My Roommate Lover - Chapter 13 - The Pure Yang1 Meridian Severance (Part 1)

“So, tell me, what did you do before this?”

“Uh, I was in New York, running a small business.”

“What kind of business? Was it murder and arson, or robbing people blind?”

“Do I look like that kind of person? I worked at a foreign trading company in New York. I missed home, so I came back.”

“Xixi, Ziyu, do you believe him?”

“Of course not.”

In the ancestral house of Jia Family, Jia Simiao sat in a chair while Shen Jun’ao, Tang Ziyu, and Zhang Xixi perched on the sofa opposite him, interrogating him like he was a criminal. This was his home, not a police station-how could they act like this?

Tang Ziyu mentioned that Jia Simiao had impressive medical skills, recounting how he had saved an elderly man with a sudden heart attack on a plane. Zhang Xixi nodded enthusiastically, adding that he had rescued Old Li, who was suffering from severe sunstroke, in the western suburb’s watermelon field.

Given such remarkable medical expertise, why wasn’t he a doctor? Why was he dabbling in business instead? This was a mystery to Tang Ziyu and Zhang Xixi, and Shen Jun’ao was equally puzzled. Nowadays, being a doctor was lucrative-he could just set up shop by the roadside, diagnosing patients, and surely wouldn’t be in his current predicament.

Jia Simiao chuckled bitterly. “I don’t have much of a choice. The ancestral precept of the Jia Family forbids us from using medicine to make a living.”

Zhang Xixi exclaimed, “What kind of ancestral precept is that? If you can’t make money, who would bother studying medicine? Right, Ziyu?”

Tang Ziyu replied, “That’s not necessarily true. Some people study medicine not for money, like me…”

Zhang Xixi rolled her eyes. “Oh, please! Spare me the nausea, will you? No money means no food or drink. Without those, what are you even showing off for?”

Tang Ziyu giggled. “I was born beautiful. Plenty of men are willing to support me, so what? Go ahead and be jealous.”

“Jealous? You think I can’t call Uncle Tang right now and tell him you didn’t go abroad for studies but are hiding in Nanjiang City? He’d force you to marry Xu Beishan!”

“Go ahead, see if I care! If you dare leak my whereabouts, I’ll post your naked bathing photos online and see who’s tougher.”

Naked photos of Zhang Xixi? Jia Simiao finally understood why he’d encountered Tang Ziyu on the plane. He still had no clue who Xu Beishan was, though. Clearing his throat, he said seriously, “Ziyu, how could you even consider doing something like that? Hand them over to me-I’ll keep them safe. They must never be leaked.”

Tang Ziyu glanced at Zhang Xixi and smirked. “Hmm, I might just consider that…”

Zhang Xixi shouted, “Tang Ziyu, if you dare hand them over, I’ll fight you to the death!”

Shen Jun’ao shot them a glare, silencing their bickering. She spoke softly, “Jia Simiao, I really owe you for today. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been humiliated by Lu Jianfei.”

Jia Simiao grinned. “You live in the ancestral house of Jia Family… Uh, I mean, I’m your tenant, so of course, I have to ensure the landlord’s safety. If something happened to you, where would I live?”

Shen Jun’ao knew he was being deliberately cheeky, but she was grateful nonetheless.

Zhang Xixi glanced at Shen Jun’ao, then at Jia Simiao, and asked, “Jun’ao, just saying thanks isn’t enough, is it? If you really want to show gratitude, you should offer yourself to him. Right, Ziyu?”

Tang Ziyu quickly distanced herself. “I didn’t say that! Don’t drag me into this.”

Shen Jun’ao flicked Zhang Xixi’s forehead and laughed. “Only you could come up with such nonsense. Alright, everyone, go to bed. We’ve got work tomorrow.”

“Exactly! I still need to go with Jia-Ge to stock up and make money.”

Zhang Xixi jumped up, stretched, and called out to Jia Simiao, “Jia-Ge, what time are we leaving tomorrow?”

No response.

“What’s the matter? Are you planning to stay here and not leave? Your room is in the side wing…”

Still no response.

Now Zhang Xixi turned around, and Tang Ziyu and Shen Jun’ao also noticed something was off. Jia Simiao’s face was flushed red, as if it were on fire, and the veins on his forehead were bulging. His eyes were shut tight, fists clenched, and teeth gritted. He sat motionless in the chair, but the sound of his teeth grinding was audible.

