C3 Let Go of Your Hand!

After wrestling with her thoughts for a full minute, Xu Jin finally turned around with a huff and lay back down.

"Make it quick, I'm pressed for time." She had no doubts about Lee Mu's medical expertise. After all, Lee Mu had been invited by KM Hospital to participate in several expert consultations.

"Now you're the one coming back to me for treatment, so you'll need to follow my lead," Lee Mu had his own ways of handling a powerhouse like Xu Jin.

As if I'm begging you!

Xu Jin felt that if she kept talking to this young man, she might just die of frustration. Instead, she simply closed her eyes.

Once Xu Jin was settled, Lee Mu instructed, "Take off your top and lie face down. I need to access your Breathing Acupoint, which is on your back, and it's difficult to locate with your clothes on."

He had expected her to show some embarrassment at the request to disrobe, but as soon as Lee Mu finished speaking, Xu Jin sat up, removed her white coat, crossed her hands, and lifted her shirt over her head, revealing her bare, smooth back.

Her skin was fair, her back's contour was elegant, and a black lace band ran across the center.

Such was the epitome of a stunning back!

Even though Lee Mu had a girlfriend, and their intimacy had only extended to holding hands, this was certainly the first time he had been privy to such a revealing scene.

"Have you looked your fill? Can we begin?" Xu Jin asked through clenched teeth.

Lee Mu's cheeks flushed with heat, and he coughed lightly to mask his awkwardness.

"Lie down and relax."

The Breathing Acupoint was parallel to the Dazhui Acupoint, located on either side of the spine just below the neck. After massaging Xu Jin's Lesser Shang Acupoint and the tip of her ear, Lee Mu pinched the muscles at the Breathing Acupoint with his left thumb and forefinger. With his right hand, he took a small number three triangular needle and swiftly pierced the acupoint using his wrist strength.

Lee Mu's needlework was precise, penetrating only two millimeters deep and retracting quickly.

Soon, the cell map on Xu Jin's head began to shift. The virus section lightened rapidly from red to pale pink, then to green, and finally vanished.

As it disappeared, an electronic voice echoed in Lee Mu's mind.

Virus gene bank acquisition: Psittacosis.

Virus storage: +10

Redeemable options: Beginner Identification Technique (capable of recognizing various valuable medicinal herbs), Beginner Preparation Technique (able to prepare various medicinal herbs), Beginner Virus Transmission Technique (can transmit a specific virus to organisms), Beginner Strength.

Please make a selection.

Damn it!

Lee Mu nearly leaped up in a fit of rage. After going through so much trouble to trick a beautiful woman into undressing, all he got was a list of beginner-level exchanges?

Xu Jin was unaware of what Lee Mu was going through. As she received the acupuncture treatment, she felt the chill in her body dissipate, replaced by a gradual warmth. The headache and confusion from the viral infection were also subsiding. Although she still experienced the weakness one feels after a severe flu, the physical discomfort had vanished entirely.

Could his medical skills really be this incredible?

As a pharmaceutical researcher, Xu Jin had a clear understanding of the pathology of common ailments and the necessary treatment protocols.

Typically, a viral cold requires at least seven days for clinical recovery, with physical recuperation taking another seven to ten days. She hadn't expected Lee Mu's acupuncture to produce such miraculous results.

"How are you feeling now?" Lee Mu asked, managing to keep his frustration in check as he put away his needles.

Despite the infuriating nature of the super chip, he knew it was important to uphold his ethical duty to heal and save lives.

"With such impressive medical skills, you shouldn't lack the means to make money. Why then do you need to participate as a test subject, risking your life for cash?" Xu Jin asked with a hint of irony. "Don't tell me you're like those others, desperate to make quick money for the latest fruit-brand smartphone?"

"That's my personal business, and I can't share it with you," Lee Mu replied before shouldering his backpack and leaving the lounge.

Xu Jin watched Lee Mu's lean figure walk away, her mind drifting for a moment before a smirk appeared on her lips.

Little kid, I couldn't care less about your personal affairs.

"Ah, I heard from test subject number two that Lee Mu's family is struggling financially. He's participating as a test subject this time to buy a birthday gift for his mother."

"He's such a good kid; I'd love to have him as my son-in-law."

"Sister, your daughter just turned one month old..."

Back in the lab, Xu Jin overheard her colleagues discussing Lee Mu.

Upon learning that Lee Mu had become a test subject to earn money for a gift for his mother, Xu Jin halted abruptly, her expression turning awkward.

It was all for his family. She had mocked him earlier, and he must be upset by now.

She decided to invite him to dinner as a way to thank him for helping with her treatment. They had exchanged contact information before the clinical trial started, making it easy to stay in touch about the medication trial.

In Tubert City's old district, at the Xianghe Street market.

Lee Mu left KM Pharmaceuticals and took the bus straight there.

Nearing lunchtime, the market was teeming with people.

Upon arrival, he saw a crowd gathered at the entrance to his family's grocery store.

Lee Mu and his mother, Qin Mian, relied solely on each other. To afford his college tuition, his mother had borrowed money to open the small grocery store, which was the family's sole livelihood. The store, less than fifty square meters, managed to get by, thanks in part to Qin Mian's amiable nature and solid reputation in the market.

Lee Mu was unaware of the high-interest debt his family owed until the man in the flowery shirt showed up.

"Where's the boss lady? Get out here!" the man in the flowery shirt bellowed, kicking over a stack of goods as he entered.

Qin Mian, recognizing the creditor, hurried out, visibly flustered.

The grocery store was their only means of support for his college and the family's expenses. If it were wrecked, they would struggle even to eat.

"Brother, isn't it due at the end of the month?" Qin Mian asked, her voice strained.

"Quit your yapping. I decide when you pay back the money I lent," the man retorted, spitting. "A widow and her worthless son, probably don't even know who the father is. I've seen plenty of deadbeats like you who don't pay their debts. Enough talk, hand over the money, or don't blame me for not being nice!"

The words cut through Qin Mian like a knife to the heart.

"The promissory note has a date, it's due at the end of the month. You wrote it yourselves; you can't just break your promise," Qin Mian choked out, wiping her tears and shakily handing over the note to the man in the floral shirt.

"Cut the crap!" The man in the floral shirt swatted the note away.

"No money, huh? Alright then." He gestured, and his cronies quickly closed in. The man in the floral shirt commanded, "Guys, smash it!"

"Please, don't smash it. I'm begging you, I won't default on the debt. I'll pay back the money."

Tears streamed down Qin Mian's face, but she didn't bother to wipe them away as she desperately clutched at the man's arm, pleading.

"Get lost, you wretched woman!" The man in the floral shirt shook her off with a backhand swipe.

Fragile and slight as she was, Qin Mian was sent flying by the force of the man's shove.

"This is too much! How can you treat someone like this?" Outraged, someone from the crowd of market-goers finally stepped forward.

It was an elderly woman.

The man in the floral shirt sneered, approached the old lady, grabbed her collar, and hissed, "You're asking for it, you old hag!"

"Who are you calling out? Release her at once!"

A commanding shout drew the attention of everyone, including the man in the floral shirt.

A young man in his early twenties, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, strode forward, his complexion slightly pale. He was carrying a box of goods he had retrieved from the entrance.