In my previous life, I was finally recognized and brought back into the Sterling family. My biological brother, Joseph, accused me of causing Grace’s illness to protect her, his adopted sister. My biological parents believed him and kicked me out. Not long after, I died on the streets from my illness. When I woke up again, I was back on the day I was taken into the Sterling family. Joseph stood in front of my parents, pointing at me and saying, “Mom, Dad, she’s not my sister at all!” My parents gave me a disappointed look, then turned and walked away. I stood there, didn’t pull out the sapphire necklace that could prove my identity, and quietly walked back to the orphanage. Twenty years later, I became a leading internal medicine specialist in the country. The man sitting opposite me handed over a medical record, his voice trembling: “Doctor Harper, please, I beg you, save my sister.” I paused when I saw the name. My gaze fell on his haggard face. After staring for a long time, I finally looked at the man and said, “I’m not taking this patient.”
Joseph froze. “What did you say?” I closed the medical record and pushed it back to him. “I’m not taking this patient.” The consultation room fell silent. Joseph stared at me, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter. Grace, in the wheelchair, looked a bit pale, but it was clear she had decent energy. Twenty years. They’d lived truly well. Joseph had become the heir to the Sterling Group, and Grace was the apple of their eye, cherished by the entire family. And they probably would never recognize that the woman sitting before them, the Head of Internal Medicine wearing glasses, was the real daughter they’d locked out of their home all those years ago. “I know you’re the most authoritative internist, and it’s not easy to get an appointment with you.” “But don’t worry, money isn’t an issue. As long as you can cure Grace, name your price.” Joseph placed a black card on my desk, held between two fingers. I glanced down, then looked up at him. “The hospital has its rules. And I’m not taking her case because her condition falls outside my specialty.” “What do you mean?” Joseph was stunned again. “I’ve made inquiries. You’ve even brought back patients with late-stage heart failure.” “Grace only has a heart murmur and occasional angina. Are you telling me you can’t treat her?” Grace coughed twice, tugging on Joseph’s sleeve. “Joseph, it’s fine… I don’t want you to have to beg and grovel for me…” This act was identical to how she looked in my previous life when she falsely accused me of pushing her down the stairs. Joseph’s heart ached for her. He squeezed her hand, then looked back at me, his gaze like daggers. “Dr. Harper, is it not enough money? Fine, I’ll propose something else.” “If you accept Grace as a patient today, tomorrow, the Sterling Group will donate thirty million to your Cardiology Department for new equipment.” “Is that condition good enough?” A few intern doctors nearby gasped, but I didn’t even bat an eye. “Mr. Sterling, when I choose a patient, I look at the illness, not the money.” “I’m not treating your sister’s condition. Take the card and leave.” Joseph scoffed, his eyes filled with extreme disdain. “You just don’t have the confidence to cure Grace, do you? ‘Top expert’? I bet it’s all hype!” “Joseph, stop talking, my chest hurts…” Grace clutched her chest, breathing heavily. “Grace!” Joseph panicked, quickly motioning for the bodyguards to push the wheelchair. As he reached the door, he turned back and glared at me. After they left, I touched the cold sapphire necklace in my pocket. The next morning, right after I finished my rounds, Director Davies, who was usually all smiles, walked into my office with a grim expression. “Harper, you’re fired.” I stopped writing and looked up at him. “Reason?” “Reason?” The director snorted coldly. “What kind of attitude did you have towards Mr. Sterling yesterday? As a doctor, do you have any ethics, any humanitarian spirit? To refuse a seriously ill patient!” My gaze shifted downwards, catching sight of the brand-new watch on his wrist, which hadn’t been there yesterday. I understood. “How much did he pay you?” My tone was flat. The director’s face changed, then flushed with anger. “What nonsense! This is the hospital board’s decision! Pack your things and get out now!”
