"Who are you calling a country bumpkin?" Huang Tao exploded with rage. "I think you're tired of living! Believe it or not, I'll have security beat you up and throw you out!"
SMACK!
Ye Xiu slapped Huang Tao across the face. "There. Now you have a reason to call security. Go ahead!"
"You…" Huang Tao hadn't expected Ye Xiu to dare hit him. He was so angry he felt dizzy, and he roared, "Security! Security!"
The Qin Family also looked on in disbelief. Shenghe Medical Academy was about to become Huang Xinming's territory, yet Ye Xiu dared to hit Huang Tao here. He's practically asking for death!
Seeing Huang Tao calling for security, Qin Qing's parents exchanged worried glances, while the other members of the Qin Family gloated, as if they could already see Ye Xiu being mobbed.
However, after waiting for a long time, no security arrived. Instead, a crowd of onlookers gathered around.
"Where's security?" Ye Xiu asked.
Huang Tao was mortified. Red-faced, he steeled himself and continued to shout, "Security! Security!"
No one paid him any attention. It was as if Shenghe Medical Academy had no security at all.
This was incredibly embarrassing. Huang Tao had boasted about calling security to beat Ye Xiu up and throw him out, but he had shouted himself hoarse and still, no security came. Instead, he was gawked at like an idiot by countless onlookers for quite a while.
"What's going on?" At that moment, a commanding voice rang out. A shifty-eyed, middle-aged man, though flashily dressed with slick, gleaming hair, pushed through the crowd and walked over.
Upon seeing this man, Ye Xiu's and Qin Qing's expressions hardened.
Huang Xinming!
Qin Qing quickly grabbed Ye Xiu's hand, reminding him not to be impulsive. In front of so many people, and especially with the Ghost Doctor about to take Huang Xinming as an apprentice, the situation would spiral out of control if Ye Xiu publicly struck him.
However, Qin Qing noticed that Ye Xiu had no intention of striking anyone. He wasn't even angry. Instead, he was watching Huang Xinming with a mocking gaze.
"Dad, you've come at the perfect time!" Seeing Huang Xinming, Huang Tao was suddenly filled with confidence. He quickly pointed at Ye Xiu and complained, "Dad, he hit me."
"Oh?" Huang Xinming squinted at Ye Xiu and said coldly, "Kid, you've got some nerve, daring to hit my son."
Without waiting for Ye Xiu to respond, he said to Huang Tao, "Go on. Hit him back just like he hit you. If he dares to retaliate, I'll have him admitted to Shenghe Hospital right here and now."
At these words, the surrounding onlookers began to stir. Although they didn't know why Ye Xiu had hit Huang Tao, Huang Xinming was a renowned doctor about to become the Ghost Doctor's apprentice. For him to tell his son to hit someone back without even asking what happened and to make such an arrogant statement…
So arrogant! So domineering!
In an instant, the live-streamers in the crowd raised their selfie sticks, aiming their cameras at the scene. They had to broadcast Huang Xinming's arrogant and overbearing side to the world! This is huge news, a great opportunity to rack up views!
"I was just waiting for you to say that, Dad!" With his father backing him, Huang Tao was full of confidence. With a ferocious expression, he swung a slap toward Ye Xiu's face.
"Stop!" Just then, a sharp rebuke rang out.
Huang Tao hastily stopped and turned to look at the speaker. Huang Xinming, the Qin Family, and the onlookers all turned to look as well.
A lean young man who looked to be around thirty, with skin as smooth and pale as a baby's, approached them, dressed in a white lab coat.
The Ghost Doctor! The Divine Doctor standing at the pinnacle of Xuanse's medical world today!
"Huang Xinming, what's all this about?" the Ghost Doctor asked, his face devoid of expression.
"It's like this: this man hit my son, Huang Tao, so I told him to hit back," Huang Xinming responded respectfully.
Seeing Huang Xinming complain to the Ghost Doctor, Huang Tao smirked. As the Ghost Doctor's soon-to-be grand-apprentice, he was sure the man would personally stand up for him.
Meanwhile, Qin Qing's parents grew more worried, but the other members of the Qin Family looked on with amusement, thinking, This is the end for Ye Xiu.
However, a scene that stunned everyone unfolded!
