Stealing the beams and replacing the pillars
Someone whispered in his ear, but Xu Xi couldn't hear anything. It felt like someone was pinching the sides of his nose, and he felt a dull pain when he breathed.
In a daze, Xu Xi felt someone gagging his throat. In that instant, the stench of wine and meat swirled up from below, connecting his stomach to his throat like a hot water pipe. Soon, he vomited up the filth, but his consciousness remained like a wisp of smoke, unable to gather.
At this moment, a comfortable pat came from his back. Xu Xi slowly raised his head, and the previously distorted room became normal. He found himself being dragged to the bathroom, and Liu Hui's ordinary face was right next to him, with a reassuring smile.
"Thank you." Xu Xi managed to utter the two words with difficulty, his voice hoarse and unpleasant. He tried to move to get some water, but his limbs felt as heavy as lead and he couldn't move at all.
Fortunately, Liu Hui noticed his predicament and gave him a cup of water to rinse his mouth. The cup reflected a face as white as wax paper. He couldn't help but marvel at the potency of the poison, but it was worth it for his senior brother.
The gritty discomfort in his mouth gradually subsided. Xu Xi glanced around and saw a white suit trousers approaching him. Damn it, why hasn't this plague gone yet?
Xu Xi closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, quickly searching his mind for a way to get rid of the person. Just then, the plague god's hand was already on his shoulder: "Little brother, come with me to the hospital, the car is at the door."
There was no time to lose. Knowing Xu Qiao's temperament, if he didn't cooperate, Xu Xi would definitely send someone to forcibly take him away. That wouldn't do. Xu Xi's tone softened: "Instead of worrying about me, why don't you go and find out who wants to kill you? I'll just consider myself unlucky today. Don't make a big fuss. If you alert your enemies, all my suffering will have been for nothing."
"Don't worry about that. I have a lot of enemies. Come with me to see a doctor first." Xu Qiao pulled his younger brother, his brows furrowed with anxiety.
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t see him, but I want my private doctor.” With Liu Hui’s help, Xu Xiqiang straightened up and said sarcastically, “You may be shameless, but I am. I know more tabloid reporters than you do. Do you really think spies can shut everyone up?”
It is an indisputable fact that Xu Xi is a well-known public figure, and it is also an indisputable fact that the reporters outside have not yet left. Xu Qiao stood there thoughtfully.
Liu Hui, who was behind him, spoke up at the right time to try to help Xu Xi out of the predicament. Unfortunately, the plague god could not understand him. Xu Xi had no choice but to act as a mouthpiece. Liu Hui meant that he had already vomited out the toxins and was not in any danger. He only needed to expel the remaining toxins during the subsequent treatment. If he was still uncomfortable, he could help relieve the discomfort with acupuncture.
“Acupuncture isn’t a bad idea, but you…” Xu Qiao’s suspicious gaze darted between her brother and Liu Hui.
Xu Xi rudely interrupted the plague god, while tearing off a notepad to write a number: "Stop arguing, Mr. Liu, please call a doctor for me first, so that someone won't worry."
After a slight hesitation, Xu Xi, supported by Liu Hui, returned to the living room. Before he could catch his breath, the Plague God chased after him again, his cold gaze fixed on Liu Hui.
His silence only made Xu Xi uneasy, wondering what he had figured out. He could only urge Liu Hui to go downstairs to make a phone call and prepare to welcome the doctor, in order to reduce face-to-face contact between the two.
After Liu Hui's figure disappeared around the corner of the stairs, Xu Qiao looked down at him and asked, "Young man, who introduced these three caregivers to you?"
He was about to die; based on his understanding of the Plague God, he must have seen through some flaw.
In his nervousness, his stomach started to cramp again. Xu Xi grabbed his trouser leg and endured the excruciating pain, then said sarcastically, "I can't remember which helpful person it was. It's just that I have as many friends as you have enemies."
