Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Hush Money

At 6:40 on Wednesday morning, Yan Feifan was in the kitchen preparing breakfast, keeping an eye on a pot of wonton noodles while frying an egg.

Suddenly, Yan Ziruo ran into the kitchen, shouting.

“Feifan, Feifan, a major entertainment blogger named Hu Pingye just exposed the truth about Zhao Yuqi’s plastic surgery!”

Yan Ziruo, her hair a total mess, shoved the phone in Yan Feifan’s face.

Before Yan Feifan could even get a clear look at the screen, Yan Ziruo snatched the phone back and blurted out, “This blogger says his information comes from a renowned plastic surgery expert at the Binhai University Affiliated Hospital’s plastic surgery center—one of the top three in the entire country!”

Then she suddenly asked, “Hey, Feifan, is our hospital’s plastic surgery department really that famous? That good?”

Yan Feifan hummed in agreement. “It really is.”

“That department has several nationally renowned plastic surgeons. They have a whole building to themselves and are the most profitable department in the entire hospital.”

“Overall, they’re definitely one of the top three in the country.”

“Oh,” Yan Ziruo said, then continued excitedly, “Feifan, I’ll give you a heads-up, but don’t you get a big head now.”

“The blogger claims that after careful research and comparison, an anonymous plastic surgery expert pointed out that Zhao Yuqi had a rhinoplasty to reduce the tip and alae of her nose, had the bone on her nasal bridge filed down, her jawline shaved, and her lower lip augmented.”

“Zhao Yuqi also had the corners of her eyes widened and had minor cosmetic work done on her eyelids and cheeks.”

Yan Ziruo patted Yan Feifan’s back, saying smugly, “Feifan, do you hear that? It’s exactly what you said.”

“This proves you really know your stuff.”

“But don’t get arrogant, Feifan…”

Yan Feifan turned off the burner under the frying pan, set down the spatula, and turned to look at his sister. She still hadn’t washed up, but there was a smile in her eyes. “Sis, a public figure like Zhao Yuqi would definitely sign a confidentiality agreement with the cosmetic surgery clinic.”

“No one from the plastic surgery department would risk universal condemnation by breaking industry rules and leaking something like this.”

That reminder made Yan Ziruo’s eyes go wide. She muttered to herself, “This blogger’s scoop is exactly what you said…”

“Holy shit!”

Yan Ziruo blurted out a curse, then asked for confirmation, “Feifan, you mean the anonymous plastic surgery expert this blogger is talking about… is you?”

Yan Feifan replied irritably, “Sis, I should be asking you that.”

Yan Ziruo gave a guilty smile and whispered, “Feifan, I just emailed your analysis to the person who sent me the photos.”

“I never said you were a plastic surgeon. I just told him you were a surgeon at the Affiliated Hospital.”

She started cursing again. “Damn it, that blogger will write any kind of bullshit just to get clicks.”

“I hope his future sons are born without assholes…”

Under Yan Feifan’s stare, Yan Ziruo’s voice trailed off until she was pouting. “Feifan, I was tricked, too,” she said, sounding wronged.

“I had no idea the guy who sent the photos was some bullshit blogger! He took your analysis and passed it off as an expert’s opinion without my permission.”

Then she asked worriedly, “Feifan, is this going to cause trouble for you?”

Yan Feifan thought for a moment. “No,” he said confidently.

“I simply made a medical assessment based on the photographs.”

“Everything else has nothing to do with me…”

He added, “And nothing to do with you, either.”

“Sis, you don’t need to worry…”

Just then, a sharp SIZZLING sound came from behind Yan Feifan.

The pot with the wonton noodles was boiling over…

What the siblings didn’t know was that at this very moment, in the sixth-floor conference room of the Plastic Surgery Center building at the south gate of the Affiliated Hospital, the atmosphere was tense and oppressive.

Director Wang Chuan of the Plastic Surgery Center had a face as black as the bottom of a pot. His chilling gaze, which looked like it could kill, swept across the dozen or so people in the conference room.

Another person gently pushed the door open, entered without daring to breathe, and tiptoed to an empty seat at the conference table.

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s begin,” Wang Chuan said coldly.

“I assume you all know why you were dragged out of bed at four or five in the morning for this meeting, right?”

When everyone nodded, Wang Chuan continued, “I’ve already received a call from Zhao Yuqi herself.”

“She’s demanding that we make this go away, contain the fallout, and severely punish the leaker. Otherwise, she’ll sue us for breach of confidentiality and demand huge compensation for financial and reputational damages.”

Wang Chuan’s gaze swept over each person in the room as he said slowly, “For the leak to be this accurate, it must have been one of you.”

