"Ah—"
Zheng Youen cried out, instinctively reaching out to wipe Chen Xiao, her chest and back, barely concealed by the medicinal soup, were largely exposed.
Chen Xiao watched, his mind blank, his hand holding the needle trembling even more violently.
Zheng Youen let out an even more piercing scream, and with a "plop," she curled up and hid back in the bathtub, splashing more water, soaking Chen Xiao's white coat almost completely.
"Big sister, are you playing surfing?"
With a dark expression, Chen Xiao simply pressed one hand on Zheng Youen's shoulder and the other, like a blind man feeling an elephant, performed acupuncture through the water, occasionally fumbling, making slow progress.
Unknowingly, more than half an hour passed. When Chen Xiao finally inserted the last needle for Zheng Youen, voices were heard from outside the door:
"Youen, I'm here, where are you?"
Zheng Youen was immediately startled like a frightened little sparrow:
"Oh no! My mom's here, hurry and get me some clothes!"
Chen Xiao was amused and exasperated:
"You need to soak for at least another half hour, and once a day for half a month. Moreover, you're being treated for an illness, not having an affair, what are you afraid of?"
As he spoke, Chen Xiao got up and went out, intending to change into a dry set of clothes after meeting Zheng Youen's mother.
But as soon as he stepped out of the small consultation room, he encountered Zheng Youen's mother and was somewhat taken aback:
"Professor Pan... Professor Pan, why are you here? Could you be Zheng Youen's mother?"
Pan Haitang was none other than one of Chen Xiao's university professors, her body odor being quite distinctive.
Pan Haitang was obviously also surprised to encounter her recently graduated student. After a moment of stunned silence, she spoke in an uncertain tone:
"Chen Xiao? The Dr. Chen who my daughter said could cure body odor... it couldn't be you, could it?"
As soon as she finished speaking, her sharp eyes spotted Zheng Youen in the small consultation room behind Chen Xiao, covering her face and soaking in the bathtub, not daring to make a sound. Her face instantly turned green, and she roared at Chen Xiao like a cat whose tail had been stepped on:
"Bastard! How dare you bathe my daughter!"
Saying that, Pan Haitang, usually gentle and refined in class, forcefully pushed Chen Xiao aside and then, like a hundred-meter sprint, rushed into the small consultation room filled with the aroma of medicine. Without hesitation, she took off her coat to cover Zheng Youen:
"Youen, you're not taking care of yourself. How can you bathe in front of a man in broad daylight?"
Although Chen Xiao's performance over his five years at university was commendable, it was no wonder Pan Haitang recognized him at a glance. However, at this moment, she had already mistaken Chen Xiao for a scoundrel who had deceived her daughter.
Zheng Youen was both shy and flustered, but she did not forget to explain:
"Mom, it's not what you think. Dr. Chen and I are innocent. This traditional Chinese medicinal bath can change the genes for hereditary body odor..."
Pan Haitang's reason had already lost control. She interrupted Zheng Youen's words unceremoniously:
"What traditional Chinese medicinal bath can have such an outrageous effect? It's just a scam! I taught him TCM for five years, don't I know his capabilities?"
"This..."
Zheng Youen was speechless, her expression filled with disbelief:
"You... you said Dr. Chen was your student?"
Glaring resentfully at Chen Xiao, who couldn't interject, Pan Haitang said aggressively:
"Even I, his teacher, am helpless against hereditary body odor. How can a brat who only learned five years of basic TCM theory be able to do it?"
Shaking her head repeatedly, Zheng Youen unhesitatingly interjected:
"Mom, what I mean is, since Dr. Chen is your student, why didn't you ask him to get rid of your body odor earlier?"
"You..."
Pan Haitang was choked with anger, her eyes wide. After thinking for a moment, she calmed down and continued to glare at Chen Xiao:
"What kind of love potion did you give my daughter? If you don't tell the truth, I'll call the police!"
After all, an honest person has nothing to fear. Chen Xiao was not flustered at all and directly brought a bowl of already brewed Ba Ni Tang:
"Professor Pan, you are too emotional right now, and no explanation will help. But facts speak louder than words. As long as you drink this bowl of Chinese medicine, you will know if I am a swindler or not."
With that, Chen Xiao turned around and went to change his clothes.
"Trying to run? Stop!"
Seeing this, Pan Haitang made a move to chase him out, accidentally knocking over the Ba Ni Tang on the eight-immortal table beside her.
Zheng Youen, disregarding her exposure, hurriedly reached out and pulled her back:
"Mom, calm down. Dr. Chen isn't lying to you. Last night, I drank his secret recipe Ba Ni Tang at Wan Nong's house, and my body odor was gone on the spot. Smell it yourself if you don't believe me!"
"Really?"
Pan Haitang was skeptical. She quickly leaned in and sniffed Zheng Youen's raised armpit. Indeed, she couldn't smell any body odor, and was immediately stunned:
"As the saying goes, the student surpasses the master. Could Chen Xiao's TCM really be that magical?"
Thinking this, she impatiently broke free from Zheng Youen's grasp:
"You continue soaking, I'll go try his Ba Ni Tang."
Zheng Youen pointed at the broken porcelain bowl on the ground with a wry face:
"The one you knocked over was the Ba Ni Tang, alas!"