Chapter 87: Chapter 87 - 0085 - A News Report

When he got home, he studied the data on the surgical robots once again.

Director Zhuang of the Overseas Chinese Building sent a message on WeChat, saying that Li Jingshu wanted to come for a check-up the next day. Was he available?

It had been six weeks since Li Jingshu had fractured her bone. It was time for the splint to be removed.

Yang Ping arranged to meet Director Zhuang at eight-thirty. By then, the ward rounds would have ended and he could take ten minutes out. When they were done, he would head to the operating room.

So he told Director Zhuang to bring her to the hospital at eight o’clock. He asked the doctors from the Overseas Chinese Building to prepare her documents and take an X-ray for her check-up. She should bring the X-ray and come find him in the ward at eight-thirty.

The next day, Li Jingshu was on time and appeared in the trauma orthopedics ward exactly at eight-thirty. Director Zhuang personally brought her in.

During her previous check-ups, her mother had accompanied her. This time she came alone. She was dressed in a pink and white sports outfit and carried a bag with her X-ray films.

Director Zhuang took out the X-ray films and Yang Ping hung them on the lightbox.

“How is it?” Li Jingshu asked anxiously.

After examining it, Yang Ping said: “The fractured bone is healing well; you can have your splint removed.”

Li Jingshu made a fist with her right hand, indicating a successful gesture.

While Director Zhuang waited in the doctors’ office, Yang Ping took her into the treatment room to remove her splint. He cleaned her skin with 75% alcohol. There were many indentation marks on the skin where the splint and pressure pad had been.

“It won’t remain like this forever, will it?” Li Jingshu asked worriedly.

Yang Ping replied: “No, in a few days, your skin will slowly bounce back and shed the outer layer. It will be normal then.”

“I thought I didn’t have to have surgery. I was considering going back to work in the Northeast.” Li Jingshu said with a smile.

Yang Ping guided her through a series of mobility exercises–rotating her forearm, flexing and extending her elbow and wrist joints. He demonstrated the movements for her. She was smart and understood right away. However, when it came to performing the movements, she was scared and didn’t dare to move because she feared the pain.

“Be bold and make sure you exercise. Otherwise, your joints will become stiff. It’s just like a machine rusting. It’s okay now; the fracture has healed and you can move.” Yang Ping encouraged her but she still hesitated.

So, Yang Ping gently helped her to move.

“Be gentle,” said Li Jingshu, biting her lip.

This hurts? Yang Ping was surprised.

Li Jingshu shook her head. “A little bit. Like a mosquito bite. But mainly, I get scared whenever I move.”

“If it doesn’t hurt, then boldly practice! You must practice! The treatment of a fracture, whether it is surgery or manual bone resetting, only accounts for half the treatment. The other half is functional exercise. Without this, it’s the same as zero.” Yang Ping explained, but his tone was not very pleasant.

“Don’t be so fierce! I know!” She exhaled softly and began to rotate her forearm and to flex and extend her elbow and wrist joints as she was shown earlier. She moved slowly, and it was much better than before.

“You don’t have to achieve everything in one go. During functional exercise, make gradual progress. You’ll get better every day. Soon, you’ll be back to normal.” Yang Ping felt that his tone was a bit harsh earlier and softened his explanation this time.

After disassembling the splint and the straps, a nurse helped to clean up and then left.

“The next check-up will be three months after the operation. Counting from today, it should be about one and a half months.” Yang Ping reminded her.

“Mm, I remember. It was written in the discharge record last time. I’ve set a reminder in my phone’s calendar. When are you free for a meal together?” Li Jingshu picked up her bag.

“From morning to night, I am performing surgeries. When would I have time to go out for a meal? You don’t have to be polite.” Yang Ping tactfully declined.

“You misunderstood. I don’t intend to treat you. You should treat me!” Li Jingshu looked at her arm and touched the uneven skin indentations.

Yang Ping was confused. This young lady was willful and unreasonable. He was too busy to waste time with her.

“I’m going to the operating room.” Yang Ping didn’t bother responding.

“Wait, is there a place we can talk? Seriously, it’s something important!” Li Jingshu was very serious. She didn’t seem to be joking.

“Isn’t here OK?” Yang Ping couldn’t figure her out. She was so unpredictable.

With a mysterious smile, Li Jingshu said, “No, this place isn’t suitable. We need to find a place where two people can talk in private.”

Goodness, she was flirting with him. A twenty-something-year-old man being courted by her.

But Yang Ping’s face turned red.

“Look at you, you’ve never been in love. Your face has changed color. Don’t worry, I won’t eat you up. It’s really something important. Does your ward have a meeting room or something?” Li Jingshu said.

