Chapter 199 - 198: A Truly Poor Showing

Chapter 199: Chapter 198: A Truly Poor Showing

Yu Xiangwan woke up languidly, sat up slowly on the bed, and let out a big yawn.

Looking at the bright light in the room, the still-groggy Yu Xiangwan felt like something was missing.

Something wasn’t right.

She looked at the sofa. Gu Qingning was still lying there without a stir, clearly fast asleep.

Yu Xiangwan glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table.

7:35 AM!

Yu Xiangwan’s heart skipped a beat.

’Oh no, I woke up late. I haven’t even made breakfast.’

’Oh wait, it’s Sunday. A day to relax.’

’Oh... I don’t see Fifth Brother...’

Yu Xiangwan instantly understood what was missing.

Fifth Brother was an immovable object when it came to his 6 AM wake-up time, even on Sundays.

Although he wouldn’t drag her and Gu Qingning out of bed for morning exercises on a Sunday, they were always woken up by the noise he made.

Yu Xiangwan quickly got out of bed, pushed open the heavy bedroom door, and went inside.

She saw Yu Zhiming lying face down on the bed, not yet awake.

Because he was sleeping on his stomach, his face was turned to the side on the pillow.

But what worried Yu Xiangwan was that she could see fine beads of sweat on Yu Zhiming’s forehead.

His lips were dry and slightly chapped.

Yu Xiangwan pressed the back of her hand against Yu Zhiming’s forehead.

It was a bit hot!

He had a fever!

Yu Xiangwan quickly threw back the thin blanket covering Yu Zhiming, then pulled up his pajama top, revealing a back with six pieces of medical tape on it.

Yu Xiangwan peeled off the tape one by one to check the wounds.

There was no redness or swelling, no inflammation.

Yu Xiangwan couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

’Good, it’s not a fever caused by inflammation.’

Just then, Yu Zhiming stirred on the bed and opened his eyes.

"Sis, what time is it?"

Yu Xiangwan could tell Fifth Brother’s voice wasn’t its usual clear self; it had become somewhat muffled and hoarse.

"It’s past seven."

"Fifth Brother, you have a fever. Are you feeling unwell?"

Yu Zhiming rolled over and sat up on the bed, stretched his arms a bit, and cleared his throat.

"My body just feels a little heavy and sore, but it’s fine..."

Ten-odd minutes later, Yu Zhiming, sitting on the living room sofa, took a mercury thermometer from under his arm and checked his temperature.

"37.6!"

Gu Qingning, who was also up by now, asked with concern, "Zhiming, should you go to the hospital for a check-up?"

Yu Zhiming chuckled. "I am a doctor. Why would I need someone else to check me?"

"It’s just a low-grade fever, and we have over-the-counter medicine for colds and fevers at home. I’ll take some medicine, rest for half a day, and I’ll be fine."

Yu Xiangwan said with a tone of certainty, "Fifth Brother, this fever is because you got scared by what happened yesterday."

"Your soul was probably scared right out of you. We need to go back to that place from yesterday and call your soul back."

Yu Zhiming gave Yu Xiangwan a look. "Sis, what century is this? You still believe in that stuff?"

Yu Xiangwan huffed indignantly, "That time you were scared by a snake as a kid, you couldn’t sleep well for nights."

"Wasn’t it only after we had someone look at you and Mom called your soul back that you were finally able to sleep well?"

Yu Zhiming looked at the perplexed Gu Qingning and explained, "’Calling the soul’ is a superstitious practice from my hometown."

"People believe a child’s soul is weak and can be easily scared away, leading to symptoms like colds, fevers, or convulsions."

"Once you call the soul back, everything’s fine. In reality, it’s just a superstitious practice that offers psychological comfort."

Gu Qingning let out a soft "Oh."

Yu Xiangwan reached out and touched Yu Zhiming’s forehead again. "Fifth Brother, what do you want to eat?"

"You need to eat something before taking medicine."

"I don’t have much of an appetite. Sis, just boil some dumplings."

Just as Yu Zhiming replied, his phone’s ringtone went off.

It was a call from Qiao Lei.

"What’s up?" Yu Zhiming asked bluntly.

Qiao Lei’s sly chuckle came through the phone. "Dr. Yu, I went to that mixer yesterday with Dr. Ding."

"It really lived up to its name as a song and dance troupe. So many beautiful women and handsome men, but their standards are sky-high."

"As soon as they found out I was just a contract worker at the hospital and not even a doctor, they just ignored me."

Yu Zhiming said cheerfully, "Qiao Lei, you’re so fickle, hitting on other girls at a mixer. Aren’t you afraid of making Dr. Ding angry?"

Qiao Lei sighed lightly. "Dr. Ding is a medical doctor, a beautiful one at that, and she’s highly regarded by Director Liu. I know my own limits; I’m not good enough for her."

Yu Zhiming chuckled. "In a typical couple, one person manages things at home, while the other focuses on the outside world."

"If you position yourself as the one who manages things at home, it doesn’t matter if your circumstances are a bit worse than Dr. Ding’s."

"Dr. Yu, no way!"

Qiao Lei adopted a macho tone, saying passionately, "I’m a grown man, how could I stay at home and live off a woman?"

"I can’t bring shame to the men of Lu Province."

