Chen Cheng didn't feel embarrassed at all. "I have a large appetite."

Xu Qin suppressed a smile. "Aren't you going to ask if I have a large appetite too?"

"..."

Chen Cheng was momentarily at a loss for words. He had subconsciously assumed that one steak would be more than enough for a pampered young lady like Xu Qin, who came from a 'wealthy family' and had seen the world.

Seeing his slightly awkward expression, Xu Qin waved her hand with a smile on her lips. "Just teasing you. Sit down, quickly."

Chen Cheng shrugged speechlessly, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

With a bright smile on her face, Xu Qin picked up her wine glass. "Come, let's have a toast."

"Thank you for bringing my things, thank you for coming all this way to see me, and thank you for fixing my heater. That was truly a lifesaver."

A smile also spread across Chen Cheng's face. "Cheers~"

Xu Qin pursed her lips into a smile. "Welcome to Rochester."

"Cheers~"

After clinking glasses, they both took a small sip and glanced at each other.

Chen Cheng smiled and pointed at the steak on the plate. "Give it a try. It's just a simple meal without any Passion Fruit Herbs."

"Okay," Xu Qin smiled. "I'm not that picky."

Chen Cheng's lip twitched. With a mother like Fu Wenyin who had obsessive-compulsive disorder, how could she not be picky?

Chen Cheng ignored her and began eating the meat in large mouthfuls.

Xu Qin stared blankly at Chen Cheng as he devoured his food. This man was indeed different from the blind dates Fu Wenyin had introduced in the past.

At the very least, no one else would eat so heartily without any regard for their image.

Watching him eat made you feel like the food in his bowl was fragrant and delicious;

But when some people ate, you could tell at a glance that they were putting on airs.

The corners of Xu Qin's mouth lifted slightly as she lowered her head to cut the steak on her own plate.

After eating for a while, the phone Xu Qin had placed on the table chimed.

It was the default notification sound for WhatsApp.

Xu Qin glanced at her phone, then looked at Chen Cheng awkwardly, but he didn't even lift his head.

Xu Qin explained anyway, "Sorry. A colleague wants to discuss a surgical plan for a patient."

Chen Cheng looked at her with a smile. "Go ahead and do what you need to do, don't mind me."

Xu Qin thought for a moment. "Then I'll take the call."

Chen Cheng nodded. "Feel free. Besides, this is your home."

Right, this is my home. Why am I so nervous?

Xu Qin curled her lip and picked up her phone to call her colleague back directly.

Xu Qin stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. She talked with her colleague for a long time, and there were even some arguments during the call.

It seemed both of them were trying to convince the other.

Xu Qin was on the phone for nearly ten minutes, but in the end, they parted on bad terms, with neither side convincing the other.

When she sat back down, Chen Cheng had just about finished eating and was looking at her with his wine glass in hand.

"A competitive relationship?"

Xu Qin shook her head. "I just want the patient to retain their mobility more."

Chen Cheng frowned. Seeing her huffing and puffing, he knew she was angry.

"And the cost?"

"Uh..." An imperceptible flash of awkwardness crossed Xu Qin's face. "It's an Odontoid Screw Fixation. It's very difficult, one of the most technically challenging surgeries in the field of cervical spine surgery."

"The operation requires precise drilling at the anterior edge of the C2 vertebral body, and the screw trajectory must accurately pass through the Neck of the Odontoid Process."

"Oh, the C2 Vertebra is the second bone of the spine," Xu Qin reached out and touched her own neck, "roughly around here."

Chen Cheng nodded, indicating he understood. This method of opening a surgical path through the front of the neck was indeed dangerous.

Xu Qin continued: "The intraoperative risk is that even a slight deviation could damage the Medulla Oblongata, the vital center behind the odontoid process, leading to sudden respiratory and cardiac arrest."

"There's also the risk of radiation exposure during surgery, as the entire procedure relies on high-resolution C-arm fluoroscopic guidance."

