Chapter 6

Zhenzhen was always quiet when she worked. That was the main reason Lin Qimian had chosen her as her assistant.

She passed tools and adjusted the light in perfect, silent harmony, functioning like an ideal piece of equipment.

Under that steady gaze, Lin Qimian prepared the anesthetic without a hint of hesitation. She turned to Xu Yueliang. “Open your mouth.”

“Ah—”

Xu Yueliang’s mouth parted, but only partway, like a child facing a throat exam—wary yet too obedient to resist.

Lin Qimian held up the syringe, momentarily at a loss for words. “…No need to say anything.”

Xu Yueliang clamped her mouth shut at once.

Lin Qimian sighed inwardly. “…You have to open your mouth.”

Xu Yueliang pried it open again. Her gaze drifted uncertainly to the needle tip, fresh tears brimming in her eyes.

For a moment, Lin Qimian felt less like a doctor and more like some heartless assassin.

She stared at Xu Yueliang for several seconds. Feeling the scrutiny, Xu Yueliang’s O-shaped mouth quivered faintly.

Lin Qimian grabbed two tissues and handed them to Zhenzhen. “Wipe her tears.”

The words struck some hidden nerve. The tears pooling in Xu Yueliang’s eyes spilled over in an instant.

She didn’t dare raise a hand to them. Her mouth twitched silently until Lin Qimian caught on. “You can talk now.”

“Beautiful doctor sister,” Xu Yueliang blurted, “are you about to give me a shot?”

The endearing title sent a little flutter through Lin Qimian’s chest. She studied Xu Yueliang’s face: pure innocence, cautious vulnerability, eyes swimming with tears.

Not a trace of deception.

She really hadn’t recognized her.

Lin Qimian blinked, exhaling a long, silent breath of relief. “Mm-hmm.”

“Is it anesthetic?”

“Yes.”

“Where does it go?”

Lin Qimian paused. “…Your gums.”

Xu Yueliang’s eyes blinked rapidly. Zhenzhen swooped in with the tissues, dabbing away the tears in a smooth arc.

Xu Yueliang balled her fists. “Then… beautiful doctor sister, please be gentle. I’m really scared…”

“Mm.” Lin Qimian leaned closer. “Open wide.”

Xu Yueliang tilted her head back and complied, her cherry-small mouth stretching open bit by bit. Lin Qimian pressed a hand to her cheek. “Right here. Wider.”

Though her fear had peaked, Xu Yueliang obeyed without protest.

Lin Qimian peeled back her lip, inserted the needle, and pushed the plunger while chatting softly. “Do you start babbling when you’re scared?”

She adjusted the angle for another injection. “Ready to call the doctor anything to stay on her good side?”

Xu Yueliang blinked. Lin Qimian went on, “Don’t move your mouth. Answer with brain waves. I can receive them.”

Xu Yueliang’s eyes darted about. Lin Qimian nodded. “Got it. You’re saying yes.”

“…”

Lin Qimian withdrew the needle. “Does it hurt?”

Xu Yueliang stared up at her with wide eyes. Lin Qimian smiled. “Right—it doesn’t hurt.”

She turned to tidy her instruments. “I told you it wouldn’t, and it didn’t.

“The worst part of today, in this room, is behind us. Now we wait for the anesthetic to take full effect, and then we can begin for real.

“If walking you through the steps will help calm your nerves, I can explain everything as I go.”

Xu Yueliang nodded vigorously.

Afraid she might miss it, she even tugged at Lin Qimian’s sleeve to draw her attention back.

Lin Qimian turned. Xu Yueliang nodded again, her gaze resolute for the first time, not a tear in sight.

She could speak freely now, anyway—as long as it wasn’t while Lin Qimian was working.

But this mute act of hers was endlessly amusing, far more entertaining than her “beautiful doctor sister” routine.

Lin Qimian pointed to her own temple, then to Xu Yueliang’s, her tone playfully coaxing. “Wow, what a shocking answer.”

She lifted the scalpel and waved it before Xu Yueliang’s eyes. “Step one: slicing open the gum over your wisdom tooth. Scared?”

Xu Yueliang nodded—then flung her mouth wide open.

Rigid and unyielding, she looked ready to march bravely to her fate.

Lin Qimian couldn’t help but laugh aloud, the mirth crinkling the corners of her eyes.

Xu Yueliang could only roll her eyes toward her, and they lit up at the sight.

When Lin Qimian spoke again, even she was surprised by the gentleness in her voice. “Easy now. We’ve got to wait a little longer.”

From there, the procedure unfolded just as they’d tacitly agreed: with every step, Lin Qimian explained exactly what she was doing.

Xu Yueliang, who couldn’t hold back her tears and had fled the dental hospital multiple times, proved surprisingly cooperative during the procedure. Her tongue obeyed every direction, her mouth opened exactly as wide as instructed, and for several seconds, her facial muscles even trembled from the strain.

It didn’t take long to extract the impacted wisdom tooth. Lin Qimian held it up for her to see.

Xu Yueliang stared with wide eyes, her expression now one of pure curiosity. Lin Qimian circled it around for her inspection. “Nice shape. Even the roots formed a little heart for you.”

Xu Yueliang broke into a smile, careful not to move her mouth, her eyes curving into happy crescents. Disheveled as she was on the treatment table, she still looked rather endearing.

Lin Qimian finished stitching, packed the wound with hemostatic cotton, and gave her instructions. “Come back in a week to get the stitches out.”

Xu Yueliang pointed to her head. Lin Qimian mimed zipping her mouth shut. “There. You can talk now.”

Xu Yueliang worked her lips, adjusting to the new gap in her mouth. After a moment, she managed a few muffled words. “Thank you, Doctor Lin. It was tough.”

