The Film Emperor Is Sick, I have No Cure - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

After attending the seminar held at S University on Saturday, Lu Danggui took advantage of his Sunday shift-off to prepare to make up for a whole day’s sleep.

His younger sister had started school and was not at home, so he no longer had to get up at fixed times to cook for Lu Wenfei. He finally enjoyed a rare weekend sealed to his bed, hugging his pillow and sleeping straight until broad daylight.

On Monday morning, Lu Danggui was suddenly startled awake from his dream.

He pulled out his phone from under the pillow to check the time, it was already nine fifteen.

About to miss the weekly meeting, he didn’t have time to eat breakfast, so he sprinted a hundred meters downstairs and hailed a cab. Unexpectedly, just as he arrived at the department entrance, he was stopped by Dr. Lin coming toward him.

“Xiao Lu, why are you so late today?” Dr. Lin said, “The Director told you not to go to the morning meeting, but to go to his office first.”

It’s over, it’s over…

This was his first real late arrival since becoming a regular employee, and he probably wouldn’t escape a scolding from Director Wang.

Lu Danggui felt a little uneasy, but still nodded. “Alright, I’ll go right away.”

He turned to head to the Director’s office, when he heard Dr. Lin call again from behind, “Xiao Lu.”

Seeing the look on Dr. Lin’s face as if he had something to say but was hesitating, Lu Danggui’s heartbeat began to speed up.
“What is it, Brother Lin?”

“You… haven’t gotten into any trouble lately, have you?”

Seeing as Xiao Lu usually had a good relationship with him, Dr. Lin decided to give him a few words of reminder: “Vice President Qiu came to the psychiatry department early this morning, looking quite serious. He said he came specifically to look for you.”

Dr. Lin himself was also somewhat puzzled.
Xiao Lu was just late, was that enough to alarm Vice President Qiu?

Now Lu Dangui was truly flustered.

Vice President Qiu was a very well-known clinical psychologist in the industry and also came from a psychiatry background. Back when he was studying at S University’s School of Medicine, he had even attended Vice President Qiu’s lectures, and many of Qiu’s viewpoints had left a deep impression on him. But he had never had the chance to consult him in person.

The Vice President was extremely busy, so why would he come to the department especially to find him?

Could it be that there was some mistake at Saturday’s seminar?

—

Just what mistake had happened?

Dean Qiu had thought the whole way but still couldn’t figure it out.

The seminar had just ended, and before he had time to review it, Dean Qiu was surrounded by a group of men in sunglasses and “invited” into a black sedan parked near the hospital’s back wall.

The leader in black didn’t say a word, only turned on the screen of the car’s central console.

Seeing the cold-faced old friend on the screen, Dean Qiu was both annoyed and amused.

“Old Xing!”

He politely refused the cigarette offered by the bodyguard in the car. “If you wanted to see me, couldn’t you just call me or come to my office? What’s with putting on such a big show, who are you trying to impress?”

Sitting in the conference room on the other side of the screen was none other than the current chairman of Wanhai Group, Xing Jingshan.

“I’m abroad, this is an encrypted line,” Xing Jingshan said.
“Wan’an Holdings has once again taken an interest in investigating Ah Cheng. If I called you directly, I wouldn’t feel at ease.”

Xing Jingshan waved a hand, dismissing the first secretary beside him. “Old Qiu, about Ah Cheng’s matter, I still have to trouble you for help.”

“What more can I help with?”

Dean Qiu pretended to speak crossly to his old friend. “Everything that can be arranged, I’ve already arranged. Your young master’s illness can’t be rushed. Given the current medical conditions…”

“I know,” Xing Jingshan stubbed out the cigarette in his hand, “I want to ask you to help get him an appointment with a certain doctor.”

Dean Qiu let out a sigh.

He really didn’t want to dampen Chairman Xing’s hopes, but over the years, for the sake of the Eldest Young Master’s illness, the Xing family had sought out nearly all the famous doctors in the country, and in the end, almost all of it had been in vain.

For the son left behind by his late wife, Xing Jingshan had spared no effort, and he himself was quite willing to help this old friend.

It was just that at this stage, what other immortal could work miracles?

“Go ahead, who is it you’re looking for?”

The Xing family had a vast fortune, and the fee they offered was astronomical. Which doctor in S City or even in the whole country wouldn’t want to take it on?
Why would he need to personally intervene?

Dean Qiu began silently recalling the contact information of several old classmates in research teams far away in the United States.