"Hmph, you got injured this afternoon and the caregiver arrived this evening. Your information network is so efficient; you're either a staff member on set or someone in the media. You're only close to a few people; I can easily invite them all to CC for tea." The Plague God adjusted his glasses and said knowingly.
After being brutally dissected, Xu Xi didn't get angry but laughed instead: "Why don't you guess if any of my friends are your colleagues?"
The grotesque face of the plague god suddenly magnified, and Xu Xi's shoulder ached from being gripped so tightly. A suppressed, ghostly voice came from his ear: "Don't let me catch you associating with those red radicals, or I'll detain you too."
"Fine! Seize them now, then confiscate their property, saving us the trouble of going through the formalities." Xu Xi forcefully broke free of his restraints, his forehead covered in sweat. His body was numb and stiff from the extreme pain, but thankfully his lips could still move. "You just think I'm embarrassing you by being an actor, so why not force me to my death? Then no one will talk behind your back."
"Little brother, don't say such hurtful things." Xu Qiao composed himself, his gaze as dark as ink.
"I said that out of anger? I only said that I knew you as a colleague, and you immediately labeled me a traitor. Do you think you're the only spy in the National Government? No, right? This shows that you want me dead from the bottom of your heart!" Xu Xi uttered the last sentence heavily.
The air seemed to freeze. Water droplets rolled down from the eaves, pattering against the windowsill. A chill seeped into the room along with the dampness. Xu Qiao ripped off his tie without a sound; his anger was nearing its breaking point.
Seizing the opportunity, Xu Xi raised his voice higher and higher with each sentence: "You suspect everything all day long, you think I'm a member of the CCP, you think Mr. Liu is a member of the CCP, you think everyone around me is a member of the CCP! Actually, everyone around you is a member of the CCP!"
Finally, Xu Qiao's patience ran out. He threw down his tie and roared, "I'll send people to ransack your house right now! If you want to die, then go ahead and die!"
"So be it. I've lived an honest life, paid my taxes honestly, and have no shame before Heaven or Earth. When I go to the King of Hell, I'll say that I took my brother's place and use my remaining lifespan to do good deeds for him, so that he can suffer less from being fried and gutted. And I'll be a hero again in eighteen years... uh, cough cough." Xu Xi's pale lips were pressed into a straight line, and a line of crimson blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
"Little brother, are you alright? Don't scare me." Xu Qiao excitedly cupped his younger brother's face, his voice a little hoarse. "Oh right, the Cantonese guy. Liu Hui, Liu Hui..."
After a flurry of activity, Liu Hui opened his small wooden box, inside which was a small pillow about the size of a palm and a burlap roll.
A pillow was placed under Xu Xi's wrist. After Liu Hui finished taking his pulse, he opened the partition. The lower layer was full of colorful small porcelain bottles. Xu Qiao peeked inside and immediately looked disappointed.
Liu Hui picked out a blue and white porcelain bottle, poured out a few black pills and fed them to Xu Xi. Xu Qiao, who was standing next to him, immediately brought over a water glass.
Xu Xi lay reclining on the sofa, his white silk robe still stained with traces of blood. After a while, his previously pale face gradually regained its color, and the medicine seemed to be working.
Just as they brought the person back to life, Xu Qiao turned to Liu Hui with an interrogative tone. He was very curious about what kind of poison his brother had been poisoned with, and why Liu Hui could tell at a glance without even taking his pulse.
"Don't cause trouble. Mr. Liu is my savior. Be polite to him." Xu Xi brushed a stray hair from his forehead, his voice not as loud as before.
“It’s nothing serious. The poison has damaged my blood and qi, weakened my internal organs, and made me very weak.” Liu Hui had just said this when he slapped his thigh hard and muttered, “Oh, I almost forgot. Your boss doesn’t understand.”
Xu Xi smiled slightly and immediately translated Liu Hui's words into plain language. With Xu Xi's message, Liu Hui became more confident. Although he could not determine what kind of poison it was for the time being, traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes observation, listening, questioning, and palpation, with observation and listening being more important, so he put them first.
