Chen Xiao stared blankly at Zhou Wan Nong, who lay elegantly on the hovering bed, feeling as if he had stumbled into an adult dream. After a moment of stunned silence, he composed himself and took out the silver needle box he carried in his pocket, speaking in a deliberately calm tone:
"Deputy Director Zhou, please rest assured, my Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Longevity Needles already possess analgesic properties. You won't feel any pain."
As he spoke, he moved closer to the bed, almost involuntarily.
Given Zhou Wan Nong's usual aloof and unapproachable demeanor, it would have been more reasonable for her to endure her illness rather than accept such an intimate form of acupuncture.
Yet, when faced with Chen Xiao, she found herself unable to maintain her composure. To facilitate his treatment, she had, on a whim, loosened the neckline of her sleep dress in the dressing room. The deep V-neck was even more revealing and alluring than Song Nuan's usual daring outfits, showcasing her impressive cleavage.
It was only when Chen Xiao approached her that she realized she was playing with fire and desperately wanted to burrow under the covers to hide her embarrassment.
But at that moment, Chen Xiao had already taken out the first silver needle and expertly inserted it into her chest.
She immediately felt a sudden surge of relief and warmth in her chest, which had been feeling constricted for the past two days. Unable to move or protest, she closed her eyes tightly and, gritting her teeth, adopted the stern tone of a supervising instructor, lecturing coldly:
"Chen Xiao, as a male doctor, you must feel uncomfortable facing female patients, right? Actually, you don't need to have such psychological baggage. Just like I don't feel anything when treating male patients who have overdosed on Viagra, because in the eyes of a qualified practicing physician, patients are neither male nor female. Of course, as a male doctor, you must adhere to the ethical bottom line when treating female patients. Otherwise, no matter how skilled you are, you are not worthy of being a doctor, and I will look down on you!"
Chen Xiao, facing Zhou Wan Nong, who exuded an irresistible allure at every moment, found himself in a predicament with no easy solution. His hand, holding the needle, trembled slightly. Giving in to frustration, he blurted out without thinking:
"Deputy Director Zhou, if all the female patients outside were as beautiful and sexy as you, which male doctor could truly uphold the ethical bottom line?"
As he spoke, he forced himself to circulate the profound, wordless golden formula in his mind and continued the acupuncture.
Zhou Wan Nong felt her heart pounding so fiercely it threatened to leap from her throat. She instinctively closed her eyes even tighter, but there was no anger in her expression. Instead, with a blush, she inexplicably replied:
"You scoundrel, don't joke with me. I'm almost twenty-five and haven't even dated yet. I'm not as good as you say."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized how inappropriate they were and felt an overwhelming urge to disappear into a crack in the floor or simply kick Chen Xiao away.
However, the effect of Chen Xiao's acupuncture was too remarkable, and she found herself enjoying it. After a pause, she flusteredly changed the subject:
"Right, I've already called my grandfather and explained everything. He also feels that Long Xiaolin brought it upon himself and definitely won't make things difficult for you. So, you can relax!"
"Why?"
Chen Xiao was somewhat surprised, as he knew how doting Long Aotian was on Long Xiaolin, and he had even prepared himself for a confrontation with Long Aotian.
"Because..."
Zhou Wan Nong hesitated, her thoughts in a delightful disarray, her pretty face flushing even deeper. Her mind suddenly felt hazy, and her mouth, as if out of her control, blurted out:
"Because I told him you're my boyfriend... Ow! It hurts..."
Before she could finish speaking, she felt a sharp, burning pain in her chest, and cried out in agony. Her beautiful phoenix eyes, with their slightly upturned outer corners, widened in shock.
Chen Xiao was also startled and quickly withdrew the silver needle that had accidentally gone astray:
"Deputy Director Zhou, I'm truly sorry. My hand slipped just now."
He then painstakingly regained control of the wordless golden formula in his mind and inserted another needle into Zhou Wan Nong, narrowly completing the seventeen-needle Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Longevity Needle technique.
However, seeing the bloody scratch on Zhou Wan Nong's chest, he was still shaken. He leaped up and rushed into the adjacent bathroom, splashing cold water on his face. After finally calming down, he returned with a contrite expression and assured her:
"Deputy Director Zhou, don't worry about the minor scratch on your chest leaving a scar. Even if it does, I'll prepare a herbal ointment for you to apply, and I guarantee the scar removal effect will be absolutely flawless..."
Before he finished speaking, his keen sense of smell detected a faint scent of burning in the air. He suddenly remembered the Ba Ni Tang simmering in the kitchen and quickly dashed out of the bedroom, calling back over his shoulder:
"Deputy Director Zhou, the acupuncture effect has taken hold. You can remove the needles yourself. I need to check on the pot in the kitchen."
The stinging pain from the needle scratch instantly jolted Zhou Wan Nong out of her daze. Blushing furiously, she quickly rolled off the bed, removed the needles, and wrapped herself tightly in her sleep dress.
But Chen Xiao's promise to remove any scars acted like a spell on her mind. On impulse, she paused, then picked up a silver needle and, gritting her teeth and enduring the pain, deliberately scratched herself again where Chen Xiao had injured her.
...
A few minutes later, in the warmly lit and romantic living room, Chen Xiao emerged from the kitchen carrying the almost burnt Ba Ni Tang. He saw Zhou Wan Nong sitting on the sofa with her long legs crossed, reading a book. A palm-sized area on her chest was stained red with blood. Alarmed, he lunged forward without thinking and began to tear at the tightly fastened front of her dress:
"Deputy Director Zhou, let me see your wound quickly. It shouldn't be bleeding this much."
"No... no need..."
Zhou Wan Nong, afraid that the skilled Chen Xiao would discover her deception, instinctively shook her head to stop him. But before she could finish speaking, Chen Xiao had already pushed her onto the sofa, her neckline ripped open. Her mind went blank, and she was stunned.
"Huh? That's not right. These are clearly two separate scratches."
Chen Xiao's gaze was fixed on the wounds on Zhou Wan Nong's chest, his voice filled with suspicion.
Zhou Wan Nong, thinking quickly, stammered out a lie in her panic, her face flushing:
"I... I accidentally scratched myself again with a needle when I was removing them. It... it should be fine, right?"
"Clang—"
At that moment, the living room door was suddenly pushed open from the outside. Standing in the doorway was an enraged Long Aotian. Despite being over eighty, his physique remained tall and robust, his back straight and unbent like a javelin.
Although he had mentally prepared himself before arriving, seeing Chen Xiao pinning Zhou Wan Nong on the sofa with his own eyes caused his composure to shatter instantly. He instinctively turned away, covering his eyes, and beat his chest in distress, exclaiming:
"The morals of society are declining! You... you young people today are too reckless and out of control! Even I... even I, an old man, feel ashamed! Shameless! Shameless!"