"Post-surgery, in the short term, about 30-40% of patients will experience difficulty swallowing."

"There's also the risk of fixation failure."

"..."

Xu Qin went over the pros and cons of the plan she insisted on, as well as the surgical plan her colleague Claire insisted on.

Chen Cheng's immediate takeaway was that the plan Xu Qin insisted on was far too risky.

"So, essentially, even if they risk dying on the operating table, the patient can't be one hundred percent sure of retaining their neck's range of motion?"

Xu Qin nodded awkwardly and added, "But it would be basically unaffected."

"You said 'basically' yourself." Chen Cheng smiled. "Do you know? In my field, if the word 'basically' is used for something, then that thing will definitely happen and have an impact."

Xu Qin pursed her lips, looking none too pleased.

I told you all this because I wanted you to support me, not to contradict me.

Chen Cheng looked at Xu Qin; another stroke was added to her character profile. She had a certain fondness for pursuing excitement and difficulty, and she was perhaps a bit overconfident.

He smiled. "I recall the right to decide on the surgical plan belongs to the patient themselves?"

"Is the patient an adult?"

Xu Qin shook her head. "No, it's a sixteen-year-old girl. She fell while free solo climbing and injured her cervical spine."

Chen Cheng understood immediately. Xu Qin and her colleague were just bickering.

Xu Qin had the support of the child who wanted to continue climbing, while Claire's more conservative plan with a higher cure rate had the support of the guardians.

Chen Cheng spread his hands. "In that case, just leave it to her parents to decide."

Chen Cheng didn't say, 'Neither of you is the lead surgeon, neither of you can decide the surgical plan, so what's the point of arguing?' for fear of hurting her pride.

Xu Qin remained silent, still looking puffed up with annoyance.

Chen Cheng smiled. "Even though I'm not a doctor, I think you should take some time to study the gold standard procedure your colleague is insisting on."

"Spinal Fusion?"

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles."

This last sentence struck a chord deep within Xu Qin.

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles."

Xu Qin mumbled the phrase to herself, and the frown on her face slowly smoothed out.

Looking at Chen Cheng, she pursed her lips and smiled. "Actually, I guessed the outcome from the start, but I still wanted to try."

Chen Cheng smiled. "No parent wants their child to engage in extreme sports."

"Especially after she's already fallen once and nearly lost her life."

"To have supported her free solo climbing until now, her parents are already very open-minded."

"Uh..." Xu Qin immediately thought of Fu Wenyin.

Compared to Fu Wenyin, that girl's parents were indeed considered open-minded.

The training, the logistical support, even the helicopter transport after the fall...

Xu Qin forced a smile onto her face. "Maybe you're right."

Chen Cheng nodded. "Of course."

When it came to being right, Chen Cheng would not yield.

He could see that Xu Qin was still struggling internally, so he continued:

"Rock climbing is inherently a high-risk sport. Let alone free solo climbing."

"Free soloing means no safety ropes; you rely entirely on your own hands, feet, or any other body part."

"There is almost zero margin for error."

"This girl was lucky to have survived this accident."

"Setting aside the risks of the two surgical plans... once her neck mobility is successfully preserved, this young girl will definitely try free soloing again."

"But that might cost her her life."

"When that time comes, you'll..."

Chen Cheng stopped there, not spelling it out completely.

Preserving her neck mobility might kill her, and there was a high probability of it.

Her parents couldn't watch over her for her entire life.

Especially since she was a child in the middle of a rebellious teenage phase.

Playing these ultra-extreme sports, how should he put it...

Well.

The way you die will be beyond your imagination.

With Xu Qin's personality of liking excitement and challenge, she essentially supported that girl who loved extreme sports and was as rebellious, thrill-seeking, and freedom-loving as she was.

But if you placed the weight of this girl's life or death on her, she would choose to avoid the harm.

Xu Qin curled her lip. "Fine, you've convinced me."