The female doctor quickly stood up, her expression shifting from aggressive to pitiful. "Dr. Beckett, this patient knows she's not actually sick but insists on taking up medical resources. I said a few words, and she started yelling at me."
Hearing this, Dr. Beckett finally turned his attention to Serena.
Their eyes met. Serena couldn't tell what he was thinking, but his expression darkened slightly, and his voice softened noticeably. "Hello, would you mind stepping outside with me for a moment?"
The female doctor stomped her foot. "Dr. Beckett, she's clearly here to make trouble! Why are you being so polite to her?"
"Enough!" Dr. Beckett shot her a stern glare.
Then he turned back to Serena, his voice gentle again. "Are your eyes bothering you?"
Serena had always responded better to kindness than confrontation. If someone was rude to her, she could be even tougher. But when spoken to gently, she immediately felt awkward and shy.
Faced with Dr. Beckett's calm tone, she hesitated, then nodded slightly after shaking her head.
"See?" the female doctor jumped in again, "She keeps shaking and nodding-she's obviously here to stir up trouble!"
Dr. Beckett shot her a frosty look. "Didn't I tell you to stop? Or do my words mean nothing to you?"
The female doctor pressed her lips together, clearly upset but not daring to speak again.
"What is it? Is there something difficult to describe?" he asked Serena patiently.
After a moment of hesitation, she quietly replied, "I... I think I might have developed X-ray vision. I can see through the surface of things and glimpse what's inside."
The female doctor burst into loud laughter, her voice echoing through the room. "Director, did you hear that?! X-ray vision? What a joke! What does she think we are-idiots? X-ray vision? Seriously?! What's next, she can do CT scans with her eyes? MRI?"
Serena frowned, clearly embarrassed.
Honestly, the moment she said it out loud, it sounded ridiculous even to her. But she wasn't lying. What happened at the stone auction had proved she really could see through the outer shell of raw gemstone and glimpse the internal structure.
"Stop laughing!" Dr. Beckett scolded, his face stern. "You're a doctor, and this is your exam room. Is this how you behave during work hours?"
The female doctor quickly covered her mouth, but her shoulders kept shaking with suppressed laughter.
"What's your name?" he turned to Serena and asked gently.
"My last name is Knowles."
"Knowles..." he repeated, then paused thoughtfully. "Miss Knowles, can you explain a bit more about what you said just now-about seeing through things?"
"I..." She hesitated, then answered, "I think I can see the internal structure of certain objects."
"Oh?" Dr. Beckett looked intrigued.
Pushing his glasses up, he didn't question her directly. Instead, he picked up a small locked metal box from the female doctor's desk. "Then take a look. Can you tell me what's inside this box?"
Serena looked down at the box he held.
Strangely, the ability she'd used to see into the stone was gone. All she saw was a sealed metal box. She couldn't see through it at all.
"I..." Under both their gazes, she mumbled awkwardly, "I can't see anything."
"I knew it!" the female doctor sneered triumphantly. "All lies! She's just here to cause trouble!"
"I'm not lying!" Serena insisted firmly. "I really did-"
"Oh, please! Can't even see through a tiny metal box and you're calling it X-ray vision?"
Dr. Beckett clasped his hands behind his back and fell silent for a moment. Then, he turned to Serena and said politely, "Miss Knowles, if you have time, would you mind coming to my office? Let's talk more there."
Serena wanted to stay and argue with the female doctor, to go a few more rounds and prove herself.
But she had no solid proof. Unless someone brought a raw gemstone right now, she had no way to demonstrate her ability.
This was a hospital. Where could she find gemstone?
After a moment of thought, she nodded. "Okay, I'll go with you."
Dr. Beckett gave a small smile and led the way out.
Serena followed closely behind.
From behind them, the female doctor called out, her voice shrill with triumph, "Director, you have to punish people like this! If necessary, call the police! We can't let this kind of disruptive behavior continue in our hospital!"
Dr. Beckett ignored her and walked off without a word.
Inside the Director's Office
Serena sat on the sofa facing the door. Dr. Beckett brought over a cup of hot tea and placed it in front of her.
"Have some tea."
"Thank you," Serena replied politely.
She lowered her head, nervously wringing her hands, still thinking about how she was going to explain her strange ability.
"Miss Knowles, how old are you?" he asked unexpectedly.
Serena looked up, surprised. Her eyes widened, and she blurted out, "I'm... twenty-four."
"Oh... twenty-four." Dr. Beckett looked out the window behind her, his gaze distant, like he was remembering something.
Curious, she asked, "Dr. Beckett, are you asking because my eyes... is this related to my age?"
"Oh, no," he snapped out of his thoughts and smiled. "Just making conversation."
Just making conversation?
Serena found that a little odd, but since he didn't seem to want to elaborate, she let it go.
"Dr. Beckett, I swear I'm not lying. My eyes really can see through things-but only certain kinds of things."
Dr. Beckett listened with a pleasant smile, then pointed to the teacup in front of her. "Here, have some tea first."
His attitude made it clear: he didn't believe her, but he didn't want to embarrass her either.
"Dr. Beckett, I'm telling the truth," she said earnestly. "I came to the hospital today to figure out what's going on with my eyes-why I suddenly have this ability. When that doctor asked what was wrong, I just told her the truth. My eyes don't hurt or anything, but before I could explain, she jumped to conclusions, accused me of faking, and started insulting me. I..."
"Alright, that's enough, Serena," Dr. Beckett raised a hand, still sounding gentle and kind. "I believe you're not the kind of person she says you are."
Serena had just opened her mouth to thank him when she froze.
"Wait... how do you know my name is Serena?"
***