Chapter 136: Innuendo and Slander

"Alright, turn over, lie on your back." Tong Yueting's voice remained cold and aloof, showing no trace of emotion.

Cao Fusheng was not happy this time. Lying face down was somewhat acceptable, but flipping over like this was completely humiliating!

Standing at attention was the ultimate disgrace!

Bai Qingchu had never expected a routine medical check-up to evolve into such a situation. He lowered his voice and said, "Department Head Tong, I think that should be about enough, maybe we..."

"Not even close."

"..."

Panicking, Bai Qingchu rushed over to Xun Xin, who was still facing the wall in repentance. "Hey! Stop staring at the wall! A disaster is about to happen! Look at this mess, if I had known, I should have just brought him to my place!"

To his surprise, Xun Xin ignored him entirely, continuing to fixate on the wall as tears streamed down his face.

"When you leave in a moment, I will release him naturally. I said before, every time I see him, I will discipline him. Today is just a warning. If he dares to shout nonsense again, I will induce functional death," Tong Yueting said coldly.

Bai Qingchu was genuinely terrified. Was this attempted murder?

He swallowed hard and asked, "Department Head Tong, what exactly did you do to him..."

"Nothing much. Just sealed a few acupuncture points with needles."

"Hehe... Department Head Tong truly is... a miraculous healing master... So, what did he call you just now... Tell me so I can warn the others, lest they get poked by your needles in the future..."

Bai Qingchu pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and forced a laugh. "It's a bit warm in your medical department... a bit warm, haha. Just wiping away some sweat..."

Tong Yueting ignored Bai Qingchu this time. Instead, her piercing gaze remained fixed on the man on the examination bed, who was currently being thoroughly uncooperative.

"Dead or alive, it's just this once. What does it matter if she looks? It's not like I'm a woman, since when did I become so prudish?" Having resolved himself, Cao Fusheng defiantly rolled over onto his back, and even thrust his lower body upward a bit as a show of defiance.

As if seeing nothing at all, Tong Yueting picked up a pair of tweezers and lightly pinched the furry spot.

"Alright, you may leave. The results will be out shortly, and I will have you notify the research department."

Tong Yueting glanced at her wristwatch. Twenty minutes.

Right on time.

Meanwhile, Xun Xin, who had been facing the wall in repentance, finally moved. His vision went completely black, and he toppled straight backward like a felled tree.

Bai Qingchu and A Li supported the stricken Department Head Xun as they left, leaving behind Cao Fusheng, who had just finished dressing. As he reached the threshold, he turned around with a grin. "Did I scare you?"

"???"

"Go to hell!"

"Clang, clang, clang!"

Several flying needles hurtled toward him. Unfazed, Cao Fusheng caught the needles barehanded, neatly placed them in a row on the desk, and smiled. "Nice throwing technique. In the old era, a skill like that would require registration with the police." With that, he turned swaggering away.

"Just like these needles—they couldn't even scare you, so how could they scare me?"

Cao Fusheng stumbled slightly, nearly tripping over his own feet. He turned back, gave a middle finger to Tong Yueting—who was wrapped tightly from head to toe—and departed with a cold snort.

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"Xun Xin, what on earth did you say back there? I warned you repeatedly not to cause trouble, so why did you provoke her anyway? Look at you, can't you be a bit more steady for once?" Bai Qingchu scolded him in exasperation.

Department Head Xun was practically limp at this point, unable to recover for a long time.

His legs were weak, his eyes felt as though he had gone temporarily blind, and every bone in his body ached as if compressed together.

"This really isn't my fault! When I first walked in, I called her Department Head Tong, and then she turned around and asked me, 'What did you say?' I got scared, thinking calling her Department Head Tong had upset her, so I blurted out 'Tingting'..." Xun Xin had grievances too bitter to voice, feeling even more wronged than Dou E.

This time, he made a solemn vow in his heart never to see Tong Yueting alone ever again!

"Well, then... you certainly have terrible luck. She was wrapped up so heavily back there, she probably really didn't hear you call her Department Head Tong. By the time she strained her ears to listen, you tried to be clever and changed it to Tingting. Aren't you just asking for trouble?" Bai Qingchu glared at him irritably.

In Skypillar, the only two people capable of reducing Xun Xin to such a miserable state were the two female department heads. As for Bian Qiu, she simply couldn't be bothered to lower herself to his level, usually limiting their interactions to playful bickering.

"How come you're only coming out now?" Bai Qingchu asked suspiciously, looking at Cao Fusheng, who had just caught up.

Cao Fusheng rubbed his nose and gave an awkward laugh. "Oh, nothing. Just discussing the philosophy and values of life with Department Head Tong."

"Cut the crap! I'd sooner believe a ghost! Though she certainly talked a bit more today; women really are fickle creatures," Xun Xin muttered resentfully.

As the "virtuous assistant" of the Inspection and Law Enforcement Department, A Li had the greatest say in this matter. She curled her lips and said, "It's not that Department Head Tong is fickle, it's just that there's nothing to discuss with a bunch of boorish men like you. If it hadn't been related to security screening work today, she wouldn't have bothered saying so much to you. I heard from my colleagues in the medical department that she treats them quite well normally—nothing like the cold and aloof legend everyone talks about."

"Ah, you said it yourself, she's nice to the colleagues in the medical department because the medical department is entirely made up of women! Not a single man in sight! I bet her sexual orientation has issues! Ouch... My old bones are aching terribly. Old Bai, I won't be accompanying you the rest of the way. I need to go back and recover properly, you're on your own... A Li, let's go back so you can beat my back..." Clutching his lower back, Xun Xin leaned on A Li for support as he limped away, clearly having suffered quite severely.

Being immobilized and forced to face the wall for twenty minutes was more than most ordinary people could endure. On top of that, he wasn't even allowed to blink; not going blind was a miracle in itself.

Looking at those blood-shot, almost bleeding eyeballs, it was indeed rather frightening.

Bai Qingchu smiled. "Then let's get going too. We shouldn't delay. Let's head straight back to the research department so I can run some more tests on you. If there are no signs of infection, you should be fine. However, regarding your blood... if the results still don't come through, you might need to drop by the research department a few more times."

"Sure, that's just a minor matter. Everything is for the greater good, I understand," Cao Fusheng smiled.

Bai Qingchu smiled back, a somewhat inexplicable smile. Unfortunately, since he was walking ahead, Cao Fusheng didn't notice it at all.

Research Department.

"Whoa, Department Head Bai, you guys really are rolling in wealth. Everything here is high-tech," Cao Fusheng exclaimed, looking around the research laboratory in astonishment.

It was countless times more advanced than the one he had seen back at the chemical plant.

Back when he was on missions with Swordfish, he had encountered foreign laboratories, but compared to Skypillar's facility, they were merely parlor tricks.

Bai Qingchu chuckled and gave a soft command, "Xiao Bai, adjust the indoor environment to High-Eco mode."

"Received."

A moment later, the entire laboratory was flooded with artificial sunlight, accompanied by a gentle breeze. The cold, stark white walls transformed into an ocean view, with countless marine creatures swimming as if sealed right inside the glass.

It created the illusion that they could break through the walls at any moment.

"Old Bai, how's this? Does it pass muster?"

"Passes with flying colors!"