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

The next morning, Ye Zhen sealed the written medical prescription in a manila envelope and asked Gu Zheng to arrange for someone to deliver it to the Beijing General Hospital.

By the time I finished this task, the sun had already climbed above the courtyard wall.

In May, the locust flowers in Beijing are in full bloom, the air is sweet, and occasionally a white petal or two drifts in and lands on the windowsill.

Gu Zheng changed into casual clothes, a faded gray-blue jacket, zipped up to his chest, and twirled the Jeep keys in his hand.

"You're not needed today."

Ye Zhen was tidying up the open English journal on the table.

"We won't have results before this afternoon; the first blood draw will take at least six hours."

"Um."

"Let's go, I'll take you to Xidan to browse for books."

Ye Zhen looked up.

What books should I look for?

"Didn't you say you were looking for a German atlas of pathology? I didn't find one in Wangfujing last time, but the foreign language bookstore in Xidan has a wide variety of books, maybe they have one."

Ye Zhen thought for a moment and then closed the journal.

"OK."

She had just taken her coat off the hanger when the phone rang from the direction of the kitchen.

The black rotary dial telephone sat on a low cabinet by the kitchen door, its ringing particularly shrill in the quiet courtyard.

Gu Zheng walked over and answered it.

"Who?"

A strong, resonant male voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Are you Gu Zheng? I'm Wu Wenqing from Peking Union Medical College Hospital."

Gu Zheng's brows furrowed slightly.

"Dean Wu, what is it?"

"I just heard that Dr. Ye Zhen came to Beijing, so I made a special call to say hello and ask if she's available today."

Gu Zheng fiddled with the car keys in his hand, skipping even the perfunctory pleasantries.

"Forget the greetings. I've experienced your habit of only visiting when you need something. Just get to the point."

Wu Wenqing coughed and stopped laughing.

"Zhengzi, we've already crossed paths before, so I won't beat around the bush with you."

He cleared his throat and continued.

"Our hospital has taken on a difficult case. The heads of several departments have met several times but still can't make up their minds. I was thinking that since Dr. Ye is in Beijing, could we ask her to come over and help us with the case?"

Gu Zheng chuckled and tapped his fingers on the wall with a dull sound.

"Dean Wu, you've got a very clever plan. My wife just arrived in Beijing, and your information network is even better than that of the intelligence agency."

Wu Wenqing sighed on the other end of the line, complaining repeatedly.

"Zhengzi, I'm really grasping at straws in my desperation. Peking Union Medical College Hospital has a lot of face to offer, and we wouldn't dare ask just anyone."

Gu Zheng straightened up, his tone firm.

"Then shut up. My wife just went to the Beijing General Hospital yesterday and stayed up most of the day with those old fogies. She finally got a half-day off today, and you're already thinking about it?"

Wu Wenqing began to argue urgently.

"But Dr. Ye's skill is undeniable throughout the country. If she could come, the patient's chances would be much greater. We doctors can't just stand by and watch someone die."

Whether the rest of the country is convinced or not is their business; whether my wife is tired or not is my business.

Gu Zheng refused to budge an inch.

"There's no room for discussion. She needs to rest today, and we're going out to buy books later."

Wu Wenqing was so anxious that he kept slamming his fist on the table, and the sound of slamming came through the receiver.

"When can't we buy books, Zhengzi? This patient has a special status; he's a retired senior cadre. His family is causing trouble in the hospital director's office every day, and there's also pressure from above. We really can't hold on any longer."

Gu Zheng remained unmoved, his face cold.

"If you can't hold on, that's because you're not good enough. What does it have to do with my wife?"

Wu Wenqing paused for a few seconds, and you could tell he was making a decision through gritted teeth.

"Zhengzi, if that's what you're saying, then I'll have no choice but to bring up the past."

Gu Zheng sneered.

"Dean Wu, why are you bringing up old grievances with me?"

Wu Wenqing lowered his tone and spoke faster and faster.

"Last time your wife had that neurosurgery, I personally escorted the Zeiss microscope to the hospital."

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, pouring out everything that happened that day like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

"That machine is a top-secret national equipment. There's only one in the whole country. I didn't even have time to leave the official documents. I just snatched it from the warehouse manager."

Gu Zheng didn't respond, listening to him continue complaining.

"I risked losing my job, running red lights all the way to deliver this to you. You can't go back on that favor, Gu Zheng, can you?"

Gu Zheng's lips twitched, forming a mocking smile.

"Dean Wu, are you trying to pressure me by using a favor?"

Wu Wenqing immediately softened his stance.

"How could I dare to pressure you? I just wanted to say that I, Wu, didn't hesitate when I borrowed the microscope. This time, I'll borrow your wife for half a day, and then return her to you intact, okay?"

Gu Zheng fell silent, his face turning ashen.

