Sold for 300, I Fight Back with Superpowers

Hearing Su Qing agree so readily, Tian Qiu was delighted. He quickly smiled and said, ”I’ve already booked a table. Comrade Su Qing, where are you staying? How about I come and pick you up?”

”No need,” Su Qing said. ”Just tell me where we’re eating. I’ll get there myself.”

”Alright, then.” Tian Qiu smiled, not insisting on picking her up. From their last interaction, he had some understanding of Su Qing’s temperament.

Around noon, Su Qing arrived at the restaurant Tian Qiu had booked. It was a private kitchen, somewhat similar to the one owned by Li Huan’s uncle. Now that the market had improved, quite a few private kitchens had opened up in Beijing. Several of them were excellent, and this Qianwei House was one of them.

”The food at this private kitchen is quite good.” Su Qing and Tian Qiu met at Qianwei House. Tian Qiu had reserved a booth enclosed on three sides by green bamboo screens. The entire restaurant was decorated in a classical style, creating a very elegant atmosphere. After they were seated, Tian Qiu smiled and handed the menu to Su Qing. ”Comrade Su Qing, please see if there are any dishes you’d like.”

Su Qing gave a faint smile and passed the menu back to Tian Qiu. ”I’ll leave it to the host. Since you’re treating, Comrade Tian Qiu, you should decide.”

”Alright, then. I wonder, does Comrade Su Qing have any dietary restrictions?” Tian Qiu asked with a smile.

Su Qing shook her head.

Tian Qiu ordered a few dishes, then smiled at Su Qing. ”Comrade Su Qing, look, we’re practically acquaintances now. Calling each other ’comrade’ feels a bit distant. How about we drop it?”

”Sure, no problem.”

”At the conference last time, I saw you with Mr. Gong. I imagine you must be quite familiar with Traditional Chinese Medicine.” After a few more pleasantries, Tian Qiu smiled and said to Su Qing, ”I’m also very interested in TCM. Although I’m just self-taught, I think we might have some common ground. We should exchange notes on the subject sometime.”

Su Qing raised an eyebrow at Tian Qiu. ”Sorry, but I’m not that interested in Traditional Chinese Medicine. My major is economics.”

Tian Qiu was, of course, aware of Su Qing’s major. However, seeing her constantly by Mr. Gong’s side at the conference and noting how highly Mr. Gong seemed to regard her, he had assumed she was studying TCM with him. So for Su Qing to tell him today that she wasn’t interested came as quite a surprise.

Tian Qiu immediately gave an embarrassed laugh. ”My apologies. When I saw you at the conference last time, I just assumed you were studying with Mr. Gong.”

”I was just there to look around, since I had nothing better to do,” Su Qing said nonchalantly, picking up a piece of food with her chopsticks. ’The chef at this place is amazing,’ she thought, giving the cooking a mental thumbs-up. ’I should bring my friends here for a get-together sometime.’

”I envy you,” Tian Qiu said with a soft sigh. ”It’s just a shame. I’ve always loved Traditional Chinese Medicine, but I’ve never had much opportunity to learn from the great masters.”

Su Qing hadn’t expected Tian Qiu to steer the conversation toward Mr. Gong so eagerly. ’I thought he’d try to lay more groundwork first.’ However, she pretended not to understand his implication and simply said, ”An opportunity will come along eventually.”

What Su Qing didn’t know was that Tian Qiu’s urgency stemmed from the antique hijacking the previous night. The incident had filled him with a sense of pressure. He had sent someone to check the abandoned factory last night, but aside from the completely looted truck in the courtyard, there was no trace of anyone, inside or out. They couldn’t even find signs of a struggle. It was impossible to determine who had stolen the antiques, or even if Ye Yuefeng and his group were still alive.

To be on the safe side, Tian Qiu wanted to leave Beijing early and lie low for a while. But he couldn’t accept leaving without achieving his goal. He had considered taking what he wanted by force, but the old TCM masters of Hua Country kept their secret formulas incredibly well-hidden, only passing them down to their disciples. As it happened, of Mr. Gong’s few disciples, some were dead and others had disappeared. The only one left preferred Western medicine and had never received the secret formula from Mr. Gong.

Tian Qiu believed the rumors about Mr. Gong weren’t baseless—where there’s smoke, there’s fire. So, operating on the principle of not letting an opportunity slip by, he was single-mindedly focused on becoming Mr. Gong’s direct disciple. He didn’t just want to learn Mr. Gong’s medical skills; more importantly, he wanted the legendary secret formula that had been passed down in the Gong family.

Seeing that Su Qing wasn’t taking the bait, Tian Qiu thought for a moment before smiling. ”Alright, I won’t hide it from you. I came to Beijing for this conference hoping to become Mr. Gong’s disciple. Su Qing, I was wondering if you could help introduce me? I didn’t get a chance to speak much with Mr. Gong at the conference. The truth is, I’m very determined to master Traditional Chinese Medicine, and I hope to one day become a highly skilled doctor like him, so I can relieve the suffering of more patients.”

After speaking, Tian Qiu added with another smile, ”I’ve been a bit direct today, but I imagine you’re not someone who appreciates people who beat around the bush. So, if I’ve said anything out of line, I hope you’ll forgive me.”

Su Qing rested her chin on her hand and looked at Tian Qiu with a curious expression. ”You know, there are quite a few old TCM masters in Hua Country. At the conference, there were several who are just as famous as Grandpa Gong. May I ask why you are so set on becoming Grandpa Gong’s disciple? I remember you came to the conference with the Zhang family’s second uncle, right? The Zhang family is also very famous in the world of TCM. Old Mr. Zhang’s skills are exceptional, and even Uncle Zhang’s medical abilities are quite impressive.”

Tian Qiu put on a slightly embarrassed expression and said, ”You’re right, of course. But the other major TCM families all have descendants to carry on their traditions. I’m sure their family legacies won’t be lost. I heard that most of Mr. Gong’s disciples were lost in recent years, and his medical skills are so profound. I would hate to see his knowledge disappear without a disciple to inherit it. That’s why I thought of becoming his student. I hope to earn his approval and will work hard to carry on his legacy and bring it to new heights.”

”How thoughtful of you to be so concerned for Grandpa Gong.” ’What a joke,’ Su Qing sneered internally, but her expression was one of complete belief. ”I’m sure if Grandpa Gong knew what you were thinking, he would be very touched.”

”Really?” Tian Qiu said with a smile. ”Then, I wonder if you could make the introduction for me? I’d like another chance to express my sincerity to Mr. Gong. If he’s willing, he could even test my foundational knowledge.”

”I understand your sincerity,” Su Qing said, looking at Tian Qiu. ”But you should also know that when a master takes a disciple, they need to understand that person’s situation. If I’m going to introduce you, I should at least get to know you a little first, right? After all, my Grandpa Gong has said himself that if he’s to take a direct disciple, he needs to know them inside and out. To be honest, this is only the second time we’ve met. I really don’t know you at all.”