Chen Mingxi lay uneasily on the temporary hospital bed, her expression filled with undisguised terror. Her abdominal pain was becoming unbearable, even her breathing was accompanied by sharp agony. After a moment of hesitation, she gritted her teeth and nodded, "Okay... alright, I'll... I'll try my best." As she spoke, she even pulled her hem upwards, revealing the flat, snow-white abdomen typical of an eighteen-year-old girl.
Blocked by the curtain and under the watchful eye of Meng Baobao, Gao Fei couldn't see the situation on the temporary bed, which only fueled his anger. He jumped up and down, shouting, "Auntie, Mingxi's stomach already hurts terribly, and Chen Xiao actually said that massage would worsen her pain. This is completely reckless! If you don't stop him, I'm calling the police..."
"Get lost! You know nothing!" Meng Baobao interrupted Gao Fei unceremoniously. Then, she earnestly watched Chen Xiao's hands as he disinfected them with hand sanitizer, her expression one of eager anticipation, as if Chen Xiao's upcoming massage was more spectacular than a demonstration by a world-renowned divine physician.
"Mingxi, I'm starting now." Chen Xiao was fully immersed in preparing for the Liangyi Massage Technique. The profound, wordless golden prescription in his mind whirred rapidly. Completely lost in the moment, as his voice fell, his hands gently pressed onto Chen Mingxi's fair and delicate abdomen.
"Ah! It hurts!" Although Chen Mingxi had been mentally prepared, she couldn't help but cry out in pain. Cold sweat instantly beaded on her exquisite forehead.
Xu Jingyin saw Chen Mingxi's pained expression, her hands trembling slightly, but she immediately began to wipe away the sweat. "Dr. Chen's movements are clearly very gentle, how could it hurt so much?" Meng Baobao couldn't understand. After thinking for a moment, she widened her eyes even further, afraid of missing any subtle detail of Chen Xiao's massage.
Outside the curtain, Gao Fei heard Chen Mingxi's cries and felt his scalp tingle and his heart pound. It wasn't out of concern for Chen Mingxi, but simply because the sound of her pain made him feel pain. For a moment, he stopped mentioning calling the police. Instead, he crossed his arms, sneering, waiting for Chen Xiao to fail. He thought to himself, "Chen Xiao, Chen Xiao, keep digging your own grave. While abdominal pain might not be life-threatening, your recklessness will definitely worsen Chen Mingxi's condition. Even if I don't act, your second uncle Chen Xingwen and second aunt Wang Xiaoxia will make you pay!"
"Ah—" On the temporary hospital bed inside the curtain, Chen Mingxi cried out even louder, her face showing undeniable pain, tears welling up. Xu Jingyin's delicate hand, wiping her cold sweat, trembled even more. Meng Baobao, who had initially been confident in Chen Xiao, also began to feel a little nervous. "The patient's abdominal pain seems to be getting worse. Could Dr. Chen's massage really not be working?"
Just as Meng Baobao hesitated whether to stop Chen Xiao, a flicker of surprise flashed in Chen Mingxi's tear-filled, dim eyes. She realized that as Chen Xiao's rhythmic massage continued, her abdominal pain was actually rapidly diminishing. The reason she was crying out in pain was more due to psychological panic. Filled with surprise and joy, she gritted her teeth to suppress her cries and spoke encouragingly to Chen Xiao, "Brother, your massage seems to be really effective!"
In just this short while, Chen Mingxi's cries had almost driven Chen Xiao to despair. After all, he had massaged Daphne, Song Nuan, and Bai Su with the same technique, and none of them had reacted with such exaggerated pain as Chen Mingxi. Receiving her encouragement, he finally couldn't hold back and let out a long sigh, saying with a wry smile, "Phew! Of course!"
Without the psychological burden, the profound, wordless golden prescription in Chen Xiao's mind spun even faster, and his massage technique became even more fluid. In less than two minutes, as he safely concluded the massage, Chen Mingxi no longer felt any abdominal pain. The look of pain and sickness was completely replaced by a radiant joy.
"Brother, you're amazing!" As she spoke, Chen Mingxi, disregarding her disheveled clothes and hair soaked with cold sweat, suddenly sat up and wrapped her arms around Chen Xiao's neck. Her youthful, delicate body pressed tightly against Chen Xiao's, and her long, shapely legs, encased in tight jeans, provocatively wrapped around his waist.
"What?" Gao Fei was greatly shocked. He suddenly pulled back the offending curtain, just in time to see Chen Mingxi clinging to Chen Xiao. His face instantly turned green, his expression filled with unconcealed envy, jealousy, and hatred, even though Chen Xiao and Chen Mingxi were cousins. What was even harder for him to accept was that Chen Mingxi's mental state had indeed improved significantly. "What's going on? Isn't the little bastard surnamed Chen just a fresh graduate who recently started an internship at the central hospital? How can he cure the difficult abdominal pain that even the major hospitals in Mingzhu City and my aunt couldn't handle? It's unscientific! Absolutely unscientific!"
The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. He couldn't help but try to persuade Chen Mingxi in a matter-of-fact tone, "Mingxi, I know you want to cover for Chen Xiao, but you shouldn't lie about your own health. If this delays your treatment, the consequences could be dire..."
Chen Mingxi's delicate eyebrows furrowed, and she angrily interrupted Gao Fei, "You think I'm faking that my stomach doesn't hurt anymore?"
