Chapter Thirty-Nine: Loyalty Exists Only When the Price of Betrayal Is Not Enough

The profession of leg modeling is already quite established overseas, primarily serving to promote hosiery, boots, skirts, skincare products, and creative advertising. Internationally, there are specific criteria for leg models: the proportion of the calf to the thigh should be nearly equal or the calf slightly longer; the leg shape must be evenly proportioned, with graceful, delicate lines, smooth skin free of obvious scars, a straight central line, calves that convey strength, rounded thighs, and no excess flesh on the hips.

From this, it is clear that for a leg model, even the tiniest flaw can be disastrous.

Chen Sixuan, hailed as Taiwan's most beautiful legs, earns a fortune every day. However, during a commercial shoot, her calf was accidentally cut by some equipment. To most people, a small nick on the leg means little, but for Chen Sixuan, it could cost her both her future and her livelihood.

She and Li Qingcheng were university classmates and friends. Over the phone, she poured out her troubles to Li Qingcheng. At first, Li Qingcheng comforted her kindly, but when she inadvertently discovered that a scrape she’d gotten from a fall had left no trace, she immediately shared the good news with Chen Sixuan.

Overjoyed, Chen Sixuan packed her bags and rushed to Yanjing that very day. That’s how Qin Luo found himself mysteriously dragged into this beauty salon where women reigned supreme.

"Can it really be healed? Not even a trace left?" Chen Sixuan asked anxiously.

"I'm sorry. It's not that I don't believe you. Beauty Li praised your medical skills, but I'm still a bit worried—" Her Mandarin was imperfect, heavily tinged with a Hong Kong-Taiwan accent, but her pitiful demeanor evoked a measure of sympathy.

Qin Luo pointed at Li Qingcheng’s knee and said, "Her injury was far worse than yours. Can you find any scar now?"

"Little brother, you’re being inappropriate in public again," Li Qingcheng teased, licking her lips as she caught Qin Luo glancing at her calf.

"I was just giving an example," Qin Luo quickly averted his gaze.

"But that gesture is easily misunderstood."

"———"

Chen Sixuan smiled and said, "Beauty Li also told me her knee had been injured, but I couldn't find a single scar. How could it heal so perfectly? It's just like before."

"Enough, Sixuan. No matter what we say, you won’t believe us. Let our handsome boy here touch your thigh, and your scar will vanish," Li Qingcheng said with a grin.

"So you’re saying your own injury healed because he touched your thigh?" a beautiful woman in a white blouse joked.

"Of course. Not only did I let him touch my thigh, I even showed him things I shouldn’t have," Li Qingcheng retorted, unyielding.

"And what things shouldn’t be seen?" someone asked.

"Silly question. Are there really any parts of a woman that can't be seen by a man?" Li Qingcheng said with disdain.

"——I really didn’t mean to. You were sitting that way, and I couldn’t help but see," Qin Luo explained with a wry smile. Surrounded by these women, their teasing left his mind abuzz like a swarm of bees.

The women laughed uproariously. "Handsome boy, you’re too adorable. We didn’t even need to interrogate you; you confessed yourself."

"So you really do have something going on! I thought Beauty Li was just joking."

"Always playing with fire, but this time Beauty Li got burned herself, huh?"

"Little brother, were Beauty Li’s parts as beautiful as they say?"

Qin Luo didn’t have time to reply "yes" before Li Qingcheng pinched him, and he quickly shook his head, "No, not beautiful."

"———"

As the women clutched their stomachs, roaring with laughter, an exasperated Li Qingcheng pinched him a few more times.

Once the laughter subsided, Qin Luo finally asked, "Can we start the treatment now?"

So much time had passed that the last two classes at school were probably already over. He still needed to hurry back to meet Lin Huanxi—couldn’t keep a beauty waiting too long at school.

"Sixuan, have a seat. For the sake of beauty, offer up the chastity of your thigh to our handsome boy," Li Qingcheng said with a laugh.

Chastity of the thigh? This woman was truly wicked—Qin Luo nearly toppled over. No wonder the teachers at school spoke of her as if she were a force of nature; she certainly had a gift for stirring up gossip.

"So yours was offered up long ago, then?" Chen Sixuan retorted, but obediently sat down on the sofa, slipped off her shoes, and lifted her breathtakingly beautiful long legs in front of Qin Luo.

That pose truly did recall the image of offering up one’s chastity.

