The Surgeon's Studio

The dishes were served swiftly. There was limited variety but each dish was uniquely crafted.

The delicacy was lost on Zheng Ren as he only wanted to fill his stomach. No food could rival Xie Yiren’s homemade egg omelette, anyway.

Zheng Ren’s abstinence made Su Yun the target of the department chiefs’ cajoling when it came to drinking.

Su Yun was up for the challenge, although he seemed more sullen than usual, taking small bites of his food and sipping his alcohol.

“What are you thinking?” Zheng Ren asked after observing Su Yun’s odd behavior for half an hour.

“The paper, what else?” Su Yun answered. “To publish in The Lancet, the paper needs to be ironclad. Otherwise, critics near and far would tear a first author like you apart.”

Zheng Ren was stunned. He had dabbled in research in the past but never published in an international journal before, unlike Su Yun.

Why would they pick on him and not Su Yun, who would also be the first author?

A part of Zheng Ren knew the reason but refused to entertain it.

Since the topic had been broached, Su Yun brought up questions regarding the more complex steps of the procedure. Zheng Ren answered him steadily.

They ate and chatted the time away. Soon after, the owner of Tang Song Restaurant arrived with a few beautiful waitresses.

This boss, Song Ying, joined them for drinks. He was a man in his forties.

He was an average-looking man with a common first and last name.

Dressed in a suit, Song Ying had the look of a man with good mannerisms. There was simply something odd about his gait.

Chief Chu acquainted them. “This is Boss Zheng. He’s here in Imperial Capital to conduct some research. Don’t be fooled by his youth—this man is extremely capable.”

Zheng Ren extended his hand to shake Song Ying’s.

Song Ying apologized for his late arrival and stayed for two drinks before leaving.

Zheng Ren watched the retreating figure and frowned.

“What are you thinking?” Su Yun echoed his earlier question.

“Don’t you think his gait is a bit off?” Zheng Ren said.

“The classic myopathic gait[1]; what’s there to it? The guy must have had some illness when he was a child. It’s bad manners to keep staring.”

“How’d you know about his childhood?” Zheng Ren retorted.

“Oh? Since when did you talk back?” Su Yun commented in surprise.

Chief Chu, who was listening in on their conversation, interjected, “It wasn’t during his childhood. It’s a recent development, so you can rule out congenital disorders like varus deformity. I suspect it’s the weakening of the gluteus maximus or arthritis of the hip.”

“I find it off. Did you guys notice that there was something akin to a lipoma at his wrist?” Zheng Ren said.

The mood at the table had been set, and it was that of medical curiosity.

“What’s your opinion?” Department Chief Kong asked, interested.

“I think he doesn’t have a proper diet. His gait and the mass on his wrist might be due to trace element imbalances,” Zheng Ren answered casually.

He had held back from telling the man in person as it was not a fatal disorder and confirmation would require personal information such as diet.

In fact, he would have kept it to himself had Su Yun not pointed out his staring.

Sooner or later, Song Ying would go to the hospital for a checkup and the disorder would be addressed.

However, since the issue had been brought up, Zheng Ren did not mind sharing his views.

“Hm. Now, how did you come to that diagnosis, Boss Zheng?” The old chiefs were intrigued.

“Please, just call me Little Zheng. It is uncomfortable to have the both of you calling me boss,” Zheng Ren said. Back in the CT room, he had been too preoccupied with his work to correct their honorifics, but he had to put a stop to it now.

“Sure, sure. But do tell us how you came up with that diagnosis,” Chief Chu insisted.

“Parathyroid dysfunction is the main cause of myopathic gait in adults. The mass on his wrist showed signs of reddening and swelling. I suspect it’s calcification in the blood vessels and soft tissues due to hyperphosphatemia.

“This is an involuntary, dynamic process. The smooth muscle cells of the vessel are stimulated by the high concentration of phosphate into undergoing a phenotype change that leads to vessel calcification,” Zheng Ren said.

The System had not provided him the details but reverse analysis from an extant diagnosis was much easier.

Zheng Ren’s memory had improved greatly since his encounter with the System. He could clearly remember articles that he had read and pick them out from his mind.

Research Graduate Liang was astounded by Zheng Ren’s abilities. ‘This man can diagnose a parathyroid disorder from a waddling gait and a bulge on the man’s wrist?’

A stranger would have thought that Zheng Ren was spewing hot air.

However, the past few days had proven that Zheng Ren was in a league of his own. Be it emergency rescue, rare disease surgical treatment, theoretical concepts or methodology research, Zheng Ren excelled in them all.

Could his diagnosis be correct?

The question swirled around in the minds of the other four doctors but only Su Yun spoke up.

“Trace element imbalances in adults often lead to decreased kidney function. If you had made this diagnosis on a patient in a hemodialysis unit, I’d accept it. But that man was normal, so I have my doubts,” Su Yun said.

“Which is why I suspect that he has dietary problems,” Zheng Ren said with a nod. He understood Su Yun’s skepticism.

Su Yun turned to Chief Chu and asked, “Chief Chu, why don’t you ask Mr. Song about this?”

After a moment of hesitation, Chief Chu dialed the man.

“Hi. No, the dishes are great. We’re very satisfied.”

“Right, there’s something I wanted to ask. What’s your favorite food? Anything special?”

“Oh, sure. Yes, let’s speak face-to-face.”

The call ended and Chief Chu’s gaze fell on Zheng Ren.

Was this another win for the young doctor? Su Yun could read the old man’s expression and shook his head softly. His tousled locks swayed languidly. It was tiring to see Zheng Ren always being right.

Soon, Song Ying returned to their private room.

His waddling was more evident when his pace quickened.

Song Ying bowed in respect before asking, “Chief Chu, the question you asked just now: was it related to my legs?”

“Little Zheng, why don’t you share your thoughts,” Chief Chu said to Zheng Ren.

“Mr. Song, please have a seat.” Zheng Ren gave the man a smile. “When did you start noticing the inconvenience in your steps?”

“Three or four months ago.”

“Do you have any food habits?”

Song Ying hesitated for a moment. Then, he stared into Zheng Ren’s eyes and found only the concern of a physician.

“I like to eat grilled sausage.”

[1] Also known as a waddling gait.