Chapter 742 - 256: Jing Si Introduces a Business Partner to Her

Li Mei fell silent. She excelled at Traditional Chinese Medicine, but acupuncture was not her forte. It was her weakness, a flaw she regretted being unable to overcome no matter how hard she tried.

"Senior Sister, Xiao Mei, let’s stop talking about Jing Qi and focus on Jiali," Dean Zhang said, changing the subject.

Qin Mei’s original plan had been to work with Dean Zhang on a combined treatment of Chinese and Western medicine for Xu Jiali after her surgery. However, after Dean Zhang introduced her to Li Mei, she changed her mind. She decided to let Li Mei and Dean Zhang collaborate, allowing her to step away.

Wasting no time, Qin Mei pulled a stack of prescriptions from her crossbody bag and handed them to Li Mei. She had written them over the past few days. There were a dozen or so sheets, each clearly labeled, indicating which prescription to use for each stage of treatment.

After looking through the prescriptions, Li Mei stared at Qin Mei in astonishment, completely baffled. "Xiao Mei, what is the meaning of this?"

"Aunt Li, I have to return to Huaxia sooner or later. I’ll be counting on you and Uncle Zhang for my aunt’s follow-up care," Qin Mei said, a smile playing on her lips as she watched the stunned expressions on Li Mei and Dean Zhang’s faces.

Dean Zhang started to persuade Qin Mei, but Li Mei cut in first, asking excitedly, "Xiao Mei, did you write all of these prescriptions yourself?"

"My grandfather wrote them," Qin Mei lied without batting an eye.

The corner of Li Mei’s mouth twitched. She quickly understood what Qin Mei was doing—she didn’t want to be in the spotlight.

"Xiao Mei, if Jiali’s treatment is successful, you’ll become..."

"Aunt Li, that’s not my ambition," Qin Mei interrupted, adopting an air of indifference toward fame and fortune.

Li Mei gave a wry smile. As Qin Mei walked out of the office, Dean Zhang felt a pang of regret. Qin Mei was a true talent, and letting her slip through his fingers was a great loss for the hospital.

"Senior Sister, why did you stop me?" Dean Zhang demanded.

"Didn’t you hear her? She said that’s not her ambition," Li Mei said, shooting Dean Zhang a sideways glance before her attention returned to the dozen or so prescriptions in her hands.

She had wanted to take Qin Mei on as her disciple. But after seeing these prescriptions, she realized she wasn’t worthy of being Qin Mei’s master.

At the same time, she grew intensely curious. ’Just who in the world is Qin Mei’s master?’

"Senior Sister..."

"Be quiet. Don’t bother me," Li Mei cut Dean Zhang off. "Let me study these for a moment. Then we can discuss Jiali’s treatment plan."

Dean Zhang was anxious, but he knew it would be pointless to chase after Qin Mei and plead with her. Dejected, he could only sink onto the sofa and wait for Li Mei to finish her review.

It would be a combined approach of Chinese and Western medicine. This was their first time collaborating, so they had to be exceptionally cautious.

Qin Mei went to the ICU to confirm that Xu Jiali’s condition was stable. With Dean Zhang and Li Mei on the case, there was no need for her to remain at the hospital. She decided to find Jie Jingchen. After searching the entire hospital, she finally found him in Qin Xiang’s room.

"What are you doing here?" Qin Mei poked Jie Jingchen’s arm. ’He really made me look for him. If I couldn’t find him, I was just going to go back to the Qiao Family estate by myself.’

"All done with your discussion?" Jie Jingchen asked with a smile.

Qin Mei thought for a moment before replying, "I gave the prescriptions to Aunt Li. Since Uncle Zhang is her junior brother, they’ll have a better rapport. I decided not to get involved."

"Rapport? Does follow-up treatment require rapport?" Qin Xiang asked, confused.

"Of course," Qin Mei said, pausing before adding, "Like you and Jie Jingsi, for example."

Qin Xiang promptly shut his mouth.

"Meimei, have you really thought this through?" Jie Jingchen reminded her. "If it’s a success, you’ll make a name for yourself. If it fails, it’s no loss to you. This is a great opportunity for you."

Qin Mei shrugged nonchalantly. "I’m not interested in that."

"So above the chase for fame and fortune," Qin Xiang commented, his tone unreadable.

Qin Mei glared at Qin Xiang. "That’s right, I’m above it all. What, you have a problem with that?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Qin Xiang said.

"Keep it to yourself," Qin Mei shot back.

Qin Xiang fell silent. ’I’m just asking for it,’ he thought.

"You love money, not fame." Jie Jingchen reached out to ruffle Qin Mei’s hair. "So," he asked teasingly, "how much did you sell these prescriptions for?"

Qin Mei froze. ’Sell the prescriptions?’ The idea hadn’t even crossed her mind. She’d only been thinking of handing them over to Aunt Li and then gracefully bowing out. ’No, wait,’ she corrected herself, ’I bowed out before there was even any success to speak of.’

