“Be careful, Old Qin has been in a bad mood these past two days.”

When Qin Xuejun, leaning against the wall, was dozing off, he heard the voice of his roommate Xu Zhengsong. Then, with a creak, the door was opened, and Qin Xuejun casually picked up the eighth edition of “Internal Medicine” and threw it towards the door.

“Get out!”

Zhang Jue deftly dodged, nodding to Xu Zhengsong: “His temper is indeed quite bad.”

Xu Zhengsong was dumbfounded, then began to pull Zhang Jue outside: “Kid, you better stay away. old Qin is losing it. He never used to throw things around like this.”

Their conversation brought Qin Xuejun to a bit of consciousness. He looked up to see Zhang Jue and Xu Zhengsong struggling, and eventually, Zhang Jue, unable to resist the taller and stronger Xu Zhengsong and was forcibly pulled out of the room.

After a while, Xu Zhengsong exclaimed: “Kid, how can you bite people like that? Oh no, am I going to be infected with flesh-eating bacteria?”

Zhang Jue also had common sense, he retorted: “You are not seafood. How could you get infected with flesh-eating bacteria by me biting you?”

After a brief scuffle, Zhang Jue turned to look at the closed door, recalling the scene he had just witnessed, feeling worried and puzzled.

“What’s wrong with brother Qin?”

Xu Zhengsong, sitting cross-legged on the sofa, said: “What else can it be? It’s a common problem for medical students. He needs to get through this phase. Let him calm down on his own.”

Seeing Zhang Jue looking confused, Xu Zhengsong sighed: “He’s really fine. It’s quite common in our profession. He’ll get through it, don’t worry.”

Zhang Jue blinked, sitting next to Xu Zhengsong: “But what if he can’t get through it?”

“If he can’t, then he can change careers.”

Xu Zhengsong threw a bottle of mineral water to Zhang Jue: “Well, forget that you came to visit, and I didn’t even treat you to a barbecue. After all, you’re an athlete. I’ll get you a chocolate later, and then, I’ll personally send you back.”

Zhang Jue held the mineral water bottle and kept staring at the door.

Xu Zhengsong continued talking: “They say persuading someone to study medicine is courting disaster. If this doctor is eventually recommended to pediatrics, it would be simply a catastrophe. Old Qin encountered a fifth-grade elementary school student this time, advanced cancer. He cares a lot about people. After returning home, he kept flipping through medical books, wanting to extend a person’s life, but unfortunately, it was in vain.”

“The two directors, one specializing in liver and gallbladder and the other in tumors, joined forces to perform surgery on the child. As soon as they opened the abdomen, they saw tumors all over the belly. In the end, they could only close the abdominal cavity, saying it was beyond salvation. Old Qin was there as an assistant, got stimulated, and took leave when he came back.”

“Adult life and death actually have some meaning of fate, but that child was just a sun that hadn’t risen yet. I heard he was doing well in his studies, but before he could shine, he was gone. I won’t go into pediatrics after I graduate, it’s safer to go for otolaryngology or ophthalmology.”

Speaking of this, the big guy with a square face also turned red around the eyes.

Doctors can cure diseases but not fate. If the parents of this little patient were desperately trying to save their child, the treatment money had already been raised, but the child’s illness disregarded all medications, no matter how much money was spent.

Even Zhang Jue, an outsider, found this matter painful, not to mention Qin Xuejun, who had personally experienced it.

However, it was unexpected that the genius doctor had experienced such confusion during his student days. How did he persuade himself to overcome these difficulties and firmly continue on the path of medicine?

Zhang Jue naturally did not know the inside story. Perhaps Qin Xuejun took a vacation, and afterward, he figured it out on his own.

He sat for a while, then he suddenly jumped up to open the bedroom door, and Xu Zhengsong didn’t have time to stop him.

Ignoring Xu Zhengsong’s calls, Zhang Jue entered the room and saw Qin Xuejun sitting on the floor against the wall, head down, surrounded by scattered medical books.

He approached slowly, crouching in front of Qin Xuejun. Seeing no response from the person, he gave him a gentle push.

“Brother Qin?”

Is Brother Qin running a fever?

A touch to the forehead confirmed it.

Xu Zhengsong was summoned and, surprised by the roommate’s high temperature, exclaimed: “Hey, it’s probably a high fever. Little Jue, right? Go to the living room, bring the medical kit from the shelf. I need to take his temperature.”

Saying that, he lifted Qin Xuejun and tried to move him to the bed. However, given Qin Xuejun’s solid muscles from regular workouts, the transportation proved exceptionally difficult.

When Zhang Jue brought the medical kit, this guy was still squatting and panting. Little Crocodile found the thermometer himself, shook it a bit, and casually stuck it into Dr. Qin’s mouth.

When Qin Xuejun was half-asleep, he heard Xu Zhengsong’s Shandong accent.

“38.6 degrees, but I think it’s a stress-induced fever. It shouldn’t be contagious. If you’re worried, should I get you a mask?”

Someone replied: “No need.”

