Chapter 236: Chapter 236

(Special thanks to my friends Yuan Qi, Yuan Mie, and Yuan Zi for their encouraging tips, and to my friends, the Wandering Shadow and the Moonlight Warrior, for their encouraging votes)

"Oh my, why do these clothes of yours stink so much?" Upon arriving at Qiaoqiao's house, as Liu Banxia started pulling out clothes, Qiaoqiao immediately covered her nose.

"Hehe, I guess they've been piled up for quite a while, and I tend to sweat easily," Liu Banxia said, a bit embarrassed.

"We'd better wash them twice; I'm afraid once won't be enough to get them clean. Linlin, do you guys have the same issue?" Qiaoqiao asked curiously.

"Us? Not at all." Liang Xiaolin quickly distanced herself from Liu Banxia. "His sloppiness has nothing to do with his job."

"But it's fortunate we brought them to Qiaoqiao's place to wash. Otherwise, even after washing, there wouldn't be enough space to hang them, and the clothes might not even dry properly."

"You guys actually have time to do laundry after work?" Liu Banxia asked curiously.

"What else? After wearing clothes for so long, don't we have to change them?" Liang Xiaolin said matter-of-factly.

Liu Banxia fell silent. He really hadn't considered this. He usually only managed to do laundry during his rare days off and would then wait for the next one. However, this particular laundry session was necessary because a sudden marathon of surgeries had been an unexpected event, disrupting his usual routine and his days off.

"So, what's on the agenda for tomorrow?" Liu Banxia asked after stuffing some clothes into the washing machine.

"First, shopping in the morning, then lunch, then Yanzi's yoga studio in the afternoon, and the gym in the evening," Qiaoqiao said.

"Shopping for what? Can't I just sleep in peacefully?" Liu Banxia asked.

"We need to buy you a new outfit. Are you planning to exercise in these? How can you possibly compare with others dressed like that? Oh, take off your T-shirt first, let me have a look," Qiaoqiao said.

"What are you looking at?" Liu Banxia panicked.

"What, scared of me looking?" Qiaoqiao glared at him. "We need to see what kind of shape you're in first. Otherwise, how can you compete in the gym when everyone else is ripped?"

"Even though that guy mostly just hangs out at the gym, he has done some training, and it shows. We can't be too far behind him, even if we're lacking."

"Oh, I thought you were going to harass me. Actually, I'm pretty lean. If it really doesn't work out, let's just change our competitive strategy," Liu Banxia said helplessly and obediently took off his T-shirt.

He had no choice. He had made a promise and had to see it through. Jiaojiao was still undergoing treatment, and her condition wasn't very good. It was essentially a process of fighting fire with fire. So, he had to fulfill this small wish for her.

Qiaoqiao, hands behind her back, approached Liu Banxia. After observing him for a moment, she even reached out to poke his arm and stomach.

"Are you inspecting livestock for purchase?" Liu Banxia didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Hmph, who'd be interested? You're passable, I guess. It's hard to tell with clothes on," Qiaoqiao scoffed.

At this moment, Qing Kewa, copying Qiaoqiao, also sidled up to Liu Banxia, poking him and then pinching his arm.

"What are you up to now?" Liu Banxia glanced at Qing Kewa.

"Dr. Liu, you actually have a great physique! How come I never noticed before?" Qing Kewa asked curiously.

Liu Banxia was speechless. He was a doctor, dedicated to healing people, not a bodybuilder. But then he took a good look at himself, and it seemed he was indeed in pretty good shape. At least he now had some biceps and pecs, likely the result of his enhanced strength and endurance. All that food he'd been eating hadn't been for nothing.

Qiaoqiao gathered Liang Xiaolin and Qing Kewa again. "What do you guys think a doctor's image should be? Is it really okay for him to just wear sportswear? Doctors in TV shows always wear suits, and even if they go to the gym, they change there, right?"

"Would that look be acceptable? But what does the other guy do? If he's just an ordinary person, we don't need to worry too much, right? After all, his profession as a doctor should still give him some leverage, shouldn't it?" Liang Xiaolin said with great interest.

"Actually, he's not that bad; he can be considered quite accomplished for his age. It's just that he's a bit of a scumbag; we only found out his true nature later," Qiaoqiao said with a grimace.

"Qing Kewa, do you have any suggestions?" Liang Xiaolin turned to Qing Kewa.

"I don't know. I think Dr. Liu looks good in anything," Qing Kewa stated her opinion.

The three-person team could now exclude Qing Kewa from their strategizing. With the outspoken Qiaoqiao on one hand, and Liang Xiaolin, who wasn't entirely clued in, on the other, they began their deliberations.

Liu Banxia glanced over. Was there nothing for him to do? Oh well, better just keep doing the laundry.

Before the first load of laundry was finished, Wang Xiaoyan and Jiaojiao returned from outside. Even though they had eaten their fill, they still unabashedly dug into the snacks Wang Xiaoyan and Jiaojiao brought back.

This was one of the things Liu Banxia admired about them. They always talked about controlling their weight and maintaining a good figure, but they showed no restraint when it came to eating.

"Jiaojiao, you're the main protagonist here. What are your thoughts for tomorrow?" Qiaoqiao asked.

Jiaojiao shook her head sheepishly. "I feel really bad for troubling Dr. Liu. It was just something I said at the time."

