"Mr. Yan, my test results are out!"
Yan Feifan took the stack of examination forms, lab reports, and various imaging scans from Xiao Man's hands.
He first sorted out the ultrasound, nuclide scan, CT, and MRI results, along with an expedited needle biopsy pathology report, and quickly glanced through them.
Based on this information, Yan Feifan didn't bother looking at the diagnosis on the medical chart and came directly to his own conclusion.
"Okay, good. It's the most treatable kind—papillary thyroid carcinoma."
This result was slightly better than what Yan Feifan had anticipated.
In our country, the incidence of thyroid cancer has reached as high as one in ten thousand, with the rate being significantly higher in women than in men.
Thyroid cancer is further divided into several subtypes: papillary, follicular, medullary, and anaplastic carcinoma.
The difficulty of treatment and the prognosis for each type worsen in that order.
The most severe, anaplastic thyroid cancer, is highly malignant, with a median patient survival time of only seven to ten months.
Yan Feifan handed the stack of reports back to Xiao Man and continued, "This papillary carcinoma is the most common type of thyroid cancer and also has the best prognosis."
"In your case, all you need is a small surgery to remove the cancerous tissue and surrounding lymph nodes, followed by endocrine and radionuclide therapy."
"After that, you'll just need to come in for regular annual check-ups."
Yan Feifan noticed tears welling up in Xiao Man's eyes again and quickly tried to comfort her. "Many patients with this type of cancer live well into their seventies or eighties and die of natural causes."
"You can too."
Xiao Man wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and managed a small smile. "Mr. Zou, who did my examination, said the same thing."
"So, uh... I have cancer. Aren't you going to invite me in to sit down?"
Only then did Yan Feifan realize they were still standing at his office door.
"Sorry, my mistake!"
Yan Feifan quickly invited Xiao Man into his office to sit down and thoughtfully poured her a cup of warm water in a disposable cup.
"Thank you."
Xiao Man thanked him, took a sip of water, and said slowly, "What you said yesterday really scared me."
"I left the wedding banquet before it was even over and rushed to the Affiliated Hospital. I had to pull some strings to get Mr. Zou to examine me."
"When Mr. Zou called me in today to give me the diagnosis, he said this type of cancer initially presents as painless lumps and nodules in the neck with no other obvious symptoms, so it's easily overlooked."
"He said I was very lucky to have noticed the lump while it was still so small."
After saying all this, Xiao Man's anxiety seemed to ease quite a bit.
"Mr. Yan, thank you."
Yan Feifan replied politely, "It was just occupational hazard. I was working on the principle of 'better safe than sorry' when I warned you."
"This time, I just happened to be right."
Just then, Yan Feifan noticed something. "Xiao Man," he asked, "did you come alone?"
Xiao Man nodded. "My family lives in another province."
"I have a few good friends here in Binhai, but I don't want to be too much of a bother to them."
She forced another smile, trying to sound cheerful. "Anyway, today's result isn't too bad, right?"
"It really isn't."
Yan Feifan agreed, adding reassuringly, "There's no need to panic just because you hear the word 'cancer.' You can think of this thyroid cancer as a common condition, like, say... grade three breast hyperplasia."
Xiao Man shot Yan Feifan a look. "Mr. Yan, your attempt at reassurance isn't exactly working."
Yan Feifan said, a little embarrassed, "To be honest, I'm not very good at comforting people."
"My mentor is always telling me that when I talk to patients and their families—especially when delivering bad news—I need to be more tactful, do a better job of preparing them, and not be so blunt."
Xiao Man couldn't help but give a small smile. "Frankly, after talking with you for a bit, I'm already feeling much better."
"When I first got the definitive diagnosis from Mr. Zou, I almost fell apart."
"I'm so young, I've always worked so hard, and I'm careful about exercising and staying healthy. Why did cancer have to find me?"
"But now, I feel a lot better."
"No matter what, life goes on, right?"
Xiao Man drained the cup of water, stood up, and bowed slightly. "Mr. Yan, thank you again for the specific warning."
"Otherwise, I might not have found out until it was much more serious."
"I won't take up any more of your valuable time..."
After seeing Xiao Man out, Yan Feifan checked on Sun Wei's condition, handed things over to his colleague on the night shift, and then clocked out and headed home.
At seven-thirty that evening, when Yan Feifan got home, he found his sister had already prepared dinner.
There was a large, fragrant plate of Dapanji, and a tureen of tomato and egg drop soup.
Before his sister could even start showing off and fishing for compliments, Tian Yu eagerly revealed that the Dapanji was takeout from a new restaurant that had just opened next to their complex.
The place was having a grand opening special with a pretty big discount.
As for the tomato and egg drop soup, Tian Yu had made that herself.
Ruoruo had, at most, offered some unhelpful verbal guidance from the sidelines.
Furious, Yan Ziruo marched over and gave Tian Yu a few spanks on the bottom.
During dinner, the siblings started talking about buying a car again.
Yan Feifan was shocked to learn that his sister had already bought the car without telling him—and surprisingly, she'd paid in full.
"Sis, do we even have that much money?"
"Didn't you keep saying we have no savings left?"
Yan Ziruo gave a sheepish laugh. "Feifan," she said guiltily, "there was still a little bit left from your worker's compensation settlement."
She quickly added, "But after buying the car, there's not a single penny left. I even racked up debt on credit cards and personal loans."
"Really, I'm not kidding you this time!"
"My dear little brother, you need to work hard and earn more money now!"
Yan Feifan snorted. "Sis, you're full of it. I'm seriously considering whether I should take back control of my own salary."
Yan Ziruo quickly put a piece of chicken thigh into her brother's bowl. "Feifan, come on," she wheedled, "I'm the expert when it comes to managing money."
"Besides, with all the household expenses, social obligations, and everything else... do you really have the energy to manage all that?"
"And besides, have I ever said no when you needed money?"
"I always give you extra, just in case you don't have enough."
"I don't even dare to buy myself nice makeup. I pinch every penny so you have money to spend..."
Yan Feifan grumbled, "Don't make it sound so tragic. You've been ripping me off since we were kids..."
After that one complaint, Yan Feifan dropped the subject of money.
He had gotten used to it over the years.
He earned the money, he gave it to his sister.
When he needed money, he just had to ask her for it. It was a carefree way to live, in a sense.
After dinner, Yan Feifan cleaned up the dishes and the kitchen, helped Tian Yu with her homework for a while, and then returned to his room to once again ponder which path to take in his medical career...
"Yan Feifan, you're backing down again!"
Yan Feifan glared at the Yiyi in front of him, annoyed.
"Why are you everywhere?"
Yiyi said coolly, "There is a piece of you in me, and a piece of me in you. We are inseparable."
"Yan Feifan, what about being a general practitioner? Why did you dismiss it out of hand?"
Yan Feifan scoffed. "Surely you know how difficult it is to become an all-around surgeon who's an expert in every specialty, given the current state of medical advancement and specialization."
"It's a fundamentally impossible task."
But Yiyi retorted, "For others, it's definitely impossible. For you, however, that might not be true."
"You have a photographic memory, the ability to run practice simulations in your mind, and don't forget..."
"In your world of consciousness, you have already practiced everything you know and have learned thousands upon thousands of time. Your foundation is rock-solid."
"You have all these advantages and assets, yet you refuse to even try."
"Yan Feifan, are you getting cold feet again...?"