Half an hour later, at a private Obstetrics and Gynecology hospital in City A.
Tang Ke yawned while setting up the ultrasound equipment, his eyes barely opened. "Why did you call me so late?"
Tang Ke was a former classmate of Jiang Xu and Shen Fangyu; he switched to imaging after graduation and then moved from a public hospital to a private hospital, which was said to be easier. He had a strong relationship with Jiang Xu, so even though he was called in the middle of the night, he only complained a few times.
"I might be seriously ill."
Tang Ke was a little confused: "Huh?"
Jiang Xu handed him the phone; on the screen were the test results that had just been sent to him.
"Damn, such a high hCG value, is it for your girlfriend?" Tang Ke said unexpectedly, "You didn't tell me that you were in a relationship, you are moving so fast, you are even going to have children."
Jiang Xu was silent for a moment, then said to Tang Ke, "Mine."
"Of course I know the baby is yours, I mean-"
"The test results," Jiang Xu interrupted Tang Ke, his face expressionless, "are mine."
Tang Ke woke up instantly and clutched Jiang Xu's arm in disbelief, "What did you say?" His tone also rose several notches. "Very high marks, this… this…" he stammered for a while and was unable to come up with an answer, and finally he could only stare at Jiang Xu with a dumbfounded expression as Jiang Xu laid onto the examination bed.
Tang Ke grabbed the ultrasound gel and said in a low voice, "You don't really have cancer, right?"
Jiang Xu directly snatched the gel from his hand, untied his belt, lifted the hem of his shirt, and quickly smeared it on before looking at Tang Ke.
The latter stared at Jiang Xu with the ultrasound device, with a shocked expression on his face, and it looked as if his soul had flown away and he had forgotten how to move. Jiang Xu impatiently took the disinfected ultrasound device and pressed it against the skin of his abdomen.
Although he is not a professional imaging doctor, he is still an expert in basic abdominal ultrasound. Tang Ke also knew he could do it, so he didn't bother him. His mind was still on that abnormal test result, and although he was worried that Jiang Xu wouldn't live long, he didn't even dare to look at the scanning screen.
After a long moment of thought, he covered his eyes with his hands, revealing a gap, and carefully glanced at the scanner screen.
One look, he was stunned.
"Damn!"
"Shut up!"
Jiang Xu tensed his jaw and averted his gaze from the black-and-white screen where the greyscale blurs merged together. After a long time, he lowered his head stiffly and looked down at his still flat stomach.
Because he wasn't exposed to much sunlight, his waist and stomach were all pale.
Due to regular exercise, he always had six-pack abs, but maybe that was just an illusion; he actually felt as if the contours of his stomach had faded a little.
His lower abdomen was still coated with gel, sticky and slippery, cool and refreshing, stimulating Jiang Xu's senses and brain.
Jiang Xu's extremely steady surgical hands, which had been honed through years of surgery, trembled imperceptibly, exposing his restless inner self.
It felt like something had fallen to the ground in his heart. No, it felt like all the tall buildings in his heart, his worldview over the years, and all the medical experiences he had accumulated from all the books he had memorized, had collapsed into rubble at the same time.
It's not a tumor; it's not cancer.
The gestational sac, fetal heart, and fetal buds were all intact; not a single one was lost. It was like textbook-level imaging results about early pregnancy.
Jiang Xu only had mild myopia, but now he thought that he might be blind.
"Jiang Xu…" Tang Ke's jaw almost dropped in shock as he held up the tissue box and stammered, "You, you give me an explanation."
Jiang Xu took out a few tissues to wipe off the remaining gel, then adjusted his clothes and sat down while tightening his belt, "I'd rather you give me an explanation."
Tang Ke specializes in scientific research in the fields of reproductive medicine and developmental biology.
He stretched out his hand to Tang Ke and said, "Pen and paper."
Tang Ke immediately took out a pen and sticky notes from his pocket and gave them to him. Jiang Xu scribbled on the paper and quickly wrote down a series of tests, "I will be busy with surgical operations these two days, but I will come for the test on Sunday. You can arrange this test for me, preferably in the morning. I will pay the additional fee."
"Hey hey, you..." Tang Ke looked at the equipment and then at Jiang Xu, "You still have the heart to go to work after all this?"
Jiang Xu looked at him.
"I know, I know, it's a common chant: if Shen Fangyu doesn't rest, you won't rest. It's been so many years since you graduated, why are you two still so childish?" As a former classmate of Jiang Xu and Shen Fangyu, he knew a lot about the feud between the two.
"Wouldn't it be better to shake hands and make up?" said Tang Ke, "I still remember third place in the previous class. She was quite a pretty girl but couldn't compete with the two of you, so she decided to settle for third place quietly, never competing for first place."
He didn't know how to face the ultrasound results and could only shift the topic frantically to avoid the embarrassment of being speechless. "At that time, she even joked, saying that it would be great if you fell in love with Shen Fangyu, so that the time you two usually spent reading would be taken over by your affection. That way, she would have a chance to get first place in the exam."
"Ha ha ha." He ended his words with a soft laugh, but Jiang Xu's face remained expressionless, he was even worried that Jiang Xu would be shocked to death.
"Xu-ge, you have to be strong," Tang Ke held his arm and decided to stimulate him with what the man cared most about, "If you go crazy, it will make things easier for Shen Fangyu. Think about it, Jihua Hospital's Obstetrics and Gynecology department will be his own world, can you endure him walking around in your territory every day?"
When he heard Shen Fangyu's name, Jiang Xu's eyelids finally twitched, and there was a faint reaction.
"I'm grateful." While Tang Ke was grateful that Jiang Xu had not been so emotional that he lost his mind, Jiang Xu suddenly uttered one word: "Stupid."
Tang Ke: "?"
"I'm not talking about you." Jiang Xu returned the sticky note to Tang Ke along with the pen and said, "You've worked hard; I'll treat you to dinner after the exam on Sunday."
He put on his jacket and added with a deciphering expression, "Don't ask anything until the complete test results come back."