After being separated from my family, I became a darling of the military region thanks to my medical

Ye Zhen did not interrupt.

Professor Zhao walked to the other side of the coffee table.

"Sister-in-law, the commander's illness can't wait. Pancreatic cancer is known as the king of cancers; the sooner it's treated, the better the chances of recovery. Dr. Ye is young, and it's understandable that he has new ideas, but clinical practice can't rely solely on new ideas."

Zhang Guohua said in a deep voice, "Old Zhao."

"I'm telling the truth," Professor Zhao said, turning to Ye Zhen. "You're using a few cents' worth of hormones to postpone a major surgery that's already scheduled. It sounds cheap, it sounds conservative, but what if you make a mistake?"

Ye Zhen looked up.

"A few cents doesn't mean it's worthless."

Professor Zhao frowned.

Don't try to twist my words.

"I don't have it." Ye Zhen laid out the test results. "The medicine is cheap, but the monitoring can't be cheap. Every temperature reading, every blood sugar reading, and every change in bilirubin after starting the medication must be monitored. If signs of infection appear, stop the medication immediately. If the abdominal pain worsens, have a follow-up test immediately. If the bilirubin level rises instead of falling, the surgical plan will be initiated immediately."

The secretary interjected, "So, the surgical team can't leave?"

"We cannot retreat."

Zhang Guohua nodded.

"Surgery preparations can be preserved."

Professor Zhao looked at him.

"Dean Zhang, are you really going to do this?"

Zhang Guohua did not answer.

The old lady suddenly spoke.

"Dr. Xiao Ye."

Ye Zhen turned to her.

"Please speak."

"When the old man was young, he fought in the war and was shot in the stomach. There was no anesthesia back then, but he endured it and let the medic remove the shrapnel. He's never been afraid of knives in his life." The old lady clenched her handkerchief again. "But what he feared most was others making foolish decisions for him."

No one spoke inside the room.

The eldest son softened his tone.

"Mom, Dad is in poor health right now, we can't let him worry."

"He's sick, not stupid." The old lady looked at her son. "You all say you're doing this for his own good, but whether or not to go through with the surgery, you can't keep him in the dark."

The secretary was somewhat embarrassed.

"The leader has just recovered from his fever, and the doctor advised him to avoid any stimulation."

Ye Zhen said, "The family members can listen first, and then he can make the final confirmation. I suggest not to conceal the core risks."

The eldest son stared at her.

"Are you absolutely insisting that we sign your proposal?"

"No." Ye Zhen put the pen on the table. "I'm only responsible for laying out the two paths. The signatures are from the family and the patient."

The young woman asked, "Dr. Ye, will you personally oversee things for these three days?"

"meeting."

"Can you stay here forever?"

"I will not leave the capital for the next three days."

Professor Zhao's face was stern.

Ye Zhen turned to him: "Professor, if the medication doesn't work well, you will still lead the surgery. Your experience is more suitable for this major open abdominal surgery than mine."

This remark calmed the tense atmosphere in the room somewhat.

Professor Zhao looked at her, his hostility still evident, but he didn't immediately refute her.

Taking the opportunity, Zhang Guohua said, "This arrangement is the safest. The operating room will be retained, and the preoperative preparations will not be removed. Ye Zhen will be responsible for diagnostic treatment and observation, and Professor Zhao's team can take over at any time."

The secretary quickly jotted it down.

"Then please have the family members state their position."

The eldest son looked down at the paper and remained silent for a long time.

The young woman wiped away her tears.

"I want Dad to hear it himself."

The old lady nodded.

I want him to hear it too.

The eldest son held the teacup for a long time before finally putting the lid on.

"Okay, let Dad hear it."

Professor Zhao frowned deeply.

"Sister-in-law, the patient is weak right now, talking about these things will only add to his burden."

Suddenly, a somewhat hoarse old man's voice came from the doorway.

"If you won't let me listen, are you planning to carry me onto the stage?"

Everyone turned around at the same time.

The old commander, dressed in a hospital gown and wearing a military overcoat, sat in a wheelchair, being pushed by nurses and guards. His face was terribly yellow, but he still tried his best to keep his back straight.

Gu Zheng had already stepped aside half a step, raised his hand to hold the door frame, and made way for the old man.

The old leader looked around the room and finally stopped at Ye Zhen.

"You're Xiao Ye?"

Ye Zhen stood up.

"I am."

"I heard you're going to use a few cents' worth of medicine to stop my knife?"

Ye Zhen walked up to him.

"I want to fight for you seventy-two hours."

The old leader stared at her for a long time, then suddenly smiled, though his breath was weak.

"This is interesting."

Before anyone else in the room could respond, the old chief's cloudy but sharp gaze passed over Ye Zhen and landed on Gu Zheng, who was standing ramrod straight by the door.

"You must be that kid from the Gu family?"

Gu Zheng stepped forward, his posture upright, and gave a crisp military salute: "Greetings, Commander."

"Alright, enough with the pleasantries." The old commander coughed twice and waved his hand. "Where's your old man? I'm practically in the morgue, and he hasn't even shown his face. Is it because of that grudge we made back in the Taihang Mountains over half a pig? We've been rivals our whole lives, always picking fights and never looking at each other. But this time, with me in the hospital, he's really keeping his cool!"

Gu Zheng's expression remained unchanged.

"Commander, I really don't know anything about what happened in the Taihang Mountains back then."

My grandfather's leg problem has flared up recently, and he can't go out.

"He's always cursing at home, saying the weather is so gloomy it makes your bones ache."

"Once you're fully recovered, I'll have him personally bring two bottles of Moutai liquor to your door and argue with you."

"Then you can close the door and argue however you want."

"Nobody's stopping you."

The old commander chuckled.

"Would he really be willing to take Moutai?"

"That stingy old man, he's been stingy his whole life."

"Back then, we seized a pack of good cigarettes, but he hid them in the sole of his shoe and wouldn't share a single one with me."

"Once I'm discharged from the hospital, I absolutely have to go and drink those two bottles of Moutai from him."

Their gazes then returned to Ye Zhen.

"Old Gu has a terrible temper, but he's quite lucky."

"My grandson is successful, and my granddaughter-in-law is even more capable."

"I really didn't expect that in the end I would have to rely on his granddaughter-in-law to save my old life."

"Girl, aren't you afraid of ruining my health and taking responsibility?"

Ye Zhen remained calm.

"Sir, I am a doctor."

"In my eyes, there are only patients, not leaders."

"I only treat patients based on their medical conditions, not on personal relationships."

"I have explained the plan clearly, and I have laid out the pros and cons."

"The rest is up to you and your family to decide."

"I will not force you to sign anything."

The old leader nodded.

"You little brat, you've got an even tougher temper than Old Man Gu."

"Okay, I'll take your opinion seriously."

The eldest son cried out urgently.

"Dad, you can't go along with this nonsense."

"Dozens of experts all said surgery is necessary, and you're listening to a young girl?"

The old leader raised his hand.

He interrupted his eldest son directly.

"Shut up, I know what I'm doing."

He leaned back in his wheelchair and closed his eyes.

Ye Zhen tucked the pen back into her white coat pocket.

Gu Zheng stepped forward.

He stood beside Ye Zhen and nodded to everyone in the room.

"Commander, Uncle Zhang, now that everything has been explained, we'll take our leave."

"If anything happens, call the Gu family's old house anytime."

After saying that, Gu Zheng put his arm around Ye Zhen's shoulder.

The two walked out of the small meeting room side by side.