Chapter Seventeen: Companions Are Foes

“Bah! That so-called Professor Park from Stick Nation—he might just be a quack from some shady hospital for all we know.”

Bai Kaiming stormed out of Duan Jijin’s office once again, cursing under his breath. Xiong Xinxin, her face swathed in gauze, hung her head as if utterly deflated. She could barely walk without Bai Kaiming’s guidance; left on her own, she seemed liable to collide with the walls at any moment.

“Xinxin, don’t be afraid. Those Stick Nation folks have eaten so much kimchi they've lost their wits. We’ll go to Demon Country, or Beautiful Country—there must be brilliant doctors somewhere. No matter the cost, I’ll find you the world’s top plastic surgeon.”

Once, such words would have set a spark of hope alight in Xiong Xinxin’s eyes. Now, she could only nod dully, her hopes clearly extinguished.

Seeing her despondency, Bai Kaiming’s anger flared anew and he bellowed, “You’re all a bunch of worthless butchers! Always using Stick Nation’s kimchi doctors as a pretext to swindle money. But what’s the result? They’re quacks too! You lot dare to cheat people under their name.”

“That’s enough!” Doctor Wu shouted, his face flushed with fury. “If you think we’re butchers, you don’t have to come here! If you’re so capable, why bother with doctors at all?”

Where once there had been banter among colleagues, now a rare solidarity prevailed. The doctors collectively turned their mockery on Bai Kaiming, with Doctor Wu especially sneering at Xiong Xinxin. “Who told you to get your surgery done at a black-market joint? Let me tell you, both Professor Park and Professor Duan said it: your bones have been shaved down far too much. Repair surgery is impossible unless you can grow flesh and bone from nothing. I’ll say it here—if anyone can fix this mess, I’ll quit and return to school for a few more years.”

“I don’t want to be disfigured! How will I ever face anyone like this?”

Xiong Xinxin could bear it no longer. Leaning against Bai Kaiming, she broke down in tears.

Though Bai Kaiming seethed with rage, money could not solve every problem. At this moment, he had no words to comfort her, so he could only cry out in desperation to the assembled doctors, “If anyone can perform reconstructive surgery for my Xinxin, I’ll pay a hundred million if I have to!”

For all his rough manners, Bai Kaiming was devoted to his girlfriend.

“Let my second sister try,” came a quiet interjection.

Silence fell. A deathly hush gripped the room as every eye turned to Ye Qiu, then to Xiao Yuru.

“Dr. Xiao, don’t get cocky just because you fixed a simple nose job,” Doctor Wu taunted. “He just said it himself—we’re all butchers, remember?”

A few doctors who had previously supported Xiao Yuru now looked at her as if she were a traitor.

“That’s right, Dr. Xiao, don’t sacrifice your career for a shred of empty glory.”

“Some people will do anything for money—ruining the reputation of the entire aesthetics industry.”

The accusations flew, each word sharper than the last.

In the midst of this commotion, Professor Duan’s phone suddenly rang, the voice on the other end speaking in Stick Nation’s tongue. Professor Duan paused, then translated, “Dr. Xiao, Professor Park wants to know how you plan to restore the bone she's already lost. Her facial structure has been destroyed—how will you re-establish the underlying support?”

It was clear Professor Park wasn’t interested in discussing solutions; he merely wanted to see Xiao Yuru make a fool of herself.

How could such a thing be done by human hands?

A doctor barely one or two years out of school—surely a case of a blind cat stumbling on a dead mouse—facing such a complex, failed operation beyond repair. The mere analysis would terrify most.

“She thinks she’s some kind of deity, able to bring the dead back to life,” Duan Jijin mocked. “If she really can fix this, I, Duan Jijin, will gladly serve as her unpaid assistant.”

Sure enough, as soon as Professor Duan spoke, all eyes fixed on Xiao Yuru. Especially Xiong Xinxin, whose gaze now shone with a hope so bright it seemed to kindle new life within her.

“Dr. Xiao, there’s room for discussion. Don’t be afraid—speak freely. Perhaps you’ll have a good idea,” Professor Duan coaxed.

Xiao Yuru glanced at him, then at Ye Qiu, about to reply when Ye Qiu cut in, “You Stick Nation folks are shameless. We pay you hundreds of thousands, even a million, to study with you. Now you want to learn from us and act high and mighty? No way.”

Ye Qiu gave a dismissive snort. “Second Sister, ignore him. Just do your consultation.”

He leaned close and whispered in her ear, “Second Sister, Yunyun has a scanning function. It can scan and analyze, then provide a treatment plan.”

Xiao Yuru’s eyes widened in disbelief.

No wonder Ye Qiu dared challenge her peers and showed no deference to Professor Park. Yunyun’s powerful integration had already gathered surgical data from around the globe. If it could scan and suggest protocols, it would be the greatest breakthrough in medical history.

“She’s just full of hot air and doesn’t know what to do,” Doctor Wu scoffed. “Like a toad jumping at someone’s feet—harmless, but disgusting.”

Xiao Yuru frowned. Wu Zhirong was especially insufferable today.

But as a cosmetic surgeon, Xiao Yuru felt a deep sense of professional duty. She had no interest in stooping to Wu Zhirong’s level. With Ye Qiu’s reassurance, she now had the confidence she needed.

“Miss Xiong, this way please. I’ll need to examine you before devising a specific treatment plan.”

Xiao Yuru led Xiong Xinxin into her office. Bai Kaiming tried to follow but was stopped by Ye Qiu. Though his expression darkened, Xiao Yuru was his best hope now, and he swallowed his protest.

Yet Xiao Yuru’s actions sent shockwaves through the assembled doctors, especially Professor Duan, whose face twisted with rage.

What did this mean?

Professor Duan had declared the case irreparable.

Professor Park from Stick Nation had said the same.

The other doctors despised Bai Kaiming.

And yet, Xiao Yuru dared accept this patient.

It was a direct slap in his face.

If she failed, that would be the end of it. But if, by some miracle, Xiao Yuru managed to repair such a catastrophic case, it would rock the entire field of aesthetic medicine. She would become a living legend.

Where would that leave Professor Duan?

He and Professor Park’s business would be ruined by her success.

“Where’s the director? Go get the director! I do not consent to Xiao Yuru proceeding,” Professor Duan thundered at the front desk. “If something goes wrong, the hospital will bear responsibility. As vice president of the Linhai Aesthetics Association, I cannot stand by while someone risks lives for fame. If the hospital insists, I’ll see to it that the Health Department punishes you all.”