Chapter 19

No nightmares, slept like a log!

All of this was enough, and the joy on Christine's face was evident. She reached out with both hands, trying to grab Zhen Fan's arm.

"Auntie, what's on your head? It looks so nice, I want one too!"

Claire's big eyes sparkled as she looked at the silver needles on Christine's head, which moved with her, feeling very envious.

"Are they antennas? Hmm, they look much better than the Teletubbies!"

"Ah—"

Christine suddenly woke up, let out a scream, and hurriedly called to Zhen Fan, "Quick, take them off for me, it's amazing, truly amazing!"

"Alright, can you go sit over there first?" Zhen Fan, helpless, put down his chopsticks and pointed to the sofa.

"Sure, I'll go over!"

Christine hurriedly walked over and sat down. Zhen Fan came over and carefully removed the silver needles one by one, cleaned them, and placed them in a box like a treasure, then went into the study to store them.

When he turned around and came back to the living room, Christine was nowhere to be found on the sofa. He was taken aback for a moment, then heard a delighted cry from the bathroom. It turned out that the girl had run to the bathroom as soon as possible to see if her complexion had improved after a good night's sleep.

The delighted cry from the bathroom proved that the good night's sleep had indeed had some effect. At the very least, her skin was no longer so dry but had gradually regained its elasticity. After washing off her makeup, the dark circles under her eyes were much less noticeable, and she had regained a lot of her vitality.

"Great, Zhen, you are truly a gift from God!"

Christine ran out of the bathroom, eager to share her joy with Zhen Fan. They hugged tightly, and with a "smack," a faint lip print appeared on Zhen Fan's face. If Christine hadn't washed off her makeup, it might have left two bright red marks.

"Right, don't get too excited. Didn't you say you wanted to try my Chinese cuisine? What are you waiting for? The table is already set for you!"

Zhen Fan made a very gentlemanly gesture of invitation.

"Alright, I'll satisfy your request!"

Christine suddenly exuded a queenly air, extending her hand and gently placing it on Zhen Fan's, like a princess. This childish behavior made Zhen Fan somewhat amused, but he still cooperated and led her to the dining table.

"I'm full!"

Claire, seeing Christine sit down, patted her belly, which was indeed round and full. She couldn't eat any more, and Zhen Fan couldn't help but shake his head.

"Claire, go lie down over there and watch TV. I'll come over after I finish eating with Auntie!"

"Okay!"

Claire obediently slunk down, ran to the sofa, and watched cartoons with her belly sticking out.

"Wow!"

Christine put a mushroom meatball in her mouth and made an exaggerated gesture, "It's so delicious, better than any Chinese food I've had before!"

This expression was a bit exaggerated.

Zhen Fan couldn't help but smile. He knew that Christine was trying to show her goodwill and approval through this expression.

"If it's good, have more!"

This was purely a polite remark from Zhen Fan, a Chinese custom of hoping the guest eats and drinks well, but it didn't necessarily mean encouraging the guest to overeat.

Little did he know that Christine took this very seriously. Even without Zhen Fan saying it, her mouth hadn't stopped. The small yellow fish was reduced to bones, the meatballs to broth, and even the broth was gone. As for the spring rolls, Zhen Fan only got to eat one before they were all gone.

It wasn't that Zhen Fan ate elegantly, but he intentionally left more for Christine. Seeing her so enthusiastic about the food he had prepared, he was quite pleased.

The clear "ding" sound came from the knife and fork being placed on the plate.

Christine, like Claire, was very satisfied. She put down her knife and fork and soup spoon, then touched her small belly and looked at Zhen Fan with a worried expression.

"The director told me to maintain my figure. Look at me, I've eaten so much, almost two days' worth. I shouldn't have given in to the temptation of the food, Zhen, you're really naughty!"

Christine's expression was a bit exaggerated, but the pain and joy in it made Zhen Fan laugh.

When Christine sat on the sofa, Zhen Fan brought her a cup of hot tea, "This is Longjing tea from China, it tastes great and can aid digestion. Try it!" Then he went to the kitchen to clean up.

"Thank you, Zhen!" Christine watched him busy in the kitchen, her eyes twinkling, and she smiled, saying loudly.

"No problem!" Zhen Fan responded loudly from the kitchen.

"Then... does that mean my nightmares will end?"

This was what Christine was most concerned about.