The cotton ball garbled her speech, and combined with her naturally soft, lilting voice, the result was impossibly coquettish.

Goosebumps prickled Lin Qimian’s arms. She stood, peeled off her gloves, and headed to the sink to wash her hands.

Zhenzhen began running through the post-op care instructions with Xu Yueliang, who mumbled an earnest acknowledgment after each one.

When Zhenzhen finished, Xu Yueliang thanked her in that same coquettish tone, calling her the “cute doctor miss.”

Lin Qimian’s emotions were a tangled mix, though a smile tugged at her lips despite herself.

She avoided looking at the innocently ruthless Xu Yueliang any longer. “Once she’s rested up, take her to settle the bill,” she told Zhenzhen.

Zhenzhen nodded. Lin Qimian left Fang Huizhen’s clinic room and returned to her own.

A patient was already waiting for her to review the scans, pulling her back into the bustle.

Her phone buzzed insistently in her pocket. Once she caught up, Lin Qimian fished it out for a look.

Huang Xiaoyi had flooded the chat with messages, all about Xu Yueliang.

-【She started live streaming in her sophomore year of college. Signed with Sea Fish before graduating senior year, so she probably hasn’t held any other jobs.】

-【She did some photo modeling back in school—her face was rounder then, and she was adorable in those Japanese-style shoots. You can still find them online. Check it out.】

-【Pictures pictures pictures】

-【Tons of part-time gigs, but she kept her grades up—scholarships all four years, plus two years of financial aid.】

-【The aid was likely because someone in her family was sick. Who knows if that’s what pushed her into streaming.】

-【Always been a hard worker. No plastic surgery on her face, just slimmed down, plus killer makeup skills and all the modern streaming filters. Explains the glow-up.】

-【Wonder what she looks like IRL these days.】

-【Didn’t go digging or anything—just chatting.】

-【Giving you the rundown on the streaming world~】

Lin Qimian replied in her head: No filter needed. She slipped the phone back into her pocket.

Zhenzhen slipped back into the clinic and perched beside her, whispering, “Peng Xiaoshuai’s pissed. Saw him smoking in the courtyard earlier.”

Lin Qimian’s expression turned icy. “Report him to the Hospital Administration Office.”

Zhenzhen scrunched up her face. “He wasn’t smoking inside. Doesn’t that make it okay?”

Lin Qimian: “Absent from his post.”

Zhenzhen gripped her phone. “I’m just worried he’ll badmouth you to Teacher Fang later and mess up your rapport with her.”

Lin Qimian: “Teacher Fang and I are just regular colleagues.”

Zhenzhen couldn’t hold back. “They’ve got this little group—not just our department, bunch of people, all chatty. One word from him, and the weird rumors start flying again.”

Lin Qimian glanced over. “You’re in it? Show me.”

Zhenzhen handed over her phone without a second thought, spying loyally as she scrolled through the chat for her.

Lin Qimian scanned it but saw no brewing scandals—just guys and gals gushing over Xu Yueliang’s looks.

She handed it back and asked Zhenzhen, “That patient earlier—was she pretty?”

Zhenzhen’s eyes sparkled. She clapped a hand over her mouth, her whisper barely audible yet bursting with pent-up excitement, like she’d been waiting for this moment forever.

“Pretty? Teacher, she’s not just pretty—she’s super cute! ??? Aaaah, she’s too cute! When I took her to pay, we totally vibe-synced!!!”

Lin Qimian: “…”

Zhenzhen: “Speaking of, Teacher Lin, you’re amazing at handling people. She was terrified, but you had her eating out of your hand. Everyone calls you aloof, but you crush it with the kids…”

Lin Qimian tilted her chin. “Go fill out those two records from earlier.”

Zhenzhen’s ramble cut short, though her spirits stayed high.

She happily went to sit opposite and got to work.

Lin Qimian’s phone buzzed twice more. Seeing that she hadn’t replied, Huang Xiaoyi started baiting her unwillingly.

-【Do you need Xu Yueliang’s contact info?】

-【She’s a popular streamer now, so this is all confidential, but it’s not impossible to get.】

-【We’re all old classmates anyway. Getting to know her would help you understand the streaming industry better.】

Lin Qimian typed back quickly this time: 【No need.】

Getting someone else’s contact info wasn’t a real skill. The real skill was achieving the same status in their heart as they held in yours.

Today, everyone treated Xu Yueliang the same way, and Xu Yueliang treated everyone the same way.

That “everyone” included Lin Qimian herself.

She thought Xu Yueliang was beautiful, and so did everyone else.

She thought Xu Yueliang was cute, and anyone could feel Xu Yueliang’s cuteness.

Xu Yueliang cried in front of her because Xu Yueliang would cry in front of anyone.

Xu Yueliang acted coquettish with her because coquetry was one of Xu Yueliang’s social skills—she could wield it to the fullest whenever needed.

So what was the point of getting one more contact?

After replying, Lin Qimian tossed her phone onto the desk.

A figure flickered at the door. She looked over, and Xu Yueliang poked half her head in, her cheeks puffed out like a timid yet soft hamster.

“Is something wrong?” Lin Qimian asked.

Xu Yueliang quickly hopped inside, taking small, hurried steps right up to her, and held out her own phone.

The screen showed a large WeChat QR code. Xu Yueliang’s long, curled lashes fluttered as she lifted her eyelids and looked at her cautiously yet full of anticipation.

“Doctor Lin, can I add your contact?” Xu Yueliang said sweetly. “I’m afraid something unexpected might come up…”

She paused, then quickly added, “Of course, if there’s no issue, I won’t bother you.”