Healing Doctor

Chapter 739, Part 21 - The Three-Body Problem (Part 1)

Empathy?

Ji Xiang racked his brains but couldn't figure out what kind of empathy could be found in such a medical dispute.

The system NPC didn't force him; he just quietly watched Ji Xiang.

"Teacher, this kind of unreasonable dispute is similar to medical disputes. Is it really necessary?" Ji Xiang asked.

"Medical care may not ultimately be medical care, but it is still medical care in the final analysis."

The system NPC said something difficult to understand.

Ji Xiang's face was full of black lines.

He couldn't understand the meaning of the system NPC's words at all.

"Then let the man try," Ji Xiang said. "Teacher, what angle do you recommend the man choose?"

"Of course, it's from an observer's perspective," the system NPC said. "You're still too young, and there are some things you can't handle well, so I suggest you observe from the sidelines."

It's happening again!

Although Ji Xiang had already guessed it, he still felt that something was wrong.

Perhaps it was the arrogance of youth at play, but Ji Xiang was always unconvinced as to why the system NPCs had recently only allowed him to observe.

Does this mean that it's becoming more difficult to empathize?

Although he was resentful, Ji Xiang's sharp edges had long been smoothed out by someone, so he didn't argue and went to the next room with the system NPC.

The light flickered, and Ji Xiang opened his eyes.

"What?! Another problem with the Down syndrome screening?!"

The man held his wife's Down syndrome screening results, staring blankly at the report.

This is the third time. My wife's Down syndrome screening results are always bad. The first two times, she had to have an abortion.

Down syndrome screening!

Just like what he saw at the medical office, this was what Ji Xiang had anticipated.

From an outsider's perspective, Ji Xiang quietly observed the man's reaction.

"The values ​​are very high, it's likely there's something wrong with the baby. I recommend an amniocentesis to test the amniotic fluid," the doctor said.

The man was deeply saddened by this outcome, and Ji Xiang could feel the sense of helplessness that overwhelmed him.

Ugh.

Could it be that the system NPCs are making me feel this kind of helplessness?

Ji Xiang doesn't think so.

He watched quietly.

Amniocentesis was performed, and the amniotic fluid was sent for testing.

A few days later, the results came back, and it was highly suspected that the fetus had Down syndrome (trisomy 21), so the miscarriage was necessary.

Over the past few days, Ji Xiang could clearly sense the man's helplessness and anger.

The injustices of this world and the series of anomalies brought the man's emotions to the brink of explosion.

Perhaps taking out one's anger on the hospital or the doctor is a subconscious form of self-protection.

Despite this, Ji Xiang still did not agree.

The doctors or hospitals haven't done anything wrong, so why should they bear all the negative emotions?

But during this experience, Ji Xiang discovered that the man was very familiar with the doctors at the hospital, so he figured there wouldn't be any serious medical disputes.

Ji Xiang always felt something was strange when he thought about this.

Recalling the strange look in the system NPC's eyes, Ji Xiang dismissed his preconceived notions and continued to observe quietly.

There's definitely something fishy going on!

Those numbers silently tell the man that his child is also suffering from Trisomy 21, meaning he was born with a birth defect.

Even if you manage to conceive, there's a 60% chance the fetus will miscarry in utero.

Even if the miscarriage does not occur and the child is born, the child will likely have significant intellectual disabilities, distinctive facial features, developmental delays, and multiple malformations.

As Ji Xiang was thinking, a man's shout echoed in his mind.

Why!

Why isn't it working again?!

The man stared blankly at the amniocentesis report, his mind a complete blank.

He and his wife both wanted a child, but fate played a cruel trick on them, and problems would arise during each prenatal checkup.

This is the third time, the third time in a row!

Each miscarriage is a blow to my wife's body.

"No, you should have an abortion. Never force yourself into something like this, and don't take any chances. Otherwise, if the child is born with congenital deformities or intellectual disabilities, the child will suffer, and the adults will suffer too," the doctor friend earnestly advised the man.

