Chapter 11: Just Think of It as Being Bitten by a Dog

Qin Chuan was awakened by a knock at the door.

Due to the severe internal injuries caused by his organs being scorched twice in succession by the Nine Yang Aura the day before, his vitality had been gravely depleted, and so he had slept especially deeply. When he was roused, he couldn't help but feel a bit irritable.

"Who is it?" Qin Chuan asked, frowning with annoyance.

"It's me, Brother Chuan!" came a charming voice, as clear and refreshing as a winter river, instantly quelling the fire in Qin Chuan's chest.

"Grandmaster Uncle, I've come too!" An elderly voice followed, as scorching as the July sun, evaporating the winter river in Qin Chuan's heart in an instant, and reigniting the anger that had just been extinguished.

"You old geezer, you can leave now!" Qin Chuan replied irritably.

Lan Weimin fell silent.

After this commotion, Qin Chuan was fully awake. He slowly got out of bed and opened the door, only to see Lan Weimin sitting in his wheelchair, looking somewhat lost and doubtful about life itself.

After all, this old man had some history with his master, and Qin Chuan didn't want to sever that old bond entirely.

"Grandmaster Uncle, I owe you my life. Thank you," Qin Chuan said, and Lan Weimin prepared to stand and bow in gratitude, but Qin Chuan pressed him firmly back into the wheelchair.

"At your age, you should be taking care of your health! If you keep pushing yourself, even I might not be able to save you next time."

Qin Chuan paused, his gaze falling on Lan Jin standing nearby. "Besides, I only helped you because I had an agreement with her, right, my dear si—cough, sister!"

Lan Jin instantly caught what Qin Chuan had almost said first. Her delicate face flushed so red it looked as if she might bleed. If any other man had spoken to her that way, she would have slapped him without hesitation, but for some reason, when it was Qin Chuan, she simply couldn't muster any anger.

Lan Weimin, noticing his granddaughter's unusual reaction, looked as though he had discovered a new continent, though his curiosity was quickly replaced by excitement.

"Grandmaster Uncle, since you rarely visit Binhai, let my granddaughter show you around. I'll leave you to rest," Lan Weimin said, subtly signaling to Butler Fu, who understood immediately and wheeled him out of the room.

As he passed her, Lan Weimin gave Lan Jin a discreet gesture of encouragement, which made three black lines appear on her forehead in exasperation.

Yet Lan Jin was not averse to getting to know Qin Chuan more deeply; in fact, she was quite interested.

"I'm only getting close to Qin Chuan to stand up for Sister Yu," she told herself. "I have absolutely no interest in Qin Chuan. A friend's man is off limits!"

She repeated this mantra in her mind, so much so that she didn't notice Qin Chuan watching her for a long while. Only when she felt the warmth of his breath did she suddenly snap to attention.

At that moment, Qin Chuan's face was less than three inches from hers. To borrow a line from a film, at that distance, you were either about to kiss or about to fight.

"Ah!" Lan Jin shrieked, instinctively jumping back more than a meter to maintain a safe distance from Qin Chuan.

"Why are you screaming for no reason? People might think I did something to you! Did you take lessons from mice to be this timid?" Qin Chuan said with clear disdain.

"You dare say I'm timid? Who do you think you're looking down on?" Lan Jin retorted, refusing to show weakness. "Don't say you haven't done anything to me— even if you had, I wouldn't be afraid!"

"I don't believe it!"

"If you don't believe me, try it!" No sooner had Lan Jin spoken than Qin Chuan darted forward and closed the distance between them.

"You—" Lan Jin had no time for words as she backed away, only stopping when she was cornered against the wall. Qin Chuan placed his right hand on the wall beside her head and his left arm blocked her escape on the other side, his face drawing ever closer to hers.

"Is he really going to pin me against the wall?" Lan Jin instinctively wanted to flee, but recalling her earlier words, she stubbornly stayed put.

As Qin Chuan drew nearer, Lan Jin resigned herself and closed her eyes.

"Just pretend I was bitten by a dog," she told herself one last time.