Taming The Hidden Bigshot By Kissing Him
Chapter 516: She Publicly Kissed Him

Chapter 516: Chapter 516: She Publicly Kissed Him

Sun Weimeng swallowed hard, his tone tinged with a hint of ingratiation: "When did you find out?"

He and Qiao Xi had wanted to keep it from Huo Xingzhou, fearing that it would upset him.

Huo Xingzhou snorted coldly: "The moment it happened."

How could such news escape his ears?

All along the way, he had been waiting for Sun Weimeng to confess, but he kept mum like a mute. These two actually thought they could keep such an important matter from him.

"Heh heh."

Sun Weimeng chuckled nervously, his eyes seeking rescue from Qiao Xi.

Qiao Xi looped her arm through Huo Xingzhou’s, her eyes and brows tinted with a touch of mirth: "Young Master Sun was just trying to stand up for me, the bet was a trap set by others. The opponent came prepared, but we are not pushovers. I will definitely get through this round safely."

After the first round of confrontation, Qiao Xi had actually already gotten a rough idea of her opponent’s capabilities.

The second round was her forte, one of the ten spots was sure to be hers!

"Moreover, even without this bet, would they let me off?"

She playfully shook the man’s arm.

"Mm."

Huo Xingzhou responded indifferently.

Qiao Xi leaned in closer, coaxing: "Don’t be angry. Give me the needle case, I need to prepare for the competition."

Huo Xingzhou shoved the needle case into her hands, and Qiao Xi took it.

She asked with some surprise: "Why this set? You said last time it was acquired from an auction house, and it came with this needle case embroidered with Ginseng."

Huo Xingzhou cracked a slight smile: "Using this set of Golden Needles today would be perfect, hoping my Little Divine Doctor will triumph!"

Qiao Xi pursed her upturned lips and looked around, noticing that there weren’t many eyes on them.

So she tiptoed and quickly pecked Huo Xingzhou on the cheek, then trotted into the competition arena with a spring in her step.

Sun Weimeng was dumbfounded.

"She... you..."

Qiao Xi was demure by nature, quite the stickler for formality.

Even at home, she wouldn’t engage in overly intimate actions, yet she had kissed Huo Xingzhou in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic.

Sun Weimeng felt a sour pang in his heart: "I didn’t get my fill at breakfast, but I’m stuffed with dog food."

Huo Xingzhou glanced at him coldly: "If we lose, I’ll have you and Chen Xun go work with natural gas in the Arctic."

Sun Weimeng felt a chill up his spine and immediately hunched his neck.

The Arctic was tough.

Huo Xingzhou snickered coldly and strode toward the VIP seating. His gaze inadvertently met Zhong Yi’s, sensing the undisguised hostility. Huo Xingzhou’s lips subtly downturned as he lightly brushed his long fingers across the right cheek Qiao Xi had kissed.

The gesture seemed to carry an unspoken challenge.

Zhong Yi immediately turned away, his face souring even more.

Wan Jiang sat nearby, quaking with fear, these past few days Young Master Zhong had not spared his efforts in employing his beauty trap. He had been navigating between those female cousins, which terrified Wan Jiang, fearing exposure.

...

Five minutes before ten o’clock.

The audience at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic had all taken their seats, even more packed than the first round. The aisles in the back row were so congested with people that it was unbearable. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Association had no choice but to call in eighty security guards to maintain order.

The decennial grand event of Chinese Medicine, those who heard of it didn’t want to miss out.

Suddenly.

The crowd grew noisy and restless!

"Old Master Huang Bingyi!"

"It’s really Master Huang, the inheritor of the Gold Needle Technique, he has arrived!"

"Look at the side entrance to the competition area! It really is him!"

"Today, Huang Bingyi is serving as a judge, while as the president, Lu Bannong is responsible for reading the rules and procedures, maintaining order. As expected, in the Chinese Medicine Community, it’s still about seniority and capability! Decades ago, when Chinese medicine saw a hundred schools of thought contend, each with their own strengths! That was a splendid era..."

