Could Liu Fengying have been so distracted by everything that had transpired between her and Professor Wei in the last ten minutes that she had forgotten her medical skills? Well, perhaps that played a part, but it wasn't the primary reason.
To be precise, the blame lay with the fact that Liu Fengying was currently trying her best to act like an ordinary student—or perhaps not entirely ordinary, but at least like one who didn't possess paranormal powers. It wouldn't exactly be a pleasant situation to wake up captive in some secret facility, much like the crashed aliens in Sci-Fi movies.
Still, once she considered attempting to heal Professor Wei, Liu Fengying wasn't worried about standing out too much; after all, she only intended to stimulate the acupuncture points on the leg to release nervous tension, a process very similar to a regular massage. Furthermore, she was fairly convinced that Professor Wei wouldn't go around talking to others about it.
The problem, however, was how to wrap her proposal in a way that would make it easy for Professor Wei to accept. After all, a teacher letting a student massage their feet seemed like an extremely rare occurrence, perhaps even rarer than a kiss. One might have heard stories of romances between teachers and students, but a student massaging a teacher's feet likely hadn't happened since the old days, back when masters treated their disciples like slaves, making them fulfill their every whim.
Honestly, she couldn't think of a foolproof method; Professor Wei didn't seem like the type of person to be easily swayed. So, Liu Fengying thought she could only present the advantages of her method over using painkillers, leaving the final decision up to the professor.
"Professor Wei, when it comes to leg injuries, taking painkillers isn't exactly the best way forward; if you put weight on the leg before it heals, the situation will likely worsen…" she began, taking the most roundabout route possible.
At least, the most roundabout route she could think of; after all, she was a rather direct person, not the type to spend much time beating around the bush when she wanted something from someone. Realizing this, Liu Fengying told herself it was a shame she hadn't tried to pick up some of her stepmother Wang Xia's methods for sweet-talking people. Even if she didn't want to deceive the girls she interacted with, such a skill could prove vital in a critical situation.
It wasn't as if Professor Wei was unaware of the facts Liu Fengying presented. But what was she to do? As long as her leg hurt with every step, walking or teaching at the board became nearly impossible tasks.
"Well, I will try to be as careful as I can. Also, you could ask at the medical office if they have a cane…" Professor Wei said in a conciliatory voice, though it wasn't quite clear what compromise she had actually made.
Liu Fengying could hardly refrain from rolling her eyes; her words had completely failed to make Professor Wei waver in her resolve. Although she found stubbornness to be an attractive trait in a woman, she had to admit that dealing with such individuals required a significant amount of mental energy, as one had to make a conscious effort to remain calm.
Furthermore, though she loathed to admit it, Liu Fengying found it irritating that Professor Wei, instead of playing along, had turned her thoughts toward a cane—her imaginary enemy. It was galling: here she was, completely at the professor's disposal, yet the woman thought a piece of wood would be more useful than her at that moment.
Of course, with or without Professor Wei's cooperation, Liu Fengying still intended to tighten the net around her:
"But, what would you say to first trying the services of a chiropractor? Perhaps that way, you wouldn't just get rid of the pain, but the healing process of your leg would be set on the right track as well..."
Professor Wei's expression turned puzzled upon hearing Liu Fengying's suggestion:
"A chiropractor? Where would I find a chiropractor at a moment like this?"
The school doctor was out of the question; after all, someone in that position is usually a jack-of-all-trades but a master of none. As for the probability that their school doctor was secretly a chiropractor, Professor Wei believed it to be negligible; she knew her well enough to know she wasn't the type to put more effort into her job than was strictly necessary.
As for calling a mobile chiropractor, that wasn't so simple to put into practice either. Usually, they don't do emergency interventions but only visit clients who have scheduled appointments. And even if they managed to find one available, wasn't that in itself a bad sign regarding his skills? If he were any good, wouldn't his schedule be fully booked?
However, Professor Wei had only asked that question on the impulse of the moment; she was nowhere near agreeing to the idea. The reason was simple: she profoundly disliked the feeling of a stranger's hands on her body, even if only on her ankles. So, as long as the injury showed no signs of being serious, she intended to just let it heal on its own.
Even though Professor Wei had no inkling of how Liu Fengying might respond and was practically expecting anything, the girl still managed to catch her off guard:
"Umm, although I don't have any formal certification in this field, I'm actually quite good at therapeutic massage. And it's not just theory; I actually took lessons from an expert for a while. So, what do you think about letting me try to help you?"
"......" Professor Wei felt played. If Liu Fengying was talking about herself, why had she made it sound like she was referring to someone else?
Still, Professor Wei remained skeptical of Liu Fengying's claims.
"Why did you decide to specialize in this field? From what I recall, you wanted to pursue a career in chemistry..." Professor Wei pressed for more details, finding it odd that a high school girl would waste her time learning something that wouldn't serve her future; after all, massage couldn't exactly be considered a hobby, could it?
