Kangda called in the afternoon to ask for leave.
The last time he stopped Qi Lin from giving first aid to Tang Yinxuan, Tang Yinxuan had held a grudge against him.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, he learned that Tang Yinxuan was going to have surgery soon.
He planned to visit Tang Yinxuan to talk and mend their relationship.
After lunch, Kangda rushed to the Cardiac Surgery Department at Harmony Hospital, where Tang Yinxuan was staying.
In the ward, Tang Yinxuan was lying down, resting.
Her mother, Lin Qiu, was peeling fruit for her daughter.
Tang Shu stood nearby, making a phone call, seemingly asking for help.
"Tuk-tuk-tuk~"
Kangda knocked on the door.
Lin Qiu came to open it.
"Xiaoda, why are you here?"
Lin Qiu was a little surprised.
Kangda glanced at Tang Yinxuan, who was lying on the hospital bed, and smiled, "There are no classes this afternoon, so I came by to see if I could help."
Lin Qiu didn't know about Kangda's little intentions. She had always liked this boy, having watched him grow up. She smiled and said, "We haven't scheduled the surgery yet; she's still in the recovery phase. What kind of help is needed at this point? Besides, how can a boy like you help?"
Tang Shu finished his phone call at this moment.
He glanced at Kangda and then said to Lin Qiu, "I just contacted someone in the city to see if they could get us an appointment with Dr. Zhao. They told me to go to Dr. Zhao's office and call them back, so they could speak with him."
Hearing this, Lin Qiu's eyes lit up: "Does that mean there's hope that Dr. Zhao might perform Yinxuan's surgery?"
Tang Shu shook his head, "I'm not sure, but we'll give it a try."
He looked at Tang Yinxuan and said, "Yinxuan, get out of bed and come with us. If Dr. Zhao agrees, we can have him diagnose you again."
"Hmm~"
Tang Yinxuan's beautiful eyes were filled with excitement.
At such a young age, she still wanted to live a full life.
Whenever she thought about how her heart stopped beating yesterday and how she almost died, she felt terrified.
"Yinxuan, let me help you~" Kangda quickly stepped forward to help her out of bed.
Tang Yinxuan shook her head, "I'm not so weak that I need help. Also, my surgery is risky. I'm not sure I'll make it off the operating table, so you don't need to waste your time on me."
The two had grown up together, and there was still affection between them.
But since Kangda had stopped Qi Lin from saving her last time, Tang Yinxuan felt a bit disappointed and angry with him.
Kangda smiled and said, "Don't say that. Medical technology is so advanced nowadays. I believe you will be cured. Have you forgotten our promise? After the college entrance exams, we'll drive together to travel through Tibet."
Tang Yinxuan loved traveling and enjoying nature's beauty. Hearing Kangda's words made her smile slightly, "I haven't given up. Alright, let's go; my dad is still waiting."
The group left the ward and headed to Zhao Zhiren's office.
As expected from one of the top cardiac surgery experts in China, the entrance to Zhao Zhiren's office was crowded with dozens of patients' families, all holding medical scans.
Seeing this, Tang Shu sighed bitterly and said, "In the face of life and death, everyone is equal."
"Dr. Zhao is here!"
Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, and all heads turned toward the corridor.
There, Zhao Zhiren approached his office, surrounded by doctors and security guards.
At that moment, the patients' families seemed to go wild.
"Dr. Zhao, please save my wife! I've been waiting for your appointment for two months!"
"My son's heart condition has stumped hospitals across the country. You're our only hope! Please diagnose him!"
Tang Shu realized they couldn't delay any longer.
He immediately dialed his contact in the city, then raised his phone and shouted to Zhao Zhiren, "Dr. Zhao, Vice Mayor Qian would like to have a word with you. Can you spare a moment to take the call?"
Zhao Zhiren was already accustomed to dealing with life, death, illness, and age.
On his first day as a doctor, his teacher had taught him not to become emotionally entangled with patients; otherwise, he would be endlessly troubled.
So, he calmly ignored the desperate pleas of the patients and acted as though he hadn't heard them.
However, hearing someone mention Vice Mayor Qian piqued his attention.
He frowned slightly but still took the phone from Yushu.
Seeing this, Tang Shu's face brightened as he started to feel hopeful.
But the next moment, Zhao Zhiren's words plunged his family back into despair.
Vice Mayor Qian: "Dr. Zhao, this is my relative. Their child has a severe heart condition and really needs to be accommodated. Is there any way to make it happen?"
Zhao Zhiren looked indifferent: "Even saying that won't help. In front of you are Vice Minister Liu, the richest man in Phuoc Province, and friends of the Burmese royal family. Do you think they need less than your relative?"
With that, he handed the phone back to Yushu and walked straight into his office.
Security guards wielding batons tightly blocked the entrance to the office. Only when a patient's name was called would they be allowed to enter.
"You heard him. It's not that I don't want to help for the sake of our old friendship, but even if my teacher, Vice Governor Zhang, came, he wouldn't be able to cut the line," Vice Mayor Qian said with a bitter smile.
Tang Shu hung up the phone in despair, feeling lost for a moment.
"Dad, don't be sad. If we can't find Dr. Zhao, we can always try another doctor. I'm sure the surgery will be successful," Tang Yinxuan said, though she was feeling just as anxious. She obediently comforted her father.
"Oh~ dragging this on isn't going to help. I guess this is our only option," Yushu sighed, then looked toward the other chief physicians' offices.
Compared to the crowd in front of Zhao Zhiren's office, the other offices seemed much quieter.
This simple contrast made the difference in medical skills immediately clear.