The Mysterious Apartment and the Girls

Chapter Two

"Sit on the sofa and wait for your second test." Somehow, Hua Danjing suddenly felt a strange shiver run through her at the young man's gaze—bright yet tinged with a hint of playful intrigue. It was the first time she had felt such a way about a boy she had just met.

Combined with his earlier accuracy in reading palms, Hua Danjing couldn’t help but feel a sudden curiosity to understand Xiao Huai better.

As Xiao Huai took the tea Hua Danjing had brought him, he gently blew on it. The girl before him exuded an air of refreshing elegance. As the beloved daughter of the Hua family, she wasn’t offended by his earlier actions; instead, she offered him a polite smile while serving the tea. This moment made Xiao Huai feel an unexpected sense of fondness toward her.

"Zi Lu, Zi Lu..." Hua Danjing called toward the bathroom upstairs.

"Jingjie, I’m not done yet, what is it?" Suddenly, a loud "bang" echoed, followed by a soft groan, as though someone had collapsed.

"Zi Lu!" Hua Danjing’s face turned pale with fear as she hurried upstairs, flung open the bathroom door, and found Nan Zilu lying in the bathtub, her face contorted in pain. She was draped in a bathrobe, eyes tightly shut—clearly, she had fallen when stepping into the tub while wearing it.

"Where are you hurt? I’ll call an ambulance!" Hua Danjing cried out in extreme anxiety. She had a deep affection for Zi Lu.

A calm voice suddenly sounded from behind, exuding an unspoken confidence: "Let me take a look." Before Hua Danjing could react, Xiao Huai swiftly scooped the little girl up, carrying her out of the room with ease, and gently laid her on the floor of the second floor.

Then, Xiao Huai softly inquired, "Where does it hurt?" At that moment, a surge of energy flowed from his hands, channeling directly into Nan Zilu's acupoints.

"It’s... my thigh," Nan Zilu replied, suddenly feeling the pain subside. She hadn’t fully understood who had asked, but she responded instinctively.

Once she finished speaking, she looked up and was startled to find a stranger—an unexpectedly handsome young man. Her heart skipped a beat. Just then, Hua Danjing regained her composure. "Xiao Huai, can you heal?" she asked, her voice tinged with surprise.

"Of course," Xiao Huai said with a confident smile.

Nan Zilu was taken aback, thinking, So Jingjie knows him... However, as he was a stranger, she tried to move away from Xiao Huai's hands, but as soon as she did, the pain intensified!

Xiao Huai quickly supported her with his hands—Nan Zilu immediately felt relief once more.

Seeing this, Hua Danjing surmised what had happened and quickly said, "Xiao Huai, don’t waste time, take a look at Zi Lu." As she lifted Nan Zilu's bathrobe up to her thigh, she added, "Don’t you dare look!"

The outline of "Little Bunny" undergarments could just be seen. Do little girls all like wearing white bunnies?

Xiao Huai chuckled, then pretended not to look. His left hand lightly brushed Nan Zilu’s beautiful thigh. "Is it here?" At the same time, he produced a small black box from inside his jacket and took out a golden needle.

Hua Danjing glared at Xiao Huai’s hand, unwilling to look away.

"Not there... a little further in," Nan Zilu replied, feeling the unfamiliar sensation of a boy’s touch for the first time. Her heart raced. Though it was an urgent moment, she found herself trusting this mischievous boy before her.

Xiao Huai moved his hand to the inner thigh. Suddenly, Nan Zilu cried out as if shocked by an electric current: "It hurts!"

"Fortunately, you didn’t injure the bone," Xiao Huai murmured as he gently inserted the golden needle into Nan Zilu's toe. "I’m Xiao Huai. Can I call you Zi Lu, little sister?"

Nan Zilu, absorbed in the sensation in her toe, didn’t notice the golden needle but felt a warm flow of energy spreading from her toe, gradually moving upward and finally dispersing at her thigh.

Nan Zilu widened her eyes in awe. "Is this... Qigong?"

"That’s one way to describe it," Xiao Huai replied, his left hand moving the golden needle, "The pressure points on the soles of the feet can affect other parts of the body. For areas without specific pressure points, we can use the feet to treat them."

Hua Danjing couldn’t help but ask, "What about a toothache?"

"That can be treated by needling the ear’s 'Cang' point. If you don’t have a needle, even a fingernail can work, as long as you press the right point. Otherwise, it might trigger a headache," Xiao Huai answered seriously, his right hand subtly gliding over Nan Zilu’s inner thigh.

Nan Zilu, clearly feeling the pain diminish, let out a soft groan. Being a shy girl, she thought Xiao Huai was just earnestly trying to treat her pain, though she couldn’t help but let her mind wander... She shut her eyes, forcing herself not to look.

Xiao Huai, however, could distinctly feel the delicate texture of her skin, a sensation that left his thoughts wandering...

"Well then," Hua Danjing finally couldn’t hold back, "Don’t you think your right hand is unnecessary?"

Xiao Huai smiled, "It’s because that’s where her pain is. I’m just providing her with a sense of warmth and protection." He turned to Nan Zilu, who had a faint blush on her delicate face, "How do you feel now, Zi Lu?"

"It doesn’t hurt anymore," Nan Zilu opened her eyes and whispered, "That’s amazing, thank you, Xiao Gege."

Xiao Huai’s right hand gently massaged Nan Zilu’s inner thigh, "This will help your blood circulation..." His left hand carefully withdrew the golden needle.

Nan Zilu’s face flushed deeper, her ears turning red as she murmured softly in response.

"Taking advantage of the situation!" Hua Danjing suddenly pushed Xiao Huai away, indignantly saying, "Zi Lu is... is a pure and innocent girl! Don’t you dare touch her!" She gently picked Nan Zilu up, carried her to her room, and laid her on the bed. "Zi Lu, don’t let this guy stay in the apartment, give him a hard time."

Nan Zilu paused for a moment, then turned back to smile at Xiao Huai with gratitude, "Xiao Gege worked so hard to treat me. I’ve passed this test."

"Hmph, he didn’t work hard at all, he was enjoying himself!" Hua Danjing shot Xiao Huai a glare. "Don’t get too cocky, there are two more tests. We’ll see after the others come back."

Xiao Huai just smiled and looked around, admiring the room.

A pink teddy bear sat at the head of the bed. The curtains on the windows were made of five-pointed star beads, cascading like a starry night sky. The attention to detail in the room was evident, showing the girl’s meticulous nature. The walls were a soft pink, with a small pink flower in the corner that resembled either a lilac or a flowered chrysanthemum, adding to the serene atmosphere.

Xiao Huai’s gaze landed on a painting on the wall, and he suddenly froze. A soft sigh escaped his lips.

It was a painting by the French artist Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, "The Remembrance of Montefaucon". Corot’s unique style was filled with intense personal emotions and lyrical expressions. This tender, serene, and dreamlike painting captured the beauty of the natural countryside.

The morning mist had just begun to dissipate, and in the painting, a young woman and two small children were picking fruit near a young tree. The scene was poetic, as if frozen in time. Xiao Huai felt as though he could sense the joy of the child crouching on the ground. Suddenly, a mysterious force of art seemed to seep into him, and Xiao Huai felt as if his heart had gently soared.

After a long pause, he let out a quiet breath and returned to himself, only to find both girls were gazing thoughtfully at him, following his line of sight.