Chapter 130: Recognizability

Chapter 130: Chapter 130: Recognizability

Yan Feifan had a rather deep impression of Zhao Xiaoting, who was prone to wailing at the drop of a hat and was also very easy on the eyes.

She quickly walked up to Yan Feifan, pointed to her rosy, flawless face, and leaned in a little closer, saying with a hint of showing off, "Mr. Yan, look, look! The scar really is, just as you said, completely gone."

"Mr. Yan, you’re amazing. You weren’t just bragging."

He had to admit, he wasn’t sure if her skin was naturally that good or the result of meticulous care, but even the pores on her nose were incredibly fine. It really was unusually good.

Yan Feifan felt the urge to reach out and give it a little pinch.

However, he restrained himself.

It was a frivolous gesture, and she would very likely file a harassment complaint against him.

Yan Feifan asked lightly, "Your scar has already healed. You didn’t come for a follow-up before, so why are you here to see me now?"

Zhao Xiaoting giggled. "To thank you for your magic touch, of course, Mr. Yan. And to apologize for not trusting you back then."

"Also..."

She pulled the girl who had come with her and gave her a push, sending her right in front of Yan Feifan, just inches away.

It was truly just inches—less than twenty centimeters. Yan Feifan had no choice but to take a small step back.

"This is my classmate, Chen Lingxin. She wants to get some cosmetic surgery."

Yan Feifan sized up Chen Lingxin.

Overall, the young woman was nearly 1.7 meters tall with a slender figure. Her facial features were well-proportioned and pleasant to look at.

Her looks could be described as pretty, an 85-out-of-100 beauty, and that was without much makeup.

Perhaps she knew the purpose of her visit and had deliberately come without any makeup on.

But...

Yan Feifan took another step back, studying Chen Lingxin for a few more moments. She stood there poised and elegant, her gaze direct and unwavering.

"Your facial features lack a certain recognizability."

Recognizability is a subjective thing, something that’s in the eye of the beholder—it’s a feeling each person has.

It could be simply understood as being uniquely beautiful due to minor "flaws" or quirks. A face might meet mainstream aesthetic standards but have subtle deviations that make it stand out.

With the proliferation of cookie-cutter internet celebrities, the general public has become increasingly sensitive to this concept of recognizability.

As for Chen Lingxin, while her features were harmonious, none of them stood out.

Furthermore, her cheekbones were a bit flat, and her face was a slightly full, oval shape, giving her an overall approachable and unguarded look.

Her looks, while considered beautiful by the general public...

...if measured by the standards for entertainers, had just crossed the passing line. At best, she was "good."

Hearing Yan Feifan’s assessment, Chen Lingxin nodded her head rapidly, like a chicken pecking at grain. "Mr. Yan, you’re incredible. You saw it at a single glance."

"More than one of my teachers has said my features have no defining characteristics, that it’s not easy for an audience to remember me."

"For us actors, that’s the biggest possible weakness."

She asked with a hopeful expression, "Mr. Yan, is there any way you can fix this weakness of mine?"

Zhao Xiaoting also spoke up. "Mr. Yan, Lingxin gets the best grades in our acting class."

"But when we go to audition for small roles on film sets, she’s often the one who gets rejected."

"Mr. Yan, please help her."

Yan Feifan looked at Chen Lingxin’s face, full of expectation, and thought, ’This is actually a rather challenging and interesting case.’

’Turning something rotten into something magical?’

’That description doesn’t seem quite right. More like adding the finishing touch that brings a masterpiece to life?’

Yan Feifan pondered for a moment, then thought of something else. "Let me make one thing clear first. Although I’m just a resident doctor, my fees for cosmetic surgery are very high..."

Chen Lingxin smiled faintly. "Mr. Yan, as long as you can fix my lack of recognizability, money is not an issue."

Zhao Xiaoting chimed in, "Mr. Yan, Chen Lingxin is the little rich girl of our class. You don’t have to worry about the fees at all."

Yan Feifan said in a serious tone, "We’ll establish the fee schedule upfront, to avoid any complaints later."

"You two, come with me."

