A Rare Case

After explaining the situation to Li Mo and greeting Director Luo from Risk Control, Chen Jue’s DingTalk leave-without-pay approval sailed smoothly through to Hengtong’s HR, likely thanks to Deputy General Manager Wang’s influence. The official reason for his leave was simply noted as “out for study.”

He also picked up a stamped employment certificate from HR, specially for academic purposes. Truth be told, Chen Jue didn’t care much about the Hengtong job. He’d been there less than two weeks, spending most of his time idly practicing his own skills. Were it not for the shock of the sudden death of the chubby colleague, perhaps Chen Jue would still be drifting along, wasting time in the frigid finance CBDs, earning easy money while raising his own attributes.

As for why he opted for unpaid leave instead of outright resignation, it was due to university auditing requirements—those without employment can’t apply—so he cleverly bypassed a minor bureaucratic hurdle.

He packed up his workspace, which amounted to little more than a small backpack. Glancing at the neighboring desk, festooned with flower baskets and bouquets, Chen Jue sighed softly, shouldered his bag, and went downstairs.

Driving away from the Hengda Tower, he deliberately circled the nearby CBD, gazing at the financial towers tied to his past work. As of today, he was officially bidding farewell to the workplace. Whether he’d ever return to these places, even he couldn’t say.

“Life and death are decreed by fate; riches and honor are in heaven.”

“Stepping out of this newbie safe zone—Langlang Mountain—every wild bush beyond is now up to my own face to scout!” Chen Jue looked up at the deep blue glass facades, memories of his years in the workplace flashing through his mind.

Eight years is a long stretch for an ordinary person, but at least Chen Jue hadn’t come away empty-handed: he’d accumulated a trove of work skills and learned how to navigate the world. Yet, at the moment he left the seemingly sophisticated Hangzhou CBD, he felt an inexplicable lightness in his shoulders. The burden and pressure from eight-plus years of intense work, ever since graduation, melted away in an instant.

He returned to the talent apartment and tidied up his luggage. This was the second move in recent times. His current status was no different from having resigned; naturally, Hengtong wouldn’t use premium housing resources to support idle staff. As soon as his leave notification went out, the apartment’s network management system promptly alerted him to vacate the room within three days.

“Truly a big company at work!”

“The efficiency is top-notch.”

Chen Jue glanced at the reminder text, considered his upcoming stint as an auditing student at Jiang University, and began searching for rentals near the campus.

His recent expenses had been considerable; his bank account held 170,000 yuan. If things got tight, he could sell his domestic SUV for around 70,000 cash (since secondhand cars depreciate fast). Including his video side hustle, his available cash could reach 250,000—enough to avoid starvation even without a job for now.

The saying goes, “if one person is fed, the whole family isn’t hungry”—the sole benefit of being single.

Browsing through countless messy rental apps without finding anything reliable, Chen Jue changed tactics and directly asked Zheng Yuan, who was studying at Jiang University.

The reply was nearly instant, likely between classes: “Brother Jue!!! I heard from Grandpa—you’re really coming to our school as an auditing student? (wide-eyed)”

Chen Jue: “(calm brother) Are you familiar with the area around Jiang University? Can you help me find a place to rent near campus for convenience?”

Zheng Yuan: “No problem! I know some senior students renting off-campus, I’ll ask around (leave it to me).”

About twenty minutes later, Zheng Yuan sent over several rental posts. Presumably from the campus forum, all were student-to-student subleases, ensuring authenticity—far better than the chaotic online agencies.

Chen Jue noted down the sublease numbers and replied: “(fist salute) I’ll treat you to a meal when I arrive at school!” With that, half the accommodation issue was resolved.

After lunch, Chen Jue drove to Jiang University’s School of Life Sciences, circling the area to familiarize himself with the surroundings. He was impressed: the campus was ringed by a large city moat, fully equipped with living facilities—library, sports center, athletic field, swimming pool, cafeteria, bank, hospital, courier station—even buses ran through the campus, and the landscaping met the standards of a grand park.

The whole school resembled a small town; outside were metro lines and a major commercial district, offering every convenience. If boredom struck, there were places like Tian Street and Xixi Wetland to visit.

Only such an excellent environment could foster earnest study and research.

Chen Jue couldn’t help but sigh, regretting his lack of diligence in youth! His broken vocational college in Wen City was worlds apart from this top domestic university—a bronze to king disparity.

He took out his phone, called each rental contact, and spent the afternoon touring all the spots Zheng Yuan had sent. In the end, he settled on Wangyang Apartment behind Jiang University, separated by just a wall.

The apartment was a traditional one-bedroom, about forty square meters—similar to Hengtong’s talent apartment, though the decor was a bit dated. He got the rent down to 2,500 a month.

He didn’t meet the landlord, reportedly an assistant professor at Jiang University, who was busy teaching. They scheduled a time two days later to sign the lease.

Satisfied with the apartment and having checked the prices online, Chen Jue found nothing deceptive. He finalized a verbal agreement with the eager senior, added them on WeChat, and sent a 500 yuan deposit to temporarily reserve the place.

With the housing settled, he returned to the talent apartment as night fell. Having spent the whole day running around, exhausted, he ate dinner and went upstairs to rest.

