Chapter Fifty: I’ll Take Care of You!

Even on their way to dinner, that group of women continued to tease Chen Sixuan about her earlier slip of the tongue.

“Sixuan, if you’re going to offer yourself, why did you bring us along?”

“Silly, if you’re making a grand gesture, of course you need to eat first. Where would you get the strength otherwise?”

“Being a doctor is great. Cure a beauty’s illness and she’ll devote herself to you in gratitude.”

“Stop making fun of me,” Chen Sixuan said, her cheeks flushed. She was truly at her wits’ end with this group of fujoshi.

The scars on her leg had completely healed, and she was ready to return to work. She’d bought a plane ticket for that night and wanted to treat Qin Luo to dinner to properly thank him for his help before leaving.

She’d planned to say a few words of gratitude over dinner, but the whole group insisted on joining in the fun. She could only invite them all.

Li Qingcheng noticed Qin Luo following along awkwardly and slowed her pace a bit to wait for him. As he caught up, she naturally slipped her arm through his and called out to the sharp-tongued, red-haired woman ahead: “Ran Yu, didn’t you say that if Qin Luo could cure Sixuan’s leg, you’d show him your entire Golden Ring lingerie collection? My brother says he’d like to see it, isn’t that right, Qin Luo?”

Qin Luo didn’t dare nod or shake his head; he could only force a stiff, foolish grin, looking as clueless as ever.

“Beautiful Li, are you trying to get yourself killed? Why don’t you just strip down yourself for him?” Ran Yu shot back.

“I wouldn’t mind, but he’s not interested. He only wants to see your siren of a self,” Li Qingcheng retorted.

“How could I compare to you? With your curves, the big chest and round hips—all the little guys are drawn to you!”

The two women volleyed back and forth, their banter endless, with the rest chiming in, adding to the chaos.

But for Qin Luo, the joking eased his sense of pressure.

He glanced at Li Qingcheng with gratitude, and she, as if sensing it, turned to offer him a bewitching smile.

This woman, who on the surface seemed so flamboyant and outlandish, was also sharp and considerate in her own way. She knew Qin Luo wasn’t yet comfortable with such banter, so she drew the attention to herself, letting him off the hook.

They dined at Yuehai Restaurant, which specialized in southern cuisine. Somehow, Li Qingcheng had found out Qin Luo was from the south and chose the place especially for him.

Since Yuehai was close to Li Qingcheng’s company, Qingcheng International, no one drove. Qin Luo walked along the sidewalk with a bevy of dazzling beauties, drawing plenty of stares. In fact, some passersby were so distracted they nearly rear-ended the cars ahead of them.

Thanks to Li Qingcheng’s reservation, they were led straight to a private room upon arrival.

With the women egging him on, Qin Luo ordered two dishes, then handed the menu over to them.

Ran Yu, the red-haired woman, claimed she’d specially ordered a flaming lamb kidney dish to “replenish Qin Luo’s vitality” for Sixuan’s impending “devotion.”

The group of merciless women teased the pair relentlessly. Chen Sixuan, accustomed to public situations, managed with composure, but Qin Luo, beset by so much flirtation, could only lower his head and sip tea, too mortified to even look up.

Li Qingcheng sat beside him and nudged him with her foot under the table, whispering, “What’s wrong with you today? You look so gloomy.”

“It’s nothing,” Qin Luo replied, shaking his head.

“Little brother, I told you, you can’t escape my grasp. Be good and tell your big sister what’s going on. Maybe I can help.” Li Qingcheng licked her lips, her voice seductive.

Seeing her in such a sultry pose, any normal man would have struggled not to pull her onto the bed, loosen his belt, and give her a good spanking.

“I was fired,” Qin Luo whispered.

“What?” Li Qingcheng’s voice rose.

“I was fired by the school,” he repeated, even more quietly. Being dismissed was hardly something to brag about; he was too embarrassed to say it in front of a table full of beautiful women.

“Fired by your school? Why? On what grounds?” Li Qingcheng, unbothered by propriety, demanded with a frosty expression.

“They said I don’t have a teaching certificate,” Qin Luo replied with a bitter smile. Seeing all those serious, wide-eyed faces staring at him, he felt even less confident.

“A teaching certificate? What’s that worth? Fine, if they fired you, so be it. Come work for me, I’ll take care of you,” Li Qingcheng said, patting his shoulder in consolation.

“Take care of you? Who else would he work for?” Ran Yu chimed in.

The women paused, then burst into raucous laughter, banging the table and clinking dishes.

“Girls, tell me, who’s the most shameless in our circle?”

“Li Qingcheng!” they all shouted.

“Who’s the horniest?”

“Li Qingcheng!”

“Who’s the biggest scoundrel?”

“Still Li Qingcheng!”

