In the afternoon, returning home, Lin Jie didn't find the usual Wednesday bustle and couldn't help but ask, "Where is everyone?"

Zhang Xiaoxiao chuckled and said, "A-Jie, you need to rest well and recover the energy you overextended in the disaster area. Lively occasions aren't quite right for you now."

"So, so I took it upon myself to inform everyone that today's gathering... is postponed."

"It wasn't just Xiaoxiao who made the decision, I was in on it too." Lin Miao stepped forward.

Lin Jie couldn't help but roll his eyes at Lin Miao and said, "Xiaoxiao's intentions are for my good. It's not a big deal to cancel the gathering once. What, are you worried I'll get angry and take it out on you?"

Lin Miao snorted and retorted, "You inexplicably provoked me yesterday, maybe you'll go crazy today too! Hmph, you haven't even apologized to me for yesterday."

Lin Jie couldn't be bothered to argue with her, looked around, and asked, "Where's Kemeng? She's gone home?"

"No! She's still in the bedroom busy writing an article!"

Lin Miao proudly said, "Lin Jie, last night when going to bed, I told Mengmeng everything you said, word for word."

"Mengmeng is very angry, the consequences are serious. She says she must write something spectacular to make you totally impressed."

In fact, Lin Jie knew that his comments on An Kemeng's writing last night were somewhat rash, but it was absolutely impossible for him to admit he was wrong to the two little girls.

He stubbornly said, "Kemeng is going to be a senior student when school starts this summer."

"Although with my connections and Professor Chen's, there's no worry about her getting into Binhai University, wouldn't it be more justified for her to get in on her own merit?"

"Her main focus and time should be spent on studying now..."

Just as Lin Jie was about to continue using logic to convince Lin Miao, his phone suddenly rang.

The name "Pan Xinli" flashing on the phone screen surprised Lin Jie a little.

"Hello, Principal Pan!"

"Expert Lin, sorry to bother you. I wonder if you have any plans for tonight?"

Lin Jie laughed, "Not at the moment, even if I do, I'll make way for you, Principal Pan."

A light chuckle came from Pan Xinli over the phone, "Expert Lin, then I won't be polite, I really have a favor to ask."

"How about this, I'll treat you to dinner and discuss the specifics, how does that sound?"

After noting the dinner location, Lin Jie hung up the phone and said, "Xiaoxiao, Miaomiao, I'll be going out to eat tonight. If you don't want to cook dinner, just order takeout."

Lin Miao, who had just been angry with Lin Jie, now reproached with worry, "Brother, can't you just decline? You haven't properly rested at home for a day since coming back."

"Principal Pan has always been good to me, and he directly said he needs my help this time, it's hard to refuse."

Lin Jie stepped forward and gave Lin Miao a gentle hug, saying, "I promise, I'll try my best to come back early..."

An hour and a half later, Lin Jie drove to the meeting place, only to find it was a small storefront by the street, without even a place to park.

Compelled, Lin Jie drove another hundred meters or so to park at a nearby mall's parking lot and then walked back.

It was a noodle shop, the decor was quite upscale, the dining area was only about twenty square meters, with only six or seven tables.

The business seemed decent enough, with a person or two or three sitting at each table.

Lin Jie spotted Pan Xinli sitting alone at a table deep inside the shop.

The shop's air conditioning was fully on. This made Lin Jie, who had walked a hundred meters with sweat on his forehead, feel a sudden coolness.

He walked straight to sit opposite Pan Xinli, who stood up to greet him, jokingly saying, "Principal, your matter of asking might not be borrowing money, right?"

Pan Xinli chuckled lightly, "If I really wanted to borrow money, how much could the big expert lend me?"

"That depends on how much you need, Principal!"

"The way you put it sounds confident, it seems you've made quite a fortune this year!"

"If I had known, I should have studied medicine back then."