“Whether it was an oversight or intentional, I hope the person who leaked the information will come forward and confess to me before 9:00 AM today.”

“If you do, the center may still be able to show some leniency.”

“Otherwise…”

Wang Chuan let out a cold chuckle, then raised his voice. “If the center has to investigate and find out on our own, even if you’re worth tens of millions, it won’t be enough to cover the damages.”

Just then, there was a soft knock on the conference room door.

“Come in!” Wang Chuan’s voice was clearly displeased.

Dong Xue, the administrator for the plastic surgery center, opened the door and reported softly, “Director, Mr. Jiang from Zhengxin Law Firm is here.”

“Also, there are some entertainment reporters and bloggers outside the building asking for interviews.”

“Those reporters sure are dedicated!”

Wang Chuan said with a sneer. “Tell them we’re not accepting any interviews.”

“We’ll be issuing a formal response at 9:30.”

He added, “Ask Mr. Jiang to wait for me in my office. I’ll be there in ten minutes…”

The Yan siblings had just set out their breakfast and hadn’t even taken a single bite when they heard an unexpected knock at the door.

The abrupt visitor was none other than Yang Xuan from the previous night.

She had come alone again.

Her eyes were bloodshot, and her voice carried a trace of fatigue, yet it was also full of excitement.

“Mr. Yan, your diagnosis was confirmed.”

“The specialists at City No. 1 Hospital examined my sister. They really found a two-by-three-centimeter benign teratoma on her left ovary that resembles brain tissue.”

A teratoma is a common type of ovarian germ cell tumor that originates from germ cells.

It can contain various components, including skin, hair, teeth, brain tissue, bone, and so on.

Yang Xuan continued, “Mr. Yan, the specialist also said that my sister has some kind of NM… something…”

Seeing her struggle, Yan Feifan picked up where she left off. “NMDAR antibody. It’s an autoimmune encephalitis antibody.”

“What was the specific concentration level?”

Yang Xuan thought for a moment, then said with some uncertainty, “The specialist mentioned a number… I think it was one to a thousand.”

Yan Feifan nodded. “That value is extremely high.”

“The teratoma on her left ovary, the one that resembles brain tissue, must have caused her body to produce a large number of antibodies to fight it.”

“However, in the process, those antibodies also attacked her healthy brain tissue. This damaged her hypothalamus, which led to her elevated body temperature, excessive salivation, and a series of neurological and psychiatric disorders.”

“Yes, yes…”

Yang Xuan hurriedly agreed. “That’s what the specialist said, too.”

“The specialist also said that as long as the teratoma is removed, my sister should get back to normal very quickly.”

At this, Yang Xuan gave Yan Feifan a slight bow and said with great sincerity, “Mr. Yan, thank you so, so much.”

“If it hadn’t been for your brilliant diagnosis, my family and I would have made a terrible mistake.”

As she spoke, she took a thick envelope from her small purse and handed it to him with both hands.

“Mr. Yan, this is a small token of my family’s appreciation. Please, you must accept it.”

Yan Feifan didn’t refuse and accepted it directly.

Yan Ziruo, who was standing to the side, was rather surprised by this.

However, she did a good job of hiding her surprise and said nothing.

Seeing Yan Feifan accept the envelope, the expression on Yang Xuan’s face relaxed. She then said earnestly, “Mr. Yan, I truly love my sister…”

Yan Feifan raised a hand to stop her. “I’m a doctor. I am bound by strict patient confidentiality.”

“You can rest assured that I won’t say anything more.”

“Thank you, Mr. Yan!”

Yang Xuan gave Yan Feifan a deep, ninety-degree bow…

After Yang Xuan left, Yan Ziruo snatched the thick envelope, peeked inside, and said, “Whoa, five thousand yuan.”

“Feifan, you’ve only ever accepted fruit, snacks, or little gifts as thank-yous before. You’ve never taken cash.”

“So what’s different today?”

Yan Feifan gave a wry smile. “Sis, this isn’t a consultation fee. It’s hush money.”

“If I didn’t accept it, she wouldn’t be at ease.”

Yan Ziruo drew out an “Ohhh” and giggled. “So you’re not completely clueless about how the world works after all.”

Yan Feifan snorted disdainfully. “With an IQ of 170, is there anything I *don’t* understand?”

“I just can’t be bothered to deal with you ordinary mortals!”

Yan Ziruo rolled her eyes and teased, “Oh, listen to you. Give you an inch and you take a mile. Yes, we know, you’re a genius who has transcended us mere mortals and you know everything.”

“Alright, we’re short on time. Hurry up and eat…”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep