I Conquer the Entertainment Industry with My Medical Skills - Chapter 9

An Ningqing was dragged out of bed.

“An An, the company suddenly added an event, and there might be interviews.”

“Hurry, get dressed and let’s go.”

She glanced at the time. It was only five in the morning. Though she usually woke up this early to gather herbs in the mountains, she hadn’t fallen asleep until midnight last night. This body had previously followed a different schedule, refusing to wake until the sun was high in the sky.

She immediately collapsed onto the back seat of the car and continued sleeping.

Throughout the entire process, she was like a rag doll, passively enduring being pressed into a chair, having her face made up, and being dressed. By the time the routine was complete, she was still groggy and severely sleep-deprived.

“Sigh, An An, stop yawning.”

“Huh?”

“Your eyeliner’s smudged.”

The makeup artist wiped and reapplied it. An Ningqing’s fair skin flushed easily with the slightest pressure, revealing its sensitivity. “How come I never noticed your tear ducts were so active before? Come on, An An, let’s just bear with it, okay?”

Bang!

The door was violently kicked open.

Qian Lingling frowned almost imperceptibly, but seeing An Ningqing’s nonchalant demeanor, her anger flared anew. “An Ningqing!”

An Ningqing blinked, the eyeliner feeling uncomfortable. She hadn’t even registered who had entered the room before responding softly, “I’m here.”

“An Ningqing, don’t push your luck.”

The assistant couldn’t help but step forward. “Teacher Qian, An An hasn’t finished using the dressing room yet. If you need it urgently—”

“Who do you think you are?”

“Everyone out! I need to speak with Teacher An alone.”

“Ah, Teacher Qian, Manager Cao, don’t pull me away…”

The assistant was dragged away by Qian Lingling’s manager. Sensing the tense atmosphere, the makeup artist hastily packed her kit and retreated—a classic case of collateral damage in a power struggle.

Soon, only the two women remained in the room.

An Ningqing had already connected the arrogant woman before her with the Qian Lingling from her memories. Their animosity was legendary; they would bicker at every opportunity, regardless of the setting. In public, Qian Lingling never showed An Ningqing’s original self any respect. Now, she was seething, her breath ragged and her face pale.

One hand was planted on her hip, her back awkwardly arched as if she couldn’t stand straight.

These symptoms don’t look right.

An Ningqing gently helped her sit down. Qian Lingling angrily shook off her hand. “Fake concern! Don’t touch me.” But instead of shaking her off, she felt two fingers press against her wrist. Qian Lingling’s stomach cramped violently. “What are you doing?”

The warmth on An Ningqing’s face gradually hardened into a stern expression. “What unspeakable crime have I committed to make you drag your injured body here to settle accounts with me?”

“You have the nerve to ask? You exposed so much dirt on me yesterday, and now you’re playing innocent?”

“What dirt?”

Her gaze was open and genuinely puzzled.

Qian Lingling almost believed An Ningqing had nothing to do with it. “Stop pretending! I admit I was behind the hotel incident. Exposing me once was understandable, but An Ningqing, don’t push things too far! Do you think having Xie Anran backing you makes me afraid of you?”

An Ningqing pressed three fingers against Qian Lingling’s abdomen.

“Ah—!”

“You’re trying to kill me!”

She shifted her hand to another spot, eliciting another pained scream from Qian Lingling. The pain was clearly severe. An Ningqing quickly grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled a few notes, habitually asking, “How many months since the miscarriage? When was your last sexual encounter? Has your menstruation been regular since then?”

Her rapid-fire questions left Qian Lingling’s three souls and seven spirits so terrified that three souls and six spirits nearly fled.

Seeing Qian Lingling’s terrified expression, An Ningqing answered her own questions. “At least two to three months since the miscarriage. Severe qi and bl00d deficiency. With such intense abdominal pain, your menstruation likely hasn’t returned to normal…”

The hairs on the back of Qian Lingling’s hand stood on end. “You investigated me?! An Ningqing, you actually investigated me! Hiss.”

She clutched her abdomen, the pain searing.

Compared to the online scandals about her faked academic credentials and rumors of her being a delinquent in school, this was far more terrifying. Overwhelmed by shock and fear, Qian Lingling’s emotions surged. Suddenly, she felt something slippery slide down between her legs.

Crimson droplets splattered onto the floor.

Bl00d.

Qian Lingling’s head swam. “I… I—”

An Ningqing swiftly retrieved her bag, pulled out acupuncture needles, and methodically inserted them into Qian Lingling’s body. “Don’t move these needles. They’ll stop the bleeding. And calm down. Your condition isn’t critical.”

With that, she returned to the table and resumed writing furiously.

The dressing room wasn’t soundproof. Several people pressed their ears against the door, listening for any sound. After a long silence, one whispered, “Why is it so quiet? Could something have happened?”

“Lingling knows her limits. She wouldn’t give An Ningqing any leverage.”

“……”

The assistant secretly called Guan Lang, reporting Qian Lingling’s frantic confrontation with An Ningqing. “I don’t know what’s happening inside. Manager Cao is blocking me from entering, and I can’t hear anything.”

“Alright, alright, hurry over here.”

Inside the room, Qian Lingling quickly regained her composure. She noticed that the dull ache in her abdomen had vanished, and the bleeding between her legs had stopped—it was… miraculous.

An Ningqing suddenly put down her pen and turned to face the woman who was curiously studying her. “Would you mind describing your symptoms? That will help me prescribe the right treatment.”

