Everyone held their breath and stared intently at the hospital bed. Even Ji Shaohui unconsciously took half a step forward.
Although he was a Western trained physician, as the hospital director, he could tell that the two needles Ruan Yingying had inserted just now were steady, precise, and cleanly placed. Without a solid foundation in traditional Chinese medicine, such a technique would have been impossible.
This left him both surprised and doubtful.
What surprised him was that such mature and practiced technique had come from a young female comrade. What puzzled him was whether these seemingly delicate silver needles could really turn the tide in the face of such a dangerous acute condition.
With that thought, Ji Shaohui’s eyes remained fixed on every movement Ruan Yingying made, afraid that he might miss even the smallest detail.
Ruan Yingying took another silver needle from her needle case, but her movements suddenly came to a halt.
Seeing this, Ji Shaohui instinctively held his breath and asked, “What is it? Is there a problem?”
He had already prepared himself for the worst. Even if she said she could not treat him at this point, no one could blame her.
Traditional Chinese medicine was profound and extensive to begin with, and Old Commander Huo was suffering from a dangerous acute cardiac condition. The slightest mistake could affect the entire body.
Even he, an experienced hospital director, did not dare claim absolute certainty. For a young female comrade to have managed this much was already remarkable.
Ruan Yingying raised her eyes and saw the grave expression on Ji Shaohui’s face. She could not help smiling.
“Director Ji, there is no need to be nervous. I am not very mobile right now, so I will have to trouble you to help sit him up. It will make it easier for me to insert the needle.”
Ji Shaohui’s gaze fell on her rounded belly, and only then did he understand her difficulty. The tension on his face eased somewhat.
However, before Ji Shaohui could move, Huang Xue’er stepped forward and spoke.
“Sister in law, given Godfather’s condition right now, it would be better not to move him casually.”
Although Huang Xue’er’s voice was gentle, she was ostensibly speaking to Ruan Yingying while deliberately glancing toward Huo Qiang.
As she spoke, her back straightened almost imperceptibly, and the superiority of a so-called professional nearly overflowed from her expression.
She wanted Huo Big Brother to understand.
This Ruan Yingying was an outsider who knew nothing.
She did not even understand the basic principle that a heart patient needed to remain lying down and still.
Sure enough, the moment those words were spoken, Huo Qiang’s expression darkened noticeably.
He stared directly at Ruan Yingying, his brows drawn tightly together.
Beneath the faint warning in his eyes, there was also a trace of unease.
He had never expected this woman to actually cure his father.
Just now, he had merely been unable to stop her because of Director Ji’s involvement.
Now, in his eyes, this was nothing more than the embarrassing spectacle of her being unable to keep up the act yet stubbornly refusing to admit defeat.
The last trace of his patience was gone. Even his cold voice carried undisguised contempt.
“If you cannot treat him, then stop pretending. If something happens to him because of your interference, you cannot bear the responsibility.”
This woman had done so many disgraceful things in the past. He absolutely could not allow her to harbor any ulterior motives during his father’s treatment.
Hearing this, Ruan Yingying tightened her fingers slightly around the silver needle. A knowing smile briefly appeared at the corner of her lips, but she quickly returned to her calm expression and explained lightly.
“The acupoint for the third needle is on his back. Sitting him up is only to make it easier for me to insert the needle.”
She did not mention Huo Qiang’s suspicion at all, yet every word quietly pushed back against his excessive assumptions.
Everyone present could hear the hidden edge beneath her gentle words, and the atmosphere immediately became strangely still. Several startled gazes turned toward Ruan Yingying at once.
After all, no one had ever dared speak to Huo Qiang, the cold faced commander, like this.
After saying that, she acted as though nothing had happened and paid no attention to Huo Qiang’s reaction. Instead, she turned to Ji Shaohui.
She was genuinely grateful to this hospital director. After all, among everyone in the room, he was the only one who had been willing to give her a chance to try.
“Director, the Xinshu acupoint I need to use for the third needle is crucial to stabilizing his condition. Please trust me and let me try.”
The moment Ji Shaohui heard the words Xinshu acupoint, his eyes suddenly lit up.
The previous needles had all been placed at safe and conventional acupoints. He had never expected her to dare target the Xinshu acupoint directly. It was an extremely dangerous location for acupuncture, but if the needle was placed with precision, the effect could also be immediate.
