CHAPTER 182: 182 REALLY GOT FAMOUS

"Oh, Brother Qiu, why did you come so early?" Seeing Qiu Mingyuan and his family come in with the baby, Liu Banxia quickly greeted them.

"After discussing with your sister-in-law, I decided to get it done. My daughter will stay here with you for a few days to save us from running back and forth," Qiu Huaili said with a smile.

"It’s better to do it sooner rather than later. We’ll do the procedure tomorrow morning," Liu Banxia stated.

"Ah, even though I’ve made the decision, I’m still a bit nervous," Qiu Huaili admitted with a wry smile.

"Hug, hug..."

At that moment, the little baby held by Wang Jingxian stretched out her small hands, asking Liu Banxia for a hug.

Liu Banxia immediately took the little one, making her beam with happiness. She had no idea she wasn’t here just for fun; she had to undergo a small operation soon.

"Doctor Liang, please keep an eye on things here for a moment. I’m going to accompany Brother Qiu to the Proctology Department," Liu Banxia said.

Liang Xiaolin smiled and nodded, even waving at the baby.

"Banxia, do you have a girlfriend yet?" Wang Jingxian asked on the way to the Proctology Department.

"Sister-in-law, honestly, even if I wanted a girlfriend, I don’t have the time. And even if I had the time, I’m not financially stable enough. Forget about buying a house here; it’s quite difficult to even rent a satisfactory apartment," Liu Banxia said with a laugh.

"That’s because they lack foresight. It’s great to have a doctor as a partner. But with your Brother Qiu, I have to worry about him all the time. That alcohol... if I don’t let him drink, it’s like it’s killing him," Wang Jingxian remarked.

"Well, I don’t frequent prostitutes or gamble. The only vices I have left are smoking and drinking," Qiu Huaili said, feeling somewhat aggrieved.

"Haha, Brother Qiu, try not to smoke after the surgery. Smoking affects wound healing. If you really can’t stand it, sneak a puff just to satisfy the craving, and that’s it," Liu Banxia advised.

"Banxia, can you really say that? Don’t patients have to quit smoking altogether?" Wang Jingxian asked curiously.

"Sister-in-law, do you think if I tell him to quit, he’ll actually do it? He might even sneak out of the hospital for a cigarette if he gets desperate enough," Liu Banxia said helplessly.

"I’ve seen many patients. I’ve arranged a VIP ward with a suite for you, which makes it even harder to control. It’s better to guide than to restrict. An occasional puff shouldn’t be a major issue."

"Xian, you see? I always knew Banxia was different from others; he thinks things through so well," Qiu Huaili commented.

"If it were someone else advising me to have surgery, I might not have agreed. I’ve met many people over the years—few are sincere, and too many are all show."

"No matter how much you praise me, it won’t change anything; there’s no discount on the medical fees," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"You’ll need to fast starting tomorrow morning, then we’ll do the preoperative checks. I’ll arrange the surgery for noon or in the afternoon. As soon as an operating room is available, we’ll proceed."

"Will I need to be on a special diet after the surgery?" Qiu Huaili inquired.

"Yes, you’ll need to watch your diet. For the first three days, stick to liquids; it will make bowel movements easier for you. The attending doctor in the Proctology Department will explain all this to you. You might not remember it if I tell you now."

Qiu Huaili nodded. Truthfully, he was still quite apprehensive.

The ward arranged for Qiu Huaili was the best in the Proctology Department, complete with a suite, a living room, and a full range of household appliances. This was in keeping with modern demands; some patients, like Qiu Huaili, were not short on money and also required privacy.

"Brother Guan, Brother Qiu is in your care now," Liu Banxia said to Guan Wei after making the arrangements.

"Rest assured, I’ll schedule the preoperative checks first thing tomorrow morning," Guan Wei replied with a nod.

"Thank you, Doctor Guan. Brother, where’s that rascal of mine?" Qiu Huaili asked, referring to his son.

"Whoops, I sent him off to his classmate’s ward and completely forgot about him. He’s probably still there," Liu Banxia suddenly remembered Qiu Mingyuan.

"Never mind him. We still need to take Doudou for her check-up later, right? We didn’t feed her anything this morning," Qiu Huaili said.

Liu Banxia nodded. "I’ll contact them in a bit to arrange it here. Then I’ll send the results directly over. I’ll also get in touch with Director Hu."

"Alright, then I won’t worry about it. Sweetheart, come to Daddy. My brother still has to work; you can’t always cling to him," Qiu Huaili said, taking the little one back into his arms.

The little one seemed a bit reluctant; she had really taken a liking to her new friend, Liu Banxia. She didn’t see many other people at home, so she treated Liu Banxia like a big, new toy.

Although Liu Banxia was on good terms with the staff in the Proctology Department, and this time he had even referred a prominent patient, he couldn’t just linger there and overstep his bounds; it wouldn’t be appropriate.

「At this moment」

Liu Banxia’s phone rang. He took it out and saw it was Shi Lei calling.

"Finished the surgery so quickly?" Liu Banxia asked after answering.

"Yes, it’s done. A partial ileocecal resection," Shi Lei replied with a smile.

