Chapter 196 - 195: Confidentiality Agreement

Chapter 196: Chapter 195: Confidentiality Agreement

Yu Zhiming honestly hadn’t expected this.

The famous singer Rao Yi, who had been haggling back and forth about an appointment time, had now shown up at his door dressed like an ordinary person, and all by herself.

This made Yu Zhiming realize that she must be desperate. Clearly, she was facing a major health problem.

’But...’

Yu Zhiming sized her up.

’Her complexion looks fine, and I don’t see anything physically wrong with her. She doesn’t look sick at all...’

Even though they hadn’t reached an agreement before, Yu Zhiming was a gracious host and politely invited Rao Yi inside.

They took their respective seats on the living room sofa.

"What’s the problem?" Yu Zhiming got straight to the point.

Rao Yi glanced at Yu Xiangwan and Gu Qingning, who were sitting on either side of Yu Zhiming, staring at her with unconcealed excitement.

She hesitated for a moment before asking cautiously, "Dr. Yu, can we speak privately?"

"My situation is a bit special. It needs to be kept confidential."

’She’s so desperate that she came straight to my door, yet she’s still being this difficult?’

Yu Zhiming resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He pointed to Yu Xiangwan and Gu Qingning and introduced them, "This is my twin sister, Yu Xiangwan, and this is..."

Yu Zhiming hesitated for a second, then said, "This is my sister’s best friend, Gu Qingning. She’s a friend of mine, too."

Hearing this introduction, Gu Qingning pouted slightly.

Yu Zhiming continued, "Ms. Rao, you can consider them my assistants."

"They know how to be discreet. They won’t go around gossiping."

"Besides, my apartment is only so big. There’s nowhere for us to talk alone."

After a pause, Yu Zhiming said with a serious expression, "Given my past experiences, once bitten, twice shy. I can’t be alone in a room with just one other person."

"Even if you’re a famous celebrity, it’s not happening!"

Before coming here, Rao Yi had done some in-depth research on Yu Zhiming.

She was well aware of the widely publicized indecency scandal he was involved in.

To be honest, based on her understanding of men, she didn’t believe Yu Zhiming was completely innocent.

’Taking advantage of women in the name of work, that’s the bare minimum for men like him.’

Since she was coming alone to ask for his help, Rao Yi had mentally prepared herself to be taken advantage of.

’With her figure, her looks, and her dazzling status, she was an irresistible temptation for any sleazy man.’

Rao Yi hadn’t expected the guy to act like such a gentleman.

Rao Yi glanced at Yu Xiangwan and Gu Qingning again, figuring he was only forced to act proper because his friends and family were present.

Rao Yi found herself torn between being taken advantage of and having her secret leaked.

In her heart, she was more inclined to maintain her confidentiality.

’The more people who know my secret, the greater the risk of a leak. Especially since this secret of mine is tied to potentially huge financial stakes...’

Yu Zhiming noticed the hesitation on Rao Yi’s face.

He said flatly, "Ms. Rao, this is my home, not my medical practice."

"Since you’re so worried about your privacy being leaked, how about this: come find me at Huashan Hospital tomorrow at nine in the morning."

Rao Yi could see Yu Zhiming’s displeasure and his attempt to brush her off, and she started to panic.

Today, she had managed to slip away from everyone unexpectedly and make it here without a hitch.

There was no guarantee she wouldn’t be discovered by someone next time.

Rao Yi struggled for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. "I’m being overly cautious. If I can’t find a solution for my condition soon, I probably won’t be able to hide it anymore anyway."

"Dr. Yu, I’ll tell you now."

"But before I do, Dr. Yu, let’s get the unpleasantries out of the way first."

"Just to avoid any potential disputes in the future..."

As she spoke, Rao Yi took two thick agreements from her handbag and handed them over.

Yu Zhiming took them and saw they were confidentiality agreements.

He flipped through them quickly and found they were filled with all sorts of confidentiality and liability clauses.

To put it simply, if any information detrimental to Rao Yi leaked from his end, he would have to compensate her for all her losses.

Yu Zhiming was displeased, even a little angry.

He tossed the agreements onto the coffee table and said coldly, "I’ve been practicing medicine for years, and I’ve never had to sign a confidentiality agreement."

Rao Yi gave an awkward smile and explained, "Dr. Yu, please forgive my caution. It’s mainly because the situation I’m about to describe involves very high stakes."

"I have to be careful."

She added, "To be honest, Dr. Yu, I’ve seen several medical experts before you."