What was going on?

Zhang Xixi exclaimed, “Could Jia-Ge be… could he be overcome by animal instincts?”

Faced with three stunning beauties, he was just a man, sitting there trying to suppress himself-how could he possibly endure? Zhang Xixi thought her explanation made perfect sense, but Shen Jun’ao and Tang Ziyu felt something was seriously wrong. Especially Tang Ziyu, who was a senior year student at Nanjiang Medical University, majoring in traditional Chinese medical science. Though she wasn’t particularly skilled, she could tell that Jia Simiao seemed to be suffering from some sudden illness.

Tang Ziyu shouted, “Xixi, Jun’ao, Jia-Ge must be sick! We need to get him to the hospital!”

“Sick?” Zhang Xixi stared at Jia Simiao, scrutinizing him. “Ziyu, didn’t you study to be a doctor? Check him out!”

“Uh, I mostly just coasted through school. I don’t have that kind of skill.”

Shen Jun’ao said, “Enough talking. Let’s get him to the hospital.”

Just as the three women were about to approach, Jia Simiao suddenly collapsed from the chair, hitting the floor with a thud. One hand clutched his chest while the other fumbled in his pocket. He groaned, “Medicine… medicine… in my pocket…”

Tang Ziyu quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out several small bottles, panicking. “Jia-Ge, which one do you need?”

The veins on Jia Simiao’s neck bulged like writhing worms, a terrifying sight. Struggling to speak, he managed, “The… the blue bottle… give… give it to me…”

Tang Ziyu hurriedly opened the blue bottle, revealing small pills inside. They didn’t have a pleasant aroma-in fact, they stank. Unsure how many to give him, she turned to ask, but Jia Simiao’s mouth was agape, unable to utter a word. Holding the pills, she asked, “Jun’ao, how many should I give him?”

Shen Jun’ao felt like kicking her. Four years in medical school, and she still didn’t know anything? Taking a deep breath, she noticed Jia Simiao’s fingers were spread apart, with only his thumb slightly curled inward. Without hesitation, she shouted, “Four pills! Give him four!”

Tang Ziyu immediately stuffed four pills into Jia Simiao’s mouth, while Zhang Xixi propped him up. As Shen Jun’ao tried to pour water into his mouth, the pills had already dissolved and slid down his throat. Within seconds, Jia Simiao’s labored breathing began to stabilize. He collapsed into Zhang Xixi’s arms, the bulging veins on his forehead receding, leaving only beads of sweat the size of peas. His entire body was drenched, as if he’d been washed in water.

The three women had never experienced anything like this. Their nerves, stretched to the limit, finally relaxed, and they sank to the floor, breathing heavily. Looking at Jia Simiao, now lying peacefully, they exchanged glances, bewildered.

Zhang Xixi asked, “Ziyu, what’s going on?”

Tang Ziyu snapped, “You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? I’ve never seen or read about anything like this in medical texts.”

Shen Jun’ao said, “Alright, he seems fine now. You two should go shower and rest.”

“But I need Hardworking Bro to help me with business!”

Zhang Xixi refused to leave, and Tang Ziyu stayed as well. The three of them sat on the sofa, flipping through TV channels but constantly stealing glances at Jia Simiao. After about an hour, Jia Simiao groaned and finally sat up. His complexion had improved, but he looked exhausted, like someone recovering from a severe illness.

Tang Ziyu asked, “Jia-Ge, what happened to you?”

Jia Simiao chuckled weakly. “It’s nothing, just an old condition. Thank you all so much for today.”

Zhang Xixi asked, “What kind of old condition? It looked terrifying!”

Jia Simiao struggled to his feet, swaying slightly, and smiled. “It’s nothing. You should all get some rest. I need to sleep too.”

Shen Jun’ao asked, “Jia Simiao, are you sure you’re okay? Shouldn’t you see a doctor?”

Jia Simiao shook his head. “No need. Did you forget? I am a doctor.”

Without further discussion, Jia Simiao returned to his room.

Bang! The door closed behind him, and he slumped to the floor, muttering, “That was close. It’s been over a year, and it suddenly flared up again. I almost lost my life here.”

Footnote:

1. Yang(阳):In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), “yang” represents the active, warm, and dynamic elements of the body and universe. It is part of the yin-yang theory, which emphasizes the interplay and balance of opposing forces to maintain health and harmony.