Sitting on the way back in the car, Claire had a lot on her mind that she wanted to share with Mu Lin. However, to soothe Mu Lin’s mood, she first mentioned the two young female officers, recounting their words at the airport. She explained that their behavior was merely the result of youthful pride and hoped that Mu Lin could forgive them.
Mu Lin had not expected that even the opening of a small clinic, a mere side project of his, could turn into such a hassle. Naturally, he knew that she had already learned about his cultivation practices with Finney and the others. Reflecting on how much Claire had sacrificed for him, he looked at her composed, intelligent face and, without saying a word, gently held her hand. With Hong Jia Ni sitting in the front passenger seat, Claire felt somewhat embarrassed to express her longing for Mu Lin, so she simply tightened her grip on his hands. Mu Lin sensed her feelings and gave her hand a firm squeeze in return. The rest of the ride was silent, with Hong Jia Ni pretending to be her usual quirky self.
Dinner was personally prepared by Mu Lin. Teacher Wang and his two granddaughters attended the welcome banquet for Claire and the others. Seeing two more beautiful “sisters,” Wang Jia and Wang Ni couldn’t help but ask Hong Jia Ni curiously, “Sister, are you two also Mu Lin’s girlfriends?”
On the ride back, Claire had a lot she wanted to say to Mu Lin, but to ease his mood, she first brought up the two young policewomen. She explained that their words at the airport were just a result of youthful pride and hoped Mu Lin could forgive them.
Mu Lin hadn’t expected that opening a small clinic—his little side project—would cause so much trouble. Of course, he knew Claire was already aware of his dual cultivation with Fenny and the others. Remembering how much Claire had sacrificed for him, he looked at her intelligent face and said nothing, simply holding her hand gently. Since Hong Jiani was sitting in the front passenger seat, Claire felt too shy to express her longing for Mu Lin openly, so she just tightly grasped his hands. Sensing her emotions, Mu Lin squeezed back firmly. The ride was silent, and Hong Jiani pretended to be her usual quirky self.
Dinner was prepared by Mu Lin himself. Teacher Wang and his two granddaughters joined the welcome banquet to celebrate Claire and the others’ arrival. When Wang Jia and Wang Ni saw two more beautiful sisters, they couldn’t resist asking Hong Jiani, “Sister, are you also Brother Mu Lin’s girlfriend?”
Hong Jiani had pondered this question for a long time in Boston. Her heart was already set on Mu Lin, though she often acted stubbornly toward him—mostly to get his attention. Pointing at Mu Lin, she teased the girls, “Why don’t you ask this little rascal instead?”
Wang Jia, already familiar with Mu Lin, replied without hesitation, “Isn’t it obvious? You must be Brother Mu Lin’s girlfriend. We just wanted confirmation—otherwise, why would you be staying at his place?”
“What about those two?” Hong Jiani pointed at the two young policewomen, who were too busy eating to notice, reigniting the playful argument.
“Isn’t that obvious too? Of course, they’re also Brother Mu Lin’s girlfriends! You don’t know—they do everything together every day!” Wang Ni answered in a precocious tone.
“You little brats, what nonsense are you spouting? Who’s this little rascal’s girlfriend?” The two policewomen, embarrassed in front of Teacher Wang, barely swallowed their food before protesting.
“Who believes you? If you weren’t Brother’s girlfriends, why would you follow him everywhere?” Wang Jia retorted confidently.
The two policewomen were left speechless, unable to counter.
Fenny and the others finally burst into laughter!
Blushing furiously, the two policewomen stomped their feet, covered their faces in embarrassment, and fled the table.
Everyone turned their gaze to Mu Lin, who feigned innocence. “Why are you all looking at me?”
Wang Jia piped up, “Brother, your girlfriends ran off in embarrassment. Aren’t you going to comfort them?”
“Me?” Mu Lin pointed at himself. “No way! Didn’t you hear them call me a little rascal? I’m not going! If anyone should go, it’s her—she started this!” He pointed at Hong Jiani. There was no way he’d go now—those two little troublemakers would probably scold or even pinch him.
In the end, Fenny and the others followed the two policewomen to console them. Unfortunately, having had their feelings exposed by the little girls and Hong Jiani, the policewomen were too embarrassed to return to the dining room. Fenny and the others had no choice but to have the servants prepare a separate dinner for them.
