Chen Quan waved his hand dismissively. “I don’t need it.”
He could eat, relieve himself, and sleep perfectly fine without any issues whatsoever. There was absolutely no reason to waste time on this.
Making him sit there foolishly for so long like Zining did? He couldn’t stand it.
And that stuff about rhinitis… Honestly, just listening carefully to Zining’s speech would reveal that nasal tone. And that final leap from lung qi to spleen deficiency? Utter nonsense.
Shen Jiang’s gaze lingered on his face for a few seconds, as if unwilling to give up. She continued to invite him to sit down, emphasizing, “I won’t charge a consultation fee.”
Chen Quan’s lips twitched. Was this about money? He simply didn’t want her to examine him at all.
Seeing Chen Quan’s evasive attitude, Zining immediately flared up.
Here was Doctor Shen, such a skilled physician, having to humble herself and practically beg Chen Quan to let her examine him. Was he that full of himself?
Zining’s face darkened as she issued an unceremonious command to Chen Quan: “Hurry up! If Doctor Shen didn’t take a liking to you today, do you think you’d get a free consultation?”
She glared at him with threatening eyes, as if saying, “If you don’t come over right now, you’re dead.”
Chen Quan thought to himself that he precisely didn’t want to take advantage of this free offer. However, all his impatience was scolded away by Zining. Looking at her furious, puffed-up face, he fell silent and obediently sat down opposite Shen Jiang.
Fine, let his ox-like robust physique give this young TCM practitioner a shock from a truly healthy person then.
Seeing him finally relent, Zining inwardly cursed him for needing to be put in his place. She immediately turned to Shen Jiang with an extremely radiant smile. “I’ll take photos for you. Just pretend I’m not here. Relax, and you’ll look better in the photos.”
Shen Jiang was somewhat amused and exasperated. Zining’s ability to switch expressions was truly masterful. One moment she could be scowling at Chen Quan, and the next she’d be all sunshine and smiles towards someone else.
This young couple was quite amusing. Whenever the girlfriend erupted, the boyfriend would inexplicably become obedient, completely unbothered by her harshness towards him in front of others.
Although these two never mentioned their relationship and showed no overly affectionate gestures, Shen Jiang, as an outsider, could instantly detect that subtle, pink-bubble-filled atmosphere between them.
Truly, one was willing to beat, the other was willing to be beaten.
But this time, Shen Jiang’s expression was noticeably more serious than when she had taken Zining’s pulse.
Unlike before with Zining, where she only used one hand, she now indicated for Chen Quan to place both hands on the table. She simultaneously felt the pulses on his left and right wrists.
Chen Quan entirely attributed her demeanor to his earlier refusal, which had bruised the young female doctor’s pride, making her want to show off her skills now.
Several minutes passed, and Shen Jiang still hadn’t finished. Chen Quan began growing impatient. When Zining was sitting here earlier, he had scrolled through his phone, and time had flown by. Now, it was his turn, and he realized just how long this pulse-taking could drag on.
He had accompanied Zining to numerous TCM clinics before. Even though he’d never consulted a doctor himself, he had watched them examine other patients.
Wasn’t it always over in just a few minutes? Feel the pulse, ask the patient some questions, then swiftly write a prescription – it never took more than a few minutes.
Chen Quan’s impression of Traditional Chinese Medicine was that it seemed rather mystical—just three fingers pressed against a patient’s wrist could supposedly reveal all sorts of diagnoses. To him, the wrist only had a pulse—nothing more. But he’d never say this in front of Zining. Her obsession with TCM was practically like celebrity worship; if he dared speak a single word against it, their partnership would likely end that very day.
Was this young female doctor even competent?
He’d insisted repeatedly that he didn’t need an examination, yet she’d insisted—even pulling the gimmick of taking pulses from both wrists simultaneously, purely for the camera’s benefit.
Well, now she’d see. Given his robust health, she’d understand what “riding a tiger” truly meant—being in an untenable position with no easy way out.
He’d just wait and see how this junior TCM practitioner would dig herself out of this hole.
Shen Jiang could tell the nonchalant young man didn’t actually believe in TCM as much as he claimed.
Especially since her pulse-taking began, he’d maintained an air of disinterest.
Having grown up in a medical clinic, Shen Jiang had encountered countless patients like Chen Quan—many dragged there by family members against their will.
Human pulse manifestations are endlessly variable. Among the twenty-eight pulse types, each has three or four closely resembling variations. With limited time, Shen Jiang couldn’t confidently draw conclusions immediately.
To be fair, Chen Quan’s attitude remained tolerable—at least superficially cooperative, following instructions without nitpicking or audible complaints.
Following roughly the same procedure and duration as before, Zining adapted well to this deliberate diagnostic pace. She reasoned that while Shen Jiang possessed solid medical skills, her youth inevitably meant she needed more pulse-taking time compared to Old TCM doctors.
After all, any cat that catches mice is a good cat—regardless of color.
Mechanically complying with Shen Jiang’s requests to repeatedly stick out his tongue, Chen Quan suppressed his impatience and grinned cheekily: “Maybe I’m just too perfectly healthy? If you can’t find anything wrong, Doctor Shen, that’s not your fault—blame my excessive healthiness. We really don’t need to force a diagnosis. At worst, we’ll just cut this segment from the video.”
Zining nearly choked seeing his insincere grin. Glancing at Doctor Shen, she noticed the previously stern expression had darkened further.
Doctor Shen must have been offended by this guy!
