Deanna waved her hand, a bit embarrassed, "Don't thank me, it was just a small effort on my part. Besides, you've helped me a lot too."
Lance did not respond, just looked at her.
Feeling a bit embarrassed under his deep gaze, similar to Chloe's, she tried to cover her awkwardness by saying, "Mr. Mercer, it's your turn now."
Lance nodded, stepped upstairs first, followed closely by Deanna and Chloe, with Xavier already waiting in his bedroom.
Once inside Lance's bedroom, he appeared normal and began to undress, turning his back to her. Deanna suddenly thought of the tattoo, and called out to him.
"Mr. Mercer, you don't need to lie down today, I need to insert needles into your chest and stomach."
Technically, she could also treat him by inserting needles into his back while he lay face down.
But she wanted to see if he had that tattoo on his chest.
"Alright."
Lance had no objections, took off his shirt, and turned around.
His neat eight-pack abs and the smooth lines of his obliques caught Deanna's eye.
Her gaze fixed on his firm pectorals.
An explosive sexual tension burst forth from his perfect body.
She was startled; she had known he was in good shape, but not this good.
However, his pale chest bore no tattoos.
She was greatly disappointed, had she been mistaken before?
How could that be?
She looked at him, her eyes complex, words failing her for a long moment.
When Lance noticed her staring blankly, he couldn't help but call out, "Dr. Deanna?"
Xavier, standing by, coughed lightly and teased, "Dr. Deanna, I know our young master is in great shape, but you can't keep staring like that."
He looked at Deanna with a playful expression.
Deanna was somewhat speechless, rolling her eyes. Who was obsessed with his body?
She awkwardly said, "I'm just thinking about which acupuncture points would be better to use next."
Lance was skeptical, raising an eyebrow, "Have you decided?"
She nodded, telling him, "You can lie down."
Xavier's comment, however, made her gaze fall on his body again.
It seemed, indeed, quite appealing.
No, what was she thinking? That was totally unprofessional!
She banished the thoughts from her mind and turned around casually to fetch the silver needles.
Lance watched her turn, spotting her reddened ears with keen eyes.
His gaze playful, he found this little woman unexpectedly cute.
Deanna picked up the silver needles and began treating him.
The procedure went smoothly, but when the needle penetrated his chest, Lance suddenly groaned.
Deanna was taken aback, pausing her actions, and asked, "Does it hurt?"
Lance didn't speak, just nodded.
For some reason, the needle in this acupuncture point was particularly painful.
Deanna frowned; logically, it shouldn't hurt this much.
She looked serious, pulled out that needle, and pressed on the spot.
Lance grimaced in pain but clenched his teeth silently.
She saw his reaction clearly, following the acupuncture path pressing downward.
As she pressed, she asked him, "Does this hurt?"
Lance shook his head, replying, "No, only the chest hurts."
Deanna thought for a moment, then asked, "Have you been injured here before?"
She was naturally referring to his chest.
He didn't respond, neither confirming nor denying.
Deanna frowned, scrutinized further, and thought about the tactile sensation from the acupuncture point, and indeed it felt unusual.
She pondered a while, her eyes flickering, then said, "It looks like an internal injury, but I don't know if there's any bruising."
Lance was usually tolerant of pain. For him to cry out, it must be excruciating.
Considering this, she continued, "The level of your pain suggests there might be bruising. If not cleared, this area can be very dangerous."
The chest acupuncture point was very important as it was connected to many vital organs. Leaving the bruising untreated could even threaten life.
Were it not for today's focus on the frontal acupuncture points, she would not have noticed such a significant risk in his body.
Seeing her grave expression, Lance grew serious.
He knew this was no trivial matter.
Xavier, always adept at reading expressions, grew anxious and asked, "Dr. Deanna, is there a way to treat the young master's chest injury?"
He looked worriedly at Lance.
Deanna responded firmly, "To treat it is certainly possible. But how effectively, I can't say for sure. I'll try my best first to see how it goes. If it's too severe, surgery might be the best option."
Xavier sighed, not responding, hoping Dr. Deanna's treatment would work.
Deanna took several more silver needles and started the treatment.
The process was tedious. Deanna's face showed concentration as she accurately inserted the needles.
This time, the silver needles targeted the area near Lance's internal injury, each insertion bringing throbbing pain.
His face turned pale with pain, yet he gritted his teeth, remaining silent.
Twenty minutes later, after removing the needles, they were both sweating profusely.
Lance from the pain, Deanna from fatigue and nervousness.
Deanna, with furrowed brows, looked at Lance and said, "Your physical condition is really worse than I imagined. The medicine I prepared for you earlier might not be very effective."
Xavier, hearing this, asked worriedly, "What should we do then?"
Deanna spoke in a lighter tone, reassuringly, "Don't worry, you won't die with me here."