âWhatâs a pity? Whatâs so scary about us being friends? You like men, not women. My fiancé may be jealous, but he knows your sexual orientation. He canât be your love rival, and he wonât be hostile towards you. So we can still be friends.â
Xiao Qian interrupted Li Zhenâs thoughts.
Li Zhen was both amused and annoyed by her words.
âYou know itâs not what I meantââ}
âOh, so youâre afraid Iâll be jealous and that youâll get along well with my Xiao Qiang? Thatâs even more impossible. Although you two are cousins, and Shi Touyu has drawn many such gay comics with the label âforbidden love,â itâs all misleading. Rabbits donât eat grass near their nests!â
âI didnât mean that!â Li Zhen hadnât realized before that Xiao Qian was so good at changing the subject.
âSo you mean youâre afraid that if you get along with Yu Minglang, Iâd be jealous? Rest assured, as long as Iâm here, he wonât fall in love with any man or woman. I still have that much confidence.â
âI should go die.â Li Zhenâs despairing thoughts were all messed up by Xiao Qianâs interruptions. How could this girl have such contrasting sides, sometimes strong like a mountain, and sometimes playful like a madman?
âGo ahead, die. When you die, your father will be desperate for the rest of his life. Heâll blame himself for not educating you well, and heâll regret not taking care of you. Your mother is already in such a state without any stimulation, and if she gets a shock, she might take some pills and die too. Every Qingming Festival, Iâd have to carry three paper offerings. The cost is just too highâ¦â
Li Zhen was infuriated, âWhy is your mouth so poisonous? If you have a grudge against me, come at me. Why do you have to curse my parents to die early too?!â
âThis is not a curse, itâs the experience of a psychologist after many years of clinical practice. Li Zhen, you can disbelieve me, but you canât disbelieve my profession. If you should die right now, your soul mustnât scatter. Keep your eyes wide open and see what happens to your parents! Do you know what it feels like for an old person to send off a young one?â
âDo you know what it feels like to live a life worse than death? Look at me now, like a fucking little baby! Look at what Iâm wearing. Why do I have to live so pathetically?â
âYou may feel pathetic, but your parents see your remaining breath as their last glimmer of hope! I told you about the athlete with high-level paraplegia, who cries every night until daybreak. But in front of his family, he has to put on a brave face. Do you know why? Because he knows that even if he lives without dignity, his parents and wife and child will feel hopeful about life. Youâre just different from others in sexual orientation, but youâre a man, a responsible and capable man. Canât you bear just this setback?â
âI want to be strong, but tell me, whatâs the point of living like this? From here down, thereâs no feeling at all. These legs are still attached to me, but thereâs no reaction. I lie in bed, my parents argue outside for my sake. They think Iâm asleep, but I can hear everything. With me looking like this, Iâ¦â
Li Zhen couldnât continue. His long-suppressed emotions burst out. Since the accident, he hadnât spoken so much to anyone, let alone lose his temper. Heâd been bottling up his emotions, and Xiao Qian had gently guided him to vent them.
At this moment, Father Yu, Mother Yu, and Father Li were all watching from the surveillance camera. Although they couldnât hear the sound, they could sense Li Zhenâs emotional agitation.
âItâs no good. He canât be stimulated. I have to stop that girl. Sheâs angry and resentful at me, donât treat Li Zhen like this.â Father Li couldnât bear to watch and tried to stand up, only to feel a pair of strong hands pressing down on his shoulders.
When he looked up, it was Yu Minglang in uniform.
âYoungest, when did you get here?â Father Yu and Mother Yu also saw their son. They had been so focused on the surveillance screen that they hadnât noticed when Yu Minglang had come to stand behind them.
Yu Minglang had rushed over as soon as he got the news, still wearing his training uniform. Upon closer inspection, one could see the un-dried mud on his pant legs, indicating he had taken special leave from some unique training to come here.
âIâve been here for a while.â
He had arrived just in time to see how Xiao Qian elicited Li Zhenâs emotions.
âYoungest, you know lip reading, right? Hurry up and see what theyâre saying!â Mother Yu asked.
Father Li tried to get up again, âIâll go. Pour all the hatred on me, not on Li Zhen.â
âSit down!â Yu Minglang used some force, holding Father Li down.
Father Li stared angrily at him, âOld Yu, what are you trying to do?â
âDonât mess things up. My future daughter-in-law is treating Li Zhen. He said he doesnât want to live and wants to die. My future daughter-in-law is guiding him to release his negative emotions. This is the professional technique of a psychologist. You canât find such a good doctor elsewhere.â
âAh⦠He doesnât want to live?â Father Li was devastated, helplessly covering his face with his hands to hide his tears.
âDonât worry. Look, my future daughter-in-lawâs lips curve up slightly, and thereâs a confident glint in her eyes. When her chin lifts a little, Iâve observed that whenever she makes these subtle expressions, it means sheâs confident in taking control of everything. No one interferes; let her continue talking.â
âChemotherapy?â Mother Yu asked.
âNot what you think. Iâm talking about the talk therapy of a psychologist, simply called talking! Donât disturb me; I need to find out what theyâre saying. What kind of lousy equipment does this hospital have, only providing visuals without sound?â
Reading lips is a very tiring task, and Yu Minglang stared intently.
His beautiful future daughter-in-law! Sheâs even more beautiful after just a few days apart~
Especially this little dominating expression as she controls everything; he wants to kiss her so badly. But he canât interrupt his future daughter-in-lawâs deception. No, he canât interfere with her treating people. He can only endure the itch in his heart and stare at the screen.
âWhat did Xiao Qian say?â
âSheâs stimulating Li Zhen, making him express his feelings of despair, and then⦠Oh, sheâs a little alcoholic? Sheâs been hiding from me that she can drink. Last time, she lied and told me she couldnâtâ¦â
âWhat?â Mother Yu didnât hear clearly.
âDonât talk; I still need to watch.â Yu Minglang decided in his heart to test this little alcoholicâs drinking capacity when he got the chance. That little girl, she drank half a catty of liquor and told people not to let him know!
Hmm, he already knew!
âDonât stop me! I want to see my son!â A shrill female voice came from outside, and everybody immediately recognized it.
Itâs Aunt!
What is she doing here at this time?!