As Zining willed Chen Quan to shut his mouth and behave, Shen Jiang finally relaxed her furrowed brow and spoke:
“Your condition will be somewhat troublesome to treat.”
Chen Quan froze, retorting: “How could I possibly be sick? You must be mistaken.”
Shen Jiang shook her head.
“Your pulse indicates nodules—likely thyroid nodules.”
Truthfully, her initial offer to examine Chen Quan stemmed from noticing something off about his complexion.
Bodily ailments manifest through facial and ocular signs. Unlike women who wear makeup, Chen Quan’s face revealed his body’s true condition—clear as day to Shen Jiang.
Chen Quan’s face instantly darkened. He snapped irritably: “What, are you a CT scanner? Thyroid nodules? Why not just paste ‘Miracle Doctor’ on your forehead and be done with it.”
His words came out sharp, practically dripping with gunpowder.
Zining abruptly leaned out from behind the camera, signaling him to watch his tone—they were still filming.
Unexpectedly, Chen Quan broke from his usual demeanor this time, speaking gruffly and bluntly, “Alright, stop filming. There’s no point in recording further—I’m not sick at all.”
Only then did Zining realize her friend was genuinely angry. Sensing the tense atmosphere, she quickly turned off her phone’s camera and walked over to them.
Shen Jiang remained completely unfazed by Chen Quan’s furious expression, maintaining her calm composure. “This condition is essentially an emotional disorder, so it’s important to keep a cheerful mood. You should be careful in daily life—avoid staying up late and don’t overeat iodine-rich foods like kelp or seaweed. Understand?”
Seeing her still putting on an act, Chen Quan felt his anger boil over. Though he refrained from shouting insults, he had no intention of staying in this wretched clinic any longer. He stood up immediately and strode out.
“Hey, Chen Quan, at least wait for me to pack my things!”
Hearing Zining’s call from behind, Chen Quan’s steps faltered slightly before he quickened his pace and marched out of the clinic.
Watching him leave without even a backward glance, Zining sighed and apologized to Shen Jiang, “I’m sorry, Doctor Shen. My friend… he’s not usually like this. Please don’t take it personally.”
Shen Jiang shook her head, unbothered. However, she asked, “Do you still want me to prepare your medicine here?”
“Of course! I’m counting on you to cure my rhinitis,” Zining replied with a natural smile, though concern soon clouded her expression. “…Does my friend really have thyroid nodules? Is it serious?”
Touched by Zining’s unwavering trust in her medical skills, Shen Jiang felt a warmth in her heart. “Didn’t I mention there’s good news too? I can cure his nodules.”
Noticing it was getting late and she still needed to visit her grandma at the hospital, Shen Jiang exchanged contact information with Zining. She promised to mail the medicine as soon as possible, explaining that the clinic’s herbal stock was currently incomplete and she couldn’t prepare the full prescription immediately.
Zining swiftly packed her phone, tripod, and other filming equipment. Anxious to find Chen Quan, she realized while gathering her things that he had left his phone with her.
How many people carry cash these days? That guy probably plans to walk back to school!
Their university was over twenty kilometers away!
After leaving Mingxintang, Zining hurriedly hailed a taxi and specifically asked the driver to go slowly. Leaning against the window to enjoy the breeze, she leisurely scanned the streets.
Within minutes, a tall figure walking with his head down came into Zining’s view.
She signaled the driver to stop and called out to the familiar silhouette in the distance, “Carpool to Nanze University! One hundred per person, leaving as soon as you board!”
The driver was startled, about to comment on her outrageous pricing, when a dark figure appeared beside the car, yanked the door open, and slid inside.
Well, one dared to offer, the other dared to take the ride.
As soon as Chen Quan fastened his seatbelt and the car started moving, Zining’s playful yet scolding voice rang out from the front seat: “Well, well, since when did you learn to storm off in a huff? Trying to rebel against the natural order?”Chen Quan accepted the phone she handed him, his expression gloomy as he bitterly smiled, ‘Do you think she’s right too?” That I’m actually sick?”
Zining’s expression froze slightly. Chen Quan rarely showed such a hurt expression in front of her – it was clear that being diagnosed by Doctor Shen affected him far more deeply than she had imagined.
Though Zining normally spoke to Chen Quan quite bluntly, she didn’t dare say anything careless at this critical moment.
To be honest, Zining had already privately acknowledged that Shen Jiang was a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner with genuine skill. Despite her youth, she was the first TCM doctor who had accurately identified Zining’s issues and pointed out Chen Quan’s tendency to internalize everything.
However, detecting nodules just by pulse reading sounded too miraculous, and Zining didn’t dare jump to conclusions easily.
After some thought, Zining suggested gently, “How about I accompany you to the hospital for a check-up now? We can get some scans done – consider it spending money for peace of mind.”
So she thinks I’m really sick too!
The moment this thought crossed Chen Quan’s mind, he pictured Zining sitting in the front seat with that disdainful look in her eyes, and his blood immediately boiled with anger.
“Driver, stop the car!”
The driver, worried the young man in the back might do something drastic, quickly pulled over.
“Hey, where are you going?” Zining watched as the young man stormed off with large strides, seemingly even angrier than before, completely ignoring her calls.
A question mark slowly formed in Zining’s mind.
So she was just here to deliver his phone to him, was she? She should have just let him walk back to school by himself – she’d been too meddlesome for her own good.
The thought made her so angry she almost laughed, and indeed a cold chuckle escaped her lips.
So what if he could edit some videos? It’s not like she couldn’t manage without him.
If he had any pride, he wouldn’t come looking for her to hang out ever again!