This reminded Ji Shaohui of the old master of traditional Chinese medicine who had once worked at the military district hospital. Only that old gentleman had dared to use such an unconventional acupuncture technique.
Since the old doctor had retired, the hospital had never again seen a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine who was both this bold and this meticulous.
If Ruan Yingying truly succeeded this time, it would be a major breakthrough for the hospital’s traditional Chinese medicine department.
Thinking of this, Ji Shaohui could not hide his excitement and immediately said, “Good! Go ahead and give it your best shot!”
As he spoke, he quickly helped Huo Jianguo sit upright on the hospital bed.
Seeing the excitement that Ji Shaohui could no longer conceal, Huang Xue’er was completely stunned.
Her lips moved a few times, but in the end, she said nothing.
The Xinshu acupoint they were talking about was a genuine traditional Chinese medicine term. Could it be that this Ruan Yingying really knew what she was doing?
With Director Ji’s approval, Ruan Yingying felt somewhat relieved.
Her slender fingers gently pressed several points along Huo Jianguo’s back. After locating the position precisely, she firmly guided the slender needle in her hand downward.
The moment the needle entered, the entire hospital room fell completely silent.
Several military doctors even instinctively turned their faces away, unable to bear watching.
After all, this single needle truly stood between life and death.
Only Huo Qiang kept his gaze firmly fixed on her hand.
Her expression was completely focused as she slowly pushed the slender needle deeper. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, yet there was not the slightest sign of panic on her face.
Huo Qiang’s tightly wound nerves had not even had time to relax when the person on the bed reacted.
Huo Jianguo, who had been helped into a sitting position, suddenly began coughing violently. A series of muffled sounds followed as he struggled to breathe.
Before everyone could react, Huang Xue’er was the first to point at the electrocardiogram and cry out.
“Sister in law, stop! Godfather’s ECG…”
Only then did everyone turn their eyes toward the electrocardiogram machine.
The waveform on the screen was fluctuating even more violently than before the acupuncture. When they saw Huo Jianguo gasping painfully on the bed, everyone’s hearts sank, and their attitudes toward Ruan Yingying, who was still performing acupuncture, immediately changed.
“We thought she really had some skill. Turns out she is all show!”
“Ha, just look at her. Does she look like someone who knows medicine?”
Listening to the increasingly harsh doubts around her, Huang Xue’er lowered her eyes and secretly glanced at Huo Qiang beside her.
Huo Big Brother’s brows were filled with suppressed fury, and the air around him seemed to have plunged into an icy pit.
Seeing this, Huang Xue’er bit her lip tightly, barely suppressing the delight that was about to spill from her eyes. She murmured to herself, “This acupuncture technique is indeed intricate and complicated. It is understandable that the sister in law lost her precision for a moment…”
As she spoke, her gaze swept vaguely across everyone before she moved closer to Huo Qiang.
“Huo Big Brother, don’t get angry. Director Ji and I will arrange surgery for Godfather immediately.”
Her words appeared to be helping Ruan Yingying out of the situation, but every sentence actually reinforced the impression that Ruan Yingying had caused Huo Jianguo’s condition to worsen.
Hearing this, Ruan Yingying raised her eyes and quietly looked at Huang Xue’er, who was rushing around on her behalf. A trace of disdain flashed through her eyes.
This girl was probably celebrating far too soon.
After a moment, Ji Shaohui finally looked away from the electrocardiogram machine and waved his hand at everyone.
“There is no need for surgery.”
At those words, something seemed to explode inside Huo Qiang’s mind, leaving behind nothing but a piercing ringing in his ears.
Sure enough, she had only been pretending. He should have realized sooner that this woman knew nothing about medicine.
A painful mixture of disappointment, fury, and the sting of being deceived erupted from the depths of his heart like molten lava, instantly burning away the last of his rationality.
He locked his gaze onto that slender figure, his eyes almost murderous.
“Little Huo!”
At that very moment, a deep shout rang out.
Ji Shaohui reacted swiftly, taking a single stride forward and pressing down on Huo Qiang’s trembling body.
Then, on the face of the usually stern and unsmiling hospital director, a genuine and excited smile appeared for the first time.
“Don’t be so anxious.” He patted Huo Qiang’s shoulder, his tone much gentler than before. “Little Huo, your wife has remarkable medical skills!”
The entire hospital room suddenly fell silent.
Everyone looked stunned, exchanging bewildered glances with one another.
What exactly did Director Ji mean?