“Work for me, I’ll take care of you. Li Qingcheng, you’re so shameless! I’ve never seen a woman so boldly and righteously keep a pretty boy.”

“Exactly! Did you see her face when she said it? Tsk tsk—”

“Beautiful Li, what’s your offer for our little hunk?”

Only then did Li Qingcheng realize she’d put her foot in her mouth, just like Chen Sixuan earlier. But her outgoing nature made handling such scenes a breeze.

She picked up a chopstick, lifted Qin Luo’s chin, and said, “That depends on your performance, darling. If you serve well, there’ll be a handsome reward.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“He’ll get kicked out of bed and go hungry for three days.”

After a round of laughter, their dishes began to arrive. Beauty and fine food—two things women love most. With food in their mouths, they finally quieted down.

Li Qingcheng leaned in and whispered, “You were doing fine. Why’d they fire you all of a sudden? I heard the students loved you.”

The mention of it put Qin Luo in a foul mood. He shot Li Qingcheng a resentful glance and said, “It’s all because of you.”

“Because of me? What happened?” Li Qingcheng asked in surprise.

“You remember Li Qingyang, right?” Qin Luo asked.

“He was behind it?” The laughter vanished from Li Qingcheng’s face, her long, sultry eyes now burning with anger.

“More or less,” Qin Luo nodded.

Li Qingcheng, furious, slapped the table. “Who does Li Qingyang think he is? So I don’t like him—what of it? If he wants revenge, he should come at me, not target my friends! If I see him, I’ll make sure he never walks straight again!”

“What’s going on, Beautiful Li?” the others asked, sensing trouble.

Li Qingcheng, barely containing her rage, explained the tangled history between her, Qin Luo, and Li Qingyang.

“Damn it. Ladies, let’s go teach him a lesson. Otherwise that bastard will never learn his place.”

“Let’s cut him down to size. He’s gone too far.”

“Who dares bully our Beautiful Li? He must have a death wish.”

The women grew more and more agitated, finally threatening to storm the school right then and there.

Qin Luo hurriedly stopped them, pleading desperately to calm them down. “Please, everyone, don’t get too worked up. Principal Li already promised to help. I’m sure it’ll be resolved soon.” He smiled, though he was genuinely touched by their passion and loyalty.

“Qin Luo, are you from the Medical University too? My uncle is a vice principal there. I’ll call him and ask.”

“I’ve got a friend at the Ministry of Education. I’ll ask him to put in a word. It’s ridiculous to fire someone just for lacking a certificate.”

“My dad works at City Hall. I’ll see if he has any connections who can help.”

These women truly were from extraordinary backgrounds. After hearing Qin Luo’s situation, they all pulled out their phones, searching their networks for someone who could help.

This was what it meant to have connections.

“Thank you. Thank you all,” Qin Luo said gratefully.

“Call me ‘big sister,’” a sweet-faced girl said with a smile. Qin Luo knew her name was Xiaoyi, though he’d barely spoken to her before. He’d noticed she, too, had quietly made a phone call earlier.

“I should be calling you ‘little sister’ instead,” Qin Luo joked.

Li Qingcheng slapped the table. “All right, let’s eat first. We’ll have more strength to talk once we’re full.”

Everyone took up their chopsticks, and Li Qingcheng ordered two bottles of red wine to liven things up.

Qin Luo, however, refused to touch alcohol, so Li Qingcheng had to order him two cans of herbal tea instead—a decision that earned him another round of disdainful jeers from the women.

At that moment, someone knocked at the door of their private room.

Qin Luo went to open it. A well-dressed man stood at the threshold. “May I ask who you’re looking for?” Qin Luo inquired.

“Is Miss Chen Sixuan here?” the man asked with a smile, his gaze already searching past Qin Luo to spot Chen Sixuan inside.

Qin Luo didn’t recognize him and assumed he was a friend of Chen Sixuan, so he stepped aside to let him in.

The man in the suit strode directly to Chen Sixuan and whispered something in her ear.

Some could tell he was speaking in Taiwanese dialect, but none of them understood it well enough to catch what was being said.

After hearing the man’s words, Chen Sixuan’s face turned sour, and she began to argue with him heatedly in the same dialect.

The suited man seemed angry, flashing a finger in front of her face as though they were haggling over prices.

“I told you, I’m not available. Leave,” Chen Sixuan said with an icy face, pointing at the door.

“Miss Chen, even if the deal falls through, there’s no need for such an attitude, is there? Do you really think you’re a goddess? Ten thousand yuan for a drink—that’s celebrity rates. If it weren’t for Beijing, do you think you’d ever get such an offer?”

Because Chen Sixuan had switched to Mandarin, he followed suit. Though his accent was poor, everyone understood him perfectly.

So this guy was a pimp, trying to line up business.