YA Ch4: Que De (Lack of Virtue)

“Well, then…” Lu Yu was at a loss for words. He stumbled over his words for a while but couldn’t come up with anything coherent. “Alright then.”

He forgot about the failed IPO incident. Throughout history, he had never seen a “child of destiny” who failed at going public. It was utterly embarrassing! If there were a gathering of time travelers, everyone would say things like, “I traveled to ancient times and became a great emperor” or “I traveled to the future and became a starship marshal.” Then, everyone would turn to Lu Yu, asking what he had become after traveling. “Haha, I became a tycoon who failed at going public…”

Ming Yan quietly watched his vivid expressions and then noticed that the hand he was secretly holding was sweating. He raised his eyebrows slightly; he really was just an eighteen-year-old kid. “But you’re right. It wouldn’t be good if the investors found out. A lot of people do know you.”

Back in the day, Lu Yu became famous with his book, The Fish King. He was exceptionally handsome, heavily promoted by the website, and had been interviewed many times, even appearing on satellite TV variety shows.

After some contemplation, Ming Yan activated his smart device. “I’ll schedule a time with a private doctor.”

After a series of steps, the customer service on the other end said politely, “Sorry, Dr. Que’s appointments are fully booked today. The earliest available slot is after 2 PM tomorrow. If it’s urgent, you can come in for a preliminary check-up today and see the doctor directly tomorrow. Of course, you can jump the queue, but it will cost extra.”

Lu Yu was dumbfounded. “What kind of black-hearted clinic is this, encouraging people to pay extra to jump the queue? Luckily, we’re not in a hurry.”

Ming Yan: “Pay the extra fee and get me an appointment for today.”

Lu Yu: “…”

Customer service: “Alright.”

Lu Yu, like a child being dragged to get vaccinated, was reluctantly taken out the door.

Their underground garage had a separate small garage for each household. Their garage had four parking spots but only two cars. Ming Yan opened the small Porsche and gestured for Lu Yu to get in.

“Why not take the Bentley?” Lu Yu pointed to the blue Bentley beside them, feeling a pang of worry. Could it be that usually Lu Dayu drove the Bentley and only gave his wife the small Porsche? That would be too much.

Ming Yan shook his head. “The Bentley is too delicate. Repairing it costs a lot, so we only use it for business trips.”

Lu Yu hadn’t expected this reason; it was even worse than he thought. Ming Yan’s family had always been wealthy, so when did he start worrying about such things? After getting married, they had to be frugal, like a rich beauty marrying a pauper and having their quality of life plummet. He felt incredibly guilty. “Lu Dayu is really useless!”

Ming Yan saw his gritted teeth and couldn’t help but laugh. “How is he useless?”

Lu Yu said angrily, “If it were me, I’d make lots of money, buy a garage full of luxury cars, and drive a new one every day.”

Ming Yan was amused. “No matter how much money you have, you can’t spend it like that. You need to know how to save to get rich.”

It sounded reasonable, but Lu Yu still felt uncomfortable. He grabbed Ming Yan’s hand as he was about to open the car door. “Let me drive.”

Ming Yan: “Do you have a license?”

Lu Yu puffed out his chest. “Yes, I got it as soon as I turned 18.”

He proudly took the car key, planning to open the passenger door for Ming Yan and even thinking of how to pretend to slip and take the chance to… hehe.

Ming Yan casually reminded him, “It’s been ten years; your license has expired.” Then, taking advantage of Lu Yu’s stunned reaction, he smoothly took back the car key and patted his silly head.

Lu Yu, having his head patted, immediately behaved and happily sat in the passenger seat, obediently fastening his seatbelt. It was only after the car had driven far away that he realized, “Wait, I can use Lu Dayu’s license.”

“Hahaha…” Ming Yan couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.

Lu Yu covered his eyes with one hand. His behavior today was too silly. Would his idol despise him for it? With this constantly lagging brain, how could he help Lu Dayu save his precarious marriage?

The car was filled with Ming Yan’s scent, making him feel intoxicated. Lu Yu wallowed in self-pity for three seconds before perking up and curiously looking out the window.

In ten years, a city can change drastically. Lu Yu looked at the familiar city and unfamiliar streets outside. “This place has changed a lot.”

At a red light, Ming Yan turned to look at him. “Why do you think you traveled through time and didn’t just lose your memory?”

Lu Yu turned his gaze but didn’t dare to look into Ming Yan’s eyes, afraid he would get distracted again. Instead, he stared at Ming Yan’s beautifully contoured chin. “Let me ask you, what were you doing on November 9th, ten years ago?”

Ming Yan shook his head. “How could I remember that?”

Lu Yu lowered his eyes. “I remember. That day I was in my dorm writing, and I received your drawing of Lu Dongdong. I remember every detail. Of course, you could say that I remember this because it was significant to me, but I also remember what happened before the 9th. On the 7th, I went to eat spicy hotpot with Lao Yang. We ordered potatoes, shrimp paste, crab sticks, chicken wings, and Chinese cabbage. Lao Yang ate three bowls of rice. On the 10th, we had a quiz on linear algebra, which I’ve just reviewed. You can test me on it.”

