Chapter 55: Fair Lady

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Fair Lady

The young waiter was a little confused.

He bowed slightly and replied politely and cautiously, "Dr. Qi, a signature dish like steamed grouper is usually prepared by the head chef himself."

"Dr. Qi, is there a problem?"

The waiter quickly added, "This grouper was definitely killed on-site. Here at Hundred Fresh Pavilion, we would never pass off unfresh seafood as live."

Qi Yue said with some impatience, "I didn’t say there was a problem with the ingredients. I’m just asking if your head chef cooked it himself."

He then added in a cold voice, "This isn’t the first fish I’ve had that was cooked by your head chef."

Qi Yue pointed to the steamed sea bass. "This sea bass tastes acceptable."

"But this grouper is far worse. It doesn’t meet the standard I’d expect from your head chef."

This...

Qi Yue’s words made the waiter uncertain. He said, lacking confidence, "Dr. Qi, could you please wait a moment? I’ll go to the kitchen and ask."

After receiving a nod of approval from Qi Yue, the waiter quickly scurried out of the private room.

The atmosphere in the room grew heavy.

Han Shuo and the others couldn’t figure it out. Was Qi Yue just using this as a pretext, hinting at something else?

Or was he genuinely dissatisfied with the taste of the grouper?

Yu Zhiming was also puzzled.

Just now, he had also taken a bite of the grouper and found it quite delicious.

At the very least, the texture of the fish was more delicate, tender, and sweeter than the sea bass.

Fortunately, the restaurant didn’t keep them waiting long.

Two or three minutes later, the waiter returned.

With him was a middle-aged male chef wearing a chef’s uniform and hat, with a large head and a thick neck.

The middle-aged chef was the first to speak, and he was very polite.

"Dr. Qi, hello!"

"I’m Yin Ling, the head chef of Hundred Fresh Pavilion."

"I personally cooked the steamed sea bass, steamed grouper, braised crocodile, and crab roe lion’s head meatballs at your table."

"May I ask if you have any guidance or feedback, Dr. Qi?"

Qi Yue pointed at the steamed grouper and said slowly, "Since you insist you cooked it, let me ask you: did you add too much fish sauce to this dish?"

"To my taste, the flavor of the fish sauce is almost overpowering the natural flavor of the grouper."

This truly astonished Yu Zhiming.

’He can even taste that?’

’Teacher Qi’s skill is that of a master gourmand among gourmands.’

’Even professional food critics probably don’t have a palate as sensitive as his, right?’

Qi Yue continued his critique, his voice tinged with dissatisfaction, "A mistake like this isn’t one an experienced chef like you should be making."

Yin Ling’s face flushed red with shame.

"Dr. Qi, it was indeed my mistake. I was careless and added a bit too much fish sauce."

"I thought..."

Yin Ling suddenly raised his hand and—SLAP—smacked his own right cheek. He then apologized sincerely, "Dr. Qi, it’s my fault. I tried to be lazy and cut corners."

"By doing this, I’ve brought shame to the title of head chef and, more importantly, betrayed the trust of an esteemed guest like you."

"Dr. Qi, I’ll go back and make you a new one right away as an apology..."

"Wait!"

Qi Yue stopped Yin Ling as he was about to turn and leave. "Chef Yin, for a chef like you, for whom controlling seasonings has become second nature, a mistake like this is hard to explain as mere carelessness."

He turned to Yu Zhiming and ordered, "Zhiming, go and give Chef Yin a physical check-up."

Yu Zhiming naturally didn’t dare to neglect his teacher’s command.

He stood up, approached the somewhat bewildered Chef Yin, and explained softly, "Chef Yin, my teacher suspects your mistake might have been caused by some physical discomfort."

"I’m going to give you a simple physical examination now. You don’t have to do anything, just stand still."

As he spoke, Yu Zhiming extended his right hand and placed it on the left side of Chef Yin’s rather thick chest.

When performing a physical examination on a middle-aged man, the first and most essential step is to check the heart.

And as Yu Zhiming checked, he actually found a problem.

"Chef Yin, in the past few days, have you experienced any pain anywhere between your chin and your thighs?"

"Or any other significant discomfort?"

When a middle-aged person experiences pain or discomfort in this area, the first thing a doctor considers is...

