"So, does it really hurt when a girl's distant relative visits?"

Yan Feng had asked Gu Qing a similar question some time ago.

Back then, the woman tilted her head, thought for a moment, and answered seriously, "It varies from person to person. Some girls catch a chill easily and often feel pain, while others, like me, with good physical condition, hardly feel any pain."

Upon hearing this, Yan Feng continued to ask, "If it does hurt, how painful is it?"

The answer was straightforward.

"Generally, I don't feel much pain."

Back to reality.

He thought Gu Qing's words were complete nonsense.

As soon as Chen Xi got home, she lay down on the sofa, clutching her abdomen and curling up into a ball, cold sweat dripping from her forehead. It didn't look like just ordinary pain.

Maybe she caught a chill from getting caught in the rain a few days ago...

Feeling a bit guilty, Yan Feng decided to make some brown sugar water and didn't forget to stick a couple of heating pads on the young girl's clothes.

It was already 8 PM, the night had fallen, and he looked at Chen Xi, whose brows were tightly knit, and asked a rather silly question.

"Does it really hurt a lot?"

The answer was the usual silence, but hearing this, the young girl's face turned even paler.

After feeding Chen Xi the brown sugar water, covering her with a blanket, and changing the heating pads twice, the young girl's complexion didn't improve; she seemed even more uncomfortable.

In his memory, Bai Xi had never been this fragile, so seeing Chen Xi's face full of pain almost broke his heart.

What should he do?

Feeling helpless, Yan Feng turned to the internet for help.

'How to relieve menstrual pain for girls?'

The answers were quite official, mentioning psychological comfort, medication, and consulting a doctor. Afraid they might mention something like cancer symptoms, he continued scrolling through the netizens' responses.

Most were old methods he had already tried, but one message caught his attention.

'When I had my period before, my husband massaged my belly, and it stopped hurting after a while.'

'Same here, my boyfriend massaged my belly in the middle of the night when I couldn't stand the pain, and although it wasn't much, it really helped!'

'Really? I'll have my boyfriend try it next time.'

'Too bad I don't have a boyfriend QAQ'

...

"Massage the belly?"

Yan Feng was skeptical, glanced at the young girl in pain, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to do it.

"There must be... other ways..."

He muttered to himself, getting up to prepare hot water bottles.

It was 10 PM, and Chen Xi was still in agony.

She felt like her abdomen was twisting, as if a steel needle was piercing straight into her navel, and that wasn't even enough; it twisted her insides, causing a bloody mess, akin to ancient tortures.

The silence around her was terrifying, amplifying her inner fear. Chen Xi felt like she was back on that night, thrown out by her so-called relatives, curled up at Yan Feng's doorstep, waiting alone for someone's charity.

She hated this feeling of helplessness and vulnerability, perhaps a sign of severe insecurity. Every time, she would curl up like a homeless kitten in the rain, desperately trying to slow the loss of warmth.

Suddenly, a warm hand reached over, gently covering the kitten's forehead, slowly stroking backward, wiping away the remaining water traces on her body.

But her belly still hurt.

The steel needle became a sharp fishhook embedded in her flesh, the more it pulled, the more it hurt. She had to curl up even more, like a small ball of flesh.

Until...

That hand covered her abdomen.

The palm was broad, the center warm, and with a gentle rubbing sound, it kneaded warmth into the kitten's belly.

The hand seemed magical, and as it massaged, the fishhook embedded in her flesh disappeared without a trace. Although the pain remained, it was significantly reduced.

As the massage continued, the pain gradually faded, and the kitten even purred comfortably, her tense body slowly relaxing, allowing the hand to caress her most vulnerable abdomen.

Strangely, even though it was the most dangerous place, where an enemy could easily disembowel her, she had no intention of defending it. Instead, she shifted her body to make the massage more convenient.

The pain had long vanished, but she didn't want the hand to leave. Noticing the massage's pressure easing, the cunning kitten even furrowed her brows deliberately, seeking comfort.

Fortunately, the owner of the hand was gentle and patient enough, staying by her side until the pain disappeared, until her consciousness faded, until her pointed nose emitted steady breaths.

She fell asleep.

In contrast, Yan Feng was exhausted.

Holding his phone in one hand, watching a massage tutorial, he focused intently on massaging the young girl's abdomen through her clothes.

His tall stature meant he had to bend over for everything, and after two hours of continuous effort, he was almost as tortured as Chen Xi.

Fortunately, his efforts paid off. The young girl's tightly knit brows relaxed slightly under his massage, and her body, no longer tightly curled, shifted to a normal side-lying position.

Yan Feng felt gratified, put down his phone after finishing the tutorial, and his gaze fell on the face that looked almost identical to his memory of his sister. As if guided by an unseen force, he reached out to touch Chen Xi's small head.

Initially, he just wanted to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead, but perhaps it was a sense of pity; once he started, he couldn't stop.

Moreover, Chen Xi, when in discomfort, was like a well-behaved kitten, enjoying the head pats and even purring, nudging his palm when he showed signs of stopping.

Yan Feng found it amusing, and his eyes softened with affection.

Seeing the usually distant and icy young girl showing such a gentle side in front of him was a unique pleasure.

Of course, the enjoyment was short-lived. After massaging for several hours, he regretted it when he finally decided to withdraw his hand.

If it weren't for her still slightly pale face as evidence, Yan Feng might have suspected she was pretending to sleep.

Every time he showed signs of withdrawing his hand, the young girl's delicate brows would furrow deeply, forcing him to place his palm back. After several rounds of this, Yan Feng couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated.

After all, his back wasn't in great shape, and bending over like this, even an athlete from the Guo family couldn't handle it...

But any thought of leaving was immediately dispelled by the sight of the young girl's gentle demeanor, and he could only quietly wait for Chen Xi to fall asleep.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread.com".

Reaching out to wrap his arm around the young girl's slender back, he lifted her light body, stifled a yawn, and carried her back to her room.

Before leaving, he glanced back; the young girl lay on the bed, sleeping soundly, surely dreaming a warm and pleasant dream tonight.