Chapter 4
On the day she had to go to the dental clinic, An Nuo woke up early. After getting ready, she went to the kitchen to heat up some milk and toast two slices of bread.
Once she had finished eating, she spent an additional five minutes thoroughly brushing her teeth to ensure there were no remnants left. She was finally satisfied.
An Nuo entered her dressing room and rummaged through the clothes on the hangers. She looked anxious, furrowing her brow. From one of the cabinets, she pulled out a dark thin sweater but quickly returned it, choosing a bright-colored one instead.
Soon, she hesitated while holding a skirt. She debated whether to wear it, thinking that it might be more attractive to go with bare legs in a skirt. But then she wondered if that would be too suggestive. An Nuo muttered, "Who cares?" and put the skirt back.
"..."
She recalled that many people said she looked good in red clothing. So, An Nuo tiptoed to the upper cabinet, taking out a pile of red clothes. She laid them all out but quickly pushed them back into the cabinet. None of them was as nice as the red sweater she wore a few days ago.
An Nuo sat on the floor, resting her head on her knees, deeply engrossed in thought. After a few minutes, she dialed Ying Shuhe's number.
Perhaps Ying Shuhe was still half-asleep, as An Nuo had to wait a while before hearing his voice.
Ying Shuhe's voice was groggy and irritated, "Hello? Who's this?"
An Nuo was distressed, caught in a massive dilemma. She was unfocused, not noticing the irritation in Ying Shuhe's voice.
"I don't have anything to wear, what do I do?"
Ying Shuhe, now more awake, remembered the vast walk-in closet at An Nuo's place. He checked the time on his phone and found that it was 7 in the morning.
Without much contemplation, he abruptly hung up the phone.
An Nuo: "..."
In the end, An Nuo decided to keep it simple. Dressing up too elaborately for a dental appointment would be like writing "I want to impress you" on her face, wouldn't it?
She put on a pair of dark blue cropped jeans and a black turtleneck sweater. After some contemplation, she also added a long black coat. An Nuo stood in front of a full-length mirror, her eyes narrowed, a sly smile forming.
She then removed the coat and returned to her room to apply some light makeup. A few minutes later, she put the coat back on.
An Nuo stared at her reflection in the mirror, not entirely content with the black coat. However, her lips curled slightly, and she decided to keep it.
She took off the coat and put it on again before returning to the dressing room. An Nuo picked up a chunky black yarn beanie from a nearby cabinet, standing before the mirror.
After gazing at her reflection for a while, she decided to put the beanie back. Finally, she thought, "It's still early; I should fix my hair."
By the time An Nuo arrived at the dental clinic, it was already past 9 a.m. The clinic had recently opened, and there were no other patients in sight. A nurse was standing at the front desk, bowing her head and working on something.
An Nuo felt a sudden sense of nervousness. She licked her lips, taking a few steps forward. The nurse noticed her and was about to speak when An Nuo preempted her.
"I'm An Nuo; I had an appointment for a teeth cleaning today."
The nurse quickly gestured to the nearest examination room, telling An Nuo, "You can go in there; Dr. Chen is already inside."
An Nuo nodded and headed in that direction. The door to the examination room was wide open.
As she approached, she could see the man, Dr. Chen, who was organizing things near the dental chair. He had his head down, just as he had been when she saw him before. The only difference was that his entire face was now exposed, as he was not wearing a mask. His forehead was covered with stray hairs, and she could see his slightly pursed lips and soft, taut jawline from this angle.
Noticing her presence, Dr. Chen looked up, and their eyes met. Before she could get a clear look at his whole face, he lowered his head again, swiftly donning a surgical mask.
...His movements were indeed quite fast.
An Nuo approached him and stood in front of him. He had a clear, focused look in his eyes, making her feel like she was gazing into a clear lake shimmering with stars. She raised her head, and the skin wrapped in her scarf became visible, smooth and pale.
"I have an appointment for a teeth cleaning," An Nuo said.
At this moment, An Nuo managed to catch a glimpse of his name tag. She read the final word, "Chen Baifan."
Dr. Chen Baifan nodded, asked for her personal information as customary, and then pointed to the dental chair, saying softly, "Please have
a seat and open your mouth; I'll examine your teeth."
An Nuo didn't respond, so she removed her scarf and coat. Initially, there was no feeling of awkwardness, but as she sat in the chair and opened her mouth, an unexpected sense of embarrassment washed over her.
She remembered something she read online: "Having beautiful teeth is a necessary condition for dating a dentist." Maybe her teeth were quite lovely...
Dr. Chen Baifan turned on the overhead light, picked up a dental mirror, and gently inserted it into her mouth. An Nuo stared at his face, eyebrows raised, as he remained completely focused and serious during the examination.
