Chapter 50: Can You Do Magic?

However, when the door was opened, it was Guicui who stood outside.

Before Huang Biao could utter a question, Guicui spoke first, "Director Huang, why did you run off here! There is a patient who registered for your consultation a few days ago, and they are throwing a fit because they can't find you in the consultation room. I just tried calling your phone and you didn't answer!"

Huang Biao instinctively patted his right trouser pocket. It was empty.

Only then did he recall that after taking Xiao Guizi's call, he had been momentarily flustered and, upon hanging up, forgot to put his phone back into his pocket.

Wearing an apologetic expression, he said, "I'm sorry, Xiaocui, I left my phone in the consultation room and didn't bring it with me. I just went to chat with Dr. Zhang for a bit about something. Don't worry, I'll go handle it right now."

With that, he hurried away.

Guicui stood rooted to the spot, her mind in a whirl.

In her memory, this "Five-Clawed Dragon" had never spoken such soft words to her. Right or wrong, he always maintained an arrogant, haughty, and overbearing posture.

Furthermore, he had just addressed Zhang Jing as Dr. Zhang.

What on earth was going on here?

If you don't understand, ask.

Guicui immediately walked over to Zhang Jing and asked, "Dr. Zhang, what's going on with the 'Five-Clawed Dragon'? Has the sun risen from the west?"

Naturally understanding what she meant, Zhang Jing smiled faintly, "After a separation of three days, one must look at another with new eyes. People change, you know. Actually, Director Huang isn't a bad person. Stop calling him by his nickname behind his back; it's too impolite."

"Let's put the nickname aside for a moment, Dr. Zhang. Do you possess some kind of magic?"

"What do you mean?"

"Look at this: Wang Sen used to look down on you and constantly tripped you up at work, right? But these past few days, just look at him—he treats you with the utmost respect both in front of you and behind your back, almost as if he were ready to put you on an altar and worship you."

"It's not that serious. Dr. Wang didn't let me handle treatments before because he didn't know I could perform warm-needle moxibustion. He saw me do it a few days ago, and the results were quite good. He expressed a desire to learn from me, and I agreed. It's as simple as that."

"You really are a blockhead! How can you easily teach your signature skills to someone else, especially a potential competitor? Aren't you worried that once he learns it, he'll steal patients from you?"

"Of course I'm not worried. In fact, I'm afraid he might learn too slowly. If more patients are cured through his hands, isn't that a wonderful thing?" Zhang Jing asked in return, looking perplexed.

"They call you a blockhead, and you really are one. If all the patients get treated by him, what are you going to drink—northwest wind?"

"You should know that I'm not interested in money. As long as my basic needs are met, that's enough. As a doctor, my ultimate goal should be to relieve the suffering of as many patients as possible."

"Fine, I know you have lofty medical ethics and ambitious goals. But it's fine if you have low demands for your own standard of living; surely you don't expect your future wife and children to live through hardships with you?"

Having said this, Guicui's face suddenly flushed bright red.

Zhang Jing was no fool; naturally, he understood the implication behind her words.

However, driven by his obsession to become a supreme master of traditional Chinese medicine, he had no choice but to play "deaf" and "blind" in this regard.

So he replied calmly, "I'm sorry, I have no plans to start a family before I turn forty."

Hearing this, Guicui instantly grew anxious, her face blushing as she retorted, "Dr. Zhang, I know you look down on me, but there's no need to fob me off with such a lie."

"Everything I'm saying comes from the heart, without a single word of falsehood. It has nothing to do with whether I look down on you or not. I just want to focus on treating patients and become a truly good practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine. As for everything else, I truly have neither the energy nor the inclination to consider it," Zhang Jing said solemnly.

Seeing how earnest he was, Guicui had no choice but to believe him.

Besides, she had often watched idol dramas in the past and knew that many career-driven male leads initially showed utter disdain for romance.

However, through the attentive care of the female lead, perhaps one day, a certain event would suddenly strike a chord in the male lead's heart.

And then, the two of them would end up together, living a blissfully unrestrained life ever after.

As the saying goes, those close to the water get the moonlight first; in any case, she was determined to stick with him.

Wherever he went to work, she would follow.

She refused to believe he could escape the palm of her hand!

The more Guicui thought about it, the more excited she became, almost letting out a triumphant howl in her heart.

However, had she known that at this very moment, a little Lolita wolf-cub was also eyeing Zhang Jing with predatory intent, she might not have felt so confident.

