Fu Qingli was filled with a complex of emotions there and then. As if not enough, the hint of taunt in Shen Xi’s fleeting glance was a tight slap on his face.
He looked to his younger brothers and aunt, letting out a sigh of relief as the other family members were not the least bit suspicious of her true identity.
Well, he should just go with it since Shen Xi had no intentions of letting them know.
Shen Xi fearlessly met his gaze. The man who usually had a bone to pick and looked down on her like a commanding king looked away.
She was right.
He was shying away from her.
Fu Qingli could not look her in the eye, nor did he unleash his fury and attack on Shen Xi. Instead, he simply nodded and got up to move aside.
Fu Junqiu introduced Shen Xi to Fu Qingli without catching on to the stormy stare down between the two.
Fu Qingye, on the other hand, picked up on the subtle changes on Fu Qingli’s face. It happened rather quickly, but Fu Qingye was able to detect the instant change in his brother.
He arched his head towards the bed, observing the young man who was checking on Mom’s pulse. His eyes alighted with probe and suspicion.
Did Qingli know him?
Qingli must know him.
Completely oblivious, Fu Qingxuan nervously stood by Shen Xi as he held his breath, waiting for the diagnosis.
With her face growing solemn after taking the pulse, Shen Xi turned to Fu Qingxuan and uttered, “Madam Fu has fallen ill from constant depression, leading her antibodies to give in to the flu. The medication you used is too heavy on her. She’s too fragile to handle such strong medication.”
It was true that Madam Fu had the flu, but the real cause was a mental breakdown from depression. The sudden outburst took a toll on her, and as a result, her body came crashing down.
With her words sinking in, Fu Qingxuan turned teary-eyed and spoke in a hoarse voice, “Is there more?”
As a doctor himself, he was aware that the situation was more than met the eye. Otherwise, Mom would not fall unconscious.
Shen Xi gave him a dead serious look. “The flu has spread to her entire body. It won’t be effective even if you’ve given the right dosage.”
It registered in his head at last. Fu Qingxuan majored in Western medicine and probably only had little knowledge about traditional Chinese medicine. Nevertheless, even an experienced traditional Chinese medicine doctor would not be able to diagnose Madam Fu’s illness, much less treat it.
Depression was not a disease but proved deadlier than one. If the flu were to spread for a few more days, she would likely be beyond salvation.
Illness that could be detected on the physical body was no issue whereas the real nightmare was a mental disorder. Death by heartbreak was no joke.
As odd as it sounded, Shen Xi dared to say that she was the only one in the world capable of making the diagnosis through pulse, not even the most cutting-edge medical equipment. Those were mere mindless machines.
“Are you able to cure my mom’s illness?” For some reason, Fu Qingli was shaking when asking this question.
Exactly.
Was it curable?
He had experienced far too many defeats, doubts, and despairs for the past week and no longer wanted to repeat that hell.
During this one week, all the top doctors in the world were summoned to the lab, but even they, the medical miracles in the eyes of the public, could not relieve even the simplest fever symptom.
After all the disappointment, all that was left was despair. Fu Qingxuan also doubted his expertise. People said that he was good, but what was good about him?
Unable to diagnose his own mother’s illness, Fu Qingxuan was forced to watch as his mother collapsed and worsened by the day.
This feeling hurt as much as driving a knife to his heart.
The state of loss and anticipation put Fu Qingxuan nowhere near his genius doctor self. He was now the patient’s family, a son who hoped his mom would pull through. Shen Xi said, “I will try my best.”
As a doctor, it was ideal that she did not give a definite answer, especially in front of Fu Qingli.
“What do you need?” Fu Qingxuan barely talked, only asking the important questions.
He trusted her.
The trust came so naturally to Fu Qingxuan. Perhaps it was her resolute eyes, calm composure, structured examination, or simply due to her presence.
“Chinese medicine, medicine jar, and a medical furnace.” Shen Xi asked for a pen and paper to write down the medicine and dosage she needed before handing the paper over. “These.”
It might be the lamest method in people’s eyes, but the lousiest and most discreet way was the most effective.
Having no qualms and hesitation about the prescription, Fu Qingxuan got right to it.
No one butted in during the conversation as the rest of the family members knew that Fu Qingxuan was the doctor in the family.
With Fu Qingxuan gone, Fu Qingye approached Shen Xi, wanting to say something.
Fu Qingli jumped in to cut Fu Qingye off. He turned to Shen Xi. “Dr. Jiu Zhou, we’d leave our mom to you.”
Shen Xi had never seen him so polite. His eyes were without the detestable probe and coldness, giving way to calmness and a little bit of trust in them. She felt weird about it but remained courteous. “The medicine will start to take effect after Madam Fu consumes it. I’d need to apply acupuncture to her then. Sorry to take up the time.”
She wanted nothing more than to leave, and yet it was not time to do so. The fleeting trust in Fu Qingli’s eyes did put her in a less hating mood.
Fu Qingli nodded in acknowledgment before turning to Fu Qingye. “Qingye, take Dr. Jiu Zhou to a room for a rest.”
Jiu Zhou?
How did she come up with such a name?
Could she not pick something better?
Nevertheless, since the girl came here to examine Mom in disguise, Fu Qingli did not have to worry about her exposing her identity to his brothers.
Was it possible that he had not played fair and judged her wrongly?
For the first time in his life, Fu Qingli questioned his own judgment. With that, a seed of doubt was sown in his mind.
Shen Xi had no idea about Fu Qingli’s criticism of her. From the corner of her eye, she glanced at the woman lying in bed before taking off alongside Fu Qingye.
With their footsteps a fading scurry, and the door shutting behind him, Fu Qingli looked at the bedridden woman in agony. As he held her hand, the coldness in his eyes disappeared, leaving behind only heartache. His voice was raspy and hurt. “Mom, I’m sorry. My incompetence is to blame.”