As the light turned green, Ming Yan accelerated through the intersection without responding.

After a while, Lu Yu looked up at him. “Do you still not believe me?”

Ming Yan: “I never studied linear algebra.”

Lu Yu: “…” He forgot his wife studied art and didn’t have that subject in college.

“Ahem,” Lu Yu quickly changed the topic. “How long have we been married?”

“Three years, but it’s not what you think.” Ming Yan lightly turned the steering wheel, entering an area shaded by green trees, and stopped in front of a small white villa.

Before Lu Yu could ask for clarification, Ming Yan got out of the car and took him to the front desk to register. Surprisingly, they already had his medical records. The receptionist greeted Lu Yu as soon as he saw him, “Mr. Lu, it’s been a while since you last visited. Here’s your number.”

“This isn’t a restaurant. How could I come every day?” Lu Yu retorted, feeling a bit irritated. It was such an inauspicious thing to say.

The receptionist wasn’t bothered by Lu Yu’s sarcastic tone and continued to smile as he asked him to go to the examination room for a series of tests.

“Dr. Que is a foreigner. The staff he trained sometimes speak like him, which can sound a bit strange. Don’t mind it,” Ming Yan explained, accompanying Lu Yu to the examination room.

A foreigner with the surname Que? Lu Yu couldn’t think of any foreign surname that sounded like that. When he turned around, he saw the sign at the front desk that read “Que De Clinic.” Oh, it really was a foreigner. No normal person would choose such a name.

The clinic had a very pleasant environment, more like a high-end club than a clinic, making it easy to forget it was a hospital. The facilities were top-notch, and the prices were accordingly high.

After taking a CT scan and an MRI, a waiter invited them to wait in the waiting room, where refreshments were served.

The waiting room was a small reception area connected to the consulting room. It had thick wool carpets, deep blue velvet sofas, and white noise in the background that mimicked raindrops, making it very comfortable. The magazine rack held medical journals in English and the latest financial magazines. The wall displayed the Hippocratic Oath, and a northern European-style palace table held a statue. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be Zhang Zhongjing.

Zhang Zhongjing? Lu Yu thought he was seeing things and took another look.

Ming Yan was used to it. He even lit three sticks of incense for the statue of the medical saint and bowed sincerely.

Lu Yu wrinkled his nose, unable to understand. “Why would a Western medicine clinic have a statue of Zhang Zhongjing?”

Just then, the consulting room door opened, and a young blond-haired, blue-eyed doctor stood at the door, smiling. In awkward Mandarin, he said, “Combining Chinese and Western medicine yields better results. The road to medicine is endless. I have also studied Ayurvedic medicine in Country Y and can perform South American exorcism dances. Oh, and the white noise playing now is a South American music therapy technique—the sound of a cactus rain stick.”

As he spoke, Que De handed Lu Yu a long stick, instructing him to turn it upside down. Inside the stick, many small particles cascaded slowly, making a pleasant rain-like sound.

Que De beamed, “I was just about to recommend this to you, and here you are.”

Holding the smooth cactus stick, Lu Yu felt the doctor was quite unreliable.

After carefully reviewing all the test reports, Que De pointed at the images with a small stick. “So far, there are no major issues, just a slight problem with the cervical spine, but that’s an old problem of his. What’s bothering you this time that you did so many tests?”

Lu Yu: “I passed out today.”

Ming Yan: “He says he traveled through time.”

Lu Yu: “…” Is that something you should tell others?

Que De looked up from the medical records, carefully observing Lu Yu, who was desperately signaling to his wife, and exclaimed, “Wow, that’s a miracle.”

Ming Yan: “…”

After listening to the general situation, Que De asked Lu Yu seriously, “How are you sure you time-traveled and didn’t just lose your memory? Maybe you just lost the past ten years of memories.”

Lu Yu could only repeat what he had told Ming Yan. “Do you remember what you were doing on November 9th, ten years ago?”

Que De thought for a moment. “Yes, I remember.”

Lu Yu: “…” This guy isn’t playing by the rules.

Que De shrugged. “Ah, this question doesn’t mean much to me because I’m a genius with mild hyperthymesia. But I understand your point. You’re saying you remember everything very clearly up to the point before you supposedly time-traveled, right?”

Lu Yu nodded. “I just reviewed linear algebra. You can test me.”

Que De took out the paper and pen, thought for a moment, then put them down. “I never studied linear algebra.”

Lu Yu: “How is that possible? Aren’t you a medical student?”

Que De spread his hands. “In foreign medical schools, we don’t study linear algebra. But I think you have a point. It’s unlikely that someone could remember complex math problems after ten years, not even with hyperthymesia. Math is just too inhuman.”

“Right?” Lu Yu felt he had found a kindred spirit and happily chatted with Que De.

Ming Yan: “…” This guy is indeed unreliable.