"If you can find a doctor who offers a better chance of saving Xiaobao than Fu Bing does, I won’t let her in. Do you have one?" Su He’s eyes showed no marital affection; he was as cold as a stranger. "Do you think I don’t know what you’re plotting? If you’re trying to stand up for your sister by using my connections to deal with someone, let me tell you, that’s out of the question."
Su Junling grabbed Fu Bing and made to leave, saying, "Uncle, I think you should handle your domestic issues first. Fu Bing is my friend, and if you want to lay a hand on her, you’ll have to go through me first!"
Su He retorted, "Do you really take her for your aunt? You don’t have to listen to a word she says. The most pressing matter now is saving Xiaobao. If he stays in a coma for too long, severe brain hypoxia could cause permanent brain damage."
Su He’s eyes reddened. "The son I’ve hoped for all my life... Can you bear to see your uncle end up with no one to care for him in his old age?"
"I’ll go have a look. If I can’t treat him, it won’t delay Mr. Su from finding another doctor."
"I’ll go in with you."
Fu Bing, Su Junling, and Su He changed into sterile gowns and entered the ward.
Li Hua was left outside, looking through the huge floor-to-ceiling window at Su Xiaobao’s pale little face, her expression fraught with worry.
Her gaze then fell on Fu Bing, filled with deep resentment.
Fu Bing took Su Xiaobao’s pulse and then examined his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
"Has he had any bowel movements in the past few days?"
Liu Jianghuan sneered. "He hasn’t even woken up. Of course, there’s been no bowel movement." Amateurs, honestly.
Fu Bing paid no mind to his attitude. "Dr. Liu is right. There are many potential allergens, and screening for them is indeed troublesome."
Fu Bing carefully extracted a tiny piece of knitted material from between Su Xiaobao’s fingers and sniffed it.
"I think this is the cause. Children’s airways and skin are delicate; they can’t handle overly stimulating perfumes. Also, some fabrics are treated with various chemicals during the dyeing process to fix the color. Adults with stronger immune systems might not have issues with them."
Su He looked at the tiny knitted object in her hand and shot an angry glare at Li Hua, who was outside.
It was a piece of fabric from Li Hua’s clothing.
On the day Xiaobao had his incident, Li Hua had been holding him while wearing those clothes.
Su He was puzzled. "She’s held Xiaobao while wearing these clothes before, and he was fine."
"Perhaps that day she was wearing perfume, or she went somewhere she doesn’t usually frequent and came into contact with an irritant," Fu Bing said.
"Can Xiaobao wake up?" Su He temporarily pushed aside other concerns.
"Do you mind if I use needles?"
"This..." Su He hesitated.
Xiaobao is still so young; how could he endure it?
"Must you use needles?"
"My medical skills are limited; I primarily use acupuncture and prescribe herbal remedies. He’s too young, and I’ve never treated a child this small before, so I’m not confident about the correct dosage for medication. Acupuncture, however, should be fine."
Su He gritted his teeth, making the most difficult decision of his life.
"Go ahead with the needles."
Fu Bing selected the shortest few needles from her needle pack.
She inserted needles into his philtrum, forehead, temples, hands, and feet.
Just as she finished and was straightening up, a foul smell permeated the room. Su Xiaobao had soiled himself.
Su He, however, wasn’t angry at all. Instead, he leaned closer to the bed and asked joyfully, "He soiled himself! Does this mean he’s going to wake up?"
"We need to wait and see."
Su Xiaobao had two more bowel movements.
His pale little face, however, looked much better.
Fu Bing removed the needles. "Clean him up, and then a herbal bath should wake him."
Seeing Su Xiaobao’s eyelashes tremble, Su He felt the heavy weight on his heart finally lift. "Thank you, Miss Fu!" he exclaimed.
"If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now."
"This... Is there no need for medication?"
"Dr. Liu and the nurses can handle the rest." Fu Bing glanced at Liu Jianghuan, who stood frozen to the spot, and added, "Actually, Dr. Liu and his team are quite capable of treating Young Master Su. They just hesitated to use more aggressive treatments. Once he wakes up, they are fully competent to care for him properly."
Liu Jianghuan hadn’t expected Fu Bing to speak up for them; he felt his face burn with shame.
He had treated her so poorly, yet she was still willing to speak on behalf of the medical staff.
Su He glanced at Liu Jianghuan and begrudgingly nodded.
"Miss Fu, you’ve helped me so much. I truly don’t know how to thank you."
"You are Director Su’s family, and Director Su was the first person to extend an olive branch to me after my release from prison. I’m glad I could help his family."
Su He looked towards Su Junling. "Junling, Xiaobao can’t be left alone here. Please escort Miss Fu out for me. Once Xiaobao is better, I will personally visit to express my gratitude."
"Mr. Su, you’re too kind."
Fu Bing walked out of the hospital ward, just as Li Hua rushed in eagerly.
Before the door closed, Fu Bing faintly heard Su He’s angry shouts.
Su Junling smiled. "My Su Family now owes you three lives. From now on, everyone in the Su Family will have to treat you with the utmost respect."
"I should be thanking you for giving me the opportunity," Fu Bing said indifferently.
"Have you thought about what you want from the Su Family? Money, property, cars, luxury goods—just name it."
"Such a significant favor... I’ll need to think about it carefully."
Su Junling arranged for a driver to take Fu Bing home in the pink car, while he drove her to dinner in his own car.
"Originally, after my mother woke up, we planned to host a grand dinner to celebrate and also introduce you to Jiangcheng’s elite and celebrity circles. Unexpectedly, this incident with Xiaobao happened."
Fu Bing smiled faintly and shook her head. "They probably all know who I am already."
"If Su Kexin gets away with her actions unpunished, just like before, then my appearance at the dinner would only lead to public humiliation. Everyone would say that I, Fu Bing, was trying to curry favor with the Su Family, only to be publicly shamed by Su Kexin without daring to make a sound."
"Kexin is still young..."
"How old is she?" Fu Bing countered with a smile.
Su Junling was at a loss for words.
Fu Bing looked at the traffic light ahead. "Stop the car here, please. I have people at home waiting for me for dinner."
Fu Bing leaned over, pressed the unlock button on the central console in front of Su Junling, and quickly got out of the car.
She understood Su Junling’s and the Su Family’s intentions. They planned to introduce her to Jiangcheng’s elite, ostensibly to help her, but also to overshadow Su Kexin’s misdeeds, allowing Su Kexin to once again evade the consequences she deserved for her unreasonable behavior. For the Su Family, such an introduction was a trivial matter, costing them nothing more than a few words. Simply put, they were still exploiting her lack of connections and backing. In their eyes, her humility and amiability could only mean one thing: she was desperately trying to ingratiate herself with them. The Su Family’s condescending acknowledgment was meant to be the reward for all her hard work. High risk, low reward. Those words perfectly summarized her efforts in treating three members of the Su Family.
Su Junling watched Fu Bing’s figure swiftly disappear into the crowd, an inexplicable ache in his heart. I need to have a serious talk with them when I get home, he resolved.
Fu Bing hailed a taxi back to Imperial Garden.
Upon arriving at Imperial Garden, she saw Wu Shi, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, standing near the garden.