This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

The abrupt shift in conversation instantly dampened Li Jianwei’s post-award elation.

After instructing Du Heng to remain humble and continue working hard, he excused himself, leaving Du Heng to celebrate with his friends, and returned to the hospital.

At that moment, the person in charge of ”Striking the Truth” received photos and a textual description sent by a subordinate.

Reading the content on his phone, he was so excited he almost leaped to his feet.

The more renowned the name, the greater the impact it would undoubtedly create.

Instantly, an idea sparked in his mind. Phone in hand, he rushed to the editing room.

The show had substance, and with Du Heng’s fan base of over five million, this was the perfect opportunity for it to break into the mainstream.

Du Heng was unaware of these designs on him. All he wanted was to have a good time with his friends. However, the fact that he and Wei Kaida couldn’t drink was a bit of a letdown.

The joy didn’t end that night. The next day at work, the hospital, under Director Zheng’s organization, held a celebratory ceremony for Du Heng.

Du Heng was their leader now; his honor was their collective honor.

That wasn’t all. Before the hospital’s celebration concluded, the Municipal Health Bureau called Du Heng, asking him to promptly attend an impromptu meeting.

This meeting, too, was a commendation ceremony for him.

This type of commendation didn’t come with certificates or trophies. However, it would be beneficial for his future promotions and grant him more influence within the system.

Moreover, the Municipal Bureau was exceptionally generous—far more so than the district bureau or the Provincial Department. They directly awarded him a cash prize of 20,000 yuan, which he could collect from the finance department.

To put this in perspective, the two awards Du Heng had just won—a third prize of 1,000 yuan and a second prize of 3,000 yuan—totaled only 4,000 yuan.

Naturally, such a reward wasn’t without strings attached: the next time a similarly positive event occurred, he was expected to praise and mention their supervisory body, just as he had done today.

Could Du Heng refuse? Of course not. Even if they hadn’t made this request, Du Heng would have mentioned them, just as he had yesterday.

However, in hospital work, joy was often fleeting; human suffering was far more prevalent.

Life was already harsh for many, and Du Heng’s colleagues often had to administer treatments that inevitably caused their patients additional pain.

When Du Heng received the call, he was in a terrible mood, genuinely unable to fathom what these people were thinking day in and day out.

Having no alternative, Du Heng had to forgo the opportunity to network with the leadership and rushed back to the hospital without delay.

Back in the office, as Du Heng changed his clothes, he asked Qiu Pingzhen, who had just rushed in, ”You weren’t very clear on the phone. What exactly is going on?”

Qiu Pingzhen wiped the sweat from his forehead. ”Last night, a child came in,” he explained, his voice hurried. ”Si Hongyan from the Pediatrics Department was on duty. She didn’t conduct a thorough examination, assumed it was just a cold, prescribed some medicine, and sent them home.”

”By this morning, the areas under both the child’s ears had swelled. She was running a low fever of 37.2°C, and her parents gave her some more medicine.”

”By noon, the area under her left ear had swollen to the size of a small child’s fist. She had a high fever and was vomiting. Her body temperature hit 39.5°C, and she couldn’t open her mouth.”

”And according to the child’s mother,” Qiu Pingzhen added, keeping pace with Du Heng, ”the child has stopped suckling completely.”

”Suckling?” Du Heng stopped abruptly. ”How old is the child?”

”Two years old.”

A string of curses ran through Du Heng’s mind.

”And now? How is the child?”

”We’ve already started an IV drip for her, and her temperature has come down.”

”What’s the parents’ reaction?”

”They’re relatively calm for now.”

’For now’—what an apt choice of words. Du Heng said nothing more and headed straight for the hospital room.

In the hospital room, the child’s parents sat quietly beside her, their expressions grim.

The Pediatrics Department Director and Si Hongyan, the doctor who had made the mistake the previous day, both stood nervously in the room.

”Dean.”

”What’s the situation?”

”Our preliminary diagnosis is mumps, and we’ve administered medication,” the Pediatrics Department Director whispered to Du Heng, careful that the child’s parents wouldn’t overhear. ”However, it doesn’t seem very effective. The child’s limbs have also shown signs of convulsion, which might indicate acute suppurative parotitis. If you can’t help, we’ll have to transfer her to the Provincial Women and Children’s Hospital immediately.”

But this diagnostic process infuriated Du Heng.

After all this time, they still hadn’t clearly identified the child’s illness—still ’preliminary,’ still ’suspected.’

Du Heng resisted the urge to give this director two hard slaps. He seriously doubted if this man was even a qualified doctor.

Du Heng suppressed his agitation and walked towards the child with a stern expression.

On the sickbed lay a two-year-old girl. The areas under both her ears were completely swollen, especially the left side, which was so enlarged it truly resembled a small child’s fist.

Gently prying open the child’s mouth, he saw that her entire oral cavity and throat were so red and swollen that it would be difficult for her to even swallow water, let alone speak.

As Du Heng gently took the child’s small arm, he immediately felt her limbs trembling. A distinct purple streak ran from the base of her index finger straight to the life gate.

A typical case of heat poison obstructing the lesser yang, and there were already signs of wind agitation due to extreme heat.

Mumps. That’s what traditional Chinese medicine calls it. It’s similar to mumps in Western medicine, but it’s more common in children over four years old; it’s less frequently seen in two-year-olds. But this disease has a rapid onset. Coupled with last night’s misdiagnosis, incorrect medication, the child’s young age, and severe symptoms, these pediatric doctors—even their director—didn’t dare to prescribe further medication.