Fumbling, Chen Xiao picked up a palm-sized cosmetic mirror from the desk next to him and looked at himself. He saw the faint hickey on his cheek and suddenly understood why doctors, nurses, patients, and their families had been looking at him strangely since he walked from the underground parking lot. Utterly flustered, he wished he could disappear into a crack in the earth.
Bao Xinlai and the others grew even more smug, eagerly chiming in with righteous indignation:
"Nurse Xu, go directly to Dr. Meng and report him. This Chen fellow publicly slandered your purity; even dismissal would be too lenient!"
"Chen, are you even human? How could you bear to use Nurse Xu's reputation to show off? How is she supposed to live her life after this?"
"Chen Xiao, our outpatient department doesn't welcome scum like you. If you have any shred of humanity left, you should request a transfer!"
The moment Xu Jingyin saw the hickey on Chen Xiao's face, she felt an inexplicable pang in her chest and instinctively lowered her head further.
But as Bao Xinlai and the others intensified their scolding of Chen Xiao, she suddenly felt a twinge of sympathy.
Amidst the rising tide of curses, she inexplicably took out a personal tissue and handed it to Chen Xiao. Then, facing everyone without hesitation, her voice trembling with emotion, she said:
"No! It's not like that! Dr. Chen isn't lying. He did go to my home last night, and as for... as for the hickey on his face, I left it there last night."
As always, her voice was soft, almost inaudible beneath the barrage of insults, yet each word carried a powerful resonance.
As her words faded and she fled the room covering her face, the office, which had been a cacophony moments before, fell into an absolute silence so profound one could hear a pin drop.
The male doctors like Bao Xinlai either gaped in astonishment or scowled fiercely.
Fearing a physical assault from his colleagues on his first day of official practice, Chen Xiao hastily wiped off the hickey on his face and bolted back to Examination Room Eight.
Xu Jingyin was organizing the medical equipment and the previous day's case files, her eyes slightly red, her head bowed low as if she didn't want to speak to Chen Xiao.
However, the pink thermos and the two opened Shen Bao pills on the polished desk were clearly her special preparations for Chen Xiao.
Looking at her pitiable appearance, Chen Xiao suddenly regretted using her to provoke Bao Xinlai and the others. He cautiously apologized:
"Nurse Xu, I'm truly sorry, I..."
Instinctively covering her ears, Xu Jingyin said in a muffled voice:
"Dr. Chen, you don't need to explain to me. I don't want to know who left the hickey on your face, but you should indeed exercise moderation, lest it harm your health."
"I..."
Chen Xiao was speechless, suddenly unsure how to respond. After a moment's thought, he resigned himself to a wry smile and took the Shen Bao pills Xu Jingyin had prepared.
The upcoming consultations would undoubtedly require the use of Yin Yang Ghost Hand, Six Meridians Divine Needle, or the Heavenly Di Earthly Fiends Star Needle techniques. Taking more Shen Bao pills would indeed be beneficial.
Soon, office hours began.
Chen Xiao welcomed his first patient, Yaso, a blond, blue-eyed Caucasian, and his blind daughter, Daphne.
To avoid the eyes of the Northern Border Army's informants hidden in the Central Hospital and to approach Chen Xiao discreetly, Yaso devised the plan of registering for a consultation.
Upon finally seeing Chen Xiao in his white coat, Yaso, who had been feigning a stomachache, almost gave himself away from suppressed joy.
But Chen Xiao saw at a glance that Yaso was in excellent health and thus assumed that the patient was actually Daphne, who was visually impaired. He casually placed his hand on Daphne's fair and delicate wrist to take her pulse, his eyes closed, and the mysterious, wordless golden formula in his mind whirred rapidly.
In less than three seconds, Chen Xiao's eyes snapped open, and he calmly instructed Xu Jingyin:
"Drug-induced allergic blindness is tricky, but the possibility of a full recovery is high. I need to first use acupuncture combined with medication to temporarily restore the patient's sight, and then further diagnose the damage to the eye to determine the final treatment plan. Nurse Xu, please go to the pharmacy to retrieve the medication according to the prescription I'm writing!"
As he spoke, he rapidly typed on the computer keyboard and printed a slip, handing it to the stunned Yaso:
"Family member, please proceed to payment."
Daphne's forehead was covered in dark lines. She said with a wry smile:
"Doctor, you've made a mistake. My father is the one who needs to see the doctor. He's been complaining of a stomachache since before dawn this morning."
"Hmm? Stark?"
Chen Xiao opened the computer system to verify the identity information of Yaso, who had registered under a pseudonym. He found that the gender field was indeed male, and he was immediately puzzled:
"But according to my observation, this Mr. Stark is in excellent health and could not possibly have a stomachache."
"My father is in unbearable pain. Otherwise, why would he be seeking emergency treatment?"
Daphne grew increasingly convinced that Chen Xiao was unreliable. She switched to English and said to Yaso:
"Dad, this doctor doesn't seem very dependable. Shall we find another doctor and re-register?"