(Thanks to book friend 20180122154330581, Unintentional Agreement, The Road is Full of Twists and Turns for the monthly ticket encouragement.)

Liu Banxia organized a small-scale lunch at noon. He didn't dare to go overboard, fearing someone might say he was getting carried away.

Just before dinner, the sound of new message alerts came from everyone's phones. It was a picture sent by Qi Wentai to the group, showing the appointment announcement had been posted.

From now on, Liu Banxia is officially Director Liu. Of course, technically he should be Deputy Director Liu, but as long as Zhou Shuwen isn't around, they can call him Director Liu.

The posting was a bit rushed, possibly because it took a while for the decision, or perhaps due to consideration for his psychological state.

"Congratulations, should we tell Manager Zhou? Even if you're not eating here tonight, you should leave us a few dishes," Wang Chao said.

"That's doable, as long as you guys don't go too crazy. I'll leave my meal card behind," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

Just then, his phone rang again. Seeing it was Zhou Shuwen, he quickly gestured to the others.

"Teacher, I saw the appointment," Liu Banxia quickly said upon answering.

"I figured you'd hear about it soon. Go collect your appointment letter this afternoon; your badge should be ready too. Just bring them both back," Zhou Shuwen said and then abruptly hung up.

Proud of his student, even though Liu Banxia isn't yet the complete package, his talent is undeniable.

"Hehe, an official director now," Xu Yino said with a smile.

"Eat properly, all of you. If anyone breaks the rules, I'll be even stricter," Liu Banxia said.

Xu Yino pouted, "As if you weren't strict enough already. We hardly have any time for ourselves. It's either helping with debridement or checking on patients. It's like I need to split myself in two."

"Complaining doesn't help; gaining more experience is always beneficial," Liu Banxia said.

"Now that I think about it, Liu becoming Deputy Director doesn't really benefit us. In fact, there are downsides. Why are we even celebrating?" Xu Yino added gloomily.

With her reminder, even Wang Chao felt downcast.

It's true, isn't it? Although Liu Banxia is friendly, his discipline is strict.

Take, for example, verifying patient information for surgery. Even if he has already communicated with the patient in the ward, the standard procedure must be followed again when the patient is brought into the surgery room.

In this regard, Liu Banxia's standards are nearly rigorous.

Listening to their complaints, Liu Banxia didn't say much, just picked up some stir-fried cabbage and happily ate.

Today marks a new chapter. Now he is a bona fide leader—even if not yet an associate chief physician, at least a deputy director.

Of course, he still thinks being an associate chief physician holds more weight. His promotion was extraordinary, and he wasn't primarily focused on business; otherwise, he wouldn't have made it this far.

"You guys nearly finished eating, huh?"

At that moment, Chen Xuehai walked over.

"How's that patient doing?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Had two stents placed, and after the family arrived, they paid the fees," Chen Xuehai said.

"The driver hasn't left either; the family was very grateful and spontaneously gave a 5000 yuan red envelope. Such gestures are rare; we more often see the opposite situation."

"Not bad. A happy ending," Liu Banxia nodded.

"By the way, are you picking up your appointment letter this afternoon?" Chen Xuehai asked.

"Yeah, want to go together after lunch?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Just bring it back. I'll take a nap after lunch," Chen Xuehai said.

"Why don't you get it and bring it for me?" Liu Banxia asked, a bit annoyed.

"I'm on stage; you're not," Chen Xuehai replied confidently.

Liu Banxia gave a thumbs up and surrendered. Being on stage has its privileges; he felt a bit lacking.

It amused everyone quite a bit. Having two approachable deputy directors is definitely helpful for work. Plus, everyone already knows each other well, reducing the adjustment period.

After lunch, Liu Banxia happily went to fetch the appointment letter and badge. Once he had them, he took a careful photo and sent it to Qiaoqiao and his parents.

This is great news; family should share in the happiness.

Back at the emergency center, everyone gathered to call him "Director Liu," which caused him some distress. These folks are quite bold, teasing with his impressive title of deputy director.

After chatting with everyone for a while, he happened to see the couple who went to the orthopedics department in the morning pushing their child back, and quickly waved at them.

"Is the MRI of the head finished?" Liu Banxia asked. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Doctor, it's done, and they said there's no problem. What's going on?" the child's mother asked.

