Chapter 116: Reciting a Poem

Seeing this, two lines of poetry spontaneously surfaced in Qin Chuan’s mind: "The Lady of Guo, with brows lightly painted at dawn; Xiao Lian, with her jade-like body, reclined in the night."

In that instant, Qin Chuan found the scene before him profoundly poetic. It had nothing to do with carnal desire; he didn't even dare to breathe too deeply, fearing he might disturb such a beautiful, ethereal atmosphere.

However, the moment the silver needle pierced the acupoint, Qin Chuan’s composure shattered.

"Mm-ah!"

A sensation of tingling numbness, like an electric shock, surged through her entire body. Tan Shuying let out a soft moan, instantly washing away the poetic ambiance and replacing it with a vibrant, flushed hue.

"Must you sound so alluring?"

Qin Chuan’s mouth twitched violently. Anyone unaware of the situation would think he was performing a much more intimate act.

"How embarrassing!"

Tan Shuying’s delicate, beautiful face turned beet red, as luscious and tempting as a ripe peach, making one want to take a bite.

"I absolutely must not make a sound again, otherwise I’ll have no face left to show anyone."

Yet, no sooner had this vow taken root in her heart than the next needle pierced her point, bringing back that exquisite, tingling pleasure, and she couldn't help but moan once more.

Qin Chuan was multitasking, also applying acupuncture to Lan Jin. The girl seemed to be competing with Tan Shuying to see who could sound more enticing, letting out her own soft moan the moment the needle struck.

Soon, two distinctly different yet equally alluring voices echoed back and forth in the room, turning Qin Chuan’s double the joy into double the torture.

There was no helping it; the two women sounded far too intoxicating. If his willpower weren't extraordinary, he would have likely "charged into battle" and conquered them both long ago.

The acupuncture session lasted nearly an hour. By the time it ended, Qin Chuan and the two women were drenched in sweat and exhausted—the former from the immense drain of channeling his Qi, and the latter from the lingering, pleasurable satisfaction.

Because they had both perspired so much, their thin, cicada-wing-like pajamas clung tightly to their skin. In particular, Tan Shuying was wearing nothing underneath, which perfectly outlined her curvaceous figure.

"If you keep staring, I’ll gouge your eyes out and step on them like bubbles!" Tan Shuying scolded, her face flushed pink.

Qin Chuan said righteously, "I was merely moved by the scene and felt inspired to compose a poem."

"Oh? I didn't realize that in addition to medicine, you possessed such profound literary attainments?" Tan Shuying’s face clearly spelled out her disbelief.

Qin Chuan said with a hint of pride, "Of course. I am a master of the pen, the sword, and the needle."

"Then tell me, what amazing poem did you just compose? In the old days, Cao Pi gave Cao Zhi seven steps to compose a poem; I’ll give you seventy. If you can’t, I’ll snip you off!" As she spoke, she made a scissor gesture with her fingers.

"Seventy steps? Do you look down on me that much?"

Qin Chuan snorted coldly, put his hands behind his back, took one last deep look at Tan Shuying’s chest, and began to recite: "A pair of bright moons pressed against the chest, like round, purple-gold grapes of jade. The lover stirs the tenderness beneath the curtains, as dewdrops hang upon the golden stems."

"What a poem!"

Lan Jin exclaimed with her large, beautiful eyes wide open. Although she didn't quite understand it, she felt it had a certain charm, especially the last two lines, which carried a distinct classical flair.

Three black lines appeared on Tan Shuying’s forehead. She quickly grabbed a silk quilt to cover her chest and retorted, "Qin Chuan, you really do have a talent for composing 'wet' poetry!"

"Thank you for the compliment!" Qin Chuan bowed with cupped hands.

Tan Shuying rolled her eyes. She suddenly lost the desire to engage with him. You cannot wake a person who is pretending to sleep, and Qin Chuan was clearly playing the fool.

