"A man's knees bear gold," as the saying goes, let alone the knees of the Lei family's men.

  But when faced with his grandfather's life hanging in the balance, Lei Jun's knees bore no gold.

  The wind whipped rain against Lei Jun's face, icy and biting, but he seemed not to feel it. His chiseled features were etched with determination.

  His grandfather had taught him that everyone must bear the consequences of their actions. And now, he was doing just that. Since his arrogance and disrespect had provoked Lin Yu, he would accept the punishment he deserved.

  He even felt the punishment wasn’t enough, which was why his expression was so humbled.

  "Master Lei, please go back. You’re too precious—if anything happens to you, I can’t take the responsibility," Lin Yu said coldly, glancing at Lei Jun kneeling outside before lowering his head to continue organizing his accounts.

  "Lei Jun admits his mistake. I beg you, sir, to save my grandfather! The entire Lei family will be eternally grateful!"

  Lei Jun’s voice was resolute. He had made up his mind: if Lin Yu didn’t agree today, he would kneel for a day. If Lin Yu still refused tomorrow, he would kneel for two. He would kneel until Lin Yu relented—or until his grandfather breathed his last.

  Lin Yu ignored him, focusing on his work.

  In truth, Lin Yu already understood Old Man Lei’s condition and had long intended to intervene. His repeated refusals were solely to teach Lei Jun a lesson.

  After Old Man Song’s call with Lei Jun two days prior, Old Man Lei had called Lin Yu directly to explain the situation.

  Lin Yu hadn’t guaranteed a cure, but he had said the problem wasn’t serious.

  Old Man Song was overjoyed. He knew Lin Yu’s modesty well—if Lin Yu said "not necessarily," it usually meant the problem was manageable. If he said "not serious," it meant a hundred percent certainty.

  Delighted that Old Man Lei could be saved, Old Man Song had kept the details from Lei Jun at Lin Yu’s request, leading to Lei Jun’s three visits to plead with Lin Yu.

  "Brother Jun? What are you doing here? Get up!"

  A crisp voice rang out, followed by a policewoman hurrying over with an umbrella, reaching out to pull Lei Jun to his feet.

  "Xue Ning? What are you doing here?"

  Lei Jun looked up in surprise to see Wei Xuening.

  It had been a while since they’d last met, and Wei Xuening had grown strikingly beautiful. Her large, bright eyes and peach-blossom complexion radiated youth, and her figure was flawless—long legs, a slender waist, a full bust, and a pert backside. The police uniform she wore only accentuated her striking presence, giving her an air of authority.

  "I went to see Grandpa Lei, and they said you were here," Wei Xuening said, holding the umbrella over him. "Why are you kneeling? Get up."

  She tugged at his arm, but Lei Jun shook his head guiltily. "I’m here to beg Dr. He to treat my grandfather. If he doesn’t agree, I won’t get up."

  "How heartless! And he calls himself a doctor? Where’s his medical ethics?" Wei Xuening fumed. "Wait here. I’ll go talk some sense into him."

  Before Lei Jun could stop her, she stormed into Huisheng Hall and slammed her palm on the counter. "Are you the one surnamed He? How can you be so heartless as to refuse to save a life?"

  Lin Yu looked up, momentarily stunned. He had never seen such a beautiful policewoman before. The uniform suited her surprisingly well.

  "Your menstrual cycle’s been irregular lately. You should try to control your temper," Lin Yu said with a smile.

  "What did you say?! You bastard, how dare you mock me!"

  Wei Xuening’s eyes flashed with anger. In a blink, she darted to Lin Yu’s side and swung a slap at his face.

  Lin Yu moved like lightning, catching her wrist. He stood abruptly, twisted her arm, and flipped her onto the counter, pinning her there with her arm wrenched behind her back.

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  "Let me go! Let me go, you bastard!"

  Wei Xuening thrashed and screamed, but soon stopped struggling. Her face flushed crimson.

  The position was mortifying—she was bent over the counter, her backside sticking up, while Lin Yu stood directly behind her, uncomfortably close. Every squirm brought her into contact with parts of him she’d rather avoid.

  "You pervert! You’re dead!" she hissed, her face burning.

  "Sorry, that wasn’t intentional."

  Lin Yu, noticing the awkwardness, immediately released her and stepped back.

  "Die!"

  With a snarl, Wei Xuening lashed out with a palm strike aimed at Lin Yu’s head.

  Her strike was swift and powerful—enough to give an ordinary person a concussion.

  But Lin Yu didn’t flinch. He simply smiled at her, letting her attack come.

  Wei Xuening smirked inwardly. *Idiot. You’re not even dodging? I’ll knock your block off!*

  But to her shock, her palm missed by a hair’s breadth, grazing the tip of Lin Yu’s nose.

  *Impossible!*

  Her heart skipped a beat. Gritting her teeth, she adjusted her stance and struck again. This time, her arm extended fully, yet still, she couldn’t touch him.

  Her face paled as she glanced at Lin Yu’s feet. He hadn’t moved, yet somehow, he was just out of reach.

