Chapter 802: The Event Begins

Chapter 802: Chapter 802: The Event Begins

"This is what you get for hiding it from me, for not telling me," Gao Mingxuan scolded his foolish son, Gao Ruiping, his face still stern as they stepped out of the consultation room. "If you had told me earlier, Miaomiao might have started her medication by now. Why would her condition have dragged on until today? The child has suffered so much over these past three months."

"Dad, I really know I was wrong."

Gao Ruiping hung his head in dismay, his face full of bitterness. He had completely lost the commanding presence he usually carried as a minor leader at his workplace.

His heart was bleeding as well. If he had known that Li Xu could explain the illness clearly in just a few minutes, why would he and his wife have gone to such great lengths, pleading for help all over town? Coming to Feng City these past few days, both husband and wife had taken time off work. Just the hotel accommodation fees and the repeated examination costs at several top-tier hospitals added up to a significant sum. Yet, Li Xu had merely observed carefully, patiently taken her pulse, and ultimately prescribed a simple Liuwei Dihuang Decoction. Although the prescription seemed ordinary, Li Xu’s explanation of "nourishing the yin to suppress the yang, and consolidating the foundation to cultivate vitality" had been so brilliant that even an experienced traditional Chinese medicine doctor like Gao Mingxuan was left pounding the table in admiration.

Gao Ruiping looked at Zeng Yunjun leading the way, as well as Li Lin following closely behind Li Xu with a face full of worship, and felt a surge of complex emotions. He had originally thought that it would be the absolute peak for Li Xu to become an attending physician at his age. Who could have imagined that this kid would be treated like royalty at the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine? With the chief physician of the emergency department accompanying him and the chief resident trailing behind, this level of prestige and status was not something money could measure.

Over the past few days, as he tried to register for specialist appointments at other hospitals, Gao Ruiping had truly learned what it meant to find an appointment impossible to book. Especially for pediatric development specialists, every attempt to snatch a slot felt like fighting a war; they were fully booked within seconds of passing midnight. And now, Feng City’s top expert was right in front of him, treating his old man with the utmost respect.

"Alright, Old Gao, stop blaming the kids. Ruiping and his wife were just afraid of making you worry," Zeng Yunjun smoothed things over from the side, smiling as he looked at Miaomiao. "Now that Dean Li has personally stepped in, you can set your mind at ease."

"Of course. I’m most at ease when Xiao Xu writes the prescription." Gao Mingxuan held his granddaughter in his arms, the ache in his heart finally easing quite a bit.

It was just past nine-thirty in the morning.

Gao Mingxuan had originally wanted to stay in the city for a couple more days. However, knowing how busy Li Xu usually was, he figured their presence would only distract him, so he suggested they head back today. Li Xu insisted on seeing the family off at the station.

Standing before the ticket gate, Gao Mingxuan held Li Xu’s hand and repeatedly urged him, "Xiao Xu, hurry back to the hospital. Don’t let us delay your important work."

The family waved goodbye.

Sitting in the car on their journey back, Gao Mingxuan watched the scenery speeding by outside the window and sighed emotionally once more, "I truly never expected this. A few years ago when I saw Xiao Xu, he was still learning to identify herbs with me in the rural clinic. In the blink of an eye, he’s become the Vice Dean of the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. A person’s fortunes in this lifetime... it’s truly unbelievable."

"That’s why I say, Dad, you have an incredible eye and great luck," Gao Ruiping remarked with lingering awe as he peeled an orange for his daughter. "You managed to stumble upon a once-in-a-century talent like Li Xu. This wasn’t just taking in a disciple; this was practically inviting a living Buddha into our home."

In the Xinglin Realm, the relationship between master and disciple was as weighty as Taishan. The higher Li Xu’s status and skill level rose, the more respectful he had to be toward Gao Mingxuan, his enlightening mentor. Gao Ruiping and his wife finally understood it clearly now. As long as Li Xu was around in the future, the Gao family essentially held a golden ticket when it came to anything medical.

The day after Gao Mingxuan’s family returned was the Feng City Youth Traditional Chinese Medicine Exchange Conference.

Because the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department of the City People’s Hospital was leading the event, the venue was chosen at the New World Hotel, not far from Renmin Hospital.

On Wednesday morning, the sunlight was just right.

Li Xu wore a finely textured dark jacket, while Lin Guorui and Li Lin were dressed in appropriate casual wear. The three of them arrived on time, representing the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. A massive check-in backdrop stood at the entrance of the hotel lobby, bearing the words: "Feng City First Youth Traditional Chinese Medicine Summit Forum and Clinical Experience Exchange Conference."

Two beautiful girls in professional suits sat at the registration desk, their attitudes warm and welcoming. Academic events of this scale were usually sponsored by large medical trading companies behind the scenes, and these two were senior sales representatives for a certain Chinese herbal medicine company.

"Dean Li, this way please." One of the girls’ eyes lit up upon seeing Li Xu. She had clearly done her homework in advance and recognized this young Vice Dean who had recently risen to fame.

"Dean Li!" A familiar voice called out from behind just as he was about to sign in.

Li Xu turned around to look. It was the two brothers from the Affiliated Hospital, Liu Haodong and Liu Haixue. Standing next to Liu Haodong was a man around thirty-five or thirty-six years old. He had a dignified appearance and a steady gaze.

"Dr. Liu," Li Xu greeted with a smile.

"This is the young backbone of our department, Doctor Mr. Guan Wenxing," Liu Haodong introduced.

Guan Wenxing actively reached out his hand, politely assessing Li Xu. "I’ve long looked forward to meeting you, Dean Li. Yesterday, Director Shi was just mentioning you in the department, saying that you are a dark horse in Feng City’s traditional Chinese medicine field."

The group signed their names and each received a specially made red badge. The front clearly displayed their name, affiliated hospital, and professional title. In addition, everyone received an exquisite welcome gift containing an antique-style Ru kiln tea set.

"Let’s go. The exchange conference doesn’t start for another hour. We can go sit in the second-floor lounge first," Liu Haixue said, leading the group upstairs.

The lounge was a massive, luxurious private room. Quite a few people were already seated inside, and the air was filled with the faint aroma of coffee and tea. This Youth Traditional Chinese Medicine Exchange Conference was restricted to those under forty years old. Although each hospital only had two or three quotas, Feng City was a large city after all. Between the top-tier hospitals, specialized hospitals, and a few well-known private clinics, there were about forty or fifty people in total. These people were mostly the top talents of their respective hospitals. Some were already attending physicians, while others had just been promoted to associate senior titles.

"Oh, the two brothers from the Liu family at the Affiliated Hospital are here."

"Director Liu, Doctor Guan, please take a seat."

As Liu Haixue and the others entered, quite a few people in the room stood up to greet them. The Liu family had deep roots in Feng City’s Xinglin Realm. The skill level of these two brothers was obvious to all, affording them extremely high status within the circle.

"Director Qu."

"Director Gu, long time no see."

Liu Haixue exchanged familiar pleasantries with several people in the core circle.

"Dean Li, let me introduce you," Liu Haixue said, pulling Li Xu forward. He presented him to the crowd, "This is the current pillar of our City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dean Li Xu. And this is Director Lin Guorui."

The originally bustling lounge fell slightly quiet for a moment. Everyone’s gaze landed squarely on Li Xu. Over the past month, Li Xu’s name had truly become far too resounding in Feng City’s medical circles.