"The patient and his family are very grateful to you. I heard you like that teppanyaki place; how about I get some takeout for you? No more than three dishes, though."

"Goodness, why so stingy? Pork Belly, squid, and large prawns. It’s a happy decision," Liu Banxia said with a chuckle.

"Always picking the expensive items. Do you know how much pork costs these days?" Shi Lei grumbled before hanging up.

"Brother Qiu, you guys get some rest. I have to head back to the Emergency Department, and I’ll call Ming Yuan over while I’m at it," Liu Banxia said.

Qiu Huaili smiled and nodded, no longer standing on ceremony with Liu Banxia.

He could feel the immense respect the doctors and nurses in the Proctology Department showed him. However, this respect wasn’t because he was the renowned "President Qiu" of Binhai City, but because Liu Banxia had referred him. In a place like a hospital, money didn’t always guarantee smooth sailing; connections were key. Otherwise, with his and Doudou’s situation, they would have spent the entire morning running back and forth, achieving nothing.

"Old Qiu, what do you think about introducing Old Zhou’s third daughter to Banxia?" Wang Jingxian asked.

"No, that girl isn’t a good match for my brother," Qiu Huaili shook his head.

"Why not? She’s pretty, her family is wealthy. What more could you ask for?" Wang Jingxian argued.

"That girl spends too much money. Besides, her lifestyle is vastly different from my brother’s right now. Conflicts would be inevitable sooner or later," Qiu Huaili said with a laugh.

"It’s not that I don’t think my brother will succeed in the future, nor am I saying he absolutely must marry someone of comparable social status. But you see him, always joking around—he’s not without a strong personality, it’s just not always on display. These things need to be considered.

"I can’t let my brother suffer at the hands of the Zhou Family. If that happened, I wouldn’t be able to face him anymore. We’ll have to put some thought into finding a suitable girl for him."

"That does make sense," Wang Jingxian nodded in agreement.

"But you really seem to care a lot about him, don’t you? I’ve never seen you this concerned, not even when your own relatives visited. What’s going on? Are you hiding something else from me?"

Qiu Huaili gave her a wry smile. "The only thing I was hiding from you was my anal fistula. What else could I possibly hide? Banxia... he’s different. Think about all the people who try to get close to us—how many of them are after our money?"

"It’s a sad truth, but it needs to be said. Whether it’s my relatives or yours, it’s a common thing. We help when we can. If they seek help from others, that’s their business, as long as they don’t cause trouble.

"But this young man is different. Do you know what he said when he suggested I get an MRI at the hospital? He said I was afraid of spending money. It was only later that I realized he was just trying to provoke me into doing it.

"And now he knows our true status, right? Do you see him caring one bit? Only people who want nothing from us act that way. Honestly, I’m at a loss as to how to thank him."

"Let’s wait for now," Wang Jingxian said after some thought. "We’ve only just started to get to know him. Sending gifts wouldn’t feel right, and just treating him to meals seems rather pointless."

She found it somewhat amusing. Who would have thought they’d one day be stressing over how to properly thank someone?

「Back in the Emergency Department」

Liu Banxia went directly to the patient ward on the second floor. Looking in, he saw Xiao Yue was there as well. When Qiu Mingyuan saw Liu Banxia enter, he could only manage a silly grin.

"Have some self-respect, will you? Han Miao, how are you feeling today?" After teasing Qiu Mingyuan, Liu Banxia turned to the young patient.

"I feel much better today. Will I be able to go home in a few days?" Han Miao asked.

"Most likely. You can start moving around the ward a bit. Your condition wasn’t very serious to begin with. If it hadn’t been an acute case, we would have opted for conservative treatment," Liu Banxia said.

"Then... Dr. Liu, can I take a picture with you?" Han Miao asked.

"That’s interesting. Is this a trend now? When I was at Jinshui District Hospital, patients were even taking photos on the operating table," Liu Banxia joked.

"Brother Liu, don’t tell me you don’t know yet?" Qiu Mingyuan asked in surprise.

"Know what?" Liu Banxia was puzzled.

"Well, you’re pretty famous now," Qiu Mingyuan declared.

"That streamer’s accomplice was confirmed to have liver cirrhosis, and then during an appendectomy you performed, you also discovered... Yueyue, what was that disease called?"

"Diverticulitis," Xiao Yue replied reluctantly.

"That’s it! The news about it is spreading like wildfire. You have to take a picture with me later so I can show off," Qiu Mingyuan said, taking out his phone, finding something, and showing it to Liu Banxia.

Liu Banxia took a look; it was true. There were indeed many comments. He certainly was famous now.

It seemed the patient from Jinshui District was a somewhat well-known internet personality. Otherwise, a single photo of hers wouldn’t have caused such a stir. For him, this was quite a commotion. The last time he’d become famous was due to the ’taking money’ video. Whether he was famous or not, he didn’t really care; his salary remained the same. He decided to take the photo; he was free anyway.

As he was leaving, he gave Qiu Mingyuan an encouraging look. Whether Qiu Mingyuan and Xiao Yue would end up together was another matter entirely; for now, they should enjoy their youth. Looking back, he realized he had stumbled through his own youth rather foolishly and obliviously, and the thought now filled him with regret.