"Hank, listen to me. The boss is in critical condition. If we don't let this guy try, he probably won't make it anyway. We might as well give him a shot, you understand?" the bald white man said to the black man in English.
He then walked over to Chen Fei and shouted, "You, help, save him!" His Chinese was poor.
But that was enough. Chen Fei unhesitatingly pushed past the large black bodyguard and walked toward Tucci, who was convulsing on the ground. The middle-aged government official and Liu Changshan both hesitated at the sight but ultimately chose not to interfere.
After all, the situation was truly critical. They couldn't afford to wait for Elder Du, and Liu Changshan himself had no confidence he could save the man. Why bother stopping someone else from trying?
"Don't worry, I can save you," Chen Fei said calmly in broken English near Tucci's ear. He then reached out and patted Tucci's chest, the back of his neck, and his head a few times with uneven force before beginning to massage his body.
This sight left everyone present completely stunned.
"See? I told you he's a fraud! Get away from him!" the large black bodyguard roared furiously upon seeing this, swinging a huge fist to push Chen Fei aside.
Just then, his companion, the bald white man, suddenly grabbed him. "Hank, you fool, stop!" he exclaimed in a tone of sheer disbelief. "Look carefully! The boss... I think he's stabilizing!"
"What? That's impossible!" The black bodyguard froze, staring ahead with a stunned expression.
"This... how is this possible? His breathing has stabilized." Even Liu Changshan, an authoritative expert from the cardiovascular department of the City Center Hospital, felt his jaw drop.
He truly hadn't expected it. The few pats, which he had dismissed as random, had actually stabilized the breathing of Tucci, who had been convulsing from a massive myocardial infarction. This meant he was out of the critical phase. It was simply a miracle.
"Young... Doctor, can you wake Mr. Tucci up?" the middle-aged government official asked Chen Fei in an excited whisper.
"Don't talk!" was Chen Fei's only reply. He then took out the Silver Needle Box he carried with him. With fluid, practiced motions, he inserted the silver needles into various major acupoints on Tucci's body, some shallow and some deep, varying the force from gentle to firm.
"This..." The previous mistrust in the eyes of everyone present, especially the foreign bodyguards, had now completely turned to shock. Their boss, Mr. Tucci, was actually waking up.
"Boss! Boss, are you awake? This is great! Thank God!" the black bodyguard exclaimed excitedly.
"Shut up! Hank, you idiot, you nearly got me killed!" Tucci, having recovered slightly, glared viciously and cursed weakly at the black bodyguard.
Although I was close to going into shock, my consciousness was still intact. I was perfectly aware that Chen Fei had tried to save me repeatedly, only to be blocked by this damn, foolish bodyguard. If someone hadn't stopped him at the last moment, wouldn't I, Tucci, have died right here? Damn it, that was close!
Then, he turned to Chen Fei and said with sincere gratitude, "Doctor, thank you for saving me. My name is Tucci. I really am so grateful you saved me."
"Alright, stop talking. The illness hasn't been completely suppressed yet." However, Chen Fei simply told him to be quiet before repeating the seemingly random pats, this time focusing on his shoulders and chest.
"That should do it." After a while, Chen Fei slowly stood up. He turned to Tucci, whom he had helped into a chair, and said, "You can understand Chinese, right? You're out of danger for now. Don't remove the silver needles yet. Wait for Elder Du from the Affiliated Institute of Traditional Medicine to arrive. He can definitely handle the follow-up. I'll be taking my leave now."
With that, he prepared to leave.
"Sir, please wait, please wait a moment! Thank you so much for saving me. My name is Tucci. This is my business card, please take it so you can contact me later. I will be sure to thank you properly." Tucci, not expecting Chen Fei to depart so abruptly, respectfully held out his business card.
Chen Fei casually took the business card. It was covered in a string of Italian text, of which he only recognized the phone number. He pocketed it.
"Is our young friend leaving already? Why not wait a bit? Elder Du will be here soon. He would be so pleased to see that our Northern Mountain City has produced such a young, capable, and impressive traditional Chinese medicine doctor like you," the middle-aged government official said, trying to persuade him to stay, but Chen Fei paid him no mind.
However, just as he was about to leave, Chen Fei seemed to remember something. He turned back toward the large black bodyguard and the other foreigners, grinning as he said, "Hey, you guys. Is traditional Chinese medicine still a 'no' for you?"
"No! No! Traditional Chinese medicine is great, very great!" the bodyguards immediately replied, nodding their heads like garlic being pounded and smiling obsequiously.