"And they all signed this agreement."

Yu Zhiming snorted. "Ms. Rao, you’re a big star. If you suffer any losses, they’ll surely start in the millions. What if I accidentally leak your secret while talking in my sleep? I can’t afford to compensate you."

Yu Zhiming stood up and gestured for her to leave.

"Ms. Rao, please find someone else!"

Rao Yi didn’t get up. Instead, she took a check out of her bag and placed it gently on the coffee table.

"Dr. Yu, surely this number is enough to make the risk of confidentiality worthwhile for you?"

Yu Zhiming glanced at the number on the check and was startled.

’One million!’

"You’re being this generous? After haggling over every penny earlier?"

Rao Yi sighed softly and explained, "When I was seeking medical help before, I only said I was feeling a bit unwell."

"My agent and my assistants don’t know the real reason."

"My agent was the one who contacted you, Dr. Yu, and of course, his job is to save money wherever possible."

"However, yesterday, I heard from someone about your true abilities, Dr. Yu..."

After a pause, Rao Yi said in a low voice, "I know that you’re extraordinarily sensitive to sound, Dr. Yu, and that you have a knack for seeing the big picture from small details."

"I just knew that you might be the only one who can find the cause of my problem."

Then, Rao Yi pressed her palms together in a pleading gesture.

"Dr. Yu, I’m begging you, please help me."

"I’m truly at my wit’s end."

"This so-called confidentiality agreement is only meant to keep honest people honest. It’s really just for my own peace of mind."

Just then, Gu Qingning spoke up. "Zhiming, Ning’an Hospital also treats patients with high profiles and special requirements."

"The medical staff in charge of their treatment sometimes have to sign confidentiality agreements, too."

Rao Yi quickly added, "I can add another clause—a three-month term."

"After three months, this confidentiality clause will become void."

"Dr. Yu, what do you think...?"

For the sake of the one-million-yuan check and Rao Yi’s additional clause, Yu Zhiming finally nodded.

Two or three minutes later, Yu Zhiming, Yu Xiangwan, and Gu Qingning had all signed their names on the amended confidentiality agreement...

Rao Yi met the gazes of the three and said with a bitter expression, "As a professional singer, I’ve always been very careful about protecting my throat, but for some reason, my high notes have become unstable."

"And the situation is getting worse."

Hearing this, it dawned on Yu Zhiming. ’So it’s not a physical problem, it’s a problem with her voice.’

’For a singer, this is a fatal blow.’

’So the lip-syncing at her concerts was out of necessity?’

Gu Qingning asked bluntly, "Have you been lip-syncing in all of your recent performances?"

Rao Yi hummed in affirmation. "Yes. That’s why this news can’t get out, or I’ll face massive claims for damages."

Rao Yi continued to explain, "Before, I could handle the B4-C5 range with ease. On a good day, I could even hit F5."

"But for the last six months, I haven’t dared to sing high notes. My voice cracks whenever I try."

"And recently, my voice can’t even sustain notes up to B3-C4."

"Now I’m afraid to even open my mouth to sing."

"I’ve seen several medical experts, but they couldn’t find the cause. They just told me there was nothing wrong with my vocal cords."

Rao Yi looked at Yu Zhiming expectantly and said, "Dr. Yu, with my condition, you can find the reason, right?"

Rao Yi said pitifully, "If this problem isn’t solved, I’ll have to give up my music career, which is my life."

"I have performance contracts signed with various companies that are scheduled out for the next three years."

"If I default on all of them, I wouldn’t be able to pay the damages even if I sold myself."

Gu Qingning interjected, "Ms. Rao, wouldn’t this be considered a medical condition? A force majeure event?"

"If you default, you wouldn’t have to pay damages."

Rao Yi shook her head, her expression sorrowful. "I’ve consulted with lawyers. They said my situation is highly debatable and likely wouldn’t be considered a force majeure."

"Because I can still sing, and no organic lesions have been found in my vocal organs, like my throat. It’s just that my high notes crack."

"But if I were to go on stage and perform in my current state, you can imagine the result."

"The partner companies definitely won’t be willing to lose money. They’ll certainly sue me for damages."

’That seems to make sense,’ Yu Zhiming thought.

’But this is getting off-topic. I’m just a doctor; I don’t deal with messy things like contract breaches and compensation.’

He interrupted, "Ms. Rao, let me examine you first and see if I can find anything."

Yu Zhiming added, "If I can’t find the source of the problem, I won’t accept your check..."