Chen Xiao noticed Xu Jingyin's gaze filled with fear, feeling utterly innocent. However, he was too lazy to explain. Instead, he meticulously examined Luo Qingping. Finally, with a puzzled expression, he said,
"Director Luo, do you really have back pain? According to my diagnosis, there's not a single symptom on your body that could cause back pain!"
As he spoke, he continued to palpate Luo Qingping's lower back through his clothes.
Luo Qingping did not actually have back pain. The main reason he had proactively registered to see Chen Xiao was to get acquainted or, rather, to curry favor.
After all, he suspected that Chen Xiao's connections within the Northern Border Army were undoubtedly extraordinary.
He secretly calculated that if he could foster a good relationship with Chen Xiao, his future would be secure.
However, he never anticipated that Chen Xiao would so easily almost diagnose him with feigning illness. Flustered, he quickly offered a mixed truth and lie explanation:
"Dr. Chen, on my way to work at noon, I was in so much pain I could barely stand it, so I immediately registered with you on my phone. Since even you say it's nothing, I won't bother you further."
He thought to himself that as long as Chen Xiao knew he had resolved Zhao Yanli's trouble, the visit would not have been in vain.
"Wait!"
Just as Luo Qingping was about to get up and leave, Chen Xiao finally felt the old ailment hidden in his lower back and quickly said,
"Director Luo, you were in the army more than twenty years ago, weren't you? According to my diagnosis, you sustained a very severe gunshot wound to your lower back. Although it was treated well at the time, it inevitably left a chronic condition. Perhaps you didn't feel it much when you were younger, but as you've aged, the dull ache, and even the throbbing and stabbing pain in your lower back must have become increasingly frequent and severe in recent years. To be frank, if you continue to delay treatment, you'll be paralyzed before you even retire."
He could diagnose a gunshot wound through clothes? Was this not X-ray vision? It was simply outrageous!
Luo Qingping was speechless, completely stunned on the spot.
His past military service was certainly no secret; too many people at the Central Hospital knew about it. However, the fact that he had been wounded in battle was known to very few, not even his children.
What he found most incredible was that Chen Xiao, through a layer of clothing, had not only diagnosed the gunshot wound but also accurately described the increasing frequency and severity of his lower back pain, including the dull ache, throbbing, and stabbing sensations in recent years.
Imagining himself paralyzed before retirement, he frantically grabbed Dr. Chen's white coat, choking back sobs, and pleaded,
"Dr. Chen... I... I don't want to be paralyzed. Save me... save me..."
Chen Xiao, with a wry smile, nodded:
"Let me try acupuncture first. If you feel it's effective, come see me often. At most a year or a year and a half of treatment, and I guarantee the root of the problem will be eradicated!"
With that, Chen Xiao led Luo Qingping to a temporary bed for acupuncture, using the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Longevity Needles, which possessed miraculous effects such as promoting blood circulation, dispelling stasis, reducing inflammation, and relieving pain.
To maximize the efficacy of the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Longevity Needles, Chen Xiao did not rush to remove them. He had Luo Qingping lie prone on the bed with the needles in place to rest, while he continued to see other patients.
Unconsciously, after attending to several more patients, he welcomed the last patient who had proactively registered in the system – the couple Zheng Liming and Pan Haitang.
And because of their arrival, especially Pan Haitang's, the previously calm waiting hall instantly erupted into a stir.
"My heavens! That woman wearing sunglasses looks like Professor Pan Haitang from our provincial medical university's Traditional Chinese Medicine department! Why is she here at the Central Hospital's outpatient department to register and wait? Could it be that the Central Hospital has top experts seeing patients today?"
"Top experts my foot! The doctor in examination room number eight seems to be named Chen Xiao. Just a few days ago, he was an intern in the inpatient department, a beneficiary of connections. Rumor has it he's useless except for being handsome, otherwise, why would so few patients willingly register for him?"
"So, Chen Xiao's powerful backer is likely Pan Haitang? Pan Haitang deliberately registered under Chen Xiao's name to promote him? Tsk tsk tsk, a professor from the provincial medical university's Traditional Chinese Medicine department actually comes to the Central Hospital to register for an unknown junior doctor. That's quite the publicity!"
"No matter how great the publicity, it's useless. The medical field isn't the entertainment industry. Since this Mr. Chen is useless except for being handsome, he's destined to be a failure!"
"Are you mistaken? Professor Pan's body odor is quite famous, but that woman was sitting next to me earlier, and I didn't smell any body odor!"
Amidst the rising tide of discussions, Pan Haitang, upon entering, meekly said to Chen Xiao,
"Dr. Chen, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you again!"
Zheng Liming, who followed closely behind, closed the door while handing the registration slip to Chen Xiao, adding with a fawning expression,
"Dr. Chen... Dr. Chen, as per your instructions, that scoundrel Zheng Youzhi has already been handed over to the police. We beg for your understanding."