Chapter 22 (1/2)

Seeing into the Belly

A man touching the stomach of a woman he’d just met was an extremely awkward affair but this was a special circumstance. Xia Lei could not bear to see her suffer any longer and wanted to do what little he could to ease her pain.

Ning Jing’s stomach was very soft. Beneath a thin layer of fabric was soft, delicate skin that gave off a faint heat and subtle scent, making Xia Lei nervous. The hand froze on her tummy upon contact. He’d thought of this matter too simply and only found out about its complications when he touched her tummy.

“You…” Ning Jing also froze and stared at Xia Lei, flabbergasted.

“Uh. Just think of me as your mum,” said Xia Lei, as he leapt into the breach and massaged her stomach gently.

Ning Jing did not refuse him but she looked even more nervous than Xia Lei. His hand seemed to have a magical power – it had not only chased the pain away but also brought a miraculous feeling. That miraculous feeling made her feel excited and bashful all at once inside. Strange sounds came from her throat, low and vague. Her expression turned strange too; her face displayed both pain and delight at the same time.

“Do you still feel pain?” asked Xia Lei in concern.

“Mm, no.” Ning Jing’s answer was ambiguous. It was all the fault of Xia Lei’s hands! His care and concern for her also made her feel all messed up.

Ning Jing’s ambiguous answer deepened Xia Lei’s worry. A thought suddenly came to him ‘Maybe my left eye can see the situation in her stomach and find the root of her illness. If her condition is serious I must send her to the hospital whether she agrees to it or not.’

Looking into the body of a person was way more difficult than looking through clothing. Seeing through clothing was like running on a running track with appropriate footwear, letting him easily and quickly get to the finishing line. Looking into the body was like trekking through a muddy marshland – more strenuous in every aspect. That was why he needed to maintain the highest level of concentration. It wouldn’t work if his mind was full of flowery, snowy images.

Having made his decision, Xia Lei called forth the power of his left eye without a second thought. The clothing on Ning Jing’s body disappeared quickly, no longer able to hide her body. Though he was playing the role of doctor, the sight before his eyes still set his heart aflutter.

“Steady, steady… I’m looking for her illness. Nothing else.” It was a critical moment. Xia Lei shook his head hard to clear it of jumbled thoughts. He had one goal – look into her stomach to see the situation within. With this goal in mind, his left eye drew strength from his body and increased its X-ray power.

He was soon rewarded for his efforts. The skin on Ning Jing’s belly slowly turned translucent before disappearing and the situation in her stomach was clearly visible to Xia Lei’s eye. He could see her small intestine, large intestine, kidneys, liver, spleen and other innards. Xia Lei was thunderstruck. He had never imagined that his eye could look into the human body like a medical device.

His gaze quickly stopped on Ning Jing’s gallbladder. The small gallbladder was filled with several little stones and its walls were red. It looked inflamed but not particularly serious.

This looked to be the cause of Ning Jing’s pains. Xia Lei stopped using his eye and his body sagged, as though drained of energy, and he collapsed on Ning Jing. His face also coincidentally buried itself in her softest spot.

“You…” Suddenly being crushed by Xia Lei and having the smell of a man in her nostrils made Ning Jing so nervous she felt she could die. “Wh,What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry, that wasn’t on purpose.” Xia Lei hurriedly pushed himself away from her body and tried his best to look normal. Unfortunately, the nice feeling from earlier made his face and ears turn red and he was short of breath.

Ning Jing’s face was even redder. She wanted to condemn Xia Lei but could not find the words. Additionally, the sudden body-crush by Xia Lei made her pain go away. She thought it fairly strange but couldn’t figure out why.

The air was filled with embarrassment and uncertainty. Silence ruled supreme.

At this moment, hallucinations appeared in Xia Lei’s eye. The sweet and gentle Doctor Ning rose from the sofa, swaying softly and dancing a pleasing dance.

Xia Lei shook his head to clear it but this time, the hallucination did not disappear as he’d expected. It became more vivid and even started to interact.

“Don’t touch there,” said Xia Lei, pained.

“Don’t touch where?” Ning Jing looked at Xia Lei curiously, her face getting redder, “I didn’t… Didn’t even move!”

Ning Jing’s voice brought him back to reality in the midst of his hallucination. He pinched himself hard on his thigh and the pain chased the hallucination away.

“Are you all right?” This time it was Ning Jing showing concern for Xia Lei.

Xia Lei took a deep breath to calm himself before replying, “I’m fine. I didn’t have any ill intentions earlier. I mean…” He had no idea how to explain why he said that so he changed the topic. “Doctor Ning, you really have to go to the hospital for treatment. There are stones in your gallbladder and it is inflamed. If you leave it like that, it will get worse.”