Everyone craned their necks to see this elder who once brought shockwaves to the world of Chinese medicine, while the live camera feeds from television stations and media focused on him.

His hair was white, and his back was slightly hunched.

He looked to be of great age, yet every step he took was steady. It was evident that the old master was still in good condition.

His face was covered with wrinkles, and behind his presbyopic glasses, his eyes were calm, as if they saw through the worldly affairs, his expression somewhat serious. They say he has a quirky temper, not too easy to get along with. He speaks directly and seldom spares anyone’s feelings.

Members of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association surrounded him, and Lu Bannong was especially respectful and polite, guiding him.

"Master Huang, be careful of the steps. Please take a seat at the judges’ table, where a high-definition screen is also provided. If you want to look in detail at any contestant’s operations, you can bring it up. I heard you like Maojian tea, so we’ve specially prepared some top-quality Maojian for you, along with sweets that are sweet but not cloying."

This round of assessment involved acupuncture and medicinal decoctions, which is practical work.

So all the equipment was up to date.

The times are progressing, and traditional Chinese medicine is also keeping up with the times.

When Huang Bingyi appeared at the judges’ platform, the other four senior predecessors all stood up and greeted him, their words also filled with respect.

Given Huang Bingyi’s advanced age of ninety, he deserved respect from them.

Moreover, he was once half the sky of the Chinese Medicine Community.

"You don’t have to treat me specially. I’ll be treated the same as everyone else," Huang Bingyi said as he took a seat, pushing aside the freshly brewed pot of Maojian.

Lu Bannong hit a soft spot but still maintained a smile, "Very well, if you have any requirements, just tell the staff. For today’s competition on acupuncture and decoctions, I have arranged twenty volunteers, who will be assigned to contestants by random draw. We’ll see how skilled they truly are."

Huang Bingyi responded expressionlessly and asked, "Are they using standardized needles, or are they bringing their own?"

Lu Bannong replied amicably, "They’re bringing their own. These young kids surely have a set of needles they are accustomed to, so we’ve relaxed the requirements."

Huang Bingyi took off his reading glasses, flipping through a book in front of him which detailed the rules and procedures of the needle test, and asked, "Isn’t there a pre-competition inspection of the needles? The young people nowadays are very clever, and western medicine has many special drugs that can affect the pulse in a short time."

If drugs were applied to the needle tip, it would affect the fairness of the competition.

Lu Bannong’s eyes flashed with a dark shade, and he quickly said, "You’ve put a lot of thought into it; I’ll send someone to check right away."

"I’ll go myself. I’ve heard that the last set of Gold Needles I used has appeared in the needle test, and I’d like to see for myself."

Lu Bannong said humbly, "My daughter Yingxue went through a lot of trouble to get those Gold Needles. She admires your Gold Needle Technique greatly and has even tried to learn from your experience notes to improve her skills."

Huang Bingyi looked at him and said nothing, standing up and slowly walking down the steps.

The judges following behind him did not dare to show any negligence.

Lu Bannong’s gaze fell on the figure of Huang Bingyi, feeling somewhat uneasy in his heart.

It seemed as if the situation might have slipped out of control.

Huang Bingyi’s authority was so great that even the other judges couldn’t help but show respect. The needle test competition seemed to revolve around him.

What if he was biased towards Qiao Xi...

Lu Bannong denied his own speculation in his heart; Huang Bingyi and Cheng Han apparently did not get along well in the past and had several arguments.

Lu Bannong picked up the microphone and tested the sound.

Then he looked towards the crowd and announced an addition to the procedure – to inspect the needle packs brought by the contestants.

There was some commotion in the area.

The twenty contestants of the second round were all standing at their respective positions, with Lu Yingxue still at the most noticeable spot in the front row. Qiao Xi was further back, with Xiang Mingzhu on her left and Shen Xuanzhi on her right, while Li Songwen was directly behind her.

Qiao Xi stood with a straight back, catching a glimpse of a trembling figure in the first row out of the corner of her eye.