The man nodded blankly.

"After this miscarriage, it will likely be more difficult for you to get pregnant in the future. Even if you do get pregnant, there may be issues like recurrent miscarriages. You need to be prepared for that."

The doctor friend said to the man.

only!

Ji Xiang felt that his doctor friend's eyes seemed somewhat similar to those of the system NPCs.

His words were simple; he was simply stating a fact to the man. However, Ji Xiang felt that there was something more to his words, and that some things were left unsaid.

It's not that it can't be explained clearly, but rather that the man's doctor friend deliberately avoids making it clear.

Why?

What did I overlook?

Ji Xiang pondered deeply.

However, Trisomy 21 is just a small knowledge point. Although it is on the exam, Ji Xiang has not studied it in detail.

He's a surgeon, so it's normal that he doesn't know much about this.

Holding the report, the man was in extreme pain, and also extremely disappointed and heartbroken.

Why is God so unfair to me!

The man didn't go home; he was afraid his wife would break down because of the report.

Although a man's wife would still guess if he didn't come home, he still went to a small bar to drown his sorrows.

My doctor friend was worried something might happen to the man, so she went with him.

He stared intently at the man, as if he had something to say but couldn't bring himself to say it.

This further confirms Ji Xiang's speculation.

In fact, the man also knew that his doctor friend seemed to have something to say; the doctor friend's emotions were written all over his face.

The man was just in a bad mood and didn't ask.

The test results made him believe that he was the most miserable person in the world, bar none.

But after getting half-drunk, the man became a little agitated and even wanted to slam his fist on the table and curse the heavens.

Fueled by alcohol, the man put his arm around his shoulder and said, "Little Sun, just say what you want to say. I'm already in such a miserable state, I don't care what you say. Are you trying to say that my genes are bad, or that there's something wrong with my ancestral graves, so I'll never have children in this lifetime?"

Even if you called me a cursed lone star, I'd accept it.

"Brother Zhang, um... don't you find it strange?" the doctor friend asked in a low voice.

He probed, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

"Strange? What's strange about it? It's all fate! Three times in a row, three times!! Now I even wake up in a fright from my dreams about the Down syndrome screening." The man looked up at the sky and cursed angrily.

"No," my friend stammered. He picked up his glass and downed the three-ounce liters of baijiu in one gulp before finally mustering his courage.

"Brother, the Down syndrome screening was abnormal. Let me put it this way. Aside from the Down syndrome screening, we've had three amniocentesis and amniocentesis tests. Generally, trisomy 21 is very likely caused by consanguineous marriage, because from a genetic perspective..."

He talked about a lot of related knowledge, but the man didn't understand a word of it.

The words "marriage between close relatives" flashed through the man's mind like lightning, leaving his mind blank.

Married to his mother's close relatives?

This word stirred up countless waves in the man's heart.

Ji Xiang was also startled.

He hadn't thought of that term at all.

Similar knowledge points were almost nonexistent in Ji Xiang's mind.

Although he had learned it, Ji Xiang hadn't thought of this when applying it to real-world scenarios.

No wonder!

Whether it's the system NPC or the doctor friend in front of me, their eyes are all strange.

So that's how it is!

"Brother, are you and your wife long-lost siblings? Or, no disrespect, but to be honest, wasn't our uncle quite the dashing playboy when he was young?" the friend kindly reminded the man.

Duan Yu? Ji Xiang immediately thought of this character from Mr. Jin Yong's novels.

Upon hearing his doctor friend's words, the man's lingering drunkenness vanished instantly.

It wasn't his friend's words that sobered him up, but rather something he remembered.

The man's wife is usually well-educated and reasonable, and everything about her is fine, but she has the trait of being a "brother-supporting demon," and she has a close relationship with her brother.

Originally, there was nothing wrong with the close relationship between the siblings; in the man's eyes, it was a normal family relationship.

