Chapter 28: Different Metamorphoses

After work, Zhang Jing and his dorm-mates, Gui Cui and Wang Sen, sat down for dinner together as usual.

Gui Cui was in high spirits today. As soon as she returned to the dormitory, she explicitly instructed her two male colleagues not to order takeout, insisting that she would cook for them herself.

Wang Sen was stunned. Had the sun risen from the west? In his memory, Gui Cui only ever cooked for herself on her days off or her birthday. Intuition told him this certainly had something to do with Zhang Jing. If this were any other time, Wang Sen would have teased her directly, but remembering the promise he made to Zhang Jing that afternoon—to never gossip about their relationship again—he held back. After all, his future prospects of mastering the miraculous warm acupuncture technique relied entirely on Zhang Jing's guidance.

It had to be said that Gui Cui was a capable cook and worked efficiently. Including the time spent grocery shopping, she had a rich spread on the table in less than an hour. Wang Sen, being tactful, had already bought a large bottle of authentic Coconut Palm coconut milk from the supermarket downstairs, knowing it was Gui Cui’s favorite.

Before they started eating, Gui Cui smiled, picked up her glass, and stood up to make a toast. "Dr. Zhang, Dr. Wang, first of all, let’s drink to the fact that we were able to gather here at Mingde Hall and become colleagues."

Wang Sen immediately stood up, his enthusiasm rising. "Right, not just colleagues, but roommates too! Let’s drink to that."

Zhang Jing, however, remained calm. He was the last to stand, and without saying a word, he downed his coconut milk in one gulp. To be honest, he disliked such formalities. If there was something to say, just say it—why bother with all this performative behavior? He wanted to finish dinner quickly so he could get back to studying his *Treatise on Cold Damage*.

Gui Cui clearly noticed Zhang Jing’s lack of interest and decided to get straight to the point. "You two probably find it strange that I’m cooking for no particular reason, right?"

Wang Sen thought to himself, *Gui Cui started this, so Zhang Jing can’t blame me.* He quickly chimed in, "Well, it is a bit unusual."

"I’m just happy," Gui Cui said. "I’m happy for Dr. Zhang."

"What do you mean? I don't follow," Wang Sen replied.

"Dr. Wang, you might not know this, but yesterday afternoon, Dr. Zhang treated a young boy with a high fever. After just one dose of medicine, the fever broke immediately," Gui Cui said excitedly.

"Fever reducer? Doesn't our clinic only carry traditional Chinese medicine and no Western drugs? Or am I misremembering?" Wang Sen asked, feeling a bit skeptical. He felt a hint of disdain; everyone knew that fever reducers lowered body temperature—what was there to make such a fuss about?

Realizing he had misunderstood, Gui Cui coughed lightly and explained, "Of course it wasn't a fever reducer. The boy had been running a high fever for nearly a week and had been on IV drips at the hospital for days without any improvement. Then, Dr. Zhang prescribed a box of Rhubarb Laxative Granules. After the boy had one bowel movement, his high fever miraculously vanished completely. Wouldn't you say that’s impressive?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Sen was stunned. He had assumed Zhang Jing’s warm acupuncture skills were brilliant, capable of curing a severe stiff neck in one session. While he knew Zhang Jing had seen a child today, he had just assumed he was testing the waters; he hadn't realized he was just as adept at internal medicine!

"That is indeed impressive. But, if this happened yesterday, why are you only telling me now?" Wang Sen asked, puzzled.

"..." This question caught Gui Cui off guard. She couldn't very well admit that yesterday, influenced by Huang Biao’s insinuations, she had wrongly suspected the boy was a plant hired by Zhang Jing. Thinking quickly, she stammered, "I... I was just a little worried... worried that the boy might have a recurrence today. It wasn't until his mother came by this afternoon that I confirmed he was truly cured."

"Furthermore, she even recommended a young mother to bring her child in for diarrhea, and that consultation happened right in your acupuncture and massage room. You should know about that, Dr. Wang."

"Oh, right, right," Wang Sen said, quickly changing the subject. "Dr. Cui, let me tell you something you don't know."

"Oh? What is it?" Gui Cui asked, curious.

