Cross Lines

Chapter 53: Medical Diagnosis

They went upstairs and knocked on the door. It was soon opened by a woman wearing a gray long-sleeve T-shirt with a pink Hello Kitty on the corner of her forehead. Her eyes scanned Emily Luo before quickly settling on Maggie’s face, and she seemed instantly intrigued.

Dr. Luo pretended not to notice and walked in smoothly. “The card is awful,” she said, pointing behind her. “Maggie.”

It's undeniable that some people make an impression as either friend or foe. Maggie felt an immediate natural affinity for the woman she was meeting for the first time and smiled. “Hello.”

The woman’s playful expression turned into a wide smile as she reached out to shake Maggie’s hand. Emily Luo, quick on her feet, grabbed Maggie and pulled her in, casting a disapproving look at the woman and nudging the discarded slippers with her foot.

Maggie bent down to change her shoes. The hostess, having missed her chance to greet, seemed indifferent, and simply smiled and closed the door behind her as she led them inside.

“Quite different, isn’t it?” Her voice had a magnetic and distinct tone, causing a slight flutter in Maggie’s heart.

Emily Luo shot her a glance and turned to Maggie. “This is my colleague, a dermatologist named Dexter.”

Maggie, who had been smiling warmly, was momentarily stunned and then looked utterly bewildered. A doctor? After a brief confusion, she realized Emily Luo was asking her to address the person as such. However...

“D-Doctor?”

Dexter, who had been sitting on the sofa observing them, couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter. What had initially seemed like a well-matched duo now felt more like a mother introducing her daughter to someone.

Emily Luo, with a resigned sigh, had to clarify, “D-E-X-T-E-R, Dexter.”

Maggie finally understood, albeit awkwardly, and replied, “Dr. Dexter.”

“Yes,” Emily Luo confirmed, no longer discussing the matter. She guided Maggie to a seat and then turned to Dexter. “I looked it over and it doesn’t seem like urticaria; she mentioned eating clams at lunch, so it’s probably a normal seafood allergy.”

Dexter, putting on a pair of gloves, chuckled as he began to examine Maggie. “Well, in that case, no need to worry too much. It doesn’t seem like your usual style.”

Emily Luo, clearly unfazed by the teasing, ignored him and started unbuttoning Maggie’s shirt. Knowing resistance would only lead to more discomfort, Maggie maintained a calm demeanor, though her fair skin turned a faint pink.

Fortunately, Emily Luo was restrained and only unbuttoned a couple of buttons. Dexter turned off the laughter, adjusted a lamp next to the sofa, and examined the affected areas on Maggie.

After a few minutes of examination, Dexter stood up and removed his gloves. “Not a big deal. What did you come into contact with today? Foods or medications you haven’t had before?”

Maggie recounted everything she had consumed from morning until now. Dexter nodded in understanding. “It seems likely that the clams caused this. However, pinpointing the exact cause of such allergies can be difficult. Try to avoid eating them in the future. I’ll give you two types of medication. Apply them every four hours. If the condition worsens, come to the hospital to see me.”

“Okay!” Maggie nodded enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling.

Dexter, unable to resist, playfully pinched her cheek. Maggie, though surprised, didn’t mind much. She buttoned up her shirt and glanced at Emily Luo. Dr. Luo, visibly irritated, shot Dexter a significant look.

“Do you have to be so annoying?”

Dexter, seemingly unbothered, stood up to make tea, still wearing a lazy smile. “Why so petty?”

Emily Luo wasn’t backing down. “If you’re so generous, should I go out to dinner with Dr. Lee tomorrow?”

“No!” Dexter surrendered immediately. “Alright, it won’t happen again. Seriously!” He glanced at Maggie. “But you’re quite lucky, aren’t you?”

Emily Luo picked up a glass of fruit tea and sipped it, ignoring Dexter’s comment. “Where’s the medication?”

Dexter poured a cup of fruit tea and handed it to Maggie. “Don’t be in a rush; we haven’t even chatted yet.”

“Thank you.” Maggie accepted the cup with a smile.

“So what do you do?” Dexter asked, sitting beside her with a smile.

“I’m a furniture designer.”

“An interior designer?”

