Chapter 211 Come on, stab me: I just want Gu Yanqing to hit me.

Several months passed in the blink of an eye.

As another training session ended, Lu Cheng walked toward the physiotherapy room as usual.

When he was a few steps away from the door, the voices coming from inside made him stop in his tracks.

It was Coach Zheng's voice.

Is he receiving physical therapy there now?

"Xiao Gu, I remember your resume said... you used to study Traditional Chinese Medicine?"

Coach Zheng lay on the physiotherapy bed, chatting with Gu Yanqing.

The man is using an electronic device to treat his lower back.

"Yes, my parents are both practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine, and I have been learning from them since I was a child."

"Then why didn't you become a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner?" Coach Zheng asked, somewhat puzzled.

"My lower back has been hurting lately. If you know acupuncture, could you try giving me a couple of needles?"

Lu Cheng didn't know why he was standing at the door. He hadn't intended to eavesdrop, but the conversation inside had piqued his curiosity.

The voice inside paused slightly before speaking again after a long while.

"I'm sorry, Coach Zheng, I... can't give acupuncture to people right now."

"What's wrong?"

"I was in a car accident before, and the radial nerve in my right hand was severely damaged. It took a long time to fully recover."

"..."

“I can do daily activities without any problems, but the sensitivity in my fingertips is much worse. In my current condition, it is not suitable for me to have needles.”

Lu Cheng's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously looked at his right hand.

Having played esports for so many years, he knows that his hands are his livelihood.

They understand the importance of fingertip sensitivity.

If you're even slightly off, the timing of skill release might be wrong, and accuracy will decrease.

Acupuncture, on the other hand, emphasizes the subtle tactile sensation of "deqi" (the sensation of obtaining qi).

I never imagined that Gu Yanqing had experienced such a blow.

What was he thinking at that time?

Lu Chengguang was already feeling very uncomfortable because he was projecting his experience onto Gu Yanqing.

If, at the peak of his career, his hand were suddenly rendered useless, he would be unable to continue fighting alongside his teammates on the field.

Lu Cheng felt that it was an abyss.

Inside the physiotherapy room, Gu Yanqing's voice carried a hint of amusement.

There was no trace of resentment in his voice.

"I take my profession very seriously. I can't achieve 100% accuracy, so I don't want to mislead others or myself. Later, I discovered that the overuse injury problem of e-sports players can also be solved with skills and experience, so I switched careers."

"So that's how it is..." Coach Zheng's voice was full of regret. "I'm sorry, I brought up something that upset you."

"It's alright, it's been a long time. Besides, there's more than one path in this world. I can still realize my value by staying here."

Coach Zheng nodded: "Yes, you've been a great help to us. All the players in our club really like you."

"I'll prescribe some topical ointment for your back injury and teach you a few stretching exercises, which will be very helpful." Gu Yanqing's tone was as gentle as ever.

"Okay! Thank you for your help, Xiao Gu."

Lu Cheng did not linger there any longer and went straight back to the training room.

My heart felt like it was blocked by something, a mix of emotions swirling within me.

In the empty training room, Lu Cheng sat in his seat, lost in thought.

"Team Leader Lu? Why didn't you go find Brother Gu? Don't you go there every day at this time?" The person who came was Wang Chu from the professional team.

He was holding a bottle of cola and looked over with a puzzled expression.

Lu Cheng didn't answer immediately, but instead looked up and asked him, "What do you think of... my usual attitude towards Gu Yanqing?"

Wang Chu was taken aback by the question, and his grip on the Coke bottle tightened.

Hesitantly, he asked, "Captain Lu, do you want to hear the truth?"

"explain."

“I think you were a bit harsh on Brother Gu.” Wang Chu scratched his head.

"Am I fierce?"

“Every time Brother Gu gives you physical therapy, you have a long face, like Brother Gu owes you money. Sometimes you even say something to him. If someone who doesn’t know the situation sees this, they might think you’re about to beat him up at the drop of a hat.”

