Tang Ke glanced at him and understood what he was implying.
If such a surgery succeeded, once it was published, it would definitely cause a sensation in the entire scientific community. But if it failed, it would disappear quietly, buried among countless papers that no one ever read.
Jiang Xu had probably been reading plenty of papers recently.
Meeting Tang Ke’s searching gaze, Jiang Xu spoke bluntly, “There have been three cases, one where the parent died, one where the child died, and one where neither survived.”
That was why no surgical videos could be found online, and relevant literature was exceedingly scarce.
The few that could be dug up only contained brief descriptions, unexplained massive hemorrhage, multi-organ failure, hemorrhagic shock… just a few words to summarize a death.
Tang Ke hadn’t considered this at first. After hearing Jiang Xu’s words, he belatedly realized that the risk might be even greater than he’d imagined. The atmosphere turned heavy for a moment, and he didn’t know what to say. After some thought, he finally said, “I suppose it’s still a blessing in disguise that we at least have that successful case from Country M.”
Jiang Xu was silent for a while, his gaze landing on the thick stack of test results. “The fetus’s condition… is better than I expected.”
His tone was so calm that it was hard to read.
That night with Shen Fangyu had been reckless and drowned in cheap alcohol. In the months since, he’d poured countless cups of coffee down his throat, worked endless overnight shifts, and even gotten into a full-blown fistfight with Shen Fangyu in the hospital’s staff gym.
He had assumed the baby’s condition wouldn’t be good.
“You heard the fetal heartbeat yourself, and you’ve seen all the test results,” Tang Ke said. “That kid of yours is just like you, tough as nails.”
An unplanned, unwanted child, yet with such a tenacious will to live.
“Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing,” Jiang Xu commented.
The pale blue curtains swayed gently in the breeze. Tang Ke looked at Jiang Xu. Time hadn’t left many marks on this man. Other than a calmer, steadier demeanor, Jiang Xu looked almost exactly the same as he had back in college.
Back in school, because of that face, Jiang Xu had never lacked admirers. When they’d first started working, many even assumed that someone who looked like him must already be taken. But as someone who had been Jiang Xu’s friend for years, Tang Ke knew he hadn’t even held a girl’s hand.
He had always thought that Jiang Xu, the ultimate academic overachiever, had long since transcended such worldly things as romance. He never imagined something like this would happen. With a hint of disbelief, he said, “I can’t believe I never noticed you liked men.”
Then, adopting a teasing tone to lighten the mood, he added, “No wonder you were so indifferent to all those girls who chased you back then. I used to think you were going to devote your life to medicine.”
Jiang Xu’s lips twitched. “I don’t like men.”
Tang Ke was stunned. “Then why’d you sleep with one? And even bottomed for him?”
Jiang Xu, “…”
The sperm had obviously entered his body and traveled through the soft duct. He didn’t have any way to deny it.
From Jiang Xu’s refusal to elaborate, Tang Ke seemed to piece something together. Considering that Jiang Xu had come for every check-up alone and was determined not to keep the child, Tang Ke immediately constructed a tragic tale of unrequited love in his head. Cautiously, he asked, “The kid’s father… is he a scumbag?”
Jiang Xu’s gaze, sharp behind his thin glasses, fell on Tang Ke. “For your own safety, I’d advise you not to ask.”
Tang Ke, knowing Jiang Xu well, wasn’t intimidated. He knew that behind Jiang Xu’s sharp tongue was a soft heart, especially for his friends, so he only grew more curious. “You didn’t even ask him if he wants the kid?”
Jiang Xu tugged at his hair in frustration. “He doesn’t know.”
“Then you definitely need to tell him,” Tang Ke said. “This isn’t a normal pregnancy. The risks are way too high. What if something happens? You two should talk it through, make a decision, and at least be mentally prepared.”
Jiang Xu bit his lip. “I… can’t say it.”
“It’s fine,” Tang Ke reassured him, thinking Jiang Xu was worried the other man wouldn’t be able to accept a male pregnancy. “You’re a doctor yourself. Just explain it to him properly. In the end, it’s nothing more than a rare condition, there’s nothing new under the sun. And if he still can’t accept it, send him to me. I’ll talk to him.”
Then, as if remembering something, Tang Ke smirked and cracked a dirty joke. “By the way, the kid’s father must be in good shape. Most men’s sperm wouldn’t have the stamina to swim all the way through a duct that long.”
He gossiped, “Next time, bring him over so I can take a look, will you? And get him to donate some sperm while he’s at it, do the province’s sperm bank a favor. They even give you a subsidy of nearly a thousand.”
Jiang Xu was silent for a moment and gave Tang Ke a look that was hard to read.
Medical school students didn’t shy away from talking about these things. Even the professors would lecture them on the increasingly serious issues in men’s health, claiming that as many as 10% of men in their prime already suffered from sexual dysfunction.
And once, because Shen Fangyu stole a rebound in front of the girl Tang Ke liked, drawing all of her attention, Tang Ke had furiously cursed him in their dorm, swearing that Shen Fangyu must be part of that 10%.
Jiang Xu wondered what Tang Ke would think if he knew that the very man he’d just praised was Shen Fangyu.
“What’s with that look?” Tang Ke asked.
Jiang Xu coughed lightly twice, then said to him, “You know this person.”
“Who? Who?!” Tang Ke’s eyes lit up. “Don’t tell me it’s one of our college classmates.” He immediately ran through the names of all their old classmates who’d been close to Jiang Xu.
Jiang Xu looked into Tang Ke’s eager, gossip-hungry eyes and worried that he might go into cardiac arrest from sheer shock.
But Jiang Xu’s sexual history was as clean as a blank sheet of paper, there wasn’t even another candidate to mislead him with.
Jiang Xu had always been indifferent to sex, neither seeking it out nor avoiding it, and had never once imagined what kind of person he might one day sleep with.
Between his studies and work, and his relentless competition with Shen Fangyu, Jiang Xu hadn’t had a single easy day since his freshman year. Every day was harder than his last year of high school. He had absolutely no time to date, let alone sleep with anyone.
If he had known his first time would end up being with Shen Fangyu, and worse, that he would be the one on the bottom, he would’ve made sure to find a girl he liked, get married early, and stay far, far away from that plague of a man. Ideally, he’d never see him again for the rest of his life, and he’d be damned before he ever got dragged into competing with him.
“Spit it out already!” Tang Ke said. “Don’t keep me hanging like this.”
“You really want to know?” Jiang Xu asked one last time to confirm.
Seeing Tang Ke nodding frantically, Jiang Xu finally delivered the blow without mercy, “Shen Fangyu.”
With a loud thud, the elegant Dr. Tang collapsed to the floor.
Author’s Note:
Certain little bean: Even though my dad drinks, stays up late, fights, and chugs coffee, I’m still a healthy baby~ (emitting strong survival instinct noises)