Xu Ze understood the eagerness of the attending physicians and department heads. After all, seeing the patient’s marked improvement, everyone naturally wanted to resolve this difficult case completely and permanently in one step.
However, Xu Ze knew this couldn’t be rushed. According to future medical knowledge, curing diabetes required a drug called Motining. But where would one find Motining in this era?
Even if it existed, it would likely take another two or three decades to be developed. Or perhaps, after he advanced to levels five or six, the drug’s composition formula might become available to him.
The prescription he had presented was currently the only viable method for treating diabetes…
Faced with the hopeful looks from the doctors, Xu Ze could only give a light, regretful shake of his head. “There isn’t one… This is the only treatment available at present. For this patient, achieving this level of control is already quite remarkable. As long as it’s maintained, he can return to a normal life. He’ll just need to continue taking medication and using insulin therapy…”
“The saying ‘more haste, less speed’ applies here. Given there are no other options currently, I believe the patient himself should be relatively satisfied with his progress. As long as he adheres to the treatment, there shouldn’t be any major issues for the time being.”
Hearing that Xu Ze had no other methods, the doctors couldn’t hide a flicker of disappointment. But just as Xu Ze said, more haste, less speed. Being able to treat a nearly hopeless patient to this extent was something both the patient himself and the doctors present could be quite satisfied with.
Zhang Lide nodded slowly, then looked at Xu Ze. “So, your suggestion is for the patient to take this traditional Chinese medicine long-term?”
“Yes… This formula is quite effective with no significant side effects. Long-term use might even help control the patient’s blood sugar further.” Xu Ze was quite confident in this prescription. At the very least, it should prevent the patient’s condition from worsening.
Hearing this, the doctors felt somewhat reassured. Maintaining the current state was certainly better than losing control.
Zhang Lide glanced at the visibly relieved group and nodded. “Alright… Does anyone have any other questions? If not, the meeting is adjourned…”
“Wait a moment, Director Zhang. I have a question for Xu Ze,” interjected Li Junying, head of the Endocrinology Department.
Seeing Li Junying had a question, Zhang Lide gestured for him to proceed.
Li Junying looked at Xu Ze, hesitated briefly, then asked the question he had been contemplating for a while. “Xu Ze… Can this prescription be used for other diabetic patients besides this one? What would the effects be like?”
Xu Ze smiled lightly. He knew exactly what Li Junying was getting at—the Endocrinology Department had more than just this one difficult patient, though this case was particularly severe.
He nodded with a smile. “It can be applied to most diabetic patients. However, this herbal formula often needs to be combined with other hypoglycemic drugs or insulin for optimal results. Used alone, the effect might not be particularly strong.”
Hearing Xu Ze’s confident answer, Li Junying’s eyes lit up. If it could truly be used for other diabetic patients, this was fantastic news.
But Li Junying still had concerns. Suppressing his excitement, he pressed further, “But I’ve heard that traditional Chinese medicine requires something called ‘syndrome differentiation’ (Bian Zheng). The formula needs to be adjusted based on the patient’s specific condition to be effective. This one doesn’t require that?”
Xu Ze shook his head with a calm smile, impressed by Li Junying’s understanding of TCM and his pointed question. “This one doesn’t. Director Li, you should know that besides treatment based on syndrome differentiation, TCM also has some special categories. There are what we call ’empirical formulas’ (Yan Fang), some also call them folk remedies. These types of formulas often have good effects on similar diseases and can be applied directly without deliberate syndrome differentiation.”
“That’s good… that’s very good…” Relieved by Xu Ze’s explanation, Li Junying happily patted his thigh. As long as this formula offered some benefit for all diabetes cases, his department had gained a significant advantage.
The other department heads naturally understood Li Junying’s excitement. They couldn’t help but feel a hint of envy. With this prescription, not only would treating patients become much easier, but it could also have… other uses…
However, they were all seasoned professionals. As colleagues, certain things were best left unsaid to avoid causing friction. They just looked at Xu Ze with a new, unreadable glint in their eyes.
