Soon, a man in his late twenties, led by several students, rushed over.
"Make way! Our counselor is here. Let him check on Lin Xue."
Several students pushed their way through the crowd of onlookers, clearing a path for the counselor.
"Why are you all crowding around? Spread out, let the air circulate, you hear me? What did they teach you in class?" the counselor first shouted at the crowd, then knelt to check Lin Xue's condition. He asked, "Abdominal pain? Which part exactly? Is it a stabbing pain, a throbbing pain, or a burning pain?"
Lin Xue was in too much pain to even open her mouth.
Unable to conduct a verbal examination, the counselor could only judge her condition through Observation. Seeing Lin Xue clutching her lower right abdomen tightly with both hands, he said, "It's most likely acute appendicitis! A few of you, get her to the infirmary for an IV drip. If the inflammation can't be controlled, she'll have to go to the hospital for surgery."
Immediately, a few students gathered around, about to carry Lin Xue to the infirmary.
'Acute appendicitis? That's not right.' Among the onlookers, Zhao Yuan raised an eyebrow.
His vision was now far superior to that of an ordinary person. Even in the dim light, he had spotted a few suspicious details. This made him certain that Lin Xue was not suffering from acute appendicitis!
Because his sister had a similar condition, he was very familiar with its various clinical presentations.
'I have to correct that counselor's diagnosis. Otherwise, it won't just delay Lin's treatment, it could cause her even more harm.'
With this in mind, Zhao Yuan quickly spoke up, "Sir, take a closer look. I'm afraid Lin isn't suffering from acute appendicitis, but from menstrual cramps!"
"Menstrual cramps?" The counselor was slightly taken aback. Before he could speak, a few of the students from his class started shouting at Zhao Yuan.
"What makes you say it's menstrual cramps? Now's not the time to show off! If you delay Lin Xue's treatment, can you take responsibility for that?"
"What department are you from? What year are you? Have you even taken diagnostics? How dare you spout nonsense here! And you're questioning our counselor's diagnosis. You know, our counselor is a doctoral student under Elder Xiao! You think you're better than him?"
"Yeah, stop pretending you know what you're talking about and making a mess of things!"
Zhao Yuan ignored them and said directly, "Sir, look. Lin Xue's face is pale, her breathing is faint, and she's pressing on her abdomen. These are clear signs of Qi and blood deficiency. If it were acute appendicitis, her abdomen would be tender to the touch; she wouldn't be able to press on it so hard. Moreover, acute appendicitis is often caused by things like Qi stagnation and blood stasis, or an accumulation of damp-heat—it's an excess-pattern, not a deficiency-pattern. The clinical presentation is different from Lin's. Also, the pulse would be different. Her pulse right now should be thready and weak, whereas the pulse for acute appendicitis would be wiry and rapid, or deep and wiry."
This speech was so well-reasoned and evidence-based that everyone was stunned into silence.
The counselor's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly grabbed Lin Xue's wrist to perform a Pulse Diagnosis and found that, just as Zhao Yuan had said, her pulse was indeed incredibly faint and weak.
"Have you gotten your period in the last few days? Have you had menstrual cramps before?" the counselor asked.
Lin Xue mustered all her strength and managed a weak nod.
This scene left everyone dumbfounded.
"Holy crap, no way. Did he actually guess right?"
"I can't believe the counselor actually misdiagnosed her. If this student hadn't pointed out the problem, the consequences could have been serious!"
"Where did he come from? He's even more capable than a doctoral student taught by Elder Xiao!"
The crowd's gazes toward Zhao Yuan were filled with shock and disbelief. Some of the girls even had little hearts in their eyes.
As for the few students who had berated Zhao Yuan, they were utterly mortified... That was a swift slap in the face!
In truth, the counselor's misdiagnosis wasn't due to a lack of skill. The suddenness of the situation, coupled with the poor lighting, had clouded his judgment.
"Thanks."
After sincerely thanking Zhao Yuan, the counselor stopped the others from taking Lin Xue to the infirmary. Instead, he began to massage her Three Yin Intersection, Zusanli, and Qi Hai acupoints right there.
These three acupoints are highly effective for treating menstrual cramps.
