Chapter 50: Thank You

Li Sicheng’s movements as he massaged the ankle were gentle and just right—not only did it not cause any discomfort, but instead produced a warm, tingling sensation that was immensely soothing. In fact, as he worked over several acupoints on the ankle, a sensation akin to anesthesia spread, greatly alleviating the pain caused by the sprain.

What was most astonishing was that this warm, tingling feeling seemed to travel, starting from Lin Siyu’s ankle and spreading up her calf and thigh...

Lin Siyu knew nothing of medicine, let alone traditional Chinese medicine. She was unaware that this pleasurable sensation, in TCM, was called “qi traveling through the meridians,” a phenomenon where, due to acupressure or acupuncture, the flow of qi spreads along the meridian associated with the acupoint.

When that warm, tingling feeling reached the inside of her thigh, Lin Siyu suddenly shuddered and let out a soft, blushing gasp. Realizing what had happened, she quickly covered her face and mouth with her hands, utterly mortified and terrified of making any more embarrassing sounds.

“What a little minx, that hum was really seductive!” Beside her, Tan Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth as she watched, muttering inwardly, “You kept telling me you were on bad terms with that big liar. But look at your face now, blooming like a peach blossom—how is that an enemy’s expression? Looks more like there’s something going on! No, I must interrogate you later and make you confess everything!”

Li Sicheng had no idea what Lin Siyu was embarrassed about, nor what Tan Xiaoxiao was plotting. At this moment, all his attention was focused on the swollen ankle.

After a few minutes, he stopped his massage and concluded, “Fortunately, the bone isn’t hurt. It’s just a regular soft tissue injury.”

At this moment, Teacher Gu noticed something was amiss and hurried over to ask, “What happened? Is there a problem?”

Li Sicheng briefly explained, “A soccer ball rolled over earlier, and Lin Siyu accidentally stepped on it and twisted her ankle.”

Teacher Gu asked anxiously, “Is the bone injured? Take her to the school clinic right away, just to be safe. We don’t want any lasting issues.” As he spoke, he began to call over some students to help.

Li Sicheng shook his head, “No need to call anyone else. I’ll carry her to the school clinic myself.”

With that, he turned his back to Lin Siyu and said, “Hop on.”

Lin Siyu hesitated and didn’t climb onto his back immediately.

Li Sicheng glanced back at her and urged, “Hurry up, don’t waste time. Your ankle is still in the congestive phase; the sooner it’s treated, the better. If you delay, it’ll swell even more and take much longer to heal.”

Teacher Gu nodded in agreement, “He’s right, Lin Siyu. Don’t waste time.”

Because Li Sicheng was new, Teacher Gu hadn’t quite learned his name yet, which was understandable.

This time, Lin Siyu didn’t hesitate any longer. She placed her hands on Li Sicheng’s shoulders, and without her needing to exert any effort, he reached back and lifted her onto his back with ease.

At first, Lin Siyu worried that Li Sicheng might take advantage of her as he carried her—perhaps by putting his hands under her or something like that. But once she was on his back, she realized her concerns were unfounded; she had judged a gentleman with a petty mind.

Li Sicheng’s hands were proper the entire time. Even when supporting her legs, he used his arms, not his hands.

Such gentlemanly conduct eased much of Lin Siyu’s embarrassment, and, without realizing it, her opinion of Li Sicheng began to change and improve.

Lying on his back, Lin Siyu’s cheeks were flushed bright red.

She had never, in her life, been carried on a boy’s back before.

The feeling was both novel and made her heart race uncontrollably...

Unfortunately, the sensation didn’t last long.

Li Sicheng ran at an impressive speed, completely unaffected by the burden on his back. In just a few minutes, he had carried Lin Siyu from the sports field to the school clinic and set her down on the examination bed.

“So it’s over already…”

For some reason, Lin Siyu felt a deep sense of regret and reluctance.

Inside the clinic, a young, gentle-looking female doctor in her twenties looked up as Li Sicheng brought Lin Siyu in and hurried over to ask, “What happened to this student? Where does it hurt?”

“She twisted her ankle while running,” Li Sicheng replied.

Before the doctor could come over to examine Lin Siyu, Li Sicheng asked, “Do you have any ice packs? Any topical treatments for promoting blood circulation and reducing bruising?”

The female doctor was momentarily surprised. She hadn’t expected Li Sicheng to be so knowledgeable about the correct treatment for a sprain.

Nonetheless, she quickly replied, “We have ice packs, but I’m afraid we don’t have any of those topical medicines.”

“Do you have acupuncture needles, then?” Li Sicheng asked, resigned.

“No, we don’t,” the doctor shook her head.

Li Sicheng couldn’t help but complain, “Is there anything you actually have here?”

The doctor, a little embarrassed, explained, “This is just a school clinic, not a full hospital or clinic. Usually, we only deal with minor things like headaches or fevers. If it’s anything serious, we send the students to a nearby hospital. So, we aren’t as well-equipped or stocked with medicine.”

Li Sicheng nodded, not wanting to make things difficult for her. “Never mind, could you please just bring me an ice pack?”

The doctor quickly fetched an ice pack. Li Sicheng placed it on Lin Siyu’s swollen, congested ankle, causing her to cry out in surprise.

The winter air was already cold, and the ice pack made it feel freezing to the bone.

“Bear with it,” Li Sicheng said without looking up.

He held the ice pack with one hand, while with the other, he gently massaged the acupoints around Lin Siyu’s ankle.

“Aren’t you cold?” Lin Siyu couldn’t help but ask. She felt as though her ankle was about to go numb, yet Li Sicheng kept holding the ice pack for her. Wasn’t he cold at all?

“I’m cold, but I can handle it,” Li Sicheng replied, his massaging undisturbed.

Lin Siyu opened her mouth, wanting to say so much, but in the end, all she managed was, “Thank you.”

Simple words, but spoken with genuine feeling.

Just then, the female doctor, whose “job” had been taken over by Li Sicheng, suddenly exclaimed in surprise.