Taming The Hidden Bigshot By Kissing Him-Chapter 650: His Eyelid Kept Twitching

Qiao Xi spoke those words, but she didn’t feel particularly proud.

In the past, she wouldn’t have bothered wasting her breath on someone like this.

She had no patience for schemes or playing the long game. She would never dig a pit for someone to jump into just to achieve her own goals.

But after more than six months, she had changed completely.

She continued, "Since you know how good Jade Skin Ointment is, you should have noticed that we’ve tightened its control at the beauty salon recently. I can assure you, from now on, you’ll never be able to obtain Jade Skin Ointment through any channel."

Lu Yingxue understood her meaning.

Qiao Xi intended to use Jade Skin Ointment as leverage for a transaction.

For the past two days, Lu Yingxue had been relying on Jade Skin Ointment smuggled out of Furong Beauty Salon by friends and insiders. All the employees she’d bribed to facilitate these purchases had been fired by Qiao Xi.

Now she realized that the large quantities of Jade Skin Ointment that had previously flooded out were deliberately allowed by Qiao Xi, who was confident that no one could replicate it. That was strategic, a setup just for her.

After using it for only a few days, her complexion had become much fairer.

However, after receiving a hard slap from Lu Bannong, her wound had become inflamed again, pushing her to the edge of collapse.

But once she applied Jade Skin Ointment, the swelling on her cheek subsided, and there was no trace of pus or infection.

This filled her with both relief and jealousy.

Lu Yingxue, accustomed to being admired, could not endure imperfections in herself. She would never accept a scar on her face—after all, she was one of the Imperial Capital’s famed "Twin Beauties."

So, even though she was fully aware that this might be Qiao Xi’s trap, she was tempted.

"Qiao Xi, what kind of transaction do you want?"

"I want to exchange Jade Skin Ointment for your permission to release that Madame Cheng for medical treatment. But the Jade Skin Ointment can only be for your personal use, not for commercial purposes." Qiao Xi paused for a moment. Meeting that Madame Cheng through the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association felt like setting a fire right under Lu Bannong’s nose.

No matter what she did, she would be watched.

What if, during the treatment, Lu Bannong sabotaged things in the shadows?

If something went wrong, she would be the one to take the blame.

Her only option was to take Madame Cheng away for treatment. If the woman turned out to really be Grandpa Cheng’s biological daughter, there was no way she could stay under Lu Bannong’s control any longer.

"That’s impossible."

Lu Yingxue rejected her proposition without hesitation.

Her father would never agree.

Although she didn’t know the details of what had happened back then, it was obvious her father placed great importance on that woman. Narcolepsy patients were incredibly rare, after all.

How could he possibly allow Qiao Xi to take her away?

But then...

What about her face?

Qiao Xi had anticipated Lu Yingxue’s initial rejection, so she casually nodded. "Alright, as you wish. In that case, I’ll begin by assessing her condition. After all, the vote just approved my trial treatment plan for her. Whether it’s at home or the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association, it makes no difference to me.

But to you, it’s not the same."

She spoke with an air of indifference, revealing no trace of personal concern.

She was certain that, at this moment, Lu Yingxue’s mind was anything but calm, despite the mask of composure she wore on the surface.

"I’ll give you three days to think about it. Fresh wounds heal more easily, while old scars are much harder to fade. You can wait—but your facial injury might not."

After finishing, Qiao Xi picked up her belongings and walked out of the conference room.

Instinctively, Lu Yingxue took two steps after her.

It was only after realizing what she was doing that she became acutely aware of how humiliating it was.

How had she been led around by Qiao Xi like that?

But...

She reached up to touch her face. As an experienced practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, she was keenly aware of the vast difference between the Beauty Cream and Jade Skin Ointment!

The gap between them was like night and day!

There were countless whitening products on the market.

But effective, scar-healing products were rare—especially something as potent and side effect-free as Jade Skin Ointment. If Qiao Xi and Cheng Han had indeed spent considerable time developing it, Lu Yingxue knew she wouldn’t be able to replicate their success in the short term.

If she accepted Qiao Xi’s terms, she could avoid scarring. Not only that, but her use of the ointment would serve as excellent promotional material for Qiao Xi’s beauty salon!

As Furong Beauty Salon thrived, Yingyue Pavilion would inevitably suffer setbacks.

This infuriated Lu Yingxue!

A perfect two-pronged strategy—the rural bumpkin had learned to scheme!

...

Meanwhile...

Qiao Xi walked along the corridor as an orderly led her toward the inpatient ward.

Heavy unease weighed in her chest—something felt off.

Suddenly.

A shadow passed by.

Qiao Xi immediately stopped in her tracks as Old Chen agilely flipped himself onto the ground.

It seemed he had climbed in through the exterior of the Bell Tower. The orderly was so startled that they nearly screamed.

Old Chen quickly clamped his hand over their mouth. "It’s alright, I’m one of us. I’m here to find our Young Madam."

He cautiously released his grip, and the orderly stared at him in a bewildered mix of fear and amazement.

Truly bizarre.

"Young Madam, it’s a relief that you’re okay. I watched everyone leave the meeting, but when you didn’t come out, I got worried. Honestly, the Bell Tower’s security is terrible—it was way too easy for me to get in."

Old Chen’s eyelids were still twitching.

Qiao Xi looked at him and said, "I’m fine. They wouldn’t dare try anything here. If something happened to me at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association, it’d be hard to cover up. I’m heading with the orderly to see Madame Cheng now. Are you coming?"

"Of course, I’m coming with you. I can’t let you go alone."

Just standing outside made Old Chen uneasy, afraid that some clueless fool might disrespect their Young Madam.

Fortunately, nothing had happened.

But why wouldn’t this ominous twitching of his eyelids stop?

He couldn’t help feeling like he’d missed some critical detail.

Qiao Xi, unaware of his thoughts, followed the orderly toward the inpatient section of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association.

Madame Cheng’s room was a private suite, furnished with everything one could possibly need.

But the door was secured with a padlock. As the orderly unlocked it, they explained, "Madame Cheng tends to wander when she’s awake. President Lu was worried she might get into an accident, so he had her locked inside. However, she spends much of the year asleep and doesn’t cause much trouble."

Qiao Xi asked, "What does she do when she’s awake?"

"Mostly stares into space. Occasionally, she talks nonsense. I’ve worked here for over ten years. When I started, she was still a beautiful woman and stayed awake for longer periods, even making some sense in conversations. But over time, she became more and more confused."

Confused?

Severe narcolepsy could indeed lead to such aftereffects.

If she continued sleeping so much, she’d eventually lose even her sense of identity.

The orderly opened the door and said, "Vice President Qiao, feel free to take a look. I’ll wait for you outside. President Lu cares greatly for this patient—please be careful not to harm her."

"I understand. Thank you for the reminder."

Lu Bannong wouldn’t value someone for no reason—there had to be a secret tied to this Madame Cheng.

Huo Xingzhou had said she might be Grandpa Cheng’s daughter—or perhaps a trap set by Lu Bannong.

Qiao Xi approached the bedside, where the woman lay emaciated, with sunken cheeks, still asleep.

She instinctively reached out to take her pulse.

Old Chen stood to the side, momentarily entranced as he scrutinized the woman’s bone structure. His skill in reconnaissance and profiling had been his survival tool for many years.

He frowned slightly and said, "Young Madam, don’t you think she resembles Lu Yingxue a little?"

Those words landed.

And Qiao Xi’s hand froze in place.