I didn’t say anything. I took off my lab coat, folded it, placed it on the back of my chair, picked up my car keys from the desk, and turned to leave. Joseph stood by a pillar in the middle of the hospital lobby, wearing sunglasses, one hand casually in his pocket. He was clearly waiting for me. Seeing me walk over, hugging a cardboard box, he took off his sunglasses, a knowing smile playing on his lips. “Dr. Harper, leaving work so early?” “Yesterday, when you rejected me, you seemed pretty tough, didn’t you? How is it that today you can’t even keep your job?” He leaned in a little, lowering his voice. “Harper, starting today, no hospital in this country will dare to hire you.” He watched me, waiting to see a look of panic on my face, waiting for me to beg. But I didn’t. I just looked at him calmly. He frowned, seemingly displeased with my reaction. “However, I can offer you one last path.” “Come to my house, be Grace’s private doctor, on call twenty-four hours a day.” “Cure her, and I guarantee you’ll be set for life. What do you say?” I suddenly chuckled. “Joseph.” He paused. “Do you really think your family is the only one with money in this world?” I didn’t waste any more words, walking past him and out of the hospital. He didn’t know that I wasn’t just the Vice Director of this hospital or a famous internist in this city. I was also Mr. Allegri’s only adopted daughter, the head of the Allegri Medical Group. I came to this public hospital merely to hone my skills and complete the assessment Mr. Allegri had set for me. In the entire national medical field, the Allegri family was the true power. Blacklist me? Ridiculous. That evening, as I was scrolling through my phone, a trending topic about me popped up: Top Expert Refuses to Save Life, City Central Hospital’s Dr. Harper Accused of Bribery, Cold-Blooded Demon with No Medical Ethics. A video was going viral across the entire internet. It showed: Grace sitting in a wheelchair, her face haggard and distressed, constantly clutching her chest. Joseph was beside her, pleading with me to treat her: “Dr. Harper, please save my sister, we have money…” Then the camera cut to me, showing only a cold image: “I’m not taking her. Take the card and leave.” Immediately after, an account claiming to be an “insider” broke the news: “I’m an internal employee at City Central Hospital. This doctor is no good at all. She secretly demands money from patients!” “The Sterling family didn’t pay her enough, so she refused to treat the patient! The director found out about her misconduct and fired her this morning!” The comment section below was almost entirely filled with insults directed at me. “Viper! How can a woman like this even be a doctor?” “Even capitalists have more conscience than her! This doctor has no heart! Demanding a thorough investigation!” “Heard she got blacklisted across the internet, serves her right! Such scum should just die!” Grace also posted a tweet. The accompanying photo showed a pale, almost bluish wrist with an IV drip. The text read: “Perhaps my life is counting down, but I still believe there’s light in this world. I don’t blame Dr. Harper; it’s just my bad luck.” Countless people swarmed my account. My DMs were full of curses, morphed death photos, and other hateful messages. I scoffed internally. It was Director Davies who took Joseph’s bribe to fire me, yet he turned around and smeared my name. I’d experienced the same trick in my previous life. Grace had an “episode,” and he blamed it on me, then edited videos and fabricated lies to post online, ruining my reputation completely. I called Joseph. It rang several times before he picked up. His scornful and triumphant voice came through: “What? Dr. Harper finally giving up?” I didn’t respond to that. I just said, “Joseph, I agree to treat Grace.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a burst of even more arrogant laughter. “If you knew this would happen, why resist in the first place?” I cut Joseph off. “But I have one condition. I want this consultation live-streamed across the entire internet.” The laughter on the other end ceased abruptly. “Live stream?” His voice turned cold. “Harper, you’re being trashed online right now. Are you live-streaming because you haven’t been insulted enough?” I looked out the window, a slow smile forming on my lips. “A live stream. In front of millions of people, I’ll humbly treat your family member. Isn’t that what you want?” “I can use this opportunity to publicly admit my mistakes and find a way out for myself.” Joseph was silent. After a few seconds, he let out a highly amused hum. “Harper, you really know how to play the game.” “Fine, since you want to publicly embarrass yourself, I’ll allow it.” “However,” I shifted my tone, “we must keep the live stream a secret from Grace. She’s a patient; knowing so many people are watching might make her emotional.” “If anything happens to