"Madam Shen, perhaps this young man has learned a bit. Young people are prone to being arrogant," Dean Tang maintained his composure and gestured to Li Se. "Alright, young man, you can leave for now. This concerns the child's health. We can discuss medicine later."
Li Se said nothing more. He had seen the child was poisoned and, driven by kindness, had offered a reminder. Instead, he was met with ridicule. Since that was the case, he would no longer interfere. As the saying goes, medicine does not knock on doors, and enlightenment is not lightly bestowed. His medical skills were not that humble.
"Mom, I'll go get your medicine," Li Se said, deciding to mind his own business.
When Li Se returned with the medicine, the child's condition seemed to have taken a turn for the worse.
"Dean Tang, tell me, what is happening?" Madam Shen's questioning voice echoed from the ward.
Silence descended, and no doctor dared to speak.
Dean Tang was sweating profusely. He truly hadn't expected that, despite following the standard treatment plan, the child not only failed to improve but was deteriorating. The child's cries had already turned hoarse.
"Give me an explanation immediately!" Madam Shen demanded furiously.
"This, this, this..." Dean Tang stammered.
"Dean, Madam Shen, didn't that Li Se just say he was poisoned? Why don't we ask him to take a look?" Wang Xiang, though perhaps with ulterior motives, was trying to shift the blame to Li Se at this critical juncture.
Dean Tang hesitated. Li Se had confidently stated the child was poisoned, but the hospital had found nothing.
If it were any other child, it wouldn't be so troublesome. But this was the child of Qingyun City's richest man. If anything were to happen, he, as the dean, would not escape responsibility.
Moreover, if they were to go through the standard hospital examination process again, this child might not survive.
Perhaps Li Se truly had a solution!
Dean Tang spotted Li Se by the ward door and asked, "You said earlier the child wasn't suffering from Huang Heng, but poisoning. Do you have any basis for that?"
"No," Li Se replied plainly.
Wang Xiang sneered, "The dean is speaking to you, don't be ungrateful!"
"Heh, I'm just a commoner. How could I understand medicine? What do you think, Director Wang?" Li Se retorted with a cold smile.
Wang Xiang trembled with anger.
Dean Tang quickly waved his hands, understanding that Li Se was bringing up their earlier treatment. However, for the sake of the child, he had to ask Li Se sincerely, "Although we made mistakes, the child is innocent. I hope you can offer your medical assistance."
The assembled doctors were astonished. Their dean was actually pleading with a young man to treat a patient. Was this not a case of desperation leading to irrational decisions?
Madam Shen, however, was displeased. She exclaimed, "Dean Tang, what does this mean? Your hospital can't cure him, so you're bringing any Tom, Dick, or Harry to treat my son?"
Dean Tang didn't know how to explain. Li Se had seen at a glance that it wasn't Huang Heng, and perhaps he did possess some skill. It wasn't impossible.
Li Se frowned, clearly displeased with Madam Shen's words. He mocked, "I never said I would treat your child. You don't need to speak so harshly!"
"Just a nobody from the bottom of society!" Madam Shen scoffed, ignoring Li Se and continuing to admonish Dean Tang.
Dean Tang's forehead was beaded with cold sweat. But now, he could only pin his hopes on Li Se. He knew clearly that as long as the child could be cured, everything would be alright. He looked at Li Se and said, "Young man, if you can truly cure this child, please do so. I don't care about the adults, but the child is innocent."
Li Se's heart softened. Indeed, although Madam Shen was arrogant, what did that have to do with the child? He nodded and walked into the ward.
"He cannot treat my son!" Madam Shen was the first to object.
Dean Tang was losing patience. "Madam Shen, let him try. If anything happens, I will take responsibility!"
"You take responsibility?" Madam Shen sneered. "What responsibility can you take, a mere dean? I tell you, if anything happens to my child, I will make you all pay with your lives!"
With that, she went to make a phone call.
"Dean, you were too impulsive," Wang Xiang couldn't help but remark.
Several doctors believed Dean Tang had indeed acted rashly, placing his bets on a young man. If the treatment failed, his position would be in jeopardy.
Li Se, however, paid them no mind. He pressed two points on the child's body, and two silver needles appeared between his fingers.
"What are you doing?" Madam Shen had just returned from her call and was alarmed to see Li Se preparing to use acupuncture. "You're going to use traditional Chinese medicine? And you think TCM can cure him? If anything happens to my child, you..."
"Be quiet!" Li Se's expression darkened, and he coldly interrupted Madam Shen. The two silver needles in his hand were already inserted into the child's shoulders.
At that moment, the child's cries actually stopped!
"He actually cured him?" Many doctors were stunned. They were all Western medicine practitioners and found it hard to believe that just two needles could stop the child's crying.
Dean Tang breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from his brow. It seemed his gamble had paid off. He looked at Li Se with curiosity and asked, "Young man, how did you discern it was poisoning?"
The other doctors couldn't help but crowd closer. The hospital's entire battery of standard tests had only diagnosed Huang Heng and found no signs of poisoning. Yet Li Se, without even touching the child, had determined it was poisoning. This medical skill was truly remarkable.
Li Se smiled and replied, "Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes observation, listening, questioning, and feeling the pulse. Judging from the child's complexion and cries, if it were merely Huang Heng, the child wouldn't be crying so intensely. Therefore, I concluded it was not Huang Heng but poisoning."
"Impressive."
"Such medical skill at this age, the future is promising."
Many doctors praised him repeatedly.
Wang Xiang snorted but said nothing. He suspected Li Se had gotten lucky.
Seeing that the child had stopped crying, Madam Shen's expression finally softened. She picked up the child, glanced at Li Se, and huffed, "You have some skill, I'll admit. If you hadn't cured him, I could have made it impossible for you to stay in Qingyun City."
Dean Tang frowned. This Madam Shen was still too arrogant. If Li Se hadn't intervened, the child might have been in serious danger. Instead of expressing gratitude, she was now issuing threats. Although he felt disgruntled, Madam Shen's status was undeniable, and he dared not say much.
"Yes, using needles on someone is truly risky. If something goes wrong, who will be responsible?" Wang Xiang immediately chimed in.
He paused, then continued, "The child has stopped crying now, but to be safe, we still need to conduct a thorough examination. Perhaps the toxins haven't been completely cleared."