Pan Xinli joked, and then said, "This shop's handmade noodles are the best I've ever tasted. It's close to my house, doesn't earn much. And when it's hot, I get lazy, so I invited you here.

"I'd recommend the mushroom diced meat noodles."

Lin Jie wouldn't get angry over a less upscale venue.

Inviting here meant that Pan Xinli considered him one of his own, at least a true friend.

"Then I'll taste these mushroom diced meat noodles and see if our tastes match."

After ordering the noodles, Pan Xinli added two refreshing cold dishes.

He then sighed lightly and said, "Expert Lin, my sister came to Binhai. Mainly, she heard that Xiao Ganghao got a girlfriend and wanted to come see..."

Hearing this, Lin Jie was a bit surprised.

Some time ago, Xiao Ganghao and Zou Manqing almost broke up due to work issues; now it even got to the point of meeting the parents?

"My sister lived in the township for years and finally came to Binhai, so I took her to the hospital for a check-up..."

Seeing Pan Xinli's face grow somber, Lin Jie immediately understood and softly said, "Let me first see the examination and test results."

Pan Xinli took out a stack of papers from a file bag and handed them over.

Lin Jie skimmed through them, noticing the medical record signed by Chen Shi.

He looked through each test and lab sheet, then took out a biopsy report and CT scans for close examination.

At this moment, the shopkeeper brought over their noodles and side dishes.

Pan Xinli apologized, "Expert Lin, it's my fault, I should have waited till after eating to discuss this."

He picked up his chopsticks and said, "Come on, let's eat first..."

Lin Jie put down the CT scans, saying, "I suppose you're not in the mood or have the appetite to eat right now, don't force yourself. What did Professor Chen say?"

Pan Xinli slowly put down his chopsticks and softly said, "Total gastrectomy. Professor Chen said that only this way can effectively prevent cancer spread and metastasis."

"Expert Lin, my parents were busy working when we were young, and I can say my sister raised me. We have a very good relationship."

"But later on..."

With a pained look, Pan Xinli recalled, "My sister dated someone my parents strongly opposed. She secretly married the man, and my parents, out of anger, severed contact with her."

"My sister's temperament is incredibly strong-willed..."

He sighed and said, "I can't criticize my parents, nor can I blame my sister. In the blink of an eye, decades have passed, and many things are beyond repair."

"Professor Chen said that with total gastrectomy, the patient's quality of life would be very poor. My sister has suffered a lot over the years, and I don't want her to suffer in her later years."

"Expert Lin, do you have any solutions?"

Lin Jie once again picked up the CT scans and examined them carefully. He pondered a bit and said, "From the biopsy and various test information, your sister has primary stomach cancer. Fortunately, it's early-stage and no signs of metastasis have been detected."

"Professor Chen's proposed total gastrectomy is a precautionary measure to ensure nothing goes wrong..."

He thought for a moment and said, "Principal Pan, I can take over your sister's surgery. We can decide whether to do a total gastrectomy, partial gastrectomy, or half-gastrectomy based on what we see during the surgery!"

"Is it possible to preserve part of the stomach?" Pan Xinli asked eagerly.

"Possibly!"

Lin Jie explained, "It depends on the extent of the tumor infiltration in the stomach, which cannot be discerned from the CT scans. It can only be judged during the actual operation based on the tumor condition!"

Pan Xinli exhaled lightly and said, "Expert Lin, I entrust my sister to you."

"Being able to preserve even a small part of the stomach is good, at least it can ensure a certain quality of life."

Lin Jie nodded, "I will do my best. Principal Pan, let's have our noodles!"

"Okay, okay, let's start eating!"

Hearing reasonably good news from Lin Jie eased Pan Xinli's mood slightly, and he had a bit of an appetite.

But just as Lin Jie was about to take his first bite of noodles, his phone rang again.

It was a call from Meng Yang.

"Expert Lin, your military enlistment ceremony will be held in Binhai at 3 PM this Friday!"

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