Volume One, Chapter 21: The Enclosed Space

“Brother Yuan, you must have heard that the heir of Su Group is a woman, right? Reporter Su... her surname is Su, and she seems to know a lot about food—she even understands marbling. Just by looking and tasting a couple of bites, she can tell top-grade beef. She speaks about Su Group so familiarly, could it be that she is...”

Yan Lai accompanied Lin Tingyuan, heading straight from the cafeteria to the therapy room for infrared treatment to relax. At this moment, Doctor Wang was absent, and the room was silent, so Yan Lai voiced his curiosity.

“Impossible! It must be someone else,” Lin Tingyuan denied firmly.

“Oh? So sure about that?”

“Of course, that woman is someone I...”

Lin Tingyuan’s face showed a hint of pride; just as he was about to say more, he paused, then corrected himself, “...someone I know.”

“Right, you’re the spokesperson; you know many senior executives in the group.”

“Mm,” Lin Tingyuan played along.

“Could it be that your sister-in-law works at Su Group?” Yan Lai teased with a sly smile.

“Don’t guess wildly.” Though he said this, Lin Tingyuan’s tone was light and didn’t sound like a denial.

Hearing this, Susan outside the curtain felt a sudden chill and involuntarily gasped.

“Who is it?”

Lin Tingyuan had always been sensitive, and after the secret recording incident that night, his alertness had grown even stronger. In the quiet therapy room, he wouldn’t miss even the faintest sound, let alone an unusual breath.

As he spoke, he jumped off the treatment bed and pulled back the curtain in pursuit.

However, he only saw Jiang Ming partially pulling aside the curtain, leaning his head out with his bare upper body exposed.

“Looking for me?”

“What are you doing here?” Lin Tingyuan frowned slightly.

As teammates, frequent meetings were normal enough, but lately, he kept running into Jiang Ming at tense moments, which inexplicably frustrated him.

“I’d arranged to have treatment during Doctor Wang’s lunch break, but he kept me here for EMS,” Jiang Ming said, lifting his left arm to show the electrodes attached. His hair was slightly tousled, clearly having lain there for a long time. His cool, emotionless eyes gave no hint of suspicion.

“Oh, so you heard just now...”

“I was dozing off and you just woke me. What were you talking about? Is there anything I need to know?”

“Uh, nothing, Ming-ge, just chatting!” Yan Lai waved off, smiling awkwardly.

“Oh, then I’ll get back to sleep.”

With that, Jiang Ming pulled the curtain back down. Lin Tingyuan turned off the infrared therapy lamp, signaling Yan Lai to say no more, then quickly left.

Before leaving, Lin Tingyuan, showing his team leader demeanor, called out through the curtain with concern:

“Jiang Ming, mind your own business, focus on treatment, get plenty of rest. The provincial championship is coming soon. Although there’s no real problem, don’t cause any accidents. Losing face for our provincial team would be bad.”

“Thanks, captain,” Jiang Ming replied coolly.

Though reluctant to respond, Jiang Ming only wanted to send them away quickly. Because if they stayed, Susan would have to continue lying on his lower body—a sensation far more stimulating than the EMS electrodes on his arm.

In fact, Jiang Ming had already woken up while Lin Tingyuan and Yan Lai were chatting, so he naturally noticed Susan’s presence.

Thus, a second before Lin Tingyuan pulled the curtain, Jiang Ming suddenly sat up, swiftly opened the curtain, and dragged Susan inside. That was the moment when he and Lin Tingyuan exchanged a bewildered look.

The second Lin Tingyuan missed was also Susan’s moment to react quickly. She jumped onto the treatment bed, slipped under the blanket covering Jiang Ming’s lower body, curled up beside his legs, and remained perfectly still.

The treatment bed was narrow. To avoid falling, Susan clung tightly to Jiang Ming’s thigh as if it were a lifeline. The position was awkward, her soft, warm breath just brushing the root of his leg. The faint tickling sensation was even more intense than the electrodes on his arm—it was almost unbearable.

When dealing with Lin Tingyuan and Yan Lai, Jiang Ming maintained a steady upper body and a calm expression, but inside, his heart was retreating rapidly. For the first time, he truly understood what it meant to have a chaotic mind. He was terrified that if even ten more seconds passed and his body reacted in certain ways, it would be a huge embarrassment.

After the door closed, Jiang Ming threw back the blanket and saw Susan looking up, her face flushed and breathing heavily. Nervousness kept her hands tightly clutching his thigh.

“Had enough?” Jiang Ming said coldly.

His face remained stern as usual, but inwardly he sighed in relief. Thankfully, his willpower was stronger than his instincts, and he managed to hold himself together.

“Oh, sorry!” Susan released her grip and continued panting heavily. Though she had let go, her body stayed curled up. With each rise and fall of her chest, her softness pressed against Jiang Ming’s firm muscles through the fabric. Unconscious of the effect she had, she looked like a frightened little white rabbit—innocent and vulnerable.

The double assault on his senses was too much, even for the self-restrained Jiang Ming. His adrenaline surged, his heart raced, and he murmured to himself, “Eats so little, yet some parts sure have grown plenty of flesh.”

Jiang Ming adjusted his breathing to calm down, then hoarsely said in a deep voice, “Get up! Doctor Wang should be back soon.”

At this, Susan sprang up and jumped off the treatment bed.

“Thanks! I’ll disappear quickly.”

The sudden loss of her weight and softness left Jiang Ming’s heart momentarily hollow. Compelled by an odd impulse, he added:

“Not that fast—he eats a lot.”

“Oh... true, Doctor Wang has that build... Besides, massage work is tough.”

Susan felt relieved, patted her chest, tidied her hair and clothes, then looked at Jiang Ming with a clear expression again.

“What’s wrong with you? Your face looks strange!” she asked, puzzled.

Jiang Ming’s face flushed faintly, unusually so. Unable to admit it was a physiological reaction, he looked at this woman who unknowingly teased others and felt a little annoyed. He said awkwardly:

“Uncomfortable.”

Susan instinctively glanced at Jiang Ming’s left wrist, recalling how he had twice helped her with that hand. Guilt stirred within her.

“Is your wrist injury... serious?”

“Minor, but in high-level competition, victory or defeat is decided by the smallest margin. Nothing can be taken lightly.”

“I’m sorry. I rarely cause trouble, but I don’t know why I keep bothering you... it’s uncanny.”

Lowering her head with a slight frown, Susan worried about Jiang Ming’s injury and feared she was annoying him.

Seeing this, Jiang Ming’s heart skipped a beat and he muttered:

“Don’t know if it’s bad luck or good luck.”

“Good luck with what?” Susan looked up, incredulous that such words came from the proud Jiang Ming.

“Nothing. Just be careful. When coincidences happen too often, they’re no longer coincidences. Lin Tingyuan understands this.”

Jiang Ming lightly squeezed his wrist but was still thinking of her, warming Susan’s heart.

“Have you heard of ‘Medicine Oil Sun’?”

When Jiang Ming shook his head, Susan earnestly explained:

“I once interviewed a national weightlifting champion. After his tough Olympic victory last year, he especially thanked ‘Medicine Oil Sun’ for its ancestral secret formula oil that treats soft tissue injuries. The ingredients are unknown but it’s safe and passes all inspections.”

“Doctor Wang’s therapy is very effective,” Jiang Ming said calmly, though he already had his own plans in mind.

“Seems someone isn’t satisfied with my medical skills?”

Suddenly, the curtain was pulled aside, revealing Wang Ran’s face, smiling with a hint of amusement.