Gu Qin felt that after Gu Jia and Gu Yuanjiang separated, Gu Jia had changed significantly. He was less selfish and cared less about appearances. Previously, he had permed hair, thick bangs, leather jackets, and skinny jeans. Now, he looked more normal, with shorter hair and no bangs, making him appear much more energetic and confident. His clothing choices had also become more casual.
Gu Jia looked much better than before. Gu Qin knew many schoolgirls wrote him love letters, and he would often find them in his bag. Before, he would read them, but now he didn't even look at them, tearing them up and throwing them away.
If it were the old Gu Jia, she wouldn't have believed him. But now, she thought he could give it a try. She said, "Alright, let's start tomorrow."
She had prepared plenty of medicinal herbs and given some to Lin Xinxin, who soaked in them every other day. Now, she would soak every two to three days, eventually reducing it to once a week.
Today, Gu Qin needed to meet Manager Liu again. In the morning, she carefully packed the medicinal herbs into bags and arranged a detailed training schedule for Gu Jia. After lunch, she put on a down jacket and went out. It had started snowing outside, and the sky had been gloomy when she returned in the morning. The snow was light, but the forecast predicted heavier snow that would last several days. Gu Qin didn't want to delay and took a taxi to Manager Liu's house.
When she entered the residential area, the security guard was sleeping with an electric heater on. Gu Qin walked straight in.
Last time, she remembered Manager Liu stopping at the third floor to take out his keys. She assumed he lived on the third floor. The third floor had two apartments facing each other, and Gu Qin recalled Manager Liu stopping in front of the apartment on the outside.
She approached and knocked on the door, which opened quickly. Manager Liu looked pale, with pale lips, appearing weak. But when he saw Gu Qin, he nearly jumped and tried to slam the door shut. Gu Qin stopped him and smiled, "Manager Liu, don't close the door. I have something to discuss with you."
Manager Liu was almost in tears, his tall and strong figure now weakened. He whispered, "Little Miss, what else do you want? Didn't I already tell you about Cui Jie's identity?"
Gu Qin smiled, "Indeed, but I'm here for another matter. I want Manager Liu to help me with something."
"No, no," Manager Liu shook his head vigorously. "This matter is over. I don't want to get involved anymore." He didn't realize that both sides were dangerous—one with power and the other vulnerable.
The young woman is also very scary, with powerful martial arts skills, and doesn't soften her hand when stabbing people.
Gu Qin said, "That won't do. This matter must be helped by Manager Liu."
Manager Liu saw that this little girl didn't seem to be joking and was almost crying. "Little Miss, what exactly is the matter?"
Gu Qin pointed at the room. "Let's go inside and talk."
Manager Liu didn't dare to stop her and stepped aside to let Gu Qin in. When Gu Qin entered, she discovered that the room had the heater on, and even though Manager Liu was wearing thick cotton clothes, he was still shivering violently and curling up. Gu Qin knew this was due to the invasion of yin energy, which made him feel cold no matter how high the heater was set or how thick the clothes were worn.
Gu Qin sat down and directly explained her intentions to Manager Liu. "I came here to ask Manager Liu for help. Could you please call Cui Hui again, record the call, and get her to say something?"
Manager Liu naturally understood what "getting her to say something" meant. He only needed to get her to admit to framing Cheng Yinxiang. Manager Liu found it difficult and said, "Little sister, it’s not easy to get her to talk. We’ve almost fallen out over this matter, and she doesn’t answer my calls anymore."
Gu Qin replied, "Sending a text message would work too."
This left Manager Liu speechless. Gu Qin continued, "It’s not asking for your help for free. I’ll pay you."
Manager Liu’s eyes lit up. "Then how much are you willing to pay?"
Gu Qin thought for a moment. "If Manager Liu helps me with this, I’ll give you five thousand as compensation." Too much would be inappropriate, as it was just about talking; too little wouldn’t motivate him, and she didn’t want to spend too much on this.
However, Manager Liu wasn’t very willing with five thousand. "Little sister, five thousand is really too little, isn’t it?"
Gu Qin looked at him coldly. "Five thousand is enough. If Manager Liu agrees, I can help cure your illness. Your illness is something doctors can’t treat, and you have nightmares at night."
Manager Liu looked at Gu Qin in surprise. How did she know about his illness? Ever since he was frightened by this little girl, he noticed his body wasn’t right, feeling extremely cold, like having the chills. He went to the hospital for a check-up, but nothing showed up. No matter how high the heater was set or how thick the clothes he wore, he still felt cold. There was no other choice but to turn up the heat and wear more layers.
After thinking for a while, Manager Liu said, "If you can really cure my illness, I don’t care if you don’t charge me anything." He didn’t want money as much as he wanted to be cured, even though he doubted whether this little girl could do it.
This kind of cold was truly yin-cold, chilling to the bone, and he had nightmares every night, dreaming of falling into a cold abyss. It was almost impossible to sleep, and whenever he woke up, he would dream again. Last night, he barely slept for two hours. He had no other options, so early in the morning, he even sought out a fortune-teller who gave him a charm, which he burned and drank, but it had no effect. He ended up spending the whole morning in diarrhea. Finally, he decided to trust this little girl once.