"It was a gift for family," Qin Mei said.

Jie Jingchen watched her, his gaze both scrutinizing and thoughtful. "You were too embarrassed to ask for money?"

Qin Mei poked Jie Jingchen in the chest. "Jie Jingsi, in your eyes, am I really the kind of person who’s obsessed with money? I have my principles when it comes to earning it."

Jie Jingchen chuckled and pulled Qin Mei into his arms. ’For the prescription she wrote for Jie Anlin, she hounded Granny for payment and even made her write an IOU when she didn’t have the cash. Yet for Xu Jiali, she gave the prescriptions to Aunt Li without asking for a single cent.’

"Jie Jingsi, when are we going back?" Qin Mei asked.

"You want to go back already?" he asked in return.

Qin Mei thought for a moment, then came up with a reasonable excuse. "Jing Qi still has to take his college entrance exams."

"There’s still a while before the exams," Jie Jingchen said.

Qin Mei fell silent. ’He’s already said that, so what more can I say? Should I insist on going back? At a critical time like this, it’s obvious he wants to stay in Xiangjiang.’

’Oh well. It’s not like there’s anything urgent to do back home anyway. Every extra day we spend in Xiangjiang is another day my brother is safer.’

Jie Jingchen took Qin Mei back to the Qiao Family estate. He was incredibly busy, often disappearing for days at a time. Her grandparents were constantly shuttling between the hospital and home, and Jie Jingshan was focused on her studies. Only Qin Mei had nothing to do.

「September.」

The nighttime temperature began to drop. Qin Mei, sleeping soundly, felt a sudden chill. She groggily reached out for her blanket but couldn’t find it. Not one to persist, she simply curled into a ball and went back to sleep.

The consequence was that she caught a cold. She felt groggy and out of it, only feeling slightly better after taking some medicine.

Qin Mei sat in the living room, "making dumplings." As her nose ran, she’d grab a tissue, wipe it, and toss the wadded-up "dumpling" into the trash can.

"Eldest Young Madam, please let me take you to the hospital," the butler urged again.

"I’ve taken medicine. I’ll be fine in a few days. I don’t need to go to the hospital," Qin Mei refused again.

The butler was about to press the issue when he caught sight of a figure out of the corner of his eye and tactfully excused himself.

Jie Jingchen hadn’t come home at all the previous night. Having just finished his work, he rushed back, only to find Qin Mei sitting listlessly on the sofa, blowing her nose. The trash can beside her was nearly overflowing with used tissues.

"What’s wrong?" Jie Jingchen strode over and sat down beside her. He looked at her bright red nose, a flicker of worry in his eyes. "Caught a cold?"

"Mhm, a little," Qin Mei nodded.

"Did you take any medicine?" he asked.

"I did," Qin Mei answered listlessly.

"I’m taking you to the hospital," Jie Jingchen said, just to be safe.

Qin Mei couldn’t be bothered to respond, simply continuing to blow her nose. ’It’s just a minor cold, not some life-threatening illness. Why would I need to go to the hospital?’

"Meimei," Jie Jingchen said, gripping her shoulders.

"I’m just not used to the climate here," Qin Mei said, the implication clear.

Jie Jingchen froze for a second, his amber eyes fixed intently on her. ’We’ve been in Xiangjiang for so long, and she’s only now feeling unaccustomed to the climate?’ He knew exactly what she meant. She wanted to go home.

"Jing Chen, it seems your wife is homesick," a gentle voice remarked.

Only then did Qin Mei notice that Jie Jingchen had brought someone home with him. "Jie Jingsi, who’s this?"

"Li Rui," Jie Jingchen introduced briefly.

Qin Mei sized up Li Rui. He looked gentle and refined, and his features bore a slight resemblance to Li Mei. "Aunt Li’s son?"

Jie Jingchen shook his head. "Aunt Li’s younger brother."

"Oh." Qin Mei looked slightly embarrassed.

Li Rui sat down as the butler served tea. A gentle yet shrewd light in his eyes, he looked at Qin Mei and got straight to the point. "Sister-in-law, regarding your medicine... I’ll take all of it."

"Medicine? What medicine?" Qin Mei asked, confused.

Seeing Qin Mei’s blank expression, Jie Jingchen leaned over and whispered in her ear. Qin Mei’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at him. ’Medicine for... *that*? Jie Jingchen had asked her for a few pills, but she never expected him to use them to advertise on her behalf!’

"Li Rui is the boss behind the curtain," Jie Jingchen explained. He didn’t have to elaborate; Qin Mei understood perfectly.

"Let me make one thing clear: I’m selling, not giving them away," Qin Mei stated. ’If Jie Jingchen wanted some, she would give them to him. But anyone else would have to pay. If she just gave them away to everybody, how would she ever make any money?’