"Um," South Phoenix replied gently, exuding a sense of trust and closeness. "You can take your time, don't rush."
The girl looked into South Phoenix's eyes and slowly began to speak, "Doctor, I have both male and female physical characteristics. From a young age, people around me have called me abnormal. I've been under a lot of pressure."
South Phoenix started to take notes and softly asked, "Is the pressure due to having both male and female characteristics?"
The girl nodded and shook her head at the same time, indicating a complex situation. "Actually, I don't despise my own body. I feel like it's a part of me, it's just who I am. I've never felt sick; I'm healthy, I don't get colds or fevers, and I feel fine. But they all say I'm sick."
As she spoke, her lips trembled slightly, and her eyelids drooped, as if tears were about to fall.
"My parents say I'm sick, my classmates say I'm sick, the doctors say I'm sick. But I don't think I'm sick. They don't like me, they won't let me use the restroom, not the boys' or the girls'. So I stopped drinking water, I don't use the school restroom. I use the restroom at home. I go home to use the restroom. I don't use public bathrooms, I only shower at home. I never bothered anyone. Why do they insist on making me have surgery?"
As the girl spoke, her voice choked with emotion. "I don't want surgery."
South Phoenix asked, "You don't want surgery because you're afraid of the pain?"
The girl shook her head, "No, it's not that. I'm not sick. I don't want to change who I am now. I don't want to become someone others want me to be. Can't I decide who I want to be?"
After saying this, the girl's expression changed, and she looked like a puppet, as if she were controlled by external forces. "What kind of surgery do you think I should have? Should I become a boy or a girl?"
Just then, a staff member called out, "Questioning phase ends. You have twenty minutes to write a consultation report and present patient information."
Twenty patients were wheeled out of the hall.
South Phoenix sat on the floor, picked up a pen, and wrote down some scattered notes.
In the end, she hesitated for a long time and finally wrote just two words on the report. Then she submitted it and stood quietly to the side.
The staff member glanced at her report. Although it had some words, the content was minimal. Then they looked at the reports of the others, which were filled with detailed medical information and analysis.
The questioning phase ended with scattered notes, and South Phoenix glanced at Mu Yun. Mu Yun looked confident, but when she saw South Phoenix, she hesitated again.
After the previous hostility, Mu Yun had developed a deep fear of South Phoenix.
Over a dozen members of the Medical Association reviewed the consultation results of the twenty candidates and gave their scores.
They were particularly interested in South Phoenix's answers, which seemed unusual.
They whispered among themselves, puzzled by South Phoenix's answer of "no illness" in the case of a person with obvious intersex characteristics.
"It's incomprehensible, unbelievable!"
"Exactly, the patient, Miss Huang Ruo, I also looked into her case. Her condition is so evident. The discussion should be whether to perform surgery to make her male or female. But South Phoenix's answer here is 'no illness'?"
"It's hard to understand, it's beyond belief!"
After the discussion, Cheng Jiang stepped forward from the group.
All the candidates looked at Cheng Jiang.
Cheng Jiang looked at South Phoenix.
"Ms. Ye Nanhuang," Cheng Jiang began.
South Phoenix raised her head to look at Cheng Jiang.
Cheng Jiang asked, "Are you sure about your answers?"
South Phoenix replied firmly, "I'm sure."
"Why?" Cheng Jiang asked.
The third round of the assessment was not particularly difficult, but because it was based on real-life cases, there were some challenges, just like the situation South Phoenix faced.
South Phoenix explained, "Miss Huang is physically healthy, she is not ill."
"Are you sure?" Cheng Jiang asked again.
South Phoenix nodded confidently.
Cheng Jiang continued, "But your notes here mention that she is mentally stressed and recommend regular follow-up."
South Phoenix explained, "Her mental condition is a result of the pressure imposed on her by her family and friends. If they can understand that she is not actually sick, her mental state will improve. The recommendation for regular follow-up is to address and treat any psychological issues."
Cheng Jiang smiled.
These twenty patients' cases were all known to him. The case South Phoenix had was quite prominent, but her response was "no illness."
Intriguing.
South Phoenix added, "As doctors, we should focus on and respect the patient's will. Miss Huang is physically healthy."
"Alright, I understand," Cheng Jiang said with a smile. He then returned to the group of elderly members to discuss further.
"South Phoenix's answer is really baffling."
"Yes, the case of Miss Huang is so obvious. The discussion should be about whether to change her to male or female. But South Phoenix's answer is 'no illness'?"
"Intersex, and she says there's no illness?"
"What a hard-to-understand, bewildering response!"
Cheng Jiang returned and said, "Would you all like to hear my opinion?"
The others respectfully asked, "Chairman, please share your thoughts."
"I've also talked to Miss Huang before," Cheng Jiang began. "She's seventeen years old now, going through puberty, and facing the challenges posed by her physical characteristics. However, her distress isn't about her physical features but the pressure from the outside world."
The others were puzzled. "Pressure from the outside world?"
Cheng Jiang nodded, "She has never thought of herself as having a problem. But the attitudes of her family have caused her confusion. If she insists on not having surgery, her parents might be heartbroken."
"So, Miss Huang doesn't want surgery?"
Cheng Jiang explained, "Subjectively, she has long accepted her physical features. In fact, I marked Miss Huang as Number 1 in this round to see how the top scorer of the previous round views this case."
Cheng Jiang smiled, "I didn't expect it, but it turns out we agree."
One of the elders said, "But her notes are sparse, with very little content. How do we grade this?"
Cheng Jiang explained, "For this third round of assessment, we don't need to rank them individually. We just need to select ten out of these twenty candidates to enter the Medical Association."
South Phoenix lowered her cap and waited quietly for the results.
However, at that moment, there was a commotion on the second-floor observation platform.
An elderly man who had come to watch the medical association assessment suddenly collapsed.
His attendants urgently shouted, "Chairman, Chairman Cheng, my master has fainted!"
Cheng Jiang and the others hurriedly went upstairs, and the candidates, including South Phoenix, followed.
They saw the elderly man lying unconscious on the floor, his face turning pale.
(End of this chapter)
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