Gu Qin nodded. "Alright, you make the call first. As long as we get the recording, I’ll help cure your illness."
Manager Liu thought about it and decided to trust this little girl. He took out his phone, dialed Cui Hui’s number, and turned on the recording and speakerphone. After several rings, Cui Hui finally answered...
~~~
Cui Hui had been quite frustrated lately. She was a team leader at the bureau with some real power, so many people flattered her. Over the years, she had developed an arrogant personality. A few days ago, she noticed her son acting strangely. She only had one son, Yu Jie, whom she doted on. Seeing him looking listless, not eating, and losing weight, she asked him what was wrong.
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Yu Jie wouldn’t tell her, so she called his best friend and asked about any issues at school. At first, the friend was hesitant but eventually admitted it was about a girl in class. The friend assured her that Yu Jie wasn’t doing it on purpose, just confused, and suggested she talk to him and not pressure him.
Cui Hui angrily hung up, not believing a word. Yu Jie was usually well-behaved at home, and while his grades weren’t great, he was in Class One, a key class. She couldn’t believe he would accuse her like that. She investigated the Gu family and learned they were poor, renting a house, with a daughter who got into high school with a low score and a son who failed to get into high school.
She was heartbroken about her son’s situation but didn’t want to forgive Gu Xin. She told her husband Yu Feng about it, but he advised her to drop it. The friend mentioned that Gu Xin was genuinely smart, and Yu Jie’s answers were incorrect.
Cui Hui refused to let it go and arranged for Manager Liu to damage the company’s surveillance system. She demanded 200,000 yuan from him, which he couldn’t pay.
Unexpectedly, Manager Liu called her again today, demanding compensation. She was annoyed but agreed to pay 20,000 yuan. When Manager Liu asked about her conflict with Cheng Yinxiang, she hung up, unaware that the call was recorded.
After hanging up, Manager Liu listened to the recording and heard Cui Hui admitting to framing Cheng Yinxiang. He laughed at Gu Qin and said, “Little sister, we’re good now, right?”
Seeing that Cui Hui had taken the bait, Gu Qin sighed in relief and told Manager Liu, “Send the recording to my phone, and I’ll help cure your illness.”
Manager Liu was still skeptical but put his phone in his pocket. “Didn’t you say you’d cure me first?”
Gu Qin replied, “Good, I’ll go buy some things and be back soon.” She couldn’t remove the yin energy without a cover. Silver needles would work; they were a traditional Chinese medicine technique that often worked where Western medicine failed. Using acupuncture would make Manager Liu believe her more.
She bought a set of silver needles and returned to Manager Liu’s house half an hour later. Manager Liu had already wrapped himself in a blanket but was still shaking.
Gu Qin disinfected the needles and had Manager Liu remove his shirt. She inserted the needles into specific acupoints. Acupuncture didn’t cure yin energy, but it made Manager Liu more trusting. He obediently removed his shirt and let her insert the needles.
Gu Qin inserted the needles in his back and slowly extracted the yin energy. There wasn’t much yin energy in his body, so she quickly removed it. She didn’t plan to deal with the remaining energy, hoping to teach him a lesson.
Afterward, she washed her hands. “After half an hour, you can remove the needles.”
Manager Liu felt better and realized the little girl had genuine skills. He was surprised and asked, “Little sister, do you know why Cui Hui targeted your mother?”
Gu Qin replied, “Don’t ask too much. Once I have the recording, this will be over.”
Manager Liu was an ordinary citizen. Although Cui Hui ordered him to frame Cheng Yinxiang, as long as the public funds were repaid and there was no further investigation, nothing serious would happen. But the impact on Cui Hui was different. During the strict crackdown period, civil servants needed to be upright, with positive values and integrity. Cui Hui’s misuse of authority would lead to suspension and investigation.
Cui Hui had no powerful connections, and as a team leader, such misconduct would likely result in severe punishment.
Half an hour later, Gu Qin removed the needles from Manager Liu’s back. He felt much better, slightly warm, and no longer felt cold. However, he still felt discomfort in his lower body, but it was embarrassing to mention to the little girl. Gu Qin had almost castrated him before, so mentioning this would make her think he had bad intentions.
Manager Liu sent the recording to Gu Qin. She opened the audio file on her phone and heard Cui Hui’s clear admission.
Leaving Manager Liu’s house, Gu Qin searched online for a whistleblowing website. She knew sending it from home would leave a PI address. Since she wasn’t proficient with computers, she called Jiang Cheng for help. He ran to a internet cafe to upload the recording.
Gu Qin couldn’t predict the outcome but waited for it. After calling Jiang Cheng, Cheng Yinxiang returned home with a box of office supplies, indicating she had resigned. Gu Xin offered a towel to wipe off the snow and suggested waiting until after the New Year to start market research. Cheng Yinxiang agreed, knowing they had to prepare for the holidays.
