Chapter 25:

The professor’s name is Wei Bolan.

Despite his usually old-fashioned attire, he is actually a humorous and approachable professor—at least Qin Chaoyu and her roommates thoroughly enjoy his classes.

At Yuzhou University, each lecture lasts for one and a half hours, divided into two segments with a five-minute break in between.

For Qian Fangyuan, sitting in such a close position for forty-five minutes was torture.

It wasn’t that she disliked studying, but she simply felt more comfortable sitting farther away. After all, wasn’t there a saying that distance creates beauty? It applied perfectly here.

Seeing the elderly professor leave with his water cup—probably to refill it—Qian Fangyuan leaned closer to Qin Chaoyu, putting on a pitiful expression. “Chaoyu, why did you pick such a seat? Being so close to the professor makes me nervous.”

Qin Chaoyu lifted her eyelids to glance at Qian Fangyuan before shifting her gaze back, showing no sympathy—even appearing rather heartless. “Oh.”

Qian Fangyuan: “…”

Chaoyu, you’ve changed! You’re no longer the gentle, kind fairy you once were!

Do you realize you’re going to lose someone as adorable as me?

Seeing Qian Fangyuan’s frustration, Bai Pengpeng also chimed in with mockery. “You could always go out without makeup—then you’d have your pick of any seat.”

“You—!” Qian Fangyuan was speechless. Without makeup? How could she even step outside?

Watching Bai Pengpeng stick out her tongue at her, completely unbothered about her image, Qian Fangyuan was fuming.

She clung to Miao Zhaodi, who had been quietly reading beside her, and began fake-sobbing.

Miao Zhaodi was the type who became completely absorbed in her books, oblivious to everything around her. Suddenly being hugged by Qian Fangyuan left her momentarily stunned, but seeing Qian Fangyuan “crying,” she immediately set aside her book and comforted her.

“Miao Miao, you’re the only one who’s nice to me,” Qian Fangyuan sniffled, feeling slightly better after Miao Zhaodi’s consolation. She then glared at the two culprits and huffed, “Unlike some people!”

Miao Zhaodi glanced between them, unsure what to say, and simply chuckled awkwardly.

Just as Qin Chaoyu and the others were fooling around, a sharp scream erupted in the classroom.

“What happened? Did someone faint?”

“Quick, call the professor! Call an ambulance!”

“Help!”

The sudden chaos snapped Qin Chaoyu out of her medical book trance.

Realizing someone was in critical condition, she wasted no time—setting down her book, standing up, and rushing toward the commotion.

The person lying on the floor was a male student Qin Chaoyu didn’t recognize. That wasn’t surprising; with so many classmates and no interactions beyond lectures, how could she remember him?

But right now, he was in terrible shape—his face was turning blue, his breathing was labored, and his pupils were beginning to dilate. He was on the verge of death.

There was no time to waste. Immediate first aid was necessary, or else—

“Move aside!” Qin Chaoyu shoved the surrounding students away and sprinted back to her seat to grab her acupuncture kit.

Fortunately, she had been studying acupuncture recently and had brought her kit with her to reinforce her knowledge. Otherwise, reviving this student would have been much harder.

Returning to the unconscious student, Qin Chaoyu didn’t hesitate. She pulled out an extremely long silver needle but realized she had no alcohol for sterilization. Turning to the crowd, she shouted, “Who has a lighter?”

“I—I do,” a somewhat handsome guy responded.

“Give it to me, now!” Seeing the unconscious student’s condition worsening, Qin Chaoyu had no time for politeness.

Bai Pengpeng, realizing Qin Chaoyu was about to perform acupuncture, trusted her judgment—she wouldn’t act without confidence. Noticing the guy’s sluggish response, Bai Pengpeng snatched the lighter from him and swiftly handed it to Qin Chaoyu.

Qin Chaoyu sterilized the needle with the flame, steadied her hand, and inserted it into the unconscious student’s head.

“Ah!” The crowd gasped in shock, unable to believe she had just plunged such a long needle into someone’s skull.

Would he even survive?

Many shared the same thought. One of the unconscious student’s friends roared at Qin Chaoyu, “What the hell are you doing? Murder? You just stabbed Xingyun in the head with that thing—are you insane?”

Qin Chaoyu ignored him, calmly inserting a few more needles. The guy, furious at being disregarded, lunged forward to stop her.

Bai Pengpeng reacted instantly, yanking him back. “Are you stupid? Ever heard of acupuncture? And you’re taking Professor Wei’s class?”

The guy faltered, hesitating.