Gao Fei replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "What else? Even if I believed roosters could lay eggs and barren trees could blossom, I would never believe Chen Xiao's medical skills are truly that amazing." He paused, then glared provocatively at Chen Xiao, his tone even more disdainful, "Chen Xiao, do you dare to let Mingxi get an ultrasound examination?"
"You damn bastard, why haven't you left yet? Don't you have work during the day? Do you need me to call your meticulously designed Director Hong to pick you up?" Meng Baobao had finally recovered from Chen Xiao's astonishing medical skills and was about to praise him profusely when she was unexpectedly interrupted by Gao Fei, and she immediately exploded, verbally and physically assaulting Gao Fei. Gao Fei, despite not even graduating from primary school, had managed to thrive at "Refined Design" mainly due to the patient-doctor relationships Meng Baobao had built over years of medical practice. Her current superior, Director Hong, was a frequent "customer." For a moment, even though he was unwilling to be beaten by Chen Xiao for no reason, he could only cover his head and flee like a mouse seeing a cat.
Meng Baobao's face was full of apology towards Chen Xiao, but she was clearly more concerned about Chen Mingxi's physical condition. Without even bothering to apologize to Chen Xiao on Gao Fei's behalf, she quickly suggested, "Dr. Chen, based on my experience, your cousin's abdominal pain is likely caused by a more troublesome underlying condition. Although you've temporarily relieved her pain, I still recommend further in-depth examination. Otherwise, her abdominal pain will surely recur."
"Wh... what?" Chen Mingxi had been tormented by intermittent abdominal pain for the past few months, developing a psychological shadow. She was instantly terrified, her face turning pale, and she instinctively hid in Chen Xiao's arms, looking like a frightened little sparrow.
Chen Xiao felt a pang of sympathy. After a moment of thought, he led Meng Baobao out to give them privacy, then lowered his voice, "Dr. Meng, actually, I've already diagnosed that my cousin's abdominal pain is caused by a very rare late-stage stomach cancer. I didn't tell her directly because I was afraid she wouldn't be able to accept it. Therefore, I think further in-depth examinations are unnecessary. Please also help me keep this a secret."
"Late-stage... late-stage stomach cancer?" Meng Baobao turned pale as death, her face ashen. As a doctor with years of experience, she was more afraid of cancer than patients, especially late-stage cancer, which meant it was incurable and patients could only watch themselves die. However, amidst her fear, Meng Baobao suddenly realized something was amiss. She quickly shook her head, saying, "Dr. Chen, are you confident in your diagnosis? If it's stomach cancer, there's no reason why the major hospitals in Mingzhu City wouldn't have detected it."
Chen Xiao said with a wry smile, "That's why I say it's a very rare type of stomach cancer. I estimate my cousin likely contracted this disease two years ago, but it was never diagnosed, delaying early treatment, and thus progressing to this late stage." Chen Xiao clearly recalled that Chen Mingxi had often suffered from stomachaches in recent years, frequently visiting the hospital, and Chen Xiao had accompanied her several times, especially during her college entrance examination period.
"This..." Seeing Chen Xiao's confident tone, Meng Baobao was suddenly speechless, her expression filled with worry. It wasn't that she doubted Chen Xiao's diagnosis, but she genuinely felt sorry for Chen Mingxi. She said, "The possibility of curing late-stage stomach cancer is already slim, and on top of that, your cousin has a type that is so rare modern medicine can't even detect it. Is there... is there still hope for recovery..."
Before she could finish, Meng Baobao's face suddenly showed a look of horror, as she clearly saw Chen Mingxi standing not far away. With Chen Xiao's extraordinary perception, he should have already noticed Chen Mingxi eavesdropping around the corner. The reason he didn't detect it immediately was that his mind was entirely occupied with Chen Mingxi's condition. Following Meng Baobao's gaze, he belatedly saw the pale-faced Chen Mingxi, and his heart sank. He quickly rushed forward, confidently assuring her, "Mingxi, don't worry. Although your illness is serious, I am absolutely confident I can cure you!"
Chen Mingxi thought Chen Xiao was just trying to comfort her. She gave a tragic smile and pretended to be carefree, shaking her head, "Brother, just tell me directly, how long do I have left to live?" As soon as she finished speaking, she squatted in front of Chen Xiao, hugging her knees, and burst into tears.
Chen Xiao was quite helpless. With a wry smile, he explained, "Mingxi, I'm really not comforting you. I can genuinely cure your illness. The reason I planned to keep it from you for now is partly to prevent you from worrying unnecessarily like this, and partly because the treatment course is very long, about a semester. I'm debating whether to ask you to apply for a leave of absence from school."
"Wh... what?" Meng Baobao was greatly shocked and exclaimed in disbelief, "Dr. Chen, you... you mean you are confident you can cure late-stage stomach cancer within half a year?"
Chen Xiao shook his head without hesitation, "Mingxi's condition is special, which is why it requires about half a year. For typical late-stage stomach cancer, complete recovery should be possible in two to three months."
"..." Meng Baobao's mouth hung open, completely stunned. She almost couldn't resist kneeling down to Chen Xiao to show her reverence. But Chen Mingxi, in a daze, said, "Brother, I'm hungry. Can you accompany me to the hospital cafeteria for lunch? The first cafeteria where Mom works."