With that, Xu Qianqing scurried away, her face so hot it felt like you could fry an egg on it.

She had no idea why she had actually suggested Luo Xiu stay and keep her company. She supposed it was probably because he gave her a sense of security. But he was a married man, after all!

"Qian Qing, there's no need!" Luo Xiu called out to her retreating figure.

Xu Qianqing turned around to face him. "What is it?"

Luo Xiu touched his nose and looked away. "On second thought… those people were just here today. They probably won't be back so soon."

Although they were friends, it didn't feel right for him to stay the night. A man and a woman alone, and she was a married woman at that.

"Oh…" Xu Qianqing pouted, a strange sense of disappointment welling up inside her.

"Do you still want to change your clothes?"

Luo Xiu shook his head. "No need for that either."

"Alright then."

After leaving Xu Qianqing's home, Luo Xiu went straight back to the company. When the workday ended, he went home with Lin Xiyue.

「Nighttime.」

Luo Xiu sat cross-legged on the bed, his body radiating a faint green glow, but his expression betrayed a hint of pain.

During the day, he had used the Qihuang Technique without hesitation to pull Xu Qianqing back from the Ghost Gate Pass. The Qihuang Technique was a secret art he had cultivated since childhood. Its purpose was to store the most refined medicinal essence from various rare herbs in a specific part of his body, which he could then use to suppress the pain when his illness flared up.

After more than twenty years, the medicinal power stored inside him, tempered by his own Yang Energy, had achieved miraculous effects. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it could bring the dead back to life and regenerate flesh on bones. But to save Xu Qianqing today, he had used up so much that less than a tenth of its power remained.

Looks like I'll have to make a trip to Wan Yao Hall tomorrow.

「Meanwhile.」

In Lin Xiyue's room, she sat on her bed, fresh from her bath and still in her robe. She stared at the stack of lab results and medical reports, her face calm, but a trace of sorrow clouded her features.

Last year, she had suddenly begun to feel unwell. At times, she would get so cold that her hands could freeze water even if she submerged them in a warm basin. A trip to the hospital revealed the truth: she had a terminal illness and only a few years left to live. It was a strange disease never before seen in medical history. Many famous doctors had been consulted, but all were helpless; they couldn't even find its root cause.

This was a secret known to only a very small number of people.

"There's still time. It should be enough," she muttered.

She placed the thick stack of papers into her nightstand, then slipped off her bathrobe. Changing into a sexy nightdress, she left her room and walked toward Luo Xiu's next door.

It was Monday.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

The sudden sound woke Luo Xiu.

It's Monday, he thought, his face turning sour. It wasn't that he disliked being with Lin Xiyue, nor that he couldn't get interested. It was just that she was too intense and, on top of that, very inexperienced—not at all like the highly skilled and unforgettable Su Shenyun.

He walked over and opened the door. Seeing Lin Xiyue standing outside, he said with a pained expression, "Um… I'm not really feeling up to it today. Can we do it another time?"

Lin Xiyue was quiet for a moment, then said lightly, "Then you should rest well."

With that, she turned and left.

Once back in her room, Lin Xiyue silently seethed, flailing her little fists in frustration.

"Jerk, jerk, jerk…" she whispered fiercely. "Why was he acting so uninterested today? Am I not attractive to him? Or is he playing hard to get?"

She walked to the mirror and touched her face. When she suddenly noticed the flimsy nightgown she was wearing, her cheeks flushed beet red, and she stomped her foot in a fit of pique.

"I refuse to believe it! I'll deal with you tomorrow night!"

「The next day.」

Having escaped his ordeal the previous night, Luo Xiu was full of energy after a peaceful sleep.

On the way to the company, Lin Xiyue was yawning as she drove. She had faint dark circles under her eyes, a sign she likely hadn't slept well. Luo Xiu glanced at her and noticed her fatigue but chose to ignore it.

However, he did notice that her outfit today was different from usual. Normally, the CEO wore a professional skirt suit with black stockings and high heels, her hair tied up in a bun. She looked like a noble queen, and combined with her cold, arrogant demeanor, it made people afraid to even approach her.

But today, she was wearing denim short-shorts with sneakers. Her top was a loose, white short-sleeved shirt with a wide collar that perfectly revealed her sexy collarbones. A small bow was tied on the left side of her abdomen, exposing a sliver of her smooth, pale midriff and a hint of her navel. Her slightly curly, ash-brown hair was let down casually, making her look like a vibrant young woman fresh off a college campus.

"What are you looking at?" Lin Xiyue said with a playful pout, having noticed his glances.

Luo Xiu shrugged and looked away.

