Chapter Forty-Nine: Don’t Go Yet, I Still Want to Offer Myself!

Even after Qin Luo’s figure disappeared at the far end of her sight, Wang Jiujiu still stood in place, biting her lip.

“Li Qingcheng? She’s quite a formidable opponent, isn’t she?”

After pondering for a while, Wang Jiujiu fished her phone out of her pocket.

Once the call connected, she spoke with a face full of grievance, “Zhang Yiyi, I was bullied again.”

“Who? Who bullied our Jiujiu this time?” There was a pause, and the voice on the other end deepened. “Honestly, daughter, aren’t you a bit too prone to trouble? There are millions of people in Yanjing, hundreds of thousands of women, yet you’re the only one getting bullied all the time?”

“What do you know? They’re bullying Teacher Qin,” Wang Jiujiu retorted angrily.

“My son-in-law? Who dared to bully him? And you can’t handle them?”

“I really can’t,” Wang Jiujiu replied pitifully.

“Heh, now you know to call your mother for backup, huh? Whoever bullies my son-in-law, I’ll deal with them,” Zhang Yiyi said smugly.

“It’s the school.”

“The school? How did the school bully him?”

“They said he doesn’t have a teaching certificate. They want to fire him.”

“Teaching certificate? What’s that?”

“Zhang Yiyi, I know you’re not cultured, but do you really have to make it so obvious? You don’t even know what a teaching certificate is?”

“What’s wrong with not knowing? Do you know which foods are good for enhancing the bust? Do you know the best time for beauty treatments? Or how drinking water can help with whitening? I have my own area of expertise.”

Wang Jiujiu wanted to retort, but remembering she needed her mother’s help, she explained patiently, “A teaching certificate is basically a qualification for teachers. Without it, you can’t teach. Didn’t you go to university? How do you not know this?”

“Sigh, I haven’t been a student in years. Who has time to remember these things? I don’t see what’s the big deal. If he can’t be a teacher, so be it. Ask him which department he wants to join, I’ll get him in. What about the education department?”

“―――”

“No? Well, he could be a soldier too. Though his constitution doesn’t look great—he can’t be a military officer. Maybe join the cultural troupe in the army. Or be an army doctor, that’s fine. Promotion would be fast――”

“I just want him to be a teacher,” Wang Jiujiu interrupted impatiently.

“Can he get a certificate now?”

“No.”

“Buy one?”

“It’ll get found out.”

“What if no one checks?”

“Someone definitely will.” Wang Jiujiu then exaggerated the story from the KTV when she explained what happened, including her suspicion that the certificate might be used to take revenge on Qin Luo.

Zhang Yiyi was furious on the other end of the line, cursing, “These bastards! This is too much, just too much. I’ve always been the one bullying others—when did it become someone else’s turn to bully our family? Where does that principal live? Give me the address. I’ll sit outside his door and curse him for three days and nights.”

Wang Jiujiu burst out laughing. “You’d really do something so embarrassing?”

“Of course I won’t go myself. I’ll pay a hundred laborers to curse him, make him so ashamed he won’t dare step out his door.”

“Mom, that’s too petty. Why don’t you call your friends? You were the flower of Yanjing University back in the day. Your connections must be wide, handling such a small matter should be easy, right?” Wang Jiujiu flattered her mother lightly.

“Naturally. Back then, your mother was famous throughout Yanjing. The men who pursued me could line up from Wangfujing all the way past the Fifth Ring. Sadly, the flower always ends up stuck in cow dung—”

“Enough reminiscing. Hurry up and make the calls,” Wang Jiujiu urged.

“Alright, I’ll get on it,” Zhang Yiyi replied.

“Hurry. If Teacher Qin gets kicked out, I’ll climb to the rooftop and jump.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea! Go to your school’s highest rooftop and threaten them—say if they don’t keep Teacher Qin, you’ll jump. I’ll get a few reporters there, take some photos, scare them proper. It’ll work for sure! Mother and daughter, inside and outside, colluding to get this done beautifully—”

“Zhang Yiyi, are you really my mother? I was just saying it, and you actually want me to jump? What kind of mother are you?” Wang Jiujiu stomped her feet in anger.

“I really think it’s a pretty good idea.”

*****************************

Qin Luo walked out of the Medical University and waited for a while, then flagged down a passing taxi.

The driver spotted him and pulled over.

“It’s just you, right?” The driver looked around behind Qin Luo.

“Yes, just me,” Qin Luo nodded. The driver’s actions and questions seemed odd—was he planning to take him to some remote spot and rob him?

“Oh, that’s good. Get in,” the driver obviously breathed a sigh of relief.

“Do you know me?” Qin Luo asked as he opened the door.

“I do. Last time, you and your girlfriend rode in my cab and nearly got in an accident. Don’t you remember?”

“Honestly, I can’t recall,” Qin Luo smiled and shook his head.