"Really?" Lu Cheng's eyes widened.

At first, he was simply annoyed by Gu Yanqing's constant smiling. No matter what others said, he always smiled, as if he were always wearing a mask.

Lu Cheng felt that at most he would just give her a cold look, but he wasn't really that fierce, was he?

“Of course!” Wang Chu nodded quickly. “Last time, when Brother Gu saw you were training late, he brought you some hot milk, and you said you didn’t need to worry about it. And the week before last, your shoulder was hurting a lot, and Brother Gu specially came half an hour early to wait for you, but you told him not to stand here…”

Wang Chu was still counting examples on his fingers, but Lu Cheng couldn't listen anymore; his head was buzzing.

He instinctively wanted to retort, "It's clearly because he's too..."

The words were on the tip of Lu Cheng's tongue, but he just couldn't bring himself to say them.

Gu Yanqing is too what? Too annoying? Too nosy?

But the other party really meant well for me.

Lu Cheng suddenly began to reflect on himself, wondering if he had indeed gone a bit too far.

"Team Leader Lu?" Wang Chu asked, a little worried when he didn't speak. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No." Lu Cheng shook his head.

He raised his hand and touched his shoulder and neck, a place that had been massaged and treated countless times by that person.

Lu Cheng could still recall the temperature of the other person's fingers on it.

He only realized now that he hadn't really treated Gu Yanqing very well before.

Even though the other person was helping him with professionalism and patience, he always treated them with prejudice.

When he heard Gu Yanqing say that he was giving up traditional Chinese medicine, was the feeling of tightness in his chest due to sympathy for Gu Yanqing's plight?

Lu Cheng stood up, her tone gentler than before: "It's nothing, you should go back and rest early."

After saying that, he walked out of the training room.

Watching Lu Cheng's departing figure, Wang Chu felt that Lu Cheng's demeanor was acting a bit strange today.

...

The following afternoon.

Lu Cheng stood at the door of the physiotherapy room, holding a small cardboard box.

"You've arrived." Gu Yanqing smiled and stood up.

Just as I was about to grab the heating pad, I saw Lu Cheng put the cardboard box on the table.

"Here you go." Lu Cheng's voice was a little stiff, and her eyes drifted elsewhere, not daring to look Gu Yanqing in the eye.

Gu Yanqing picked up the cardboard box with a puzzled look.

Upon opening it, I found a set of acupuncture needles neatly arranged inside.

The silver needle tip gleamed with a cold light, and even the accompanying sterile cotton pads and acupoint charts were complete.

Gu Yanqing was stunned and hadn't reacted yet.

Lu Cheng had already taken off his shirt, revealing his muscular back.

The next second, Lu Cheng lay face down on the physiotherapy bed, her chin resting on the pillowcase.

With a do-or-die attitude, he said, "Come on, stab me."

Gu Yanqing almost dropped the needle box in her hand.

"What...what are you doing?"

Lu Cheng turned his head to the side, his brows furrowed tightly, looking as if he were about to be executed.

"What else could I do? Let you practice!"

He then added, "Didn't you say yesterday that your right hand wasn't working? But your left hand is fine!"

As soon as he said that, Gu Yanqing immediately understood.

Lu Cheng did indeed overhear the conversation with Coach Zheng yesterday.

He sensed someone at the door, but didn't think much of it.

Gu Yanqing stared at Lu Cheng's tense profile. He was clearly very nervous, but he was still pretending to be tough.

A slight thought crossed my mind.

"I have never practiced acupuncture with my left hand."

"You can't learn if you haven't practiced before?" Lu Cheng subconsciously raised his voice, but then softened his tone when he thought of what Wang Chu had said yesterday.

No, he can't keep being so fierce.

Lu Cheng said, "Isn't inserting acupuncture just about finding the right acupoints and sticking it in? We're not in a big hospital here. We're a bunch of tough guys with thick skin, so we don't need to be that precise. As long as we can stick it in the right place, that's fine."

"..."

