Power and Wealth

Saturday.

Morning.

The warm summer breeze blows about the curtains. Dong Xuebing received a call when he woke up and was both happy and speechless at the same time. The Subdistrict Office had received the invitation and official notification for the National Respect and Care for the elderly's model unit award. Guang Ming Subdistrict is one of the winners. He also heard about his nickname again. God of Plagues. This nickname had followed him to Nan Shan District.

Brush teeth, wash face.

After washing up, Dong Xuebing sat on the sofa and called Xu Yan. "Hello, Sister Xu. I am Xiao Dong. Are you working today?"

"It's my off days today and tomorrow."

"Great. Can I treat you to lunch? You can pick the location."

"Haha…. How can I let you treat me when I am so much older than you? I will give you a treat instead."

"Please don't…. I want to thank you for your help with Nan Qi Morning Post. Please allow me to express my gratitude."

"Alright. Give me a ride to Beijing if you want to thank me. You are not working too, right?"

"Yes, it's my off day too. Are you going to Beijing for work?"

"It's been a while since I met my son. I miss him and would like to visit him.

"Ok. I will pick you up now."

"Haha…. You will be my driver today. I hope I am not troubling you."

"Don't say that. Wait for me. I should be reached in twenty minutes…. No, I can reach in ten minutes."

Ten minutes later, Dong Xuebing stopped his car outside the City's State Security family quarters. He got off and looked around for Xu Yan. A beautiful woman walked out from an alley. She did not pin her hair today and had let her curly hair down. She is wearing a silver blouse and a black knee-length skirt today.

Dong Xuebing's eyes are glued to her.

"Did you wait long?" Xu Yan smiles as she walks over.

"No. I just stopped my car." Dong Xuebing replied and opened the door for her. "Sister Xu, did you perm your hair?"

Xu Yan nodded and laughed. "Yes. I got it yesterday. How do I look?" She twirls her hair with her fingers.

Dong Xuebing praised. "This hairstyle suits you. You are looking fantastic."

Xu Yan pointed at Dong Xuebing and laughed. "Stop with your flattery. Hahaha…. Let's go."

Xu Yan did not sit in the rear passenger seat like a Leader. Instead, she sat in the front passenger seat. Dong Xuebing sneaked a peep at her chest area as the seatbelt pressed against her. This was the first time he saw Xu Yan in casual wear. Every time he met her, she would be in her working attire. After all, she is a Leader of a Government department and needs to wear professionally. He immediately remembers the photograph of her in her thirties. If she is thirty years younger from now, she would be making heads turn wherever she goes. Dong Xuebing even falls into a daze for a second.

"Xiao Dong, Xiao Dong!" Xu Yan called.

Dong Xuebing regained his senses. "Oh…. Ah?"

Xu Yan laughed and looked at him. "What are you thinking about?"

Dong Xuebing quickly reply. "Ah…. I was thinking about Pang Dabing. How are they now?"

"They are still locked up in the Third Division for interrogation." Xu Yan smiles. "They will be released after a few days if we cannot find anything on them. Don't worry."

Dong Xuebing thought for a while. "I had vented my anger. If you can't get anything, just release them. I don't want to create more problems for you."

Xu Yan waved her hand. "It's just a small matter. Locking them up for a few days is considered light punishment for them. Who asked them to frame my Godson? Let's go."

"Ok." Dong Xuebing is touched and starts driving. "Where is your son?"

"He is staying somewhere near Gu Lou Da Jie. You can drop me off there and come back."

"No. I still need to give you a treat."

"Alright. Then go to my son's place with me. We will have lunch together."

"I don't want to bother you two as it's not easy for you to meet your son. I will hang around, and you can give me a call when you are leaving at night."

"It's morning now. How can I let you wait for me outside for the whole day?"

"It's alright. I have nothing to do too."

Xu Yan saw Dong Xuebing refuse to listen to her and helplessly smiled. "I would have driven myself if it wasn't for the number plate restriction." Suddenly, her phone rang, and she frowned when she saw the number. "Hello, yes…. What did you say? You are bringing my son to the Summer Palace?" Her tone turns cold. "Are you doing this on purpose? I had called you yesterday to inform you that I will be coming today. How can you bring him out today? When did I say I would be reaching at night? Never mind…. I can't be bothered to argue with you. Let me speak to my son." Xu Yan spoke to her son for a while and let out a loud sigh after she hung up.

