Shu Lanzhou lifted her lips in a faint smile. "What's wrong? Don't recognize me anymore?"
"Well then, let me introduce myself. I'm your attending physician, Shu Lanzhou. Your condition is quite complicated—it's not going to be cured overnight."
"In other words, your research didn't succeed in making you young again. In fact, it nearly killed you. I've reviewed your theoretical framework—on paper, it actually seems viable."
"So I have no idea where it went wrong either. It must be eating at you. If that's the case, you better recover quickly. Only when you're better can you continue your research and find out where the problem lies."
"Don't you agree, Professor Han?"
Han Weicheng blinked slowly, as if to indicate his agreement.
She knew it. He didn't want to die. A man like him—selfish and self-serving—was more desperate to live than anyone else!
When Zhao Huanhuan returned, Shu Lanzhou had just finished her acupuncture treatment—a regular detox session to control and reduce the toxins in his body.
"I've got it. This is his research log," Zhao Huanhuan said between breaths. "Officer Cai had to put in a formal request to get it. We have to return it after reviewing. I flipped through it just now—he's using some symbolic code. I couldn't make sense of it."
Shu Lanzhou took the notebook. "It's fine. I can understand it. I know his writing style. I'll take it back to analyze. You keep a close eye on him—watch for any changes in his condition."
It was still early when she left the hospital. Shu Lanzhou decided to walk a bit before catching the bus home.
As she walked toward the bus stop, flexing her fingers, she had just arrived at the curb when she spotted the stop across the street. Just then, a young man suddenly collapsed in front of her.
Instinctively, Shu Lanzhou reached out to catch him, though she didn't manage to hold him up fully. But thanks to her reflex, he landed without major injury.
She immediately crouched down to check his condition and called out for bystanders to contact an ambulance.
Although they were near the traditional medicine hospital, it would still take time for an ambulance to arrive. Seeing that his breathing was shallow and he was on the verge of going into shock, Shu Lanzhou had no choice but to take emergency measures.
Just as she inserted the needle, a middle-aged woman rushed over and shoved her hard.
"What are you doing to my son?! You'd better not harm him!"
Shu Lanzhou fell hard on her backside, nearly spraining her wrist as she caught herself.
"I'm a doctor from the traditional medicine hospital! Your son is in danger—I'm trying to save him!" she quickly explained.
But the woman shielded her unconscious son and turned back with a furious glare.
"Don't lie to me. I know basic medicine too. Never heard of emergency treatment involving needles!"
"You already put my husband in jail. Now you want to hurt my son too? You vicious woman—how can you be so cruel?!"
Shu Lanzhou was stunned. "What are you talking about? I don't understand. What I said is true—I really am trying to help your son. His condition is critical. If we delay any longer, it could be fatal."
"Bullshit! Don't think I don't know you just want to hurt him! There's not a single decent person in the Mu family. You destroyed my father-in-law, my husband, and now you're after my son." The woman began to cry.
"Damn you! The Mu family has pushed the Zhang family to the edge. And now you still won't leave us alone? Are you trying to wipe us out entirely?"
Zhang family?
Shu Lanzhou's heart skipped a beat. So this wasn't a coincidence. This woman and the young man were here deliberately—they'd come to stir up trouble.
But something didn't add up.
When she examined the young man just now, his condition had clearly been serious. He was really in danger.
The crowd began to gather.
"What's going on? Did this woman cause that guy to collapse?"
"She's holding a needle! Did she stick him with it?"
"We were all lining up to cross the street. That guy passed right in front of her and just fainted. Maybe she really did jab him."
"Sounds like there's a grudge. She harmed the woman's husband, and now her son. That's cold."
"Use your brains! Would someone really dare hurt someone on a busy street like this? She clearly said she's a doctor!"
"Besides, she's just one woman. How could she knock out a grown man with one needle? Try doing that yourself!"
"Exactly! One needle wouldn't do that. She was obviously trying to help. Haven't you heard of acupuncture for emergency aid?"
"…"
"No, that's not it!" The woman grew frantic and stood up, waving her arms wildly, completely ignoring her unconscious son.
"Acupuncture is all a scam! My father-in-law died because of Mu-style acupuncture. For years they hid, too scared to show their faces again."
"Now they think the storm's passed and want to come out to profit off others' misery. My husband tried to expose them and got framed."
"He's still in custody. We just came to reason with this woman—to beg her to leave us alone. But she went after my son!"
"You evil woman! You dare hurt my child? I'll fight you!"
She lunged toward Shu Lanzhou, raising her hand for a slap.
Shu Lanzhou cursed silently. Damn it. The Zhang family really thinks they can use such pathetic tricks to frame me? Do they take everyone here for fools?
"You keep saying I hurt your son—then why aren't you checking on him? Aren't you afraid he'll die from neglect?"
"Honestly, it doesn't look like you care much. Otherwise, why waste time coming at me? If I were you, I'd try saving him first."
Dodging the slap, Shu Lanzhou squeezed through the crowd.
"Liar!" the woman shouted, chasing after her. "You dare curse my son? I'll tear your mouth apart!"
"Everyone, listen to me! This woman's a fraud. She's no doctor. No one in the Mu family is a doctor—they're all con artists who take lives!"
"Help me! Help me catch her! She needs to pay for what she's done to my son!"
The onlookers murmured.
"Did she say the Mu family? The famous medical family from Shencheng?"
"You mean the ones all over the news lately?"
"But weren't they cleared of all charges? The police just released a statement saying they were innocent and framed."
"That's a separate issue. Didn't you hear her? Someone in her family died from Mu-style acupuncture. Maybe there's truth to it."
"So acupuncture really can be dangerous?"
"I doubt it. That girl looks young—maybe her skills just aren't that good. Doesn't mean the Mu family's methods are flawed."
"Yeah, yeah. Let's not jump to conclusions. I don't believe the Mu family would scam people."
"Me neither…"
The woman hadn't expected all their efforts to fall flat. She began sobbing even louder.
"You have to believe me! Everything I said is true! Mu-style acupuncture can't cure anything. It only causes harm."
"My father-in-law died from it! The needle went in, and he stopped breathing almost immediately. Not even emergency care could save him."
"If you trust her, you'll just be throwing your lives away!"
A voice suddenly shouted from the crowd: "Lady, quit yelling already—your son's really about to die!"