Bai Pengpeng released him once he stopped. What an idiot. If not for fear of disrupting Qin Chaoyu, she would’ve cursed him out properly.

To prevent further interruptions, Bai Pengpeng, Miao Zhaodi, and Qian Fangyuan formed a protective circle around Qin Chaoyu.

They trusted her completely. If she wasn’t confident, she wouldn’t have acted. As her roommates, the least they could do was shield her from distractions.

After inserting four or five needles, Qin Chaoyu withdrew them almost immediately.

The unconscious student’s complexion visibly improved, and his eyelids fluttered—he was waking up.

Qin Chaoyu exhaled in relief and stood. Seeing her roommates guarding her, she was deeply moved, but this wasn’t the time for sentiment.

To the guy who had tried to stop her, she said, “He’ll be fine. Once the ambulance arrives, take him to the hospital for a checkup.”

The onlookers, who had been holding their breaths, finally relaxed.

Watching the revived student leaning on his friend, they erupted into applause, their faces filled with admiration.

The guy who had yelled at Qin Chaoyu earlier now looked ashamed. “I—I’m sorry. I misunderstood you.”

Qin Chaoyu waved it off. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

Her easy forgiveness only made him feel worse.

Bai Pengpeng, however, wasn’t as forgiving. Mockingly, she said, “Everyone knows acupuncture can’t be interrupted. Yet you tried to charge in. If I hadn’t stopped you, your friend would’ve been hearing your apologies from the afterlife.”

The guy flushed but had no rebuttal—it was the truth.

Even Qian Fangyuan, who often bickered with Bai Pengpeng, sided with her this time. “Seriously, a guy studying traditional medicine who doesn’t know what acupuncture is? Hilarious.”

Being mocked by two beautiful girls, the guy wished he could vanish. He wasn’t actually studying traditional medicine—he was in finance. His friend was the one in the program, and he’d only tagged along to Professor Wei’s class to catch a glimpse of the three campus beauties from the TCM class. Instead, he’d ended up offending them.

Admitting he wasn’t a TCM student now would only make him seem like he was making excuses, so he could only keep apologizing.

“My friend Lu Hao was just worried about me. If he offended anyone, I apologize on his behalf,” the revived student—now supported by his friends—said weakly.

Faced with a patient, Qian Fangyuan and Bai Pengpeng backed off, letting the matter drop.

“I’m Zhou Xingyun. Thank you for saving my life,” the revived student said gratefully to Qin Chaoyu, even attempting to bow despite his condition.

Qin Chaoyu quickly stopped him. “No need. As a doctor—even a trainee—saving lives is the priority. Just rest for now. Once the ambulance arrives, get checked at the hospital. Your asthma seems severe—better to be safe.”

“How did you know it was asthma?”

“How did you know he has asthma?”

Zhou Xingyun and Lu Hao spoke simultaneously.

Lu Hao was stunned. He was certain no one at the school besides him knew about Zhou Xingyun’s condition—so how had she figured it out?

Qin Chaoyu raised an eyebrow. “Was it that hard? A simple pulse check told me. Isn’t that the first thing you learn in TCM?”

Lu Hao: “…”

Zhou Xingyun: “…”

The surrounding students were internally weeping. *Ma’am, pulse diagnosis isn’t covered until next semester! We haven’t even started it yet!*

“Well done, young lady!” Professor Wei Bolan had entered just as Qin Chaoyu inserted the first needle. A true expert could tell her skill from that single move, so he stayed to observe. The result was impressive—the student she treated showed no aftereffects, a result even he might’ve struggled to match.

“Your acupuncture skills are remarkable—on par with mine!”

The crowd gasped at Professor Wei’s high praise. His acupuncture prowess was legendary, so comparing a young student to him spoke volumes about her ability.

Instantly, the way people looked at Qin Chaoyu changed.

“You flatter me, Professor. I’m nowhere near your level,” Qin Chaoyu replied modestly. She knew she still had much to learn—decades of experience separated her from someone like Professor Wei.

Wei Bolan smiled but didn’t press further, though he made a mental note of her name—Qin Chaoyu, was it?

To Zhou Xingyun, he said, “Her treatment was flawless. Still, for safety, have your friends take you to the hospital.”

Zhou Xingyun nodded respectfully. “Understood, Professor.”

With that, Lu Hao and another student helped Zhou Xingyun out of the classroom.

Once they were gone, Professor Wei clapped his hands, signaling for the class to settle down.

But after such an incident, who could focus on the lecture?

Under the weight of so many curious stares, Qin Chaoyu felt the pressure. Yet she didn’t regret her bold actions—when lives were at stake, hesitation wasn’t an option.