Lin Xiyue's moist red lips pursed slightly before she spoke in a commanding tone. "Come to my office later."

"What for?"

She glanced at him and smiled mysteriously. "I have a surprise for you."

Seeing her smile, Luo Xiu was so stunned that he didn't even register her words.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing… nothing," Luo Xiu said, pulling his gaze away with a chuckle. "I just noticed you're actually quite pretty when you smile. You shouldn't be so icy all the time. It makes people not want to talk to you."

Lin Xiyue's expression immediately turned serious, and her aloof mask slipped back on. "Such nonsense," she huffed.

After arriving at the company, Luo Xiu and Lin Xiyue went their separate ways.

The moment Luo Xiu stepped into his office, Xu Qianqing came over, holding a container of breakfast.

"Luo Xiu, good morning. I woke up early to make this for you."

Luo Xiu accepted it without ceremony, not paying any mind to the strange looks from the other colleagues in the office, and started to eat.

After he finished, he and Xu Qianqing left the company under the fine-sounding excuse of running business errands.

「Meanwhile.」

In the president's office on the top floor of Tongyun Building, Lin Xiyue stared at the security monitor with a frosty expression, her grip so tight that the pen in her hand was on the verge of snapping. On the screen, Luo Xiu and Xu Qianqing were leaving the company's main entrance together on an electric scooter, looking just like a young couple in love.

"How dare he stand me up!"

"Xiao Lu, throw all this breakfast away!"

Her secretary, Xiao Lu, looked crestfallen at the feast on the coffee table. "President Lin, this breakfast is so expensive, and you haven't even taken a bite…"

"Throw it out! I've lost my appetite!" Lin Xiyue snapped, then immediately changed her mind. "Actually, never mind. Take it down and share it with the other employees."

"Oh."

As Xiao Lu started to tidy up, she couldn't help but wonder why President Lin would want so many oysters this early in the morning.

"Luo Xiu, where are we going?" Xu Qianqing asked from the back of the slow-moving electric scooter, her delicate hands fidgeting restlessly.

"First, we're going to buy some medicine," Luo Xiu said. "Then we'll go to the hospital to see your husband. I keep my promises."

Following the navigation on his phone, Luo Xiu soon arrived at Wan Yao Hall.

"Good day, sir. How may I help you?" a receptionist asked, hurrying over.

Luo Xiu directly handed her the list he had written last night.

"Please find all of these medicines for me and have them packed up."

"Of course, please wait a moment."

Luo Xiu then led Xu Qianqing to a sofa on the side to sit down.

A few moments later, the receptionist returned with a troubled look on her face, still holding the list.

"I'm sorry, sir, but the total for all these medicines is over three million. Are you sure…"

When Luo Xiu had arrived, she saw him on a small electric scooter, and his clothes were very ordinary. She simply couldn't believe a customer like him could afford a bill of over three million.

Hearing this, Xu Qianqing's eyes widened. She tugged on Luo Xiu's sleeve and shook her head at him.

Luo Xiu, however, gave her a reassuring look.

He had the bank card Sun Gaozhi gave him, so paying three million shouldn't be a problem. Of course, if he used the Purple Gold Card from Li Jiuzhen, he could get everything here for free. But Luo Xiu didn't want to take advantage of Li Jiuzhen, as that would mean owing a favor. As the saying goes, taking things from others puts you in their debt. Money is easy to repay, but a favor isn't. He had no intention of owing Li Jiuzhen anything.

"What do you mean? My lady is a Platinum Member here! Why can't she buy this Old Jade Spiritual Ganoderma!"

Just then, an angry woman's voice cut through the air.

A middle-aged man leading two young women walked toward them.

The man addressed Luo Xiu. "Good day, sir. I'm the store manager, Zhou Hai."

Luo Xiu glanced up. "Is there a problem?"

Zhou Hai looked at the two women beside him and said apologetically, "Sir, my sincerest apologies. We only have one Old Jade Spiritual Ganoderma left in stock, and this is Miss Su, one of our Platinum Members. According to our store's rules, she has priority purchasing rights." He gestured to the beautiful woman in the white dress, then added, "If you also have a membership card, then it goes to whoever pays first."

"Hah! As if just any Tom, Dick, or Harry is qualified for a Platinum Membership Card," the plain-looking young woman in a professional suit next to Miss Su sneered at Luo Xiu. "Excuse me, sir, but my lady is taking this Old Jade Spiritual Ganoderma!"

With that, she produced a Platinum Membership Card and tossed it to Zhou Hai.

"Manager Zhou, pack it up for us. Now!"

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