"That won't do! We absolutely have to find that scumbag and give him a piece of our minds," Qiaoqiao declared.

"I've already checked. That scumbag usually goes to the gym around 7 o'clock, stays for an hour or so, and then heads to a bar."

"Anyway, we definitely can't let this guy off easy. If he genuinely didn't have feelings for Jiaojiao and they broke up, that would be one thing. But damn it, he was just stringing her along! We can't let that slide."

"Tomorrow, we'll prepare for two scenarios: buy a casual outfit and a suit. We'll adapt to the situation, see what he's wearing, and have Liu Banxia dress accordingly."

"Yanzi, contact your usual beauty salon. He needs a good makeover tomorrow. His hair needs a cut; it's too blocky now, not good-looking."

"And those eye bags are quite prominent; they need to be dealt with. No, he needs to use a face mask tonight. Oh, and we need a watch! That scumbag is always flaunting his tacky timepiece."

"Stop, stop..." Liu Banxia hurriedly interjected.

"What kind of look are you aiming for? I'll just wear casual clothes, and that'll be that. What's with the suit and watch? If I buy a suit, I won't wear it more than once a year; it'll just collect dust."

"Applying a face mask is fine, but let's not go overboard with everything else. I'm just an ordinary doctor; it wouldn't look right to be too dolled up, would it? If he's all about luxury, we'll go for understated class. How about that?"

"Hey, you just stay out of it; we're discussing things. Yanzi, go find a face mask and put it on him. We'll continue our research," Qiaoqiao glared at him.

She had now become the commander-in-chief of this operation. Anyway, judging by her enthusiasm, she seemed even more invested than Jiaojiao herself. This wasn't just about having fun; Qiaoqiao was someone who deeply valued loyalty and friendship.

Jiaojiao was a dear friend. Even if their bond wasn't as sisterly as Qiaoqiao's friendship with Wang Xiaoyan, the fact that Jiaojiao was abandoned by that scumbag after falling ill ignited Qiaoqiao's righteous fury—a fire that even an extinguisher couldn't put out.

Qiaoqiao had initially wanted to find some people to literally throw a sack over the guy's head, but Wang Xiaoyan stopped her. That's when they came up with the idea of having Liu Banxia pose as Jiaojiao's boyfriend.

And Liu Banxia? He had become a mere prop in their scheme.

Wang Xiaoyan carefully selected a face mask from her collection and applied it to Liu Banxia. Tang Dou had initially wanted to play with Liu Banxia for a bit but was startled by his current appearance.

"I still think we should buy a suit. What if it's needed? We won't have time if we need it at the last minute." Once Liu Banxia was taken care of, Qiaoqiao continued, "And you all need to dress up nicely tomorrow too. Actually, those two interns at your hospital, the ones who are always with you, they're quite good-looking. Why not bring them along as well?"

"Qiaoqiao, what exactly are you trying to do?" Liang Xiaolin was somewhat dumbfounded.

Qiaoqiao tilted her chin, one leg propped up as she sat on the sofa. "What am I doing? He's a scumbag, isn't he? So, I'm going to beat him at his own game. Liu Banxia won't just be Jiaojiao's boyfriend; you all need to play your parts convincingly too."

"I bet that scumbag dreams of being surrounded by beautiful women. We'll make him green with envy, absolutely drool. We'll constantly flock around Liu Banxia, wait on him hand and foot, and drive that scumbag mad with jealousy."

Wang Xiaoyan looked at her helplessly. "Actually, having Qing Kewa is already more than enough. Why do you have to drag the rest of us into this?"

"Is it enough?" Qiaoqiao pouted. "This was a last-minute idea. Otherwise, I was even considering hiring some hostesses from Langtaosha, but I was worried they might get stage fright."

"I can do it! I'm in!" Qing Kewa eagerly raised her hand.

"Qiaoqiao, isn't your proposal a bit off-topic?" Liang Xiaolin said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"You're having him pose as Jiaojiao's boyfriend, right? But then if you have him act like that, wouldn't he be even more of a scumbag than the original guy?"

"Uh... yeah, that seems to be the case." Qiaoqiao also grew worried. "But if we're just comparing financial status and looks, it feels like our chances of winning aren't that great."

Now she felt her earlier plan was a bit shaky. She realized this wasn't about getting justice for Jiaojiao anymore; it was more about her own satisfaction.

Liu Banxia, listening from the sidelines, now felt very doubtful. He wondered how Qiaoqiao usually managed her businesses. With her wild, impulsive ideas, it was a real question whether Langtaosha and Jinbao Grand Hotel could stay in business for long.

When he listened further, he simply gave up.

Just moments ago, these young women had been meticulously planning for tomorrow. Now, they seemed to have veered off into discussing cosmetics, and from there, the topic shifted to body shapes.

Liu Banxia didn't dare to stay and listen any longer, afraid the young women would corrupt Tang Dou. He took Tang Dou back to his room.

But one thing had become very clear in his mind: offend anyone, but never offend women. That fellow, whom he didn't even know, had been marked by Qiaoqiao; he was definitely not going to have an easy time. Even if Liu Banxia himself couldn't outshine him tomorrow, who knew what bizarre tactics Qiaoqiao might employ against the guy?