There was a rustling sound in the room. After a while, a cool and soft little hand touched his forehead. Qin Xuejun tried hard to open his eyes and saw Zhang Jue leaning on the pillow, tilting his head to look at him.

This kid had a pair of beautiful black eyes, clear and bright, with a smiling expression. They stared at each other for a while, and Zhang Jue used the back of his hand to touch his cheek.

“Brother Xu said you haven’t eaten anything all day. I’ll go buy porridge for you now. You need to eat something before taking medicine.”

Qin Xuejun opened his mouth weakly: “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Zhang Jue considered himself an adult in his twenties and wouldn’t hold a grudge against an unwell minor. He hummed a song and tidied up Dr. Qin’s room while he was at it. He picked up the books and placed them on the desk. The eighth edition of “Internal Medicine” was at the bottom. On the top page of the book was a bookmark with a red maple leaf.

Qin Xuejun was curled up in the blanket. The restlessness in his heart surprisingly calmed down in the melodious song. He was a bit surprised because Zhang Jue, with only a language talent of 5, was currently singing a Russian song.

His grandmother occasionally sang this song too.

It was a song called “My Little Darling” sung by Polina Agureeva in the 2004 Russian film “The Long Goodbye.”

Despite being a rock specialist in his past life, Zhang Jue had practiced vocal music since childhood. The teacher who ran the vocal music studio reportedly used to sing musicals but also taught folk and lyrical music. Zhang Jue had good vocal conditions, and after becoming a trainee, he practiced singing every day, sometimes to the point of lung pain. With hard work, he honed his singing skills to a first-rate level

As a powerful warrior, he not only competed but also continued to attend ballet and vocal classes under the pressure of his parents. His casual humming was exceptionally pleasant.

Afterward, Qin Xuejun couldn’t remember what happened. He only knew that when he woke up again, the room was silent. Morning light streamed in through the curtains. The books scattered on the floor were neatly arranged on the desk. The eighth edition of “Internal Medicine” was pressed at the bottom, and on the top of the pages was a maple leaf bookmark.

Qin Xuejun picked up the bookmark, puzzled.

He didn’t remember drawing this bookmark himself, but soon he discovered that the maple leaf on the bookmark was real. On the back of the bookmark, there was a line of thin golden characters.

In the capital, with nothing, I gift a leaf in autumn.

Zhang Jue had almost never comforted Qin Xuejun with words, but at this moment, Qin Xuejun’s heart warmed.

He suddenly remembered the reason why he had been particularly concerned about that little patient in the first place. In the Intensive Care Unit, the child made difficult gestures with his fingers, requesting to listen to an English tape. After his parents explained, the medical staff learned that the child had poor English grades, and he was afraid that when he returned to school, his grades would fall behind even more.

Combined with the fact that the child was about the same age as Zhang Jue, Qin Xuejun couldn’t help but take extra care of him.

That child was genuinely sensible. No matter how bitter the medicine, no matter how many IV drips, the child never complained. He really wanted to live, but there was no one who could save him.

Because of this, Qin Xuejun began to question himself. Despite his efforts, he couldn’t save that child. Was studying medicine really a meaningful thing?

Even the best doctors in the country couldn’t overcome fate when faced with a terminal illness.

Holding the red maple leaf and looking at the handwriting on it, a warm stream surged in Qin Xuejun’s chest.

But even if life couldn’t be overcome, now was not the time to give up.

He still has things he can do. In the child’s final moments, as a medical professional, Qin Xuejun hopes to provide assistance within his capabilities, improve the quality of life for young patients, and at least make them suffer less.

The young man covered his heart and silently recited the words of the professor.

“Every breakthrough in critical conditions signifies generations of perseverance. We believe that with the development of technology, once incurable diseases will eventually be conquered. Before that happens, we will do our best to seize every thread of hope.”

Leaning against the door frame, Xu Zhengsong exclaimed: “Hey, are you awake?”

Qin Xuejun turned around, nodding firmly: “Awake.”

Xu Zhengsong laughed heartily, clapping his hands: “Another fool ready to firmly tread this path. Great! In the future, I won’t have to worry about being alone during my postgraduate exams.”

Qin Xuejun waited for him to finish laughing before reminding his friend: “Only you need to take the postgraduate exams, I have a guaranteed admission.”

Xu Zhengsong choked like a rooster with its neck grabbed.

“…Damn.”

On the other side, while waiting at the airport with his old coach and Shen Liu, Zhang Jue casually mentioned something.

Shen Liu listened and unexpectedly said: “Do you already have ideas for the next season’s new program?”

Zhang Jue nodded: “Not just ideas, I’ve already decided on the music.”

He took out a red maple leaf, smiling mischievously: “For the short program next season, I want to skate to ‘Autumn.’ For the free skate, I’m thinking of performing a program that even a patient in front of the TV could laugh at. It should be vibrant, joyful, like the rising sun.”

Zhang Jue started counting on his fingers, presenting his vision for the program. Then, with enthusiasm, he asked his coach: “What do you think of ‘Dance of the Great River’?”

 

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