Chapter 18: Chen Ye, Her Lucky Charm

Everyone held their breath. Chen Ye, however, seemed perfectly at ease.

“From your behavior and the symptoms you’ve described, I think your headache may be caused by stagnant liver qi. It usually feels like a dull, swollen ache, accompanied by dizziness and irritability. Anger and anxiety can make it worse, sometimes causing unbearable throbbing. But this kind of headache isn’t an organic lesion, so Western medical equipment can’t detect it.”

Jin Anni’s expression softened. “Those symptoms are exactly right.”

Everyone relaxed, only to tense again when she fixed him with a cutting stare. “You said I should pay attention if I often wake between one and three. Pay attention to what?”

“In traditional Chinese medicine, that’s when the liver meridian is most active,” Chen Ye said. “Frequent waking then may mean liver qi is obstructed and its flow disrupted. If you can’t get back to sleep afterward, that’s more dangerous. Some people who have those symptoms develop liver cancer within three to five years.”

Jin Anni’s face changed. No matter when she went to bed, she invariably woke around two. If he was right, was she going to develop cancer?

“What nonsense!” the short-haired woman said. “Anni-jie’s perfectly healthy!”

“You can’t judge health by appearances,” Chen Ye replied. “Even people who look healthy sometimes die suddenly. I suspect Anni-jie often stays up late, and that’s how she developed the problem.”

He’d struck another nerve. Running a nightclub meant Jin Anni regularly worked into the early hours. Even when she went to bed early, she woke around two and tossed and turned, unable to sleep. For all her polished appearance, she knew years of struggle had taken a toll on her body.

“Can you treat the headache?” she asked.

“Yes. Your liver problem too.”

Delighted though she was, she kept her expression cool. “I’ll leave it to you.”

“Let’s go to a treatment room. I’ll work on your meridians and ease the headache first.”

She rose and followed him. Watching them go, Bai Xueyan let out a long breath. Chen Ye really was her lucky charm.

“Everyone, back to work,” she said.

“That’s it, move along,” Li Bo called.

At the treatment room door, Chen Ye turned to the short-haired woman. “A full-body massage may involve matters of privacy. Please wait outside.”

“What? You’re a man giving Anni-jie a full-body massage? Absolutely not!”

“It’s called massage, but I’m treating an illness. I don’t see men or women, only patients.”

He meant it. What he’d learned from his mentor in prison was traditional Chinese medicine. His mentor had warned him that when treating women, especially young, beautiful ones, he must remain focused and see only a patient with an illness. Lustful thoughts could lead to a mistaken diagnosis and trouble. Treating the illness without distraction, his mentor had said, was a longstanding virtue of the practice.

“That’s enough, Xiaotong. Wait here,” Jin Anni said.

Wu Tong clenched her teeth and warned Chen Ye, “If you don’t cure her, you’ll regret it.”

He ignored her and shut the door firmly, making her scowl.

Inside, he asked Jin Anni to sit, then traced a route on an anatomical diagram.

“I want to work along your liver meridian. The route runs from the toes through the ankle, inner calf and inner thigh, up to the hip and lower abdomen, then past the navel and along both sides of the ribs. From there it travels up beside the breasts, past the collarbone, chin, face, and eyelids, to the Baihui point at the crown of the head.”

“That’s the route I’d massage. Are you comfortable with it?”

Jin Anni studied his demonstration. He would be touching her practically from head to toe, including awkward areas such as her inner thighs, lower abdomen, and the sides of her breasts. Still, thinking of her persistent ailment, she decided to endure it for her health.

“All right.”

In fact, Chen Ye had left out one point below the abdomen. It was too private, and he was certain she wouldn’t agree. He intended to skip it; he thought the treatment might be slightly less effective, but not by much.

“Please take off your clothes and lie on the massage bed,” he said. “If you can, leave only your underwear on.”

“Shouldn’t I change into a massage outfit?” she asked. Important clients had special light, breathable clothes for treatments.

“The fabric can interfere with what I feel along the meridians,” he said. “That could make the treatment less precise.”

In his view, the center’s ordinary massages merely helped people relax, so clothing made little difference. Treating an illness required greater care; direct contact, he believed, allowed him to feel more accurately.

“All right.” Jin Anni clenched her teeth. She was taking a chance today. If he failed to cure her, she would settle accounts with him afterward, with interest.

She removed her jacket and blouse. Chen Ye washed his hands and glanced over, surprised by her figure beneath her austere exterior. Her cold, commanding manner stirred a desire in him to conquer her. Then he remembered his mentor’s warning against improper thoughts.

He took a deep breath and approached. “Anni-jie, I’m going to begin.”

“Mm.” She closed her eyes. Chen Ye reached out.