Even if she has some traits of being a "brother-supporting demon," it doesn't matter.

But now, these words have awakened her from her reverie. Upon careful reflection, she realized that there seemed to be something amiss in their relationship.

If there are no abnormalities in three Down syndrome screenings, the man won't think much of it.

It can be done three times in a row!

three times!!!

The results of the Down syndrome screening were all abnormal, and the values ​​were ridiculously high. The results of the puncture biopsy and amniocentesis were definitely problematic.

This makes men think a lot.

However, this possibility is so terrifying that the alcohol in the man's stomach and blood would evaporate in an instant.

Click~

The man vaguely heard a sound of shattered values ​​coming from an unknown place.

"Thank you, Xiao Sun." The man calmed down and thanked him sincerely.

Ji Xiang was taken aback and began searching his memory.

Sure enough, more and more things started to look wrong.

Ji Xiang even sensed a huge, inexplicable force crushing his worldview, and the sound of shattering could be faintly heard.

How could this happen!

During his internship, Ji Xiang also heard a lot of gossip from the substitute teachers.

But gossip is just gossip; without personal experience, there's no deep resonance. So much so that Ji Xiang didn't understand the complex emotions in the system NPC's eyes until he experienced it firsthand.

original!

This time, the feeling of empathy was unexpectedly profound.

After leaving the tavern, the man returned home.

The wife was crying bitterly at home, her eyes red and swollen, looking incredibly pitiful.

Although the man didn't go home and she didn't see the report, the fact that he reeked of alcohol was enough to explain everything.

In the past, the man would have gently comforted her, telling her it was just the unfairness of fate, and then the two of them would have hugged each other and cried.

That's fate, there's nothing we can do about it.

but!

Men's emotions are more complex these days.

My doctor friend's guess makes sense.

The trisomy 21 test was abnormal three times in a row, and the values ​​were particularly high. The amniocentesis confirmed that it was indeed wrong.

22- The couple are not related by blood, so how could such a low-probability event happen repeatedly!

On the way back, the man had already begun to have doubts.

This kind of thing can't stand up to scrutiny; the more you think about it, the more something seems off.

"Darling, we're just unlucky." The man comforted her gently, tears streaming down his face as he spoke.

No matter how much they cried, it was no use. Because the bleeding had occurred too many times, and to avoid laboratory errors, the men decided to have another puncture test.

But the truth is cold—the results of the amniocentesis were almost the same as the previous one.

It can only be drained away.

The man accompanied his wife to the hospital and sat outside quietly waiting for the results.

For this surgery, the man specifically sought out a doctor friend and gave the surgeon a large red envelope.

There was only one request—to have the doctor save a portion of the embryonic sac for me.

The surgery was over quickly. The man held the small bottle full of formaldehyde, looked at the embryo sac inside, and kept thanking the doctor.

After spending two days with his wife and waiting for her to recover a little, the man secretly went to the paternity testing center.

Although the embryonic sac is not fully developed, DNA identification of some tissues can still be performed.

A few days later, when the man received the report, all his doubts and speculations came true.

child!

It's not mine!!

It's really not mine!!!

Ji Xiang was also stunned by this strange and inexplicable result.

During this time, Ji Xiang kept convincing himself that such a strange situation could not possibly happen.

But it turns out that this is all true!

It turns out that the system NPC's hesitant look was actually referring to this!

How is that possible?!

Ji Xiang was completely dumbfounded. He thought of Director Bai and the patients' families who were causing trouble.

How would I handle this?

Should the patient's family be told the truth?

The thought flashed through Ji Xiang's mind, and he immediately recalled the man's doctor friend's veiled remarks.

Before speaking, he downed three ounces of wine in one gulp before daring to reveal part of the situation, albeit partially.

After that, he tried his best to link himself to Duan Yu in his statements, and even he himself was deceived.

Ji Xiang sensed something was wrong.

At this moment, the man was completely dumbfounded.

