Spoiler[1]
Next Day,
VIP Ward, The City Hospital
A panel of doctors gathered around the reports, their voices low and urgent as fresh samples were rushed for testing.
Shen Yao and Shen Zhan were arguing with them to wait for their patriarch to arrive before taking any further measures but, the doctors insisted that they cannot drag on for long or damage might turn permanent.
By 9:30, Li Tao and his party of four arrived. There were Aunt Ling, Murong Qing, and Li Yaoshen with him.
The moment Li Tao stepped into the ward—
the already tense atmosphere shifted subtly.
Conversations slowed.
Eyes turned.
Even without speaking, his presence demanded attention.
They were mostly here to show goodwill.
Li Yaoshen was the medicine director of Li Pharmaceuticals as well as a professor in Traditional Chinese Medicine. He has been away from practice for long but his skills were still there.
Li Tao was not relying on him to cure Lin Zhengtian, he was here just for formality's sake. He even told Li Yaoshen about the real situation of Lin Yaoshen so he could create more ruckus inside the ward.
They went in and saw everyone from the Lin family was present inside the ward. Our heroine, Lin Bingxue was calling Shen Lao's secretary to get updates.
Father and Uncle Lin were discussing with doctors about future actions. Everyone looked busy but there were no positive outcomes.
Li Tao entered the ward followed by others.
He became the center of attraction. Lin Bingxue stared at him with resentment while other members welcomed him and thanked him for visiting.
Ye Feng was sitting in the corner watching all this with killing intent in his eyes. He was confident in his creation but he was reminded of the shame he suffered inside the Lin Family Villa.
'He actually dared to challenge me… for a woman?'
A cold glint flashed in Ye Feng's eyes.
In his mind, Murong Qing had already been placed within his future.
Li Tao gave him a look and sneered. 'The good play is about to begin.'
He glanced around and saw two unexpected people in this ward. The first one was Shen Yao, the third heroine. She could be here but from the looks of it, she stayed overnight. Which was unexpected.
The other one was Tang Jing, the police lady with 'justice' on her forehead. She was the fourth heroine who was captured by Ye Feng.
'No wonder Ye Feng was sitting in the corner. He was afraid of this shura field.'
"Hehe, let me see how you handle this situation." He muttered.
Lin Baitian warmly welcomed him and explained the situation.
Li Tao expressed his apologies for arriving late and signaled Li Yaoshen to step forward and assess the situation.
The Lin family saw a ray of hope after seeing an expert brought by the Li Family checking their Patriarch.
Shen Yao and Shen Zhan also came closer to see his methods. No one wants to stop growing. Diseases are evolving every day and you can always have space for growth. They regarded Li Yaoshen as a senior and stood behind him to learn.
Li Yaoshen was the same seniority as their Patriarch.
He reached for Lin Zhengtian's hands and closed his eyes to check his situation.
Ye Feng was sneering at him from the corner.
Li Yaoshen closed his eyes, sometimes frowning and then relaxing. After that his face became ugly. He opened his eyes full of helplessness. He walked up to Li Tao and said something in his ear.
He confirmed that Li Tao's speculation was correct. It was man-made.
The Lin family wanted to ask but after seeing his face, they knew it was hopeless.
"Dr. Li, could you tell us about your observation? Maybe we can come up with a solution if we work together." Shen Zhao stepped forward and cupped his hands.
"Dr. Shen it is not that I do not want to tell you, but the result of my inspection was conflicting. I think we should wait for Master Shen to come." Li Yaoshen replied.
Li Tao took Murong Qing's hand and walked to a different corner to take a seat. Aunt Ling and Dr. Li followed.
The room was back to being noisy again.
...
At noon, there was a disturbance in the hallway.
Soon, the door of the ward was opened and three Old men came in, followed by a few young doctors in white coats behind them.
They were Shen Lao, also known as the Miracle doctor of the Fortune City, Tang Zhen who is the patriarch of the Tang Family, and Mu Qin who is the Dean of this hospital.
The Tang Family and the Lin Family had been friends for generations, especially when Lin Zhengtian helped Tang Zhen book an appointment with Divine Doctor Xiao. Thanks to that he was able to gain favor from a big man in the province which helped him a lot in his career.
