After washing the dirt off their hands by the pond, Jiang Fei and Qiao Yiyi also picked a few pumpkin leaves from the nearby field to clean the roots of the chicken mushrooms they had gathered.
Laughing and chatting, they had just returned to the villa and hadn’t even had time to open the door when two cars approached from a distance.
The first was Jiang Fei’s Jeep Compass, and the second was the white BMW driven by Qiao Yiyi’s manager.
“Did Lin Moli and her manager happen to run into each other on the way back? What a coincidence!” Jiang Fei thought, surprised.
In reality, it wasn’t a coincidence. Manager Mei had specifically gone to Jiang’s Clinic to pick up some medicine for Qiao Yiyi and to discuss the endorsement deal between Qiao Yiyi and Jiang’s Clinic with Lin Moli.
Although the matter had already been agreed upon with Jiang Fei, in today’s world, verbal agreements weren’t enough—everything had to be formalized with a contract.
Otherwise, there would be no legal binding.
Lin Moli parked her car and got out, noticing the basket of wild vegetables in Jiang Fei’s hand and the chicken mushrooms in Qiao Yiyi’s. She exclaimed, “Did you two go up the mountain to pick wild vegetables?”
Manager Mei, who had also approached Qiao Yiyi, looked at the oddly shaped chicken mushrooms in her hands—something she had never seen before—and asked in surprise, “You went up the mountain with him?”
Qiao Yiyi smiled and replied, “Yes. This afternoon, Jiang Fei said he was going up the mountain to pick wild vegetables and look for chicken mushrooms. I thought it sounded fun, so I went with him.”
Lin Moli shot Jiang Fei a look. She leaned in close to his ear and whispered, “You’ve only known her for an afternoon, and she’s already calling you by your name. Not to mention, you two went hiking together… Your relationship is progressing quite quickly, huh? How does it feel to spend time with a beautiful superstar?”
Jiang Fei glared back at her.
Women were always so quick to jump to conclusions!
“You know very well that I didn’t even know who this so-called ‘Next Stop, Diva’ was before today. To me, she’s just like any other ordinary person, okay?” Jiang Fei whispered back, completely unapologetic.
Lin Moli snorted, not bothering to argue further. She knew Jiang Fei had genuinely not known Qiao Yiyi before. In fact, after returning from his alma mater, Jin Cheng Medical University, Jiang Fei had even asked her about Qiao Yiyi.
“The mountain is so steep, and you didn’t even wear any proper hiking gear! What if you had fallen, been bitten by a snake, or scratched by branches?” Qiao Yiyi seemed relaxed and carefree, but Manager Mei was both angry and worried. Her tone carried a mix of concern and authority.
Qiao Yiyi quickly placed her hands on Manager Mei’s shoulders and reassured her with a smile, “Alright, Aunt Mei, I’m not that fragile. I’m back safe and sound, aren’t I? Nothing happened at all!”
Seeing that Manager Mei was about to continue lecturing, Qiao Yiyi quickly changed the subject. “Aunt Mei, did you bring my daily necessities, clothes, and guitar? You didn’t forget anything, did you?”
“Do you think I’m as forgetful as you? I brought everything!” Manager Mei replied. The two of them then went to the back seat and trunk of the BMW to retrieve the items.
There were two large suitcases and a guitar case—clearly, they had brought a lot of stuff.
Lin Moli went to open the door, while Jiang Fei placed the basket of wild vegetables inside the villa before coming out to help carry the luggage. He chuckled, “It’s only for a few days. Do you really need this much stuff? It feels like you’re moving in.”
Qiao Yiyi looked a bit embarrassed, but Manager Mei explained, “Celebrities are different from ordinary people. They need more clothes, and they have to be more particular about them.”
“Alright, I’ll carry them,” Jiang Fei shrugged.
He thought to himself how nice it must be to be a celebrity. They seemed to have an endless supply of clothes, never wearing the same outfit twice, and each piece was undoubtedly expensive.
Once inside the villa, Lin Moli invited Qiao Yiyi and Manager Mei to sit down, acting very much like the lady of the house. When Manager Mei learned that Lin Moli would also be staying at the villa, her unease lessened slightly.
At least Jiang Fei and Qiao Yiyi wouldn’t be living alone in the villa. With others around, even if Jiang Fei had questionable intentions, he would likely restrain himself.
Jiang Fei took the traditional Chinese medicine and set the wild vegetables, mushrooms, and chicken mushrooms aside. He planned to brew the medicine first and have Qiao Yiyi take it before performing acupuncture on her.
This way, both she and her manager could see the effects of the treatment and feel more at ease.
Brewing the medicine didn’t take long. After soaking the herbs in cold water for 20 minutes, he boiled them for another half hour—less than an hour in total.
Once the medicine had cooled to a lukewarm temperature, Jiang Fei instructed Qiao Yiyi to hold it in her mouth but not swallow it. After about three minutes, he began the acupuncture.