It is impossible for a man and his wife to be related by blood.

if it is like this,

So!

the truth!!

There's only one!!!

Upon seeing the report, the man felt a chill run through him.

Logically speaking, three consecutive pregnancies with Trisomy 21 should not be the father's, but rather the father's brother-in-law's.

But this perspective, which most people wouldn't even dare to imagine, puts men in a state of distress.

The man's wife does have a tendency to prioritize her brother's needs over his own, but he didn't care before.

She is good to her family and also good to men, unlike many people online who only care about their younger brother.

With the results in hand,

The man suddenly remembered a few things.

After each miscarriage, the wife would go home for a period of time, saying that her parents would take care of her and help her recover, so that the man could focus on his career.

Before this, the man always thought his wife was very considerate, and her whole family treated him exceptionally well, which is why he didn't care that his wife was a "brother-supporting demon".

however!

Looking back on many of the details now, they send chills down a man's spine.

She had a trip back to her hometown before each pregnancy.

After each miscarriage, she would return to her hometown.

Each time the doctor warned her that she shouldn't get pregnant for at least six months to a year, she was always eager to get pregnant again.

She would even be very unhappy if her husband wanted to use contraception, and the two had argued about it.

At the time, the man thought she was eager to have a child, and he felt guilty about it, always wanting to persuade her.

Some things can't be rushed, otherwise they can cause serious damage to your health.

But looking back now, all the details pieced together form a terrifying reality.

The man was cheated on, and by his brother-in-law no less!

The man felt as if a series of thunderous explosions were exploding in his ears, the constant booming sound making him feel dizzy.

Do not!

That's impossible!!

Such an absurd and ridiculous thing could not possibly happen in the world.

The man was screaming in his heart.

However, after ruling out all possibilities, although the final conclusion was particularly absurd, it was the truth!

The man suppressed his urgency and, as his wife requested, sent her back to her hometown in the county town.

She always goes back to her hometown after a miscarriage, and this time was no exception.

This time, however, his feelings were completely different from when he sent her back to her hometown in the past; the volcano in the man's heart almost erupted.

Barely suppressing his negative emotions, the man pretended not to have noticed anything and sent his wife back to her parents' home as usual.

As time passed, Ji Xiang began to examine the inner world of the male protagonist he was empathizing with.

This was because a doctor friend informed and guided him to get the correct answer.

However, Director Bai was without guidance from the patients' families. If he dared to say something similar to what his doctor friends said when facing emotionally agitated family members, it would probably not have any effect and would only provoke greater conflict.

What would I do if I were in Director Bai's position?

Ji Xiang gradually calmed down.

There are all kinds of people in this world. NTR (Netorare, a derogatory term for people who are sexually transmitted to humans) has become internet slang and is probably quite common in the world.

Many people even risk being discovered and having their reputations ruined just to leave behind various forms of evidence and videos.

These are all strange quirks, and Ji Xiang knows that just because he can't understand them doesn't mean they don't exist.

"Director Bai is having a tough time," Ji Xiang sighed.

He racked his brains but still couldn't figure out what Director Bai would do. Perhaps the best solution was for a muddle-headed monk to handle the case, and pretending to be confused was the only way out.

"Let's see how the man wants to handle this," Ji Xiang thought to himself.

The bride's family members looked gloomy, but her brother-in-law seemed completely unconcerned, engrossed in watching a live stream on his phone in the bedroom, ignoring his sister.

In the past, men would think that they loved their daughters too much and spoiled their brothers-in-law.

But now the man has other ideas.

"Why couldn't you keep her again?" the mother-in-law scolded.

The man could only awkwardly agree, uttering words he himself didn't understand to get by.

"Brother-in-law, are you broke lately?" The brother-in-law didn't care at all. He moved closer to the man and asked with a grin.

"..." The man was stunned.

"The economy is bad lately, and prices are rising fast. I'm broke, so I really don't have any money. Can you lend me some?"

"Ugh."

