I Conquer the Entertainment Industry with My Medical Skills - Chapter 21

An Ningqing swiftly stepped back.

She scrutinized Xie Anran from head to toe, a rare look of confusion and bewilderment crossing her face, as if confronted with an unprecedented challenge.

Xie Anran hadn’t intended to blurt out the lingering, unsettling desire that had been gnawing at her. Yet, once the words were out, she felt a sense of relief, as if she had finally unburdened herself of a weighty secret.

At least now she wouldn’t have to endlessly speculate about why An Ningqing had deliberately pouted and flirted with her.

Or wonder if, had she not fallen asleep the previous night, she and An Ningqing might have shared an unforgettable night—or perhaps a disastrous one, given An Ningqing’s seemingly frigid demeanor.

The more certain Xie Anran became of this, the more self-assured she felt. She even dared to assert, “A fiancée also has intimacy obligations to fulfill. You didn’t think being my fiancée would be easy, did you?”

Intimacy obligations?!

Like last time?

Mouth to mouth, their tongues entwined in a soul-stirring kiss that had nearly drawn her in completely.

This was far beyond her capabilities.

An Ningqing had previously comforted herself by rationalizing that it was merely repaying a favor. We’ve already kissed, she thought, then regretted using Xie Anran as a shield that day. Now, she realized the truth: inviting a deity was easy, but getting rid of one was far more difficult. “Third Miss,” she suggested, “why don’t you find someone else to play this game with you? I’m sure others would be much more entertaining.”

As someone who had never been married, or even held hands with anyone, An Ningqing found it impossible to fulfill any intimate obligations with Xie Anran.

The mere thought of those intense, scalp-tingling kisses instinctively triggered a sense of danger in her.

Xie Anran: “What do you take me for? Lending me out like some object, then discarding me at will? You’re being incredibly disrespectful!”

“……”

She sounded genuinely aggrieved.

An Ningqing quickly realized she had handled the situation poorly. “But I’ve already repaid the favor I owed you, Third Miss.”

Mentioning it only reminded Xie Anran of that exhilarating, passionate kiss that haunted her dreams, making her dream of An Ningqing even more frequently. “It’s all your fault for publicly announcing you were my fiancée! My friends wouldn’t tease me about you otherwise. Ultimately, this is your mess to clean up.”

“……”

Forget it. This argument is like a tangled ball of yarn. You try to pull one loose thread, but the more you tug, the more hopelessly knotted the strands become. It’s impossible to untangle in a hurry.

I’ll just wait until that matter is resolved.

Then I should be free of this debt.

An Ningqing didn’t want to discuss such private matters in the bustling hallway. “I have other matters to attend to. Please excuse me, Third Miss.”

After speaking, she swiftly swiped her card and retreated to her room, slamming the door shut before Xie Anran could react.

“You—”

“Damn it!”

Xie Anran stomped her foot in frustration outside the door. Had she agreed or not?

Back in her room, An Ningqing poured herself a glass of lemon water and drank most of it before squatting down to open her suitcase. She retrieved the remaining half of her herbal reserves. Good thing I came prepared, she thought, glancing at the time. There was still about an hour and a half until dinner.

That should be enough time.

Meanwhile, Xie Anran, hearing that someone had caught a two-meter-long tuna while deep-sea fishing for thrills, rushed to the deck to join the crowd. Luo Ling spotted her and asked the person next to her to make room. “Where’s your fiancée? I saw you two having breakfast together this morning.”

Why bring up that sore spot?

Xie Anran had finally managed to distract herself, but Luo Ling’s remark brought Li Jing and the unwanted Qian Lingling back to mind. “She didn’t sleep well last night,” she replied. “She said she wanted to lie down for a while.”

Luo Ling raised an eyebrow. “How do you know she didn’t sleep well? Unless—oh, I see! You and your fiancée… you know… that? Hehe, what’s there to hide?”

It’s perfectly legitimate!

Yet it felt like a secret affair.

Xie Anran couldn’t help but roll her eyes with a touch of elegance. Sleeping in the same bed all night? How embarrassing! Better to keep quiet about it.

“The sailors caught these in the kitchen. We’re in for a treat today!”

“It’s not like we haven’t had fish before.”

“Hey, Anran, look at the corner to your right. Li Jing really isn’t picky. Didn’t she say she had a girlfriend a few days ago? Now it’s a little boy?”

Xie Anran turned her head and could vaguely make out two heads close together, but couldn’t distinguish who was who. “Hmph, she’s ensnared another innocent young man’s heart. I should bring An Ningqing over to see this.”

“Why would you bring An Ningqing here?”

“Who knows?”

Who knows when An Ningqing and Li Jing became so close? I’ve run into them three times on this cruise: once at the dance, once at the buffet, and once when I saw An Ningqing leaving Li Jing’s room.

It was the same with Qian Lingling before. They used to be mortal enemies, always at each other’s throats. There’s plenty of video evidence of their animosity online. Yet somehow, their relationship inexplicably softened.

Xie Anran suddenly turned to Luo Ling. “Do you think An Ningqing might have learned some kind of charm magic? Like a fox spirit who specializes in stealing girls’ hearts?”

Luo Ling stammered, “Ah, well…”

She really didn’t know how to respond to that.

Xie Anran muttered to herself, “She definitely learned it.”

First, she seduced me, then she used some trick to bewitch Qian Lingling. Now she’s planning to target Li Jing?