An Nuo began to regret her decision to get her teeth cleaned. She felt that she must look terribly unattractive right now, with her mouth wide open and her face twisted in a bizarre expression. Furthermore, when the actual cleaning began, her mouth would have to stay open, and there would be uncontrolled saliva flow, not to mention the removal of tartar.
"Why did I think this was a good idea?" An Nuo mused.
It seems that Chen Baifan noticed her emotions. His movements paused for a moment as he withdrew the instrument and gently asked, "Is this your first time getting a teeth cleaning?"
An Nuo shook her head and replied softly, "I've had it done before."
Chen Baifan nodded and said, "Alright, let's begin then."
An Nuo hummed in acknowledgment.
After a while, another nurse entered the room carrying a tray.
An Nuo thought, "Why does it take two people to clean teeth here?" She was starting to feel uncomfortable, knowing that her future partner would witness her unattractive moments alongside another woman.
An Nuo regretted her decision now, and she had to maintain a calm expression on her face. Not long after, Chen Baifan first asked her to rinse her mouth with disinfectant for a minute. Afterward, she kept her mouth wide open as Chen Baifan cleaned her teeth one by one using an ultrasonic scaler, while the nurse used a suction tube to remove the water sprayed into her mouth by the scaler.
Chen Baifan talked about various topics related to teeth while working, maintaining an exceptionally gentle tone.
An Nuo thought it wasn't a bad idea to come after all. She could not only hear him speak but also unabashedly stare at him.
The final step was polishing. Chen Baifan applied polishing paste to each tooth. It had a slight minty scent. Then, he used a polishing machine to make her teeth smooth.
Chen Baifan's tone seemed somewhat absentminded, but his demeanor remained serious. He explained, "Polishing helps reduce plaque and pigment attachment, as well as the formation of tartar. It can also decrease tooth sensitivity after cleaning."
Following that, Chen Baifan picked up a mirror and held it in front of her, saying, "All done. You can check if there are any issues."
An Nuo took the large mirror and covered her face with it. In the next moment, she revealed a grin, examining her teeth. Then she quickly opened her mouth, and just as swiftly, she closed it, her expression crestfallen.
She thought her teeth looked terribly unattractive, and she'd kept her mouth open for several minutes in front of him.
An Nuo put the mirror back in silence, her eyelashes drooping, a somewhat disappointed look on her face.
Seeing her like that, Chen Baifan was momentarily stunned and gently asked, "Are you unsatisfied?"
An Nuo shook her head lightly, murmured a thank you, and prepared to go to the front desk to pay.
Chen Baifan watched her retreating figure, raising an eyebrow and letting out a soft laugh.
The nurse beside him teased, "Dr. Chen, did you accidentally damage one of her teeth?"
Before he could respond, An Nuo returned, and her heels made a soft noise as she stood in front of him, her previous dejection gone. She now looked somewhat arrogant and unreasonable.
Her voice was clear and melodious as she asked, quite inexplicably and amusingly, "Are my teeth attractive?"
Before he could react, she closed her lips, hiding her pearly white teeth.
An Nuo was petite, and the large coat made her look particularly delicate. She was still clutching her scarf and resembled a doll.
Chen Baifan's gaze hesitated, and he appeared somewhat stunned. Seeing his expression, An Nuo tugged at her lips and let out a cold snort.
"If you dare to say they aren't..."
She paused for a moment, seemingly regretting her impulsiveness. With no other choice, she continued, "Then you didn't clean them properly."
At this, Chen Baifan laughed softly, his laughter slightly husky, which had a hint of charm to it.
Then he said, his voice low, warm, and slightly hoarse, silky and textured like paper rubbing against paper, "They are beautiful."
An Nuo bit her lip, concealing the curve that threatened to form at the corners of her mouth. She tightened her grip on her scarf.
The two front teeth were exposed, accompanied by pale pink lips, and they looked really lovely.
An Nuo remarked nonchalantly, "Alright, I'll come to you for my next cleaning."
Suddenly, everything fell silent, and only an inexplicable sound could be heard from some distant place.
A muffled sound.
Thud, thud.
It sounded like something continuously falling onto the heart.
Watching her leave, Chen Baifan couldn't contain the smile that curved up his lips, hidden behind the mask.
The nurse beside him shook her head and looked at him sympathetically. "I think that girl was probably just looking for trouble. Her words were quite odd."
Chen Baifan removed his gloves and rubbed the back of his neck with his palm. Then, he took off his face mask, his eyelids slightly drooping as he sank into thought.
Before long, his features relaxed, and the corners of his eyes lifted slightly.
"Indeed," he murmured in a low and enchanting voice.
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