If you had to choose an identity to go undercover, you'd choose a gynecologist.

Chen Qing stood beside the medical bed, his fingertips holding silver needles, his gaze precisely fixed on acupoints such as Feishu, Tanzhong, and Lieque on Li Ningyu's back.

His movements were extremely fast; when the silver needle pierced the skin, it only made a barely perceptible sound, and the depth was just right.

At first, Li Ningyu was tense, her fingertips slightly curled, but as the silver needles were inserted one by one, she felt a warm current flowing along the acupoints, and her originally stuffy chest gradually relaxed. The suffocating feeling she had when she had an asthma attack was fading away little by little.

The acupuncture lasted for a full hour.

Every few minutes, Chen Qing would adjust the angle and depth of the silver needles, his expression so focused that it seemed as if everything around him was irrelevant.

Li Ningyu lay there, initially able to feel a slight soreness as the needle pierced her skin, but gradually became drowsy, and her tense nerves relaxed.

Unbeknownst to her, a fine layer of sweat seeped from her forehead and back, sliding down her skin and soaking her underwear. It was as if the cold and dampness that had accumulated in her body was being slowly expelled.

After removing the needles, Chen Qing did not stop.

He rubbed his hands together to warm them, his palms feeling warm to the touch, and then placed them on Li Ningyu's shoulders, back, and chest, beginning a massage.

His strength was steady and gentle, kneading and pressing along the meridians, sometimes light and sometimes slightly heavier, precisely targeting the blocked points.

Li Ningyu could clearly feel the tense muscles in her back gradually relaxing under her palms, and the stagnant air in her chest being completely cleared. The intermittent coughing stopped without her realizing it.

After the massage ended, Li Ningyu slowly sat up, feeling much lighter all over.

Her previously pale face now had a natural rosy glow, the fatigue in the corners of her eyes had faded considerably, and her breathing was long and smooth, without the previous rapid and hissing.

She raised her hand and pressed it against her chest. The familiar dull pain had disappeared, and the fatigue of the past few days had also been greatly reduced.

Chen Qing turned around and retrieved the prepared aminophylline injection solution. With practiced movements, she drew out the solution, disinfected the skin, and gently inserted it into Li Ningyu's upper arm.

Then, he took out a paper package containing several ground herbal powders and a few oral pills, and handed it over: "This is medicine to regulate your breathing and strengthen your body. Take it once in the morning and once in the evening with warm water. Also, bring the external nebulizer; you can use it in case of any discomfort."

Li Ningyu took the medicine packet, looked up at Chen Qing, her eyes less wary and more filled with genuine gratitude: "Thank you, Dr. Chen."

Pan Hanqing, who was standing to the side, could no longer contain himself. His face was filled with undisguised surprise and joy, and his voice trembled slightly: "Dr. Chen truly lives up to his reputation as a miracle doctor! In just a short while, my sister..."

He stopped abruptly before he could finish speaking, quickly changing his words, "My wife looks ten times better than when she came in! There's really hope now!"

Chen Qing simply waved his hand dismissively: "Doctors are like parents; treating and saving lives is simply our duty, nothing special. It's just that Director Li's illness has dragged on for too many years, and the root cause is deep-rooted. To achieve a complete cure, he needs to proceed with the treatment course slowly... What a pity."

"What's a pity?" Pan Hanqing quickly asked, and Li Ningyu also looked up with a hint of curiosity.

Chen Qing looked at Li Ningyu, his tone slightly teasing: "When Director Li first came in, she was pale, thin, and coughing incessantly. I thought Lin Daiyu had entered No. 76. Now that she's recovered, the coldness in her eyes has faded a bit, and she's probably turning into Xue Baochai. That's why I said it's a pity."

Pan Hanqing was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.

Li Ningyu hadn't expected Chen Qing to tease her like that. She then smiled slightly, revealing a very faint smile, a smile as gentle as melting snow, spreading a rare softness across her pale face that was turning rosy.

Seeing their reactions, Chen Qing smiled as well, but the inquisitive glint in his eyes hadn't completely faded.

"Your illness is caused by overwork. Don't push yourself so hard in the future. Your work belongs to the government, but your health is your own. You need to rest more and take it easy." Chen Qing's words carried a deeper meaning. Clearly, the matter of her deciphering the telegram still bothered Chen Qing.

………………

A few days later, at the full moon celebration of Zhou Fuhai's son, Chen Qing finally met Gao Zongwu and Tao Xisheng.

The banquet was held at the Shanghai Hotel, which was packed with distinguished guests. Officials of all ranks from the Wang Jingwei regime naturally came to offer their congratulations, and even Wang Tianhai sent his wife Chen Bijun and godson Lin Bosheng to Shanghai to personally offer their congratulations.

Inside the banquet hall of the Shanghai Hotel, glasses clinked and toasts were exchanged.

Zhou Fuhai's son's full-month celebration was extremely extravagant. A round mahogany table was covered with a snow-white tablecloth and filled with delicacies from land and sea. The air was filled with the aroma of wine and meat, creating a superficial and lively atmosphere.

High-ranking officials of the Wang Jingwei regime gathered together, their faces bearing formulaic smiles, flattering each other and discussing the so-called "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere," a hypocritical and frivolous affair.

Chen Qing followed Ming Lou and deliberately sat at the same table as Gao Zongwu and Tao Xisheng.