After dinner, they discussed the clinic’s grand opening. Under everyone’s expectant gazes, Mu Lin reluctantly agreed to let Claire and Fenny handle the arrangements while he cooperated unconditionally.
When Mu Lin entered Claire’s bedroom later, she had already brewed him a fragrant cup of tea. Dressed in a pale yellow embroidered silk nightgown, she sat on the sofa, waiting for him. Seeing him enter, she quickly stood to serve the tea. Mu Lin embraced her from behind and whispered in her ear, “Sister, you’ve suffered so much for me lately.”
Claire’s body softened the moment he held her, and when she heard his tender words, she melted into his arms. Mu Lin scooped her up and carried her to the bed.
The next morning, just as dawn broke, knocking sounded at Claire’s door. Startled awake, Claire tried to move but found her body weak and sore. Turning her head, she met Mu Lin’s gaze and murmured shyly, “Why didn’t you wake me?”
Wang Jia’s voice came from outside: “Sister Claire, hasn’t Brother gotten up yet? We’re here to take him for morning training!”
Too embarrassed to stay in bed, Claire pinched Mu Lin and called back, “Alright, Wang Jia! Your brother will be up soon. You two go ahead first!”
Wang Jia and Wang Ni, having seen Mu Lin, Fenny, and the policewomen training every morning, had begged to join. Mu Lin, tailoring to their physiques, taught them the Yue Nu Sect’s boxing and swordsmanship, which they adored—hence their eagerness to train daily.
Not seeing Mu Lin that morning, they had asked the policewomen, who, still smarting from yesterday’s teasing, saw a chance for revenge and told them Mu Lin was resting in Claire’s room. The girls, not thinking much of it, had come to “disturb the newlyweds.”
When Fenny and the others found out, they couldn’t help but laugh. After explaining the situation, the girls realized they’d been tricked into causing mischief and were too embarrassed to face Mu Lin afterward.
The grand openings of Mu Lin’s 38 clinics proceeded as the bigwigs demanded, keeping him and his entourage traveling across the U.S. for nearly a month. The usually laid-back Mu Lin grew increasingly irritable—though flirting with the policewomen, bickering with Hong Jiani, and dual cultivating with Claire and Fenny kept the journey from being too dull.
Throughout the trip, Mu Lin was the only one with nothing to do. Claire and Hong Jiani were busy networking with local VIPs, Fenny and the others were organizing clinic foundations, the policewomen memorized clinic contacts and representatives, while the teachers and TCM acupuncturists familiarized themselves with patients. Left with no real responsibilities, Mu Lin idly watched everyone work—until they collectively decided minor tasks didn’t need him, and major ones hadn’t arisen yet.
After the grand openings, Mu Lin returned to New York and handed clinic operations to his teachers, who managed the central command from there. Local acupuncturists handled routine cases, teachers tackled complex ones, and only rare, special cases required Mu Lin’s direct intervention.
Back in New York, Claire and Hong Jiani returned to Boston, while Fenny’s team continued coordinating clinics and foundations remotely. Mu Lin and his two policewomen secretaries were left with little to do—occasionally stepping in at clinics early on, but once the doctors settled in, even that became unnecessary.
Wang Jia was already quite familiar with Mu Lin. She immediately responded, “Well, do we even need to ask? You must be Mu Lin’s girlfriends. We just wanted to confirm it. Otherwise, why would you be staying at his house?”
“What about those two then?” Hong Jia Ni pointed at the two young female officers who were busy eating, reigniting the banter.
“Do we even need to ask? Of course, they’re also Mu Lin’s girlfriends! You don’t know—they three are always together, doing everything side by side!” Wang Ni answered with a tone of exaggerated maturity.
“You two little rascals, what nonsense are you talking about? Who’s this brat’s girlfriend?” With Teacher Wang present, the two young officers were too embarrassed to lash out but still protested hastily, their mouths still full of food.
“Who would believe you? If you weren’t his girlfriends, why would you follow him everywhere he goes?” Wang Jia retorted confidently.
The two young female officers were finally at a loss for words.
Finney and the others couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
The two young officers blushed deeply, stomped their feet, and shyly covered their faces before running off in embarrassment.
Everyone turned their eyes toward Mu Lin, who looked completely innocent. “Why are you all staring at me?”
Still, Wang Jia said, “Brother, your girlfriends ran off embarrassed. Why don’t you go comfort them?”
