(Thanks to my good friends, Northwest Flying Wolf and Dream Companion, for their generous encouragement with monthly tickets!)

Regarding this matter, Liu Banxia truly felt like an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire. He felt he was in an awkward position, much like Tang Dou had been two nights ago.

The main conflict was between the patient's relatives and the hospital. Whether there had been a miscommunication earlier, or these relatives were being overly dramatic, the conflict had now erupted.

And him? Because he had appeared on television and had been prominently featured when he was recommended, he was also dragged into it.

This was just bad luck. Jinshui District Hospital was unlucky, and so was he.

But he had underestimated the power of the internet. These internet sleuths were truly incredible. A lot of "well-meaning" people started to dig up Jinshui District Hospital's dark history. Regardless of a hospital's reputation, none can escape medical disputes.

Next, they dug up his past. He'd also been involved in a lawsuit, and although he had emerged the winner, rumors about his bad temper also spread.

Many people unearthed a previous interview he'd given to a young woman named Mei—who had unintentionally caused more harm than good—along with some interviews with other patient families. A lot of dirt was dredged up.

The doctor-patient relationship had always been a hot topic, not to mention this instance involving accusations of hospitals and doctors receiving "dirty money," with patient families claiming to uphold justice.

This matter had truly become a hot topic, and many media outlets, independent media, and similar platforms had picked it up as news.

If it weren't for the sufficient staffing at the emergency center, the day's stressful events might have caused Liu Banxia to make a medical error.

He couldn't resist looking things up online. Even when he constantly reminded himself not to mind the malicious comments, was it really that easy?

"Wow, how did things get so heated all of a sudden?" Wang Chao came over after seeing a patient.

"It's the focus of the controversy, plus all those crusaders. The fact that they haven't come here to interview me yet is already showing our hospital a lot of consideration," Liu Banxia said with a bitter smile.

Just as he finished speaking, he saw a man walk in through the door and was left speechless. Am I jinxed? he wondered. Does everything I say come true? Did a reporter just walk in right after I mentioned them?

"I'm out of here. You cover for me," Liu Banxia said and slipped into the break room, not even daring to go back to his own office.

After waiting for a while, a message popped up on his phone from Wang Chao: "President Liu, it's no use. They're insisting on an appointment with you."

Liu Banxia was distressed enough. It seemed he really couldn't avoid it unless he decided to extend his leave today.

Just as he stepped out, the man with the microphone rushed up to him. "Dr. Liu, hello..."

"No need for introductions. You're from 'Community Help' or 'People's Aid,' or some such program, right? Here to ask about the freelance surgery fees? If that's your question, just nod."

The young man with the microphone nodded.

"So, do you want to ask if the charge is reasonable, or if it's too high? For the former, raise your left hand; for the latter, your right," Liu Banxia continued.

The young man was quite cooperative and raised both hands.

"You're alright, good attitude. Let's have a proper chat then," Liu Banxia nodded.

"Dr. Liu, I'm genuinely curious about all this. But according to the information I've gathered so far, there are no explicit national regulations on this matter," the young man said.

"Yes, it's precisely because there are no explicit regulations that conflicts sometimes arise," Liu Banxia replied.

"Take yesterday's incident, for example. Although I wasn't there, I communicated with Jinshui District Hospital, as I performed the surgery. According to my information, the first decision their Chief Director made upon receiving the news was to issue a direct refund.

"I believe that from the hospital's perspective, providing such feedback already demonstrates sincerity. As for what was said afterward, since I wasn't there and don't know the full situation, I'm not in a position to comment.

"Then there's the issue of charging standards, which you're also very concerned about. So, in your opinion, what do you think would be a reasonable charge?"

The young man was taken aback; he hadn't expected Liu Banxia to turn the question back on him. "I think a few hundred yuan."

"Alright, you say 'a few hundred.' How much exactly? Nine hundred is still 'a few hundred.' Anything less than a thousand counts as 'a few hundred,' right?" Liu Banxia pressed.

"Then five hundred," the young man declared his price.

"You say five hundred. How much do you think my round-trip travel and meal expenses would be? What about the cost of my time? If it were you, getting up early on your day off, rushing over, and after deducting travel and food, earning less than three hundred yuan, all while bearing the responsibility for the surgery—would you do it?" Liu Banxia posed another question.

"Well... from what I understand, the surgery you performed for him was very short. From when you went in to when you came out, it was less than twenty minutes, right?" the young man asked.