  "So you know martial arts!"

  Wei Xuening scoffed and unleashed her full repertoire of punches and kicks, attacking with everything she had.

  But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t land a single hit. Not even his clothes were grazed.

  "Bagua Palm?" Lin Yu raised an eyebrow, amused. "Too bad you’re not very skilled."

  "Bullshit!" Wei Xuening’s strikes grew fiercer.

  "Angle’s too low."

  "Stance is too narrow."

  "Footwork’s unstable."

  "And your... your hips lack power."

  As he spoke, Lin Yu tapped her arm, thigh, waist, and backside in quick succession.

  "You pervert! I’ll kill you!"

  The sting on her backside sent Wei Xuening into a rage. Realizing she couldn’t beat him, she reached for her holstered gun.

  But the moment she aimed it at Lin Yu, he vanished.

  "Pointing guns at people isn’t polite, you know."

  Lin Yu’s voice came from behind her. Before she could react, her gun was gone. He reappeared sitting on the counter, spinning the weapon lazily on his finger.

  "Give it back!"

  Wei Xuening’s face drained of color. Losing her service weapon was a grave offense.

  She lunged for it, but no matter how she tried, she couldn’t reclaim it.

  "I’ll return it if you apologize for your rudeness," Lin Yu teased, dodging effortlessly.

  "Never!"

  "Then I’ll toss it into the dumpster out back. If you don’t mind the smell, you can dig for it later."

  "Fine! I apologize!"

  The thought of rummaging through garbage made Wei Xuening relent. "I’m sorry. Happy now?"

  "Not sincere enough."

  "What do you want, then?" she snapped, glaring daggers at him.

  "Say, ‘Big brother, I was wrong,’ and I’ll give it back."

  "In your dreams!"

  "Then dumpster it is." Lin Yu sighed and turned to leave.

  "B-big brother... I was wrong..."

  Wei Xuening forced the words through gritted teeth, her eyes welling with tears. Never in her life had she been so humiliated.

  "There, there. All forgiven. Here you go."

  Seeing her on the verge of tears, Lin Yu hastily returned the gun. He had a soft spot for crying women.

  Wei Xuening snatched it back and turned to leave, then paused. "You’re coming to treat Grandpa Lei right now," she said coldly, tears still in her eyes. "Or I swear, I’ll kill you if it’s the last thing I do."

  "Fine, fine. I’ll go." Lin Yu chuckled, oddly charmed by her tearful ferocity.

  After gathering his supplies, Lin Yu followed Wei Xuening out.

  "Dr. He!" Lei Jun’s face lit up at the sight of him.

  "Let’s go, Master Lei. I’ll treat your grandfather." Lin Yu’s tone softened. Lei Jun’s kneeling hadn’t earned his scorn—it had won his respect. A man who could cast aside pride for loved ones was a true man indeed.

  "Thank you, Dr. He!"

  Overjoyed, Lei Jun tried to stand, but his stiff legs gave way. Lin Yu caught him, sending a warm surge of energy through his limbs that instantly relieved the stiffness.

  Lei Jun stared at him in awe. Lin Yu simply patted his shoulder and ushered him into the car.

  When they arrived at the sanatorium, they found an elderly man in a white coat bent over Old Man Lei, administering acupuncture.

  "Director, who is this?" Lei Jun asked curiously.

  "Ah, Master Lei, this is Elder Xiao, a renowned TCM expert I invited from Ling’an this morning. His reputation in Jiangnan is second only to Elder Song’s," the director said proudly.

  "No need. I’ve brought Dr. He."

  Lei Jun’s tone was polite, his former sharpness gone. Three days of rejection had humbled him profoundly.

  "Dr. He? You could bring a miracle worker, and it wouldn’t help!"

  Elder Xiao scoffed at the title "miracle doctor." "Your grandfather’s condition is irreversible. Do you understand what that means?"

  "Old sir, nothing’s ever absolute," Lin Yu said mildly.

  "Young man, examine the patient before you speak," Elder Xiao retorted, eyeing Lin Yu disdainfully.

  He gestured to a nurse. "Show him the X-rays."

  The nurse presented the films, explaining, "Increased lung markings, thickened and adhered left pleura, blunted left costophrenic angle with mobile fluid, restricted left diaphragm movement, old tuberculosis scars in the upper left lung, progressive atrophy, and worsening pulmonary fibrosis."

  "Pulmonary fibrosis?"

  Lei Jun’s vision darkened. He swayed, nearly collapsing.

  He knew the term well—a comrade’s father had suffered from it.

  The condition was indeed irreversible, with a mortality rate higher than most cancers. The average survival post-diagnosis was under three years.

  In his grandfather’s state, even if he woke, he might not last months.

  Lin Yu studied the films silently. The fibrosis was new—Elder Song hadn’t mentioned it. The case was more complex than he’d thought.

  "Well, young man, still confident you can cure him?"

  Elder Xiao smirked at Lin Yu’s troubled expression.

  Such brash youngsters, all talk and no skill, were a dime a dozen.