She Lifted Her Skirt, Revealing Her Fair Leg

Qiao Xi chuckled silently.

"I'm just going to work. Why do you need to accompany me?"

Huo Sijiao wrapped her arms around Qiao Xi's and said, "I insist! Besides, today is your first day seeing patients. I'll help you maintain order. A lot of people are coming just because you're a disciple of the national physician."

"It's not that dramatic," Qiao Xi replied sweetly. "I can only use my left hand for acupuncture right now, and there's a set limit on how many patients I can see each day."

"Let me come with you, please," Huo Sijiao pleaded, using her best act of coquettishness. Eventually, Qiao Xi gave in, reluctantly agreeing to let her tag along.

"Where's my brother?"

Huo Sijiao's sharp eyes scanned the area but didn't spot Huo Xingzhou. Alarm bells rang in her head.

"He went to work. Tianyuan Group has a lot of matters to handle," Qiao Xi replied.

Huo Sijiao studied her thoughtfully and said, "Sister-in-law, my brother has status and wealth now, and his legs are fully healed. There must be plenty of little temptresses out there eyeing him. You have to be careful and stop them before they have a chance."

Hearing this, Qiao Xi's smile faded slightly. "Don't worry."

Unaware of Qiao Xi's change in mood, Huo Sijiao fetched a Maserati from the garage and waved. "Sister-in-law, get in!"

"Alright."

Once they arrived at the hospital, the luxury car immediately drew attention, especially when two strikingly beautiful women stepped out.

Qiao Xi felt uncomfortable with the stares.

Huo Sijiao, however, raised her chin, linked arms with Qiao Xi, and strode proudly inside, as if she were a little peacock flaunting her feathers. She wanted everyone to know Qiao Xi was part of the Huo family, hoping to dispel the rumors that her sister-in-law wasn't good enough for her brother—even as a disciple of a national physician, some still called her an unworthy village girl.

As soon as they entered, a panicked woman bumped into them.

"You... Su Weiwei?"

Huo Sijiao was about to snap but stopped when she saw the woman in hospital garb with red, tear-filled eyes.

Su Weiwei, clutching a phone in her hand, looked disheveled, her hair a mess.

Upon seeing Huo Sijiao and Qiao Xi, a flash of hatred flared in Su Weiwei's red eyes.

"Qiao Xi, must you destroy us completely?" Su Weiwei screamed hysterically.

"What?" Qiao Xi was taken aback.

"What did the Su family ever do to you? Marrying into the Huo family was the biggest stroke of luck you'll ever have, yet you insist on dragging my family to ruin!" Su Weiwei lashed out. "Even if I die, I won't let you off!"

Her words were dripping with venom, every syllable heavy with rage.

As her phone buzzed, Su Weiwei, clearly pressed for time, dashed off without another word.

Qiao Xi and Huo Sijiao exchanged baffled looks.

"Is she... crazy?" Huo Sijiao broke the silence.

"Maybe she's been through a lot of stress lately," Qiao Xi speculated, recalling recent gossip in the hospital about Su Weiwei contracting an illness from Mo Jiajun. Whether the preventive injections had worked remained unclear.

"Sister-in-law, hurry and show me your new office!"

Curiosity sparkling in her eyes, Huo Sijiao tugged Qiao Xi forward. The consultation room was next to Doctor Yan's, and no one in the hospital opposed Qiao Xi's early promotion to seeing patients independently—after all, her mentor was Cheng Han.

At 7:50 a.m., a line had already formed outside her consultation room.

Qiao Xi donned her coat and mask, logged into the hospital system, and began preparing.

Huo Sijiao waited outside on a bench, keeping watch. Based on her understanding of Xu Xingluo, she was sure that woman would show up.

Xu Xingluo was the type to strike carefully, waiting for the perfect moment to destroy her enemies in one blow. Qiao Xi, however, lacked such calculated cunning.

Huo Sijiao crossed her arms, scanning the crowd as patients were called in one by one.

Near dusk, her hunch proved correct.

A slender woman wearing a mask and sunglasses stood out from the crowd like a crane among chickens.

Even though Huo Sijiao despised Xu Xingluo, she had to admit the woman was both beautiful and capable.

Xu Xingluo, spotting Huo Sijiao, removed her sunglasses and offered a soft, harmless smile. "Jiaojiao, long time no see."

Straightening her posture, Huo Sijiao marched up to her. "It has been a while. I thought you'd stay abroad forever, hiding like a coward."

Xu Xingluo's smile wavered, her eyes misting over. "So, you misunderstand me too."

"Misunderstand? When you found out my brother was in a coma and stripped of his inheritance, you left the country without hesitation." Huo Sijiao's voice brimmed with resentment. "You used to call him 'Brother Xingzhou' all the time, crying about wanting to marry him. How fake!"

Though unclear about the full extent of their relationship, Huo Sijiao remembered how everyone once thought Xu Xingluo and her brother were destined to marry.

Whenever Xu Xingluo saw her brother, she'd act ambiguously, neither confirming nor denying the teasing from friends and family about their supposed romance.

"It's not like that," Xu Xingluo said bitterly. "Huo Sijiao, I had my reasons."

"Reasons? Let's hear them," Huo Sijiao scoffed, scrutinizing her. "Was it your vanity? I don't get how someone pampered by the Liu and Xu families could think so shallowly."

Xu Xingluo, once dubbed a ballet goddess, with her refined tastes, was, to Huo Sijiao, nothing but a fraud.

"Xu Xingluo, you abandoned my brother when he had nothing. Now you want him back? Dream on!"

Huo Sijiao was determined not to let her ruin her brother and sister-in-law's relationship.

Xu Xingluo's red-rimmed eyes glistened with unshed tears. "It's enough for me to see him doing well."

"Fake!"

"Jiaojiao, do you remember ten years ago? If it weren't for me, he might've..." Xu Xingluo trailed off, her tears falling.

Huo Sijiao's fiery anger cooled instantly at the mention of ten years ago, leaving her feeling uncertain and vulnerable.

Xu Xingluo said no more. Glancing at the screen, she added, "It's my turn."

Putting her sunglasses back on, she walked into the consultation room.

Knock, knock.

Xu Xingluo lightly tapped on the door, then entered gracefully.

"Miss Qiao," she greeted with a polite smile, sitting on the stool.

Qiao Xi looked up and recognized her. What a coincidence.

"Miss Xu, you can call me Doctor Qiao in the hospital."

"Of course."

Xu Xingluo, delicate and seemingly harmless, had an aura that disarmed suspicion, like an innocent vine flower.

"What symptoms are you experiencing?" Qiao Xi asked softly.

"Leg pain. Western doctors found nothing wrong, but it hurts constantly," Xu Xingluo replied, lifting her skirt to reveal a fair right leg. "It hurts a lot."

Frowning, Qiao Xi took her pulse but found nothing unusual.

Xu Xingluo spoke slowly, "Doctor Qiao, have you heard of PTSD from car accidents?"

Qiao Xi's mind buzzed.

She'd seen that term before—on Mr. Huo's computer search history.