"In front of me, you don't have to put on a brave face."
Chu Xinian's long fingers gently closed around her slender wrist, positioning her in a way that made it easier to apply the liniment. He twisted open the bottle and poured out some brown liquid.
The pungent smell spread through the air, stinging Qin Yiren's eyes until they brimmed with tears. She shrank back and struggled, saying, "No, I really can do it myself!"
"No, you can't."
Drawing out his words to reject her insistence, Chu Xinian dutifully followed the doctor's instructions, deigning to rub the liniment between his palms to warm it up, his fingers stained brown.
Seeing that he was already prepared, Qin Yiren hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself.
She watched as he pressed his hand to her injured arm and gently kneaded from top to bottom, his touch so careful it was like he was handling fragile porcelain. It didn't actually hurt that much at all.
