44: Of course I'll do the haircut for you.

In those words, too many unspoken stories were hidden.

Yan Qiaoqiao's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

She immediately realized she had asked something she shouldn't have, her face filled with regret and apology.

"Ah... I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it, I shouldn't have asked!"

Lin Chao snapped back to his senses. Seeing her flustered look, he actually smiled, though the smile held a hint of bitterness.

"It's actually nothing, it's all in the past."

He picked up his teacup and took a small sip, seemingly giving himself a moment to buffer.

"It was just a patient my grandfather treated back then. After recovering, he didn't follow the doctor's orders, indulged in eating and drinking, which caused a relapse, and he passed away."

His tone was very flat, as if he were telling someone else's story.

"In the end, his family insisted that my grandfather had treated him to death and came to our house to cause trouble."

"It was... the kind of medical harassment you see on TV."

Yan Qiaoqiao held her breath, listening quietly.

"My maternal grandfather was seriously injured while trying to protect my paternal grandfather."

A flash of hard-to-conceal pain flickered in the depths of Lin Chao's eyes.

"From then on, the two elderly men were completely disheartened and stopped seeing patients altogether."

"They also gave a strict order that I was not allowed to follow the path of a doctor."

Yan Qiaoqiao was stunned by what she heard.

Her mouth hung open, unable to close for a long time. Her beautiful almond eyes were filled with disbelief and deep indignation.

"How could they do that?"

Her voice was trembling, and her knuckles turned slightly white from the force with which she gripped her chopsticks.

"Are they... even human? To receive the grace of a life saved, how could they turn around and bite back!"

Lin Chao looked at her righteous indignation, and a warm current flowed through his heart, though the bitterness on his face deepened.

He gave a self-deprecating laugh: "That's just the diversity of the human species for you."

His tone carried a hint of world-weary maturity, not at all like a young man in his twenties.

"You give kindness, but what you harvest might not necessarily be kindness."

"Alright, let's not talk about these old stories anymore, it's a mood killer."

Lin Chao changed the subject, turning his gaze back to her pale little face.

"Tell me, what's the deal with your stomach ache? Does it happen often?"

Yan Qiaoqiao blinked, only then pulling herself out of her previous emotions.

She looked at Lin Chao with some hesitation.

"But didn't you just say... your family won't let you practice medicine anymore?"

Lin Chao smiled.

That smile carried a hint of unruliness and matter-of-factness.

"Checking a friend's health and helping them recover, how can that be considered practicing medicine?"

He emphasized the word "friend" very clearly.

Yan Qiaoqiao's heart skipped a beat for no reason, and her cheeks felt slightly warm.

She lowered her head and softly explained her condition.

It was nothing more than irregular eating habits combined with a cold constitution; whenever she ate raw, cold, or spicy food, she would experience stomach cramps, feeling as if there was an ice cube inside her stomach.

Lin Chao listened very seriously, nodding occasionally, his expression as focused as if he were conducting an important academic seminar.

After listening, he pondered for a moment and reached a conclusion.

"This is a typical case of Cold Evil Stagnation and Spleen-Stomach Deficiency-Cold."

He looked at her with a firm tone.

"Taking medicine is too slow to see results. In your case, I'm afraid you need acupuncture."

"Acupuncture?"

Yan Qiaoqiao instantly shivered, her pretty face turning pale in a flash, her eyes full of terror.

"Do... do I have to get needles?"

Her voice changed pitch.

"I... I'm most afraid of needles!"

Lin Chao looked at her as if she were facing a great enemy and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"It's acupuncture, not an injection; they're two different things."

He explained patiently.

"As long as the acupoints are targeted accurately, acupuncture doesn't hurt. At most, there's a bit of a sore, numb, or bloated feeling; it's quite comfortable."

Although Lin Chao spoke lightly, Yan Qiaoqiao was still uneasy. Just thinking about sharp objects being poked into her body made her scalp tingle.

But looking into Lin Chao's serious and confident eyes, somehow, the fear in her heart dissipated a little.

It was a kind of... unconditional trust.

She bit her lower lip, as if making a monumental decision.

"O... Okay," she decided to go for it, "then... then where do I go for acupuncture?"

She asked subconsciously, "Should I go to a nearby hospital to register now? Is there enough time?"

Lin Chao looked at her as if she were an alien.

"Go to what hospital? Register for what?" He said matter-of-factly, "Of course I'll be the one to give you the needles."

"Ah?"

Yan Qiaoqiao was completely dumbfounded, her beautiful eyes wide and round, her mouth open wide enough to fit an egg.

She asked stutteringly, "You... you'll give me the needles? Does... doesn't this count as practicing medicine?"

Lin Chao found her shocked expression amusing. The corners of his mouth curled slightly, revealing a somewhat roguish smile.

"Didn't I already say? You're my friend."

He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice, his warm breath almost brushing against her face.

"What, surely you don't distrust my skills?"

Seeing Yan Qiaoqiao still looking dazed, he simply pulled out his trump card.

"Don't worry," his voice was full of powerful confidence, "when I was eight, I could already practice acupuncture on my father."

"My maternal grandfather and paternal grandfather both praised me as a once-in-a-century acupuncture genius."

Yan Qiaoqiao listened to his half-true, half-false boasting and was stunned for a long while.

In her almond eyes, the terror faded, replaced by a complex and indescribable look.

She murmured a repetition: "A once-in-a-century... genius?"

Then, she sighed softly, a hint of genuine pity appearing in her eyes.

"If you put it that way, it's actually quite a shame."

"The medical world has lost a very, very formidable doctor."

The smile on Lin Chao's face faded slightly. His gaze drifted out the window, carrying a hint of indifferent detachment.

"There are so many good doctors in the country; one more of me doesn't add much, and one less of me doesn't take much away."

He withdrew his gaze and looked back at Yan Qiaoqiao, his tone light as if he were talking about someone else's business.

"Besides, I'm doing my own thing now, and it's pretty good."

Yan Qiaoqiao nodded in agreement, a hint of sincere admiration appearing in her gaze.

"True."

"Gold will shine wherever it is."

"Look, even in a job you just found randomly, haven't you already reached the position of supervisor?"

Her tone carried a hint of reflected pride, as if she were the one being praised.

This pure recognition lightly plucked at Lin Chao's heartstrings.

Yan Qiaoqiao's focus quickly returned to her stomach. She leaned forward slightly and asked somewhat impatiently.

"Then when will you give me the acupuncture?"

Her bright eyes were full of expectation.