The breathing on the other end of the phone became heavy; Wu Wenqing was waiting for a life-saving answer.

Ye Zhen had already reached the kitchen door and stood beside Gu Zheng, having heard their conversation clearly.

Gu Zheng turned to look at her and silently mouthed, "Are you going or not?"

Ye Zhen reached out and took the receiver directly from his hand.

"Dean Wu, I am Ye Zhen."

Wu Wenqing was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, as if he had survived a disaster.

"Dr. Ye, oh my goodness, I'm so glad you finally spoke up. That brat Zhengzi almost blocked me from the phone line."

Ye Zhen didn't respond to the joke and went straight to the point.

"What is the patient's condition?"

Wu Wenqing immediately stopped laughing and his tone became very serious.

"A 67-year-old retired cadre has been experiencing recurrent fevers for more than three months, with his body temperature fluctuating between 38 and 39 degrees Celsius."

Ye Zhen leaned against the door frame, her fingertips gently tapping on the microphone casing.

"What are the patterns in the fever? Is it continuous fever or remittent fever?"

Wu Wenqing flipped through the medical records in his hand, the papers rustling.

"Irregular fever, sometimes high in the afternoon, sometimes suddenly high in the middle of the night. I've tried penicillin, gentamicin, erythromycin, and all the available anti-infective treatments, but nothing has worked."

Ye Zhen's brows furrowed slightly.

"Besides fever, what other symptoms are present?"

Wu Wenqing answered quickly.

"Multiple lymph nodes are swollen throughout the body, including in the neck, armpits, and groin. They are hard and not tender to the touch. The liver and spleen are also significantly enlarged, especially the spleen, which has reached four fingers below the ribs."

Ye Zhen had a few initial suspicions in her mind.

"What are the results of your blood test? Has a bone marrow aspiration been performed?"

"The blood test showed a low white blood cell count, accompanied by mild anemia. We've had two bone marrow aspirations already. The hematology department suspected lymphoma, but the bone marrow morphology wasn't quite typical."

Wu Wenqing sighed heavily.

"The pathology department examined the lymph node biopsy slides several times, and there was a lot of internal debate. Some people said it was Hodgkin's lymphoma, while others said it was tuberculosis. No one dared to make a definitive conclusion."

After hearing these descriptions, Ye Zhen's mind started working quickly.

"How is the patient's mental state now?"

"It's terrible. The high fever over the past few days has taken a toll on her health, and she can't eat anything. She's become incredibly thin."

Ye Zhen gave the instructions directly.

"Prepare complete medical records, including all lab reports and imaging data. The original pathology slides are also required; I want to review them personally."

Wu Wenqing was overjoyed.

"That's great! Dr. Ye, what time will you arrive? I'll have all the department heads waiting for you in the conference room!"

Ye Zhen rejected the suggestion.

"No need to wait. Just have two attending physicians who are familiar with the patient's condition. Too many people will only cause trouble. I'll be there in half an hour."

Wu Wenqing readily agreed.

"Okay, we'll do as you say. We'll wait for you in the courtyard."

Ye Zhen placed the receiver back on the landline, producing a crisp metallic clanging sound.

Gu Zheng stood with his hands in his jacket pockets, leaning against the wall, watching her with a still unpleasant expression.

"Not going to Xidan anymore?"

Ye Zhen turned around and straightened her collar.

"Let's go this afternoon."

Gu Zheng pursed his lips into a straight line, his face full of reluctance.

"That old man Wu Wenqing, we must have owed him something in our past life."

Ye Zhen stepped over the threshold and walked into the courtyard.

"Saving lives is the priority. Since we've encountered a difficult case, it wouldn't hurt to go and take a look."

Gu Zheng strode after her and walked beside her.

"It's not like you absolutely have to go. Peking Union Medical College Hospital is such a big hospital with hundreds of experts and professors. Do you think it can't function without you?"

Ye Zhen turned and glanced at him, her eyes filled with a hint of mockery.

"Commander Gu, I'm going for a medical consultation, not a blind date."

Why are you so nervous?

Gu Zheng puffed out his cheeks, opened the car door, and didn't reply.

As the jeep drove out of the alley, two locust petals fell onto the windshield.

Ye Zhen rolled down the car window, and the May wind blew in, blowing the stray hairs on her forehead up and down again.

Gu Zheng put one hand on the steering wheel and took out a White Rabbit candy from his pocket with the other.

Peel it yourself.

Ye Zhen took it, but didn't peel it; she held it in her palm.

"Are you treating toffee like a cure-all?"

"For you."

Ye Zhen tore open the candy wrapper and put it in her mouth.

As the milky aroma lingered between my teeth, the car had already turned onto the main road.

The shadows of the sycamore trees outside the window swayed past, scattering their shade across the car.