Seeing her remain silent for a long time, Zhang Jing assumed she was finding it hard to accept a rejected confession, yet he had no idea how to comfort her.

He couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh inwardly: Living in the mortal world, one is always inevitably troubled by matters of the heart.

Suddenly, he understood why so many great physicians in ancient times chose to convert to Taoism and become Taoist doctors.

Zhang Jing had previously researched relevant materials and remembered that figures such as Dong Feng, Hua Tuo, Ge Hong, Tao Hongjing, Yang Shangshan, Wang Bing, Sun Simiao, Wang Huaiyin, Ma Zhi, Cui Jiayan, Liu Wansu, Fu Qingzhu, Zhao Yizhen, Zhou Lüjing, and Liu Yiming were all representative figures among Taoist physicians.

As he was thinking this, Guicui finally spoke again.

"Dr. Zhang, I've thought about it, and matters of the heart truly cannot be forced. However, I have a small request, and I hope you'll agree to it."

"Let's hear it first." Zhang Jing dared not make promises lightly.

"Everyone knows your medical skills now, and I believe that before long, many patients will come seeking you out by reputation. All you need to do now is wait a little while and let the bullets fly for a bit."

"Let the bullets fly for a bit? What does that mean?" Zhang Jing didn't understand for a moment.

"Hey! You don't like surfing the internet or watching movies much, so you wouldn't know. 'Let the bullets fly for a bit' is a classic line from the movie *Let the Bullets Fly*, released at the end of 2010."

"It means that as long as you are fully confident and have everything under control, you can anticipate events unfolding just as you planned—it's pretty much similar to plotting a strategy from a command tent. Because this line carries an inexplicable air of coolness, internet users love to quote it."

Zhang Jing smiled slightly and said modestly, "I suppose it won't happen that fast, after all, our clinic has been dormant for far too long."

Despite his words, deep down, he quite agreed with the sentiment.

Let the bullets fly for a bit?

Indeed, it was vivid and entirely appropriate!

Xiao Guizi, whom he had treated that morning, had already brought good news, even though the system's experience point reward hadn't arrived yet.

As for the seven doses of medicine prescribed to Li Ziqi yesterday, they would certainly take effect by her next menstrual cycle.

Hearing this, Guicui also felt it made sense, so she suggested, "Even the finest wine fears a deep alley! Dr. Zhang, why don't we have the Eldest Sister do some advertising and help promote our Mingdetang?"

"Absolutely not. A doctor's consultation is not a business transaction. It relies on therapeutic efficacy and the good reputation spread by word of mouth among patients. What kind of behavior would it be to go out and advertise oneself?" Zhang Jing said with a stern expression.

"But when I look at bus stops and residential elevators, don't I often see advertisements for certain hospitals?" Guicui argued, somewhat unconvinced.

"They are them, and we are us. Didn't you hear what the Eldest Sister said yesterday? She didn't open a traditional Chinese medicine clinic to make money. Actually, it's the same for me—I became a doctor fundamentally not for the sake of making money. Therefore, promotion is completely unnecessary. Patients who truly trust you will naturally find their way to your door. If they didn't trust you to begin with, but were lured in by advertisements, it would instead smash the signboard of Mingdetang."

"Fine, I suppose I was oversimplifying things," Guicui muttered.

Suddenly, as if recalling something, she slapped her forehead. "Hey! Why am I even arguing with you about this? Actually, what I wanted to say is, from now on, I'm going to cook my own meals every evening. Would you like to join me and share the meals?"

"Sharing meals is no problem. Don't I often sponge meals off you anyway? But can you tell me why?" Zhang Jing asked in puzzlement.

"Actually, it's nothing much. I just feel that constantly eating takeout is unhealthy, and I'm afraid of gaining weight. I don't have time to cook at noon, but the evening is completely manageable. However, if I cook by myself, I always make too much food and can't finish it. So I was thinking if you joined in, you could help share the food expenses."

"Alright, I completely agree. Actually, I've wanted to cook for myself too, but I just don't know how. However, I have a counter-proposal. Let Dr. Wang join us as well. Since we live in the same dormitory, we should stay united."

"Of course that's fine. It's not like I said I wouldn't invite him; I was just discussing it with you first," Guicui said with a beaming smile.

At that very moment, fierce sounds of quarreling echoed from outside the consultation room.