Xu Ze’s parents, standing nearby, heard what the health inspector said, and their faces immediately fell. They certainly understood the implication of his words.
Illegal medical practice was no small offense. If something happened to their son… the thought made their expressions grow even darker. Xu’s father wanted to speak, but found he had no real grounds to refute the accusation, because it was essentially true. After all, these men had just witnessed Xu Ze conducting consultations himself… all these patients were specifically asking for him.
Xu’s father quickly offered them some cigarettes, smiling politely, “Here, have a cigarette, officers…”
The leader initially meant to refuse, but then he caught a strange glint in Xu Ze’s clear eyes. For some reason, his heart suddenly felt a bit uneasy, and he found himself accepting the cigarette.
The two behind him, seeing their team leader accept one, exchanged a brief, curious glance but then didn’t refuse either, taking the cigarettes offered by Xu’s father.
Seeing all three accept his father’s cigarettes, Xu Ze smiled faintly. He had noticed the leader seemed about to refuse, but he didn’t want his father to worry. He had subtly applied a bit of mental pressure to the leader, which influenced him to accept in this situation.
Now that everyone was seated, had drunk some tea, and were smoking, it was time to resolve this matter. Xu Ze certainly knew he had technically violated the Practicing Physicians Law and the Medical Institution Regulations, but was he about to admit it?
Of course not. Admitting it would be a big problem, potentially leading to a fine or even detention. While he could probably sort it out later given his abilities, it would be a huge loss of face.
If he were taken away in full view of everyone, he would inevitably lose all credibility. Moreover, the Xu Family Clinic had always abided by the law, with three generations of clean records; no one had ever been taken away by the authorities before.
If this happened today, it wouldn’t just disgrace the clinic, it would also deeply worry his parents.
So Xu Ze had absolutely no intention of admitting anything. He sighed softly, looked at the leader, and asked with a smile, “May I ask your name, officer?”
“My surname is Li.” The health inspector looked curiously at this young, overly youthful Dr. Xu, who still appeared completely at ease. He thought to himself, “Does this young doctor not understand the seriousness of practicing illegally? Why does he seem so unconcerned?”
“Officer Li… this doesn’t count as illegal practice,” Xu Ze said calmly.
“It doesn’t?” Team Leader Li was taken aback, then realized the young man was starting to argue. But the facts were right here, and he was just enforcing the law; he couldn’t let Xu Ze slip away so easily. Besides, how could he twist the facts in front of so many witnesses?
He chuckled and said, “Little Doctor Xu, let me call you that for now. I know you’re still studying at Star University, you haven’t even graduated yet. How could you have a practicing license? But you were indeed seeing patients here. How is that not illegal practice?”
“Officer Li, it’s true I was seeing patients, but I was helping my father. My father is a licensed physician, and I’m a clinical medicine major. Is it against the law to help my father during winter break? I don’t think the law prohibits that,” Xu Ze said with a faint smile.
“Uh…” Team Leader Li was momentarily stumped. Xu Ze’s explanation was plausible. But they had just witnessed him diagnosing and prescribing for patients on his own, and those patients were indeed seeking him out. If they really wanted to pursue this, they had a solid case.
Team Leader Li smiled lightly at the young man and said, “Little Doctor Xu, let’s be frank. We came today because of a report, and we saw you diagnosing and prescribing independently. That’s a solid fact. So please come with us. It’s still winter break; let’s get this resolved quickly to avoid any negative impact on your future…”
“No, Officer Li… I don’t believe I’ve broken any law, so I don’t plan to go with you. Besides, I don’t think I could leave right now even if I wanted to.” Xu Ze smiled faintly, glancing at the patients and their families still blocking the doorway. This was the perfect moment to apply pressure on the three inspectors.
Xu Ze felt confident he could make them change their minds. If this was just a plot by those other clinic owners, not something orchestrated by higher-ups in the Health Bureau, then it should be easy to resolve.
Team Leader Li turned to look at the crowd behind him and couldn’t help but frown.
“Officer Li, I really think this is easy to resolve. Helping my father treat these patients—they’re all very happy about it, and it’s helping people. As long as it’s not illegal, I believe I’m doing good,” Xu Ze said.
His eyes held a strange gleam as he looked at Officer Li, continuing with a smile, “Besides, after I help my father finish with these patients, I’ll be returning to Star City tomorrow. So, Officer Li, I believe today’s incident is just a misunderstanding. Don’t you think?”
Looking into Xu Ze’s warm, seemingly sincere gaze, Team Leader Li’s eyes suddenly flickered with a trace of confusion. Then, regaining clarity, he began to consider Xu Ze’s suggestion. The guy who had tipped him off, though usually an acquaintance, had clearly sent him here to deal with a competitor.
