At that thought, Qian Xiaoling didn't dare let her attention wander. She watched Liu Ergou's acupuncture process with intense focus.
The six silver needles, which had been vibrating ceaselessly, finally slowed to a stop after several minutes. Just then, Liu Ergou moved with lightning speed. In the blink of an eye, all six silver needles were back in his hand.
The motion was too fast for Qian Xiaoling to even register. She only snapped out of her daze when she saw him putting the needles away. The first words out of her mouth were, "How did you do that?"
Liu Ergou ignored her. Instead, he crouched down and delivered a sharp thump to the unconscious woman's chest. With that single strike, the woman's eyes flew open. She sat up abruptly, gasping for air in great, ragged breaths.
The previously silent crowd erupted at the sight.
"My god, am I seeing things? They actually saved someone from a stroke!"
"I know! Even a hospital can't guarantee a 100% success rate. This man is a Divine Doctor!"
"That's right, calling him a Divine Doctor is no exaggeration at all!"
Liu Ergou watched the excited crowd, his expression impassive.
Qian Xiaoling, seeing him remain silent, was about to press him with more questions, but he suddenly turned to face her. "Do you remember our bet?"
The moment he spoke, Qian Xiaoling froze, a conflicted look on her face. She glanced at the surrounding crowd, then back at Liu Ergou. I can't possibly shout that out loud, not with so many people watching. It would be utterly humiliating.
Hesitantly, she tugged on his sleeve and whispered, "Can we perhaps..."
Before she could finish, Liu Ergou cut her off decisively. "No! Hurry up and shout it out. Everyone here is watching. You can't go back on your word. If you do... Hmph..." Liu Ergou didn't finish his threat, letting a cold sneer punctuate his words.
Qian Xiaoling stomped her foot in anger, but she was completely helpless. She could only mutter under her breath, "Good Brother, I was wrong. Traditional Chinese medicine isn't a scam!"
But upon hearing her, Liu Ergou deliberately cupped a hand to his ear. "What was that? Your voice is too quiet, I can't hear you. A little louder, please!"
Qian Xiaoling didn't want to humor him, but she could feel the crowd's eyes turning toward her. With no other choice, she raised her voice slightly and repeated, "Good Brother, I was wrong. Traditional Chinese medicine isn't a scam!"
Liu Ergou was relentless. "What's the matter, didn't you have breakfast? I said, louder!"
Now, Qian Xiaoling was truly cornered. Looking at his simple, honest face, I realize he's not like that at all. The more I look at him, the more detestable he becomes. She took a deep breath, then finally bellowed at the top of her lungs, "GOOD BROTHER, I WAS WRONG! TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE ISN'T A SCAM!"
Hearing her shout with such volume, Liu Ergou finally nodded in satisfaction. "Hmph, that's more like it. I'll forgive you this time..."
Qian Xiaoling didn't hear a word he said after that. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire. Unable to control herself any longer, she gave Liu Ergou a hard shove, pushed her way through the crowd, and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Liu Ergou didn't react much to her departure, just shaking his head with a small chuckle. He then knelt beside the woman, who was still gasping for breath.
"Slowly now, don't rush," he said calmly. "Listen to me. Inhale... exhale... Inhale... exhale. Follow my rhythm."
Within a few minutes, her breathing gradually stabilized.
Just then, the wail of an ambulance grew closer. Hearing it, Liu Ergou decided not to linger. He took Xiao Rou by the hand and prepared to leave.
Seeing this, the woman on the ground quickly called out, "Wait! Don't go yet! You haven't told me your name. You saved my life, I have to repay you!"
"My name is Liu Ergou," he said, waving a dismissive hand. "I don't need any repayment. I'm a doctor. Saving you is just what I do. Don't worry about it."
With that, Liu Ergou pushed his bicycle, led Xiao Rou through the crowd, and soon disappeared without a trace.
He left the heavily made-up woman in the leather jacket staring blankly in the direction he had gone. She only snapped out of it when the ambulance pulled up beside her.
"Damn it!" she muttered. "That wretched man! I wanted to repay him, and he gives me a fake name. Who in this day and age is actually named Liu Ergou?"
Two paramedics hopped out with a stretcher and moved to lift her onto it, but she pushed them away. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novèlfire.net
"I'm fine now. You can go!"
The paramedics exchanged a look and were about to speak when the screech of tires cut them off. All heads turned to see a luxury Mercedes-Benz pull to a sharp stop. A balding man scrambled out of the car and rushed to the young woman's side.
"Oh, my dear daughter! Dad was in a meeting when I heard you'd collapsed! I rushed right over! What happened? Why did you suddenly faint?"
The young woman shook his arm off. "Don't touch me! Go find your little tramp! Stop putting on this fake act!"
The balding man looked embarrassed. "Daughter, you shouldn't talk like that. She is your stepmother, after all. How could you..." He trailed off, as if suddenly remembering something, and quickly changed the subject.
"Please, just go to the hospital for a check-up. I won't be able to rest easy otherwise. Your mother died so young, and you're the only daughter I have..."
As he started to ramble, the young woman cut him off. "Shut up!" she snapped. "If you really care about me, then find a man named Liu Ergou! Don't ask why. Just tell me when you've found him."
Despite her warning, he couldn't help but ask, "Why?"
She gave a cold snort. "Because if it weren't for this Liu Ergou, I'd probably be dead right now."