Hu Xia woke up feeling she had slept exceptionally well. For once, she hadn’t been trapped by her blankets and had actually slept until she woke up naturally.
While washing her face, she discovered that the skin on her face had improved a lot, looking rosy and radiant.
Since becoming a streamer, her lifestyle had been extremely irregular. Though she followed a regular skincare routine, the long-term erratic schedule had still taken a toll on her body.
Seeing her younger brother enter, she asked, "Zhiming, do you think my complexion looks a little better?"
Hu Zhiming was still a bit groggy, mainly because he had stayed up late battling people online and had accidentally played for too long.
He glanced at his sister, thought for a moment, and said, "It does look a bit better. Seems rosier."
’That’s strange. I didn’t use any special products. Could it be because I slept well?’
Hu Xia stopped puzzling over it. Her skin had improved, which was definitely a great thing. She started thinking about where she could go to treat herself to a big meal today.
"Oh, right, we’re almost out of grapes. Go buy some more in a bit. I already sent you the money."
Hu Zhiming’s mood soured as he recalled what happened yesterday. He had barely eaten a few of the grapes he’d bought before his sister ate the rest.
’Those grapes were delicious, but it’s a shame they’re so expensive.’
...
Ma Yanyan drove to her company. Just as she walked into the office, she heard someone say, "Sister Yan, what supplements did you take yesterday? Your complexion is so rosy, and even the crow’s feet at the corners of your eyes look fainter."
Another colleague nearby chimed in, "It’s true. Sister Yan must have been well taken care of by President Wang last night. No wonder your skin looks so good."
’When I get home tonight,’ she thought, ’I’m definitely not letting my husband off the hook, no matter how much he begs. Worst case, I’ll just buy him some supplements.’
"What are you talking about? You’re the one getting all hot and bothered, you hussy. Looks like Brother Ma isn’t keeping you satisfied."
"Sister Yan, I’m not kidding. Just ask anyone, the change in your complexion is so obvious."
A colleague who had just walked in overheard them and looked at Ma Yanyan’s face. As women in their forties, they knew that problems like sagging skin, wrinkles, and a dull complexion were unavoidable.
Even with regular skincare routines and expensive products, they couldn’t reverse the natural effects of aging.
"Yanyan’s skin is definitely much rosier than yesterday, and it looks more elastic, too. Where did you get a treatment?"
"I didn’t. I didn’t do anything special after getting home yesterday. It might be because I slept better last night."
Ma Yanyan took out a mirror to look for herself. She saw that her complexion had indeed improved a little, and her crow’s feet were slightly fainter. There was a definite change, but it wasn’t as dramatic as her colleagues claimed.
She was also puzzled. ’I really didn’t do anything yesterday. Maybe it actually is because I slept better.’
’Her sleep quality last night had been much better than usual. Plus, her appetite had been good, and she’d even eaten a few extra bites at dinner.’
She completely overlooked the fact that she had eaten the grapes. To her, they were just some expensive fruit, and she never considered them to be the cause.
The topic of conversation in the office that day revolved around her improved complexion. When a group of women started cracking lewd jokes, they left men in the dust, daring to say anything and everything.
The topics ranged from better complexions to the effects of being ’satisfied’ by a husband on one’s skin.
Although Wu Xin had eaten the most grapes, she was younger—only twenty-seven—so the changes weren’t as obvious on her.
The people who experienced the most significant changes were the four seniors she had given the grapes to. They were in their sixties, financially well-off, and all had some ’diseases of affluence,’ like the Three Highs.
The changes in Zhou Zhenhai and his wife, Liang Hong, were the most pronounced, as both of them suffered from mild cases of the Three Highs.
After his meal, Zhou Zhenhai went out for a stroll and soon arrived at the park where he usually spent his time.
"Old Zhou, you’re looking well today!"
"He’s right. Old Zhou, you’ve changed quite a bit. Have you been taking some kind of special tonic?"
"You should recommend it to us. The change is so obvious."
"No, no, don’t you old geezers start making things up. At my age, what kind of tonics would I be taking?"
