Chapter 8: Man, Science?

At the entrance to the examination room, a nurse brought over the consent form for the MRI. For this procedure, the patient must lie on a “bed” that slides into a large shell for a scan. The interior is cramped and noisy, and some people experience feelings of claustrophobia.

Because Lu Qingyue was a minor, someone was allowed to accompany her for the scan.

Before Lu Yi could say a word, Lu Qingyue grabbed onto Lu Ming.

“You’re coming in with me!”

Having spent the journey through the hospital listening carefully, she now understood the whole story. If Lu Ming hadn’t raised his hand to make contact, the ball would never have hit her in the first place. In her eyes, he was the real culprit—Cheng Xingye’s responsibility was relatively lighter—so there was no way she would let Lu Ming off easily.

But Lu Ming was scared out of his wits, desperately trying to back away.

“Me? But... doesn't MRI have radiation? I heard it can affect fertility, and I’m still young. What if I end up with... you know, impotence or premature ejaculation? How am I supposed to find a girlfriend then...”

Lu Qingyue held onto him tightly. “Is the reason you don’t have a girlfriend right now really because of impotence and premature ejaculation?”

Lu Ming spat in annoyance, embarrassed and angry. “Of course not! Who’s impotent?!”

“So stop making excuses for not having a girlfriend. Sure, that might be one of the factors, but maybe spend more time looking in the mirror for the real reason, okay?”

“Lu Dot-dot!”

The two were about to start a fight at the examination room door when Lu Yi, head throbbing, grabbed the two troublemakers and firmly pulled them apart.

He hadn’t even started scolding them when someone snatched the consent form from his hand.

Cheng Xingye pulled the fuming girl to his side, his tone both helpless and amused.

“All right, I’ll go with you.”

Lu Qingyue blinked in confusion. Why was he so brave? Didn’t he worry about impotence or anything like that?

The nurse came to collect the signed consent form and emphasized once more, “You’ve read the form carefully, right? No metal objects allowed, including pacemakers, coronary stents, IUDs, dentures, or fillings...”

Lu Yi, who had studied medicine, was well aware of these regulations and nodded after the nurse finished speaking. Suddenly, he turned and asked, “You’re not wearing dentures, are you?”

Lu Qingyue was dumbfounded, rendered speechless by his politeness.

Once inside the examination area, there was a small prep room. The nurse had her change shoes at the door and pointed to the hooks behind the door, reminding her again, “No metal objects allowed inside, including bras with underwires.”

Lu Qingyue made a small sound of surprise, only now remembering this detail.

She instinctively turned, giving the man beside her a wary look.

Cheng Xingye clearly hadn’t anticipated this either. His gaze darted away, and he coughed into his fist before turning his back, a picture of propriety.

The nurse had already gone ahead, leaving only the two of them in the small room. Even though she knew he wouldn’t look, the situation felt more intimate than she liked.

So, she turned her back as well, unclasped her bra beneath her clothes, and swiftly slipped it off.

For all his reputation as a playboy, he was quite the gentleman in this scenario, remembering to look away. Pity her figure was still so underdeveloped that wearing or not wearing a bra made no difference—he could stare as hard as he liked and still see nothing.

As she took off her bra, she found herself tearfully lamenting her fate.

When she was done, they entered the MRI room together. Cheng Xingye helped her onto the machine.

Lu Qingyue wasn’t terribly nervous, just a little pressured by the unfamiliar machine. She sat there, glancing around curiously and uneasily. As she did, she noticed a faint flush creeping up the curve of Cheng Xingye’s ear beneath his dark hair.

Was it because she’d taken off her bra in front of him?

Had he never seen a bra before, or never seen a girl take one off?

For all his worldly charm, he seemed remarkably innocent in this respect.

She didn’t mind, so why should he be embarrassed?

Lu Qingyue found her expectations of him completely overturned.

The scan took about fifteen minutes.

When they emerged, Lu Yi and Lu Ming were chatting in the waiting area. Upon seeing her, Lu Yi stood up and walked over.

Lu Qingyue’s ears were still ringing with the machine’s beeping and buzzing, her expression dazed.

Lu Yi frowned slightly, a little concerned. “The results won’t be ready that quickly. If you’re still dizzy, maybe you should stay for observation?”

Lu Qingyue looked up in confusion. “Can I get a leave from school tomorrow?”

Lu Yi understood instantly. “Didn’t finish your homework again?”

Lu Qingyue was momentarily speechless.

Lu Yi smirked, the look of someone who’d predicted her every move. But he said nothing more—of course, her health came before schoolwork. If she wasn’t feeling well, taking a day off was no big deal.

He quickly arranged for her admission. Then he prepared to take Lu Ming home and fetch some daily necessities before returning to stay with her.

Cheng Xingye stayed behind in the ward with her.

The observation ward was a large room with six beds, separated by pale blue curtains.

Lu Qingyue, feeling fine, lay comfortably on the bed by the window, watching Cheng Xingye for a while.

His phone never left his hand. Long legs stretched out lazily, he sat in the companion’s chair, chatting endlessly with someone on the other end.

A girl’s intuition told her the person must be a woman.

No wonder his phone never stopped. A playboy’s life was never quiet—while most people only had to charm one lover, he had to juggle six.

Watching him flirt away, she suddenly remembered how he’d braved the “radiation” to accompany her for the MRI, and she grew concerned. Throwing back the covers, she sat up with a serious expression. “Should you go to the men’s clinic for a check-up?”

Cheng Xingye slowly looked up, astonished. “What?”

He stared at her in disbelief, then raised a brow and regarded her with cool amusement. “The men’s clinic?” he repeated incredulously.

He was in his prime, in perfect health—what would he need checked? And having a teenage girl suggest it was just... odd.

Lu Qingyue, oblivious, nodded solemnly. “Isn’t there radiation? Aren’t you worried about impotence?”

Only then did Cheng Xingye realize what she meant. He pressed his tongue to his cheek, rubbed his brow in exasperation, and finally explained patiently, “First, MRI radiation is negligible—essentially there’s no harm to the body. Second, radiation’s effect on fertility is mainly about sperm count and motility, not sexual function.”

Lu Qingyue relaxed visibly. “Good, that’s good.”

She really didn’t want a moment’s spite to cause him lasting harm in the bedroom.

Having said that, she glanced reflexively at his abdomen, as if she couldn’t be at ease without checking for herself.

At first, Cheng Xingye didn’t understand, but her gaze was so direct and open, without a hint of shyness, that he soon realized where she was looking.

He followed her eyes downwards.

He was speechless.

If circumstances allowed, he really wanted to ask, “You’re a girl—do you think it’s appropriate to stare at me down there like that?”

Is it? Really?