If Chen Fei's traditional Chinese medicine hadn't saved their boss today, God knows what kind of severe punishment would have awaited them upon their return. In other words, Chen Fei was practically their savior. How could they possibly dare to say traditional Chinese medicine was 'no good' anymore?
"That's more like it." Hearing their response, a satisfied smile spread across Chen Fei's face. He walked away leisurely, swaying his head and humming a tune. Saving a life was something that brought him great joy.
After all, the reason he had wanted to study medicine and become a doctor in the first place was to practice healing and save as many people as possible.
"Young man, wait for me, wait for me." As soon as Liu Changshan saw that Chen Fei had truly left, he hesitated for a moment and immediately followed him.
Only after Chen Fei and Liu Changshan had left did a group from the Traditional Medicine Affiliated Hospital of Northern Mountain University, along with Elder Du, finally arrive late. Elder Du was over sixty years old, but he was still in excellent health, with a full head of silver hair, a ruddy complexion, and sharp, sparkling eyes.
When he saw Tucci with numerous silver needles sticking out of his body, Elder Du's eyes lit up. He strode over and asked, "Is this the patient? And these silver needles...?"
As the former dean of the Affiliated Institute of Traditional Medicine and now a figure of Mount Tai Beidou-level prominence in the national Traditional Medicine Community, Elder Du was instantly recognized by the government official. The official hurried to their side and made the introductions. "Elder Du, this is Mr. Tucci. He has come to our Northern Mountain City to investigate investment opportunities on behalf of the Saint Laurent Group from Italy."
Then, he turned to Tucci. "Mr. Tucci, this is Elder Du. He is a highly renowned and respected veteran of traditional Chinese medicine in our country. He came to save you!"
"Traditional Chinese medicine? It's amazing! I love traditional Chinese medicine!" Tucci said with a wide smile. "But, it seems I'm already fine. That gentleman who was just here saved me with his miraculous medical skills."
"The gentleman who was just here?" Not only was Elder Du taken aback, but the other senior staff from the Affiliated Institute of Traditional Medicine who had accompanied him were also puzzled.
"It's like this. A young man calling himself Chen Fei used traditional Chinese medicine to save Mr. Tucci just now..." The government official immediately recounted the entire incident in detail, from Liu Changshan's presence to Chen Fei's seemingly random patting and his use of acupuncture.
"What? Liu Changshan from the City Center Hospital was here, and even he was helpless?"
"You're saying a young punk in his twenties saved Mr. Tucci, and just by patting him a few times?"
"That's... how is that possible? Are you sure you weren't scammed by him?"
"Hmph. I'll ask you all to watch your words. My life was saved by that gentleman. That Mr. Chen is no fraud!" Tucci snapped with a cold snort, clearly displeased by their skeptical tone.
"Uh, Mr. Tucci, you've misunderstood. We're just... shocked, that's all," one of the senior officials from the Affiliated Institute of Traditional Medicine said with an embarrassed laugh.
"Enough. The young man did very well," Elder Du, who had been deep in thought with his head lowered, suddenly said. "If I'm not mistaken, the technique he used to save Mr. Tucci was Tui Na!"
"Tui Na?" Everyone was stunned. That stuff can actually save lives?
"I swear, you lot are getting muddled in your old age," Elder Du scolded, his tone tinged with disappointment. "Traditional Chinese medicine is vast and all-encompassing. It's not just about saving people with herbal medicine! Acupuncture, Tui Na, observation, olfaction, inquiry, palpation... which one of these isn't a treasure bequeathed to us by our ancestors?"
After he finished speaking, he glanced again at the silver needles in Mr. Tucci. "With the needles that young man placed, you should be fundamentally out of danger. However, Mr. Tucci, you should still come with us to the hospital for a check-up, just to be safe."
Hearing this, Tucci naturally had no objections. After Chen Fei's miraculous treatment, his faith in traditional Chinese medicine was now immense and unconditional.
As Elder Du and the senior staff of the affiliated hospital were escorting Tucci to the hospital, Chen Fei, who had left some time ago, was already about to leave the Northern Mountain University campus.
Just then, he suddenly heard someone from behind call his name. Chen Fei glanced back and saw Dr. Liu Changshan from the City Center Hospital catching up to him, panting as he called out, "Young student, wait up, wait up!"
Chen Fei hadn't planned on stopping for him, but after a moment's thought, he paused and turned around. "I'm not a student," he said.
"Not a student?" Liu Changshan was taken aback for a second before nodding as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "You're right. How could someone as skilled as you be a student? I heard you say your name is Chen Fei. If you don't mind, may I call you Xiaofei?"