But he hadn’t been straightforward at all, failing to explain the situation here, which had nearly caused trouble. Since this young doctor said he was leaving for Star City tomorrow and was just helping his father, it was a reasonable explanation.
More importantly, this situation was tricky to handle. Resolving it this way wasn’t a bad outcome. But just turning back after leading a team out… it might make him look bad in front of his subordinates.
Just as Team Leader Li was hesitating, a somewhat aged voice suddenly spoke up from beside him. “Are you Little Li from the Lianyang Health Supervision Institute?”
Hearing this, Team Leader Li was startled. Who would be calling him ‘Little Li’ here?
He turned his head involuntarily and saw a vaguely familiar old man standing behind him, smiling at him warmly.
“Master Wang…” Team Leader Li quickly recognized the old man. Six months ago, he had specially taken his elderly father to Star City to consult this national medical master, who had prescribed a few doses of traditional medicine. He quickly stood up and said with a smile, “Master Wang, what brings you here?”
“Ha, came to see a friend. Happened to pass by today and found this young man quite remarkable, so I stopped to take a look.” This speaker was precisely the old man who had been observing Xu Ze earlier.
Hearing this, Team Leader Li chuckled and said, “Master Wang, you’re not thinking of taking on a last disciple out of admiration, are you? If so, then this Little Doctor Xu is truly fortunate!”
“Haha, this old man is too old for that. The younger generation is formidable; with Little Doctor Xu’s skills, how could I dare take him as a disciple? Little Doctor Xu is far more capable than this old man.” Master Wang smiled as he walked over and said to Team Leader Li, “Little Li, talented doctors like Little Doctor Xu are rare these days. Don’t make things difficult for him. Consider it a favor to this old man, how about it?”
Hearing Master Wang’s words, Team Leader Li, though unsure of the relationship between Master Wang and Xu Ze, was glad for the intervention. He had been looking for a graceful way out, and Master Wang was handing him the perfect excuse. He readily agreed, nodding magnanimously and smiling, “Since Master Wang speaks on his behalf, and Little Doctor Xu hasn’t committed any clear violation, of course I won’t make things difficult for him!”
He then turned to Xu Ze with a smile, “Little Doctor Xu, since you’re just helping Dr. Xu, and I’m giving Master Wang face, just be more careful in the future. Avoid any more misunderstandings that might lead to reports, alright?”
“Of course, of course. Officer Li, rest assured. Once I’ve finished helping here, I’ll return to Star City tomorrow. I won’t cause you any more trouble.” Seeing the change in the man’s tone, Xu Ze readily agreed. He had been overwhelmed by the sheer number of patients these past few days. This incident provided a perfect excuse to extricate himself and avoid another flood of patients tomorrow.
Having secured Xu Ze’s agreement and with Master Wang’s intercession, Team Leader Li said his goodbyes to Master Wang and left the Xu Family Clinic. The patients and their families watching outside burst into cheers, thrilled that Xu Ze hadn’t been taken away and could continue treating them.
Xu Ze, however, didn’t immediately return to his seat. Instead, he smiled at the old man before him. “Please, have a seat, Master Wang. Thank you for your kind words just now.”
“Oh, it was nothing. I just couldn’t bear to see such a talented young doctor constrained by these mundane regulations. That would be a true pity.” Master Wang raised his bushy white eyebrows and sat down without ceremony.
Taking the tea Xu Ze’s mother happily brought over, he took a delicate sip and then remarked with admiration, looking at Xu Ze, “Little Doctor Xu, are you really still in school?”
“Yes, I’m in my fourth year at the Star University School of Clinical Medicine,” Xu Ze confirmed with a nod.
“So you really are still studying. Truly, the younger generation inspires awe.” Master Wang shook his head in wonder, then looked at Xu Ze curiously. “I see that Little Doctor Xu is not only proficient in Western medicine but also possesses astonishing skill with the silver needle. May I ask who your teacher was?”
“Oh, for Western medicine, I often studied with a retired physician from a clinic near my school gate a couple of years ago. As for the silver needle technique… it was taught to me by an elderly man. He taught me and then left. I don’t even know his name.” Xu Ze was so used to this kind of excuse that it rolled off his tongue smoothly, with no one able to tell he was making it up.
“Oh, I see. The world is truly full of extraordinary people.” Master Wang nodded thoughtfully. Then, looking at Xu Ze with a strange glint in his eyes, he suddenly smiled. “Little Doctor Xu’s medical skills are already so remarkable, yet hampered by a mere piece of paper. What a shame.”
