"Alright, Qianqian and I will go right now!"
Jin Yongping, afraid that the unhappy Xia Qianqian would offend Chen Xiao, pulled Xia Qianqian away from the workshop without a second thought.
Lin Meiqi tried her best to control herself and not talk to Chen Xiao, focusing on the work of preparing Chinese medicinal materials. She was afraid of getting too deeply involved and eventually being unable to resist using the Minor Gathering Evil Talisman.
But Chen Xiao's handsome and dashing appearance was as alluring as magic to her. The more she restrained herself, the more she couldn't help but initiate conversations with Chen Xiao:
"Boss, you look about my age, right? It's really amazing that you could become the boss of Jinfang Pharmaceutical at such a young age."
Chen Xiao was contemplating a solution for long-term storage of "medicinal guides" without spoilage. He casually replied:
"Just lucky."
Given Lin Meiqi's status and profession, she had no worries about not being able to find more personal information about Chen Xiao later. She didn't ask further and continued to force herself to work diligently. However, after a few minutes, she couldn't control herself and spoke again:
"Boss, the Chinese herbal paste we're making seems to be a new drug not yet on the market. What is its main function?"
The Sumeru Mustard Paste would eventually be launched, and without the "medicinal guide," no other pharmaceutical company could imitate it. Chen Xiao decided not to hide anything and said:
"Sumeru Mustard Paste. It can draw out foreign objects like shrapnel from the body without injury simply by applying it to the wound. Of course, it also includes gallstones, making it a nemesis for gallstones. At the same time, it accelerates wound healing and has a very obvious pain-relieving effect."
The two main businesses of "Death God" were assassination missions and mercenary rentals. Therefore, Lin Meiqi had encountered her fair share of gunfire and bullets. Based on Chen Xiao's description, she could imagine the bright prospects of the Sumeru Mustard Paste upon its market launch even without thinking. She was instantly stunned.
However, beyond her shock, she felt that Chen Xiao's claims were as exaggerated as magic, completely deviating from her understanding of modern medicine's efficacy. She naturally assumed Chen Xiao was bragging, and her good impression of him plummeted to an all-time low. She thought to herself:
"He's truly handsome, but his ability to talk nonsense is even more outrageous than Ye Qingtian and Long Xiaolin. He's just a pretty face with no substance, a straw pillow. What a waste of such perfect looks and physique."
With this thought, she gradually lost interest in staying any longer and prepared to finish quickly.
"Ouch—"
Suddenly, with a cry of pain, she, who had been preparing Chinese medicine a moment ago, squatted on the ground clutching her stomach, feigning extreme pain and said:
"Boss, where is the restroom? I... I suddenly have a stomachache."
With her keen observation skills, she had already noticed the restroom at the workshop entrance.
Chen Xiao was a little puzzled because, in his opinion, Lin Meiqi was in very good health and should not have a sudden stomachache. However, he was too lazy to investigate further and gestured with his mouth towards the door:
"It's right outside."
"Thank... thank you."
Lin Meiqi, holding her stomach with one hand and leaning on the wall with the other, struggled to get up. As she reached the door, she looked back with a pleading expression and said embarrassedly:
"Bo... Boss, could you trouble yourself to go to the small shop outside and buy me some sanitary napkins?"
Her intention in saying this was merely to get Chen Xiao to leave so she could discreetly stick the Minor Gathering Evil Talisman under the workbench in the workshop.
Fearing that Chen Xiao might become suspicious, she immediately added in an even more awkward and shy tone:
"I... I came to the city in a hurry this morning and didn't prepare anything. Unexpectedly, my period is early. Ouch... it hurts so much!"
With her looks and figure, even if she dressed deliberately plainly, she could easily attract the attention of the opposite sex. Coupled with her excellent acting skills, she had no worries about Chen Xiao falling for her trick.
But she never would have guessed that for Chen Xiao, who possessed the Wordless Golden Formula, ordinary ailments were completely transparent with just a glance.
"It seems this woman has ulterior motives for applying for the job! Heh heh."
Chen Xiao sneered inwardly, but his face showed no such emotion. Instead, he put on a show of great concern and said:
"Irregular periods? And menstrual cramps? This... this is a serious problem! It must be diagnosed and treated early! You go to the restroom first. I'll go buy them now, and I'll give you a thorough examination later."
As he spoke, under Lin Meiqi's astonished gaze, Chen Xiao dashed out the door like a rabbit with grease on its soles. In the blink of an eye, he had disappeared around the corner towards the main entrance.
"He's too easy to fool! A straw bag! I must have been blind to think he was handsome before! This kind of person dares to go against the Ye family. He's simply courting death!"
Lin Meiqi became even more disdainful. She couldn't be bothered to go through the entire charade in the restroom anymore. Her eyes darted around. After confirming that there were no surveillance cameras installed in the workshop, she nimbly crawled under the workbench, which was about as tall as an office desk, and prepared to stick the Minor Gathering Evil Talisman she had hidden in her pocket.
But just then, with hurried footsteps, Chen Xiao suddenly rushed back into the door:
"I'm really sorry, I forgot my phone..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Xiao's eyes fell on Lin Meiqi squatting under the workbench. He then feigned surprise and said:
"Huh? Lin Qi, why are you here instead of waiting in the restroom?"
Lin Meiqi, guilty of her actions, panicked and quickly rubbed the Minor Gathering Evil Talisman in her hand into pieces while facing away from Chen Xiao. When she realized she didn't need to fear the straw-bag-like Chen Xiao, she had already subconsciously activated her Inch Punch to crush the last Minor Gathering Evil Talisman on her body. Her face instantly darkened, and she said impatiently:
"I'm in too much pain to stand up straight, so I wanted to find a narrow place like a tree hollow to rest for a while. Hurry up and go if you have your phone."
By this time, she couldn't be bothered to act anymore. She secretly decided that if Chen Xiao didn't fall for it, she would simply knock him unconscious. After all, she still had talismans and a special brush dipped in cinnabar hidden on her person, and she could redraw a Minor Gathering Evil Talisman at any time.
"Alright!"
How could Chen Xiao be fooled by such a clumsy act? But he became increasingly curious about what Lin Meiqi was up to. So, he deliberately played dumb, took his phone, and quickly left again.
"He believes this too? He's truly the epitome of a straw bag!"
Lin Meiqi looked down on Chen Xiao even more. She immediately crawled out from under the workbench and then openly took out her brush and talisman paper to start drawing.
She had drawn at least eighty or ninety Minor Gathering Evil Talismans. Her brushwork was swift, and it was done in less than two minutes.
But at this moment, she suddenly realized that Chen Xiao had appeared at the doorway with a cold smile at some unknown time.
"You..."
She finally realized belatedly that Chen Xiao had probably seen through her scheme long ago and was playing the fool, waiting for her to reveal her true colors. She became enraged and said coldly:
"What do you want?"