Yu Zhiming smiled and said, "Then you’d better work harder. Most of the girls in Binhai are very practical. Without enough substance, you won’t be able to win their favor."

He then urged, "Get to the point!"

Qiao Lei said sheepishly over the phone, "Dr. Yu, later on, word got out at the mixer that I’m your work assistant. A lot of pretty girls actually came up to me, but their intentions were elsewhere. They wanted your contact information."

"Dr. Yu, don’t worry, I resisted the temptation. I didn’t leak your contact info."

Yu Zhiming rolled his eyes, then heard that guy Qiao Lei continue, "One of the pretty girls was asking for help."

"She said a ’Green Water Ghost’ watch, worth over a hundred thousand, accidentally fell into the Pujiang River last night."

"She wanted to ask if you could help find the watch by listening for it underwater?"

Yu Zhiming scoffed. "The Pujiang is full of boats, and the surrounding environment is chaotic. And a watch’s sound is so faint."

"Do you think I’m a god or something?"

A thought occurred to Yu Zhiming, and he asked, "Qiao Lei, how did that girl know I’m sensitive to sound?"

"Did you go around bragging about something?"

Qiao Lei stammered, "I didn’t exactly brag... I just mentioned some of your amazing cases, Dr. Yu."

"And your ability to open safes so easily."

Yu Zhiming grunted twice. He knew this guy must have been bragging outrageously to get the attention of those beautiful women...

...

Around 10 AM, Fu Xiaoxue and Zeng Yan came running over together and barged straight into Yu Zhiming’s bedroom.

"Uncle, you have a fever?"

"Uncle, are you feeling sick?"

As they spoke, the two of them mimicked adults, each placing a hand on Yu Zhiming’s forehead to feel his temperature.

Yu Zhiming, propped up in bed, put down the book in his hands and replied with a smile, "I’m okay, not feeling sick."

"Xiaoxue, how have your stocks been doing lately?"

Fu Xiaoxue said vaguely, "They’re okay, I guess. The stock market goes up and down. You can’t just look at the short term; you have to look at the long term."

Yu Zhiming said, "Oh, I see. So you lost money."

Fu Xiaoxue pouted. "Uncle, it’s just temporary. Before long, my returns will be positive again."

Zeng Yan spoke up. "Uncle, my counselor recommended me for the university student council."

"I’m not even a class officer, but I got directly into the university student council. It must be because of you, Uncle."

Yu Zhiming chuckled. "Consider it a return of favor."

"If you like the work on the student council, use it as a learning experience. If you don’t, just turn it down."

Zeng Yan nodded. "Then I’ll use it as a learning experience. I can’t waste the great opportunity you got for me, Uncle."

"About what we talked about before, the classmate whose younger brother has mental regression—that classmate wants to bring his brother to Binhai for an examination during the National Day holiday."

"Uncle, would that be convenient for you?"

Yu Zhiming mused, "The last day or two of the National Day holiday would be best."

He then asked, "Are you going home for National Day?"

Zeng Yan shook her head. "No, Uncle. I’m not going back. I’m staying in Binhai to have some fun."

She then replied seriously, "Uncle, I’ll tell my classmate to bring his brother over on the last day or two of the holiday."

Fu Xiaoxue asked, "Uncle, you don’t get a break for National Day? I was hoping we could go out and do something together."

Yu Zhiming explained, "I’ll have three or four days off for National Day. There’s a plan to visit a clubhouse in Binhai."

He looked at Zeng Yan and said, "If you don’t have other plans, you should come along too."

Zeng Yan asked cautiously, "Won’t we be too much of a bother? You finally get a few days off, Uncle."

Fu Xiaoxue said nonchalantly, "How would we be a bother? We’re not little kids anymore. We can entertain ourselves. We don’t need Uncle to worry about watching us."

"Right, Uncle?"

Yu Zhiming reached out and flicked her on the forehead, chuckling. "What do you mean I don’t have to worry about you?"

"The older you get, the more trouble you are. Your mom told me to keep a good eye on you."

Fu Xiaoxue pouted. "Well, my mom also told me to take good care of you, Uncle, and to come over often to cook for you."

At this, she gave a sheepish grin. "But now that you have Sister Qingning to take care of you, Uncle, I’d just be a third wheel if I came."

"Hey, where is Sister Qingning?"

"She went out to run some errands!"

Yu Zhiming answered vaguely just as the phone on his bedside table rang again.

It was a call from Academician Tan Ying.

"Dr. Yu, is it a good time to talk?"

"Academician Tan, it is. If there’s anything you need, just let me know."

Academician Tan spoke slowly over the call, "Dr. Yu, on Tuesday, the day after tomorrow, a few fellow doctors from the United States are coming for an academic exchange."

"I’d like to invite you to join."

Yu Zhiming’s voice was full of enthusiasm. "Academician Tan, thank you for the invitation. I’d be more than happy to participate."

"However, I must be honest with you. When it comes to theoretical medical exchanges, I’m quite terrible."

"Academician Tan, if you make me say a few words, it will only result in me making a fool of myself. And I mean that literally, not in the humble way."

Academician Tan laughed heartily. "Dr. Yu, I’m well aware of that. I just want you to see the standard of our foreign colleagues."

"Don’t worry, I won’t make you speak..."