"You clearly lack the ability to manage a company, yet you insist on competing with Yan Yan at every turn. Haven't the bitter lessons of Da Song Pharmaceutical being ruined by you been enough?"
"I taught you martial arts from a young age, hoping you could protect the old man, but why was he still poisoned without anyone noticing? Could the killer be you?"
"Tell me, are you coveting the old man's fortune?"
Faced with the relentless, soul-searching questions from the phone, Song Xiangyu's knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground.
Ignoring the large expanses of fair skin exposed beneath her short sleep dress, she shook her head repeatedly as if seeing a ghost, denying in terror, "No! It wasn't me! I didn't! Brother, you're wronging me!"
Fearing that Song Wanliang, her natural enemy, would continue to pester her, she quickly choked out, "I... I heard you're back? The... the old man wants you to accompany him to Central Hospital. Yan Yan seems... seems to already have someone she likes. He's... a doctor who's useless except for being handsome, so the old man really... really dislikes him. And... and if I'm not mistaken, the poison the old man was given might... might be related to that guy."
On the other end of the line, Song Wanliang suddenly fell silent. The sharp-eared Song Xiangyu could faintly hear his increasingly heavy breathing from the phone, and for a moment, she dared not even breathe.
After a long while, Song Wanliang's voice, now deeper, said, "I understand."
...
As Meng Lanlan and her son Gao Fei left, Song Yan found herself alone with Chen Xiao in examination room number eight. She suddenly chided him in a spoiled tone, "Dr. Chen, didn't you promise to cure my illness within seven days if I accepted your massage? Counting the time, it's been so long since you last massaged me at Zhe Gutian. And I've been diligently taking the Dragon Liver Phoenix Marrow Soup during this time, so why have I been feeling palpitations, chest tightness, dizziness, and even occasional mild angina these past two days?"
Xu Jingyin had taken temporary leave from both Chen Xiao and Meng Baobao to go to the bank to cash a check, as her grandmother back in the village had suddenly fallen gravely ill.
It was now lunchtime, and Chen Xiao, looking at the only registered patient on the system – Song Yan – felt a strange mix of amusement and exasperation. He explained, "When I said I'd guarantee to cure you within seven days, I meant seven consecutive days of massage, not that you'd be completely recovered seven days after just one session. You disappeared for so long, and you're blaming me?"
"I disappeared because I was worried the online revelations would be detrimental to you..."
Song Yan instinctively wanted to retort, but her sharp intellect made her realize she had signed a non-disclosure agreement. Even though it had expired, she paused and then said, "Alright, alright, it's my fault. I'll trouble you for the next seven days then."
After a period of home isolation, Song Yan found that not only did she no longer object to Chen Xiao's massages, but she also inexplicably looked forward to them. Her face flushed as she spoke.
"It's a small matter."
Chen Xiao couldn't help but steal a glance at Song Yan's tightly wrapped chest before composing himself and drawing the curtain around the examination bed.
Song Yan, feeling both guilty and shy, couldn't help but look back at the open door. "What if someone suddenly walks in?"
Given her status, any minor ailment would naturally be handled by a private family doctor. She had never been to an outpatient clinic in her life, so she naturally felt apprehensive.
"Just close it. It'll be fine."
Chen Xiao, not thinking much of it, casually closed and locked the door.
"Thank you."
Song Yan finally felt a little more at ease. However, as she lay down on the temporary examination bed with the curtain drawn, facing Chen Xiao, her heart began to race again. She felt uneasy and shy, her gaze betraying her apprehension because... because she felt the area Chen Xiao was about to massage was far too conspicuous. It was at least two sizes larger than her sister Song Nuan's, and she'd never dared to consider Song Nuan's revealing, sexy attire.
Considering the difference between genders, Chen Xiao prepared to blindfold himself, just as he had done when he massaged the gravely ill Song Yan at Zhe Gutian. This time, however, Song Yan's neck, as elegant as a white swan's, lacked the beautiful silk scarf. So, he tore off a small piece of medical gauze.
Seeing this, Song Yan couldn't resist saying, as if possessed, "Dr. Chen, I absolutely trust your character and medical ethics. Do we really need to blindfold you this time?"
Chen Xiao, facing Song Yan, who was exquisitely beautiful, voluptuously proportioned, and impeccably dressed yet exuded an irresistible allure from head to toe, felt immense pressure. He couldn't help but say with a wry smile, "But I don't trust myself!"
As he spoke, he quickly blindfolded himself with the medical gauze and then, like a blind man feeling an elephant, cautiously reached out towards Song Yan.
Chen Xiao's words echoed in Song Yan's mind. Her already flushed face grew even hotter, her heart pounding. But just then, her phone, which she had deliberately set to vibrate and placed by her pillow, rang.
She saw Chen Xiao's hands were now mere inches from her prominent chest. She had intended to reject the call directly, but upon seeing that the caller ID was Song Xiangyu, she felt a sense of unease. After a moment's thought, she nervously said, "Dr. Chen, I'm truly sorry, but may I take this call first?"
"Of course, you can! Go ahead!"