“Ah Cheng said he’s from your hospital.” From Xing Jingshan’s mouth slowly came a name, “The name is Lu Danggui, Lu as in ‘road,’ Danggui as in the Chinese herb.”

Dean Qiu was stunned.

“…Who?”

—

When he arrived at the Director’s office door, Lu Danggui found that the Director was not there. Inside the office, there was only Vice President Qiu.

“Qiu… Vice President Qiu?”

Seeing the young doctor cautiously poke his head in from the doorway, greeting him with a face full of nervousness, Dean Qiu felt quite complicated.

This young man, who knew how he had gotten himself involved in the muddy waters of the Xing family.

Thinking this in his heart, Dean Qiu still quickly squeezed out a kindly smile on his face.
“Doctor Xiao Lu, come in, please have a seat.”

“I heard from Old Wang that you’ve only recently become a regular staff member. Do you have any independent consultation experience?”

The Vice President did not sit down, and neither did Lu Danggui dare to; he stood ramrod straight in front of the desk. “I’ve followed the Director a few times in clinical consultations before, but independent consultations… not yet.”

As expected.

Dean Qiu thought to himself.

This young doctor had neither qualifications nor experience, the so-called “coming for his reputation” was just talk.

For the Xing family’s Eldest Young Master to specifically ask for this one, it surely wasn’t because he truly wanted treatment; who knew what his intentions were.

Every member of the Xing family was harder to serve than the next. If it weren’t for being a close friend of Chairman Xing and having to consider the Xing family’s face in all matters, he wouldn’t casually get involved.

“It’s like this,” Dean Qiu’s tone was somewhat odd, “there’s a patient who came to see me, specifically asking to register with you.”

“…”

Lu Danggui was dumbfounded.

He had originally thought he was being called to the office to be scolded, but unexpectedly, there was such a matter.

Could it be that after being unlucky for so long, he had suddenly had a change of fortune?

“However, this patient’s identity is rather special. For the time being, I can’t tell you too much,” Dean Qiu pointed at the file on the coffee table.
“If you’re willing to take the case, here’s a confidentiality document you’ll have to sign.”

Everything had come too suddenly. As Lu Danggui slowly recovered from the shock, he stared blankly for a long time at the bold black characters on white paper—“Confidentiality Agreement.”

In their line of work, the most important thing was to follow the principle of confidentiality, never disclosing a patient’s personal private information to others. For a patient to bring out such a confidentiality agreement for him to sign was no different from directly questioning his professional ethics.

It was a blatant show of distrust toward his character.

After a moment, Lu Danggui hesitated before saying to the old president before him, “Dean, under any circumstances, I would never disclose a patient’s privacy.”

This was, in a roundabout way, telling Dean Qiu that there was no need, nor was it necessary, for him to sign any “Confidentiality Agreement.”

Seeing the hesitation in the young man’s eyes, Dean Qiu let out a sigh. “This ‘Confidentiality Agreement’ isn’t quite the same as the usual principle of confidentiality.”

“The patient’s background is too complicated, and the information involved needs to be kept under the highest level of secrecy. If you don’t want to face a major commercial lawsuit, or don’t want to get yourself into a load of trouble, it’s best you sign it.”

Then, Dean Qiu changed the subject.
“Of course, if you’re unwilling to take this risk, I’ll pass that along for you as well.”

If Lu Danggui was unwilling, that would make things easier. After all, his friendship with Chairman Xing was there for all to see, this way, he could give Old Xing an explanation, and at the same time avoid having to humor the Eldest Young Master of the Xing family in one of his whims.

If Doctor Lu wasn’t willing, they couldn’t possibly force him to come out and see the patient, could they?

Dean Qiu was quite pleased with the plan he had in mind.

“Dean, I’ve signed it.”

Dean Qiu lowered his head and saw that the document had already been neatly folded and placed in front of him, the three characters for “Lu Danggui” written in neat, upright strokes.

“Eh?”

Rising from in front of the coffee table, Lu Danggui gave Dean Qiu a deep bow.
“Thank you, and that gentleman I don’t know, for giving me this opportunity.”

Hearing what Dean Qiu had just said, an indescribable emotion surged up in his chest, making the hand holding the pen tremble slightly.

He wanted to treat patients, as long as he could take the case, he was willing to bear any risk.

Something was boiling inside him, a mix of excitement and exhilaration, along with unease and nervousness.

Most importantly of all, Dr. Lu, at long last, was about to have his very first patient of his own.

—

Before the afternoon consultations began, Lu Danggui followed Dean Qiu to the specialists’ clinic.