Xu Ze, however, remained perfectly calm, seemingly oblivious. He continued to wear a slight smile, appearing content that he could contribute to the Endocrinology Department and do his part for diabetic patients.
After the meeting adjourned, Xu Ze left the Endocrinology Department office, mingling with the group of department heads. His youthful figure stood out among them, leaving behind a group of rotating interns and trainee doctors filled with complex emotions.
——-
Watching Sun Lingfei, dressed in pristine white martial arts attire, execute a swift, powerful jump kick and cleanly split three stacked wooden boards with a sharp crack, Xu Ze couldn’t help but smile softly, reminded of their first meeting.
Thinking back to how pathetic I was, she bravely stepped in to help me, saving me from being ganged up on and humiliated. When I saw her stunning appearance back then, I never imagined that we would end up together.
Sun Lingfei turned and noticed Xu Ze standing at the dojo entrance, a gentle smile on his face. Her eyes sparkled with happiness, and she gave him a slight nod before heading towards the changing rooms at the back.
Seeing her go, Xu Ze also left the dojo and waited under a nearby osmanthus tree for her to emerge.
These days, they were much more discreet. Even their dates were conducted secretly, trying their best to keep their ongoing close relationship under wraps.
This caution was born of necessity, pressured by Sun Lingfei’s father, who had many informants at Star City University. Xu Ze didn’t want any more trouble arising in the next two years…
Soon, that graceful figure appeared at the dojo entrance. Seeing her, Xu Ze’s eyes lit up. Today, Sun Lingfei wasn’t wearing her usual jeans and t-shirt. Instead, she had on a white knee-length dress.
Xu Ze had only seen Sun Lingfei in a dress once before—a formal gown at her birthday party at the Sun family mansion.
He had to admit, Sun Lingfei in a dress possessed a uniquely charming and elegant beauty. Her dark, long hair was held back with an off-white clip. Below the white dress were a pair of evenly proportioned, slender, and jade-like calves, breathtakingly beautiful…
As Sun Lingfei approached, Xu Ze glanced around to ensure no one was watching before taking her hand. Gazing at her lovely face, he leaned in and gently kissed her slightly flushed cheek. Satisfied, they then walked hand in hand along a small path leading out.
——-
The riverside western restaurant was very atmospheric. After a sweet dinner with Sun Lingfei, they strolled hand in hand along the Riverside Boulevard, enjoying the warm and cozy atmosphere.
A cool night breeze drifted from the river, dispelling the last traces of autumn’s lingering heat. It was incredibly refreshing. Breathing in the crisp riverside air, feeling the softness of her hand in his, Xu Ze felt deeply content. He turned to look at Sun Lingfei beside him, a faint smile touching his lips.
Sensing his gaze, Sun Lingfei turned her head and caught sight of the happy curve of his lips. Her own rosy mouth couldn’t help but lift into a gentle smile in response.
“Let’s go sit somewhere,” Xu Ze suggested, glancing towards a bench under a tree ahead.
Sun Lingfei nodded obediently, and they walked towards the bench.
She comfortably linked her arm with his, gently resting her head on his shoulder, savoring this rare moment of sweetness…
Xu Ze turned his head slightly, letting his cheek rest against her hair, which carried a faint, clean fragrance. Inhaling that captivating, soothing scent that often lingered in his mind, he finally couldn’t resist taking a soft breath, letting the familiar fragrance fill his senses…
“Xu Ze… I’ve missed you so much,” Sun Lingfei murmured, her cheek rubbing gently against his shoulder a few times.
