"Good, good, good, good!!!"
Zhang Huacheng had seen arrogance before, but he'd never seen arrogance like Lin Xi's. He was furious, shouting "good" four times in succession.
Bai Bing was also shocked into a cold sweat, inwardly lamenting that she had truly misplaced her expectations. At the same time, she hurriedly gave Lin Xi a look, signaling him to stop talking.
"Grandpa Zhang, my friend doesn't mean that..."
"Xiaobing, don't explain. I want to see why I dare not say he knows anything?" Zhang Huacheng was also enraged. After practicing medicine for so many years, he'd always been respected wherever he went; he never expected to be so belittled today.
"Right, right, right, Grandpa Zhang is right. Maybe Xiaobing's friend really has the skills? We shouldn't speak recklessly; we should give the person a chance, shouldn't we?" Chen Bainan immediately said, which further provoked Zhang Huacheng.
Bai Zhenyang, with his fiery temper, erupted too, roaring at Bai Bing, "Look at who you're acquainted with; utterly disgracing our Bai family."
"Xiaobing, maybe you should let your friend apologize. After all, Uncle Zhang is generous and won't fuss over things with you young people," Bai Bing's mother, Yu Cheng, advised sensibly.
"Sis, you..." Bai Xingye stammered, unable to say much. At home, he feared his sister the most.
Bai Bing was considering how to persuade Lin Xi when unexpectedly, Lin Xi spoke again, "Bai Bing is my woman. Her matters are my matters. What do your opinions have to do with me?"
At this moment, Lin Xi also understood the dynamics of the Bai family.
Bai Zhenyang was irritable and naive, often used by others. Mrs. Bai, Yu Cheng, was insightful but uninvolved. Bai Bing's younger brother, Bai Xingye, was young and indecisive.
As for Chen Bainan, he was clearly a backstabber, eyeing the Bai family's wealth, waiting to take a bite when an opportunity arose.
Now it seemed that his interest in Bai Bing might not be so simple.
So, the only ones clear-headed or understanding the situation in the Bai family were Bai Bing, and perhaps her grandfather too. However, Lin Xi hadn't met Bai Bing's grandfather yet, and couldn't judge what kind of person he was.
"As for diagnosing Bai Bing's grandfather's illness, it's not about competing or proving my medical skills are superior to yours. What you think or if you're unhappy doesn't concern me."
Lin Xi grabbed Bai Bing's hand dominantly and started to head upstairs, "Let's go, take me to see Grandpa."
"You, you, you..." Bai Bing was internally fuming, wondering who said she was his woman. Thoroughly shameless, she hadn't reacted before being pulled upstairs.
At this point, if Bai Bing forcefully resisted, she would definitely embarrass Lin Xi. Yet, she vaguely didn't want to do so in her heart.
Could she have developed feelings for him?
How could I like this scoundrel!!!
It wasn't until the two of them were upstairs in a room that the few people downstairs finally came back to their senses.
Zhang Huacheng was both furious and exasperated, not expecting the young people today to be so arrogant and full of themselves. It was time to teach them how to act properly.
Bai Zhenyang had already blacklisted Lin Xi, and as for his daughter, it was time to properly discipline her.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Bai, Yu Cheng, and Bai Xingye were caught between two difficult positions.
Chen Bainan wore a worried expression on his face, as if concerned for Bai Bing's grandfather, but inadvertently flashed a hint of conspiratorial satisfaction, likely quite pleased inside.
The five of them, with various expressions and thoughts, then quickly followed upstairs, each harboring their own thoughts.
At this moment, Lin Xi and Bai Bing were already inside a room.
The room was neither small nor large, about thirty square meters, with a generally simple layout. The furnishings were all somewhat old, showing their age.
On a wooden bed from the seventies or eighties lay an elderly man with a full head of white hair.
The elderly man's expression was dull and lifeless. His body was extremely thin, like skin tightly wrapping around bones, which was somewhat frightening to behold.
The ancient method of "look, listen, inquire, and feel the pulse" came to Lin Xi's mind the moment he entered. It was as if he saw this Elder Bai as an oil lamp nearly burned out, ready to extinguish at any moment.
No wonder Zhang Huacheng said that—it wasn't without reason.
As the two approached, the five led by Zhang Huacheng also reached the doorway.
"The old man isn't sick!" Lin Xi ignored the five and said to Bai Bing.
Bai Bing was stunned, then asked, "What is it then?"
"It's hidden injuries accumulated over years, coupled with excessive fatigue, leading to overconsumption of mental energy."
"In layman's terms, he's tired and stressed," Lin Xi explained.
"It looks like Xiaobing has indeed trusted the wrong person. Grandpa Bai hasn't been managing the business for years. He's been strolling and playing chess at home; where does the tiredness and stress come from?" Chen Bainan found it amusing and ridiculed Lin Xi.
"Right, young people shouldn't spout nonsense. Don't I know my father's condition in recent years?" Bai Zhenyang was even more angered.
On the side, Zhang Huacheng didn't rush to speak. He pondered for a moment, then said, "He's not wrong; you could look at it that way."
"Ah, Uncle Zhang, why are you siding with this kid?" Bai Zhenyang was full of questions, unable to understand why despite racking his brain.
Could he be right?
But it couldn't be; his father had clearly been recovering well these past years.
At this point, Chen Bainan didn't speak, but his face didn't look good. It was like being slapped in the face directly.
Moreover, he had no reason to doubt the professional competence of the person who slapped him since this person was indeed the Divine Doctor of Chuzhou City.
"I'm not siding with him."
Zhang Huacheng seemed to reminisce, and said again, "Your father came to Chuzhou City with nothing and worked hard for most of his life to achieve what he has today. The effort and sacrifices you cannot comprehend. For instance, during one car accident, your father's leg was almost broken, but he stayed up all night rushing to the company to meet a client's needs because of a project..."
"The various factors of wearing down the body accumulated over the years aren't cured just by resting or taking medicine."
"As for worry, as his descendants, you should be even clearer on that."
Bai Zhenyang felt ashamed, but still listened with partial understanding, while Bai Bing near Lin Xi seemed to understand more.
She managed to control the entire family business alone and did so well, thanks solely to her grandfather's support and help.
Worry definitely played a part.
Bai Bing couldn't help but feel emotionally down, silently blaming herself: she's so grown, why does she still make her grandfather so worried?
"So, Bai Grandpa's illness is incurable?" To avoid embarrassment, Chen Bainan asked again.
Zhang Huacheng shook his head, "If he hadn't fallen into a coma, treatment could be targeted, but now that he's comatose like this, it's hopeless."
The Bai family was once again saddened by these words.
"Wrong. The problem isn't the coma but the heart disease!" Lin Xi said coldly.
"Nonsense, if he can't wake up, how can you cure the heart disease? Can you treat heart disease while in a coma?" Zhang Huacheng angrily retorted.
"Who says he can't wake up!" As soon as Lin Xi's words fell, the room fell silent, as if unable to believe it.