Chapter 12

Wang Tiezhu finally took a good look at the woman in front of him. Her features were delicate, her figure tall and slender, yet the curves where they mattered were so full and abundant that he feared the buttons on her shirt might not hold.

She stood about 1.72 to 1.73 meters tall, and her long legs—probably a full meter in length—were wrapped in enticing black stockings and topped off with high heels. Her long hair cascaded gracefully down her back.

No doubt, she was a goddess-level beauty!

Just as he was about to speak, the sales clerk beside him hurriedly cut in, speaking in a panicked tone:

“Yes, yes, sir! Our pharmacy buys bear paws at a rate of 1,000 per jin. We really can’t go any higher. Please reconsider, haha!”

Wang Tiezhu saw the round-faced clerk squeezing out a sycophantic smile, his eyes practically pleading: Brother, please don’t expose me! I just misspoke earlier!

Wang Tiezhu acted as if he hadn’t noticed. He had no patience for such people and felt no sympathy at all. Feigning surprise, he said, “1,000 per jin? These four bear paws alone weigh 50 to 60 jin. That’s around 50,000 to 60,000 in total!

“But just now, you said my entire basket was only worth 10,000. Wouldn’t that mean your pharmacy is losing a fortune?”

As soon as he said this, the male clerk’s face turned pale. He quickly tried to explain, “I… I never said that! Sir, you must have misheard!”

“Oh, really?”

Wang Tiezhu played dumb. “Just now, you even increased the price, saying the highest you could offer was 11,000. Did I mishear that too?”

“This…”

The male clerk was speechless, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Li Linglong’s expression turned cold. She immediately understood what was happening and scolded him, “How dare you? Who allowed you to quote random prices like that?!”

“Thud!”

The male clerk’s legs gave out, and he fell to his knees, pleading desperately, “Boss, I… I didn’t know the real price of bear paws and misspoke. Please forgive me just this once!”

Did he really think his female boss was a fool?

She coldly reprimanded him, “You’re fired. Go collect your wages for this month from finance, and then get out immediately.”

“Boss, no, please!”

The male clerk wailed, tears streaming down his face. “I have a family to support—my parents, my kids! They all rely on this job! You can’t fire me!”

Li Linglong’s face was full of disgust. This kind of person was truly unbearable. She made a mental note to have a serious talk with HR—there was no way they should be hiring people like this.

With a frosty tone, she said, “I won’t repeat myself. If you keep making a fuss, you won’t even get your wages for this month.”

Realizing there was no hope of mercy, the male clerk immediately stopped crying. He got up from the floor, glared hatefully at Wang Tiezhu—his eyes practically murderous—then stormed out.

Wang Tiezhu merely scoffed, unfazed.

After the commotion settled, Li Linglong apologized sincerely, “Sir, I deeply regret what just happened. It was my failure to manage my staff properly, and I apologize for the inconvenience.

“Here’s what I can do—I’ll buy your goods at market price, plus an extra two percent. How does that sound?”

Wang Tiezhu nodded without hesitation. At least this female boss was reasonable, and he needed the money urgently.

“Deal. But I need to be paid immediately—no delays.”

Li Linglong nodded. “No problem! I’ll have my staff weigh the goods and process your payment right away.” She immediately called over a store clerk.

—-

About ten minutes later, in an upstairs office, Li Linglong placed seven neat stacks of cash in front of Wang Tiezhu on the reception sofa.

“Mr. Wang, this is a total of 70,000. Please count it.”

“No need, I trust you.”

Without counting, Wang Tiezhu stuffed the money into his bag.

Li Linglong smiled slightly. “If you had told me earlier that you were Xiaoqing’s friend, this whole incident wouldn’t have happened.

“Mr. Wang, if I may ask—what’s your relationship with Xiaoqing? Are you two together? I’ve known her for a long time, and she’s never spoken on behalf of any man before.”

Wang Tiezhu chuckled and shook his head. “Look at me—I’m like an ugly toad. Your best friend is a high-flying swan. Do you think she’d be interested in me?”

“Pfft—haha…”

Li Linglong laughed, her delicate frame trembling, her chest bouncing in an eye-catching way. “Mr. Wang, I didn’t expect you to have such a sense of humor! So, how did you two meet?” Her bright, fox-like eyes sparkled with curiosity.

She’s quite nosy, Wang Tiezhu thought. But he had no reason to hide anything, so he recounted their story and shrugged. “Now you know—I’m not her boyfriend. If anything, I’m more like a prisoner in her custody.”

“So, you really are a doctor?”

Wang Tiezhu shook his head. “Just a humble folk healer, nothing more.”

“Then, Mr. Wang, could you take a look at my ankle?” Li Linglong asked. “The in-store doctor already checked it, but the pain hasn’t improved. It’s actually getting worse.”

Wang Tiezhu nodded. “Of course. This is partly my fault anyway. Put your foot up, and I’ll take a look.”

“Alright.”

Li Linglong removed her high heels and rested her foot on the glass coffee table in front of him. Then she peeled off her black stockings, revealing a fair, delicate foot with bright red nail polish—small and exquisite.

Wang Tiezhu felt a sudden urge to lean down and kiss it.

So beautiful…

“Mr. Wang, can we start?” Li Linglong blushed slightly when she noticed him staring, urging him on.

“Oh, right, of course!”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Wang Tiezhu cleared his throat. “This might hurt a bit. Try to bear with it.” Her ankle was already swollen and red.

“Mm, go ahead.”

Rolling up his sleeves, Wang Tiezhu got to work.

—-

Downstairs, a shop assistant rushed up to the office, panting as he arrived at the door, ready to knock.

“Ahh, that hurts!”

“Oh, okay, okay!” A man’s voice replied. “Move a bit to the side. I can’t quite get in properly!”

“Mm!”

The male clerk outside suddenly froze, his blood surging.

His boss—the woman he had always worshipped as a goddess, his dream woman—was doing that inside the office?! And the man’s voice—wasn’t it that country bumpkin who had just sold the bear paws?!

That ugly toad actually got my dream woman in just a few moves?!

Damn!

His heart shattered.

He stood stiffly at the door, hands clenched into fists. If he barged in now and disrupted his boss’s “moment,” he’d probably get fired. He decided to wait.

Another ten minutes passed before things finally quieted down.

Inside, a lazy, satisfied voice sounded, “Mr. Wang, you’re really amazing. It hurt so much at first, but now it feels much better.”

“You don’t have to call me ‘Mr. Wang.’ Just call me Tiezhu.”

“Alright then, Tiezhu.”

The woman giggled. “I’m a year older than you. If you don’t mind, you can call me Sister Ling.”

“Sure, Sister Ling.”

“Shameless couple!”

Outside, the male clerk clenched his fists, seething with jealousy and rage. Why couldn’t that man inside be me?!