Yan Feifan could read between the lines. The Ren Family was preparing to file for a medical malpractice investigation and take the matter to court.
’Damn it,’ he thought. ’Before the surgery, they acted so trusting, even saying things like, "Doctor, please do whatever you think is best."’
’But the moment a problem arises, they immediately turn on you.’
’Doctor-patient relationships these days are so damn difficult!’
After grumbling internally for a moment, Yan Feifan asked, "Dr. Qiu, what tests have been run so far?"
Qiu Ge handed him her tablet. "This is Ren Xiaobao’s cranial MRI scan. There’s no sign of a cerebral hemorrhage."
Qiu Ge then explained, "Because Ren Xiaobao just woke up and is still a bit weak—and on top of that, the family objected—we haven’t performed some of the more targeted invasive and traumatic tests."
Yan Feifan scrolled through the MRI scans on the tablet.
The surgical scar near the pharyngotympanic tube at the base of the skull was clearly visible, and some puncture marks could also be faintly seen.
The important thing was, there was no trace of bleeding in the brain.
Yan Feifan then focused on the brain’s language centers. No hemorrhaging, and no signs of a tumor.
"Dr. Qiu, about his aphasia...?"
Qiu Ge replied in a low voice, "In response to questions from me and his family, he can only reply with words that don’t make sense, and his pronunciation is very slurred."
She added, "His swallowing function is normal."
Yan Feifan grunted in acknowledgment as Dr. Qiu continued, "His pupils react to light, and the electrophysiological tests are normal, yet he cannot see."
"His limbs are not very sensitive to mild pain, he has a knee-jerk reflex, there’s no voluntary movement in his hands or feet, and his grip strength test came back as zero."
"Incontinence?" Yan Feifan pressed.
Qiu Ge shook her head.
This made Yan Feifan relax slightly.
From Qiu Ge’s brief description, he started to piece things together.
’The knee-jerk reflex and the lack of incontinence mean his peripheral nerves, as well as his spinal cord and spinal nerves, are all intact.’
’The brain’s basic control functions are also intact.’
’So the cause of Ren Xiaobao’s blindness, aphasia, and limb weakness must be in the brain?’
"Dr. Qiu, on the way back, I did a detailed review of the surgery. I couldn’t find any mistakes on our part."
Yan Feifan then asked, "Could it be an autoimmune disease, where the brain is being attacked by his own immune system?"
Qiu Ge gave a wry smile. "I’ve considered that possibility as well."
"It’s just that Ren Xiaobao has had a persistent low-grade fever post-op, and he’s been on anti-inflammatory drugs, which makes some of the blood test data difficult to interpret."
"I wanted to do a full-body tumor screening on Ren Xiaobao, but his family refused."
"They said they no longer trust my abilities, or... my motives."
"Mr. Yan, they’ve already decided to transfer him to Huashan Hospital tomorrow. We only have tonight."
Yan Feifan handed the tablet back to Qiu Ge and said, "Let’s go to his room. I need to see Ren Xiaobao before we decide anything else..."
The three of them took the elevator to the twenty-first floor and went to a private deluxe room.
In the hospital room, Yan Feifan saw the little boy, Ren Xiaobao, lying quietly on the bed, his vacant eyes staring at the ceiling.
He saw Ren Zhongyuan, his face dark, and Ren Chuqiu, who wore an unfriendly expression.
To his surprise, he also saw Hu Xue, the circulating nurse from Qiu Ge’s surgical team.
"Hu Xue, what are you doing here?" Qiu Ge asked, her face stern.
Hu Xue didn’t dare to meet Qiu Ge’s eyes, stammering timidly, "Dr. Qiu, I heard Ren Xiaobao woke up and that he isn’t doing well."
"I came to visit after my shift."
"I’ll leave right now..."
"Nurse Hu, you don’t have to go!"
Ren Zhongyuan suddenly spoke up, stopping Hu Xue, who had only taken a few steps. His gaze shot toward Qiu Ge like an arrow.
"Dr. Qiu Ge, if it weren’t for Nurse Hu telling us in detail what happened during the surgery that night, we would never have known..."
Ren Zhongyuan said angrily, "That a world-renowned neurosurgeon would actually lose her composure at a critical moment and halt the surgery."
"And another thing..."
Ren Zhongyuan, his face livid with rage, raised his voice.
"I also found out that your husband’s company is on the verge of bankruptcy."
"I have every reason to suspect that you took on my son’s surgery just for the ten-million-yuan reward, with no real confidence you could succeed."
"You were gambling with my son’s health and his very life."
Ren Zhongyuan was beside himself with rage. He pointed a trembling finger at Qiu Ge’s face and shouted, "Qiu Ge, my son is in this state!"
"I’m not going to just let this go."