Zhen Fan, having just washed his hands, came out of the kitchen, made himself a cup of tea, and sat opposite Christine on the sofa, placing the tea on the coffee table.

"Do you think I'm a medium?" Zhen Fan narrowed his eyes and smiled at Christine. "Only a medium has such great power. I told you, I'm a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. While TCM can be effective for your condition, it doesn't mean that one acupuncture session will stop your nightmares. It's a gradual process!"

Christine realized she had been a bit impatient and felt a bit embarrassed.

"It's my fault, Zhen. I was too anxious."

Christine smiled sheepishly.

"How long will it take?"

"About a week, depending on the progress. I can't make the final decision, but if you have nothing to do these days, you can come to me for two sessions a day!"

"No problem!" Christine agreed readily.

"However, you must keep this a secret. Don't report me to the authorities for practicing without a license! I don't want to see the smug faces of the judges!"

"Zhen, you're so funny!" Christine took it as a joke.

Despite this, Zhen Fan was very serious about keeping this secret, not even telling her own assistant or agent.

After talking for a while, they were ready to say goodbye.

"Zhen, will I have a good night's sleep tonight?"

Just before leaving, Christine asked, still unsure.

"No problem, but you must come on time tomorrow. I'm free at 9 AM and 3 PM. Goodbye, Christine!" Zhen Fan politely bid Christine farewell.

"Oh, wait, Zhen, I still owe you!" Christine suddenly took out a checkbook from her handbag, wrote a few lines, and handed it over.

"This is my payment to you. Since you don't have a license yet, I can only pay you this way, but it's good because it avoids a lot of taxes!"

Christine smiled at Zhen Fan.

"Right, don't tell anyone, or I'll be in trouble. I don't want to face the stern face of a judge. This is our secret, right?"

Christine repeated Zhen Fan's words verbatim.

"Three hundred thousand dollars?"

Zhen Fan, without being pretentious, took the check, but the amount on it shocked him. It was a huge sum, three hundred thousand dollars. Was it really worth that much to stick a few needles in? Or was it just that this Hollywood princess had too much money?

"Too much!"

"Not at all, do you remember the medium I mentioned?" Christine giggled, "I'm not afraid to tell you, but I was once cheated out of three hundred thousand dollars by a medium. It was a real nightmare, wasn't it? Of course, the good news is that this nightmare has ended in your hands!"

"Alright, this time... consider it a gift. But if I get my license, I want to follow the rules. I don't want to do anything illegal in this country!"

"As you wish, Zhen! Goodbye!"

Christine said, bid Zhen Fan farewell, and then, full of excitement, got into her luxury car and sped away. Watching the car roar off, Zhen Fan was taken aback. Do women drive so recklessly these days? He shook his head, finding it hard to believe.

In the evening, Zhen Fan made some desserts. After Claire ate them, she dozed off on the sofa, waiting for Annie to pick her up.

Just before leaving, Annie seemed to have something to say.

"Zhen, it's like this. Claire has changed a lot recently thanks to your care, and Thomas and I are very happy and grateful!"

"That's nothing! I really like Claire!" Zhen Fan smiled, holding Claire's small hand.

"I like Uncle too!"

Claire giggled, wanting Zhen Fan to pick her up. He did, holding her.

"Actually... if you have time, we... Thomas and I would like to invite you to a barbecue at Yosemite National Park. There are great spots for barbecues, and we can camp there too!"

Annie had thought it through. First, she saw that Zhen Fan was relatively free at the moment, and second, since he was new to America, he hadn't had a chance to enjoy the scenery of California. So, they wanted to invite him out to repay his kindness. She knew that without Zhen Fan, Claire might have remained in the shadow of her trauma for a long time, even affecting her life.

"Of course, just the three of us? Or are there others?"

Zhen Fan also wanted to go out and was happy to accept.

"Uh, there's also Claire's cousin, a very cute girl, about your age, a student at California State University. Maybe you two can get along!"

Annie had thought of everything, inviting her niece to keep Zhen Fan company during the trip.

"No problem!" Zhen Fan nodded, then hesitated, "But I have commitments these days. I'll be free after this week!"

"It's not urgent. We can take a week to prepare!"

Annie nodded quickly.

"Thank you, Annie!"

Zhen Fan watched Annie take Claire, feeling the sincerity of the couple, and was touched.