"We need to bathe and change. Aren't you going to get out?" Tan Shuying issued an order to leave.

Qin Chuan took a few more lingering looks at the two women before turning back repeatedly and reluctantly leaving the bedroom. The moment he closed the door, he heard Tan Shuying and Lan Jin whispering.

"Sister Shuying, I actually thought that poem was quite high-level!"

"Silly girl, he was just teasing us."

"So, there is such a cultured way to tease someone?"

"Of course! Otherwise, why would there be the saying, 'A thug isn't scary; what’s scary is a thug with an education'?"

"An idol is an idol. Being by his side really helps me learn things."

"..."

The large-eyed cutie was just too adorable; Qin Chuan silently gave her a mental thumbs-up.

Downstairs, Qin Chuan leaned against the sofa, feeling somewhat weak. The continuous, high-intensity use of Qi for acupuncture was a bit of a stretch for him; if the suppression of his Nine Yang energy were to loosen, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"It seems only 'dual cultivation' with Lin Wanyu can truly cure this!"

Qin Chuan sighed with deep emotion. Alas, he could only think about it for now. However, recalling how Lin Wanyu and Tan Shuying had been secretly sparring earlier, he wondered if there was still hope.

"It looks like I need to find a way to turn Lan Jin into a mole. Especially now that it seems Tan Shuying is the key to winning over the big-eyed girl."

With this in mind, Qin Chuan’s eyes brightened. The next priority was to build a better relationship with Tan Shuying. Using the future trip to Suzhou to annul his engagement with the Tan family as an excuse, a bold idea gradually took shape in his mind.

Meanwhile, at the Lin villa, Lin Wanyu felt exhausted after a busy day. She leaned back against the sofa, watching the television listlessly, completely unaware of what was playing. Her mind was filled with the day's events: the arrogance of Yao Qi’er and Lu Weiwei, the restraint she and Ai Li had to show, Qin Chuan’s timely appearance to save the day, and Tan Shuying’s vibrant, commanding presence.

"Wanyu, I heard that Xiaochuan helped you solve a big problem again today?"

Just as Lin Wanyu was lost in thought, her father, Lin Jiancheng’s voice came from behind.

Lin Wanyu snapped back to reality. For some reason, whenever she talked about Qin Chuan with her father, she felt an inexplicable sense of panic.

"You certainly have good sources!"

Lin Wanyu strongly suspected her father had planted eyes on her; otherwise, how could information reach his ears so quickly?

Lin Jiancheng gave a noncommittal hum, though he felt a bit amused. Not long ago, Qin Chuan had called, ostensibly to check on his and his wife’s health, but in reality, he was deliberately revealing his heroic deeds of the day.

Lin Jiancheng was happy to see Qin Chuan taking the initiative to show goodwill, and he didn't mind pushing things along behind the scenes. In Lin Jiancheng’s eyes, Qin Chuan was an excellent candidate for the role of a son-in-law.

"Wanyu, Dad knows you have high standards, but the boy is truly remarkable. You could observe and test him for a while! Who knows, you might discover his hidden merits!" Lin Jiancheng urged earnestly.

Here we go again!

Lin Wanyu was speechless, but for some reason, she didn't feel as much resistance as she used to.

"Actually, I did discover one merit of Qin Chuan’s," Lin Wanyu said with a smile.

Lin Jiancheng was surprised and pleased. It seemed their relationship had progressed after today’s events?

"See, no one is without merit; what’s lacking is a pair of eyes to discover them. The boy is—"

Before Lin Jiancheng could finish, Lin Wanyu interrupted, "I discovered that Qin Chuan is truly popular with women. Yesterday he was entangled with Liu Qingcheng, today he’s flirting with Tan Shuying, and it seems even Lan Jin has secretly lost her heart to him!"

"..."

Lin Jiancheng’s mouth twitched. He opened his mouth, but was left speechless. Daughter, are you sure that counts as a merit?