The man looked at his brother-in-law, who was shirtless at home, wearing only a pair of briefs, his skin as white as a boiled chicken.

The man used to think that his mother-in-law spoiled him, but now he finds him disagreeable and suspicious.

"I'm having a tough time too. The company is making us work overtime like crazy. Even your sister is like this, and the boss won't even let me take a day off..." the man explained.

"You're so stingy." The brother-in-law was displeased when he heard this. He curled his lip and looked disdainful.

"Come on, come out with me for a drink. The child has problems again, and I'm upset." The man pulled his brother-in-law along.

He threw on some clothes and the two of them went out for drinks.

Seeing that his brother-in-law was heading to the most expensive shop in the county, the man quickly pulled him to a roadside shop.

"You're not even a white-collar worker in the city, you're a disgrace. Brother Zhao comes back driving a Mercedes and smoking Zhonghua cigarettes. Look at you, you're as poor as can be. My sister has suffered so much since she married you."

My brother-in-law complained the whole way.

He spoke so naturally, as if the man owed him a fortune.

Ji Xiang knew that the man really didn't want to spend any more money on him, and it was highly likely that the man would become an irreconcilable enemy when he came back next time.

As for why a man would bring his brother-in-law out to dinner, Ji Xiang had a general idea.

I pulled him into an old restaurant, where the man ordered two dishes and a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor).

"Brother Zhao always drinks Maozi when he comes back, how come you're so stingy, ordering Red Star Erguotou? It's embarrassing to eat out with you," the brother-in-law grumbled.

"It's good enough that there's something to drink. Your sister has had three surgeries in the past two years, how can I focus on my career?"

"You're incompetent, yet you still criticize my sister."

Suddenly, the man had a thought and patted his brother-in-law's shoulder hard. "It's okay, I've found a way to make money. Once your sister's situation improves, I'll calm down and make a lot of money soon."

When the man mentioned making big money, the brother-in-law's eyes lit up immediately.

"How do you make money, brother-in-law?"

The man feigned mystery, his brow furrowed with worry, and sighed deeply, without answering his brother-in-law's question.

A night of drinking only made him more depressed; the alcohol only compounded his sorrow.

But the brother-in-law didn't seem to notice at all, and kept nagging about how powerful Brother Zhao from next door was now, how he almost threw a banquet when he went home to entertain guests, how he drove a Mercedes-Benz, and how he smoked cigarettes.

The man could tell that his brother-in-law's envy was genuine and heartfelt, but he didn't pay him much attention.

Taking advantage of his drunkenness, the man took a few strands of his brother-in-law's hair and carefully preserved them.

Just as I expected, Ji Xiang sighed inwardly.

If I were to face a similar situation from the protagonist's perspective, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to be as meticulous and detail-oriented as a man.

The system NPCs allowed me to experience things from an outsider's perspective, and in retrospect, that was the right thing to do.

The next day, the man returned to the city and took his brother-in-law's hair to the paternity testing center.

When the man arrived at the paternity testing center, he was somewhat uneasy. Ji Xiang could sense his fear and even his boundless confusion.

If the speculation is true and the test results prove it, then the man's values, which he has formed since childhood, will be completely shattered.

As for saving face and such, those are no longer within a man's consideration.

When the last paternity test confirmed that the embryo had nothing to do with him, the man had already lost all face.

Now, men just want to know the truth.

Ji Xiang just didn't know if the man could accept this truth.

A few days later, the test results came out, and the man arrived at the testing center ahead of schedule.

Ji Xiang felt the man's heart pounding like a drum, as if it were about to leap out of his throat at any moment.

When the man searched the electronic system, he clearly saw the message: "Results match 99.99%."

original!

It's all true!!

People.

Ji Xiang sighed deeply, feeling somewhat lost as well.

What should Director Bai do? What should the man in the story do? These questions were all tangled together, turning Ji Xiang's mind into a complete mess.

(End of this chapter)