When the lady saw Leo, she got up from the sofa and greeted him with a smile, “You must be Dr. Bloomer. Thank you for coming.”
“Madame, hello. It’s not a problem at all. I’m a doctor, and making house calls is part of my job,” Leo replied with a smile.
Noel then gave Leo a brief introduction to the three individuals present. Noel’s wife was named Merry, his younger brother was Gavin Kingsley, and Gavin’s wife was Lisa.
Upon realizing Leo was a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, Gavin and Lisa shook his hand as they rose from the sofa. Behind their polite expressions, there was a hint of skepticism. Noel had claimed to bring a miraculous doctor, but they had never seen such a young Chinese medicine practitioner before. They knew that mastering Chinese medicine required years of study, and Leo’s youth left them questioning his credentials.
Leo turned to Gavin and said, “Mr. Kingsley, I’d like to start by taking your pulse.”
Gavin nodded and sat down on the sofa with some effort, extending his left hand. As Leo felt his pulse, he detected a complex pattern, indicative of Taiyang syndrome. Although the condition was somewhat intricate, Leo was confident that with consistent herbal treatment and acupuncture, Gavin could make a full recovery.
“Dr. Bloomer, how is it?” Noel asked anxiously as Leo withdrew his hand.
“No significant issues. I’ll perform acupuncture in a while and prescribe some herbal medicine. As long as he takes it continuously for a month, he should recover,” Leo replied confidently.
“That’s wonderful news,” Noel and the others expressed their relief.
At this moment, Merry’s phone rang. After answering the call, she turned to Leo and said, “Dr. Bloomer, can we delay the acupuncture? My nephew, Marico, is on his way.”
Lisa seemed surprised. “Marico is coming? Wasn’t he busy recently?”
Merry laughed and explained, “Marico is worried about his father. He postponed his work commitments and has already arrived. He’s on his way here by taxi.”
Noel chuckled, “Marico’s timing is perfect. You can introduce him to the Dr. Bloomer. Leo, we are talking about my nephew, Marico Kingsley. Have you heard of him?”
“Marico Kingsley?” Leo pondered for a moment and then recalled, “You mean the famous singer Marico Kingsley?”
“Yes, that’s him. I think you young folks should have heard of his songs,” Noel confirmed.
“Of course, we’ve heard of him. My wife and her friends are all fans of Marico Kingsley,” Leo replied.
Leo remembered that about a year ago, Sophia and Karen had made plans to attend Marico Kingsley’s concert in another city. He was a highly successful singer known for both his talent and good looks. He was different from the young heartthrobs who relied solely on their appearance. Most of his songs were self-composed and written, and whenever he released a new song, it quickly dominated the music charts on various platforms.
Sophia was a big fan of Marico Kingsley, and Leo, influenced by her, had picked up a couple of his songs. Leo had long wanted to take Sophia to one of Marico Kingsley’s concerts when he performed in Langstel. Little did he know that Marico Kingsley was actually Noel’s nephew.
When Leo would meet Marico Kingsley shortly, he planned to request an autographed photo to surprise Sophia. She would undoubtedly be thrilled to receive such a memento.
About twenty minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Merry got up to answer it.
Standing outside was a very stylish man, the current mega-star, Marico Kingsley. It had to be said that Marico Kingsley was undeniably handsome, which explained his vast number of female fans.
Marico Kingsley wasn’t alone; he had a companion with him-a fair-haired, blue-eyed man with a prominent nose. The man was lugging a large suitcase with a conspicuous red cross symbol on it. It seemed like this man was a doctor.
Leo couldn’t help but take a closer look at this foreigner, and the more he looked, the more familiar he seemed. It was as if he had seen the foreigner’s photo on the cover of a medical magazine not long ago. This foreigner was a renowned international neurologist.
Noel and the others were surprised to see the foreigner with Marico Kingsley and asked, “Marico, who is this gentleman with you?”
“Aunt, Uncle, Dad, Mom, this is Edward, a neurology specialist I have specifically invited here,” Marico Kingsley introduced to everyone.
“Hello, everyone,” Edward waved and greeted them.
Merry glanced at Leo and asked somewhat embarrassed, “Marico, why did you bring Dr. Edward here? Your uncle, Noel, has already invited Dr. Bloomer.”
Noel’s expression showed a hint of displeasure, and he said, “Marico, I already told you yesterday that I would have a Chinese doctor come to treat your father today.”
Marico Kingsley gave Leo a disdainful look and said, “Uncle, who still goes to Chinese doctors nowadays? Chinese medicine is outdated and barely effective.”
Upon hearing these words, Leo’s eyebrows furrowed. Marico Kingsley was welcome to bring another doctor to treat his father as long as it could help. However, Leo didn’t appreciate Marico Kingsley openly disparaging Chinese medicine in his presence.
Edward then said, “Mr. Fox, I’ve done some research and study about Chinese medicine in China. While I acknowledge its effectiveness in treating minor ailments, the disease Mr. Kingsley’s father has is neurological. Traditional Chinese medicine is unlikely to be effective in such cases.”
Being criticized in front of a foreigner was something Leo couldn’t tolerate. He looked at Edward and asked, “Dr. Edward, are you suggesting that Western medicine is superior to Chinese medicine?”
Edward looked back at Leo and calmly replied, “Sir, I have no bias against Chinese medicine. I am merely stating a fact.”
Leo continued, “So, Dr. Edward, did you investigate Marico Kingsley’s father’s condition before coming here? Have you encountered such a disease before?”
“I did investigate the case, but this is the first time I’ve seen a condition as peculiar as this. I suspect it’s muscle spasms. We have developed a specific drug that, when injected, should quickly cure the symptoms caused by muscle spasms,” Edward said confidently.
Leo asserted firmly, “Marico Kingsley’s father’s condition is not just ordinary muscle spasms. The primary issue is the invasion of the Taiyang meridian by external pathogens, coupled with the lack of effective treatment for an extended period. This has caused heat to damage the spinal nerves. Apart from the treatment methods in traditional Chinese medicine, nothing else will be effective.”