<h4>Chapter 521: Chapter 521 Qiao Xi’s Edge</h4><h4></h4>
Qiao Xi’splexion was unpleasant, her clear ck and white eyes sharp.
Xiang Mingzhu almostughed out loud, and she sarcastically said, "Qiao Xi, I didn’t expect you to lose just like that. I thought you were capable of so much more!"
The one million she spent was really worth it!
It was all thanks to Shen Xuanzhi injuring Li Songwen that she could so easily convince him to disrupt the rules.
"Now you are about to be disqualified from thepetition. Even if you don’t quit, you can’t hold a needle steadily anymore, can you?"
Qiao Xi stood straight, her slender back so taut that one could see the contours of her shoulder des.
Her almond-shaped eyes were swirling with a hurricane.
She embraced the calcted betrayal, even with a broken bone, she was determined toplete thepetition; how could she let a patient disrupt her rhythm?
"President Lu!"
Her voice was soft yet resolute, "Didn’t you consider such special circumstances while nning the match sequence? What if a volunteer backs out at thest minute, don’t you have a backup n? And even if there isn’t one, a yer who cheated with the Golden Needle was disqualified just now, can’t the volunteer patient assigned to him take his ce?"
"Why do I need to quit thepetition? The fault was Li Songwen’s doing, why should I bear the consequences?"
She pressed the questions relentlessly, her words resounding powerfully!
Even though her face was pale, her eyes were brilliantly lit.
"President Lu, surely I shouldn’t be paying for the mistakes in your work?"
Everyone had picked on her, she didn’t want to be polite anymore!
Lu Bannong was questioned repeatedly by her and couldn’t refute.
What Qiao Xi said was the truth, if he didn’t agree, it would be a professional error. An error in a once-in-a-decade grand Chinese medicine event would be a stain.
Moreover, even the looks Huang Bingyi cast at him weren’t too friendly now.
Lu Bannong’s tone became even more gentle, "Your arm is already this burnt, what you need to do now is get it properly treated and bandaged. Otherwise, it could easily scar... We’re all considering your best interests."
Qiao Xi’s forearm was swollen and red, the blisters on it even more rming.
The pain was unbearable!
She looked at Lu Bannong and said, "Whether I quit or not is my own decision. It has nothing to do with President Lu. The fact that you keep insisting I withdraw, are you hoping I’ll make that decision?"
Lu Bannong gave a bitter smile, "I am considering your best interests."
"Then did you forget that if I lose, I will be subjected to the rules you set, having my tendons cut and being banned from practicing medicine for life. Is this also considering my best interests?"
Qiao Xi’s features were soft and beautiful, yet she was full of aggression, as if her whole body was covered in thorns.
"President Lu, this concerns my lifetime. If it weren’t me today but another contestant, having years of hard work destroyed, nobody would be satisfied with this arrangement. Do you think what I am saying makes sense?"
Qiao Xi’s words made many spectators also begin to doubt Lu Bannong’s actions.
Could it be possible that such argepetition has no contingency n?
After such long preparation by the contestants, should an ident require her to withdraw? What’s the meaning of such apetition then?
Lu Bannong was in a difficult position.
Such a clever girl!
No wonder Cheng Han picked her to counter the Lu Family!
"It is indeed..."
Lu Bannong was interrupted before he could finish speaking by a childlike voice.
A little girl lying in her mother’s arms called out, "Sister, is thispetition very important to you?"
Her face still bore tear marks, looking very pitiful.
But those ck grape-like eyes, as if washed by water, looked very sincerely at Qiao Xi as she asked.
Qiao Xi’s eyes reddened slightly, "Yes, it’s very important."
"Then... sister, would you still be willing to treat me?" she asked timidly, "If I behave well, can I help sister?"
She remembered that this sister had just protected her, injuring her hand.
Mom said such burns are very painful, even more so than injections. It might even leave a scar and look ugly. Niannian would have been hurt too, but the beautiful sister helped her.
Niannian wants to be a good child and help the sister too.
And she saw that the bad brother who sshed the water had intentionallye over while the sister wasn’t watching.
"Niannian..." The child’s mother called out in disapproval.
"Mom." The child said obediently, "Mom said Niannian should be a good child and always willing to help others. The sister helped me, so I should help her too."
The child’s mother hesitated for a while, then eventually walked back slowly.
She put the child back on the examination bed in front of Qiao Xi, speaking in a less friendly tone, "I’m leaving my child in your care, but if you are unable to handle it, then I..."
"If she can’t manage, I will perform the acupuncture myself."
From the stage, Huang Bingyi’s strong voice rang out, "I will personally perform the acupuncture to treat this child!"
Everyone was shocked.
They didn’t expect Mr. Huang to actually speak up.
He had withdrawn his needle many years ago, yet now, he was prepared to break his own rules for Qiao Xi!
With Huang Bingyi initiating his involvement, the child’s mother was immediately pacified and had no more objections. After all, this was Mr. Huang, surely he could cure minor ailments like pediatric indigestion!
Lu Bannong’s face looked slightly uneasy, he truly didn’t expect such a twist in what seemed like a settled conclusion!
A child had be the biggest turning point!
Even Huang Bingyi stepped in to help; perhaps he was dissatisfied with the Lu Family? Lu Bannong felt some regret, had he known earlier that Yingxue had gone to the Zhong Family to request Huang Bingyi to be a judge, he should have stopped her!
But by the time he heard the news, it was already toote!
Young people are simply too impatient, too focused on immediate fame and fortune!
It’s true what they say, the older, the wiser!
Now, thepetition had an additional variable! It was uncertain whether it would affect the final oue!
Next to him, Qiao Xi asked in a cold voice, "President Lu, may I begin thepetition now?"
Lu Bannong nodded expressionlessly, "Thepetition continues! Please have security maintain order in the arena, to avoid any mishaps like earlier. We apologize to the audience; this was indeed an oversight in our association’s nning."
He said "our association," not himself.
He was distancing himself from personal involvement.
Thepetition was announced to continue; half the sand in the hourss had already slipped away.
Only one hour was left.
The TV cameras were also trained on Qiao Xi, with many people curious how she would continue in thepetition. Her treatment n earlier consisted of pediatric massage, supplemented with acupuncture, which could produce effects quickly.
What remained now was the acupuncture.
"I probably wouldn’t even be able to hold a needle steady. Young children have fragile bodies; one must use gentle and swift needling techniques. The needling is shallow, and the technique fast, demanding true skill. Given Qiao Xi’s current injuries, it’s hard to believe she can handle that delicacy!"
It needs to be light yet shallow, yet swift!
Too gentle and it’s ineffective, too heavy and it harms the child’s health.
Sun Weimeng overheard the discussions around him, sped his hands together, and started praying, ’Amitabha Buddha’.
But after a while, he felt deted; Qiao Xi must be in a lot of pain.
He wanted her to persist but felt it was too cruel.
The members of the Liu Family watching the TV also appeared grave, their expressions filled with empathy. Old Mrs. Liu and Liu Huimin immediately had tears in their eyes, while Liu Zongquan picked up his phone to make calls to his connections, seeking a solution.
Qiao Xi’s friends and former colleagues in Haicheng were also watching the live broadcast, quietly cheering her on.
Amidst the attention of many, Qiao Xi made her move.