Chapter 839: Too Arrogant

Chapter 839: Chapter 839: Too Arrogant

Li Xu did not stop. He glanced at Tian Wen’s expression, his tone becoming even gentler. "If my judgment is correct, ma’am, you are highly successful in your career. You’re a typical strong businesswoman with a dominating work style. But this dominance is also a massive internal drain. Furthermore..."

He paused, continuing, "Your current anxiety likely stems not only from work but also from your family. In previous years, you might have thrown yourself entirely into your career, feeling that having children wasn’t urgent or that you simply didn’t have the energy for it. But as you crossed thirty-five, and especially as you approached forty, you started to panic. This anxiety of ’wanting to conceive but being unable to’ and ’wanting to carry to term but suffering loss’ is the truest source of this intense ’liver fire’ of yours, isn’t it?"

The examination room fell into a brief, dead silence.

Tian Wen opened her mouth. Her cold, stern mask—one naturally born from a long time spent in positions of high authority—finally cracked completely under Li Xu’s words. She had never imagined that the hidden pain buried deep in her heart, something she rarely even discussed in depth with her husband, would be laid bare in a single sentence by a young doctor she was meeting for the first time, merely by reading her pulse and posture.

Yes, she had changed over the past few years.

She and her husband had started arguing frequently, the arguments always revolving around trivial, messy domestic disputes and the new life that had yet to arrive. With every argument, her illness worsened. That feeling of urinary urgency was like a metaphor for the rhythm of her life—urgent, uncontrollable, and despairing.

"In traditional Chinese medicine, the liver is considered an unyielding organ." Seeing she was moved, Li Xu explained the pathology in simple terms. "The liver is like a great general of ancient times; it embodies masculinity, uprightness, and indomitability. Therefore, when a person is in a state of chronic anger or suppression, the liver Qi enters a state of ’ready to burst’ but is forcibly blocked. This is liver Qi stagnation."

He traced a circle in the air with his hand. "In the human body, Qi is formless, but it drives the tangible blood and bodily fluids. When your liver Qi stagnates, your fluid metabolism slows down. This water gets trapped in the body, much like puddles on a rainy day. Over time, it spoils, turning into ’damp-heat.’

"In China, we say ’water flows downward.’ This damp-heat in the liver meridian travels all the way down the meridians, ultimately flooding the bladder.

"The bladder is the body’s ’estuary.’ It’s meant to store urine, but now the damp-heat floods in, bringing along a mess of ’silt’ that blocks and scalds the outlet. Under these conditions, your bladder becomes exceptionally sensitive. Even though there’s only a little bit of urine, it desperately wants to expel it because the ’fire’ is burning. As a result, you suffer through all this torment—frequent urination, urgency, endless dribbling, and severe lower abdominal pain."

Kang Yanyan listened from the side, her mouth slightly ajar. She had never thought that medical theories could be explained so simply and accessibly. This wasn’t just a medical consultation; it was practically an analysis of Director Tian’s life.

Tian Wen took a deep breath, trying hard to calm the turbulent waves in her heart. Her eyes were now filled with anticipation. "Dr. Li, how do you think my condition... should be treated? I’ve taken Chinese medicine before, but every time, I only felt better for the first two days. As soon as I stopped the medication or got angry, the symptoms immediately returned."

"That’s because the previous prescriptions might have only focused on ’clearing heat’ while forgetting to ’soothe the liver,’ or they only focused on ’promoting urination’ while forgetting to ’nourish Yin.’"

Li Xu turned around, his fingers tapping briskly across the keyboard. Accompanied by the WHIRR of the printer, a prescription slip slid out.

"For this prescription, I’ve applied four dimensions of force. First, clearing liver fire, to bring down this nameless anger of yours. Second, regulating the Qi mechanism, so your liver Qi no longer ties itself in knots. Third, clearing heat and promoting diuresis, to wash away the ’silt’ in your bladder. Fourth, assisting urination, to make the outlet flow smoothly. Take this prescription for ten days first."

Li Xu handed the slip over. "During these ten days, the medicine is only secondary. The key is that you have to learn to ’let yourself off the hook.’ No matter how busy work gets, the sky won’t fall. This medicine isn’t just treating your bladder; it’s treating your peace of mind."

Tian Wen took the prescription. She glanced at the names of the herbs on it. Although she didn’t understand pharmacology, Li Xu’s words had completely broken down her mental defenses.

She hesitated for a moment before lowering her voice to ask, "Dr. Li... about what you mentioned earlier... at my age, if I really want to condition my body to have a child, is there still hope? Or rather, could you help me condition it?"

Hearing this, Li Xu gave a hearty laugh. "Ma’am, there’s no rush for that. An illness must be treated one step at a time. Right now, your bladder is like a leaking wooden bucket. We need to patch the bottom first and extinguish the fire, allowing your body’s ’soil’ to return to a moist, fertile state. Go back and take the medicine with peace of mind. Once these symptoms clear up, come find me again. I’ll write you a few prescriptions to consolidate your foundation, nourish your Yin, and regulate your menses."

"But..." Kang Yanyan couldn’t help but interject from the side. "Dr. Li, Sister Tian is forty years old, after all. In Western medicine, she’d be considered an advanced maternal age pregnancy, wouldn’t she? Isn’t the risk exceptionally high?"

Li Xu glanced at Kang Yanyan, his gaze calm. "The word ’risk’ is a matter of probability. Everything we normally do—walking, eating, drinking—actually carries risks. The risks for an older mother are indeed relatively higher, but they are not uncontrollable.

"From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, as long as your essence and blood are abundant, your kidney Qi is stable, and your body’s internal environment is properly conditioned, the rest will naturally fall into place. There is no need to stare at those cold percentage statistics. The more you look at them, the more anxious you become, which is counterproductive to your health. Rest and recover with peace of mind; it won’t be a major issue."

"There is no need to be overly anxious." Li Xu’s final few words acted as a powerful reassurance, allowing Tian Wen’s perpetually hanging heart to finally land firmly on solid ground.

"Thank you. Truly, thank you, Dr. Li."

Tian Wen stood up. This time, she didn’t use the tone of a superior addressing a subordinate. Instead, acting like an ordinary patient’s family member seeking help, she even gave a slight bow.

Leaving the examination room and walking on the path back to the parking lot, Kang Yanyan was still immersed in her shock from earlier.

"Director Tian, I really didn’t expect this Dr. Li to be so incredible." Kang Yanyan sighed with emotion as she supported Tian Wen down the steps. "It’s not just his medical skills; the key is his patience and his way of explaining things. You saw how it was when we went to the provincial hospital before—when did those old professors ever have the time to tell us all this? They’d get impatient after just a couple of questions. Dr. Li explained the cause and mechanism of the illness clearly in just a few sentences. Even a layman like me understood it completely."

Holding the prescription tightly in her hand, Tian Wen’s steps were much lighter. Even though there was still a faint, dull ache in her lower abdomen, her state of mind was completely different.

"This is called ’doctor and patient of one mind,’" Tian Wen said thoughtfully. "Our Health Commission has always advocated for a ’patient-centered’ approach, promoting increased humanistic care and better doctor-patient communication. But look—stack after stack of documents are issued, yet doctors who can truly speak to a patient’s heart like Li Xu does, making them understand why they got sick and how they should cooperate, are few and far between."