"Master…" The moment the Ghost Doctor saw Ye Xiu, he strode forward and dropped to his knees. "Master, you've finally returned!"
Silence.
The sprawling crowd was now deathly still.
Qin Qing stared blankly at Ye Xiu, her mind racing. No wonder Ye Xiu wanted to come observe the Ghost Doctor's apprentice ceremony. No wonder he looked at Huang Xinming with such a mocking expression. It turns out, all of this was part of his plan from the start.
Qin Qing's parents exchanged a glance, and a relieved smile spread across their faces.
The other members of the Qin Family, however, now stood there as if petrified. They were completely stunned. Just moments before, they had been boasting that with their connection to the Ghost Doctor, the Qin Corporation could venture into the medical field and ensure Ye Xiu would never recover. And now it turned out the Ghost Doctor was Ye Xiu's disciple! What a brutal slap in the face!
At this point, Huang Tao had collapsed to the ground in fear, his eyes lifeless. He knew all too well about the feud between his father, Huang Xinming, and Ye Xiu. Now that Ye Xiu has the Ghost Doctor on his side, it would be all too easy for him to ruin me and my father in the medical world.
Huang Xinming's thoughts were much simpler. He hadn't recognized Ye Xiu. Right now, I'm just worried that I provoked this man and will be publicly reprimanded by the Ghost Doctor.
The onlookers' thoughts were simpler still. They were just shocked that the Ghost Doctor, the man at the pinnacle of Xuanse's medical community, actually had a master—and a master who was so young and handsome at that.
"Get up," Ye Xiu said, helping the Ghost Doctor to his feet. "Let's deal with the matter at hand first."
"Understood!" The Ghost Doctor responded with the utmost respect. He turned to the still-dazed Huang Xinming and asked coldly, "What is going on?"
Huang Xinming wore the expression of a child caught doing something wrong. "I didn't know he was your master."
"I'm asking why there are so many people here at Shenghe Medical Academy," the Ghost Doctor said sternly.
"They heard you were going to take me as your disciple and came especially to witness the ceremony," Huang Xinming explained.
"Take you as my disciple?" The Ghost Doctor looked baffled. "When did I ever say I was going to take you as my disciple?"
WHOOSH!
His words sent a buzz through the entire crowd. The Ghost Doctor had just publicly denied ever saying he would take Huang Xinming as his disciple! What a scoop! This is some prime gossip!
"But you're the one who called me!" Huang Xinming said, growing frantic. "You called me this morning and said you would take me as your disciple. You even invited me to work at Shenghe Medical Academy and said the apprentice ceremony would be held here this afternoon…"
"Nonsense!" the Ghost Doctor snapped. "I did indeed call to invite you to work at Shenghe Medical Academy, but when did I ever say I'd take you as my disciple?"
Huang Xinming was on the verge of tears. Why is he denying it now? Could it be because I offended his master?
"Huang Xinming, you are shameless!" the Ghost Doctor said, looking as if he had just figured it all out. "For two years, you've come to me every few days, crying and begging to be my disciple, and I've turned you down every single time. I never expected you to stoop to such a despicable trick."
"What? Did you deliberately spread this rumor to draw all these people here and force my hand?"
"I didn't!" Huang Xinming cried, almost in tears. What on earth is going on?
"You didn't? Then why did so many people hear the news and rush over?" the Ghost Doctor demanded coldly. "Besides, do you think I take accepting disciples so lightly? Notifying you in the morning and holding the ceremony in the afternoon? Is my apprenticeship so cheap?"
WHOOSH!
The crowd erupted once more. The onlookers looked as though they'd had an epiphany.
Everyone had been wondering. For a great figure like the Ghost Doctor to accept a disciple, it should be a solemn, serious, and grand occasion. He should have at least announced it many days in advance and invited prominent physicians from across the country to observe the ceremony. How could he possibly announce it in the morning and hold the ceremony that same afternoon?
"I can't believe the renowned physician Huang Xinming could be so shameless."
"So dishonorable. Using such schemes just to become an apprentice."
"He was trying to use us to pressure the Ghost Doctor into accepting him…"
The crowd of onlookers began to loudly denounce Huang Xinming. For the live-streamers, the comments on their screens were exploding with curses aimed at him.