Hedonist Prodigy

Chapter 40: Sister Hua’s Temptation

Compared to the last time, Sister Hua’s complexion had improved noticeably. Though she had slimmed down a little, it didn’t detract from her beauty—instead, it lent her a delicate, fragile charm that made her all the more captivating.  

She wore a striking red cheongsam, slit high up her thighs and embroidered with large peonies. The bold color and style should have been excessive, yet on her, it looked perfectly fitting, accentuating her allure.  

Her voice, sweet and sultry with a faint nasal tone, carried a lazy sensuality that seeped into a man’s bones, stirring desire.  

Jiang Feng couldn’t help but marvel once again—Sister Hua was truly a stunning enchantress. 

What made it even more dangerous was how skillfully she wielded her charms. Every word, every gesture, every subtle expression was calculated to highlight her appeal, leaving men spellbound without crossing into outright vulgarity. No wonder Ma Lianhao always turned into a flustered mess whenever her name came up.  

Jiang Feng chuckled. “Something came up at the uni and delayed me. Didn’t you say you were treating me to dinner, Sister Hua? Why hasn’t the food arrived yet?”  

Sister Hua shot him a coquettish glare and sighed dramatically. “What, am I too old to catch your eye now? So eager to eat that you can’t even spare me a glance?”  

“A feast for the eyes is nice,” Jiang Feng teased, “but I’m genuinely hungry. Better to fill my stomach first.”  

Sister Hua giggled and turned to Ding Lin. “Listen to him! Here I am, making it so obvious, and he’s still as dense as a block of wood. So unromantic! Since Young Master Jiang is hungry, hurry up and bring out the wine and dishes.”  

Ding Lin nodded and left to relay the order.  

Sister Hua gestured for Jiang Feng to take a seat before languidly sitting across from him. Propping her chin in her hands, she gazed at him with her long, bewitching eyes, as if his face had sprouted flowers.  

Despite his experience with women, Jiang Feng felt slightly unnerved under her unabashed scrutiny. “Sister Hua,” he said, “do you have something to tell me?”  

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her delicate fingers brushing against her flawless skin. “I was just wondering… what kind of man you really are.”  

Jiang Feng’s pulse flickered. He wasn’t sure if her words carried deeper meaning, but he kept his tone light. “Sister Hua, you should know very well—the man sitting in front of you is as normal as they come. If you keep talking to me like this, this dinner might have to wait.”  

She covered her mouth, laughing like an innocent girl. “Oh, I know you’re a normal man, alright. But why would dinner have to wait? I don’t quite understand.”  

Jiang Feng conceded defeat. When it came to being a temptress, no one could outmatch her.  

Fortunately, servers began bringing in the dishes, saving him from further torment. Sister Hua pouted, pouring him a glass of red wine with exaggerated indignation. “I suppose I really am getting old. Even a table of food is more appealing than me. No wonder you can’t be bothered to look at me.”  

Jiang Feng smiled without responding, sipping his wine and focusing on the meal.  

Her bold words might seem like flirtation, but Jiang Feng wasn’t naive enough to believe his charm alone had captivated her. In a place as intricate as the capital, a woman who effortlessly managed both an elite club and a racecourse was anything but simple.  

If Sister Hua were truly just a pretty face, she would have been devoured long ago, bones and all.  

She picked up a morsel of food and dropped it onto his plate with a huff. “Eat, then. Stuff yourself until you burst.”  

Jiang Feng laughed. “Sister Hua, do you know what you sound like right now?”  

“What?” she asked, curious.  

“Like a… hmm, a dissatisfied little woman,” he teased.  

A blush spread across her cheeks, her skin as tempting as ripe strawberries, begging to be bitten. She nibbled her lower lip, blinking at him before murmuring, “So you did notice. I really thought you were just a block of wood. But you’re wrong about one thing—I’m not a little woman.”  

Innocent one moment, seductive the next—a woman like her was a delight to any man, even without lifting a finger. A few well-placed flirtations, and most men would be putty in her hands.  

But Jiang Feng knew this wasn’t about seduction. She was testing him. His recent changes had raised eyebrows, and her curiosity didn’t surprise him.  

After all, she was still a woman—and women were naturally inquisitive, some more than others.  

With a smirk, he asked, “If not a little woman, then what?”  

“An old woman,” she tittered.  

Jiang Feng grinned. “If every ‘old woman’ had your charm, young girls would be praying for time to hurry up and age them faster.”  

“Such sweet words,” she purred, her laughter bubbling over. “Keep this up, and I won’t be able to take it.”  

“Don’t praise me too much, Sister Hua,” he joked. “If you wear me out, I might slack off when treating your condition.”  

She laughed even harder, her mounds trembling as if threatening to escape its confines. With a mock pout, she said, “Oh no, you can’t slack off there. My life is in your hands. But other places… well, a little softness wouldn’t hurt.”  

*****

Jiang Feng didn’t linger. After the meal, he spent about an hour performing acupuncture on Sister Hua before leaving.  

When Ding Lin entered to clean up, she found Sister Hua lost in thought. “President Hua, is something wrong?”  

Sister Hua sighed. “Bring me a mirror.”  

Confused, Ding Lin fetched one. Sister Hua studied her reflection meticulously, ensuring her makeup was flawless and not a single crow’s foot marred her eyes.  

“If not for this mirror,” she muttered, “after how Jiang Feng acted, I’d really think I’d aged overnight.”  

Ding Lin laughed and said, “Sister Hua, you’re not old at all. You look just like an eighteen-year-old girl!”  

Sister Hua scoffed playfully and scolded, “Stop talking nonsense.”  