Dong Xuebing kept quiet.

Xu Yan forced a smile. "Sorry, I had embarrassed myself. His father and 'Xu Yan' had brought him to the Summer Palace and will be back at night."

'Xu Yan' is also working in State Security. Dong Xuebing had met her during a football match when he was still with Beijing State Security. After Xu Yan splits with her husband, this 'Xu Yan' gets married to her ex-husband. Dong Xuebing had heard rumors that they were together before the divorce. (Translator's note: 'Xu Yan' has similar pronunciation but different Chinese characters.)

Dong Xuebing hesitated for a second. "Sister Xu, we are reaching Beijing. How about we wait at my house? I can send you to Gu Lou tonight or tomorrow."

Xu Yan thought for a while and nodded. "Alright."

Late morning.

He Ping North Street.

Dong Xuebing smiled as he opened the door. "Hope you don't mind. It's a small apartment. I will get you tea."

"Thank you." Xu Yan did not talk much as she sat on the sofa as she was feeling down.

Dong Xuebing noticed Xu Yan is beautiful in a different way when she is in a bad mood. But he decided to cheer her up after pouring a cup of tea for her. "Oh, how was the facial massage I gave you previously? Is it effective? Did you feel any discomfort after that?"

Xu Yan looks up with a smile. "I thought the age spots and wrinkles are only gone temporarily. The effect is still holding up after so many days. The wrinkles did not appear again. Thank you so much. Your massage technique is amazing. I had searched online, and such techniques do exist. But they need to combine massage and herbs in the treatment, and the effects will drop as time goes by. Those techniques are also not as effective as yours. Why is your technique so effective and different?"

"It is stimulating the cells through the massage. The wrinkles will be gone when our muscle cells are stimulated and regain their activeness. Of course, the effect will vary on individuals. It's also because this treatment suits your body. I had tried this massage on others since I learned it, but it doesn't work on them."

Xu Yan laughed. "I am quite lucky."

Dong Xuebing sat on the sofa. "How about I give you another massage?"

"Oh, didn't you say I got to wait for a while before the next massage?"

"It's about time. I am unsure too. Let's try."

"Ok." Xu Yan cheered up and looked at Dong Xuebing gently. "Thank you."

Dong Xuebing laughed. "Don't mention it. I am also trying to improve my skills on you."

Xu Yan laughed. "Ok. Let me be your test subject. I won't mind even if you destroy my face."

"Huh? Even if it is not effective, there are no side-effects."

Dong Xuebing doesn't know if REVERSE has any limits. He is trying to help Sister Xu regain her youth and see if he can let her return to her thirties. If he succeeds, he will gain a better understanding of this power. It will be helpful to him in the future.

Xu Yan went to the bathroom to remove her make-up.

Dong Xuebing shook and relaxed his wrists while checking his MENU. He had accumulated more than seven minutes over the past few days.

Xu Yan walked out of the bathroom and sat on the sofa.

"Close your eyes."

"Ok."

"I am starting now."

"Go ahead."

Dong Xuebing moved a chair in front of Xu Yan and started massaging her face like the last time. He pressed on her temples, Feng Chi acupoint, etc.

Half an hour passed.

Dong Xuebing felt it was about time and concentrated while saying REVERSE in his heart. This time, he focuses on Xu Yan's face, arms, thighs, and whole body.

"Ah…." Xu Yan mumbled. "It's the same numbing feeling like the previous time."

"Stop talking… it will be over soon."

One minute….

Two minutes….

Three minutes….

One minute of REVERSE is equivalent to around two months, and Dong Xuebing doesn't dare to REVERSe Xu Yan too far back. It will be too unbelievable. He stopped after three minutes. This is already making her younger by six months.

REVERSE deactivated.

Dong Xuebing puts down his hands and looks at Xu Yan. "I am taking a break now and will continue later. You can check the effect in the mirror."

Xu Yan took out a mirror and smiled. "Wow…. Although it's not obvious, I feel slightly younger. My eyebags…. My eyebags are not so obvious now."