Hospital Room:
Su Mei stood up from her bed and silently walked towards the door, intending to leave without attracting attention. But as she reached the floor stairs, she overheard a woman's voice.
Turning her head, she saw a young woman dressed in trekking gear, her face pale from crying.
"How can you guys not find a solution after 2 days? He's been coughing for two whole days! What kind of doctors are you? Are you sure this is the renowned Fei group? I'm done with you guys—bring me the experts, do something!" the woman shouted at the top of her lungs, her frustration palpable.
The nurses nearby shivered at the sight of the beautiful yet violent woman, who exuded a sexy, stylish, and devilish aura. Despite her fierce demeanor, her striking appearance made it difficult for people to look away.
Su Mei, intending to leave, hesitated when she heard an elderly man coughing continuously. The sound tugged at her sense of duty as a doctor, reminding her of the oath she had taken.
Torn between her personal situation and her professional responsibilities, Su Mei decided to approach the woman.
"Hey," Su Mei said, gently patting the woman's shoulder.
The woman, Ji Mian, turned to glare at Su Mei, clearly expecting an explanation.
"Mind if I take a look?" Su Mei asked in a subtle tone.
Ji Mian stared at Su Mei for a few good minutes, then looked at her coughing grandfather.
The doctor beside them started to sweat nervously.
"Miss, please do not cause trouble. This is not something you can meddle with," the doctor in charge spoke up.
"Yes, please do not create any—" another specialist began to say, but was stopped by Ji Mian, who raised a hand, signaling for them to be quiet.
"Are you sure you can help me? My grandfather is the only man left for me in this world... If something happens to him, I might not let you go," Ji Mian said, her voice firm with determination.
"Hmm... I will cure your grandpa, but I have some queries. Can I ask you?" Su Mei responded as she began to walk towards the ward.
Before she could open the door, the nurse stopped her.
"Ms. Ji, we can't let her enter the ward," the doctor in charge insisted.
"I will bear the responsibility," Ji Mian replied without hesitation.
"Ms. Ji, we've tried everything we can in the past two days, and it wasn't possible for us... Why not wait for Mr. Chairman? He's returning tonight after the seminar. He's rushing here knowing Mr. Ji is ill... Why not..." the doctor continued, but Ji Mian interrupted him.
"Ms. Su, I will leave Grandpa in your hands. Please ask me whatever questions you have," Ji Mian said, bowing slightly to Su Mei.
The attending doctor looked incredulous, wanting to object, but Ji Mian turned towards the corridor, spotting her assistant approaching with some papers. She took the documents, signed them, and handed them to the attending doctor.
"I have signed a document where the hospital is not responsible if anything happens to my grandpa... Now, I ask you to please shut up," Ji Mian said, her patience clearly wearing thin.
Su Mei smiled and walked into the room, brushing past the nurse who had tried to stop her. Ji Mian followed her inside.
"When something happens, then you shall know," the doctor muttered mockingly as he retreated to his cabin, followed by the rest of the staff.
Su Mei observed the old man coughing incessantly, his condition rapidly deteriorating despite the oxygen mask. After hearing Ji Mian's explanation and thoroughly reviewing the medical files, she decided to take a different approach.
10 Minutes Later:
After performing a comprehensive Western medical assessment and finding no clear cause, Su Mei frowned, feeling that she had missed something crucial. She turned back to the old man, who was barely conscious, and gently pressed on specific acupuncture points along his meridians. She noticed a slight tightness in his chest, and his cough momentarily worsened before subsiding slightly. His weak and wiry pulse suggested an underlying imbalance rather than a straightforward respiratory issue.
As she rethought the situation, Su Mei began to connect the dots.
"Ms. Ji, is there a way I can get sesame oil?" Su Mei asked after 15 minutes of examination.
Though confused, Ji Mian quickly ordered her assistant to retrieve the oil.
While waiting, Su Mei searched around and then touched her locket. Pressing a small node, the middle jade piece fell into her hand just as the assistant returned with the oil.
Su Mei took the oil and turned towards the assistant, meeting his gaze directly. The assistant, taken aback by Su Mei's captivating presence, almost blushed but managed to maintain his composure.
"Can you help me turn Mr. Ji around?" Su Mei asked with a subtle smile. The assistant, despite being used to being around beauty, couldn't help but blush and stare at her in awe. Her slight smile was almost breathtaking, her lively eyes stirring his heart.
Nevertheless, he quickly regained his composure and assisted in turning the old man around. As they removed the mask, the old man's cough became more violent.
"Should I put the mask back?" the assistant asked, avoiding eye contact with Su Mei.
"Not needed, thank you," she replied with a brief smile.
Su Mei then squeezed some sesame oil into her hand and applied it evenly on the old man's upper back to ensure proper lubrication. Holding the jade stone at a 30-45 degree angle, she gently scraped it along his upper back and shoulders using long, downward strokes. She focused on areas related to lung health, continuing the process until the skin showed red marks, indicating the release of blocked energy and toxins.
Ji Mian watched in anxious silence, hoping for a miracle.
Su Mei calmly wiped off the excess oil from her hands and walked toward the washroom with a slight smile. The room fell into a tense silence, broken only by the sound of the old man's coughing, which gradually shifted to longer pauses between each cough.
As Su Mei returned, drying her hands with tissues, she observed the old man. Within just five minutes, his cough had subsided almost entirely. Ji Mian, who had been watching anxiously, was flabbergasted, staring at Su Mei as if she were witnessing a miracle.
"He is fine now," Su Mei said, her tone reassuring. "My only advice for Mr. Ji is to stay warm, rest, and drink warm fluids, like ginger tea, to aid in his recovery."
Ji Mian, still in shock, watched as Su Mei calmly placed the jade stone back into her locket. Su Mei then walked to the table, took out a pen and paper, and quickly scribbled something down before handing it to Ji Mian.
"This is my email ID. I don't have a phone yet, but if you give me your number, I'll call you this afternoon once I get my phone, so you can update me on Mr. Ji's condition," Su Mei explained.
"Un… Understood, but what exactly did you do?" Ji Mian asked, still trying to process the rapid improvement in her grandfather's condition.
"The reason for his cough is related to the hiking. When you hike at high altitudes, it can sometimes cause 'wind-cold' to invade the body. This is a concept in Chinese medicine where exposure to cold wind can lead to respiratory symptoms without clear physical findings," Su Mei explained patiently. "I suspected that Mr. Ji's cough was due to mild respiratory irritation, possibly exacerbated by environmental factors during the hike, such as inhaling cold air or even mild pollen or dust that wouldn't show up in standard tests. So, I decided to use a small but effective Chinese medicine technique called Gua Sha."
Ji Mian and her assistant stared at her in awe. They were witnessing the work of a genius.
"Are you a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner?" Ji Mian asked, her voice filled with newfound respect.
"I completed a double study in Western and Chinese Medicine, with a major in music and minor in computer science," Su Mei replied with a humble smile, as if it were a simple achievement.
"This… I never knew one could study both Western and Chinese medicine simultaneously, let alone with a major in music and minor in computer science," the assistant remarked, blown away by her qualifications. However, Ji Mian's face bore an expression of sudden recognition.
"So I wasn't wrong. You are... Se—?" Ji Mian began, but before she could finish, Su Mei swiftly covered her mouth and turned to face the assistant, cutting off the conversation abruptly.