Liu Banxia took the images, looked at them carefully, and frowned.

As expected, it's heading in the most complex direction. If there's no organic lesion in the brain, making an accurate diagnosis for this condition is exceedingly difficult.

"Please wait a moment, I'll call another doctor for a consult," Liu Banxia said.

His knowledge in neurology wasn't extensive, so finding specialists for such matters was necessary.

"Director Liu, what's the situation?" Neurologist Zhang Ping asked after arriving.

"Paraplegia in both legs, with knee reflexes, peripheral nerves have sensation, but cannot move. The MRI results of the spine and cranium are negative, with no signs of trauma on the head or spine," Liu Banxia said.

Zhang Ping also reviewed the other test results and was a bit perplexed by the current condition of this young patient.

"Have you considered it might be muscle weakness?" Zhang Ping asked.

"I did think about it, but is it possible for paralytic muscle weakness in the lower limbs, with pain sensation and knee reflexes?" Liu Banxia countered.

"It's uncertain. Some patients with limb-type muscle weakness do experience high-level paraplegia during acute phases," Zhang Ping said.

"Even though the chances are slim, we can't rule it out. However, the child's eyelid and cheek muscles appear normal, which makes us lean towards a muscle weakness diagnosis."

"With the cranium and spine being normal, let's proceed with a biopsy. It's also advised for the patient to remain under observation. If it is indeed caused by some form of muscle weakness, it could evolve into a myasthenic crisis, which would be very dangerous at home."

This last statement was directed at the patient's parents. The decision was theirs to make, not anyone else's. Even though Liu Banxia had been promoted to deputy director, it was still up to the parents to decide.

"Doctor, can't you find out in one comprehensive examination?" the patient's father asked.

"Currently, all our tests are being conducted progressively. The child's condition is too unique," Liu Banxia said.

"The situation Dr. Zhang mentioned could also occur. Next, we need to sample muscle tissue for a biopsy. I'll arrange for expedited processing in the lab, and keeping the child in the hospital will ensure greater safety."

"Doctor, then just write the order. As long as my child's legs can be treated, any examination is fine," the patient's mother said.

The patient's father opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.

"Do you have any insights?" Zhang Ping asked after the family of three left.

Liu Banxia shook his head, "I initially thought there might be some brain lesions, but now I have no clue at all."

"But even with muscle weakness, there should be some symptoms, right? It can't just appear overnight like this; it's not a stroke."

"Let's see the biopsy results. If the biopsy is also negative, I would start suspecting that this little one is joking with us. Haven't you considered this possibility?" Zhang Ping asked.

"I did, but when I examined him, his leg muscles remained very relaxed. Even when poked with a needle, his foot didn't move," Liu Banxia said.

"If he's really pretending, it would take an extraordinarily strong willpower. Even if it were me, while my legs might not move, my muscles would definitely react."

Zhang Ping nodded, acknowledging the situation. Although he didn't join the initial examination, he needed to ask a few more questions.

He was very interested in this young patient since he had never encountered such symptoms before. However, the subsequent examination process might present challenges.

The child's father had already expressed clear displeasure, and his emotions were understandable. Anyone in his position, after such lengthy examinations and spending so much money with no results, would be unhappy.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Liu Banxia asked gloomily.

"The upcoming tests might be quite complex, so it's best if you go talk to them," Zhang Ping said.

"Why? Shouldn't this fall under neurology?" Liu Banxia said.

"Because you're the deputy director. Why make things difficult for me?" Zhang Ping replied with a smile.

Liu Banxia was quite troubled, especially after seeing Zhang Ping's mischievous smile. He had nothing to say to that.

Indeed, as the deputy director and attending physician for the case, it's his responsibility to clear any obstacles in the forthcoming tests.

"No jokes. Let me know once the biopsy results are available. If they're still negative, I'll report to Director Miao to see if there's any direction we can pursue," Zhang Ping said.

Liu Banxia nodded, "It'll be a bit of a challenge, but this family seems to have some issues. With the child now in this condition, it's not going to be easy."

Zhang Ping, having observed similar situations, understood it clearly. Having attended twice, he knew the case better. If mishandled, the patient's family could vent their frustration on the attending doctor, so it needed careful handling.