The next morning, while Huo Rou was still fast asleep, two doctors arrived.
Qin Ningyi and An An watched with grim faces as the old Chinese medicine doctor felt Huo Rou's pulse.
Under the stern, expectant gazes of the father and son, the old doctor's hand, resting on Huo Rou's fair wrist, trembled slightly.
The two Qin C.E.O.s, one large and one small, looked at him with stern faces. Even though he had seen many grand occasions, he still felt a little intimidated.
Furthermore…
The pulse he felt was fluctuating, sometimes appearing, sometimes disappearing.
Huo Rou was still unconscious. Her face, free of any makeup, clearly showed her lips tinged with a purplish hue and her cheeks pale and devoid of color.
The old doctor frowned.
Seeing his deep frown, the two men held their breath.
The old doctor released Huo Rou's hand and moved to the other side to take her pulse.
His frown deepened, and he even cautiously glanced at Qin Ningyi.
It was said that wealthy families harbored many secrets. When this Qin C.E.O. suddenly asked him to examine this woman, whose pulse was so chaotic, he didn't know if he should speak his mind.
The old doctor hesitated and then stood up straight.
The two, one large and one small, also stood up, watching him with faces like they were facing a great enemy.
Looking at An An's adorable little face, the old doctor guessed that he wouldn't be asked to be an accomplice…
With a physician's compassion, he decided it was better to speak his mind, whether it was appropriate or not.
Just as he was about to speak, Qin Ningyi looked at Huo Rou sleeping on the bed and gestured for silence to the old doctor, indicating that they should talk outside.
An An stepped forward and tucked back the corner of the blanket that had been lifted during the pulse-taking. After finishing, he also quickly walked out, wanting to hear what the old doctor had to say.
"You take the doctor uncle to examine Mom." Qin Ningyi pulled the other specialist doctor in front of An An, successfully preventing him from following.
In the study, Qin Ningyi looked at the old doctor with a heavy gaze, his voice lowered, "What's wrong?"
He saw the old doctor's grave expression and guessed that there was indeed something wrong. Huo Rou's constant fatigue might not be related to her work as she claimed. This was why he had left An An in the room.
The old doctor composed himself before meeting his gaze. "It's not good."
"Explain carefully." Qin Ningyi's face darkened. He exuded an oppressive aura, his voice slow but filled with menace.
Facing his pressure, the old doctor raised his eyelids, glanced at him, and said with a frown, "Judging by the pulse and facial features, it's a sign of poisoning."
"But this poison, I've never seen before." The reason for the old doctor's frown, besides Huo Rou's poisoning, was also that the poison was novel, something he had never encountered.
"Poisoning?" Qin Ningyi had considered many possibilities, but never this one.
When did Huo Rou get poisoned?
After returning from Taichuan City?
But she had shown signs of somnolence even before that.
"Yes," the old doctor continued. "The symptoms you mentioned earlier – extreme fatigue and waking up late – are caused by poisoning."
"This lady's pulse is very complex and strange, but I can tell that the toxicity causing her to fall asleep is potent, which is why she hasn't woken up yet," the old doctor said, looking at Qin Ningyi with some trepidation.
He hesitated again.
There was something he didn't know whether to say…
"If you have something to say, say it!" Qin Ningyi's heart skipped a beat when he saw his hesitant expression. "Can the poison be cured?"
After speaking, he fixed his gaze on the old doctor. This was a renowned traditional Chinese medicine practitioner in the country. Xiao Konglin had said that this doctor had achieved astonishing medical miracles.
His eyes were stormy, his voice deep and powerful, exuding an unshakeable force. "If it can be cured, you must cure it!"
So it was about detoxification? That was much simpler. Now he could say it.
The old doctor breathed a sigh of relief and blurted out, "The lady's poison seems to have been caused by long-term ingestion, leading to increased toxicity. Is her daily diet taken separately?"
Meeting Qin Ningyi's gaze, he added, "What I mean is, check the things she often eats, especially if she eats them alone."
Things she often ate alone…
Qin Ningyi returned to the bedroom. He found the pill she often took from Huo Rou's bag.
With a dark expression, he handed the pill to the old doctor.
"Look at this medicine," he said. After thinking it over, Huo Rou ate every meal with him. If there was anything she took alone for a long time, it would be this medicine given to her by Shen Wuyou.
It was supposed to be a tonic…
The old doctor took the unbranded medicine bottle, opened the cap, and looked. The pills were almost gone.
He sniffed it. A sweet and sour scent wafted, making it seem more like candy than medicine.
But since this was a suspicious item pointed out by Qin Ningyi, it was certainly not as simple as it smelled.
He poured out a pill and used a tool to take a small amount of powder for careful analysis.
"Among the medicinal ingredients I can identify, there is indeed a component that can cause drowsiness and keep one asleep, but I cannot identify the rest. This pill has undergone a lot of processing, including its taste." He held the pill and asked, "May I take it back for a comprehensive test?"
Qin Ningyi looked at the remaining amount in the bottle. Taking one pill would be too conspicuous.
For some reason, he instinctively did not want Huo Rou to know he was investigating this medicine.
"Take a little powder from each pill and bring it back for testing."
After the TCM doctor took the samples, he returned the medicine bottle to its original place.
An An watched him return with the medicine bottle and came over to ask, "Did Uncle Shen give it?"
Since he was at school during the day, he rarely saw Huo Rou take medicine, so he instinctively assumed it was medicine prepared by Shen Wuyou for Huo Rou.
"But Mom's regular medicine from Uncle Shen is always kept with me," An An said, confused.
Shen Wuyou had once told him to act as a supervisor, and it was good for the medicine to be with him, so he could ensure his mother took it promptly when she was ill.
"Your mother said this is a medicine to replenish Qi and blood. Have you seen it before?" Qin Ningyi asked, hearing An An speak. He opened his hand and showed the medicine bottle to An An.
"No, did Uncle Shen give it to you?"
"Yes." Qin Ningyi was familiar with the smell. Most of Shen Wuyou's medicines had this candy-like aroma.
An An took the medicine bottle, opened it, sniffed it, and then looked at the shape of the pills. He shook his head in confusion, then nodded. "The smell is so familiar, but I haven't seen this pill before."
"Replenishing Qi and blood… The medicines Uncle Shen gives us are all for treating illnesses. Why would he suddenly make a medicine to replenish Qi and blood?" An An repeatedly mumbled the words "replenish Qi and blood," finding it strange.
Could it be…
"Perhaps Mom hasn't fully recovered from her previous injury and coma?" An An murmured.
He had felt that his mother's and Uncle Shen's expressions were not right back then. Later, when his mother took him to the cemetery, her words also seemed strange.