Chapter 39: A Sense of Crisis

Fainting from heatstroke during military training is not exactly a rare occurrence. This is especially true here, as the training ground is filled with medical students from Beijing University.

Consequently, many senior male students who had been watching Cai Yameng run immediately rushed over, each fearing someone else might beat them to it.

"Junior, don't worry, the senior is here to save you."
"I'm from the Clinical Medicine department, let me handle this."
"Get lost, all of you! My family has been in medicine for generations!"

This pack of wolves, hungry for a chance to play the hero, charged over as if they had lost their minds. They weren't about to pass up such a perfect opportunity to save a damsel in distress. Even if they didn't achieve their goal, just getting to touch her would be enough. Gazing at Cai Yameng’s fair, alluring skin, glistening with sweat, they couldn't help but let their primal instincts take over. If they could just perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, they’d be in heaven.

But the next moment, the group stood frozen in astonishment.

Zhou Chen, seemingly prepared, pulled an acupuncture kit from his pocket and revealed the golden needles inside. Most of his needles were still being used on patients at the hospital, but he still had a few left in his kit. He pricked Cai Yameng a few times, and within seconds, she opened her eyes.

The onlookers’ mouths twitched. Was it really necessary to be that dramatic?

Seeing the instructor looking at him as if he had seen a ghost, Zhou Chen silently tucked the kit back into his pocket. He explained, "Instructor, I am a student in the Traditional Chinese Medicine department. It is only logical that I carry acupuncture needles with me."

The instructor remained silent for a few seconds. "Take her to the shade to rest. Once the others finish their run, we will break for fifteen minutes."

Zhou Chen did not reach out to help Cai Yameng; propriety dictates that men and women should not touch. "Can you walk?" he asked.

Cai Yameng’s lips were pale, and she felt as though her legs were no longer her own—they were achingly sore. However, since Zhou Chen hadn't offered to help, she wouldn't ask him to. She struggled to stand, but her legs gave way, and she collapsed toward him again.

Finding himself with a lapful of Cai Yameng once more, Zhou Chen insisted he really didn't intend to take advantage of the situation. "Sigh, why did you even come to military training? You’re a young lady of the Cai family; if you didn't want to participate, no one could have forced you."

Cai Yameng’s face flushed red. Having fallen into his arms twice, even she, usually cold and aloof, felt embarrassed. "That’s none of your business," she retorted stubbornly.

Noticing the strange looks from the surrounding students, Zhou Chen called over two female classmates to help Cai Yameng to the shade.

"A true gentleman, unmoved by beauty!"
"Gentleman? I think he’s impotent!"
"I agree. Even with the school beauty throwing herself at him, he didn't even blink. Could it be... I suddenly feel a chill down my spine."
"Is that what you should be focusing on? Don't you think those golden needles he used looked familiar?" A bespectacled boy pushed his glasses up, looking like a detective ready to reveal a killer.

He pulled out his phone and played a video from the previous night's car accident, showing a mysterious TCM practitioner using secret acupuncture techniques to save lives. Comparing the needles Zhou Chen just used with those in the video, he gasped, "Holy crap, could he be that miracle doctor?"

"Is that for real?"
"You still have to ask? He woke up a fainting heatstroke victim in a few seconds! Even if he isn't the miracle doctor, do you think his medical skills could be low?"

"My family is also in traditional medicine. We know acupuncture, but to be able to find the acupuncture points so accurately through clothing, and with such precise needle depth... I don't think even my grandfather could do that!"

The TCM department had several specially admitted students who came from families of traditional medical practitioners. But in this era where traditional medicine is in decline, the fact that Zhou Chen could perform acupuncture with such ease was a testament to his extraordinary talent. Acupuncture is not something one can perform casually; one slip-up could leave a person paralyzed, which would lead to massive trouble.

Soon, the news that Zhou Chen was the young miracle doctor from the night before spread rapidly.

"Are you the mysterious TCM doctor who saved the bus passengers from the gates of hell last night?" A girl from his class, having compared the video on the university forum, ran up to Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen thought for a moment. He intended to become a leader in TCM and bring it to the world. A reputation was essential; without it, why would anyone listen to him? He adopted a profound expression and said, "A doctor’s heart is one of benevolence. Seeing the injured, I had to do my utmost. It is the duty of a healer."

