She lightly squeezed her own fingers, feeling that the curvature of the knuckles as they curled into her palm was slightly more pronounced than in the morning… probably psychological, or just normal fluid fluctuations during her period.
But she couldn’t help thinking.
‘If my physique could improve by just a few decimal points, maybe I could try doing some more “normal” things.’
‘Like going to the amusement park with Hisaki and riding the Ferris wheel, like not having to sit on the sidelines watching others run during physical education class, like buying a pair of jeans that match Hisaki’s at the mall instead of only being able to wear dresses… Not because I don’t like dresses, but because I want to know what I look like in pants.’
Just as she was lost in thought, the sliding door beside the main seat slid open. Hei Luan Yu Si walked in, his footsteps as steady as ever.
He wasn’t wearing a jacket, just a dark gray shirt with the top button fastened. Behind him followed someone. Rinna looked up. For a moment, her mind went blank.
The person walking in was a woman. Her flaxen hair was tied into a neat high ponytail, the ends swaying gently at the center of her back. Under the warm yellow light of the chandelier, her hair shimmered with a soft luster somewhere between gold and light brown.
Her features showed clear mixed-race traits… her nose bridge was slightly higher than typical Asian, her eye sockets deeper, but the line of her jaw had the gentle curve of an East Asian woman.
She looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with no wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, but her expression held a calmness that only years of clinical practice could deposit, giving her an unassuming yet reliable gentleness.
She wore a black short-sleeve shirt inside, with an open, long, loose white lab coat over it. The hem of the white coat swayed gently around her calves, carrying a faint, very faint scent of disinfectant mixed with Chinese herbs.
Below was a simple pair of dark blue straight-leg jeans, the cuffs just covering the tops of white canvas shoes. From top to bottom, she was a cohesive unit of rigor, gentleness, and pragmatism.
Hei Luan Yu Si stopped, his gaze sweeping over Hisaki before landing on Rinna. He clasped his hands behind his back and began introducing her in his usual flat tone.
“Xiao Bailai, this is Qi Lai Ling Qin. A retired top-tier tertiary hospital cardiopulmonary specialist, and also a dual expert in Eastern and Chinese herbal medicine.”
“She specialized early on in congenital developmental weakness and difficult cases of congenital cardiopulmonary defects. She’s spent her entire life studying this one type of innate frailness in young girls… I brought her here specifically for you, this sickly little girl.”
He paused, then added.
“She’s proficient in both Chinese and Western medicine. Western medicine precisely controls heart and lung function, blood pressure, and organ load. Chinese herbal medicine warms and supplements congenital qi and blood deficiency.”
“She can create customized proprietary formulas, mild in ratio with no side effects, safe for long-term use without harming the organs.”
“She’s skilled in physical therapy, superficial acupuncture, and massage, focusing only on strengthening the foundation, never doing intensive stimulation treatments.”
“She understands life stability maintenance, can predict the onset of attacks, and suppress warning signs of fainting, low-grade fever, and heart failure in advance.”
Rinna listened intently. She took in every word… organ load, congenital qi and blood, warm supplement, strengthen foundation, prediction… Even though she didn’t fully understand some of the technical terms, she knew that each one was prepared for her broken body.
Hei Luan Yu Si’s tone was still his standard emotionless one, but she had already learned to read the subtext of this man.
Dr. Qi Lai stepped forward. The hem of her white lab coat swayed gently with her steps, carrying a very faint scent of Chinese herbs. She crouched down in front of Rinna… This surprised Rinna, because doctors usually stood and examined patients from above.
But Dr. Qi Lai crouched naturally, her knees bending without any strain, as if facing a child who needed to be carefully handled. Her eyes met Rinna’s at the same level. Then she smiled. A few strands of hair hanging from the side of her flaxen high ponytail swayed at the edge of Rinna’s vision.
She spoke, and her voice was softer than Rinna had imagined. That gentleness wasn’t polite formality, but one naturally developed from long-term exposure to frail and sick people.
