Tremors

Jiang Chu stared blankly at the Black Card that suddenly appeared, as if it were a vortex dragging him in.

He stared at the Black Card for over ten minutes, unmoving, as if he could hear a voice that had been appearing around him for some time now for no reason.

"Dr. Jiang, the Dean wants to see you in his office."

Just then, the voice of the duty nurse sounded. Jiang Chu startled and looked up, realizing his back was a little damp. He said hazily, "Oh... I know, I'll be right there."

Saying that, Jiang Chu quickly closed the file, but after a moment's hesitation, he finally put the black card into his white coat pocket.

A few minutes later, Jiang Chu arrived at the Dean's office.

The Dean, who had just celebrated his sixty-third birthday last month, looked much healthier than an average fifty-year-old. Seeing Jiang Chu, whom he valued, arrive, the Dean immediately smiled, "Jiang Chu, I knew you would be waiting at this time."

"Dean, what did you need me for?" Jiang Chu sat down.

The Dean said, "It's like this, I need your help with this matter."

Jiang Chu said seriously, "Dean, just tell me directly, what is it?"

The Dean sighed, "I have an old classmate whose granddaughter has an early-stage tumor in her brain. He came to me... Well, I've examined the patient's condition thoroughly these past few days. Then I recommended you to him."

Seeing that Jiang Chu remained very calm, the Dean was satisfied, but his expression became more serious. "She's not even five years old, and her brain nerves are still very fragile. To be honest, among all the doctors in this hospital, I wouldn't trust anyone else to operate but you."

Jiang Chu suddenly said, "Dean, I submitted my leave request last week..."

The Dean said kindly, "I know you haven't had a good rest these past few years. I had already approved your leave... but my old classmate and I have a decades-long friendship. You can postpone your leave for now. Once the surgery is done, I'll give you a month off with no problem."

Jiang Chu said, "But Dean, the difficulty of operating on the child is not small... If anything were to go wrong... wouldn't it be better to have the more experienced Dr. Huang operate?"

The Dean was slightly displeased. "This surgery requires operating on the frontal lobe. Believe me, there is no one more skilled than you in this field. Jiang Chu, you don't need to be overly modest. I'm not someone who values seniority over everything. More than qualifications, I value personal medical ethics and skills. Do this surgery well, and if you can complete it beautifully, I'm prepared to promote you to my deputy."

Jiang Chu looked at the Dean in surprise.

The Dean said earnestly, "I've been working hard for many years, and it's time for me to rest. Jiang Chu, I value your character and your abilities. Trust me, after a few more years of tempering, this hospital will definitely need you to carry the banner."

The Dean walked over to Jiang Chu and patted his shoulder. "You have the ability, so don't underestimate yourself. Besides, my old classmate has already agreed to have you operate. It would be troublesome if you backed out now."

Jiang Chu heard something else and frowned, asking, "Teacher, just tell me honestly, who is that person?" He had no choice but to play the friendship card.

"He's an elder from the Health Bureau. Although he's retired, his words still carry weight," the Dean smiled. "Have some confidence in yourself, and don't put too much pressure on yourself. Although this surgery is difficult, it's not a problem for you at all. Don't disappoint me."

Jiang Chu had no choice but to say, "I'd like to see the patient's information first."

"No problem, I'll send it to you later."

After speaking, the Dean went to make his rounds. As for Jiang Chu, after returning to his office, he sat staring at his desk with a troubled expression.

He suddenly looked at his hands. After a long while, he took out a small knife from the pen holder and held it as if it were a scalpel.

But as soon as he held it, his wrist began to tremble slightly. Jiang Chu suddenly threw the small knife to the ground and then covered his face in pain.

His hands were trembling. After a preliminary self-diagnosis, Jiang Chu, on the verge of collapse, had to rationally accept what was happening to him.

Parkinson's disease.

It wasn't just about when his hands would tremble; if it happened during surgery, then...

He had originally requested a long leave to discuss possible solutions for his condition with a doctor friend abroad.

But the Dean, as his mentor, clearly had high hopes for this surgery, and he knew the significance of this surgery for his future career.

However...

"What a cruel irony... the surgeon has lost his hands," Jiang Chu couldn't help but let out a bitter smile.

There was nothing to do at the club these past two days, but Luo Qiu still received contact from Zhang Qingrui, saying that the auction house had recovered the lost item and had personally delivered it.

Since they didn't know Luo Qiu's address, she had to contact him by phone.

Luo Qiu was also reluctant to reveal his address—although if someone wanted to find out, it wouldn't be difficult in this information age, he ultimately chose to meet at Gu Yue Zhai.

He originally thought the person delivering the Jade Token would be that obese manager, but he didn't expect it to be the owner of the auction house herself.

This lady named Dong Minghua.

"That lady didn't come?"

Seeing only Luo Qiu, Zhang Qingrui asked with a hint of curiosity.

Luo Qiu replied, "She's busy."

Dong Minghua smiled and said, "It's a relief that it was just a false alarm. You might not believe it, but the Jade Token was returned anonymously the next day. We don't know what happened in between."

This was said to Luo Qiu, because Zhang Qingrui showed no surprise—she clearly already knew.

But Luo Qiu, who knew even earlier, had to feign surprise. "That's truly bizarre."

For some reason, Dong Minghua lowered her posture. "Mr. Luo, I'm truly sorry for the false alarm. If possible, I'd like to treat you and that lady from that day to a meal."

Luo Qiu, who preferred not to interact if he didn't have to, said directly, "You don't need to be polite. Ms. Dong, since the Jade Token is back in my possession, I won't pursue this any further."

Dong Minghua said with a fake smile, "In that case, I must insist on treating you to a meal even more."

Luo Qiu had no choice but to say, "I'm busy today as well."

Dong Minghua had never encountered someone who so openly disregarded her. She wondered if this fellow was just reckless or genuinely that busy. But she had already spoken twice, and any further attempt would be undignified. So, she could only nod and say, "That's truly a pity. However, Mr. Luo, if you ever visit my auction house again, please be sure to notify me so I can arrange for someone to attend to you."

Luo Qiu nodded in agreement. "That can be arranged."

Zhang Qingrui watched, dumbfounded. While she knew Luo Qiu was an unusual person, his current unreasonableness made her think he would face considerable hardship in society later on.

On the other hand, she couldn't help but admire Luo Qiu's character. Not currying favor with others meant he was a truly free spirit. In today's restless society, such integrity in a young person was incredibly rare.

"Well... Miss Zhang, I have some matters at my auction house and need to head back immediately," Dong Minghua said. "It's a shame I couldn't meet Old Madam Zhang today. I will definitely pay a visit next time I have the chance."

Zhang Qingrui exchanged a few polite words before escorting Dong Minghua out.

Turning back, she saw Luo Qiu still standing there, which surprised her. In her opinion, this fellow Luo Qiu probably should have left without a word earlier.

"Well... I have something I need to trouble you with," Luo Qiu said directly.

"Even when asking for a favor, you have that attitude?" Zhang Qingrui let out a helpless laugh. "Do you know you just offended someone very influential in the local antique circle? And now you're speaking so matter-of-factly. Aren't you afraid of offending me too?"

Luo Qiu blinked, thought for a moment, and then said, "I've been lending you my class notes to copy..."

Zhang Qingrui... Zhang Qingrui sighed and said, "Go ahead and say it, what is it?"

But as soon as she finished, Zhang Qingrui frowned and chided him angrily, "To use something like that to demand a favor, how petty!"

"But I really lent you my class notes to copy so many times..."

"..."