Gu Yanqing was momentarily speechless at his self-righteous tone.

He actually understood what Lu Cheng meant. Some friends had said these things to him before, but he hadn't been able to get over his own mental block at the time.

He wasn't even comfortable holding a pen with his left hand, let alone controlling the force and angle of the needle tip.

"My left hand is not good..."

"I've already taken my clothes off, and you're telling me this?"

Seeing that he didn't move, Lu Cheng became a little anxious and raised her voice again.

"How do you know it won't work if you don't try? I'm practically offering myself up as a test subject; this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

"You have no idea, I've been terrified of needles since I was a child. I'm doing this not only to help you, but also to help myself overcome my fear of needles."

"Just think about it, if you master this, how many people in our club could benefit from it?"

"Coach Zheng will be very happy then, and you'll be able to move on from the regrets of the past..."

Lu Cheng rattled off a whole bunch of things in one breath.

Seeing the other person's anxious look, Gu Yanqing suddenly burst out laughing.

There was no mockery in his laughter, but rather a touch of helpless tenderness.

Gu Yanqing's eyes gradually filled with warmth.

He walked over, placed the acupuncture needles in the sterilization tray beside the bed, and wiped his hands with an alcohol swab.

"Are you sure you want me to do this? If I don't control my strength well, you might feel pain."

"Stop talking nonsense! Hurry up! In a little while, I might really change my mind, and then you won't find a test subject as kind as me!"

Gu Yanqing smiled and shook her head, no longer refusing.

"Relax, don't be so tense," Gu Yanqing said softly.

Holding the needle in my left hand, I slowly approached Lu Cheng's Fengmen acupoint.

Those are commonly used acupoints for relieving neck and shoulder fatigue. Their locations are obvious and not easy to miss.

The moment the needle touched her skin, Lu Cheng shuddered violently.

Gu Yanqing paused, then asked softly, "Does it hurt?"

"No, it doesn't hurt. I'm just... afraid of needles," Lu Cheng said nervously. "Please continue."

Gu Yanqing took a deep breath, and with a gentle push of his left hand, the needle tip slowly pierced the skin.

The pain she had imagined did not come, and Lu Cheng's body relaxed slightly.

Gu Yanqing released his grip, looked at the small silver needle standing on Lu Cheng's back, and said with a smile, "It's done, it wasn't crooked."

"I told you you could do it, it didn't hurt at all." Lu Cheng said with a grin.

It seems this isn't so scary after all.

However, the next second he felt a tingling sensation somewhere and cried out.

"Sorry, I didn't control my strength well."

A man's voice came from behind her, and Lu Cheng turned her head angrily, "You should at least let me know when you're going to give me a shot!"

"Okay, then I'll get started," Gu Yanqing said.

"Hey! Wait! You... Oh ho ho ho~~ It's so numb! Don't put the needle in so fast!"

Some team members passed by the physiotherapy room and heard indescribable sounds coming from inside, leaving them completely bewildered.

"What exactly is going on inside?" Li Le asked.

"Why is the road team called like that?" Fang Xu said.

"Brother Gu's technique is pretty good. It might not hurt, it might feel good," Wang Chu said.

...

Acupuncture practice has become a regular feature in the physiotherapy room.

At first, Lu Cheng always tensed up, a fear stemming from her body's habitual instincts.

But before long, Gu Yanqing's technique improved visibly.

Having a solid foundation, Gu Yanqing controlled the force and precision of her needlework perfectly, thanks to her solid theory and repeated practice.

Lu Cheng also became more and more relaxed.

He discovered that the needles that used to terrify him were no longer so frightening.

Lu Cheng was extremely happy.

That way, he won't be afraid of getting injections when he's sick in the future, right?

His family used to laugh at him, saying he wasn't even as good as Zhao Zhao.

This time! He's determined to avenge his previous defeat!

"Cough cough cough... Coach, can I skip the injection?"

As autumn approached, Lu Cheng caught a cold without realizing it, and within two days she started sneezing and had a low-grade fever.