Qin Luo knelt down, took out a small bottle of golden silkworm powder from his pocket, carefully poured a little onto his palm, and gently applied it to the scar on Chen Sixuan’s calf.

With his fingers, he softly buffed the scabbed area, continuing until the gold powder had fully absorbed into her skin, then finally stopped.

He put the bottle away and said to Chen Sixuan, "When you shower tonight, don’t wash off the powder. You’ll be fine by tomorrow."

"That’s it?" Chen Sixuan stared at him, incredulous.

"Yes, that’s it," Qin Luo nodded.

"No way! Handsome boy, how could it be so easy?"

"Exactly. You can’t just smear something on and fool Sixuan."

"You’ve had her leg in your hands for so long, shouldn’t you give something more?"

Not only was Chen Sixuan unconvinced, even the bystanders were highly skeptical.

"It really will heal," Qin Luo replied, half amused, half exasperated.

"Don’t give Qin Luo a hard time," Li Qingcheng interjected, knowing firsthand how effective his medicine was. "He treated me the same way."

"Hmph, Beauty Li, always covering for your little man. We’ll check in three days—if Sixuan’s leg isn’t healed, we’ll strip your trousers and take nude photos."

"Deal. If Sixuan’s leg heals, you’ll have to show us those Gold Ring Nude Series photos you took last time," Li Qingcheng shot back with a challenge.

Then she turned to Qin Luo, "Do you know what the Gold Ring Nude Series is?"

"No," Qin Luo shook his head.

"I knew you didn’t. Looks like you’ll have quite the treat."

"Li Qingcheng, you’re asking for trouble," the woman replied angrily, her face flushed.

Qin Luo was full of anticipation. Whatever the Gold Ring Nude Series was, it certainly sounded mysterious. When he told his grandfather, he could boast of seeing something the old man never had the luck to witness.

From their conversation, Qin Luo gathered that each of these women had a notable background. One of them, a curly-haired woman, was even a fairly famous Chinese celebrity, though country bumpkin that he was, he hadn’t recognized her.

After standing there for a while as the women teased him, Li Qingcheng finally stepped forward and said, "Ladies, you carry on. I have something to discuss with Qin Luo."

"We know you’re in a hurry—go take care of business," a short-haired woman said with a carefree wave.

"You’re the one in a hurry, always in a hurry," Li Qingcheng shot back.

Qin Luo covered his face in mock tears. Compared to these women, calling himself a "rascal" would be an insult to the word.

Li Qingcheng’s office was on the third floor, elegantly and luxuriously decorated. Besides an outer office with a desk and bookshelves, the inner room contained a sofa, a wardrobe, and other furnishings—clearly, she used it as both an office and a private retreat.

"Have a seat," Li Qingcheng gestured to the sofa. She removed her beret and hung it on the wall, then casually ran her fingers through her hair in a most feminine manner.

"Thank you," Qin Luo obediently sat down.

Li Qingcheng brought over two cups of tea and sat across from him. By now, her playful, seductive expression was gone, replaced by a serious look as she regarded Qin Luo.

"Don’t look at me like that," Qin Luo said, feeling uneasy.

"Like what?"

"Don’t look at me that way," he leaned back a bit.

When she acted normal, it somehow felt abnormal.

She burst out laughing. "You’re just too cute. I want to talk business with you."

"What kind of business?" Qin Luo wondered if she wanted to buy his body. If she threw a wad of cash in his face and said, "Spend the night with me and it’s yours," should he refuse?

"I’m interested in your medicine. Name your price and sell me the formula," Li Qingcheng said bluntly.

"No way," Qin Luo shook his head. "This is a Qin family heirloom. I have to pass it down to my son, then to my grandson. It can’t be sold."

"Then let’s cooperate. You invest the formula, I’ll handle sourcing, production, promotion, and sales, and we’ll split the profits seventy-thirty," she continued to entice him.

"No," Qin Luo shook his head again. "If my grandfather found out, he’d break my legs. I can’t use it to make money."

"Sixty-forty. I get forty, you get sixty."

"No. My family isn’t short of money. I don’t spend much anyway, so I don’t need that much."

"Fifty-fifty," she interrupted, still bargaining, clearly determined to get her way.

"Really, I can’t. My parents wouldn’t agree either—"

"Sixty-forty. You get sixty."

"I really can’t decide this. Please don’t make it hard for me."

"Seventy-thirty. You get seventy."

"——I’m touched by your sincerity. If I refuse, I’d seem ungrateful," Qin Luo said. "All right, let’s make a deal then."