He didn’t play cards or browse information online, but booked a morning train ticket to Shanghai and researched Shanghai Oriental Hospital.

The shock of the chubby colleague’s sudden death had made him anxious about his own health. Minor ailments like hemorrhoids, frozen shoulder, and lumbar disc herniation had improved with exercise and attribute boosts—even his scalp hair was growing back, likely stimulated by increased physical attributes.

But the gallstone in his gallbladder remained unchanged. As the previous chief physician had said, it’s harmless until an attack strikes, but then brings excruciating pain and numerous dangerous complications.

With such a ticking time bomb inside, and having witnessed a sudden death from heart attack, how could Chen Jue sleep soundly?

“The nation’s first hospital with a specialized gallstone department?”

“Hopefully, they can cure me!” he thought, reading through the hospital’s information online, and applied for out-of-town medical insurance.

Early next morning, after finishing his eye training upstairs, Chen Jue drove to Hangzhou East Railway Station.

The high-speed train from Hangzhou to Shanghai took less than an hour, making travel extremely convenient. Many finance executives even adopted cross-city living: working days in Hangzhou, evenings in Shanghai for banquets—a carefree lifestyle.

Of course, if not for being unable to book a specialist appointment at Shanghai Oriental Hospital online, Chen Jue wouldn’t have rushed so early.

Many top-tier hospitals operate this way: without connections, even with money, you have to queue in person for an appointment.

He closed his eyes to rest briefly on the train. When the station announcement sounded, he followed the crowd of business travelers and tourists off the train.

He’d visited Shanghai several times for training and exchanges while working, so the city wasn’t unfamiliar. After switching metro lines several times and experiencing the packed morning rush, he arrived at Oriental Hospital just past eight.

The hospital was bustling, queues snaking in front of the registration windows. Chen Jue opted for the self-service machines.

But when he opened the specialist gallstone clinic option, the number of people ahead stunned him.

“Seven hundred and thirty-six people in line for registration?!”

“If I go for a regular clinic, I won’t be seen until next week!”

No wonder it’s the nation’s leading specialty clinic. He asked a volunteer at the front desk and ended up paying extra to jump the queue at the VIP clinic next door.

Having come all the way to Shanghai for treatment, he didn’t mind the expense—his health was the priority.

As luck would have it, he snagged the final 300-yuan specialist VIP appointment. The higher-tier 500-yuan chief physician slots, 1,000-yuan deputy director slots, and the 3,000-yuan director slots were all sold out.

Even TV crews were interviewing outside the VIP clinic—a truly impressive scene.

After about half an hour, when his number was called, he was received by a doctor in his forties. The registration listed Dr. Xu Ping’an: medical PhD, international visiting scholar, talent recruit, with over ten thousand surgeries to his name and a slew of titles.

He handed over his previous medical records. Dr. Xu asked about his medical history and immediately scheduled a CT scan.

Gallstones can change, so the doctor needed to see the current status.

After the scan, with the new report in hand, Dr. Xu, fresh from several surgeries, looked at Chen Jue’s results in surprise: “Hmm? Only ten days apart, and your stone has shrunk by two millimeters!”

“Could it be related to the medication?” Chen Jue asked, curiosity on his face but a sudden thought in his mind about his sharply increased physical attribute.

“Ursodeoxycholic acid usually works slowly, mainly preventing stone formation. If medicine could dissolve stones, we gallstone specialists wouldn’t be needed,” Dr. Xu remarked, examining the report and explaining the causes and current treatments for gallstone disease.

Gallstones can arise from many factors—heredity, high-cholesterol diets, skipping breakfast, among others.

Chen Jue had spent years sitting in the office, sedentary, with weakened gallbladder contractions and delayed bile emptying, leading to bile buildup and cholesterol crystal formation, which caused his illness.

There was also a hereditary factor—his grandmother had gallstones, so he had a family history.

According to Dr. Xu, gallstones don’t discriminate by age; some people are predisposed and develop them even in their teens or childhood.

Gallstones come in many forms: large like pebbles, sandy, rice-sized—each case varies. Only after extraction and pathological analysis can the cause be determined.

Currently, medicine offers three treatments: remove the gallbladder entirely, extract the stones while preserving the gallbladder (the hospital’s main approach), or conservative treatment—medication and injections, ignoring it if there’s no pain.

“My mentor says, modern medical technology isn’t actually that advanced. Many functions of human organs remain mysteries to the medical world—like the gallbladder and appendix.”

“Why do hospitals, both domestic and abroad, recommend removal for gallstones or appendicitis? Because everyone blindly follows this practice—one cut to fix the emergency, ignoring the aftermath and complications.”

“Of course, your stone shrinking is rare—very rare!”

“It might be related to your constitution. You only recently started ursodeoxycholic acid, so perhaps its effects suit you.”

“If you’re not experiencing pain or inflammation, I suggest extracting the stone to preserve the gallbladder, or even more conservatively, continuing medication.”

Dr. Xu gave his diagnostic advice.

Chen Jue listened thoughtfully, pondering Dr. Xu’s remarks about the limited advancement of human medicine and the mysteries of organ functions. He glanced at the changes in his CT reports and made up his mind.

“Dr. Xu, I choose conservative treatment!”