Taming The Hidden Bigshot By Kissing Him-Chapter 649: Lu Yingxue, Want to Make a Deal?

Before long,

all the council members had completed their voting.

A total of 12 were present, with Lu Bannong absent and thus automatically abstaining.

Vice President Lin Chunsheng instructed his assistant to tally the votes, originally assuming that many would abstain or vote against.

"One vote in favor!"

"Agreed!"

"One vote against!"

"Agreed!"

Adding it all up, it ended up being seven to five.

The majority agreed. It seemed that after working under Lu Bannong for so long, some people had still not lost the conscience of a healer.

Vice President Lin announced the final result: "We agree that Vice President Qiao will take over the follow-up treatment for Ms. Cheng. Yingxue, please relay this to your father. He’s always so busy—this will free up some of his time."

Lu Yingxue had no choice but to agree.

In her heart, she was filled with resentment. These people usually seemed honest and unassuming, but why did they suddenly turn against her at such a critical moment?

And being an anonymous vote, she couldn’t even find out who was responsible.

Her gaze swept slowly over the group, but she gathered no useful information.

"Does anyone else have any further opinions?" Vice President Lin, well-liked by many, rarely faced opposition even during regular meetings. On the contrary, a rare sense of relaxation seemed to settle over the room.

"No."

"We have no further objections. This arrangement seems fine."

Vice President Lin said, "In a moment, Vice President Qiao can head to the inpatient area to meet Ms. Cheng. An attendant will guide you."

Qiao Xi nodded slightly. "Sure, thank you."

Although she hadn’t achieved her ultimate goal, this was still progress.

"Meeting dismissed."

No sooner had he finished speaking than chairs were being noisily pushed back.

The scraping of chairs against the floor produced a piercing sound as the aging council members, unable to sit still, gathered in groups and gradually dispersed.

Shen Xuanzhi glanced at Qiao Xi but ultimately left without saying anything.

The expansive conference room was soon left empty, save for Qiao Xi and Lu Yingxue.

Lu Yingxue’s expression turned icy, making no effort to hide her animosity toward Qiao Xi: "Impressive tactics! You even managed to sway Vice President Lin to stand up for you."

Leaning back in the leather chair, Qiao Xi raised her gaze to meet hers. "Do I really need to sway anyone? I’m a vice president too, on equal footing with Vice President Lin. But you, a mere council member, overstepping your bounds—I’d say you’re quite eager to claim the presidency for yourself."

"Qiao Xi, let’s see how long you can cling to that position."

"You don’t need to worry about me. Perhaps you should focus on how long it’ll take you to climb into my seat, Councilor Lu."

There wasn’t a trace of warmth in Qiao Xi’s tone as she faced Lu Yingxue. They were born to be adversaries, with no possibility of reconciliation.

"Spare yourself the concern. After all, the Lu Family has controlled the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association for so many years. With my current reputation and medical skills, it’s only a matter of time before I succeed my father."

Her sales pitch and scapegoating after the acupuncture conference had left many detesting Xiang Mingzhu, that notorious troublemaker.

Many people believed in Lu Yingxue’s medical prowess, convinced that not securing first place was less a matter of skill and more due to Xiang Mingzhu’s interference. After all, Lu Yingxue had claimed the top spot a decade ago.

Back then, she had been only eighteen years old.

Younger and brighter than Qiao Xi was now.

No one questioned Lu Yingxue’s medical skills.

Her years of effort had not gone to waste.

Qiao Xi looked at her and said, "Do you think I would just stand by and watch you succeed? There’s a blood feud between us. Even before we met, you already wanted to eliminate me as a potential threat, proof that our Cheng Acupuncture Technique is a real thorn in the Lu Family’s side."

The Plum Blossom Nine Needles were indeed formidable.

But even more formidable was the Spiritual Pivot Nine Needles hidden within them.

Qiao Xi was slowly deciphering their mysteries.

Lu Yingxue clenched her jaw and stared at her, her eyes dark and brooding.

Qiao Xi had hit the nail on the head!

Her father had always said that the Plum Blossom Nine Needles were a fierce rival to the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles, and that Cheng Han might have another acupuncture method that had never been publicly revealed.

That legendary Spiritual Pivot Nine Needles.

Qiao Xi watched her expression shift repeatedly and found it deeply amusing.

Just as she was about to speak again, her phone vibrated—it was a call from Huo Sijiao.

It was likely something from the beauty salon.

Ignoring Lu Yingxue, Qiao Xi picked up immediately.

"Hello, Jiaojiao."

Huo Sijiao’s tone was calmer than the day before, but a hint of anger still lingered. "Sis-in-law, Yingyue Pavilion just launched a new Beauty Cream package. They’ve also lowered their membership requirements. Our sales today were even worse than yesterday. Other than that, I’ve already done everything you instructed."

The Beauty Cream’s formula had also been further refined.

Increasingly similar to Jade Skin Ointment, but still missing the essence. With traditional herbal preparation, even a tiny error could make a huge difference.

"I understand. Don’t worry about the sales. Things will improve soon—just stick to the plan I laid out," Qiao Xi reassured her before hanging up.

The conference room was silent. Lu Yingxue had overheard most of the phone conversation.

As Qiao Xi put her phone back in her bag, Lu Yingxue smirked sarcastically and said, "Looks like your beauty salon won’t last much longer. Over the years, no salon that dared to open across from Yingyue Pavilion has ever lasted more than a month."

Qiao Xi placed the phone into her bag and looked at her, asking, "Is that because you’re all so skilled at underhanded tactics? Tricks like what Mrs. Pei tried are just embarrassing—I felt secondhand shame on your behalf."

Lu Yingxue snorted, the expression beneath her mask tinged with mockery. "Save the wordplay! Show me some real skill. Today’s project launch at Yingyue Pavilion is just the first step. Oh, and thanks for the Jade Skin Ointment formula—our improvements worked out beautifully. It’s now part of our regular beauty packages. Not like you guys, with your exclusive membership tiers for high-end services."

The socialites and noblewomen in the Imperial Capital might not lack money, but they weren’t fools.

They understood value for money. Beauty treatments required long-term investment, and costs could add up quickly.

Saving even a bit made a difference.

"Improvements?"

Qiao Xi chuckled upon hearing the word. "Are you certain it was an improvement?"

Standing up, she walked over to Lu Yingxue, the medicinal fragrance clinging to her noticeably strong.

Fixing her gaze on her, Qiao Xi said, "Deep down, you know very well that the Beauty Cream’s effects can’t compare to the Jade Skin Ointment. Otherwise, why would you be using Jade Skin Ointment on your face yourself?"

To Qiao Xi, the difference between the two was glaringly obvious.

She had smelled those ingredients countless times—in fact, the scent felt almost etched into her very bones.

"If the Beauty Cream were truly superior to Jade Skin Ointment, then why don’t you use your own salon’s Beauty Cream instead of my Jade Skin Ointment?" Qiao Xi continued, watching the brief flash of unease in Lu Yingxue’s eyes before pressing on with a mocking tone. "Because even you think the Jade Skin Ointment works better."

Lu Yingxue clenched her teeth, her gaze turning icy.

Qiao Xi had figured it out.

Despite her best efforts, the Beauty Cream she had concocted was already at its limits, and even she could no longer discern the minute differences between the two.

But how had Qiao Xi noticed?

Just from her sense of smell?

Qiao Xi let out a small laugh, her almond-shaped eyes devoid of any warmth. "Lu Yingxue, interested in making a deal?"