At this moment, the doctor had already taken out the needle, and Coach Zheng was repeatedly urging Lu Cheng to get the injection.

"Hurry up and get it done, stop dawdling! Taking medicine will only make you recover faster."

Lu Cheng glanced at the syringe in the team doctor's hand and subconsciously shrank back.

He recalled practicing acupuncture with Gu Yanqing recently and realized that he had long since overcome his fear of needles.

But seeing that bright, shiny needle still made me feel dizzy.

His palms instantly became sweaty.

She shook her head vigorously, "No, no! I'll take medicine, fever reducers will bring it down!"

"You've had it twice and it's still not getting better." Coach Zheng frowned and pressed him into a chair. "The doctor's already here, he'll just give you an injection, it'll be quick!"

As the team doctor approached with a syringe, Lu Cheng's face turned even paler.

"Really, you don't need to... I'll just warm myself up a bit more to stop the sweating..."

Just as they were at an impasse, Gu Yanqing walked over and said to the doctor, "How about I give him the injection?"

The doctor and coach were both stunned.

Lu Cheng suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with surprise and joy: "Gu Yanqing! Save me!"

"I did learn how to give simple intramuscular injections," Gu Yanqing explained with a smile.

The man took the syringe and medicine from the team doctor, saying, "I'll administer it; maybe that will help him relax a bit."

Lu Cheng nodded hurriedly, as if grasping at a lifeline.

"Yes! Let him do it! Coach, I only want Gu Yanqing to play for me."

Coach Zheng and the team doctor exchanged a glance, and seeing that Lu Cheng was unusually cooperative, they stepped aside.

Gu Yanqing pulled up a chair and sat down next to Lu Cheng, first taking out an alcohol swab and gently wiping his arm.

"Don't be afraid. Just think of it as the acupuncture I gave you before. It will pass quickly. This will be similar."

Gu Yanqing's voice brushed against Lu Cheng's ears like a feather.

Lu Cheng didn't know why, but her tense heart suddenly relaxed a little.

Lu Cheng stared at the syringe in his hand. "I know, I'm just a little dizzy."

"Then don't look."

Gu Yanqing suddenly took his other hand and gently held it in her palm.

"Tell me, how did you predict the opponent's movement to make that incredible comeback in yesterday's practice match?"

Lu Cheng subconsciously followed along with him.

"It's about observing his previous movement habits and skill cooldown times..." His attention was gradually drawn to the training match.

As I was speaking, I suddenly felt a slight stinging pain in my arm.

Before he could react, Gu Yanqing had already pulled out the needle and pressed it against his head with a cotton swab.

"alright."

Lu Cheng's pupils contracted as she looked down at the cotton swab on her arm, somewhat incredulous.

"That's... it's over?"

"Otherwise what?"

"I thought it would hurt a lot."

Gu Yanqing put away the syringe, his eyes filled with tenderness.

The team doctor smiled as he packed up his things, saying, "Your technique is really good, very steady."

"Alright, now that you've had the injection, get some rest and a good night's sleep. Get well soon," Coach Zheng said.

"Understood, Coach."

After everyone left, only the two of them remained inside.

Lu Cheng was still sitting in the chair, touching the cotton swab on her arm. "Thanks for earlier."

"You're still so distant with me? I haven't even thanked you for letting me pick up the needles again and start acupuncture. I should thank you too."

"That's nothing. Actually, I was a little scared when I saw the team doctor holding the needle, but I wasn't scared when you held it," Lu Cheng said with a silly grin.

At that moment, Gu Yanqing's heart felt as if it had been gently struck by something, and it swelled with warmth.

He looked at Lu Cheng's flushed cheeks due to the fever and smiled, "Then if you need any more injections in the future, I'll give them to you."

"Mm." Lu Cheng nodded slightly.

He suddenly felt that this somewhat chilly autumn wasn't so unbearable after all.

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Lu Cheng: Hehehe! I'm not afraid of needles anymore! [Starry eyes]