It was him who asked Tang Jing to visit Patriarch Lin before he arrived.
Mu Qin was here to expand his knowledge.
Everyone in the room stood up when they saw Shen Lao was there. Li Yaoshen stepped forward and greeted him personally.
Shen Lao originally wanted to ask his Son and granddaughter to understand the situation but meeting this old friend changed his actions. He asked him instead, "Dr. Li, can you summarize about Mr. Lin's condition? We are short of time."
He walked up to the bed and took a pulse.
Dr. Li looked conflicted and he made a gesture in the air that only they could see as 'man-made'.
Shen Lao was confused after seeing it, but he decided to rely on his skills to assess the situation.
Five minutes later, he let go of the hand. He was helpless and angry at the same time.
Everyone asked, "How is he, Doctor?"
"His condition was triggered by external interference—forcing dormant issues to erupt all at once. Under the effect of an aging body and relapse, his body gave in." He sighed and declared the bad news.
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Hope—
thin as it already was—
fractured completely.
Ye Feng sneered in his mind, 'No one can ruin my plans. Old Dog, be thankful you have a pretty granddaughter or I would have to kill you too.'
Li Tao was always observing him by his peripheral vision. This Ye Feng had something wrong with his personality. He was more rash or... should I say eager than he remembered.
'He seems a little different from what I remember, but he can't jump around for long, I have the system assisting me, and coupled with my memories of my previous life, he wouldn't be allowed to grow unchecked.' Li Tao thought.
Shen Lao pieced Lin Zhengtian's body with a bunch of needles to stabilize his condition and left with a comment, "I am not sure who wanted to harm Patriarch Lin but they know his condition well. Now only two people can save him. One who targeted him and another who treated him before."
Tang Zhen and Shen Lao walked outside to discuss something and walked to Mu Qin's cabin.
Li Tao came here to see drama but Ye Feng did not act like he imagined, and neither did the Lin family beg him like the original story. He got up and took Murong Qing and others to have lunch at the nearby cafe.
Shen Yao followed Dr. Li to ask some questions.
Tang Jing was eager to find a chance to question Li Tao about the previous incident at Golden Treasure Pavilion. She also wanted to warn him that 'Law is watching everything'.
"Li Tao!! Wait!!" she shouted while catching up to him.
"Hmm?" Li Tao and others turned around to see who was shouting.
Tang Jing caught up and flashed her ID, "I am Captain Tang Jing from Criminal bureau. I have a few questions to ask."
Li Tao did not like her, so he said, "I do not know you, if you have questions, then ask my lawyer."
He turned around to leave. This was the best punishment for muscle heads like Tang Jing i.e. ignoring them.
"Stop!" She was angry. She was about to attack when A'Qian stood up in front of Li Tao and suppressed her with his aura.
Murong Qing joined the fun and asked, "Dear, who is she?"
Li Tao saw the opportunity so he took it, "Qing'er, she is Miss Tang Jing from the Tang Family. She is considered a beauty in our city."
Tang Jing was still angry with him but still raised her head like a peacock.
"She—and Miss Shen Yao—"
Li Tao paused slightly, then smiled faintly.
"—are both future third and fourth concubines of Young Master Ye. Ha ha ha!!!" he clutched his stomach and laughed loudly.
*puff* Murong Qing was also smiling by his side.
"So Miss Lin won't be alone after all," she added.
Everyone else including Aunt Ling was dumbfounded by this newfound information.
"What?!!!! What did you say? Huh, Are you serious?" Tang Jing was having trouble speaking.
The words didn't just shock them—
they planted doubt.
And doubt…
was far more dangerous than any insult.
Shen Yao beside him dropped her tablet and stood stunned & speechless.
Why was she dragged into the fight? And what do you mean by concubines?
They are proud daughters of heaven who are excellent in their respective fields. Their suiters were uncountable. But now a man is saying that they are concubines.
Also, what do you mean by 'third' and 'fourth', they are back in the line.
[1] Wife, Meet the First, Third, and the Forth Concubines of the Ye Family