Xu Ze’s heart swelled with tenderness. He raised his right hand and gently stroked her smooth hair, smiling. “I’ve missed you too…”
They sat quietly, leaning against each other, letting the gentle night breeze, carrying a hint of coolness, wash over them…
——-
They didn’t know how much time had passed, lost in their sweet reverie, before a burst of noisy commotion startled them awake…
Sun Lingfei sat up straight, a slight frown creasing her delicate brows as she looked towards the source of the noise. Not far away, a crowd had gathered, watching something. Shouts and curses emanated from within—the very sounds that had disturbed them.
Xu Ze also frowned, looking over. Seeing that the disturbance showed no signs of stopping soon, he finally sighed. “Lingfei… let’s go.”
“Mmm… alright, let’s walk over there instead,” Sun Lingfei agreed, nodding as the intermittent noise continued. Such clamor was rather irritating…
Xu Ze gently took Sun Lingfei’s hand. They exchanged a look and a smile, about to leave. But then, a vaguely familiar voice from within the crowd made Xu Ze pause.
Seeing Xu Ze suddenly frown and stop, peering intently towards the noisy gathering, Sun Lingfei asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”
Xu Ze shook his head slightly, signaling for her to wait. He tilted his head, listening carefully, his brow lightly furrowed…
“It is her…” Recognizing the faintly familiar voice, Xu Ze’s frown deepened. He turned to a puzzled Sun Lingfei and said, “There’s a classmate of ours over there. Seems like there’s some trouble… Let’s go take a look.”
“Okay, let’s go see,” Sun Lingfei agreed readily upon hearing it involved Xu Ze’s classmate. She was never one to shy away from situations. Besides, with Xu Ze here, she wouldn’t need to handle anything… But since it involved a fellow student, going to check it out felt like the right thing to do as a student council member.
Hand in hand, they strode towards the crowd. As they got closer, the voices became clearer…
“We were just trying to help him up, that’s all… How can you blame us for this? Even if we bear some responsibility, there’s no way we can pay you that much money!” A familiar, clear female voice argued angrily.
“Humph! Everyone saw it! You’re the one who hurt my Xiaobao’s arm! It was fine just a moment ago, and after you pulled him, it became like this! Who knows if you did it on purpose! If you don’t pay 3,000 yuan for medical fees today, don’t even think about leaving!” a woman retorted in a rough, domineering tone.
“This is extortion! We clearly only helped him up from the ground!” another somewhat familiar voice protested furiously. “Li Yan, let’s go. Don’t pay her any mind.”
“Humph! You little slut, you hurt my Xiaobao and think you can just walk away? I’ll slap you silly!” With these words, a startled cry rang out from within the crowd.
Xu Ze reached the edge of the crowd just in time to peer through a gap and see what was happening. His eyes flashed with a trace of anger. That woman actually tried to hit someone… This was going too far.
Li Yan and Tao Xiaoyun stared at the mean-faced, shrewish woman opposite them, their pretty faces filled with indignation. Tao Xiaoyun, especially, was shaken—she had nearly been slapped and was still pale with fright.
They truly couldn’t believe that simply seeing a child fall while roller-skating and giving him a hand up could lead to such a messy situation.
“You… how dare you hit someone!” Li Yan stammered, her lips trembling with anger as she faced the portly woman with the greasy face.
“Humph! If you two little sluts don’t hand over 3,000 yuan today, a slap will be the least of your worries! I’ll teach you a lesson right now!” The woman planted one hand on her hip, pointed a finger at them, and snarled.
Faced with such a person, reasoning seemed impossible. Remembering how close she had come to being hit, Tao Xiaoyun’s lips quivered with rage. She glared at the woman and said angrily, “We were just trying to help! If there’s really a problem, let’s go to the hospital for a check-up! If something is wrong, we’ll pay for the treatment! But demanding 3,000 yuan like this is pure extortion!”
“Humph! Still talking back, you little slut! I’ll slap that mouth of yours!” The woman’s face darkened at Tao Xiaoyun’s words. She lunged forward, raising her hand to deliver another fierce slap…
