"It's just that her period came, it's not something embarrassing, why make a fuss about it?"
Ning Fan laughed helplessly, finding Xu Ruolan's blush and inability to speak amusing.
Xu Ruolan had no serious illness. It was just her period.
Seeing Xu Ruolan suddenly wincing in pain earlier, Ning Fan almost thought she had a serious health issue. He checked her only to find out that it was just her period, which relieved him.
"Okay, I'm fine, you can let go now..."
With her hand held in Ning Fan's, Xu Ruolan felt her heart pounding, and she waited for Ning Fan with a flushed face.
Although it was just her period, and it wasn't anything embarrassing, Xu Ruolan's reluctance to speak was because of Ning Fan.
In other words, it was precisely because Ning Fan was there that Xu Ruolan felt too embarrassed to speak of it.
"Don't overthink, I was just checking your pulse. Did you forget I'm a doctor?"
Ning Fan didn't let go of Xu Ruolan's hand; instead, he pulled her into his arms.
Xu Ruolan gasped, bumping into his broad chest as she backed into him, feeling a unique warmth from his spine.
Ning Fan's sudden movement left Xu Ruolan unable to react, and she looked up at him in astonishment. Her face was burning, her cheeks rosy and ripe as a bright red apple, almost irresistible to bite.
"Relax..." Ning Fan's voice was very gentle, as if carrying some sort of magic power, which gradually calmed down the restless Xu Ruolan.
A warm hand covered her lower abdomen, sending warm currents continuously through Ning Fan's palm into Xu Ruolan's body.
Ning Fan was using True Qi to alleviate the pain Xu Ruolan felt during her menstruation.
Xu Ruolan didn't know what method Ning Fan was using; almost completely captivated by his warmth, she fell into his words.
His manly scent kept creeping into her nostrils, his breath hitting her hair. Xu Ruolan's gaze gradually grew blurry.
Through her misty eyes, a tint seemed to spread, and a nameless feeling began to sprout deep within her heart.
Ning Fan didn't think about anything else. Even though the atmosphere between them was somewhat ambiguous, he only wanted to do something for Xu Ruolan, to alleviate her pain a little.
Menses, also known as a period, is an unavoidable physiological trait of a healthy woman, occurring for a few days every month. As a man, during this special phase, his role is to care for her as gently as one would a flower.
"Hmm? Do you feel better now?"
Ning Fan seemed not to have noticed Xu Ruolan's current expression. If he were to lean down to kiss her now, she would definitely not reject him.
Yet such a good opportunity was missed by Ning Fan, who was very focused right now.
The robust True Qi created warm currents that kept flowing into Xu Ruolan's body, heating her hands immensely.
The two maintained this position for who knows how long until Ning Fan felt it was about time and then stopped using True Qi to soothe Xu Ruolan.
"Good wife, isn't it like hitting the jackpot to have such a thoughtful husband like me?"
Ning Fan patted Xu Ruolan's lower abdomen, and her body involuntarily shivered for a moment. By the time she realized what was happening, she excitedly pushed Ning Fan away.
"Who is your wife? Don't call me that!" Xu Ruolan retorted in a pretend-angry manner, her tone playfully scolding. She wasn't truly angry but pretended to be to hide her shyness.
Ning Fan smiled, his interest piqued as he observed Xu Ruolan's bashful demeanor.
This adorable Xu Ruolan was completely contrary to her usual icy beauty persona; it was quite the departure from the norm. Previously, Xu Ruolan would have started scolding him by now.
"Staying up late working on days like these, even if you don't care about yourself, others will," said Ning Fan, his expression becoming serious and his tone somewhat reproachful.
Since it's that time of the month, you should be resting. Continuing to work late into the night without taking proper care of yourself might lead to future health problems.
Ning Fan didn't know if Xu Ruolan had thought about her own body, but now that he knew, he wouldn't just stand by and do nothing.
Xu Ruolan turned her face away, trying to avoid Ning Fan's gaze.
"Isn't it nice to rely on others sometimes?" Ning Fan sighed helplessly, looking completely at a loss with Xu Ruolan.
Xu Ruolan had always been the strong, independent type, carrying everything on her shoulders alone. Taking her current situation into account, she was pushing herself too hard, and Ning Fan felt like commenting that she was heading for a Deviation.
Ning Fan's scolding demeanor and his earnest tone left Xu Ruolan without any comeback, and she actually began to seriously consider his words.
"Maybe trying to rely on others isn't such a bad idea?" Xu Ruolan looked at Ning Fan, not understanding why she equated "relying on others" with "relying on Ning Fan."
Upon realizing this thought, Xu Ruolan became shy again. Was she not already close to falling for him?
When she looked at Ning Fan's smiling face again, Xu Ruolan already felt intimidated.
"I know, you should rest early," Xu Ruolan said, feigning composure before turning and almost fleeing back to her room.
Watching Xu Ruolan's retreating figure, Ning Fan covered his mouth and laughed. This wasn't out of malice but because this shy, somewhat tsundere version of Xu Ruolan was simply too entertaining.
After Xu Ruolan returned to her room, she threw herself on the bed and hugged a pillow, mumbling to herself, "There's still so much work left..."
But now, Xu Ruolan had completely lost the motivation to continue working, probably influenced by Ning Fan's earlier words.
Now, Xu Ruolan's mind was entirely occupied with thoughts of Ning Fan, and she felt utterly helpless about this disturbingly unsettled culprit.
She felt increasingly strange as the days she spent with Ning Fan continued to grow longer, and so did the changes within her, wondering whether these were good or bad.
Xu Ruolan lay in bed, her hair spread around her like petals of a blooming flower, staring at the ceiling and pondering.