Fu Bing looked up at him in shock.
Then, expressionlessly, she removed his shirt.
His chest and back were densely covered with knife scars, whip marks, and burn scars.
"Who did this?" Fu Bing asked, her voice trembling.
"Your man is already so strong; there are only a few who could handle me."
"Qin Sheng or Qin Jinmo?"
Qin Jinhai didn’t answer.
Fu Bing quickly cleaned his wounds. She took a loose-fitting gauze shirt from the wardrobe and put it on him to minimize friction against his healing wounds.
"You lie down and rest properly. I’ll go find you some medicine."
Qin Jinhai obediently acknowledged.
Her unique, delicate fragrance still lingered on the bed.
The moment his head touched the pillow, he fell asleep almost instantly, as if he’d fainted.
Only by her side could he relax enough to fall asleep. Otherwise, even when utterly exhausted, he would remain wide awake.
After getting into the car, Fu Bing’s mind was still reeling.
He knew he would be injured, so he had already instructed her to procure a week’s worth of medicine.
The meticulousness of this man’s thoughts frightened her.
The more nonchalant Qin Jinhai appeared, the more she felt the truth in the saying, "accompanying a ruler is like accompanying a tiger."
No one knew what his next move would be, or who would become his next pawn.
Even his seemingly impulsive act of saving Han Hu now appeared to be a meticulously calculated move.
That day, he had suddenly taken her to the old shipyard, just as Li Hua was bringing Han Hu onto a platform to humiliate her.
She couldn’t bear to watch and ended up saving Han Hu.
The real person who saved Han Hu wasn’t her.
He had calculated every step, factoring in everyone’s thoughts and even their immediate psychological reactions to sudden events.
The more Su He obsessed over Han Hu, the more leverage Qin Jinhai had over him.
Influencing Su He was tantamount to influencing half of the Su Family.
With the Qin Family in his hands, and control over half the Su Family as well... In the future, who could possibly contend with Qin Jinhai?
The more Fu Bing thought about it, the colder she felt. Not even the blazing sun could dispel the chill in her body and heart.
Qin Jinhai had laid a meticulous net around her. She seemed to have escaped her previous financial troubles, but she was always on Qin Jinhai’s chessboard, with Qin Jinhai still the one pulling the strings.
Feeling a need to escape, Fu Bing went to Jiangcheng’s largest wholesale market for medicinal herbs.
Sometimes, one could find good things here.
For Qin Jinhai’s wounds to heal, he needed top-quality Panax Notoginseng and donkey-hide gelatin.
Besides that, she also needed to add some madder, which was required for beauty-enhancing medicine pills.
However, well-aged herbs were not easy to find.
Fu Bing wandered through most of the market. Many storefronts were lavishly decorated, but the real treasures weren’t inside, and it was easy to get ripped off if one went in. After half a day’s search, she finally found a hundred-year-old Panax Notoginseng in an inconspicuous little shop.
She had just finished paying when a woman’s voice sounded from behind her.
"Shopkeeper, I’ll take this Panax Notoginseng."
The shopkeeper said with a smile, "Miss, I’ve already sold it to Miss Fu. Please take a look at something else."
Fu Bing’s national popularity was unmatched by other celebrities. Fu Bing played a diverse range of roles, and people of all ages had seen her work.
Han Yue glanced at Fu Bing. "Cut the crap. If I see it, it’s mine."
"I bought this Panax Notoginseng first. Miss, one should be reasonable."
"Who wants to be reasonable with you? In Jiangcheng, my fist is the law!"
Han Yue swung her fist towards Fu Bing.
Just as Fu Bing was about to retaliate, she felt a tight grip around her waist. She was suddenly hoisted up, then gently set back on the ground.
Fu Bing only managed to catch a glimpse of the back of the man’s head as he grappled with Han Yue.
Han Yue, even more furious, attacked Mu He with increasingly vicious moves.
Mu He, seeing how unreasonably pestering this young woman was, didn’t hold back either.
Han Yue was steadily forced back and finally crashed into a nearby stall, scattering medicinal herbs everywhere.
Han Yue grabbed a handful of herbs and threw them at Mu He. "In Jiangcheng, no one dares to lay a hand on me! You’re dead meat!"
Mu He pinned her to the ground with a single move.
The rough ground scraped Han Yue’s face.
