The Socially Anxious Little Miracle Doctor - Chapter 3

Under the laws governing main characters, no wound, however fatal, could stop them from pulling through.

Strangely, though, Gu Cisheng had been lying in bed for days, and he still wasn’t getting better.

It was almost as if yanking me into the medicinal pool had been his final burst of energy before death.

I studied the silver needle in my hand and began to question myself.

That couldn’t be right. These medical skills were the special advantage I’d been given when I entered the book.

No matter how useless or unmotivated I was, I should’ve been able to cure him with my eyes shut. The plot required it!

Perhaps I looked a little too miserable as I thought this over.

Pale and frail, Gu Cisheng braced himself against the edge of the bed, sat halfway up, and offered me some comfort.

“Little doctor, my injuries were unusually severe this time. Your skills aren’t at fault. You mustn’t blame yourself.”

Listen to that. How considerate.

If I hadn’t seen the teasing laughter spilling from his eyes, I might almost have believed him!

Secure in the knowledge that he couldn’t see through my veil, I mouthed a string of foul-tempered curses.

Just mouthed them, of course. I didn’t dare make a sound.

I was afraid one wrong word would put that freezing sword of his against my neck again.

“Save your breath. Keeping you alive has already cost me a mountain of precious herbs. Don’t waste them.”

Watching him pant and cough from the effort of sitting up, I couldn’t resist that dry remark.

Then I resigned myself to my fate, sat on the edge of the bed, and helped him up. I took the medicine I’d already brewed and fed him one spoonful at a time, waiting on him like some honored ancestor.

Gu Cisheng leaned against the head of the bed and watched me with smiling eyes, without so much as blinking.

It made me terribly uncomfortable.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I finally asked.

He pointed at the gauze hanging from my hat.

“It’s the height of summer. Aren’t you hot, little doctor?”

“…No.”

He gave an exaggerated sigh, putting on an expression that said his latest scheme had failed.

Then he loosened his inner robe, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of what lay beneath, and sighed again.

“Alas, an ordinary man such as myself could hardly hope to possess a miracle doctor’s constitution. This summer heat is tormenting me!”

“…”

How had I failed to notice what a shameless flirt he was when I read the book?

Faced with the sight of all that bare skin dazzling my poor, long-suffering eyes, I made a decision.

Oh, I was definitely telling someone about my troubles today!

I remembered the third time the main cast had come to me.

With the supporting characters in tow, there’d been so many of them they nearly filled my little bamboo courtyard.

One look at that dense crowd trying to make friends with me, and my social anxiety flared up on the spot. Without a word, I hid indoors to treat the patient.

The people outside, led by Lin Zixiu, naturally couldn’t sit still.

Once they knew their brother was going to live, they gathered together and started chatting about nothing in particular.

Eventually, the conversation turned to me.

“Gu Cisheng, have you noticed the little doctor keeps sneaking looks at you?”

Me, inside: …

Could he keep his voice down? I had social anxiety. I wasn’t deaf!

Someone else sounded curious too. “I noticed that as well. Brother Gu, do you and this little doctor know each other from before?”

Gu Cisheng’s clear young voice drifted in from outside.

“The little doctor always wears a veil. But judging by her build, I don’t think we’ve met.”

I quietly relaxed, relieved that my secret crush hadn’t been exposed.

Then Lin Zixiu let out a wail.

“What are we going to do, then? I was hoping you could use those good looks of yours to settle the medical bill.

“Now we’re stuck! We can’t afford the medicine, so we’ll have to wait on the little doctor hand and foot again!”

Gu Cisheng and I both fell silent.

Meanwhile, Jiang Zhou, into whom I’d just stuck a needle at the wrong angle, looked horrified.

“Little doctor, am I beyond saving?

“Why has half my body gone numb?”

Although Lin Zixiu’s suggestion was deeply tempting, I hadn’t taken it seriously at the time.

Why did I like Gu Cisheng out of all the male leads?

It wasn’t only because of his youthful spirit, galloping horses, and fine furs.

It was also because he possessed the exceptionally clear and upright heart of a true gentleman.

He could plan a victory from a thousand miles away, and he would resort to extreme measures when he had to.

But seducing a little doctor to get out of paying his medical bills? A man of his character would never do such a thing.

So when I looked at this supposedly helpless man in front of me, his robe hanging half open, I suddenly felt as though my idol’s perfect image was crumbling.

The fourth time he pretended to faint and dragged me into the bath, I finally snapped and demanded an explanation.

He looked perfectly innocent and told me with complete candor, “I really don’t have any money.”

“Little doctor, I actually think Lin Zixiu’s suggestion has some merit.”

…

Like hell I’d believe that.

The son of the Sword Pavilion’s master had no money?

Naturally, I could only keep cursing him in my head.

At this point in the original story, the little doctor—that was me—couldn’t possibly know his real identity.

Friends, does anyone understand my pain?

This was so fucking unfair.