.

Du Heng and Cao Binghe left the office, Du Heng holding Liu Amei’s ID card. He was going to the nurse station to help with the admission procedures.

But as soon as he stepped out of the office, Du Heng was pulled aside by Cao Binghe and ushered into the doctors’ rest room.

Du Heng looked at Cao Binghe with a puzzled expression, not understanding what he was doing.

After closing the door to the rest room, Cao Binghe hesitated for a moment and asked, "Doctor Du, are you really going to admit Liu Amei?"

"Liu Amei’s qi is not lost. There’s a chance we can save her."

"But...but what about the issue of Liu Amei’s missing organs?"

Du Heng sighed. This issue was also a puzzle for him. Several major hospitals had the same examination results; it couldn’t be a mistake.

"Her organs haven’t disappeared; they must still be inside Liu Amei’s body," Du Heng said firmly.

"You’re right. Her organs must still be inside her body, or else she would have died long ago. But the problem now is, where are they?" Cao Binghe voiced his own doubt. "We can’t find the location of her organs from all the abdominal images. We can’t perform a laparotomy, can we?"

"Why can’t we?" If, in the end, they still couldn’t find Liu Amei’s missing organs, Du Heng was actually prepared to use this method.

With a serious expression, Cao Binghe said, "Doctor Du, she doesn’t have consent from her family."

Du Heng remained silent. There was no family consent, yet Liu Amei had family. This was a very conflicting issue.

Seeing Du Heng’s changing expression, Cao Binghe thought, He must have understood the risks involved. He slightly softened his tone, "Doctor Du, I know you feel sympathy for Liu Amei, but what she just said is only her side of the story."

"If, if what she said is true, then her husband must not be a good person. If something uncontrollable happens, or if we fail to save Liu Amei, we can’t afford the consequences."

Du Heng was dissatisfied with Cao Binghe’s timid attitude. His expression changed, and he was about to refute it, but when he saw Cao Binghe’s eyes, he suddenly closed his mouth.

Cao Binghe is different from me, Du Heng thought. My purpose here is learning and exchange, and then I’ll go back to Jinzhou. But Cao Binghe isn’t like that; he wants to put down roots in the Capital. Any risky undertaking is extremely dangerous for his plans. And Liu Amei’s current situation is like a bomb with a 90% risk factor for him. Curing her might bring no reward. However, if he failed, or if the patient died, he could be held responsible by Liu Amei’s unseen husband. In that case, his hard work over the past ten years would be in vain. He’ll be graduating with his PhD in another year, and if everything goes smoothly, he’ll stay at Good Friend Hospital. If anything goes wrong, he’ll have to go back to his hometown. Although PhD medical students are valued everywhere, it’s still better to be in the Capital, at a top Grade 3A hospital like Good Friend. The key is the Capital!

Du Heng stopped talking. If he were to admit a patient, it would have to be under Cao Binghe’s name, which would undoubtedly increase Cao Binghe’s risk. I can understand Cao Binghe, but I still feel uneasy. With Cao Binghe’s current subtle stance, I won’t push him; otherwise, I’d be the one losing face in the end.

Du Heng smiled at Cao Binghe and patted his arm. "I won’t make it difficult for you. I’ll talk to Director Chu and see if he has a solution."

Facing Du Heng’s sudden smile, Cao Binghe was momentarily at a loss. Seeing Du Heng start to make a call, he composed himself.

I know my decision is wrong, an act of cowardice to avoid responsibility, Cao Binghe thought, but I don’t regret my choice. Du Heng has his ideals, and I have my own goals and aspirations. I know how much I’ve sacrificed for my goals, and I don’t want to give up halfway. I’ll wait until I’m stable, then I too will be a responsible and dedicated doctor.

Standing behind Du Heng, Cao Binghe silently found a justification for his actions and set a goal for himself, perhaps for ten years down the line.

Du Heng didn’t know what Cao Binghe was thinking, nor did he want to. People on different paths cannot make plans together. Through nearly a month of interaction, Du Heng had realized that although he and Cao Binghe were both doctors, their philosophies and approaches differed. He understood they could only be partners, short-term collaborators for a specific matter or goal. As long-term colleagues or close friends, they would both find the association very uncomfortable.

So he called Chu Xuwei, hoping to find a breakthrough through him.

At this time, Chu Xuwei was on his way to the canteen, but when he received Du Heng’s call and heard the situation, he immediately returned to the Department.

In the Director’s office, Chu Xuwei picked up Liu Amei’s materials and examined them carefully. The more he read, the deeper his frown became. When he finished reading everything, his brow was furrowed into a knot, and his eyes were filled with confusion.

He didn’t ask Du Heng or Cao Binghe further about Liu Amei’s situation, as everything necessary had already been conveyed on the phone. He also didn’t go to Liu Amei for verification. He believed he would hear the same story they had.

After a moment of contemplation, he called the director of the Gynecology Department in the same hospital to ask about Liu Amei’s situation. He believed that for a special patient like Liu Amei, the director would certainly have been involved and would remember the case.

As expected, just as Chu Xuwei finished speaking, the person on the other end of the phone said, "I know the patient Liu Amei. She had an examination in our Department this morning. How did she end up in your Department now?"

Chu Xuwei was in no mood for small talk and asked directly, "Tell me about Liu Amei’s situation, and why you didn’t admit her."

"Liu Amei came this morning with her husband. According to the imaging data, we determined that Qingbei University Hospital’s diagnosis of ovarian cancer is correct. However, we also couldn’t find an answer regarding her missing internal organs. Also, it’s not that we didn’t admit Liu Amei; we couldn’t. You can’t spread rumors about that." A clarification came from the speakerphone, and then the voice continued, "At that time, we told Liu Amei and her husband that we needed to find the cause of the missing organs. We also explained that Liu Amei’s ovarian cancer was already quite severe, so there would be certain risks involved in her treatment. In the end, when we informed them of the approximate cost, Liu Amei’s husband left her with the words, ’I don’t care anymore. You can just wait here to die,’ and left on his own. Liu Amei herself left shortly after. I didn’t expect her to go to your Department."

"Alright, I understand. Thank you."