“Yes!” The meeting room is available.

Helpless, she claimed to have something important and she was being quite cryptic about it, leaving him no choice but to take her to the meeting room. They sat down, a table between them.

The meeting room was usually used for family discussions and providing signatures.

Li Jingshu locked the door behind her.

What is she up to? Thought Yang Ping as he instinctively leaned back.

“What’s on your mind?” Li Jingshu chuckled.

She took a file out of her shoulder bag and slid it across the table to Yang Ping, “This is about your department. My girlfriend happened to be the one reviewing it. If she hadn’t suppressed it, it would’ve been published by now.”

What is it?

Yang Ping took a look. The headline was shocking, “Outrage! Patient couldn’t afford hospital fees, nurse rips out catheter forcefully.”

The headline was so sensational, immediately igniting anger and eliciting cries of condemnation.

“Once this report hits the news, your hospital, your department will become infamous, overshadowing your five-segment replantation surgery by hundreds of times over,” Li Jingshu coldly stated.

Yang Ping suddenly remembered. There was a patient who had removed his own catheter to avoid paying his bills. He had a wrist injury caused by a knife attack, resulting in a rupture of nerves, blood vessels, and tendons. It was a case managed by Director Ouyang’s team, with Dr. Lei providing care, and President Guo performing the surgery.

“The patient didn’t pay a dime. He had emergency surgery and left the hospital secretly after removing his own catheter,” Yang Ping clearly remembered.

Li Jingshu chuckled, “Who knows? Who would believe that? Is your version even interesting?”

Yang Ping was stumped.

“No need to worry, the draft is still here.” Li Jingshu reassured.

This is serious, Yang Ping replied, “I will report to Director Han immediately and let the hospital find a solution.”

“What kind of solution?” asked Li Jingshu.

What kind of solution to come up with is the hospital’s responsibility, not mine.

“Take a look at the author of this article.” Li Jingshu suggested.

Yang Ping pointed out at the author’s name: Wang Ge!

Oh my god! Everyone knows this name, the famous reporter Wang Ge, well-known even among doctors.

“Your hospital is not his first victim. He has smeared many hospitals in G City. Remember the Provincial People’s Hospital a few years ago? A patient who underwent a colostomy for intestinal perforation was reported as suffering from medical neglect with an exposed and perforated intestine, left suffering in pain with no results from their attempts to seek justice. It caused a huge commotion back then. If it were not for the high status of the Provincial People’s Hospital, any other would’ve faced a catastrophe. Regardless, the doctor involved was still disciplined and transferred to the logistics department.”

“Later investigations proved that it was fake news,” Yang Ping said indignantly.

“Even if it was proven to be fake later on, the damage was done. The poison was ingested and absorbed. Does proving it as poison after the fact help?”

Li Jingshu’s logic was clear. Was this the same Li Jingshu who looked like a teary-eyed little girl, the one who huddled in a wheelchair like a small child?

“Don’t just stare at me. I have been following this incident for a month now. I know every single detail,” Li Jingshu said, pulling the draft away.

“You’ve been investigating this incident, even in your condition?” Yang Ping pointed at her arm.

“Didn’t Professor Zhang Zongshun set my bone while sitting in a chair with a broken bone himself?” Li Jingshu shrugged.

“To attract attention, are reporters just allowed to make up slanderous stories?” Yang Ping was outraged.

Li Jingshu countered, “Don’t generalize. Not all of us are like that. Of course, there are reporters and media outlets who create fake news for personal gain, tarnishing this doctor, or that person, causing chaos wherever they can. However, there are also those reporters who have lost their lives trying to uncover the truth. Do you remember their names? Does anyone remember? We should understand both the positive and negative aspects. We can’t change the negatives in a day, but if each of us does our part and makes an effort, that’s when we can affect great change. History is a great torrent made up of individual efforts.”

Li Jingshu sounded like a political science teacher, and Yang Ping was at a loss for words.

“This report won’t be published in G City, but I can’t make any promises for outside G City. However, rest assured, I have a plan. If he dares to publish it, I will nip it at the root. You don’t need to report this either. I will contact your hospital and keep them informed. How about we grab a meal together as a token of gratitude? Here’s my card. My WeChat and phone number are the same.”

Li Jingshu pulled out a business card and placed it on the table, presentable and nothing like the stubborn, willful girl she was earlier. Yang Ping was taken back by this about-face.

“That’s all I wanted to talk about. I need to go now. I’ll see you again during my next check-up.”

Li Jingshu opened the door and waved goodbye.