But suddenly, a disturbing thought struck Professor Wei like a bolt of lightning: what if Liu Fengying had decided to take massage lessons specifically for situations like this? More precisely, to create opportunities to get close to the young women she was attracted to? Considering that Liu Fengying was a diligent student who always prepared thoroughly for her classes, Professor Wei told herself it wouldn't be surprising if she applied the same rigor to courting someone.
And it wasn't as if being skilled at massage only played a role in the "opening phase"; in a relationship between two women, knowing how to use one's hands properly was, after all, a mandatory element.
Reaching this conclusion, Professor Wei felt the ground give way beneath her: if Liu Fengying had truly taken massage lessons with this in mind, hadn't she just acted exactly like Little Red Riding Hood asking the wolf why his teeth were so big?
However, as quickly as Professor Wei's concern had arrived, it vanished just as fast. Liu Fengying, who had initially looked at her with confusion upon hearing the question, didn't let more than a few seconds pass before providing an answer:
"...Err, Professor Wei, have you forgotten that I had problems with my leg for almost two years?"
Had Liu Fengying come up with this justification on the spot? Of course not; she had planned it from the very beginning. Truth be told, she thought it was a very clever move to use her past leg injury as a justification for her training in chiropractic techniques: not only was it perfectly logical, but it also had the power to make Professor Wei empathize with her, prompting her to lower her defensive barriers.
As for the momentary confusion she had displayed, it was intended solely to make Professor Wei feel as though her question had been insensitive, leading her to feel as if she were in the wrong. Specifically, Liu Fengying imagined the professor thinking something like: "The poor girl has been through so much, and not only did I forget about it, but I even harbored suspicions toward her." That would make it even harder for Professor Wei to refuse.
Well, it seemed that Liu Fengying had been capable of learning something from her stepmother after all, without even realizing it: namely, the art of psychological warfare through victimhood.
Yet, Liu Fengying had no inkling of how devastating her so-called attack had actually been; because of her prior suspicions about why Liu Fengying had acquired massage skills, the guilt Professor Wei felt was amplified tenfold.
Moreover, Professor Wei began to wonder, with a hint of dread: was it possible that, deep down, she had a perverse side? Otherwise, how could she explain having projected all sorts of inappropriate assumptions onto Liu Fengying? Perhaps as long as no one had drawn attention to it, this side had remained hidden—but now, looking at Liu Fengying in a different light, it was slowly beginning to surface.
This realization hit Professor Wei like a blast of ice-cold water after an entire afternoon spent under the scorching summer sun.
"Ahem, alright then..." Professor Wei found herself speaking without running the words through the filter of reason. To be precise, she only felt the need to agree with Liu Fengying's statement to escape the shame she felt; it wasn't as if she had actually decided to go through with the massage.
However, that wasn't how Liu Fengying interpreted it. Seeing Professor Wei suddenly looking flustered, she assumed the professor had agreed to her proposal.
Truth be told, she found it a bit unexpected that she had managed to convince Professor Wei so quickly; she wondered if the professor had already fallen prey to her charm. If not, after she had indirectly expressed her attraction toward her, how was it possible for Professor Wei to agree to such contact? Shouldn't she be at least somewhat suspicious of ulterior motives?
'Or maybe, because of everything that happened today, she's given me a "good person card"...' Liu Fengying found a more plausible explanation once her enthusiasm cooled. She figured that since she had saved the professor from an accident that could have ended in a serious injury, the woman must have developed an instinctive trust in her.
Furthermore, throughout their interactions that day, no matter how close they had been, she had maintained a serious demeanor without a single ambiguous gesture. Taking this into account, Liu Fengying concluded it wouldn't be strange if the impact of her flirting from the day before had diminished in the professor's mind.
This last possibility didn't make Liu Fengying particularly happy; even if she didn't currently want a serious relationship with Professor Wei, she would have liked to be more than just stuck in her "friend zone." She told herself that if that were the case, she ought to make up for the "lost progress" in the coming days, as soon as the professor healed.
Still, regardless of Professor Wei's motives, the fact that she had accepted her help was good news. Adopting the mindset of "never look a gift horse in the mouth," she convinced herself to set her doubts aside and take action. It was also true that she feared that with every passing second, the chances of Professor Wei changing her mind increased.
"Okay, then move your chair about a meter to the side so I have room to sit in front of you..." Liu Fengying said, standing up and grabbing the simple chair she had been sitting on.
Radiating determination and self-confidence, she looked like someone ready to go on the offensive at any moment. Of course, this wasn't difficult for her; as someone who had participated in countless battles in the past, it was natural for her to become imposing when she turned serious.
"...????" Professor Wei remained there, staring at Liu Fengying in confusion. Not immediately grasping the meaning of her words, she understood neither where, nor when, nor—above all—what exactly the girl intended to do to display such unwavering resolve.