Shen Lingqing waited in her grandmother’s office with Qiao Lian, while Liu Jinfei had gone to the examination room where Dr. Xu and her grandmother checked on him. Unlike her assistant who was pacing back and forth in worry, Shen Lingqing shut her eyes and rested her chin on a hand she propped against the armrest of the chair she was seating on.
“Calm down, Lian. You are making me feel dizzy from your actions,” she muttered.
They could only wait patiently and hope that Liu Jinfei’s condition wasn’t serious. This was actually the first time Shen Lingqing heard that a person could lose their ability to taste. If Liu Jinfei was sick, then it would be a huge problem for him, but not for Savory Alley.
Just like he said before, Shen Lingqing could easily replace him with a more talented chef if she wanted to, but that would only delay her plans.
An hour had passed when the three came back to the office. Qiao Lian stood behind her boss and waited for the doctor’s diagnosis. Liu Jinfei took a seat next to Shen Lingqing with a complex expression written on his face.
Just what had happened in the other room? Shen Lingqing thought.
Dr. Xu sighed and pushed the bridge of his glasses up as he looked at Liu Jinfei and then at Shen Lingqing.
“Just like we expected, Mr. Liu really did lose his ability to sense certain tastes.” He confirmed what Shen Lingqing and the rest had already known.
“Unfortunately, it’s unclear why Mr. Liu has it,” he added.
“How could that be?” Shen Lingqing frowned. She thought that letting a professional see Liu Jinfei would help them determine the cause of his sudden loss of sense of taste.
“You see, Miss Shen. There are many reasons for a person to lose their ability to taste. Mr. Liu claimed that he had not taken any medication for two years now. He also wasn’t subjected to any surgery.”
“And?” The frown on Shen Lingqing’s face deepened. She really didn’t like it when she received vague answers like this.
“What he meant by that, Qingqing, was that it might be a psychological factor that rendered his ability to taste dysfunctional.” Zhang Jingwei put it in a simpler term. “Since we couldn’t see any inflammation and injury on his palate and throat, nor were his nerves damaged; it was hard for us to pinpoint the exact reason why Liu Jinfei lost his ability to taste.”
“Then, is there something we could do about it?” The Shen princess asked. If they couldn’t find out the reason, would that mean they wouldn’t be able to treat the root cause of the problem?
“I’ve given Mr. Liu some vitamin supplements. I want to know if it would improve his condition in case it was a vitamin deficiency on his part. However, I also requested an intensive laboratory test in a week, just in case we overlooked something today,” Dr. Xu replied.
“I see.” Shen Lingqing’s jaws hardened. The result of this visit was far from what she had expected, but she couldn’t blame her grandmother nor the doctor for it.
After a word between the two doctors, Dr. Xu excused himself and bid goodbye to his patient and Shen Lingqing.
“Are you upset, Qingqing?” Zhang Jingwei asked as she held her granddaughter’s hand. Just like her son, Shen Yi; it wasn’t hard for her to know what Shen Lingqing was thinking at that moment.
“No, Mama, but I was hoping we could have some answers today,” the younger woman admitted.
“Then, I’m sorry,” Zhang Jingwei said and then glanced at Liu Jinfei.
“It’s me who troubled you today, Chairman Zhang. There’s no need for you to apologize. I understand.”
Surprisingly, Liu Jinfei was calmer than his boss upon hearing the doctor’s opinion over his condition. If it was indeed a psychological factor on his part, then it only meant he was the only one who could deal with and solve his own problem.
“Oh, it was nothing. I have to thank you, to be honest. Our Little Qingqing rarely sees and visits her grandmother, you see.” Chairman Zhang laughed behind her hand.
“Mama.” Shen Lingqing groaned.
“What? You are just like your father, ah. Why couldn’t you be more like Xinxin? Xinxin always gives me a call to check on me, unlike your ungrateful father.” Her grandmother complained, but Shen Lingqing knew better.
Because of her father’s and Uncle Xue’s busy schedule, they rarely had time to see their mother. However, they always made sure to invite their mother whenever the Shen family had an important occasion. After all, even if she was already divorced from her ex-husband, no one had replaced her in his heart nor in their sons’.
“Say, Qingqing. Are you busy today? Can you accompany your grandmother to do some sightseeing? I have no one to accompany me today.”
Shen Lingqing opened her mouth and was about to decline her grandmother’s request. However, seeing Zhang Jingwei’s hopeful expression, she could only suck it up and concede to the older woman’s wishes.
“Okay. It’s a good thing we don’t have to open the restaurant today.” She sighed before asking her assistant. “Lian, could you take Chef Liu with you and Uncle Shuren back to Savory Alley?”
However, her grandmother had a different plan in mind.
“Nonsense, Qingqing. Didn’t you say today is your day off? Your assistant also deserves some time on her own. So, Liu Jinfei, won’t you accompany me and Qingqing instead? Don’t you think it’s not safe for two women to be left unguarded?”
Shen Lingqing wanted to argue and point out the flaw in her grandmother’s reasoning. Why did she have to bother Liu Jinfei to join them when they could just bring more bodyguards if her grandmother was worried about their safety?
Liu Jinfei furrowed his brow as he looked at his boss and then at her grandmother. He wasn’t sure how to respond to that request.