Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Public Apology

After entering Temple of Kindness, Wang Miao’er’s expression turned extremely unpleasant as she gazed at the place that had brought her humiliation time and again. She turned to Gu Xiujin and demanded, “President Gu, why did you bring me here?”

Gu Xiujin, seated in his wheelchair, remained silent. Seated behind the pearwood examination desk, Xie Qingtang’s expression shifted slightly when she saw the three enter; her brows knitted and she walked out from behind her desk.

“The person you wanted, I’ve brought her to you,” Gu Xiujin said to Xie Qingtang, his tone leaving nothing to be interpreted.

Indeed, at first Xie Qingtang had suspected Wang Miao’er of meddling with the online shop. After all, since coming down from the mountain, she hadn’t made many enemies. Shao Siming didn’t even know she was at the Temple of Kindness or that she’d opened an online shop. Right now, Wang Miao’er was the only one with a grudge.

What she hadn’t expected was that the negative reviews really were Wang Miao’er’s doing. A knowing smile curled at Xie Qingtang’s lips.

Seeing that smile, Wang Miao’er felt as if she were being stared at by a demon crawling from the depths; a chill ran over her body, goosebumps rising.

“President Gu, what does this mean? Why did you bring me to the Temple of Kindness?” Wang Miao’er instinctively took a step back.

Xie Qingtang stood there, her expression cold. “Wang Miao’er, you really are something. Once wasn’t enough, so you came at me again. Last time you slandered me online; now you’re leaving bad reviews on my shop. You really won’t learn your lesson until you’re staring at your own grave.”

Wang Miao’er’s face twisted oddly at these words, but she mustered her courage and protested stiffly, “Xie Qingtang, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

“Don’t understand? It seems your memory is short and your mind dull. Perhaps I should give you a few needles to clear your head?” Xie Qingtang pulled a silver needle from her pouch, gave it a slight flick, and, lips curled, walked straight toward Wang Miao’er.

Terrified, Wang Miao’er retreated several more steps. “Stay away from me! I don’t know anything. President Gu, if there’s nothing else, I’ll return to the hospital.”

“Stop her.” At some point, Gu Xiujin had taken a seat beside them, slowly sipping a cup of tea.

Zhou Jinfan, ever the attentive one, had served him tea as soon as Gu Xiujin arrived and now stood behind him, smiling ingratiatingly.

No sooner had Gu Xiujin spoken than a group of bodyguards appeared at the doorway, blocking Wang Miao’er’s escape.

“President Gu, are you really going to give me a hard time for Xie Qingtang’s sake? I’m the heiress of Wang Pharmaceuticals!” Forced into a corner, Wang Miao’er finally revealed her identity. At first, she’d hoped to approach Gu Xiujin as an ordinary person, but now it was impossible.

To her surprise, revealing her status didn’t affect Gu Xiujin at all. He merely took another sip of tea.

“I don’t care whose heiress you are. If you dare provoke the Temple of Kindness, you ought to see who’s backing us.” Zhou Jinfan, emboldened by Gu Xiujin’s presence, stepped forward and jabbed a finger at Wang Miao’er.

Xie Qingtang might not know what Wang Pharmaceuticals was, but Zhou Jinfan certainly did. Taking advantage of Gu Xiujin’s presence, he seized the rare opportunity to put Wang Miao’er in her place.

Wang Miao’er was so angry she nearly lost her composure. She pointed at Zhou Jinfan, fuming, “You rascal! Yes, I left the negative reviews on your online shop—so what?”

Having been exposed, she no longer bothered to hide it. Xie Qingtang smiled. “So what? Now I have every reason to do what comes next.”

“What are you going to do?” Wang Miao’er’s arms were seized by two bodyguards, rendering her immobile. As she watched Xie Qingtang advance like a demon, her pupils dilated with terror.

Xie Qingtang wasted no words. She drove the silver needle toward Wang Miao’er’s chest. In the next moment, a scream that sounded like a pig being slaughtered echoed through the Temple of Kindness.

Seeing Wang Miao’er’s face contorted in pain, Zhou Jinfan shuddered. He himself had suffered at Xie Qingtang’s hands recently, and the memory of those silver needles was still fresh.

“Oh my goodness, what’s going on? Who’s making that noise in broad daylight—it sounds like someone’s being killed!” Passersby, startled by the horrific sounds from inside, nearly stumbled in fright.

A crowd quickly gathered at the door. Though the bodyguards blocked the entrance, curiosity got the better of the onlookers.

“Xie Qingtang, how dare you torture me?” Wang Miao’er gritted her teeth, trying to withstand the numbing pain coursing through her body.

Xie Qingtang smiled. “You’re mistaken. This isn’t torture—it’s punishment. Everyone must pay the price for their misdeeds. This is the price you must pay.”

With that, she continued, needle after needle finding its mark, until Wang Miao’er’s face twisted in agony.

But, surprisingly, the pain lasted only three or four minutes. Afterward, Wang Miao’er not only stopped hurting, but an unspeakable, shameful pleasure began to course through her body.

“Yes, give her a good needling!” Zhou Jinfan encouraged from the side, but fell silent at a single cold glance from Xie Qingtang.

When the needling was done, Xie Qingtang sat to the side. Wang Miao’er was drenched in sweat, limp as a boneless creature; if not for the bodyguards supporting her, she would have collapsed to the floor.

“Hey, isn’t that Dr. Wang from Gu’s Hospital? I saw her as a patient once.”

“Yeah, what’s happening? Is Dr. Wang here for treatment? Didn’t she always look down on traditional medicine? Why would she come here?”

After the needling, the bodyguards at the door stepped aside, revealing Wang Miao’er’s chest covered in silver needles.

Those who recognized her began to gossip. Throughout it all, Xie Qingtang’s expression remained unchanged as she sat with Gu Xiujin, calmly sipping tea.

When Wang Miao’er finally regained her strength, she stood up and realized she had fully recovered.