Seeing Zhou Chen nod, the girl shrieked with excitement. "Ah! It really is you! You’re so cool! Can you take me as your apprentice?"

With that, their class erupted into chaos, and Zhou Chen was quickly surrounded. Students from neighboring classes, mostly medical students as well, soon learned the news and abandoned their training to crowd around him. The scene spiraled out of control. Even the instructors and teaching assistants, once they learned the details, looked at Zhou Chen with newfound respect.

Not far away, under the shade of a tree, Cai Yameng watched Zhou Chen, who was being hailed like a star, feeling a strange, indescribable sensation in her heart. She had heard rumors of what happened the night before. She logged into the university forum with her student account and saw the pinned video. The background was dark, but in the footage, the blood-stained young man had a gaze that was terrifyingly calm. He looked like a medical immortal battling the King of Hell, and the bus sunroof was the gateway to the afterlife. He moved back and forth through that gate, returning each time with a critically injured survivor.

Having known Zhou Chen for three years, Cai Yameng recognized him immediately. Though his clothes were new, she recognized the messenger bag. Zhou Chen wasn't traditionally handsome, but in that video, looks were irrelevant—he was the ultimate hero.

Cai Yameng’s frozen heart trembled once more. The last time it had happened was at her birthday party, the moment Zhou Chen had pulled her behind him to protect her from her aunt and uncle’s bullying.

The incident soon reached the ears of the professors in the Beijing University medical department, who arrived one after another to pay their respects. Before Zhou Chen, they shed all academic pretense, acting like thirsty students eager to learn from him.

Because his identity was exposed, Zhou Chen’s military training became impossible to continue, as more and more students flocked to him. Among them were the "department beauties," girls usually considered the dream goddesses of every male student, all of whom were now gazing at Zhou Chen with passionate intensity. Some bold girls even asked him to sign his name on their skin.

This gave Cai Yameng a sense of crisis. Fortunately, Zhou Chen kept his distance from her, just as he did with every other girl, and politely declined such unreasonable requests.

Finally, Zhang Mingxu, the honorary director of Huaxin Hospital, called via WeChat to tell Zhou Chen that one of the victims’ conditions had deteriorated. They were afraid to act on their own and wanted Zhou Chen to come take a look.

Not long after the call ended, a million-dollar sports car pulled up in front of Zhou Chen. The driver was a stunning beauty in a white lab coat; the contrast between the sports car and her doctor's attire felt like something out of a role-playing scene. Her eyes, too, held an unusual intensity when looking at him. Only a doctor would understand just how terrifyingly skilled Zhou Chen was.

"You must be the top miracle doctor my grandfather mentioned. I didn't expect you to be so young, yet possess such superb medical skills!" Zhang Bingnan’s eyes shone with the zeal of a fanatical admirer.

Zhou Chen nodded. "Alright, let’s not dwell on that. Take me to the patient."

Under the watchful eyes of the many students, Zhou Chen sat in the passenger seat of the supercar. Seeing Zhang Bingnan practically pressing her body against Zhou Chen, Cai Yameng felt even more unsettled. She took a deep breath, her expression returning to its usual coldness.

At that moment, the teaching assistant, Lin Tuo, approached Cai Yameng. His tone was respectful. "Ms. Cai, they seem to be heading to Huaxin Hospital. Do you need a driver to take you there?"

Cai Yameng shook her head. "No need. There is plenty of time in the future."

Lin Tuo, however, insisted, "But given how outstanding he is, he might be snatched up by another girl." He then gestured for Cai Yameng to look in a certain direction.

Cai Yameng’s cold, beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. In that direction stood a girl who stood out from the crowd. Her temperament was ethereal, like a fairy descended to the human world. Cai Yameng’s beauty was perhaps a match for hers, but in terms of temperament, even a young lady of a great family like Cai Yameng fell short.

Seeming to notice Cai Yameng’s gaze, the girl looked over and offered a soft, beautiful smile.

Lin Tuo introduced her, "Her name is Luo Ya. She is the number one school beauty on the Beijing University ranking, the president of the student council, and a senior in your TCM department."

"So, Ms. Cai, you must have a sense of crisis. Your father has already told me about your situation; you cannot afford to be willful any longer. You are classmates with Young Master Zhou, and now you are in the same department—this is your advantage."

"A man chasing a woman is like climbing a mountain; a woman chasing a man is like separating silk."