After all, switching majors in senior year was almost unheard of, especially going from something popular to a field hardly anyone cared about.

Sean’s face darkened, and he was about to step forward when Claire grabbed his arm. She lowered her voice with a smile. “What’s the rush? She knows this one. Just wait and see.”

Acupuncture techniques for treating specific conditions were part of the second semester’s curriculum. Even if Josie worked her tail off, Sean felt that there was no way she could’ve mastered two semesters’ worth of material in only a month. Sean was really starting to doubt it.

But just as Sean paused, Josie, standing at the front of the stage, jumped right in. She said, “To ease stomach pain, you want to focus on the main acupoints for the stomach, specifically the area above the stomach and below the stomach. There are several key points.”

As she spoke, Josie stepped out from behind the podium, pointing to each spot on her own body so everyone could see exactly where the points were.

She explained, “If the stomachache is caused by eating something too cold, you should focus on the area above the stomach. If it’s from overeating, attend to the area right on your stomach. “For bruises, attend to the area around your stomach. If the problem is blood deficiency, then massage the area below your stomach.”

When she finished, Josie gave Jaden a faint, almost teasing smile. “Does that explanation make sense to you?” Jaden’s grin froze for a long moment. He stared at Josie in utter disbelief. He felt that this was impossible. He thought, ‘How could she remember all that complicated stuff about acupoints? “There is no way she just crammed it all by rote. But how could she have known I’d throw that kind of question at her? ‘Did she see this coming and prepare for it ahead of time? ‘Unless…‘

Jaden shot Josie a glare. “I don’t know anything about acupoints, and I sure don’t get acupuncture either. “Even if you were making it all up, I wouldn’t have a clue how to call you out. So whatever, let’s just say you’re right.”

Josie let out a soft, amused laugh. “If you don’t even understand the subject, then why bother asking me that kind of question? “What exactly are you trying to prove by putting me on the spot like this?”

“Exactly,” Claire said, stepping forward. She continued, “Do you think students from our niche major are easy targets, or do you just act like you own the place and toss the rules out the window? “Are you here to embarrass her, or just looking to pick a fight?”

Each of Claire’s questions stung Jaden right in the face. He wanted to snap back, but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out. Deep down, he knew Claire was right. He really was just trying to make Josie look bad. But if he just let it go, he’d feel even more humiliated. ‘Who does Claire think she is, making me lose face in front of everyone?’ he fumed inside.

But before he could get a word out, a teacher had already stepped up and snatched the mic from his hand. “Don’t ask questions unrelated to the innovation project. Sit down,” the teacher said while shooting Jaden a warning glare. Then, he turned to signal for Josie and her team to leave the stage. Claire grabbed Josie by the hand and pulled her off the stage. “Let’s go.”

Once they were off the stage, Josie suddenly remembered she’d left her notebook behind. She turned around just in time to see Sean already walking over, carrying her notebook and all the equipment they’d used for the presentation. “Thanks, Sean,” Josie said as she reached out to take her notebook from him. Sean freed up one hand and, almost without thinking, reached out to give Josie’s head a gentle pat. “You did really well just now!” he said, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He added, “That was a real surprise.” He knew Josie worked hard, but he hadn’t expected her to put in this much effort.

“Bet you didn’t know that!” Claire leaned in with a playful wink. She continued. “On Josie’s very first day memorizing acupoints, she actually asked how to treat stomach issues with acupuncture. So Jaden really just picked the one question she already had down cold. Talk about bad luck.

“Is your stomach bothering you?” Sean’s face fell immediately. “How long has this been going on? Have you seen a doctor for it?” Claire suddenly realized, too. “Oh, right! I never even thought about that. Josie, do you have stomach issues?”