The Xia Wenyuan couple showed great enthusiasm for Qingmu and Mei Yiqiu's arrival. The number of servants and the pomp of their entrance indicated that it was much larger and more formal than when Qingmu had last visited.
Xia Wenyuan, seated in a wheelchair and pushed by Wu Lixia, personally greeted Mei Yiqiu at the door, repeatedly saying while holding her hand, "Professor, your presence is an honor to our humble abode. Please forgive my ailing health and inability to greet you from afar."
Mei Yiqiu replied, "You're too kind, Elder Xia." As she entered, she quietly said to Qingmu, "Look, compared to how well I speak, my professorship seems like it was bought."
Xia Wenyuan also respected Qingmu, not only because Qingmu cured his nightmares, but more importantly, because he discovered Qingmu's ability to control life and death invisibly through his methods of entering dreams.
People like Xia Wenyuan are cautious about everyone who gets close to them. They investigated Qingmu's background, but to his surprise, the young man's life experience was unremarkable. There was nothing unusual about his family background, upbringing, or social circle.
With such abilities, if he weren't a truly selfless and reclusive person, Xia Wenyuan couldn't imagine why such a person would hide in a small alley in Wuzhong City as a community psychological counselor.
In truth, Qingmu himself often doubted his own life, but whenever he thought about the crucial points, his laziness would kick in, and he would get a headache from thinking about anything. Only a good night's sleep would make him feel better.
Upon entering the Xia Family manor, after exchanging a few pleasantries, Mei Yiqiu got down to business and inquired about Xia Wenyuan's illness.
Just like last time, Xia Wenyuan led them to the study, dismissed the others, leaving only Wu Lixia and Dr. Peter, with Li Wei guarding the door. This time, Hu Xing didn't accompany them, but instead took Yu Meiren and Xia Tian to play in the back garden. Yu Meiren was holding a cat, while Xia Tian, like Qingmu, had Crow on his head.
Compared to Qingmu, Mei Yiqiu appeared more professional. He inquired about Xia Wenyuan's condition in detail from Peter, leaving no stone unturned. Eventually, Peter had to access Xia Wenyuan's medical records on his tablet for Mei Yiqiu's reference.
Peter showed great respect for Mei Yiqiu, unlike his arrogant attitude towards Qingmu. He answered almost every question and sometimes even discussed things with the professor. Mei Yiqiu also praised Peter as a good doctor, bluntly saying that an excellent doctor like him should be in a hospital helping people, rather than burying his medical skills by becoming a private doctor for rich people for a few measly bucks.
Peter looked embarrassed, Wu Lixia was both amused and exasperated, but Xia Wenyuan laughed heartily and said, " Professor Mei is quick-witted and outspoken, with the air of an ancient scholar."
Mei Yiqiu also began to appreciate Xia Wenyuan's open-mindedness, and said with a smile, " Elder Xia, you're not bad either, it's a pity you're ignorant and incompetent. What's the point of running a business? You've made a lot of money, but your life value is not high."
Mei Yiqiu's words seemed to strike a nerve with Xia Wenyuan, who lamented, "Yes, the value of life cannot be measured by money. My life may seem glamorous, but in truth, it has been utterly worthless. My father, back then, was able to sell his family's wealth to dedicate himself to saving the country, while I can only live out my days guarding a pile of riches. Thinking about it, I have no face to meet my father in the afterlife!"
Wu Lixia said, " Old Xia, you can't say that. You've done a lot of charity work these past few years."
Xia Wenyuan said, "It's all beyond our control. It's really just a social circle. The money we donate may not actually help many people who truly need it."
Mei Yiqiu seized the opportunity to persuade him, "You could invest in some technology projects to benefit future generations!"
Xia Wenyuan said, " Professor Mei, if you have any good projects, you might want to give me a chance."
Mei Yiqiu laughed, but stopped talking about investment. Instead, she turned to Dr. Peter and said, "Mr. Xia's examination is not comprehensive enough. He only had a routine CT scan, cerebral angiography, MRI, and neurotransmitter testing. Why not do a craniotomy and pathological analysis? How can you be so sure that this is not a new type of encephalitis virus or that he has been attacked by neurotoxins?"
Peter glanced at Xia Wenyuan and said, "The ten similar cases discovered globally are all celebrities like Mr. Xia, and they are all relatively old. Since the lesions are in the brain, the examinations have been relatively conservative. However, there is one young man among these cases who underwent all possible examinations at Hopkins Medical Center, including brain tissue biopsies. No active substances were found in the affected gray matter layer, so viral infection can be ruled out. If it were caused by neurotoxins, it could be detected through blood tests and neuronal analysis."
"Have you been to Hopkins Medical Center?" Mei Yiqiu asked.
"Of course I've been there," Peter said. "Mr. Xia had two examinations there."
"I mean, are you familiar with that place? For example, do you know any doctors there?" Mei Yiqiu said. "Did you get Mr. Xia's test report immediately? And through whom did you get that young man's pathology report?"
Peter somewhat taken aback by Mei Yiqiu's barrage of questions, even feeling insulted. He snapped, "Professor, are you questioning my character and competence as a doctor?"
Mei Yiqiu at Peter intently, then asked Qingmu, "Do you think there's anything wrong with this guy?"
Qingmu said, "It doesn't seem so at the moment, but if he's no longer himself, then I won't be able to tell."
Peter was confused and frowned, asking, "What are you talking about?"
Mei Yiqiu ignored him and pointed at Wu Lixia, asking, "Where is she?"
Qingmu thought for a moment and said, "More or less, but my intuition tells me that Aunt Xia is reliable."
"Excellent." Mei Yiqiu then pointed at Xia Wenyuan and asked, "What about him? Can his shadow hear us when we talk?"
"He should be able to hear it." Qingmu had unintentionally hypnotized Xia Wenyuan and seen that faint, almost imperceptible shadow. It was growing alongside Xia Wenyuan's consciousness, and once he inherited all the memories, it would stand up again and try to kill Xia Wenyuan, just like last time.
Mei Yiqiu said, "Is there any way to make it unable to hear?"
Qingmu said, "Even if it can't hear, as long as Mr. Xia can hear it, it can slowly find the information from Mr. Xia's memory."
"That's a matter for the future. They'll find out sooner or later anyway, as long as it's not now." Mei Yiqiu suddenly became very serious. "What I'm about to say is very important. We can't let them know our plans in advance, so I must ensure that everyone in this room is an Earthling."
Xia Wenyuan, Wu Lixia, and Peter found it increasingly strange as they listened, staring blankly at Mei Yiqiu and Qingmu. They suddenly felt as if they were in a mental hospital, as if the two guys in front of them were the ones who were sick, not Xia Wenyuan.