But just then, Li Yang snapped back to his senses.
He sat up abruptly and jabbed a finger onto Ye Xiu’s temple.
Ye Xiu felt a wave of clarity wash over her.
With a start, she sat up as well.
"Aunt Xiu, you stay here. I’m going to find that bastard Gao Jinming," Li Yang said, his voice dripping with killing intent.
Ye Xiu had no time to wonder why Li Yang was speaking so normally. She scrambled under the covers. "You... you leave him alone. You’re a fool, you can’t win against him. Don’t go looking for him."
Li Yang didn’t listen. He had already grabbed the wooden stick and gone outside.
But to Li Yang’s disappointment, when he arrived, seething with killing intent, he found the car was already gone.
Apparently, after Li Yang had charged at them, the two of them hadn’t dared to linger.
"You son of a bitch. I won’t let you off the hook tomorrow!" Li Yang roared.
They had a car, so they must have gone back to the township. This place was over ten li away, and the roads were all mountain paths. He couldn’t possibly chase after them in the dead of night.
Li Yang returned to Ye Xiu’s house.
When he went inside, he saw that Ye Xiu had already gotten dressed and was about to come look for him.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him return. "What were you running off for? You think you can fight him? Get back here..."
Li Yang was touched. ’Even now, Aunt Xiu is still thinking of me.’
He thought about how for the past year, while his mind was addled, Aunt Xiu had always taken meticulous care of him without a hint of impatience. A fresh wave of gratitude washed over him.
"Right, I still haven’t bathed yet." Ye Xiu seemed keen to change the subject. "Can you help me bring a bucket of water over?"
Li Yang grunted in acknowledgment. He had wanted to tell Aunt Xiu that he was all better, but seeing it wasn’t the right time, he kept quiet and obediently carried a bucket of water into the bathroom for her.
Ye Xiu went inside. "You just stand guard outside. Don’t let anyone else in."
Li Yang nodded.
Soon, the sound of splashing water came from inside.
As Li Yang sat there, he suddenly recalled the sight of Aunt Xiu’s figure from before.
But just then, another sound suddenly came from the bathroom.
THUD. It sounded like Ye Xiu had fallen.
Forgetting everything else, Li Yang rushed inside in an instant.
Ye Xiu was collapsed on the floor, looking as if she were enduring something.
"What are you doing in here? Get out, get out..." Ye Xiu said frantically.
Li Yang’s eyes went wide.
"Aunt Xiu, I..." Just then, Li Yang saw a red line appear on Ye Xiu’s body.
He understood.
Gao Jinming had given Aunt Xiu a heavy dose of the drug. His earlier finger-press had only cleared her mind somewhat, but it hadn’t completely purged the drug from her system. A significant amount of it still remained.
Without a doubt, it was flaring up now.
"Aunt Xiu, Gao Jinming drugged you. The effects haven’t been purged yet. Let me clear it out for you," Li Yang said.
"What would you know..." Ye Xiu shook her head. "Hurry up and get out."
But Li Yang had already begun applying pressure.
The Medical Canon contained massage techniques that could help guide out residual drug effects.
Li Yang’s hands moved swiftly, pressing points on Ye Xiu’s body.
Ye Xiu resisted at first, but his touch was surprisingly comfortable. Besides, ’Li Yang is a fool.’
’What do I have to be afraid of?’
So Ye Xiu stood up and let Li Yang continue his massage.
In the steam-filled room, Li Yang’s hands flew like butterflies, gliding over Ye Xiu’s smooth skin.
A few minutes later, Ye Xiu felt completely at ease, all her discomfort gone.
’I can’t believe Li Yang actually learned how to do this.’
But then she thought about it and something felt off. ’Would the foolish Li Yang know how to give a massage?’
’And one that feels so good, at that!’
"Li Yang, are you... better?" she asked, her face pale.
"I am!" Li Yang grinned. "Aunt Xiu, I don’t know how it happened, but I suddenly got better just now."
"Get out..." Ye Xiu shrieked, pushing at Li Yang. "Get out of here, you brat! Taking advantage of me, are you?"
But as she pushed him, it only served to accentuate her figure.
Inside the bathroom, Ye Xiu was on the verge of a meltdown. ’What have I done? The guy recovered and didn’t even tell me! I just let him massage me all over!’ At this thought, she blushed beet-red and hastily threw on her clothes.
"You’ve got some nerve..." Ye Xiu said through gritted teeth as she came out.
Li Yang gave a dry laugh. "I... I was about to tell you, but there was no time. It all happened too fast."
Ye Xiu was furious, but then she remembered that if it weren’t for Li Yang today, she would have...
"Hmph! I’ll let you off this time. But you’d better remember this!"
With that, Ye Xiu rushed into her room, mortified.
Li Yang just nodded.
Early the next morning, Li Yang slung a basket of vegetables over his back and went straight to the township.
At Gao Jinming’s vegetable stall, many people were selling their produce. At that moment, two hired hands were busy collecting the vegetables.
Li Yang immediately strode through the entrance.
’Gao Jinming, Wang Xiangqin, I’m here!’
Inside was a small courtyard with rooms behind it.
"Old Gao, is this really going to work?" Wang Xiangqin’s voice drifted over.
"Of course it’ll work!" Gao Jinming said with a sinister chuckle. "That guy Fang Ping isn’t very reliable. I say we do this: we’ll have Fang Ping get their pretty Manager Han into bed. We’ll film it, and then it won’t matter if Manager Han quits or Fang Ping leaves—we’ll have blackmail material on them. Our supply contract with the Grand Golden Pavilion Hotel will be locked in. They won’t be able to get away."
"You’re full of wicked ideas!" Wang Xiangqin chimed in.
"Hmph. In this world, how can you do business if you don’t use a few tricks? You really think people are just going to hand you deals on a silver platter?" Gao Jinming said, sounding rather pleased with himself.