The poisoned patient has a pale face, purple lips, bluish nails, cold extremities, a pale red tongue with a white and greasy coating. This is a case of excess. The patient also experiences severe abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting, indicating that the poison has accumulated in the stomach and intestines and affected the blood vessels. However, vomiting out the toxins can greatly alleviate the symptoms of poisoning.
Finally, Xu Xi couldn't resist making a sarcastic remark about the plague god, recalling the legendary physician Bian Que who dared to diagnose Duke Huan of Qi's illness simply by observing and listening to his surroundings. He argued that the cultural heritage passed down from their ancestors for thousands of years was not something a layman like himself could easily comprehend.
Xu Qiao's gloomy eyes swept around, and his attitude became much more polite: "Mr. Liu's medical skills are indeed superb. What did you feed my brother at the end? The detoxification effect was so good."
Even with all the technical jargon, the plague god remained vigilant. To detoxify, one must first know what poison one has been poisoned with. He had dug a big pit for Liu Hui to fall into. Before Xu Xi could remind him, Liu Hui had already recited the name of the medicine in plain language—Huoxiang Zhengqi Wan (藿香正气丸).
Clearly, this wasn't the answer Xu Qiao wanted, and he gave a cold, forced smile. Who would have thought the antidote would be just an ordinary pill, a household necessity?
After hearing Liu Hui's earnest explanation, Xu Xi chuckled. He then translated Liu Hui's traditional Chinese medicine theory: after poisoning, the spleen and stomach are weak and unstable; if one then becomes angry or emotionally agitated, it can easily cause stomach cramps.
So the older brother shouldn't upset the younger brother; that's not acting like an elder brother at all. Huoxiang Zhengqi Pills only relieve Xu Xi's stomach spasms; they're not an antidote. Of course, this medicine does have some detoxifying effect, but it won't work so quickly.
In an instant, Xu Qiao's brows furrowed into a deep frown, and his face flushed red and then turned pale.
Ding-dong, ding-dong! The private doctor arrived just in time, relieving Xu Qiao's embarrassment.
A short while later, a tall and burly foreign doctor came upstairs. After greeting the group in broken Chinese, he began to examine Xu Xi.
Putting down his stethoscope, the foreign doctor said with a grave expression, "Mr. Xu, I need to draw several tubes of blood for testing, and not just once. I need to draw blood again every two hours to analyze the half-life of the toxin."
"This is too much trouble, little brother, why don't you come to the hospital with me?" Xu Qiao suggested.
“Sir, wherever you go for treatment, you’ll need to have your blood drawn twice. This procedure is entirely in accordance with legally mandated medical procedures.” Dr. Mueller’s face was almost expressionless, his demeanor as rigid and mechanical as a machine.
Facing the gloomy gaze, Xu Xi twisted his neck and said, "I'm most comfortable at home. It's just a blood test. I'll fall asleep in a bit, and Dr. Muller can just draw the blood. I'll also trouble the doctor to give me some sleep therapy. I've been under a lot of pressure filming lately, and I've been having some insomnia."
“Alright. However, sleep therapy must be conducted in complete darkness, without any outside disturbances. Guests should leave as they see fit.” Dr. Muller said calmly, glancing around at everyone.
“How can an older brother leave his younger brother unattended? I’m in the next guest room, Dr. Muller. If my brother has any problems, come find me.” Xu Qiao’s gaze shifted. “As for Mr. Liu, please stay for the night as well. You can make yourself at home downstairs. It’s raining heavily and the wind is strong outside. Why don’t we wait until tomorrow morning and I’ll send someone to take you back?”
Since the top spy had spoken, Liu Hui dared not disobey and could only nod in agreement. He and Dr. Muller then each supported one side of Xu Xi and escorted him back to the bedroom.
