(Thanks to good friends Empty and Lonely Cold 671112, and Captain Ou for their generous tips and encouragement)
"My goodness, Shoutian, are you going crazy?" Zhou Li exclaimed in surprise, seeing the pile of dishes Liu Banxia brought over. "Shoutian earns so little each month, not even as much as I do."
"Hehe, we common folk ought to be happy today," Liu Banxia chuckled, singing a line.
"No matter the trials and tribulations ahead, we must never neglect our stomachs. Sister Wang, this is your favorite deep-fried pork loin. Sister Li, this is your most beloved sweet and sour pork. Dandan, this dry-fried squid tentacle is for you. Come, come, Big Brother Shi, this is Dongpo Pork."
"The rest of you, brothers and sisters, don't be shy. There are still some dishes I couldn't carry over. The cafeteria chefs are on it and will send them over soon."
"Alright, you brat, you still have some conscience. My affection for you wasn't in vain," Zhou Li commended.
"See? Sister Li treats me the best. I also ordered a plate of stir-fried kidneys for Old Wang next door; it's guaranteed to be potent!" Liu Banxia said, then dodged behind Wang Ying.
"Shoutian, you can't do this in the future. How much do you even earn in a month?" Wang Ying remarked.
"Sister Wang, today's a happy day. Money is just an external possession. Living this life, today I feel it's been truly worthwhile. I've realized there are so many people around me who care about me. We must live happily," Liu Banxia said.
"Oh, right, Dandan was my assistant all day today and was incredibly busy. As an extra reward, a pair of honey-glazed roasted chicken wings for her. I hope you'll continue your efforts in the future!"
"Thank you, Doctor Liu," Xu Dan thanked him sweetly.
"Oh my, Shoutian, are you interested in our Dandan?" Zhou Li asked, her words muffled by a piece of sweet and sour pork.
"Ah... no, that's not possible! I'm not looking for a doctor," Xu Dan exclaimed, startled.
Liu Banxia rolled his eyes. "She's just a sincere kid. Sister Li, this is you retaliating against me, isn't it?"
At that moment, the cafeteria staff also brought over the remaining dishes and rice. The impromptu gathering looked quite sumptuous.
No one thought much of it, simply assuming Liu Banxia was thanking them for offering to help him. In reality, this fellow's IQ had just kicked in, and it was only going to get higher.
"Sister Wang, do you think it's alright if I go upstairs to see Liu Liyou?" Liu Banxia asked after they finished eating.
"Go on, but you can only take a look. Liu Liyou is under Little Qi's care now. Don't you dare cause any trouble for me," Wang Ying warned.
Liu Banxia smiled and nodded. "Don't worry. My stomach is so full, you could drop an aircraft carrier in there, and it would just take a dive and disappear."
"You! In the future, stop being so flippant. Always joking around like that, what will the leadership think of you?" Shi Lei also advised.
"Alright, I'll listen to Big Brother Shi," Liu Banxia said, his eyes shining brightly.
This worried Shi Lei quite a bit. He felt he'd been too indulgent with this guy in the past. It seemed he'd have to be stricter from now on.
Liu Banxia decided to head to the inpatient department first.
When Liu Banxia arrived at Room 203 on the second floor, he saw Qi Wentai there, supervising Liu Liyou's ascites drainage. When Qi Wentai saw Liu Banxia come in, he merely glanced at him.
"Good, this speed is quite good. If it's too fast, it would harm your body instead. Are you breathing more easily now?" Liu Banxia asked with a smile.
These words were music to Liu Liyou's ears, but they grated on Qi Wentai. What are you doing? Acting like you're the director on rounds!
"Doctor Liu, I'm much more comfortable now. Once I'm fully recovered, we must have a drink together when you're free," Liu Liyou said with a smile.
"Absolutely not. Your health is what's important. You must control yourself in the future. Otherwise, I really don't want to see you in the hospital frequently. I don't want repeat customers like that," Liu Banxia joked.
"Hahaha... Doctor Liu, I just love listening to you talk," Liu Liyou laughed heartily.
It seemed the force of his laughter tugged at the puncture needle. He frowned, touched his chest, and his expression turned somewhat pained.
"Here, Uncle, open your mouth. Let me take a look."
Liu Banxia's brow furrowed quickly as well. He wasn't sure if his eyes were deceiving him, but it seemed there was a small, bluish-gray patch on Liu Liyou's gums.
Although he didn't know what Liu Banxia wanted to do, Liu Liyou still opened his mouth.
Only after a closer look did Liu Banxia realize it wasn't just the gums; there were several such patches on his palate as well. This made Liu Banxia's heart lurch.
"Qi Wentai, stop draining the ascitic fluid immediately!" Liu Banxia said, then hurriedly took out his phone and dialed Shi Lei.
Qi Wentai looked up at him, then ignored him. He was already simmering with anger; who did this guy think he was, coming here and bossing him around?
Seeing Qi Wentai wasn't moving, Liu Banxia, phone clamped between his head and shoulder, shoved him aside and took over. Not only that, he tore open another puncture kit, inserted the needle into Liu Liyou's cubital vein, and began drawing blood.
"What are you doing?" Qi Wentai finally exclaimed, alarmed.
Liu Banxia ignored him, his hands busy. "Doctor Shi, Emergency, Room 203! Get Director Zhou over here, quickly! And call for a consult with the Gastroenterology and Cardiothoracic Medicine departments. I suspect patient Liu Liyou has hemochromatosis, and it's already affecting his heart. I just saw bluish-gray spots on his oral mucosa."
"Okay, wait there. Monitor the patient closely," Shi Lei replied and hung up.
DING! Diagnosed patient Liu Liyou: Gained 400 Experience Points, 200 Diagnostics Skill Proficiency.
Diagnosis determined to be Flawless: Gained 500 Experience Points, 500 Diagnostics Skill Proficiency.
Congratulations to Host for advancing to Level 11! Current EXP: 9,275/10,080. Gained: 1 Attribute Point, 5 Glory Points.
"Doctor Liu, what's wrong?" Liu Liyou's wife, who had been terrified, finally managed to ask.
"Please don't worry for now. We might have overlooked something. I've already called our department director to come take a look," Liu Banxia said, gently swirling the negative pressure bag in his hand. There were no blood collection bags, so he had to make do with this.
He too broke out in a cold sweat. This was the effect of his jewel inlay; perhaps that enhanced focus had allowed him to notice the patches. When he first saw Liu Liyou, if he had just put in a little more effort, been a bit more observant, he wouldn't have let him fall into such a dangerous situation.
At that moment, Shi Lei burst in. Seeing Liu Banxia's actions, he also let out a long sigh of relief.
The human body is very complex and precise. With current medical capabilities, the true interconnected causes of many diseases cannot be found.
Abdominal paracentesis is very simple and can alleviate the dangers posed by a patient's ascites. However, draining ascitic fluid can also impact the body, so the first drainage must be done as slowly as possible, and with as little volume as possible.
If Liu Liyou truly had iron deposition, the stress on his body from draining the ascitic fluid could accelerate the deposition, threatening his life.
Like Liu Banxia, he first carefully examined Liu Liyou's oral cavity, then checked the skin folds on Liu Liyou's face and neck.
He sighed internally. Shoutian's luck today was really something else.