"No tonic? Then this change is worrying. Maybe something’s wrong. You should hurry to the hospital for a check-up."
In the backyard of a villa, Liang Hong was also surrounded by a group of women, all discussing the change in her.
People don’t usually pay much attention even if a man’s appearance changes. But it’s different for women. The older they get, the more they care about their looks, so even the slightest change will catch their attention.
"Liang Hong, what’s happened to you?"
"This change is huge! The wrinkles on your face have faded so much."
"Did your husband take you to get some cosmetic work done?"
"Pfft, I’m at an age where my granddaughter is almost three. Why would I get cosmetic procedures? Is the change really that dramatic?"
In fact, Liang Hong had already noticed the changes herself when she woke up that morning. She, too, was puzzled. ’What could be the reason for this?’
"It’s huge. In fact, it’s extremely obvious. Compared to yesterday, your complexion is so much better, and even some of your age spots have faded."
"Think hard. What could have possibly caused this change?"
Liang Hong thought for a moment and said, "Well, I’ve been eating more the past couple of days, and my sleep has been better than usual. When I got up this morning, my body felt much lighter."
She suddenly remembered that her daughter-in-law, Wu Xin, had brought her some grapes. They were exceptionally delicious; she and her husband had finished twenty bunches in just two days.
’It seemed that her appetite had increased and her sleep had improved ever since she started eating those grapes. Just yesterday, she had been thinking about asking her daughter-in-law where she bought them.’
’She was a little uncertain if her own changes were related to the grapes.’
"Liang Hong, are you in there?"
Hearing her husband’s voice, Liang Hong stopped chatting with the women and walked out of the backyard.
"What’s the rush? Is something wrong?"
"Those old geezers said the change in me is pretty significant, and they told me to get a check-up at the hospital, just in case something is wrong.
The change in you looks even bigger than mine. Let’s go get checked out together so we can have some peace of mind."
’He hadn’t thought much of it, but after everyone commented, it felt like a thorn in his side. If he didn’t get a check-up, he’d constantly worry something was wrong.’
"You’re just being paranoid. My body feels lighter than it has in ages. What could possibly be wrong?"
"Let’s just go. It’s not far, and we’ll have peace of mind after."
"Alright, fine."
The two of them went home and took a car to the hospital. They went for a check-up every month, so they had a regular doctor who handled their examinations.
"Professor He, could you take a look at my wife and me? For the past two days, we’ve been feeling better than usual and eating more. People have been saying there are significant changes in our appearance, so they told us to come get checked out and see what’s going on."
The moment He Limin saw them, he noticed the change was indeed dramatic. As the doctor who performed their regular check-ups, he knew such a huge physical transformation certainly warranted an examination.
In the elderly, such changes were usually caused by some kind of pathological development.
He first took their blood pressure and blood sugar, then ran a series of basic tests. He found the results incredible.
"Have the two of you received treatment somewhere? Or did you find a skilled health consultant to help you recuperate?"
"Professor He, we haven’t received any treatment or consulted with any doctors. Is there a problem?"
’A problem? This was a huge deal. The Three Highs were notoriously difficult conditions to manage clinically. They typically couldn’t be cured, only managed through diet and medication to alleviate symptoms and slow the disease’s progression.’
’These two had a check-up with him just ten days ago. Comparing their vitals from then to now, the change was simply too dramatic.’
’If this had happened over one or two months with special treatment and therapy, he wouldn’t be so shocked.’
’But to achieve these kinds of results in only ten days was clearly not normal.’
"You are both in excellent health. Your numbers for the Three Highs are significantly better than they were ten days ago. That’s why I asked if you’d been working with someone to manage your health."
"Professor He, we really haven’t been seeing anyone. This change is a good thing, right?"
"It’s definitely a good thing. Your main health problem was the Three Highs. Now that this has been addressed, your health will only improve."
Although he was incredibly curious about how they had achieved such therapeutic results, he knew their status. If they didn’t volunteer the information, it wasn’t his place to press them for details.