Xu Qiao watched silently as the three returned to the living room, his sharp gaze seemingly trying to penetrate into their hearts and uncover their deepest secrets.
Once only Xu Xi and Dr. Muller were left inside, Xu Xi rushed to the wall to turn off the lights and lock the door in one swift motion, showing no signs of a broken bone.
As soon as the ceiling light went out, he silently pointed to the coat rack. With Dr. Muller's encouraging gaze, he moved the thick coat rack aside, revealing a whole wall of clothes and shoes behind it. Wang Renyong, sitting on the soft stool, slowly turned his head, put down the copy of "Das Kapital" in his hands, and his eyes revealed surprise.
Dr. Muller, abandoning his usual aloofness, extended his large hand to Old Wang from a distance. The two seemed like old acquaintances, shaking hands tacitly and giving each other a few firm shakes.
The small walk-in closet was filled with joy, but with the plague lurking next door, the two dared not make a sound. Dr. Mueller took out his stethoscope and carefully examined Old Wang.
Then the doctor cut off the gauze on Lao Wang's leg, revealing a bloody and mangled wound. The doctor's face crumpled, and he shook his head dejectedly, as if the situation was not optimistic.
"Dr. Muller, let's draw blood first, so you don't get home too late." Xu Xi said, while rubbing Wang Renyong's arm. Dr. Muller gave Xu Xi a thumbs up and quickly took out a glass syringe and medicine. As soon as Wang Renyong saw the needle, he was terrified and shook his head like a rattle drum.
Now was not the time to haggle. Xu Xi gritted his teeth, covered Old Wang's mouth, and signaled Dr. Muller to act quickly. Instantly, Old Wang twisted even more violently. Normally, Xu Xi could completely control the restless Old Wang.
However, he himself had just suffered from poisoning and lost most of his strength. He could only barely suppress Wang Renyong, who was also seriously injured, by sheer willpower.
Fortunately, Dr. Muller acted swiftly, pressing down the cotton ball and ending the struggle between the two. Old Wang, panting, punched Xu Xi to express his dissatisfaction, then suddenly squinted and tugged at Xu Xi's blood-stained bathrobe.
"It's nothing!" Xu Xi replied softly, leaning closer to Old Wang to show his broken tongue. Just now, in order to stand on the moral high ground and force the plague god, he did not hesitate to bite his tongue and put on a pitiful act.
"Gentlemen, a skin test is required for penicillin. I need to wait twenty minutes to see if Comrade Wang has any allergic reaction before I can continue with the injection," Dr. Mueller said in a voice only three people could hear.
Old Wang stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Xu Xi could only advise him that practice makes perfect, and that being sick was very uncomfortable.
However, Dr. Mueller's next words caught both of them off guard: Wang Renyong's condition was critical and amputation was necessary. His leg injury was too severe, and even with penicillin, he was highly susceptible to sepsis, which would endanger his life.
Fear and resentment welled up in his eyes, and Wang Renyong's voice trembled: "No, I can't have my leg amputated. Comrade Muller, please think of another way."
“I don’t want this either, but as a doctor, I have to ensure your life first,” Dr. Mueller said solemnly.
Dodo!
Oh dear, the plague god has come to check on the patients! Xu Xi quickly pulled Dr. Muller away from the dressing room and immediately lay down, closed his eyes, and pretended to be asleep.
The knocking came twice more. Dr. Muller straightened his clothes before opening the door. Sure enough, it was Xu Qiao outside. He put his index finger to his lips and said, "Shh, your brother is asleep. I'll be watching over him for the next two hours, so don't worry."
"Oh, thank you for your trouble. If it's too late, I can send a car to take you home." Xu Qiao glanced inside; in the dim light, Xu Xi was lying on his side, clearly asleep.
"It's alright, I drove here myself. You go to sleep first, and be quiet so you don't wake him." After sending Xu Qiao away, Dr. Muller closed the door, his expression growing increasingly solemn. He had to choose between amputation and life.
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