Director Zhu was momentarily speechless, reminded of the comedic acts he'd heard in teahouses during his days off, where the straight man would often say to the funny man, 'How can you ask for applause now?'

At that moment, Zhu felt the same way.

The traditional Chinese medicine doctors were somewhat stirred; Gao-Yuan had brought them considerable honor, which diminished their previous dissatisfaction and hostility towards him.

Gao-Yuan continued, "Let's find a few more patients. We've come a long way, it's not easy. And since we're here..."

"Alright," Director Zhu nodded, pointing backward, "Room three."

"Room three?" The doctors murmured among themselves.

It was clear that room three housed a particularly challenging case. One of the TCM doctors immediately chimed in, "You're not trying to make things difficult, are you?"

Gao-Yuan glanced at the man who spoke in his defense. While he appreciated the support, he knew it wasn't for him but rather due to the ongoing rivalry between Western and traditional medicine.

Soon, someone from the Western medicine group retorted, "Didn't Dr. Gao-Yuan say he wanted the most difficult cases? Why, are you backing out now?"

As tensions threatened to rise again, Gao-Yuan intervened, "Let's go."

The doctor who had defended him fell silent, seeing Gao-Yuan's calm demeanor.

They proceeded to room three.

Director Zhu, looking serious at the door, described the patient, "This child is only three months old, with a high fever and breathing difficulties for five days. Percussion shows dullness, auscultation reveals bubbling sounds. Blood tests show white cells at 14100, with 46% neutrophils and 54% lymphocytes, temperature over 40 degrees. The liver is enlarged, there's obstructive breathing, second-degree hypoxia, and he's been unconscious, occasionally convulsing."

Hearing this, everyone frowned; this case was far more severe than the previous one.

Gao-Yuan, however, remained composed. After examining the child, who was indeed in a coma, he noted the child's hot body without sweat, a sign of fever without perspiration, which made him furrow his brow.

The other TCM doctors crowded around, their faces tense as they saw the child's high fever and unconscious state, indicating a severe condition.

The difficulty lay in the risk of the condition turning critical, where treatment would become complicated, and the chances of survival would plummet.

Gao-Yuan continued his diagnosis, noting the child's rapid breathing, high diaphragm, convulsions, cyanotic lips, red tongue with white coating, and a floating, fast pulse.

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Han Dai approached, examining the child too, and was visibly shocked.

Gao-Yuan turned to the TCM doctors, asking, "What's your take on this?"

They hesitated, unsure.

Gao-Yuan specifically asked the doctor who had defended him, "Can you treat this?"

The doctor was taken aback, feeling like he'd been backstabbed after supporting Gao-Yuan. The others were equally surprised.

Old Man Wan, feeling slightly better now knowing Gao-Yuan wasn't just targeting him, was curious, "You can't treat it?"

Gao-Yuan shook his head, then quickly added, "But with the help of our Western medicine colleagues, it's manageable."

The room fell silent. Gao-Yuan wasn't about one-upping; he was thinking about collaboration.

Yuan Hai nodded slightly in approval.

Gao-Yuan looked into Director Zhu's eyes, sincerely saying, "I alone can't save this child. But with your help, I'm confident. This child needs you. For his sake, will you join me?"

Faced with Gao-Yuan's unexpected humility, Director Zhu was momentarily speechless. He had always perceived Gao-Yuan as a dominant figure, especially after the recent conflicts. Why the sudden change?

Director Zhu was unsure how to respond.

Gao-Yuan continued, "As long as we can save this child, it will validate the necessity of our cooperation. I'm also ready to acknowledge that in this treatment, my role might seem like that of an assistant."

"You..." Director Zhu looked more surprised than before.

The others in the room hadn't anticipated such humility from Gao-Yuan either.

Hospital Director Li sighed softly, remembering Gao-Yuan's expansive mindset he had observed back in the county. Li admired him for it, a trait he felt he himself lacked.

Yuan Hai, observing Gao-Yuan, recalled a report by Wang Hanzhang, which had praised Gao-Yuan with the phrase "this is a good comrade."

Despite holding the advantage, Gao-Yuan's willingness to take a step back touched Director Zhu, who felt a pang of guilt for his earlier antagonism. Moved by Gao-Yuan's disregard for personal glory, Zhu said, "Alright, whatever you need, just say it."

Gao-Yuan smiled, familiar with the workings of Western medicine from his time in the county. "We'll need plasma, IV fluids, oxygen, life support measures, and any symptomatic treatments you see fit."

"Agreed," Director Zhu nodded.

Han Dai then inquired, "Dr. Gao, what's your treatment plan?"

Gao-Yuan replied, "We'll use a cooling and dispersing strategy with a modified version of Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang."

"Cooling and dispersing?" The TCM doctors were visibly puzzled.

Gao-Yuan asked, "Any other suggestions?"

The room fell silent; Gao-Yuan's expertise had intimidated them, though they had their thoughts, they hesitated to voice them.

Old Wan, feeling he had nothing left to lose, muttered, "With the child's high fever, convulsions, and breathing difficulties, isn't this evidence of heat entering the heart's yang?"

The others nodded in agreement.

Gao-Yuan countered, "The child's unconsciousness is due to the external pathogens obstructing the body's defenses, not heat entering the heart. Notice his pulse is still floating and rapid, and he's only been sick for a few days."

"Now is not the time for clearing the heart's heat or using heavy cooling herbs like Niu Huang or Zhi Bao. That would only weaken his vital energy, potentially worsening the obstruction. Our experience with adenovirus pneumonia teaches us that in the early stages, we must avoid excessive cooling."

Old Wan grumbled under his breath, "Why the sudden caution?"

But he didn't dare confront Gao-Yuan directly anymore.

After analyzing the condition, Gao-Yuan wrote down his prescription and handed it to Director Zhu. "Two doses, to be taken immediately."