Though she brushed it off, she couldn’t shake her confusion. Earlier, when Jiang Feng had performed acupuncture on her, she had lain flat on the bed, her back exposed.  

A woman—especially a beautiful one—lying defenseless before a man, completely at his mercy… Yet, Jiang Feng had remained utterly indifferent. She couldn’t fathom how he had resisted.  

The two of them had been alone in that closed room for a full hour, and Jiang Feng hadn’t made a single improper move.  

Last time, she could have understood if he hadn’t been interested—she had been sickly then. But today? She had been radiant, even deliberately teasing and hinting at him, yet he still showed no reaction.  

That was why she had asked Ding Lin to bring her a mirror—to check if she had truly aged, if her charm had faded.  

After all, in the past, whenever Jiang Feng visited the Huatian Racecourse, he couldn’t resist flirting with her, his hands always wandering, as if he wanted to devour her whole.  

But now? In such a short time, he had changed completely—his words, his actions, everything about him was different. If she hadn’t changed, then the only explanation was that he had.  

With a sigh, Sister Hua said slowly, “Ding Lin, you might not know this, but Divine Doctor Pei has returned to the capital. Yesterday, I went to visit him. The moment he saw me, he knew something was wrong with my health. I begged him to take my pulse, and after he did, he only said one thing: ‘It’s a miracle you can still stand.’ When I pressed him for an explanation, he refused to say another word.”  

Ding Lin gasped. “You don’t mean… Jiang Feng’s medical skills surpass even Divine Doctor Pei’s?”  

Sister Hua gave a bitter smile. “I don’t know how skilled Jiang Feng really is, but the fact that he could diagnose and treat my condition speaks volumes. And as a person… he’s nothing like before. Can’t you see it?”  

Ding Lin nodded. “I can see it, but I can’t understand it.”  

“Exactly. ‘Silent until the startling cry; still until the soaring flight.’ Jiang Feng… has given us quite the surprise.” Sister Hua sighed deeply.  

Then she added, “Later, go investigate who visited the racecourse on the day of Jiang Feng’s accident—no, actually, check the days leading up to it too. Focus especially on anyone who came into contact with the white horse he rode.”  

Ding Lin frowned. “Is there a problem?”  

“I don’t know. Just look into it and report back immediately if you find anything,” Sister Hua instructed.  

After Jiang Feng had finished the acupuncture session, she had tried to pay him, but he refused any compensation—instead, he had made this request. She didn’t understand what he was searching for, but since she owed him a favor, she wanted to handle it flawlessly.  

Moreover, judging by Jiang Feng’s recent behavior, Sister Hua had a vague feeling that she might need his help in the future. Under these circumstances, she was more than happy to befriend him.  

***** 

Meanwhile, in a luxurious villa in the eastern suburbs of Yanjing…  

Pei Ruoxi hopped out of her car and skipped into the house, only to be met with a stern voice the moment she stepped inside:  

“Ruoxi! Look at yourself—bouncing around like a madwoman! Where are your manners? You don’t act like a proper young lady at all!”  

Instead of being intimidated, Pei Ruoxi giggled and sidled up to the speaker. “Grandpa, don’t be so scary! You nearly gave me a heart attack!”  

Seated on the living room sofa was an elderly man with a stern expression, wearing black-rimmed reading glasses and holding that day’s evening newspaper. Though his hair was streaked with white, his complexion was ruddy, his energy vigorous, and his voice booming.  

“Stand still!” The old man wasn’t swayed by her antics. His sharp eyes swept over her, and he clicked his tongue in disapproval. “And what’s with this hair? All these tiny braids—what kind of fashion is this? Young people these days have no sense of aesthetics. You’ll never find a husband at this rate.”  

Pei Ruoxi stuck out her tongue mischievously. “You always say the world is full of scheming people, so who cares if I never marry? I don’t mind—you can just keep supporting me forever!”  

The old man couldn’t help but laugh. “Shameless! Absolutely shameless!”  

She plopped down beside him and hugged his arm. “Grandpa, you’re such a fuddy-duddy. If you refuse to accept anything new, you’ll grow old even faster—and that’s no good!”  

He huffed, his beard bristling. “Fuddy-duddy? What disrespect! Life and death are natural laws—why fight against the heavens?”  

Pei Ruoxi wrinkled her nose. “Ugh, not this again. It’s so boring! How about I tell you something fun instead?”  

Without waiting for permission, she launched into the story of her encounter with Jiang Feng earlier that day. She was too simple-minded to keep secrets, so she recounted everything—right down to how she had humiliated him, leaving him covered in dust. By the end, she was clutching her stomach, laughing so hard it hurt.  

The old man raised an eyebrow. “Oh? A young man like that? Are you sure he was reading those two books?”  

“Absolutely, one hundred percent sure!” She pouted indignantly. “You have no idea how infuriating he was! A complete fraud, pretending to study ‘The Profound Secrets of the Suwen’ and ‘Filial Piety in the Confucian Tradition’ like some scholar. I couldn’t stand it, so I taught him a lesson!”  

The old man smiled faintly. “Perhaps it wasn’t what you thought. If a young man is willing to read about traditional medicine, that’s a good thing. Most youths nowadays are too impatient. The treasure of Chinese medicine… is fading.”  

Pei Ruoxi snorted. “Not if I have anything to say about it! You’re the ‘Great National Healer,’ and I’ll be the ‘Little National Healer’! Chinese medicine will never decline—I’ll make sure it flourishes!”  

The old man’s expression softened, but then he sighed. “But your health…” He waved a hand. “Never mind. Let’s eat. You must be hungry.”