The paralysis and damage to her vocal cords were caused by a blockage of yang energy in her throat and an invasion of evil energy in the meridians. Therefore, the treatment required warming and unblocking the yang energy in the governing vessel. This method wasn’t particularly difficult, and most skilled doctors could perform it.
The real challenge lay in the time frame.
To achieve results within the ten days Qiao Yiyi had requested was something only a truly exceptional doctor could do. Even Jiang Fei had to rely on a special herbal formula and two techniques from the Divine Needle Eight Methods to have any confidence in succeeding.
This was also why Jiang Fei was certain that, aside from himself, few doctors in Jin Cheng could treat Qiao Yiyi.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Fei entered a state of calm focus.
Lin Moli, who had assisted Jiang Fei for a long time, knew his routine well. She helped by sterilizing the needles and preparing the necessary tools.
Meanwhile, Manager Mei watched anxiously, her hands clasped together as if praying for success.
Swish!
The silver needles moved so fast they were almost a blur, quickly finding their marks on Qiao Yiyi’s body.
Jiang Fei first used the Qi-Guiding Technique from the Divine Needle Eight Methods on the Naohu, Fengfu, and Yamen acupoints along the governing vessel to guide the yang energy from the medicine and unblock the throat. Then, he used the Central Qi Technique on the Taixi, Dazhong, and Taiyuan acupoints to replenish Qiao Yiyi’s energy.
The process wasn’t overly complicated and only took a few minutes. Compared to the treatment Jiang Fei had performed on Old Master Ye Zhennan’s paralyzed legs, this was a piece of cake. However, the level of skill required was much higher.
The Divine Needle Eight Methods were incredibly difficult, and most people couldn’t master them. Moreover, Qiao Yiyi’s vocal cord damage required treatment at least five or six times a day, unlike Old Master Ye’s three-day intervals.
So, treating Qiao Yiyi’s vocal cords would still take a significant amount of Jiang Fei’s energy. Having her endorse Jiang’s Clinic in exchange was practically a bargain…
After removing the needles and handing them to Lin Moli for sterilization, Jiang Fei passed a bowl to Qiao Yiyi and said, “Alright, spit out the medicine. How do you feel now?”
Qiao Yiyi gently spat out the bitter medicine. After a moment, she frowned and said in a still-hoarse voice, “My throat feels a bit numb and uncomfortable.”
“Uncomfortable?” Manager Mei immediately panicked, staring at Jiang Fei with concern. “What’s wrong? Did something go wrong during the acupuncture?”
Jiang Fei waved his hand dismissively. “Be patient. Wait five minutes, and then we’ll see.”
Five minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
Qiao Yiyi’s frown eased, and she said, still hoarsely, “My throat feels warm now, like there’s a heat gathering inside. It’s quite comfortable.”
Hearing that Qiao Yiyi no longer felt numbness but instead warmth and comfort, Manager Mei felt slightly reassured.
Another ten minutes passed, and the warmth gradually subsided. When Qiao Yiyi spoke again, she noticed that her hoarseness had improved slightly, and speaking no longer felt as strenuous as before.
To an outsider, this change might have been negligible, almost imperceptible. But to Qiao Yiyi, a trained musician and the one experiencing it firsthand, the difference was clear.
“Dr. Jiang, your acupuncture and medicine are really effective! I can already feel an improvement in my vocal cords!” Qiao Yiyi’s eyes widened with surprise and admiration as she looked at Jiang Fei.
Women naturally admired capable men.
Even someone like Qiao Yiyi, who was idolized by countless fans, was no exception.
Jiang Fei smiled faintly. “I’m glad it’s working. It seems this method is effective. Your vocal cords should recover within seven days.”
With that, Manager Mei finally felt a weight lift off her shoulders. Without any further hesitation, she followed Lin Moli upstairs to help Qiao Yiyi settle into her room for the next few days.
However, Lin Moli couldn’t help but feel a bit conflicted.
As she looked at the radiant and stunning Qiao Yiyi, she thought to herself, “Did I make the right move, or did I just invite a wolf into the house?”
But she quickly shook her head. Even if Jiang Fei’s resolve wavered and he couldn’t resist temptation, Qiao Yiyi was a top-tier celebrity with a pure and innocent image. It was unlikely she would get involved with Jiang Fei…
Right?
Probably not!
Jiang Fei didn’t follow the three women upstairs. Instead, he stayed downstairs to prepare zongzi for the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival.
The bamboo leaves Jiang Fei used to wrap the zongzi were special. Unlike the corn husks commonly used in Jin Cheng, he used a type of bamboo leaf called ruo bamboo, which was perfect for wrapping zongzi. Not only did it prevent the zongzi from spoiling quickly, but it also gave them a fresh, fragrant aroma.
With all the ingredients prepared, the wrapping process went smoothly.
In no time, five plates were filled with five different types of zongzi: salted egg yolk and pork, lotus seed, ham…