“Me?” Mu Lin pointed at himself, “No way! Didn’t you hear them call me a brat? I’m not going. If anyone should go, it’s her! She’s the one who started all this!” He pointed at Hong Jia Ni. Not in the least bit inclined to go, he thought to himself that after all, they were just two little girls. If he went, he’d probably get scolded—or even pinched again.
Eventually, Finney and the other two followed the two young officers to comfort them. Unfortunately, the two young officers had been teased and exposed by the two little girls and Hong Jia Ni, and no matter what, they couldn’t bring themselves to return to the dining room. With no choice, Finney and the others had the servants prepare a separate dinner for them.
After dinner, everyone discussed the upcoming opening ceremony. Facing expectant gazes, Mu Lin reluctantly agreed to let Claire and Finney handle the arrangements, promising unconditional cooperation.
When Mu Lin entered Claire’s bedroom, she had already prepared a cup of fragrant tea for him. Dressed in a pale yellow embroidered silk nightgown, she sat on the sofa, waiting for him. Seeing him come in, she quickly stood up to serve him the tea. Mu Lin walked directly behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and whispering softly in her ear, “Sister, you’ve endured a lot these days.”
As Mu Lin embraced her from behind, Claire’s body had already weakened slightly. When his soft voice reached her ears, she completely melted into his arms. Mu Lin scooped her up in one motion and carried her toward the large bed in the room.
The next morning, just as the sky began to brighten, a knock sounded at Claire’s door. Startled awake, Claire tried to move but realized her entire body felt sore and weak. She turned her head and saw Mu Lin watching her with a mischievous gaze. Slightly embarrassed, she whispered, “Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?”
Outside, Wang Jia’s voice rang out, “Sister Claire, hasn’t Brother Mu woken up yet? We came to wake him up for exercise!”
At this, the two felt too embarrassed to stay in bed any longer. Claire pinched Mu Lin lightly before replying, “Alright! Wang Jia, your brother will be up soon. You two go ahead and start your workout!”
It turned out that Wang Jia and Wang Ni had become excited after seeing Mu Lin, Finney, and the two young female officers practicing martial arts every morning. They had begged Mu Lin to teach them, and he had introduced them to the Yu Nu martial arts style, which included both boxing and sword techniques. They became deeply interested and followed him every day.
That morning, not seeing Mu Lin, they went to ask the two young female officers. The two officers, still upset from the teasing they had received the previous day, decided to get revenge. They told the two girls that Mu Lin was resting in Claire’s room and suggested they go wake him up. Without thinking carefully, the two little girls indeed came to tease them.
When Finney and the others learned that the two young girls had gone to tease Mu Lin and Claire, they shook their heads with helpless smiles. They carefully explained the situation to the girls, who finally realized they had been used as pawns. Feeling ashamed, they dared not face Mu Lin again.
Mu Lin’s 38 clinics opened one after another, following the requests of the influential figures. Accompanied by his entourage, he traveled across the skies of the U.S. for nearly a month. This left the usually leisure-loving Mu Lin quite stressed. Fortunately, he could flirt with the two young female officers, banter with Hong Jia Ni, and cultivate with Claire and Finney, so the journey wasn’t too dull.
Throughout the trip, Mu Lin mostly had nothing to do. Claire and Hong Jia Ni busied themselves building relationships with local leaders. Finney and the others focused on establishing foundations for each clinic. The two young female officers memorized contact personnel and representatives of local leaders, while the teachers and Chinese acupuncturists began getting familiar with the situations and the first batch of patients. In the end, only Mu Lin remained idle, watching everyone else work busily, which led to complaints from the others. After discussion, they realized that small tasks didn’t require him, and the big tasks hadn’t arrived yet, so they could only watch him stroll around leisurely.
After completing all the clinic openings, Mu Lin returned to New York and handed over the clinic affairs to his teachers. The clinic headquarters were set up in New York, where they would manage operations. The clinics were normally run by Chinese acupuncturists, treating general chronic illnesses, while the teachers handled more complex cases. Special cases were left for Mu Lin himself.
Back in New York, Claire took Hong Jia Ni and returned to Boston, while Finney and the others continued organizing the clinics and managing foundation affairs remotely. Only Mu Lin and his two young female officer secretaries were left idle again. At first, he occasionally visited some clinics to assist, but as the physicians settled into their roles, he found himself with little to do.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage