Soon, Nie Fan had finished making the kneaded noodles, but Lin Xinyan kept pouting throughout the meal and did not say a thing to him.
He smiled helplessly but did not offer any explanation—she was born in a great family, and it was normal for her to not understand him.
Hence, they had their breakfast before leaving for school.
Still, Lin Xinyan felt annoyed with Nie Fan’s persistent silence, and jammed her foot on the accelerator. It was fortunate that current technology would prevent any accident as long as the onboard computers were not defective, although it was unnecessary to drive that quickly even with the accident-prevention systems. Nonetheless, Nie Fan’s physical ability to adapt was quite stunning, and he was no longer carsick after two rides.
“Not carsick?” She asked, watching him. She had wanted to tease him but failed, taken by surprise that Nie Fan was not dizzy at all.
“I’m fine. If you do feel carsick or airsick, you could try something like I did: keep your teeth clenched, and lift your tongue to your upper jaw.” Nie Fan chuckled. “It’s a little Dao Yin trick.”
“The Esoteric Scripture of the Yellow Emperor also teaches carsick prevention?” Lin Xinyan felt as if she was knocking her head on a brick wall when she saw his carefree look. That boy was so despicable and never knew what’s good for him, not to mention that he’s so inflexible and nothing could change that.
“It doesn’t, but it describes the construct and medical know-how on the human heads.” Nie Fan explained.
“Do you really understand all that knowledge?” Lin Xinyan’s tone softened when she remembered the symptoms on her feet. It was frightening, too: hospital checkups never seem to root out the cause, and she would still occasionally lose feeling in both her legs.
“More or less. I could at least treat others.” Nie Fan replied humbly, since he could treat anything that wasn’t too serious.
“Then what’s wrong with my leg?”
“How do I put this… Western medicine would call it joint infection but in fact it isn’t: it is a combination of vein blockage and dampness in the body. Most doctors would just prescribe you some medicine and recommend bedrest because they don’t have any better measures, and not even modern equipment could handle such cases. That said, acupuncture, massage, personal training or Chinese medicine could help.” Nie Fan said after some thought. In reality, Lin Xinyan’s condition was a little more serious than he let on, but he didn’t want to say it and burden her.
“Then can’t you prescribe me some medicine?”
“How could I? I’m not a traditional doctor.”
“How about massage and acupuncture?”
“Massage would require finding the right pressure point and takes a longer time to complete, even up to a few months.”
“No massage then.” Lin Xinyan’s face went scarlet. The mere thought of having Nie Fan grope around her buttocks was embarrassing, and she might as well die if that lasted months.
It was impossible for Nie Fan to not have straying thoughts either—Lin Xinyan’s buttocks were so well-rounded that it would feel good to touch, but he kept that thought in his head and did not say it.
“What about acupuncture?”
“That’s quicker, and would definitely be done in a week.” Nie Fan replied, as acupuncture was indeed the most direct and effective measure. “But I have told you before: the pressure points are at your pelvic bone, and it’s wouldn’t be easy to find it underneath your clothes.”
Lin Xinyan blushed again and glared at him grumpily. “Are you doing that on purpose!?”
Acupuncture was actually harder to accept compared to massage since the latter was merely groping around the buttocks, while the former was directly going pants off.
“You can just regard me as an ordinary doctor.” Nie Fan said calmly with a shrug, finding her distress a little funny.
Lin Xinyan resembled an enraged lioness even as she glared at him viciously. She really wanted nothing more to smack him on his seat, and there’s no way she would bare her lower half to a male doctor even if Nie Fan were one.
“I’ll tell Dad you molested me. Believe it!”
“You can tell him what I said, word for word.” Nie Fan thought that he was being reasonable since it really was a form of treatment, and he wasn’t lying.
“That time, when you broke into my bathroom…”
“That’s an emergency!” Nie Fan quickly countered. Was she going to threaten him with that!? He felt so wronged!
“Hmph.” Lin Xinyan naturally wouldn’t tell her father that since it was too embarrassing. Moreover, she had always been independent and didn’t want her father to worry about her, which was why she kept quiet even after her legs had gone wrong. “How long would personal training take?”
“Ten years is enough. You can’t do ballet in that time or any strenuous sports, only slow regenerative training.”
“No way.” Lin Xinyan said anxiously. It was impossible for her to not do ballet because that was her top hobby. It was a little world she could revel in even if she wasn’t dancing for show, and the reason her figure had been kept so perfect.
“Well, I have no choice.” Nie Fan shrugged—the young lady was quite a piece of work, allowing nothing at all.
“Can’t you come up with something else? You could have me train, but it’s impossible for me not to dance for ten years.” Lin Xinyan felt grief then, and thought then about how the things she liked were always taken away from her since she was a child: her mother died when she was twelve, and the puppy that grew up with her in her father’s constant absence also died last year.
And now, the only thing left that she loved would be snatched away too.
On the other hand, Nie Fan couldn’t understand why Lin Xinyan was being so stubborn about ballet. She wasn’t going on stage, and would only train with a female home tutor without anyone watching.
Even so, he kept quiet when he saw the vague tears in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Lin Xinyan furiously struggled with herself for what felt like half a day before saying begrudgingly, “I’ll let you needle me, but you cannot tell anyone else!”
Her ears were red to the brim when she finished.
Nie Fan stared at her in astonishment; he did not expect her to choose that. Her scarlet face was tenderly sweet, a moving charm that left him slightly distracted.
“Relaxed. I won’t tell anyone.” Nie Fan said, and he certainly wouldn’t do that as a lady’s honor was at stake. He assuredly only held the mindset of carrying out a treatment, which was why he was firm that her illness must not be allowed to drag on even if he was feeling stirred.
That being said, the treatment method was itself rather… vaguely intimate.
Lin Xinyan said no more after casting him a glance. She could tell from his look that he might not have any schemes, because he would have already taken advantage of her on that day in the bathroom, not to mention that they were living so close. Be that as it may, lying down on her bed with her pants down and letting Nie Fan put one needle after another into her was as strangely charming as it was embarrassing!