Han Yue screamed in terror.
Mu He, figuring she’d learned her lesson, released her.
Having gained no advantage against Mu He, Han Yue straightened up and swung a palm strike at Fu Bing.
Fu Bing raised her hand and twisted Han Yue’s wrist, breaking it.
Han Yue’s shriek echoed through the traditional medicine market.
Fu Bing said, "No one is going to indulge your rotten tantrums."
Fu Bing ignored Han Yue. Seeing the shopkeeper’s stall smashed to pieces, she told him to add the cost of the destroyed medicinal herbs to her bill.
The shopkeeper hurriedly waved his hands. "Miss Fu, this has nothing to do with you! I can’t take your money."
"Then get me some more medicinal herbs, and I’ll pay for everything together."
In the end, Fu Bing still paid the shopkeeper an extra thirty thousand.
When the shopkeeper chased after her, Fu Bing was already gone.
Fu Bing returned to Imperial Garden. Aunt Ning had already delivered medicine to stop bleeding and reduce bruising.
Qin Jinhai had taken his medicine and was sound asleep.
Fu Bing busied herself in the kitchen, then, after preparing the medicinal herbs, carefully applied the treatment to Qin Jinhai’s wounds.
At some point, Qin Jinhai opened his eyes.
His fingers gently tugged the hem of Fu Bing’s clothes.
Fu Bing lowered her gaze.
There was no sharpness in Jinhai’s eyes, no fierce glint; he looked like a young master, thoroughly pampered at home, who had just woken from a nap to see the person he most wanted to see. He appeared languid and at ease.
Fu Bing’s expression was complex. "I added some anesthetic to the medicine. The pain will subside in a while."
Qin Jinhai didn’t mention that anesthetics were essentially ineffective on him.
No matter how much it hurt, he had to endure it fully conscious.
But still, he mentally timed it, gently closing his eyes when the anesthetic would typically take effect for an ordinary person, feigning its effects.
In the evening, Qin Jinhai insisted on dragging Fu Bing out shopping.
When it came to stamina, Fu Bing was no match for Qin Jinhai.
They walked from Imperial Garden to a nearby shopping mall. If Fu Bing so much as glanced at something for more than a moment, Qin Jinhai would insist on buying it.
Fu Bing was rendered speechless by his behavior. "If you keep this up, you can shop by yourself!"
Qin Jinhai pouted but didn’t dare to argue, obediently following her.
Inside a milk tea shop, Han Yue saw Fu Bing and Qin Jinhai shopping together and spat on the ground in disgust.
Then her eyes lit up.
She waved to Zhang Jue, who wasn’t far off. "Brother Jue, over here!"
Zhang Jue jogged over. "What’s so urgent?"
"I was bullied! Brother Jue, you have to stand up for me!"
"Who in Jiangcheng would dare to bully you?"
"Who says no one would?" Han Yue pointed to her face. "They did this to my face!"
Zhang Jue’s eager expression instantly turned cold. "Xiao Yue, Fu Bing is currently a distinguished guest of the Su Family. Of all people, why did you have to provoke her?"
"She snatched what I wanted first!"
"It’s just one item. If she wants it, let her have it. If you offend her, your grandfather’s illness will be untreatable!"
Han Yue hadn’t expected Zhang Jue to be so timid. "You’re just scared of trouble!"
Zhang Jue scoffed. "It’s one thing if I court disaster myself, but if I drag the Zhang Family into this mess, I’ll be a disgrace to my family."
"So all that talk about loving me was a lie! You won’t even do this one thing for me!"
Zhang Jue replied, "Love you? Of course, I do. But if loving you means risking my future and my family, then no thanks."
"Zhang Jue, you coward!"
"Say what you will." Zhang Jue didn’t want to argue with Han Yue in public and turned to leave.
He then noticed Qin Jinhai and Fu Bing standing right behind them.
Zhang Jue’s expression shifted. He pulled Han Yue behind him and said to Fu Bing, "Miss Fu, Xiao Yue is young and speaks her mind without thinking. If she has inadvertently offended you, I apologize on her behalf."
"Apologize for what? She’s the one who snatched what I chose!" Han Yue snorted. "Fu Bing, you’re truly shameless! After Qin Jinhai threw you in prison, you come out and shamelessly throw yourself at him again!"
A crisp slapping sound landed on Han Yue’s face.