Chapter Seventy-Four: Do You Think That's a Balloon?

That night, Ye Qian slept exceptionally well. Though she had only managed a few hours of rest before rising, she awoke in high spirits. However, her good mood didn’t last long. Soon enough, she stormed off, fuming, to the room where Long Fei had stayed the previous night.

To her surprise, the door was ajar. Kicking it open, she found the room empty and the bed untouched, the bedding still perfectly made.

Ye Qian’s face darkened instantly.

“That scoundrel Long Fei, you really dared to sneak off! Don’t blame me for being merciless now!” she gritted her teeth in rage.

Just as she was about to leave, Long Fei came in from outside, sporting panda-like dark circles under his eyes, still fastening his pants as he walked. Clearly, he had just returned from the bathroom.

“Were you looking for me?” Long Fei rubbed his tired eyes.

“Where have you been? Where did you sleep last night?” Ye Qian’s eyes blazed with suspicion.

Long Fei pointed at the sand outside, a little exasperated. “It’s all because of you. I couldn’t sleep in the middle of the night, so I went out for a couple of cigarettes. Next thing I knew, I dozed off on the sand and ended up sleeping there all night. I just got back from the bathroom. What’s the matter? Why are you looking for me?”

“Is that really true?” Ye Qian was skeptical.

“Why would I lie to you?” Long Fei replied, feeling wronged. “You’re ready to turn me in at any moment; would I dare do anything? Now, move aside and let me sleep. I need to catch up—last night I only slept for a few hours before I woke up needing the bathroom!”

“You didn’t go to her room last night?” Ye Qian pressed, frowning.

Long Fei paused, “Who? Oh, you mean Sister Danni? I wouldn’t dare!”

Seeing the sincerity in Long Fei’s eyes, Ye Qian finally believed him. But as she remembered her own problem, her anger flared up again. “Even if you’re telling the truth about that, why did you lie to me about this?!”

Long Fei was utterly baffled. What on earth did she mean? She believed him one moment and accused him the next—what was he supposed to have lied about?

“What do you mean? I honestly don’t understand!” Long Fei protested, feeling both aggrieved and exasperated at being interrogated so early in the morning.

Pointing at her chest, Ye Qian said, wounded, “Look!”

Nothing had changed—flat as ever, exactly the same as the night before. What was she expecting him to see?

Long Fei didn’t dare say that aloud, but he did sneak a few glances, putting on a serious yet somewhat foolish expression. “Look at what? What’s wrong? Don’t tell me that medicine has side effects—it shouldn’t.”

“No!” Ye Qian huffed. “Are you really so clueless, or are you just pretending?”

“Heaven knows, why would I pretend? Would I dare?” Long Fei cried out, feeling maligned.

“Then why is there still no change?” Ye Qian pointed at herself, utterly frustrated and miserable, staring at Long Fei.

He nearly laughed aloud—surely not! Even a miracle elixir couldn’t produce the results she wanted overnight. There were ways, of course, but none appropriate for Ye Qian. For example, if she used a laundry mallet, she’d probably see some swelling, but it would go down in a few days.

“You’re laughing? If you don’t come up with a solution today, you’ll regret it!” Ye Qian threatened fiercely, pinching Long Fei’s arm with her sharp fingers, making him yelp in pain.

“Stop, stop! Are you trying to kill me this early in the morning? What solution could I possibly have? You’re being unreasonable—I can’t help you!” Long Fei pleaded.

Ye Qian didn’t let go, gritting her teeth and enunciating each word, “What did you say? Un-reason-able?!”

“Let go, let go! I’ll explain—just listen!” Long Fei was nearly in tears from the pain.

Seeing his genuine distress, Ye Qian finally released him but glared daggers at him, demanding, “Well?”

With a hint of grievance in his eyes, Long Fei explained helplessly, “The human body is complex, not as simple as you imagine. To achieve the result you want takes time. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many so-called breast enhancement remedies and scams out there. This isn’t something that can be rushed; you need to be patient.”

He wanted to use a balloon as a metaphor, but wisely held back, not wanting to provoke this little firebrand.

“So you’re saying that even with the herbal remedy, there won’t be quick results?” Ye Qian wilted, her spirits deflated.

Seeing her so dejected, Long Fei couldn’t help but feel sympathetic. “Don’t be upset—my prescription isn’t like those of quacks. It’s a genuine secret recipe passed down from the Qing Dynasty palace. It’s definitely effective, you just need a bit of time. But I promise, not too much time.”

“How long is ‘not too much’?” Ye Qian asked dispiritedly.

“A year. No, half a year!” Long Fei declared confidently.

Ye Qian’s spirits didn’t lift. Half a year? That was far too long! Three days would be ideal—or even a week. Why did it have to take so long?

“That’s too long!” she pouted, shaking her head.

Long Fei sighed. “How long do you want, then?”

“Half a month,” Ye Qian said, though even that felt excessive to her. But seeing Long Fei’s speechless expression, she quickly amended, “A month. That’s my absolute limit!”

“That’s not about limits; it’s about what’s possible. Let me be honest—three months. In three months, you’ll see a noticeable difference. As for the extent, I can’t guarantee.”

“What do you mean by that?” Ye Qian was suddenly anxious; his words sounded ominous.

Long Fei answered frankly, “Suppose a balloon has a hole in it, and you want me to blow it up. How could I?”

Flustered, he blurted out the analogy.

Ye Qian almost exploded with anger, but upon reflection, she grudgingly admitted he had a point. “So… does that mean I have a problem?”

If it had been last night, Long Fei would have seized the opportunity to offer a full examination and perhaps recommend massage therapy. But having resisted temptation all night, he realized that his feelings for Ye Qian weren’t as deep as he’d thought. He liked teasing her, but when it came down to it, he hesitated. There was no need to push things further. It would be dangerous—Ye Qian seemed eager for their relationship to progress, but he wasn’t about to make the first move.

Long Fei had made up his mind: he would keep his distance from Ye Qian, never taking advantage of her again. If fate brought them together, so be it. If she lost interest, he’d simply walk away.

“You? There’s nothing wrong with you—absolutely nothing!” Long Fei assured her quickly.

“Fine. I’ll give you three months. If there’s still no change after that, you’ll be in trouble!” Ye Qian bit her lip, determined. She was throwing caution to the wind—willing to pay any price, even let Long Fei take advantage, or give him her heart, all for the sake of becoming a real woman. In her mind, a woman without curves wasn’t a true woman at all. If after three months of secret herbal treatment she still saw no change, she didn’t know what she’d do. The thought of suicide even crossed her mind—what was the point of living if she remained flat-chested? She’d simply developed late, but she was nearly twenty now; if even this secret formula didn’t work, then it had to be a physical defect, and that was too much to bear.

Seeing the resolve in Ye Qian’s eyes, Long Fei was shaken. Clearly, a woman’s concern for her figure was beyond a man’s comprehension.

Still, Long Fei wasn’t worried. If all else failed, he’d resort to the massage technique—he was certain he could deliver results.

“No problem. Leave it to me, alright?” Long Fei promised confidently.

“What are you two talking about?” Yang Danni’s sudden appearance startled both Ye Qian and Long Fei.