Chapter 17: The Formidable Beauty

A cold-faced woman sat on a sofa in the lobby’s VIP area. Her tailored black suit, sharply lined eyes, and unsmiling red lips gave her an intimidating authority. Her dark hair was swept neatly back, revealing a smooth forehead and slender neck. One glance was enough to sense her formidable presence.

Yet she seemed unwell. She occasionally pressed a hand to her forehead, and her face looked drawn. Beside her stood a stern, short-haired woman in a suit, apparently in her twenties.

Li Bo bowed and apologized. “Anni-jie, we really did fall short. Please don’t be angry. We’re sincerely sorry.” He beckoned to a tall, pretty female therapist. “Kong Fei, apologize to Anni-jie!”

Kong Fei stepped forward and lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Anni-jie.”

“Sorry? You think that’s enough?” the short-haired woman snapped. “Anni-jie is a longtime customer here, and you keep making mistakes. Do you want to stay in business?”

Before Li Bo could answer, Anni spoke coldly. “Do I have to risk my life every time I come here for treatment?”

“No, of course not!” Li Bo broke into a cold sweat. “How about a week of free massages? Please don’t be angry.”

Anni rubbed her head and ignored him.

“With service like yours, would she dare come back?” her companion demanded. “If you don’t give her a satisfactory solution today, you can prepare to close your doors!”

“Anni-jie, why so angry this early?” Bai Xueyan approached with a smile. She had just arrived and was dealing with emails when she heard the commotion. The longtime customer was Jin Anni, someone she knew.

Jin Anni continued rubbing her head, ignoring her. The short-haired woman spoke instead. “President Bai, you say she’s angry? Why don’t you ask your staff why? You should be grateful we haven’t smashed the place already!”

Bai Xueyan’s expression grew serious. “Li Bo, what happened?”

He explained. The previous night, Jin Anni had felt unwell after drinking and came in for a relaxing massage. Most therapists had already gone home, and Li Bo was busy. Rather than leave her unattended, he’d assigned Kong Fei, an assistant therapist whose technique was still inexperienced.

Anni had noticed nothing wrong immediately afterward. But when she woke sober that morning, a severe pain ran from her neck into her head. Her private doctor examined her and found nothing. Remembering the head and neck massage, she concluded the center had caused it and came straight back.

“Anni-jie, this was our mistake,” Bai Xueyan said. “We’re old friends. Come to my office for coffee and we’ll talk. I’ll find a solution that satisfies you.”

“We don’t have time to talk,” the short-haired woman snapped. “Give us a solution now. If she isn’t satisfied, this isn’t over.”

Bai Xueyan’s face tightened. Jin Anni wasn’t her biggest customer, but her influence was formidable. Her background was the subject of rumors: publicly she owned a large Shanghai nightclub, while the most credible account said she was involved with a powerful underworld figure. Some said he had a family and couldn’t acknowledge their relationship. Others claimed an old injury had left him unable to have sex, which embarrassed him. No one seemed to know the truth.

Whatever the rumors, Jin Anni herself was a ruthless woman with dangerous men working at her nightclub. She was not someone to provoke.

“What would you like us to do?” Bai Xueyan asked. “I’ll do my best to make it right.”

Jin Anni took a deep breath. “Your massage gave me this headache. The least you can do is cure it.”

“That’s entirely reasonable.” Bai Xueyan looked around at the other therapists, but they lowered their heads. None dared accept such a dangerous assignment; if the treatment failed, they feared for their lives.

“I’ll give Anni-jie a massage,” Chen Ye said.

Everyone stared. As far as they knew, he was an intern who had been there only two days. Was he looking to get himself killed?

“Who are you?” the short-haired woman demanded. He hadn’t even changed into his uniform and looked like an outsider.

“I’m a trainee massage therapist.”

“A trainee?” She turned furiously to Bai Xueyan. “You’re sending a trainee to treat Anni-jie?”

“I…” Bai Xueyan began.

Chen Ye stepped forward. “Anni-jie, please relax and open your mouth like this… ah…” He demonstrated and reached to hold her chin.

“Get away!” The short-haired woman shoved him back.

Jin Anni looked offended. “Who said you could touch me?”

Everyone was frightened. Chen Ye might not know her background, but the rest did. Touching her chin while she was furious was like provoking a starving tiger.

Bai Xueyan hurried forward. “He’s new and doesn’t know the rules. I apologize on his behalf.”

Jin Anni gave her a cold look, rose, and headed for the door without a word. Her companion followed, leaving a threat behind. “Your business is finished!”

As they reached the lobby exit, Chen Ye called out, “Anni-jie, your headache may be related to stagnant liver qi, often accompanied by dizziness and irritability. If you frequently wake between one and three in the morning for no obvious reason, you should pay attention!”

Jin Anni stopped. To everyone’s astonishment, she turned back and studied him from head to toe.

“Say that again,” she demanded, fixing him with a sharp gaze.