Yan Feifan led Chen Lingxin and Zhao Xiaoting upstairs to Qin Ying’s empty teaching and research office.

As he closed the door, he caught a glimpse of Zhao Xiaoting’s wary expression out of the corner of his eye.

Yan Feifan found this rather amusing. He turned his head and asked her, "Zhao Xiaoting, are you worried I’m going to eat you two alive?"

Zhao Xiaoting snorted. "Hmph, I’ve run into this kind of situation a few times."

"But they all got..."

As she spoke, Zhao Xiaoting let out a few grunts and threw a couple of powerful-looking side kicks.

Then, she made Bruce Lee’s signature gesture, wiping her nose with her thumb.

"Mr. Yan, I’m pretty tough. I’m black belt level in both Taekwondo and Sanda. If you don’t believe me, you can give it a try."

Yan Feifan scoffed. "You two aren’t enough to tempt me. In fact, I’m the one who should be worried."

"That time with your..."

At that point, Yan Feifan slammed on the brakes and shut his mouth.

It was better not to talk about such things; it was easy to get drawn into unnecessary trouble.

He ignored Zhao Xiaoting and turned to Chen Lingxin. "Give me some expressive performances!"

Yan Feifan added, "Happiness, anger, sorrow, joy—try to show me all of them."

He then pointed at Zhao Xiaoting and ordered, "You, film it with your phone!"

Chen Lingxin nodded.

She stood there with her eyes lightly closed, gathering her emotions.

After a short while, Chen Lingxin slowly opened her eyes, revealing a hazy, dreamy gaze. Her expression became seductive, and then, parting her lips, she blew a kiss at Yan Feifan with a soft POP.

That expression, combined with the way she swayed her body like a water snake, really made the atmosphere in the research office a little... charged.

But before Yan Feifan could even react, Zhao Xiaoting cried out.

"Chen Lingxin, don’t play with fire."

"If something happens, I can only protect myself. I won’t be able to save you."

Chen Lingxin shot Zhao Xiaoting a glare, and her expression immediately changed. Her mouth opened wide as she began to laugh heartily.

She laughed with extreme joy, her laughter bright and clear, as if she had just encountered the happiest thing in the world.

But after just a moment, her laughter turned bitter.

Chen Lingxin’s expression changed along with it, morphing into a bitter smile, then a sorrowful one. Then, she covered her mouth with her hand and began to sob pitifully.

At first, Chen Lingxin cried furtively and meekly, which then turned into quiet weeping... and finally ended with an unrestrained, heart-wrenching wail.

Watching this scene unfold, Yan Feifan had to admit he was thoroughly impressed.

This girl was really something else.

Chen Lingxin wasn’t just fake crying, either. The tears came on command, especially during the wailing part. They just streamed down her face.

Although Yan Feifan was appreciating the performance, his mind hadn’t been idle for a single moment.

He captured all of Chen Lingxin’s expressions, mentally superimposing various changes onto her vivid face.

The first thing Yan Feifan thought of was dimples.

Chen Lingxin’s cheekbones were a bit flat; adding dimples could enhance them and give her entire face more three-dimensionality.

However, adding dimples wasn’t a simple matter.

Dimples could be broadly divided into four types: common cheek dimples, long dimples, pear-pit dimples, and Indian dimples.

The specific shape of each type of dimple, as well as its position on the face, would create a different visual effect...

At that moment, hundreds of images of her expressions and movements flashed through Yan Feifan’s mind, appearing and disappearing in rapid succession.

In this repetitive process of appearing and disappearing, the number of images gradually decreased, dropping quickly from hundreds to dozens, and then to just a few.

Finally, they merged into a single image with rapidly changing expressions.

In every expression within this final image, Chen Lingxin’s face had one thing in common: a single pear-pit dimple.

"That’s enough!"

Yan Feifan called out to Chen Lingxin, who was currently wearing a fierce expression. "I’ve got it."

He thought for a moment, then said, "Come back next Monday to see the mock-ups."

Yan Feifan glanced at the time and then showed them the door.

"I have a surgery tonight, so that’s all for today..."