Under the counselor's massage, Lin Xue's cramps gradually subsided, and some color returned to her pale, pretty face.
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
Just then, a voice came from outside the crowd, "What are you all gathered here for?"
People turned their heads one after another, and upon seeing the newcomer's face, they quickly parted to make a path.
"Hello, Elder Xiao."
"Professor Xiao, Lin Xue had an episode. We were all here helping."
The old professor who had arrived was Xiao Xianlin, one of the top medical experts at West Hua Medical University. He was a big shot who received a special government allowance, and he was renowned even in the international medical community.
"Hu Qiang? You're here too." Xiao Xianlin walked into the crowd, glanced at the counselor massaging Lin Xue's acupoints, and asked, "What's wrong with this student?"
"To answer your question, Teacher, it's menstrual cramps caused by Qi and blood deficiency. I've been massaging her Three Yin Intersection and other acupoints, and it has already eased a lot," Hu Qiang answered respectfully.
"A pale and wan complexion, faint breathing... indeed, the signs of menstrual cramps from Qi and blood deficiency." Xiao Xianlin's medical skills were extraordinary; he saw Lin Xue's condition at a glance. He said with satisfaction, "To be able to make the correct diagnosis right away and take effective measures to alleviate her condition... Hu Qiang, you've done very well."
Hu Qiang looked embarrassed. "Teacher, I can't take credit for your praise. Actually, I made a misdiagnosis earlier. It was all thanks to a student's guidance that I avoided a diagnostic error."
He recounted what had just happened. After listening, Xiao Xianlin was quite surprised.
'To make the correct diagnosis under such unfavorable conditions... his talent must be exceptionally high!'
Xiao Xianlin's interest was instantly piqued. "I didn't realize our school had such a promising sapling! Whose student is he? Old Zhang's? Or Liu Daqiang's?" The two people he mentioned were both famous experts at West Hua Medical University.
Hu Qiang shook his head. "From the look of him, I don't think he's a graduate student yet."
"Oh?" Xiao Xianlin's eyes lit up immediately.
'Such a promising sapling... if I can take him as my student and guide him carefully, his future achievements will surely be great!'
The eager-to-mentor Xiao Xianlin became excited and hurriedly asked, "Where is he?"
"He's over... huh? Where'd he go?" Hu Qiang looked toward the spot where Zhao Yuan had been standing, only to find he had vanished.
"That student already left, right when Lin's condition started improving," a student in the know said.
"Left? Why would he just leave?" Hu Qiang looked astonished.
Xiao Xianlin was disappointed, but he quickly smiled again. "It's fine. We just need to know his name and his class, right?"
"Uh... I don't know any of that," Hu Qiang said, his face twisting into a grimace.
"What? You didn't ask him?" Xiao Xianlin grew angry.
"No..." Hu Qiang said, aggrieved. "How was I supposed to know he'd just leave without a word? This kid does a good deed and doesn't even stick around for credit. He's a little too noble, isn't he?"
"Hmph! That shows he has the bearing of the wise physicians of old! You should learn from him!" Xiao Xianlin shot Hu Qiang a dissatisfied glare and scolded, "You're usually so clever. How could you do something so stupid this time? Someone kindly helped you, and you don't even know his name or class? How am I supposed to find him now? If Old Zhang and Liu Daqiang get to him first, just see if I don't deal with you!"
You can't even imagine how wronged Hu Qiang felt.
Xiao Xianlin didn't give up. He turned to the surrounding students and asked, "Does anyone here know anything about that young man?"
Everyone shook their heads in unison.
Zhao Yuan had always been low-key. Aside from his own classmates and a few assistants in the anatomy building, practically no one from other classes or departments knew him.
Xiao Xianlin was incredibly disappointed. And just as disappointed was Lin Xue.
'I haven't even had a chance to thank you, so why did you just leave?'
The pain had been so intense that she hadn't been able to get a clear look at Zhao Yuan's face, which made her feel incredibly ashamed and regretful.
At the same time, there was also a trace of admiration and curiosity.
'I can't believe there are still people in this world who do good deeds with no expectation of reward... I have to find him. I have to thank him in person!'
What no one could have guessed was that Zhao Yuan hadn't left early out of some noble character; he was simply so hungry he couldn't stand it anymore...