Chen Qing sized up the two men. One of them was dressed in a dark blue Zhongshan suit, with his hair neatly combed and his face refined, but he could not hide the gloom between his brows. He was Tao Xisheng, the propaganda minister of the Wang Jingwei regime.

The other man, dressed in a dark gray suit with a striped tie, looked somber and had a hint of melancholy in his eyes. He was none other than the so-called "Foreign Minister," Kao Tsung-wu.

Minglou enthusiastically introduced Chen Qing to the two of them. Chen Qing greeted him with flattery, but inwardly he sneered.

The Wang Jingwei regime was nothing more than a puppet in the hands of the Japanese. Its so-called "diplomacy" was nothing more than a pretext to fawn over the invaders and pass on their orders. Gao Zongwu, the minister, was in name only and had no real power to establish diplomatic relations with foreign countries. He was a complete joke.

Tao Xisheng, on the other hand, spent his days advocating "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" to the public, whitewashing the invasion, and had long since deviated from his original intention of "saving the country through indirect means" when he followed Wang Jingwei.

In retrospect, the so-called "indirect approach to saving the country" was nothing but empty talk and ultimately became a fig leaf for traitors and sellouts.

"Brother Xisheng, Brother Zongwu, let me introduce you two." Minglou smiled as he sat down, gesturing to Chen Qing, "This is Doctor Chen Qing, a highly skilled physician who is currently serving as the deputy director of the Customs Inspection Office. He is my deputy and a rare young talent."

Upon hearing this, Tao Xisheng forced a polite smile and shook hands with Chen Qing: "So you are Doctor Chen. I have long admired your name. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Gao Zongwu also shook hands, his tone flat and revealing little emotion: "Dr. Chen is young and promising, I admire him greatly."

Their greetings were impeccably polite, but their eyes held a polite distance.

Chen Qing was incredibly perceptive; he saw through their thoughts at a glance.

Minglou said that these two were Wang Jingwei's loyal followers who had followed him all the way from Chongqing. They had made "merits" in the negotiations with the Japanese. The territory of the Wang regime was not won by them, but by negotiating with the Japanese. The two believed that they had made great contributions and thought they could hold important positions and have real power in the new government. However, they did not expect to be ostracized and suppressed by Zhou Fuhai. Now, although they have the title of minister, they only hold two empty positions and have no real power.

As for himself, he was just a doctor. Just because he cured Old Mrs. Zhou's illness, he could easily get a lucrative position at customs, a position that everyone coveted, holding great power over tariffs, which was far more practical than those two ministers with empty titles.

On what grounds?

The same thought popped into their minds at the same time. Their eyes, hidden in their polite and distant tone, carried a hint of resentment, a hint of jealousy, and a hint of bitterness at being left out.

During the meal, Minglou and the two discussed recent political events, while Chen Qing slowly ate a bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, pondering how to win them over.

Why not transfer some of their illnesses to them, then go and treat them myself, and take the opportunity to try and win them over?

"Xiao Ai, see if there's any way to transfer some of the disease to these two people." Chen Qing shouted to Xiao Ai in his mind.

A moment later, Xiao Ai appeared in his mind: "Tao Xisheng, there are old rheumatic lesions in his knee joints, and the cold and dampness has invaded the bone joints. He is currently in a stable period. Target 2: Gao Zongwu, chronic inflammation of the nasal mucosa, accompanied by turbinate hypertrophy, diagnosed with allergic rhinitis, which occasionally flares up. We can transfer the same disease to them and make their pain worse."

Chen Qing said, "We need to control the severity of the illness to a level that is 'not fatal but torturous enough' to avoid arousing suspicion."

"Xiao Ai has received the message. The lesions of both individuals have been identified, and the same symptoms have been transferred to both of them."

About ten minutes later, Xiao Ai said, "Dad, the transfer is complete."

Just then, Tao Xisheng suddenly frowned, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He developed rheumatism in Chongqing in his early years, and his knees would ache whenever it was rainy or he sat for a long time.

He sat upright at the table, his back ramrod straight, but his knees gradually began to ache. At first, it was just a slight, dull pain, but it gradually turned into a fine, stinging pain that spread along the gaps in his bones, as if countless ice needles were repeatedly piercing him.

When I stood up to offer a toast, my knees were so stiff that I almost stumbled. If I hadn't grabbed the edge of the table, I would have lost face in front of everyone.

He was secretly surprised. It wasn't a rainy day, and he hadn't caught a chill, so how could his rheumatism have suddenly worsened to this extent?

Gao Zongwu, who was sitting next to him, was also suffering greatly.

His rhinitis was a chronic condition. In his early years, he spent many years drafting documents at his desk and discussing matters in enclosed environments. Over time, this led to the development of the condition. He could tolerate occasional nasal congestion and runny nose.

But at that moment, the itching sensation in his nasal cavity spread like wildfire, followed by a series of rapid sneezes that caught him off guard, turning his cheeks bright red.

He hurriedly covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief, but after sneezing, his nose was blocked, his nasal cavity felt sore and swollen, and even his eyes turned red and sore that he wanted to cry.

Even when he had an attack in the past, it wasn't this severe. Today, for some reason, it felt like something was hooking it, and it was getting worse and worse, even causing a dull ache in his temples. This added to his already frustrated feelings of powerlessness and made him even more anxious.

.....................