Liu Banxia nodded. "Less than fifteen minutes. To be precise, fourteen minutes and seventeen seconds. That's because I subsequently had a patient with severe gallstone inflammation and suppuration, and another patient requiring a partial hepatectomy, who had already developed extensive adhesions due to inflammation.

"The surgery was done quickly. I could brag about it, but there's no need. As a resident doctor, the reason Chief Director Xu valued me enough to invite me for technical consultation is due to my skill in small-incision appendectomies.

"I remember yesterday's patient quite well; he was somewhat overweight. The incision I made was 1.5 centimeters; a typical incision is much longer. Laparoscopic surgery, on the other hand, requires making three incisions in the abdomen to operate.

"And there's something you might not be fully aware of. When we doctors perform surgery, we only look at the type of surgery, not its difficulty; the charges are the same.

"For instance, if a patient's appendix has suppurated, the surgery is definitely more difficult and time-consuming. Yet, the hospital charges the same fee as for a routine appendectomy. We don't charge more just because your condition is more severe.

"So, the duration of the surgery is not the key factor in determining its difficulty or cost. Long or short, it's still just one surgery.

"Let's go back to the previous question about fees. I reflected on this last night, but I couldn't figure it out. Binhai City is relatively close to Jinshui District, so travel expenses are lower. What if a more complex case requires inviting someone from another province or city?

"In such a situation, what do you think would be an appropriate fee? As I just said, for the same category of surgery, we don't charge more for higher difficulty."

The young man was a bit stunned. How did we get back to the earlier question? he thought. He really didn't know how to answer that now, or even if he could.

"Then why not invite someone from Binhai City?" the young man countered, answering a question with a question.

"It's quite simple. Highly skilled doctors have packed surgical schedules. Take our director, for example. He's highly skilled, and as far as I know, he's only had half a day off in over a month," Liu Banxia said.

"The patient over there is in critical condition, and all the doctors in Binhai City are busy. Coincidentally, a doctor from Beijing is temporarily available. It's a life-or-death situation; would you invite him or not?"

"You'd have to," the young man nodded. There was no other choice; if they didn't, the patient would die.

"In that case, a five-hundred-yuan fee definitely wouldn't cover the travel expenses. Sure, they could take a hard seat on the train, but by the time the doctor arrived, who knows what state the patient would be in," Liu Banxia shrugged.

"So, are you implying that high fees should be encouraged?" the young man asked, again responding with a question.

"You're trying to set a trap for me, but I won't fall for it," Liu Banxia chuckled.

"It's not just me; no one could answer that question. Let's say yesterday's patient paid a fee of two thousand yuan. If you add his original standard surgery fee, it might not even be enough if they came to Binhai City for the surgery.

"Our hospital's fee standards are regulated; we can't just charge whatever we want. There are rules. As far as I know, doctors who do freelance surgeries generally also refer to the local fee standards.

"Doctors are human too; we have our own lives. Our work in the hospital is already stressful enough. Being able to give up rest time to travel for freelance surgery is quite remarkable.

"However, after this incident, I must make my position clear. For the next few years at least, I will not be performing surgeries at other hospitals. My qualifications are still somewhat lacking. I need to use my free time to study.

"Actually, what I want to say is, no matter what happens, people should think things through more carefully. There's no need to immediately curse us doctors out, accusing us of being corrupt or making money unscrupulously. It's unnecessary.

"I've also seen many people online supporting such freelance surgeries because, in their assessment, it saves costs compared to seeking treatment in major city hospitals, while still providing access to a comparable level of service.

"This issue has now gained significant traction; it's no longer a simple doctor-patient dispute. I believe the relevant authorities will undoubtedly establish corresponding regulations to guide our medical practice. Everyone should just wait for the official news.

"As for this particular matter, I don't recommend further discussion. It's equally unnecessary. The patient was dissatisfied, the hospital refunded the money—isn't that the end of it? What else is there to discuss?"

"Alright, I've said quite enough for today. I need to get back to seeing patients properly now, otherwise, someone might accuse me of slacking off under the guise of an interview."

"Thank you, Dr. Liu, for granting us this interview," the young man said hastily.

For a layman, it was truly difficult to grasp the realities of the situation. At the very least, he found himself agreeing with much of what Liu Banxia had just explained.

He certainly knew that doctors at large hospitals were very busy; the more prestigious the hospital, the busier its doctors.

Then, a new question occurred to him. Liu Banxia had just stated that he would no longer perform freelance surgeries.

What about other doctors? Would they, too, choose to abandon freelance surgeries in the future for the sake of avoiding trouble? If that were to happen, what would the consequences be?

The thought left him somewhat bewildered.