Chen Xiao didn't think much of it. He turned away generously, not even bothering to remove the blindfold, thinking he would begin his Yin-Yang Ghost Hand massage once Song Yan finished her call.
"Hoo!"
Trusting Chen Xiao, Song Yan didn't try to avoid the call. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she answered the phone lying on the temporary bed, "Aunt, what's wrong?"
On the other end, Song Xiangyu had forgotten her usual authoritative aunt persona and said nervously, "Yan... Yan Yan, you should be with Dr. Chen right now, right? Listen to me, hurry... hurry and leave Central Hospital and call the old man immediately to explain. If possible, have Dr. Chen hide for a while too, because... because the old man has already set off with my brother to find you!"
"Wh-what? Uncle... when did Uncle return to the country?"
In an instant, Song Yan felt as if struck by lightning, her composure shattered. She uncontrollably scrambled off the bed, tidying her slightly disheveled clothes and long black hair. Clearly, she feared Song Wanliang as much as Song Xiangyu did.
Moreover, she suffered from a rare heart condition, making her psychological resilience far weaker than that of ordinary people. In her panic, she felt dizzy, her chest tightened, and the angina intensified. As soon as she got off the bed, she suddenly collapsed onto Chen Xiao's back, her phone clattering to the ground and freezing.
Chen Xiao, curious about the identity of "my brother," the "uncle" whom Song Yan feared so much, suddenly felt a soft warmth on his back. He quickly turned to support her, tearing off the medical gauze blindfold. To his horror, Song Yan's face was ashen, her severe illness evident on her features. He quickly helped her back onto the temporary bed and said, "Are you feeling a sudden onset of your illness? Don't worry, lie down and relax. I'll give you a massage right now!"
Fighting waves of dizziness, Song Yan repeatedly shook her head, pleading, "Chen... Dr. Chen, I suddenly don't want to stay in this cold hospital to get treated. Could you... could you please find another place? Otherwise... otherwise, I'd rather die! Please... please!"
She had no idea that the sharp-eared Chen Xiao had overheard Song Xiangyu's words on the phone. She just wanted to get Chen Xiao away from Central Hospital as quickly as possible. Although this might further complicate her relationship with Chen Xiao and make it harder to explain to the increasingly suspicious Song Kaichao, she was too worried about Chen Xiao being harmed by Song Wanliang to take any risks.
Driven by her fear of Song Wanliang and her concern for Chen Xiao, she tightly grasped Chen Xiao's clothes as soon as she finished speaking, as if afraid he wouldn't follow her. Her alluring, soulful eyes were teary, threatening to break down at any moment.
"This..."
Chen Xiao could never have imagined that the usually composed and gentle Song Yan would be so flustered and worried about him. Both surprised and touched, he hesitated for a moment before bending down, scooping Song Yan into his arms, and rushing out the door. Under the stunned gazes of dozens, even hundreds, of people in the waiting hall, he headed straight for the underground parking lot. After all, a young, tall, handsome doctor in a white coat carrying a peerless beauty whose figure alone could outshine international supermodels was quite a sensational sight.
"Chen, you think you can run now that trouble is at your doorstep? Not a chance!"
Meng Lanlan, who had been hiding in the crowd, her eyes red, cursed under her breath and pulled Gao Fei to her side to give chase.
Gao Fei was startled. "Mom, what are you doing? Miss Song is here too!"
Meng Lanlan replied without hesitation, "Silly son, it's precisely because that blind woman is here that we must seize the opportunity to extort them!"
"Huh?"
Gao Fei blinked in surprise, then suddenly became energized as if injected with adrenaline. Forgetting his injuries and the glass teacup in his mouth, he quickened his pace, soon dragging the panting Meng Lanlan to catch up with Chen Xiao. He then said sinisterly, "Chen Xiao, you're in such a hurry to take Miss Song away from Central Hospital. Are you afraid Miss Song's family will come after you?"
Meng Lanlan, not even pausing to catch her breath, quickly rushed forward to block the door of Song Yan's Maserati, interjecting sarcastically, "Miss Song, unless you have Chen Xiao remove the glass teacup from my precious son's mouth, you two can expect your love to be torn apart!"
She paused, then added greedily, "Oh, and I'd like to personally attend to Mr. Song's daily needs. I hope Miss Song can arrange that as well."
Gao Fei followed closely, sticking to Song Yan's car like a stubborn piece of gum.
"You... you guys..."
Song Yan was suffering from her illness and worried about Song Kaichao suddenly appearing with Song Wanliang, making it difficult for her to speak clearly.
Chen Xiao sneered, "Tear your love apart? I think it's more like kicking two dogs!"
As soon as he finished speaking, before Meng Lanlan and her son could react, he lunged forward and swept his leg out, sending them tumbling. Effortlessly, he placed Song Yan, who weighed significantly more than the average woman, into the car. Then, he turned sharply, raised his foot, and stomped on Gao Fei's mouth and nose, his voice growing colder, "Since you're begging me to remove the teacup from your mouth, fine, I'll oblige!"
With that, he stomped down hard, shattering the glass teacup in Gao Fei's mouth!