her because of that, I won’t be responsible.” Joseph didn’t think much of it and readily agreed. The next morning, I arrived at the consultation location Joseph had set: the VIP ward floor on the top of City Central Hospital. Two familiar faces stood at the door. A man and a woman, both in their fifties. The man was tall, wearing a dark gray cashmere coat. The woman wore an elegant navy trench coat, exuding grace. “You’re Dr. Harper?” Eleanor, Joseph’s mother, asked in a gentle voice. I nodded. “That’s me.” She looked me up and down, then nodded slightly. “I’m Grace’s mother. I’ve heard about you.” “Dr. Harper, Grace is a child we raised since she was small. We are sincere in inviting you here today.” She took a business card from her bag and offered it to me. I didn’t take it, and she didn’t seem bothered. “Cure Grace, and fame and fortune are no issue.” “I’ll take care of you being fired from City Central Hospital.” “And I can guarantee that the Sterling Group’s resources within the national healthcare system will be at your disposal.” “This is the Sterling family’s sincerity.” I glanced at her. Unfortunately, I lacked none of what she offered. “Mrs. Sterling, I’m here to treat a patient today. We can discuss other matters after the consultation.” Eleanor’s eyes flickered but quickly returned to composure. Richard, Joseph’s father, cleared his throat when he heard me say that. His gaze wasn’t as gentle as Eleanor’s. “Harper, what my wife said is her intention.” “My intention is, if you can cure Grace’s illness, our family will not treat you unfairly.” He paused. “Your reputation is already in tatters. This live stream today, which you requested, is your last chance.” “If you can’t cure her, there will be no place for you in the entire medical industry.” I just stood there, meeting his gaze for three seconds. “Mr. Sterling, whether I can cure her or not, we’ll only know after the examination.” With that, I walked past him and pushed open the door to the ward. He frowned slightly, as if pondering something. Then he and Eleanor followed me in. Once inside, they didn’t say another word, but sat quietly to the side. Joseph was sitting on the sofa, peeling an apple. He glanced at me, then his eyes flickered towards the air conditioning vent, and then at the decorative ornament on the bedside table. He must have hidden the camera there.
At this very moment, a live stream channel was already open online. The title read: Cold-Blooded Medical Expert Dr. Harper Publicly Submits, Live Consultation Session. Because the Sterling Group was actively promoting it, coupled with the lingering heat from yesterday’s trending topic, countless netizens were fuming. Less than ten minutes after starting, millions of people flooded in, and the comments scrolled like a blizzard. “This scumbag finally backed down! Capitalism did a great job this time!” “Let’s all watch how this quack begs for mercy!” “My heart aches for Grace, having to face this demonic doctor.” Grace lay on the hospital bed, her face still haggard and pale. Seeing me, she flinched. “Joseph…” She had no idea that millions of eyes were watching her. “Don’t be afraid. She’s here to treat you this time.” Joseph handed her the apple, then stood up and walked over to me. Knowing he was on camera, he adopted a very arrogant posture. “Harper, start now. Hurry up and treat Grace.” “If you can’t cure her, you’ll be out of the medical field forever.” I ignored him, walking straight to the medical cart beside the bed. As I put on my gloves, I gave him a cold glance. Joseph gritted his teeth, but mindful of the camera, he restrained himself from reacting, just letting out a cold scoff. He stepped back, hands in his pockets, and the room fell silent. With my back to the hidden camera, I picked up the stethoscope and placed it on Grace’s chest. “Breathe in. Breathe out.” Grace was very cooperative, her breathing especially heavy, her brows furrowed. The comments again filled with sympathy for her and insults for me. I put down the stethoscope and picked up the stack of medical reports the Sterling family had accumulated from various hospitals over the years. Late-stage heart failure, myocardial ischemia. The diagnoses were increasingly severe. I flipped through them page by page, my brows slowly drawing together. After about five minutes, I threw the stack of reports onto the bed with a smack. Taking off my gloves, I turned around. “Grace, your condition is indeed quite difficult to treat.” Joseph scoffed towards the camera. “What do you mean? Aren’t you an authority? Even you can’t cure her? I think you’re just a quack!” The comments started flooding in again: “Quack! She really is a quack!” “She’s just trying to shirk responsibility! The Sterling family should blacklist her quickly!” I ignored them and said softly, “Because your sister isn’t sick at all.”
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