"Dr. Wang, I was in the wrong just now. I was being foolish and I offended you. I, Zhang Maoye, am here to apologize."
"Dr. Wang, I’m sorry!"
Hearing Zhang Maoye say this, Yan Feifan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
’He’d been agonizing over what to do if they were really there to cause trouble. Should he step forward and protect Mr. Wang? Or should he slip away and save his own skin first?’
Fortunately, things didn’t go the way Yan Feifan had feared.
’Otherwise, it would have been a difficult choice.’
Yan Feifan watched as Zhang Maoye and his men bowed apologetically to Mr. Wang, then turned their gazes on him.
"Mr. Yan, please forgive my poor judgment. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you—the famous genius doctor from the Affiliated Hospital."
"How disrespectful of me, truly..."
Seeing the intense way they were staring at him, Yan Feifan didn’t need to be a genius to figure it out.
’They’d recognized him and wanted a favor.’
Yan Feifan scoffed and asked with deliberate sarcasm, "Are you hoping to make your appearances even more... distinctive?"
"It would be quite a challenge, but I suppose I could give it a try."
Zhang Maoye laughed awkwardly. "Mr. Yan, you must be joking. We’re already more than distinctive enough."
"If we stood out any more, people would probably lose their appetites just looking at us. Our only career option would be to haunt houses for a living."
After this bit of self-deprecation, Zhang Maoye bowed slightly again. "Mr. Yan, we do have something to ask of you."
Yan Feifan despised their sycophantic behavior—arrogant one moment, groveling the next—and was about to turn them down flat.
But before he could open his mouth, Wang Chuan cut in, "Let’s hear what it’s about first."
"Dr. Wang, Mr. Yan, it’s like this..."
Zhang Maoye gathered his thoughts and said, "We have a friend who is also a special-effects actor."
"He had an accident before the new year. A light fixture fell and hit him on the head, and he developed a cerebral hemorrhage."
"After aggressive treatment, he was mostly fine and returned to work not long after the new year."
"But a few months ago, he suddenly couldn’t speak anymore. He can only make simple sounds in response, like ’ah,’ ’uh-huh,’ ’oh,’ and so on. He just can’t form words to express himself like a normal person..."
Hearing this, Yan Feifan became interested and asked, "Can he understand what other people are saying?"
"Can he understand written words on paper?"
"Yes, yes, he can."
Zhang Maoye replied hurriedly, adding, "He can understand what others say, and he can understand written words and sentences. He just can’t read them out loud."
Yan Feifan nodded slightly. "This is motor aphasia."
"What did the tests show as the cause?"
Zhang Maoye quickly flattered him. "Yes, motor aphasia! You really are a genius doctor, figuring out the problem just from the description."
Yan Feifan cut in impatiently, "Just tell me what the tests showed was the cause."
Zhang Maoye said urgently, "Oh, oh, the cause they found was a blood clot."
"The doctor said that when his brain was injured, the blood in his brain didn’t fully dissipate and instead formed a clot."
"A blood clot is pressing on a blood vessel, affecting the blood supply to the brain’s language center. This caused brain damage, resulting in his aphasia."
Yan Feifan nodded in understanding. "Is the clot located somewhere too deep and dangerous to remove easily?"
Zhang Maoye complimented him again, "Mr. Yan, you’ve hit the nail on the head. Several neurosurgeons have said the same thing."
"They said that surgically removing the clot would have a high probability of causing brain damage much more severe than his current aphasia."
"The best course of action is to let nature take its course and wait. Maybe one day the clot will dissolve on its own."
At this, Zhang Maoye gave a bitter smile and continued, "We special-effects actors don’t actually make much money. It’s just enough to support our families. We can’t afford to wait."
"Fortunately, this friend of mine had a connection with a big-shot celebrity in Jingcheng. A few days ago, he asked the celebrity to find a famous neurosurgery expert at the PLA General Hospital to take a look."
"That expert said he couldn’t do anything himself, but he strongly recommended you, Mr. Yan, saying you might be able to solve it."
Hearing this, Yan Feifan knew in his heart. The neurosurgeon from the PLA General Hospital... it was almost certainly that guy, Qin Feng.
’He’s certainly good at finding work for me.’
To be honest, given the previous unpleasantness, Yan Feifan did not want to take this patient on.
But Wang Chuan once again spoke for him. "How about this? Send your friend’s medical records to Mr. Yan’s email."
"As for whether he can be treated and how, that can only be determined after a careful review."
Then, Wang Chuan gave Yan Feifan’s email address to Zhang Maoye.
Having gotten the email address, Zhang Maoye knew his group was not particularly welcome. After a round of profuse thanks, he tactfully took his leave.
Mao Yanan, who had been quietly observing from the sidelines, arranged a time for her check-up with Wang Chuan and Yan Feifan after the men left, and then she also departed.
Only Wang Chuan and Yan Feifan were left.