Chapter 6726
Effective in 3 Minutes
Laughter erupted all around instantly, the sound like exploding firecrackers, crackling and popping incessantly.
"You? You should take a good look at yourself in the mirror. You're like a toad trying to eat swan meat!"
"I think this kid's gone crazy for money; his brain's completely muddled!"
A chorus of mocking voices surged toward Xiao Chen like a tidal wave.
Just then, a sock on the clothesline was suddenly blown off by a gust of wind and landed squarely on the head of the woman wearing glasses.
The older woman was taken aback at first, but then she joined the crowd in laughing, her laughter tinged with the excitement of watching the spectacle.
The woman seemed not to hear the mocking remarks and suddenly strode towards Xiao Chen.
The crisp, rapid tapping of her red high heels seemed to reflect her anxious state of mind.
She stopped in front of Xiao Chen, bowed slightly, and her voice trembled almost imperceptibly, like a flower swaying in the wind: "Mr. Li, my father's condition is critical. The doctor says his life is in danger at any moment. I beg you..."
The faint scent of jasmine perfume on her mingled with the unique local atmosphere of the neighborhood, creating a somewhat jarring effect, like two different styles of music forcibly pieced together.
"Let's go to your place." Xiao Chen interrupted her before she could finish speaking, and then walked straight towards the Bentley.
The chatter of the onlookers abruptly ceased, as if someone had pressed a mute button.
They stared wide-eyed as this ordinary-looking young man, who reeked of engine oil, brazenly opened the back door of the Bentley.
To their even greater surprise, the woman jogged after him and thoughtfully closed the car door for him.
When the engine roared to life, some people stood frozen in place, their mouths agape, as if they had witnessed the most unbelievable thing in the world.
Startled by the sudden commotion, the sparrows in the sycamore tree fluttered into the gray sky, like a group of disturbed ghosts.
Half an hour later, outside the ward that the Liu family had specially prepared for Liu Jianming, the marble floor gleamed coldly, like an icy blade.
The smell of disinfectant was so pungent that it made my nose hurt, as if it were corroding my respiratory tract.
A dozen or so people were pacing anxiously back and forth, their footsteps chaotic and disorderly, like a group of ants on a hot pan.
The secretary, dressed in a suit and tie, kept refreshing her phone, her eyes filled with anxiety and unease, as if the phone held the answer to everything.
Several doctors in white coats huddled in a corner, talking in hushed tones, occasionally casting worried glances at each other. Those glances felt like heavy stones pressing down on everyone's hearts.
The middle-aged man at the head of the group had a crooked tie, fine beads of sweat on his forehead, and the cigar in his hand had already gone out, but he still unconsciously put it to his lips, as if the cigar could bring him a little comfort.
Hearing the elevator's crisp "ding-dong" notification sound, the sound was particularly abrupt in the quiet hospital corridor, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.
The middle-aged man, who had been pacing anxiously outside the ward with anticipation, suddenly turned around, his eyes instantly igniting with hope, and quickly walked towards Xiao Chen.
His steps were hurried and frantic, as if a moment's delay would mean missing the last chance to save his father's life.
"Mr. Li, you've finally arrived! Those foreign experts all shook their heads, saying there was nothing they could do, that my father's illness was terminal, and there was no hope of recovery..."
The middle-aged man's voice trembled with tears, his eyes reddened, and his hands rubbed together unconsciously, as if trying to find some solace. "Get out of the way." Xiao Chen said coldly, his eyes revealing an undeniable authority, as he shoved aside the bodyguard blocking his path.
The bodyguard was burly, like a small mountain, but he dared not resist Xiao Chen in the slightest.
Xiao Chen carefully took out an old tin medicine bottle from the worn-out canvas bag on his shoulder.
The medicine bottle looked quite old; the cartoon pattern printed on the cap was worn out, revealing mottled rust underneath, as if telling the story of the vicissitudes of time.
The moment the bottle cap was lifted, three dark brown pills rolled into Xiao Chen's palm.
The pill had a glossy sheen, as if it had been carefully polished by time, but upon closer inspection, it was covered with a few fuzzy fibers, making it appear somewhat rough.
A series of gasps immediately rose and fell around them, as if a cold wind had blown by, causing everyone to gasp involuntarily.
Someone couldn't help but exclaim, "This can cure diseases? It looks like rat poison sold on the street! Won't it cause health problems if people eat it?!"
The voice was full of doubt and fear.
A wealthy woman wearing a pearl necklace, who had been standing to the side curiously observing, was so startled by these words that she took two steps back and almost knocked over an exquisite vase placed in the corner.
The vase wobbled precariously, making a slight rattling sound, as if it too was trembling with tension.
On the hospital bed, Liu Jianming struggled to turn his head, his cloudy eyes fixed on the pills in Xiao Chen's hand.
His eyes held both a yearning for life and a suspicion of the unfamiliar pill.
His withered fingers convulsively gripped the corner of the blanket, crumpling it as if it were his only support at that moment.
As the owner of Jianming Group, he had seen countless precious medicinal herbs. His family's collection of thousand-year-old wild ginseng was worth tens of millions. He regarded all those herbs as treasures. But at this moment, his life was held by these three inconspicuous pills.
The electrocardiogram monitor emitted a regular ticking sound, which was particularly clear in the quiet ward. The sound was like a countdown to life, knocking on everyone's heart one beat at a time.
Previously, under Xiao Chen's treatment, Liu Jianming was able to walk again, but he was not fully cured and his condition kept recurring. Now he can only lie helplessly in his hospital bed, waiting anxiously for Xiao Chen's pills to save his life.
His body was as weak as a leaf in the wind, and he could be devoured by illness at any moment.
Xiao Chen remained calm, placed the pill to Liu Jianming's lips, and said softly, "Take it, it will take effect in three minutes."
His voice was calm and firm, as if it possessed an invisible power that made people believe in him.
His cuffs were still stained with the rust from the community's iron gate. The color of the rust was particularly glaring under the bright lights, forming a stark contrast with the luxurious hospital ward environment around him, as if two completely different worlds had collided here.
Liu Jianming's throat bobbed violently, as if an invisible hand was choking him. Then, he suddenly coughed violently.
The cough was heart-wrenching, as if it were trying to cough up all the internal organs.
His knuckles turned white from the force, gripping the bed sheet tightly, with veins bulging at his knuckles, as if he wanted to tear the sheet apart.
His violent coughing shook the gold-rimmed glasses on the bedside table, causing them to rattle before they finally fell to the floor with a "thud." (End of Chapter)