"Actually, just this morning, a patient with a severe stiff neck who could barely move her cervical spine came in. Dr. Zhang performed just one session of warm acupuncture, and she was miraculously cured."

"What? That’s amazing! Why didn't you tell me immediately?" Gui Cui blurted out. As soon as she said it, she regretted it. Who was she to Zhang Jing? Why should he have to tell her anything? At this thought, her cheeks flushed red. There was nothing inherently wrong with her question, but her expression made it seem like a confession of her feelings.

Wang Sen was about to tease her, but he suddenly remembered his promise to Zhang Jing and forcefully swallowed his words. Looking at Zhang Jing, the man in question remained completely indifferent, as if the conversation had nothing to do with him at all.

"I’m finished. You two keep talking, I’m going back to my room to read. If you need me to wash the dishes later, just call me," Zhang Jing said coldly as he put down his bowl and chopsticks.

Gui Cui was stunned for a moment before quickly responding, "Go ahead, go ahead, focus on your studies. I’ll wash the dishes."

Following this, Wang Sen lost all desire to continue chatting; he didn't even want his drink anymore. He hurriedly finished his meal and set his utensils down. Apologizing to Gui Cui, he said, "Sorry, Xiao Cui, I need to head back to my room to study as well. I’ll leave the dishes to you."

Gui Cui was completely bewildered. How had Wang Sen, a seasoned slacker, suddenly changed his ways overnight? They had lived in the same dorm for so long, and every night after dinner, he would head straight to the internet café to play games, never returning until the dead of night. What was wrong with everyone? Was she hallucinating?

Almost mechanically, Gui Cui pinched her thigh hard. It hurt! A sharp, stinging pain. This definitely wasn't a dream. *No*, she thought, *I need to study hard too, otherwise, the man of my dreams, Dr. Zhang, will think even less of me!* Hadn't he just taught her a lesson today about the processed aconite root? As the saying went, medicine and pharmacy were inseparable; as long as she kept the traditional Chinese medicine dispensary in perfect order, Dr. Zhang wouldn't be able to do without her.

Yes, that was the plan! The more Gui Cui thought about it, the more excited she became.

...

In stark contrast to the three diligent employees at Mingde Hall living in the dormitory, another employee, Huang Biao, was busy in his own expert quarters—though not with anything related to study. He was busy making calls to fellow townsmen he didn't know very well.

"Hello? Is this Old Zhao? ...Yes, it’s me, Old Huang, Dr. Huang. Say, do you have any free time tomorrow? Come by the clinic and let me take a look at you..."

"What? Don't misunderstand... it's not a real medical visit... just register and put on an act... I'll refund every cent of the registration and medicine fees afterward..."

"Hey! You don't understand, I've run into a bit of trouble here... No, the boss isn't firing me... really, it's not that..."

"To be honest with you, a colleague is playing dirty tricks and hiring medical plants... Yes, that's exactly what I mean."

"Oh? You don't have time? Then why have you been jabbering on for so long? What a waste of time!"

Huang Biao shook his head helplessly and moved on to the next person.

"Hello? Is this Old Qian? ...Yes, it’s me... What? The signal is bad? I..."

Huang Biao was furious. *Damn it! I called you, and it’s not because I’m trying to collect that 100-yuan debt! I just thought that since you owe me a favor, you could act as a plant for me to save face!* To think he was using the signal as an excuse—it was too much! He would go over there and demand his money back another day!

...

After going through his entire contact list, Huang Biao found that not a single fellow townsman was willing to help. He was perplexed; he really couldn't understand how that kid Zhang Jing found plants so easily. If Zhang Jing weren't on the opposing side, Huang Biao would have called him just to learn his secrets.

With no other choice, since his fellow townsmen were unreliable, he had to resort to his "ultimate move": calling his relatives. This time, he wasn't disappointed; the success rate was a staggering 100%. However, Huang Biao couldn't bring himself to be happy. After all, he had always maintained the image of a seasoned TCM expert in front of his relatives. Now, to compete with a newly graduated doctor, he had stooped to such a level. He feared he would have no face left to show anyone.

But, weighing the options, keeping his job was more important. As for his pride, it wouldn't hurt to thicken his skin a little bit, Huang Biao consoled himself.