Qian Lingling, temporarily abandoning her confrontational stance, countered, “First tell me, how did you figure out what was wrong with me?”

“I observed you.”

“You were experiencing abdominal pain, so you kept clutching your lower back. In my presence, you alternated between your hands, supporting your back eleven times, while unconsciously stroking your abdomen. This gesture is common among pregnant women. Combined with your pallor from bl00d loss and the dark red coating on your tongue…”

As An Ningqing finished speaking, Qian Lingling stared in stunned silence. Holy cow! What kind of eyes does she have? A laser scanner?

Whether it was true or not, Qian Lingling believed at least part of it.

Ever since her abortion, Qian Lingling had been experiencing intermittent abdominal pain for a month and a half. Initially, the discomfort was mild, and she attributed it to her menstrual cycle. However, her periods soon became irregular, with heavy flow, frequent spotting, and occasional heavy bleeding.

These were difficult matters to discuss, even with her doctor, Qian Lingling. How much more awkward it was to confide in An Ningqing, her sworn enemy. Curious, she asked, “You studied traditional Chinese medicine? For how many years?”

An Ningqing had no intention of scaring her away. Reserved and modest, she understated the truth by a third. “About ten years.”

This would be only her second patient.

An orphan, An Ningqing had been rescued from a pile of corpses at the age of five by her master and taken to Medicine King Valley. There, she spent over thirty years learning to identify medicinal herbs, understand their properties, and practice medicine under his tutelage. After his passing, she became the heir to Medicine King Valley.

Qian Lingling’s eyes widened. “Ten years!” she exclaimed skeptically. “You studied medicine for ten years and didn’t become a doctor? Why on earth would you suddenly decide to become a celebrity?”

An Ningqing simply smiled and remained silent.

“Forget it, that’s not important. Can you treat my condition?”

“Yes.”

The door opened.

Contrary to expectations, there was no chaotic scene. The one who had come to pick a fight and the one being targeted exchanged smiles, as friendly as if they were close girlfriends having a chat. Qian Lingling even added, “Alright, it’s settled then. I’ll prepare a feast at home tonight to welcome you. I’ll send you the address.”

She had barely taken three steps when she paused. “Oh, right, let’s add each other as friends first.”

An Ningqing skillfully pulled up her QR code. Qian Lingling scanned it for a moment, and the two stared at each other blankly until the assistant, unable to bear the awkwardness, stepped in to help them connect.

Qian Lingling hesitated, then patted An Ningqing’s shoulder with a meaningful look. “Don’t worry,” she said, “you’ll get your share of the benefits.”

After Qian Lingling left, the assistant hurriedly closed the door and whispered, “An An, did Qian Lingling give you a hard time? Did she come here just to humiliate you?”

“No,” An Ningqing replied.

“Huh?”

The assistant secretly studied An Ningqing’s expression and was relieved to see her still smiling.

An Ningqing was indeed pleased. She had finally made her first sale.

As for the first deal that had fallen through, best not to dwell on it.

Xie Anran woke up at four in the afternoon and noticed Xie Xuanze wasn’t home. In high spirits, she grabbed a sandwich from the refrigerator, took a bottle of milk, and picked up her phone, ready to call her girlfriends and invite them out.

As her car pulled out of the driveway, a figure darted into the road.

Screech!

The car braked hard, but it was too late. The vehicle struck something—a person.

Xie Anran, an experienced driver, had never imagined she would hit someone right outside her own home. After a few seconds of panic, she unbuckled her seatbelt and rushed out of the car. A person lay sprawled on the ground, their condition unknown. “Hey, are you okay?”

She reached for her phone to dial 110 (China’s emergency number).

A hand grabbed her leg. She crouched down to check on the person. “Where are you hurt? I’ll take you to the hospital.”

The person turned over, revealing a familiar face.

“Sister Anran.”

“!!!???”

Xie Anran fell back onto the ground in shock. “Zhuang Yanxin? How could it be you?”

Zhuang Yanxin sobbed, her knees scraped and her wrists bearing fresh abrasions. Ignoring her injuries, she clung to Xie Anran’s leg. “Sister Anran, my parents are sending me abroad and won’t even let me leave the house. I don’t want to go! I just wanted to see you.”

As Xie Anran retreated, Zhuang Yanxin moved closer.

“You should listen to your sister and go abroad peacefully.”

“Sister Anran, are you really unaware, or are you pretending not to know?” Zhuang Yanxin had originally planned to give herself to Xie Anran before her birthday, but something unexpected happened. None of that mattered now. What mattered was that her secret feelings for Xie Anran had been discovered. Her parents disapproved, her sister vehemently opposed, and they had even forced her to go abroad against her will. “I love you, Sister Anran.”

Zhuang Yanxin’s hands had moved from Xie Anran’s calves to her thighs. Xie Anran felt a wave of revulsion, goosebumps erupting all over her body. She kicked Zhuang Yanxin away.

Caught off guard, Zhuang Yanxin stumbled, allowing Xie Anran to break free.

A flicker of madness flashed in Zhuang Yanxin’s eyes. “Sister Anran, you clearly love me too. Why won’t you admit it?”

“When have I ever loved you, Zhuang Yanxin? Are you out of your mind?”

The two began playing a game of cat and mouse.

Xie Anran decided to have Zhuang Qingxin take her younger sister home. Glancing casually, she noticed someone lurking behind a nearby tree. She spotted a pair of sneakers. “Who’s there? Come out.”

“I see you.”

An Ningqing cautiously peeked out and waved. “Sorry to bother you. I was just passing by.”