The more Xie Anran thought about it, the more convinced she became. She was starting to feel like some nosy neighbor, always meddling in others’ affairs.

“No, I have to confront her and get some answers.”

“Huh?” Luo Ling stared blankly as Xie Anran dashed off.

Knock, knock, knock.

An Ningqing, who was meticulously preparing medicine, flinched, nearly ruining the batch. Through the door, she could almost sense who was calling. On this cruise ship, she only knew two or three people well.

After a moment’s hesitation, she quickened her pace.

Xie Anran knocked twice more, but still no one answered. Could she be out having fun?

Leaning against the wall, Xie Anran suddenly dialed An Ningqing’s number. The signal was unstable at sea, but she could still hear the phone ringing inside the room. Heh, gotcha!

“An Ningqing, I know you’re in there. Open the door! I have something to ask you.”

……

The knocking grew more urgent, louder with each strike.

The door suddenly swung open.

Xie Anran stumbled and fell into An Ningqing’s arms. Her embrace was genuinely soft and fragrant, carrying a refreshing herbal scent. She quickly straightened up, “What’s wrong with you? I knocked so many times, didn’t you hear me?”

“Third Miss.”

Xie Anran strode confidently into the room, her gaze landing on two cloth-wrapped sachets on the table. They looked exactly like the cheap, ten-yuan-for-two trinkets sold at street stalls. But when she sniffed them, she recognized the same fragrance she’d detected on An Ningqing earlier. “What are these?”

An Ningqing lowered her eyes. “Inexpensive little trinkets.”

Xie Anran picked one up and toyed with it. “I could use one in my car. Give it to me.”

An Ningqing swiftly snatched the sachet from her hand. “These were custom-made for someone else. One costs a hundred thousand yuan. I can’t give it to you.”

“How much did you just say?!”

“A hundred thousand yuan?!”

You call this an inexpensive little trinket?!

Xie Anran stared in disbelief. “Who ordered these? Don’t tell me it was Qian Lingling and Li Jing.”

An Ningqing didn’t answer, but Xie Anran took her silence as confirmation—she had guessed right. An Ningqing swiftly stuffed the two sachets into her suitcase. “Third Miss, is there something you needed me for?”

What was I here for again?

Right, she had come to ask about An Ningqing’s relationships with Qian Lingling and Li Jing. But now, she felt like she was staring at two lush, thriving patches of chives.

“The fragrance I smelled on you earlier—did you make that yourself too?”

“Are you referring to the calming incense?”

“Calming incense?”

“……”

Xie Anran’s gaze suddenly fell on the incongruous pillow on the bed. No wonder I fell asleep in three seconds while hugging it.

So this incense is for calming the nerves.

And it works remarkably well.

Xie Anran had to reassess An Ningqing’s connections with the other two women. She picked up the lemon water on the table and took a sip, using the moment to probe further. “Calming incense—that’s a nice name. If I wanted some, would I have to commission it from you too?”

“Ten thousand?”

Ten thousand seems a bit low.

I really love that fragrance.

An Ningqing chuckled. “No need. If Third Miss likes it, I’ll make some for you when we get back.”

As she spoke, her eyes drifted to the water glass in Xie Anran’s hand.

The water cup seemed to be the one she had just been drinking from.

As Xie Anran drank, the lemon water tasted increasingly sweet. She exclaimed happily, “Alright then! I’ll come get it from you when we get back. Don’t forget!”

With that, she drained the last bit of lemon water from the cup.

Not bad at all, she thought.

After seeing off the young mistress, An Ningqing let out a sigh of relief. She then cleaned up the remaining debris from the suitcase, gathered it all together, flushed it down the toilet, and pressed the flush button.

For lunch, Xie Anran finally didn’t have to endure any annoying company. Just the two of them. She casually remarked, “You wouldn’t believe it—Li Jing and the Young Master Mo Family fell head over heels for each other at first sight! They’re probably splashing around in the pool right now, feeding each other grapes mouth-to-mouth. The scene was so cringe-worthy, I couldn’t even watch.”

She glanced at An Ningqing, who was focused on eating shrimp, as if she had heard but also hadn’t. With Xie Anran’s loud voice, she must have heard. In An Ningqing’s eyes, Li Jing and that poor Young Master Mo Family seemed less significant than the Blue Lobster lying on her plate.

Xie Anran felt completely relaxed, her meridians unblocked. “Can you swim?”

An Ningqing replied, stealing a moment from her busy schedule, “No, I can’t.”

Medicine King Valley was surrounded by mountains, with only one exit. After her coming-of-age ceremony, she accompanied her Master down the mountain to save lives, finally getting the chance to see the vast rivers and mountains. As for her original self, she was also a complete landlubber.

“I know how to swim! Why don’t I teach you?”

“……”

An Ningqing wasn’t particularly eager to learn, but she couldn’t resist Xie Anran’s overwhelming enthusiasm. Xie Anran even picked out a swimsuit for her—a skimpy one that barely covered her vital areas. The thin fabric clung to her body, making her upper body feel no different from wearing a mere bodice.

But the pool was crowded, and everyone, male and female, was dressed similarly. The men were even more exposed, wearing only tight-fitting shorts. The girls’ outfits were nearly identical to hers.

An Ningqing knew the problem lay with her own discomfort. She quietly retreated backward, accidentally bumping into someone. Xie Anran stood behind her, dripping wet and arms crossed, glaring at the fully covered figure. “Why does changing take you longer than a turtle?”