He didn’t have a dedicated workstation in the outpatient department. Over at the inpatient ward’s work area, he did have a small office, but it only had one desk and two chairs. Compared to the specialists’ clinic, it was rather shabby.

The specialists’ clinic was on the top floor of the hospital, a spacious and bright white room. It was furnished with a full set of desks, chairs, and sofas, with specially installed soundproof walls and green plants covering the entire ceiling. Along the wall stood a solid wood cabinet filled with certificates and trophies, various awards the hospital’s specialists had won.

Seeing the undisguised look of admiration on the young man’s face as he glanced around here and there, Dean Qiu felt a fondness for his junior and smiled at Lu Danggui.
“I heard from Old Wang that you were once a first-class outstanding graduate of S University Medical School?”

Lu Danggui looked a little embarrassed. “It’s been so long, I’ve already forgotten…”

“Your Director Wang was also one of my students,” Dean Qiu said, patting Lu Danggui on the shoulder. “An opportunity like this is something others beg for but can’t get. Do a good job, and in the future you might even do better than Old Wang. Don’t you agree?”

Lu Danggui felt his face grow slightly warm and blurted out instinctively, “Thank you, Dean. I’ll do my best.”

After giving Lu Danggui a few more words of advice, Dean Qiu left the clinic, leaving him alone in the room to wait for the patient’s arrival.

He was about to see, entirely on his own, the very first patient of his career. Though his face appeared calm, he was so nervous he had barely touched his lunch.

Most people who came to psychiatry didn’t want those around them to know, but this one had also insisted on signing a confidentiality agreement, even going so far as to involve the old president.
A person like that was certainly of no ordinary social standing.

But why would such a big shot come specifically to see him for treatment?

Lu Danggui didn’t quite understand.

The clock on the wall ticked forward, and the time shifted to five o’clock in the afternoon—l, the appointed time to meet the patient.

From a distance, Lu Danggui heard the sound of something heavy pressing against the floor at the far end of the corridor. Though faint, in the quiet hallway, it was especially conspicuous.

A tall man in a black suit appeared at the door of the consultation room.

Tidying the collar of his white coat, Lu Danggui suppressed the nervousness in his heart, stood up from behind his office chair, and said, “Sir—”

Seeing another person enter the consultation room, Lu Danggui’s voice came to an abrupt halt. His gaze slowly lowered, and his eyes stopped on the wheelchair being pushed in by the man in black.

A familiar striped hospital gown, that low-pressure aura carried everywhere he went…

Wasn’t this the wheelchair man who had argued with him by the lake that night?

Today the wheelchair man wasn’t wearing a mask or sunglasses, with half his face hidden behind the scarf in front of his chest, yet no matter how he looked, he seemed familiar.

Could this person be…

Lu Danggui: !!!

Seeing the young doctor standing in front of the desk with a face full of stunned confusion, Xing Cheng suddenly felt a bit uninterested.

Shock, admiration, excitement, passion…

Such expressions, he had seen far too many times.

Whether fans, passers-by, or those strange sorts who wanted to climb up the high branches of the Xing family, everyone’s first reaction upon seeing him was nothing more than these.

He could neither feel nor understand it.
Having seen it too often, he only found it boring.

And this young doctor before him, the one who had, for no reason, lost his temper at him for an entire night, was obviously no different from the others.

Making such a big fuss.

Xing Cheng thought to himself.

He clapped his hands, wanting to call Xing Shi in, and turned to take his leave.

What Xing Cheng didn’t expect was that, after a brief daze, he caught sight of something flashing across the young doctor’s eyes.

For one second, Xing Cheng felt that Lu Danggui was locking onto him with his eyes viciously, as if he wanted to swallow him whole.

He… was angry?

The great movie star Xing froze in his wheelchair, for the first time in his life feeling somewhat at a loss.

When he came back to his senses, he found that the inexplicable anger in the young doctor’s eyes had already vanished without a trace, as if it had all been his imagination.

In front of him were only a pair of slightly curved smiling eyes. This young psychiatrist’s face bore a professional smile, his words full of friendliness and gentleness: “Hello, may I ask if you are the patient referred by Dean Qiu?”

A white rabbit on the verge of bristling its fur, yet desperately suppressing its temper, then showed a smile to the wolf and handed over its own carrot.

“Hello, Doctor Lu.”

After a while, Xing Cheng also smiled.

—
T/N The author uses fu yuan zhang(副院长) which means Vice President, sometimes only yuan zhang meaning Dean/President. Maybe he’s the vice president of the university but Dean of the hospital… Anyway, just note Vice President Qiu is also Dean Qiu, vice versa.