“Heh, it’s normal you don’t remember me, but I remember you. Not many people wear clothes like yours these days, and you had such a—well, such a sexy girlfriend,” the driver laughed as he started the car.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Qin Luo explained.

“Oh, shy are we? You two acted like a couple—if she’s your girlfriend, it must be tough for you, huh? As the saying goes, pain and joy go hand in hand.” The driver, a typical Yanjing taxi driver, chatted away with ease.

“But if your girlfriend was with you today, I wouldn’t dare take your fare. Money’s important, but safety first. Last time I drove you two, my hands were shaking the whole time.”

“Sorry,” Qin Luo apologized, a little embarrassed.

He thought to himself, Li the enchantress really is something—the taxi driver remembered her after just one ride and wouldn’t dare take her business again.

Qin Luo got out at the entrance of Qingcheng International, and was immediately greeted by a uniformed staff member.

“Mr. Qin, President Li is waiting for you on the second floor,” the uniformed woman smiled warmly.

“The second floor?” Qin Luo was nervous. That was where those flirtatious women held their salons, their lustful gazes and daring provocations were more than he, a bashful young man, could handle.

“Can I wait for her on the third floor?”

“President Li said she has business to discuss with you on the second floor. I believe it’s about Miss Chen Sixuan’s treatment.”

“Oh, alright,” Qin Luo agreed.

He was puzzled—he’d applied the golden silkworm powder to Chen Sixuan’s leg, the scars should have faded. Unless they hadn’t entirely disappeared?

As fate would have it, just as Qin Luo stepped into the second-floor hall, he heard the sounds of laughter and chatter coming from inside.

“Mr. Qin, please.” The uniformed woman saw Qin Luo hesitate at the entrance and gestured for him to enter.

The women who were laughing and joking spotted Qin Luo and turned their attention toward him.

“Oh, Li Beauty’s little lover is here. Make way, ladies.”

“Handsome boy, come in! Afraid we’ll eat you or something?”

“That’s right. We’re not tigers. Come sit beside your sister.”

-------

Qin Luo forced a stiff smile, raised his hand in greeting. “Hello, everyone.”

“Oh, did you notice? The way he waves is so stylish,” a woman with curly hair and an innocent look pointed at Qin Luo and exclaimed.

“That’s Li Beauty’s little lover, what’s it to you, Zhou Yun?”

“Exactly. Are you trying to have one man serve two women?”

Li Qingcheng stood up from the sofa, laughing as she scolded, “Honestly, could you all stop being so wicked? You’ll scare off my little brother.”

“See, Li Beauty says we shouldn’t be wicked, but she’s even worse herself—calling him her little brother nonstop—oh, dear—”

Qin Luo felt an urge to turn and run. This group of women was a hundred times scarier than a pack of tigers.

Li Qingcheng, smiling, walked over and took Qin Luo’s hand. “Come, sit. Our beautiful Sixuan wants to thank you properly. How about repaying you with herself?”

“Alright, whatever,” Qin Luo nodded. His mind was fuzzy, barely registering what Li Qingcheng was saying.

The women were stunned at first, then burst into even louder laughter.

“Sixuan, go offer yourself. The handsome guy agreed.”

“Yes, he said whatever. Haha, this little man is adorable. When will you let me borrow him for some fun?”

Chen Sixuan, her face flushed, stood up and bowed deeply to Qin Luo. Wearing a powder-blue, low-cut T-shirt, as she bent forward, Qin Luo couldn’t help but take in her ample D-cup chest.

“Mr. Qin, I truly must thank you. Your medical skills are extraordinary. My leg is healed, not a scar left,” Chen Sixuan raised her head, looking at Qin Luo with admiration. She had never encountered such miraculous medicine—it was like a miracle.

Qin Luo had not only healed her leg, but also saved her career. She’d thought she’d never be able to do the work she loved again.

“It’s nothing, really. No need to thank me,” Qin Luo waved his hand hurriedly, growing even more nervous as the women laughed.

He glanced quickly and saw that Chen Sixuan’s leg was indeed completely healed, no scars remaining. Smiling, he said, “Glad to hear it. I have other business, so I’ll let you get back to yours. I’ll be going now.”

He just wanted to escape this den of wolves; these women were too seductive, making him feel as if he were standing stark naked before them.

“Hey, Mr. Qin, don’t go. I still have to—offer myself—no, I mean, I want to invite you to dinner. Please, would you do me the honor?”

Chen Sixuan realized she’d said the wrong thing. This woman, acclaimed as Taiwan’s top leg model, had never felt embarrassed on the runway, but now her beautiful face was as red as if painted with rouge.

In her fluster, she’d turned her invitation into an offer of herself, all thanks to the teasing of those flirtatious women.

The women fell silent at first, then laughed even louder. Some doubled over on the sofa, clutching their stomachs, oblivious to the exposure beneath their short skirts.