Gu Xin planned to focus on cultivation and was close to advancing to the middle stage of refining essence into qi. She prepared a training schedule for Gu Jia and left home, claiming to stay at Lin Xinxin’s place for a few days. In reality, she went to Mount Dai to meditate for three days.
Returning home, she found Gu Jia practicing standing meditation. Despite limited space, he continued diligently. Gu Xin noted his sweat and trembling, understanding the initial challenges.
~~~
Cui Hui felt unlucky recently. Her son was depressed, and her attempt to frame Cheng Yinxiang was exposed. A superior questioned her behavior and played the recording. With no way to deny it, she faced investigation and suspension. The unit was in chaos, and rumors spread. She was also accused of accepting a bribe of 40,000 yuan, leading to a heavier punishment. She was suspended, fined, and expelled, facing a six-month suspended sentence.
Jiang Cheng informed Gu Xin about the verdict, suggesting he could help further but decided against it, as the current outcome was lenient enough. Gu Xin thanked him, and Jiang Cheng insisted it was an honor to assist.
Gu Xin stated she didn’t need further assistance. Cui Hui’s punishment was sufficient, as she was already suspended and expelled. Gu Xin had other matters to attend to and thanked Jiang Cheng again.
Jiang Cheng smiled and said, "Don’t be so formal, Master Gu. Helping you is an honor."
"Brother Jiang, no need to be so formal," Gu Xin chuckled.
The woman in the seat outside suddenly freed her arm, stuffed the red envelopes back into Cheng Yinxiang's hands, and placed the child in the middle of the aisle before kneeling down with a thump in front of Cheng Yinxiang. "Big sister, please forgive me, I didn't mean to do it. I had no choice. My child is sick, my husband died from a work-related injury, and they won't give us compensation. I had to borrow money just to come back home. I have nothing left. Even buying breakfast for the child feels like a luxury. I really had no other way. Big sister, please forgive me once. I promise I will never do this again. Please, please forgive me." She continued to bang her head on the ground, her forehead turning red and swelling up.
Cheng Yinxiang was stunned, not knowing how to react. Before she could say anything, the woman continued to bang her head repeatedly. "Big sister, please forgive me this time. I beg you. I really don’t want to do this. I truly had no other options. I know I did wrong, but I swear I will never do it again. Please, please forgive me. I just wanted to buy some food for the child. I got carried away..."
Qwen has translated the provided Chinese text into English as requested.
The passengers who were watching the scene became somewhat uncomfortable. "sister, just let her go. I feel sorry for her, she’s a woman with a child and her husband is in trouble. Who wants this kind of situation?"
Cheng Yinxiang opened her mouth but seeing the woman's tearful face, she softened. "Then... then, let it be."
There was a commotion in the carriage. The child lying on the ground remained unconscious, still in deep sleep. Gu Qin frowned and watched as the woman tried to sit back down with the child. She stood up and approached them, feeling the child's pulse. "What illness does your child have? Why hasn't he woken up despite all the noise?"
Strange, the pulse seemed normal. The child appeared healthy. Why wouldn’t he wake up despite all the commotion?
The woman panicked, snatching the child away. "My child is sick and uncomfortable. He has been crying all night, so he is sleeping deeply today."
Some passengers, feeling that Gu Qin’s tone was cold, thought she was heartless. They began to rebuke her from a moral high ground. "What’s wrong with you, girl? How can you be so cold-hearted? It’s normal for a sick child to be sleepy. You’re not even related to him! If you want more money, we can contribute some! Can’t you just let them go?"
The woman hugged the child and cried. "Thank you, thank you. There are still good people in this world." And she sobbed loudly.
Seeing her pitiful appearance, people felt even more uneasy. Someone even took out money from their wallets, handing it to the woman. "Sister, these are all the money I have left. Take it and use it. Don’t worry about the child either. There are still good people in the world, many charity organizations can help if the child’s condition is serious."
Gu Qin couldn’t help but sneer. "I checked the child’s pulse. The pulse is normal, there is no illness. Why are you lying?"
The woman panicked, looked at Gu Qin, and knelt down. "Girl, I beg you, I know I’m wrong. This lady is your mother, isn’t she? I shouldn’t have stolen her money..."
She slapped herself, "Slap, slap, slap," hard enough that her face quickly turned red.
Surrounding passengers became angry. "What’s wrong with you, girl? Why are you pursuing her? Didn’t she say it wasn’t intentional?"
Cheng Yinxiang saw things escalating and stood up, patting Gu Qin’s shoulder. "Qin Qin, forget it, forget it."
Gu Qin looked down at the woman’s face. The woman’s children palace in her physiognomy was dim, indicating she had children but they died young. Her calm voice echoed, "Your children palace has a horizontal line, and the color is dark, indicating you have lost a child. So why do you claim this child is yours?"
Gu Qin suddenly recalled some news articles about kidnappers. After checking the child’s pulse, she found it strange and carefully observed the woman’s face. Clearly, the woman had lost a child and was living alone. How could she have a son?