Chapter 8: Who Says I Can't
After lunch, Ye Chen asked Ye Xue for the Qin family’s address.
Since this Miss Qin had done the Ye family a favor, and her illness could not be delayed, Ye Chen decided to visit her first to see what could be done.
He reminded Ye Xue to call him at once if anyone from the Wang family came looking for trouble, promising he would return immediately.
Ye Chen had barely left the courtyard when his phone rang.
After five years of disappearance, most of his former classmates and friends had long since lost touch. Who could it be?
He answered, and from the voice, it sounded like a middle-aged man.
“Is this Mr. Ye? My name is Li Ruhai. On Miss Zhou’s orders, I would like to come visit you. Are you available at the moment?”
The caller was none other than Li Ruhai, the wealthiest man in Cloud City, sent by Zhou Qingyun.
“Miss Zhou? Which Miss Zhou?” Ye Chen asked in surprise, unable to recall who she was.
Li Ruhai added quickly, “Mr. Ye, she’s the lady you met at the airport. I’m her subordinate. She insisted I pay you a visit.”
Now Ye Chen understood—Zhou Qingyun was indeed thoughtful.
Clearly, Li Ruhai had been dispatched to curry favor with him on Zhou Qingyun’s behalf.
Ye Chen was not one to put on airs. Since he had promised Zhou Qingyun that he would go to the capital in a month to help her with her illness, he would not break his word.
Besides, he needed to visit the Qin family now.
He politely refused Li Ruhai, “Mr. Li, there’s no need for you to come in person. Please tell Miss Zhou that I will do what I promised.”
“But, Mr. Ye…” Li Ruhai sounded troubled.
Zhou Qingyun had instructed him to visit Ye Chen with the utmost humility, and to spare no effort, even at the cost of the Li family’s fortune, to help Ye Chen with any difficulties he encountered in Cloud City.
Though the Li family was the wealthiest in the city, all of it was built on the Zhou family’s foundation. One word from Zhou Qingyun could decide Li Ruhai’s fate.
Thus, he dared not defy her orders.
Ye Chen detected something amiss in Li Ruhai’s tone. “Is something wrong, Mr. Li?”
Li Ruhai hesitated. “Mr. Ye, it’s just… Miss Zhou insisted that I must pay you a visit. So I was hoping, perhaps…”
Ye Chen was quick to understand. “Mr. Li, how about this—you can come tomorrow morning. I’ll text you the address later. I do have to be out right now.”
“Very well!” Li Ruhai sounded relieved, then added, “Mr. Ye, if you need anything at all, please just say the word!”
“Alright,” Ye Chen replied, ending the call.
Soon after, Ye Chen took a taxi to Lijiang Scenic Residence.
This residential complex was one of the upscale developments in Cloud City from the past two years, featuring villas, spacious apartments, and single-family estates. Only the wealthy and powerful could afford to live here.
After registering his name and phone number at the security office, Ye Chen was allowed in.
Following the address Ye Xue had given him, Ye Chen arrived at a luxurious single-family villa that resembled a manor.
He rang the bell, and soon, a middle-aged woman in an apron—clearly the housekeeper—opened the door.
“Who are you here for?” she asked.
Ye Chen hesitated. He didn’t even know the person’s name.
The housekeeper eyed him with suspicion.
“I’m here to treat Miss Qin’s illness,” Ye Chen said, noticing her doubt and coughing softly to ease the awkwardness.
She scrutinized him carefully. From his appearance, he looked about twenty—hardly the disciple of some renowned doctor or medical master.
On a normal day, she’d probably have sent him packing already. But the young lady’s illness was strange, and in the past few days, at least eight or ten doctors had come to see her.
Moreover, the Qin family head had ordered that any doctor who came to treat his daughter must be received with respect.
The housekeeper said in a low voice, “Please wait here while I inform the master.”
Ye Chen nodded calmly. “Very well.”
She soon ascended to the second floor and entered a room that had been converted into a temporary sickroom.
Inside, a full array of professional medical equipment—ventilators, heart monitors, and more—was set up.
The head of the Qin family, Qin Hongcai, and his wife, Liu Lan, stood anxiously by the bedside, watching over their unconscious daughter, Qin Sisi.
At that moment, Qin Sisi resembled a sleeping beauty, her eyes closed in repose. Her brows were delicate as willow leaves, her nose finely sculpted, and her face was exceptionally beautiful—truly a peerless beauty.
An elderly man with graying hair, well into his sixties, was currently taking her pulse, his expression troubled.
The housekeeper approached Qin Hongcai. “Master, there’s a young man at the door who says he’s here to treat Miss.”
“A young man?” Qin Hongcai frowned and glanced at the old doctor.
This elderly gentleman was the president of the Cloud City Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine, famed throughout the city. People called him “Liu the Needle.”
Yet even Liu the Needle was at a loss regarding his daughter’s illness.
What use could a young man be?
Qin Hongcai waved dismissively at the housekeeper. “Forget it—probably just another one seeking to use my family’s name for his own gain. Send him away.”
“Yes, sir.” The housekeeper turned to go, but was stopped by Liu Lan.
“Wait!” Liu Lan, her eyes brimming with tears, looked at her husband. “Dear, our daughter’s illness is so strange. Since this young man had the courage to volunteer himself, why not let him try? What if…”
She hesitated, glancing at the famed physician. What she wanted to say was that if even Liu the Needle couldn’t cure her daughter, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to let the young man try.
Hearing this, Liu the Needle, who had been taking the pulse with his eyes closed, glanced at Liu Lan.
He paid no real attention to the couple’s conversation, thinking that if even he could not cure this illness, what hope could a young person have?
Liu Lan, aware of the taboos among physicians, hurried to apologize to Liu the Needle. “Doctor Liu, I’m truly sorry to be so forward. It’s just that my daughter’s condition is so grave, I am grasping at any hope at all. I hope you understand.”
“My dear, you’re being too soft-hearted,” Qin Hongcai said with irritation.
Physicians dislike being compared to their peers. For Liu the Needle, with his prestige and skill, to be measured against a young man was an affront.
He had gone to great effort to invite Liu the Needle. If he were to lose him over this, to whom could he then turn for his daughter’s illness?
Liu Lan, realizing her misstep, apologized repeatedly to Liu the Needle. “Doctor Liu, I truly meant no offense. I’ll have the housekeeper send him away right now. I’m sorry…”
Liu the Needle frowned. Had it not been for this exchange, he would have had the young man sent off without a second thought. But now, to insist seemed petty.
He could only respond with a grave smile, “Madam, your love for your daughter is understandable. Since that is the case, let the young man come in and have a look.”