"What on earth is going on with him?" Du Yifan stared at the retreating back of Fang Ruoshi, puzzled.
"I never noticed he was particularly close to Lin Muyao. Wasn't he closer to Shu Lanzhou?"
Tian Hua looked visibly annoyed.
"Close or not, you'd better hold your tongue. From now on, don't mention Shu Lanzhou, and definitely don't go running your mouth in front of her. Be careful, or she'll sell you out and have you thanking her for it."
"That's an exaggeration!" Du Yifan scoffed.
"She just got lucky and caught Mu Yanning's eye. She's not all that. If she really was, her name wouldn't be buried after all the professors' in this research project."
Is that so?
Tian Hua wasn't convinced.
Fang Ruoshi's behavior was even more puzzling. He used to be the one with the least connection to Lin Muyao in the team. He didn't look like he was standing up for her—it was more like…
Tian Hua stopped himself. He couldn't afford to dwell on it. With a barely noticeable shake of his head, he turned back to his office.
Ever since Lin Muyao's incident, he had his own pile of trouble to deal with. Whether Fang Ruoshi was good or bad, it had nothing to do with him.
On the rooftop, the cold wind cut against Fang Ruoshi's face. His tears could only fall in his heart.
Leave? Easy to say.
But the Ji family wasn't something you could just walk away from.
He'd probably rot inside that cage for the rest of his life.
Shu Lanzhou could have saved him. She really could have.
She came from nothing too. She had clawed her way up with everything she had, using whatever means necessary to get what she wanted.
Why couldn't she understand him? Why couldn't she forgive his indifference in the past? Why couldn't she help him?
Fang Ruoshi collapsed to the ground in anguish. His hands trembled as he lit a cigarette—one drag, two drags, three—and then he crushed it and tossed it into the trash.
He even smacked his clothes a few times, trying to get rid of the lingering smell.
Ji Chuyun hated that scent. If she caught even a whiff, he'd get another beating.
He'd heard Lin Muyao was in the hospital. Aside from her face, her whole body had been lashed to near ruin.
What is it with these rich people?
Why are they all so obsessed with whipping others?
Was that the only way they could flaunt their superiority?
Fang Ruoshi let out a bitter laugh and got up to leave the rooftop.
At the traditional medicine hospital, Shu Lanzhou was changing into surgical scrubs while discussing the patient's case with Mu Yanning.
"This operation isn't complicated. He Sixin is leading it. You'll assist with acupuncture for pain management. The patient's constitution is sensitive—no anesthetics," Mu Yanning instructed.
"If you have anything to say, wait until the surgery's done."
"Got it." Shu Lanzhou nodded. "I'll coordinate."
This was Dr. He Sixin's first surgery since completing her Ph.D.—no room for mistakes.
He Sixin dreamed of research, so every real surgery was precious. The two women braced themselves and focused fully.
Fortunately, the operation was straightforward. It wrapped up within an hour, and it was a resounding success.
When they exited, the patient's family looked stunned.
"You... you're Dr. He? And you're the acupuncture anesthetist? You both look so young!"
"Not that young anymore, almost forty," Shu Lanzhou replied with a smile. "Just blessed with a baby face." She quickly pulled He Sixin away.
"The family didn't know you were the lead surgeon?" That kind of thing could be problematic.
He Sixin shot her a glance. "Of course they did. I just wore a mask the last few times. He probably didn't realize my age."
"Dr. He."
That title was deceiving.
Shu Lanzhou couldn't help but laugh. "Lucky he didn't notice, or you wouldn't have made it into the OR."
"Exactly. Everyone wants seasoned surgeons with impeccable skill. But skill doesn't always scale with age. And how do you think we gain experience in the first place?"
He Sixin sighed.
"No one wants to be the guinea pig on a young doctor's learning curve. But they don't realize we've trained endlessly before ever stepping into an OR. Who would take lives lightly?"
She had a point—depending on your perspective.
Trust between people came from time spent together. Doctors and patients didn't have that luxury. Building absolute trust was hard.
Everyone wanted the best doctor when they were sick—but was "the best" always truly deserving of the title?
No one could answer that with full certainty.
"What's with the serious face?" He Sixin nudged Shu Lanzhou.
Shu Lanzhou began unbuttoning her scrubs.
"Nothing. Just thinking, once this research wraps up, maybe I'll take the juniors out for some free acupuncture clinics."
"That's a great idea. Free clinics build clinical experience faster than anything else. But this project will take a few more years. You've got time."
After changing, He Sixin said, "I'll wait for you in the office. Dinner later?"
Shu Lanzhou nodded. "Sure."
By the time she returned to the office, Mu Yanning had already reviewed the surgical report.
"Well done—especially you, Shu Lanzhou. Your acupuncture technique has improved again."
"Thank you, Professor," Shu Lanzhou said with a smile.
Mu Yanning set the file aside.
"So? What did you gain from your trip to the research institute?"
"A lot." Shu Lanzhou shared her suspicions and described Du Yifan and the others' reactions.
"Looks like they really don't know there's a problem with the new drug. I suspect Han Weicheng limited participation in the final testing phase. Investigating from outside won't be easy."
He Sixin frowned. "So we just watch them copy our drug and take it to market?"
"There's one other way," Shu Lanzhou tapped the desk with her finger. "But it'll require cooperation from my husband's side."
Mu Yanning had already thought of it.
"You talk to Mu Side. I'll call Mu Rongxie and get him to delegate authority. We can't let the Luo family beat us to market."
"I'll need some files—ones Luo Jialin can never get his hands on..." When Shu Lanzhou left the hospital, she took with her a stack of real-world clinical case files.
A week later, He Xin's research team officially announced the release of their new drug, revealing its applications, clinical trial data, and even its formula.
Their level of detail far outshone Han Weicheng's team.
At the same time, Shu Lanzhou collaborated with Nan Xi on the new season of Medical Family Chronicles, sharing key moments from Ni Sheng's team's development process, including the drug's pivotal formulation changes.
Ni Sheng himself also participated in the interview. Though his comments on Shu Lanzhou's unconventional experimental ideas were made with a joking tone, they didn't go unnoticed.
Shu Lanzhou hadn't expected that kind of reaction.
While her side basked in attention and acclaim, things weren't going as smoothly for Luo Jialin.
He'd just been rejected for the umpteenth time on a sales order.
Hospitals and pharmacies that had promised contracts for bulk purchases of his team's new drug were all backing out—signing instead with the Mu family.
He couldn't make sense of it.
"Director Wang, there's got to be a mistake. He Xin's drug is tailored for post-acupuncture procedures. Ours is for general preoperative use—they're not the same. And—"
He was cut off.
"They're not that different. I've worked in drug development myself. The active ingredients in both are roughly the same. Efficacy and application are also similar."
"Theirs just includes an extra herbal compound. It's not a big deal."
Luo Jialin looked even more confused.
"But that extra herb increases their cost. Shouldn't you be choosing our drug?"
Director Wang waved him off.
"That's not how it works. Medication is about results. If it doesn't work, we won't use it no matter how cheap it is. President Luo, please—let's not cooperate this time."
"Director Wang—wait! What efficacy? How do you know our drug isn't as effective as theirs?" Luo Jialin was starting to panic.