...whether there’s a problem with their heart.

Only after ruling out cardiac health issues will a doctor consider other possibilities.

Therefore, when a middle-aged person goes to the hospital for abdominal pain and the doctor checks their heart first, one shouldn’t question it.

It’s standard procedure!

Chef Yin shook his head and replied, "Doctor, I have a chronic problem with frozen shoulder. It’s just been a bit more painful these last two days."

"But it’s still within a tolerable range."

Yu Zhiming hummed in acknowledgment and said frankly, "Chef Yin, I’ve found a significant blockage in the blood flow at the distal end of the right crux of your right coronary artery."

"I strongly suspect you have symptoms of myocardial ischemia, and I highly recommend you go to the hospital for a more thorough examination."

Chef Yin was taken aback and raised his voice in disbelief, "I have myocardial ischemia?"

"But Doctor, I haven’t felt any heart pain, chest tightness, or other symptoms."

"And, and..."

Chef Yin then pulled on his two fleshy earlobes and said, "Look at my earlobes..."

"Not a single crease!"

"I’ve read some popular science articles about medicine online. They say that only people with a crease in their earlobe get cardiovascular disease."

"See? My earlobes don’t have the slightest trace of a crease. It’s impossible for me to have heart disease."

Faced with this guy’s seemingly well-reasoned argument, Yu Zhiming was truly speechless.

’Damn it, another self-righteous guy ruined by half-baked popular science articles.’

’The person standing in front of you is a doctor from Huashan Hospital who was recruited under a special talent acquisition program!’

Just as Yu Zhiming was about to try and persuade him, Qi Yue spoke again.

His voice was clear and toneless as he said, "Chef Yin, I’ll tell you three things."

"First, the one who examined you is my student, Yu Zhiming. If he says there’s a problem with your heart, there is definitely a problem. You’d be wise to listen to him and go to the hospital for a check-up."

"Second, myocardial ischemia sometimes presents with no obvious symptoms. By the time there are obvious symptoms, it’s already a major problem."

"Third, research has shown a high positive correlation between cardiovascular disease and earlobe creases."

"For example, 90% of patients with cardiovascular disease have an earlobe crease. However, you must understand that not all patients with cardiovascular disease have an earlobe crease."

"Likewise, having an earlobe crease does not necessarily mean one will definitely have cardiovascular disease."

After a brief pause, Qi Yue added in a detached tone, "Chef Yin, whether or not you go to the hospital for a check-up is up to you."

"And you don’t need to make another steamed grouper."

"You may leave now."

Chef Yin silently bowed to Qi Yue and Yu Zhiming, then backed out of the private room.

About ten minutes later, a plate of steamed portunus crab was also sent to the private room...

Late in the meal, Yu Zhiming left the private room by himself and went to the restroom.

After "clearing his memory," Yu Zhiming walked out of the restroom and over to the sinks, just as the head nurse was coming out of the women’s restroom.

The two of them washed their hands together.

Yan Wenjing said with a grin, "Dr. Yu, I saw you sneaking a few glances at Zhou Mo."

"Are you interested in her?"

Yu Zhiming was mortified, and his cheeks turned red.

He quickly explained, "Sister Yan, it’s not what you think. It’s just an appreciation for beauty, so I looked a few extra times."

Yu Zhiming wasn’t wrong.

He had only just met Zhou Mo today, and they’d barely had any interaction or gotten to know each other. What kind of ulterior motives could he have?

It was nothing more than a man’s basic instincts kicking in—a simple, carnal appreciation of beauty.

Yan Wenjing chuckled lightly. "A fair lady is a gentleman’s good match. I understand."

"It’s just that..."

Yan Wenjing lowered her voice. "This Zhou Mo... the Director personally made the decision to hire her two years ago."

"A lot of young men at the hospital—talented, handsome, and from good families—have pursued her."

"But she wasn’t interested in any of them."

"For the past year or so, no one at the hospital has been pursuing her anymore."

Yan Wenjing then added with a strange, meaningful tone, "Zhou Mo’s job is more like being the Director’s private secretary or assistant."

"She often accompanies the Director to meetings, outpatient clinics, or other events..."

Hearing this, it was as if a bolt of lightning struck in Yu Zhiming’s mind.

He suddenly understood something...