Mingshen tapped his foot on the floor back to back like how a customer stood in a long queue in impatience. He had an urge to do something but he didn’t know what he was supposed to do which only caused him immense frustration.
"Of course I know I did the right thing. I always do and I can take care of the consequences too."
Jia raised her brow. "Either you are underestimating the Medical Association or overestimating your position in it. This is not a company and you are not a CEO where you can rule it as some tyrannical Boss."
The corner of his mouth twitched.
"And it becomes even more difficult precisely because you are such a popular doctor. An influential doctor going against medical ethics - the other doctors won’t see your actions as saving Ehuang but instead playing with her life. That’s why it’s important to be a little humble in life."
"What do you mean by that?"
"How many doctors in that association do you actually get along with?"
He looked away, seriously counting in his head.
A sigh escaped her lips. "You proved my point. When push comes to the stove, how many of them will actually support you? How many would vote in your favor? They won’t because they see Yang Mingshen as somebody too proud, arrogant and egoistic, which you are, and that is not going to help you in your battle of keeping your medical license. I am sure more than half of them would think along the lines of -
Yang Mingshen did the surgery only to prove that he is capable of doing any challenging and difficult procedure.
They will take your attitude towards this whole incident as more of self-satisfaction and self-serving rather than genuinely helping Ehuang."
"I don’t operate on my patients with shallow reasoning like that," he scoffed.
"But I believe many of the doctors in that association do," she arched her brow. "Look, I know being a doctor is a noble profession but well...we are humans and some of the doctors see their work more as achievements rather than saving lives."
"I know. That’s why I don’t get along with those oldies."
"That’s what you think but they are seeing you as one of them only, a part of their faction because of the way you carry yourself. They see you as someone who also wants to bask in the golden light of recognition of being the best doctor."
"I am the best doctor."
She snorted. "Sure you are but pray tell me. How will you explain your intentions to them? You went against Ehuang’s parents’ consent, the court’s orders and did a surgery that could have gone wrong a whole lot of different ways. What other intention will they believe if not you wanting to prove your skills?"
He said nothing.
"Added to that, I strongly believe that many of the doctors in that association would love to bring you down simply to hurt your ego."
"I would love to see them try," he sneered.
"That love to see them try is what will take away your license, Dr. Yang. I see it as a lost battle," she dryly said.
Jia leaned forward with a grave countenance. "You cannot lose your license, Mingshen. Ehuang trusts you. She needs you and all your patients who depend on you. Your position here is bigger than mine. You cannot be in jail or the association fighting a pointless battle because you have important things to do. It’s not just supporting Ehuang through this tough phase but also getting into the root of what happened to her."
His eyes narrowed. "The doctor who did the surgeries."
"Yes. He is dead but his ’helper’ might still be alive."
She gave him a gist of her conversation with Yu Heng.
"This doesn’t end with Ehuang’s surgery or punishing her parents. We need to know who were all involved and it cannot be only Dr. Xie Jietang. His aides are equally guilty and who knows if they are working for other bent doctors now to do what not illegal surgeries. We cannot let this happen to other children like what happened with Ehuang."
His mouth twitched heavily.
Jia rolled her eyes. "Is it that humiliating for you that I helped you out?"
Mingshen looked left first, then right and tilted his head. "It’s puzzling on what I should feel. As a doctor, I hate being in the dark."
"Take this time to introspect and perhaps add a little humility in your nature."
He sneered. "What is humility?"
She smiled. "And then you would wonder why the whole world wants to see you fall."
He shrugged.
"What are your plans for getting yourself ’unarrested?’"
This time, she shrugged. "I will figure something out. Also, I have already explained this to Huojin too, so you two can check the hospital together and drag out this helper."
"I don’t want to work with your boyfriend."
"He is not my boyfriend."
"He gave you secret snacks."
"Is that your definition for a guy to be someone’s boyfriend?"
"At least in dictionary terms, it is called being caring or so I heard."
"Friends also care for each other, Mingshen."
Mingshen grinned. "So you stepped up for me because you think I am your friend?"
"Correction. Out of respect. Yes, there are rare times when you invoke such feelings."
"So I am not your friend?"
"I don’t think a man who wants to dig out my heart from my body can be my friend," her lips stretched in a thin line.
"I don’t want to work with your ’friend’ then."
"Why not?"
"He only gave me fifteen minutes more or less to talk to you."
"So?"
"I don’t like being told what to do."
"Get out."
So Mingshen got out because apparently, Jia was done with him.
As he was walking away, his gaze fell on a nearby table. He paused and took a turn towards it.
On the table were laid Jia’s badge and gun. Mingshen stared at them for a few long moments. Slowly, he picked up her badge and looked at Jia’s picture. Her expression was vibrant, determined and resilient with a bright, hopeful smile on her lips.
It was the hope of becoming a good cop. A fair cop who would do her best to protect and serve.
He gazed at the badge that bound together all these emotions for her and a moment later, quietly slipped it in his coat’s pocket.
"Keep the badge back. What you are doing is a crime, Dr. Yang."
Mingshen raised his brow, hearing Huojin’s voice from behind him. The latter was leaning against the wall with folded arms, giving him a silent scrutiny.
Mingshen walked past him with a smile. "And you saw nothing of it~"