“No, mainly just furniture design.” Maggie thought it was a friendly chat and answered sincerely.

“Oh, sounds interesting.” Dexter nodded. “How did Emily manage to get you?”

Maggie, sipping her tea, choked slightly. “Cough, cough…”

After leaving Dexter’s home, Emily Luo handed the car keys to Maggie, who drove while Dr. Luo carefully read the instructions for the two tubes of medication. Maggie, still smiling, asked, “Your colleague is quite interesting, isn’t she?”

Dr. Luo glanced at her but remained silent.

“Is she the same as us?”

Understanding what Maggie meant, Dr. Luo replied, “No.”

“Oh? How does she know about our relationship then?” Maggie unconsciously reached for her neck.

“Don’t scratch!” Emily Luo swatted her hand away and returned to the medication instructions. “She’s actually quite perceptive. She notices everything.”

Maggie was still puzzled. “Why do you say that?”

After a moment of silence, Emily Luo turned to her. “Dexter likes a cardiologist at our hospital named Lucas Lee.”

“Oh.” Maggie nodded. “That’s good. Dr. Dexter seems nice and pretty.”

Emily Luo gave her a sidelong glance but said nothing more. Maggie waited for more information and asked, “And?”

“And what?”

“Are they together now?” Maggie began imagining a romantic storyline.

“No,” Emily Luo bluntly crushed her fantasy.

“Why not?”

Dr. Luo, clearly frustrated with Maggie’s gossiping, responded, “Why not?”

“But Dr. Dexter is such a good person! Why aren’t they together?”

Emily Luo flipped the page of her instructions. “It seems Lucas Lee doesn’t have romantic feelings for her.”

Maggie muttered, “Tch, such a great person and still not liked. Are they expecting to be a prince or something?”

Emily Luo found Maggie’s childlike reaction amusing and was about to respond when Maggie suddenly slammed on the brakes. Dr. Luo, who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, nearly slammed into the windshield and was left gasping for air. Luckily, traffic was light at this time, though a long line of cars quickly formed with honking horns.

Emily Luo, expecting an emergency, was surprised to find nothing ahead. She turned to see Maggie gripping the steering wheel and staring at her with wide eyes. “Lucas Lee likes you, doesn’t he?!”

Dr. Luo was immediately enraged and slapped Maggie’s arm twice. “Are you crazy? Slamming the brakes in the middle of the road?!”

The horns blared even louder from behind. Maggie, realizing her mistake, quickly restarted the car and drove away from the scene. After passing an intersection, Maggie glanced at Emily Luo, who still had an angry expression.

“Hey.”

No response.

“Hey.”

“What?!” Dr. Luo was clearly still fuming.

“You haven’t answered my question.”

Dr. Luo was incredulous that Maggie still had the nerve to ask, gritting her teeth, “Yes! What about it?”

“Oh, nothing. Just asking.” Maggie focused on the road with a nonchalant expression that made Emily Luo want to slap her insufferable face.

Before she could act on her frustration, her phone rang from her bag. Emily Luo pulled it out, saw it was a call from Qiqi, and hesitated before answering.

Maggie continued driving, her ears perked up like antennas. It seemed Qiqi was drunk somewhere again, and Dr. Luo was summoned to help out.

After ending the call, Dr. Luo’s earlier anger was somewhat tempered. Maggie, feeling unwell, made it difficult to continue the conversation. After a while, Emily Luo awkwardly spoke up.

“I…”

“Did you drink too much again?” Maggie asked naturally, glancing back.

“Yeah.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

Emily Luo looked uncomfortable. “No, you should go home and rest. Remember to apply the medication as Dexter said.”

“Okay.”

Maggie didn’t insist. When they reached her neighborhood, she parked the car and got out. Dr. Luo handed her the medication and reminded her to be careful and come home early.

“Maggie.”

Dr. Luo suddenly called her name. Maggie raised her eyebrows in question. Emily Luo took a deep breath and hugged her.

“I’m sorry.”

Maggie was initially surprised but then understood, replying with a smile, “It’s okay. I’m actually quite happy.”

Emily Luo looked at Maggie with curiosity.

“You’re starting to act like a real girlfriend.”