Young people these days are just too spoiled. They’re always going on about how they have social anxiety.
People with real social anxiety struggle just to leave the house, let alone go out shopping.
Qin Jiang doesn’t indulge these bad habits. He cut straight to the chase and asked:
“Tell me about this bad breath. When did it start?”
Zeng Zhu was about to speak, but Qin Jiang cut him off directly.
“You, be quiet. Let your girlfriend answer.”
Zeng Zhu wasn’t the one who was sick. Did he really think he could be her spokesperson for everything?
Left with no choice, Zeng Zhu said to Zhang Weiai:
“Babe, go ahead and tell Doctor Qin. Around when did it start?”
Zhang Weiai was being all coy and hesitant, as if talking to Qin Jiang was an incredibly difficult thing to do.
She fidgeted there for almost half a minute, not managing to utter a single word, though her facial expressions were certainly plentiful.
Seeing this, Qin Jiang couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Are you going to say something or not?”
Urged by Qin Jiang, Zhang Weiai finally managed to speak: “Um, like, I think it started about four days ago. My mouth started tasting, like, off.”
The moment Zhang Weiai opened her mouth, everyone was stunned.
Was that a sound a human could make?
Qin Jiang said in a deep voice, “Miss Zhang, please speak normally. Stop using that fake, cutesy voice.”
Zhang Weiai put on a very indignant expression.
“But I’m not using a fake voice! This is, like, my natural voice.”
“Babe, tell the doctor, isn’t this my natural voice?”
Zeng Zhu nodded earnestly beside her.
“That’s right, Doctor. My girlfriend has always sounded like this.”
Qin Jiang was getting a headache.
He was starting to think Zeng Zhu was even sicker than Zhang Weiai. He really felt like examining his brain first.
The viewers in the livestream couldn’t stand it anymore and started spamming comments to complain.
“Is anyone really born with a voice like that? I don’t believe it.”
“Fake-cutesy voice, beware my sword!”
“I really don’t get it. Why are more and more people talking in that fake cutesy voice? Is it actually supposed to sound good?”
“Doctor Qin, ask her if she just turned eighteen!”
The viewers naturally didn’t believe Zhang Weiai was born with that voice.
They’d seen it all before; her little trick wasn’t going to fool them.
“So you’re sure it was four days ago that you noticed a taste in your mouth?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Zhang Weiai, as earnest as a cartoon character, said:
“’Cause, like, my boyfriend and I kiss every day, so I remember really clearly. It was exactly four days ago.”
Qin Jiang felt his fists clenching.
Having to diagnose Zhang Weiai while enduring that voice was pure torture.
Thinking this, Qin Jiang said to her, “Hold out your hand. I’ll take your pulse.”
Zhang Weiai didn’t suspect anything and immediately stretched out her hand.
Qin Jiang took hold of her wrist and continued: “After you noticed the bad breath, did you have any tests done, or try any special cleaning methods?”
Zhang Weiai thought for a moment and then said:
“I… holy crap, why does my voice sound like this?”
As soon as Zhang Weiai started talking, she realized her voice had suddenly become deeper!
Zeng Zhu, standing beside her, also looked confused. It was the first time he’d heard Zhang Weiai speak like that.
Qin Jiang said very calmly, “That’s your real voice. You actually sound pretty good when you’re not putting on that fake cutesy tone. Why do you feel the need to make it sound so strange?”
Zhang Weiai tried to switch back to the cutesy voice, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t find that tone anymore.
Only then did she realize it must have been because Qin Jiang was holding her wrist.
This doctor was something else!
The livestream audience was in hysterics.
“Epic fail! Before, she claimed she was born with that voice, and now Doctor Qin just exposed her!”
“I never believed anyone is born with that fake cutesy voice. It’s just too many young people these days are fooling themselves.”
“Doctor Qin’s move was incredible! Is that pressure point technique? I so want to learn that.”
“To the person above, why do you want to learn it? Is your girlfriend a ‘fake cutesy voice’ user too?”
With her lie exposed, Zhang Weiai was mortified and wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
The worst off, though, was Zeng Zhu.
He genuinely thought Zhang Weiai’s voice was natural and had never once suspected his girlfriend.
After finishing the pulse reading, Qin Jiang let go of her hand and advised:
“Speak normally from now on. No more fake cutesy voice, or I won’t be able to treat your condition.”
Having witnessed Qin Jiang’s skill, Zhang Weiai naturally didn’t dare to use that cutesy voice anymore.
She continued, “After my boyfriend said my breath smelled, I brushed my teeth and used mouthwash. It got a bit better, but after a while, the smell came back, and it was really bad.”
“What kind of smell?” Qin Jiang asked.
Zhang Weiai raised her hand to take off her mask.
“You’ll know if you smell it.”
Whoa! Are girls these days really this unaware of personal boundaries?
“Don’t take it off. Keep it on.”
Qin Jiang quickly stopped her. “Just describe it to me.”
Qin Jiang wasn’t a glutton for punishment. He wasn’t about to lean in and smell her breath knowing she had halitosis.
Zhang Weiai hadn’t expected Qin Jiang to react so strongly.
She thought for a moment and said:
“It’s like… the smell of meat or fish rotting. It’s just really bad. Even I feel nauseous when I smell it.”
Qin Jiang felt a private sense of relief that he hadn’t let her take off the mask. Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t be able to eat his next meal.
“Do you have any habits like staying up late or smoking?”
Zhang Weiai shook her head.
“No. My family’s strict. I go to bed at 11 p.m. every night. I never stay up late.”
Qin Jiang nodded.
That matched what he’d felt when he took her pulse.
Seeing Qin Jiang scribbling on his paper, Zhang Weiai asked, “Doctor, what exactly is causing my bad breath?”
Qin Jiang said, “Since brushing and mouthwash don’t help much, it’s likely not caused by dental plaque.”
“Do you have any mouth sores? Or gingivitis?”
Zhang Weiai shook her head.
“No. My teeth have always been healthy. I actually just saw the dentist last month.”
Hearing this, Qin Jiang nodded.
“Then we can basically rule out the mouth as the source.”
“Now we need to do some internal checks to see if it’s caused by Helicobacter pylori.”
Zhang Weiai shook her head and said, “We actually got tested for that yesterday at another hospital. Neither of us has H. pylori.”
Neither of them did?
Qin Jiang frowned.
Just as he was pondering other possibilities, Zhang Weiai suddenly started coughing violently.
Seeing this, Zeng Zhu quickly handed her a water bottle.
Qin Jiang asked, “Do you cough like that often?”
After taking a sip of water, Zhang Weiai felt much better.
She explained, “Not really. It’s just that my throat has felt a bit itchy the last few days.”
Qin Jiang’s attention sharpened.
“I think I know what’s causing your bad breath.”
Zhang Weiai quickly asked, “What is it?”
Instead of answering, Qin Jiang opened a drawer, took out a mask, and put it on.
