Chapter 12: That Sound Is Too Much!

“Professor Song, this might hurt a little. Please bear with it,” Qin Dong warned.

Song Hongyan frowned and nodded. He warmed some liniment between his palms and applied it to her swollen ankle. His ancestor’s legacy included massage techniques well suited to such injuries. He controlled the pressure carefully, working around several key acupoints as warmth flowed from his fingers into her ankle.

She trembled and let out an involuntary sound. Qin Dong’s hand faltered. Her face flushed to her neck. At the university she was known for her dignified, strict manner, yet here she was losing her composure in front of a male student.

He took a breath and continued. The treatment brought an odd mixture of pain, tingling, and a soothing warmth that left her feeling weak. The tingling seemed to double with each movement. Song Hongyan bit her lip, trying to remain composed, but within half a minute she could no longer suppress her reactions. She shifted on the sofa, repeatedly made involuntary sounds, and began to breathe faster. Qin Dong felt his own resolve wavering; he took a deep breath and silently recited the Diamond Sutra to regain control.

After a few minutes, he released her ankle. “Professor Song, it’s done.”

Relieved, she withdrew her foot and lowered her eyes. In more than thirty years, she had never lost her composure like that in front of another man.

To ease the awkwardness, Qin Dong said, “Try standing up. See if it still hurts.”

She looked down in astonishment. The swelling had disappeared, along with the sharp pain. She stood and took a few tentative steps.

“It really doesn’t hurt! Your massage technique is incredible.” She had only expected the liniment to ease the pain, but a few minutes of treatment had apparently cured it.

“I learned a little traditional massage from an elder in my family,” he said. He closed the bottle and set it on the television cabinet. “Since your ankle’s better, I should go.”

“Wait.” Song Hongyan looked at him gratefully. “You saved me, brought me home, and treated my foot. I don’t know how to thank you.”

For an instant, he imagined her offering herself to him and using dual cultivation to draw on her energy. The thought startled him. Had the Flower-Transference Manual changed him? He used to think of himself as a decent man.

Unaware of his thoughts, Song Hongyan took her phone from her handbag and opened WeChat. “Let me transfer you some money. Otherwise I won’t feel right.”

“No, Professor. If you really want to thank me, buy me a meal sometime.”

Seeing that he was sincere, she smiled. “It’s a deal. Let’s add each other on WeChat, and I’ll treat you in a few days.”

She displayed her code, and he scanned it. Once they had added each other, he put away his phone. “Get some rest, Professor Song. I’ll be going.”

She saw him to the door. “Take care on your way.” Watching him go downstairs, she seemed lost in thought.

…

It was fully dark when Qin Dong left the complex. The university dormitory would soon be closed. Remembering the five hundred thousand yuan in his backpack, he decided to go home and leave it with his parents. They had worked hard all their lives, scrimping even on clothes. Now that his fortunes had changed, he wanted them to live better.

He stepped to the roadside to hail a taxi, but a burly bodyguard in a suit blocked his path.

“You’re Qin Dong?”

“Yes. Who are you?”

“My boss wants to see you.” The man glanced toward a black Audi A8 parked nearby.

Qin Dong hesitated, then approached. The rear window lowered, revealing a square-faced man with an imposing presence and a hard look in his eyes.

Zhao Youting! Qin Dong recognized him from the times he had come to deal with trouble Zhao Kuo caused at university.

Zhao Youting looked him over coolly. “I hear you hit my son.”

“Chairman Zhao, your son was the one who started—”

“I don’t care how it happened. I care about the result. My son may be useless, but someone from the bottom of society has no right to bully him.”

He leaned back, watching Qin Dong with contempt. “I’ll give you a chance. Get on your knees and apologize to Xiao Kuo within three days. Otherwise, I’ll make you regret being born.”