During the massage, the doctor occasionally chatted with him: "Did you come with your dad today?"
Doctor: "Why didn’t your sister come with you today?"
Previously, Du Huaixi often accompanied Junjun for rehabilitation training. Because the intensity was high, Junjun would sweat a lot after completing a session, and Du Huaixi would be by his side, wiping sweat and offering him water, very attentive.
Although the training sessions were quite dull, Du Huaixi always patiently stayed by her brother’s side, quietly watching him train.
They rarely see siblings with such good relationships.
Junjun said: "My sister has piano lessons today, so she couldn’t come with me."
The doctor marveled: "You and your sister truly have a wonderful relationship."
They all know a little about Junjun’s family background and are aware that Du Huaixi and he have different mothers. To have such a close relationship despite being half-siblings with the same father is not easy.
The rehabilitation session ended.
The doctor carried Junjun to the wheelchair, Junjun left the rehab room but couldn’t see Du Shaoheng.
Usually, Du Shaoheng would be sitting on the long bench outside the rehab room waiting for him.
Father suddenly vanished.
Confused, Junjun made a phone call.
As soon as the call connected, Junjun heard a strange voice: "Hello?"
Junjun was a bit tense: "Who are you?"
He thought his father’s phone had been stolen.
The other party said: "I’m an emergency room doctor, your dad is in the ER right now."
Junjun slightly opened his mouth: "What happened to my dad?"
The doctor said: "Your dad fell off the escalator and is now getting his wound bandaged."
He hung up the phone, maneuvered the wheelchair towards the elevator area, and took the elevator to the second floor.
The emergency room is on the second floor.
The doctor on the phone said dad is in Examination Room 2 of the ER.
He just arrived at the door of Room 2, pushed open the ajar door, and Du Shaoheng happened to rush out from the ER, bumping straight into Junjun.
He had just finished bandaging his wounds, with gauze on his forehead and a scratched wrist.
Junjun was a bit surprised, thinking there must have been some malfunction with the escalator, and asked: "Dad, why did you fall? Was there an issue with the escalator?"
Du Shaoheng chuckled: "No, the escalator was operating normally, I just fell by accident."
Junjun asked: "Are there too many things going on at the company recently, are you exhausted?"
Du Shaoheng said: "Maybe it’s because of not resting well, whatever it is, don’t worry."
Saying this, he reassuringly ruffled his hair.
Behind them, a doctor got up and said to Du Shaoheng: "Mr. Du, I hope what I mentioned to you earlier stays in your mind. Nevertheless, it’s better to undergo a systematic check-up."
Du Shaoheng turned, speaking lightly: "I understand what you mean, I’ll consider it. Probably won’t have any free time until next week even if a check-up is needed."
The doctor nodded: "Alright. Please call Dr. Liang before you come for the examination. I’ve already texted his contact to you."
Du Shaoheng responded with "Hmm," took the handles of Junjun’s wheelchair, and pushed him out the door.
Taking the elevator to the parking garage, Du Shaoheng pushed the wheelchair to the car, unlocked it, opened the rear car door, and lifted Junjun into the car.
At such close quarters, Junjun noticed the cold sweat on Du Shaoheng’s forehead.
"Dad, have you been very tired lately?"
Du Shaoheng slightly frowned: "What’s wrong?"
Junjun said: "How could you fall for no reason, is it because you haven’t rested well or are too tired?"
Du Shaoheng suddenly couldn’t find any words.
He didn’t even know how to answer Junjun’s question.
Just three steps from the elevator landing, while descending, he lost his balance and fell off the escalator. Fortunately, it wasn’t a great height, so it was merely superficial injuries.
This wasn’t the first time.
Last month, he inexplicably fell twice in similar ways.
Today, when the doctor assisted him into the office, a casual remark made him realize there seemed to be unusual changes in his body lately. Consequently, the doctor advised him to come to the hospital for a targeted examination when he had the time.
However, Du Shaoheng didn’t want to worry Junjun.
Du Shaoheng routinely accompanied Junjun to his rehabilitation training.
After sending Junjun into the training room, he contacted Dr. Liang, while arranging for a specialist appointment and undergoing neurological exams and MRI.
The examination report would take a week to process.
After completing the examination, Du Shaoheng entered the office holding the medical report.
As soon as Dr. Liang saw him, he promptly stood up and extended his hand: "You must be Mr. Du, hello, my surname is Liang."
Du Shaoheng shook his hand: "Hello, Dr. Liang."
Dr. Liang said: "Please have a seat."
Du Shaoheng sat down across from him.
Dr. Liang carefully scanned the examination report, his brow furrowing more the longer he looked.
Dr. Liang is a renowned neurologist at the hospital, in his forties but holds an authoritative position in his field.
Dr. Liang furrowed his brows, setting down the report.
Du Shaoheng asked: "Is there any problem according to my examination report?"
Dr. Liang said: "Last week, Doctor Zheng briefed me about your situation, he thought things seemed unusual. Mr. Du, have you noticed any odd symptoms? Like feeling discomfort somewhere or something different than before?"
Du Shaoheng recalled: "To me, nothing seems abnormal."
Dr. Liang said: "First of all, falling inexplicably is an abnormal sign. For a healthy adult like you, without pushing or pulling, without collisions, without obstructions, suddenly falling—don’t you think it’s very unusual? You might want to reconsider if you’ve shown this kind of behavior before?"
Du Shaoheng was momentarily stunned: "Doctor Zheng introduced you as a brain specialist, so...why did he refer me to you?"
Dr. Liang said: "He used to be my student. Now he specializes in clinical practice and is currently in the emergency department, yet he is one of my esteemed disciples. When introducing you, he mentioned your situation. Presently, upon reviewing your examination report, it indeed appears concerning. Of course, these two reports alone cannot determine your condition, it requires consultation with more experts."
Du Shaoheng helplessly smiled: "So, you suspect I’m ill. May I ask what illness it might be?"
Dr. Liang sipped his tea, speaking gravely: "I suspect you may have Spinal Cerebellar Atrophy."
Du Shaoheng heard such a foreign term for the first time.
He had never heard of such a term before.
Du Shaoheng: "What kind of illness is this?"