It was a gentleness that pressed all care and reluctance deep into the bottom of her voice, revealing only the softest surface. Especially when facing a girl like Rinna, who exuded frailty from her hair tips to her fingertips, her voice became even softer.
“Hello, I’m Qi Lai Ling Qin. From now on, I’ll be your exclusive personal physician. Your name is Bai Lai Rinna, right?”
Rinna was dazed.
*’From now on? Later? Wasn’t it just for this weekend—three days? How did it become “exclusive personal physician”?’
Her mind raced quickly.
‘Uncle Hei Luan must have felt three days weren’t enough and used some means to transfer her staffing here.’
She didn’t voice her question. She just quickly reacted and nodded instinctively.
“Yes, I’m Bai Lai Rinna. Hello, Dr. Qi Lai.”
Dr. Qi Lai’s eyes were very light, a pale blue close to the color of the sky, appearing even lighter than Rinna’s irises. Under the light, the fine texture of her iris was almost visible.
When she looked at Rinna, there was a careful observation that wasn’t off-putting, as if she were reading a precious medical chart that needed serious study… but it was more than just a chart.
“Then may I call you little Rinna?” Dr. Qi Lai asked.
Her tone was so light that the question felt more like a request than a routine inquiry.
“Sure.” Rinna agreed. It was just a form of address; convenient and had no special meaning.
Dr. Qi Lai stepped back half a pace, changing from a crouch to a formal sit, the hem of her white coat spreading on the tatami. She reached out and gently held Rinna’s wrist, not to formally take a pulse… more likely to sense the coldness and bone structure of the hands through experience.
Her fingers were warm, so warm that Rinna’s fingertips instinctively rubbed against her palm. Then Dr. Qi Lai began to speak. Her pace was very slow, every word as if carefully weighed before being allowed to slip off her tongue.
“Little Rinna, your body… based on your current condition, the three-hundred-page medical history that Mr. Hei Luan sent me in advance, and the results of all comprehensive examinations… is one of congenital organ developmental deficiency, low innate cardiopulmonary function, weak hematopoiesis, sensitive nerves, and congenital depletion of qi and blood.”
“No external injuries, no viruses, no cancer… it’s a congenital weak foundation, not a terminal illness.”
She paused for half a second, then continued.
“No matter how I treat you, the eventual outcome will be that you will always have a weaker foundation than ordinary people.”
“You cannot do strenuous exercise, cannot stay up late, cannot experience extreme joy or extreme sorrow.”
“During seasonal changes, getting chilled, or extreme fatigue, you may experience slight shortness of breath and weakness… but you will no longer have severe fainting episodes.”
“You will have normal health and a normal lifespan, it won’t affect longevity.”
“Only your physical ceiling will always be lower than ordinary people.”
“Little Rinna, I will do everything I can to restore your body to a level where you can live a normal life, but there are things I need you to know first.”
Rinna listened to these words, expecting to feel sad… after all, the conclusion that “your physical ceiling will always be lower than ordinary people” sounded like a life sentence. But surprisingly, her heart was calm, even a little amused. She looked down at her own fingers.
‘Being able to live a normal life. Not having to stop to catch my breath after walking two hundred meters. Not having to lie in bed hugging a pillow and groaning during every season change.’
‘Being able to stand at the starting line of the track in PE class like everyone else instead of sitting on the sidelines wrapped in a blanket.’
‘Being able to go shopping normally without worrying about fainting at any moment. That’s enough. That’s better than anything.’
Then she looked up at Dr. Qi Lai. Dr. Qi Lai’s eyes were as gentle as if she were looking at a flower that needed careful protection.
That gentleness was thicker and heavier than when she spoke just now, like a sponge soaked in warm water… a heaviness that felt weighty in the palm. Rinna suddenly felt that this name… Qi Lai Ling Qin… might become a part of her life for a long time to come.