Chapter 32

Chi Zhihan was summoned.

The meeting took place in Dr. Zhao’s office.

Dr. Zhao had arranged a conference call with participants including Qi Ning, who had rushed off to Turkey for business just half a month after giving birth, Qi Peng, who was working on a closed research project in the U.S., and an uninvited guest, Dr. Li.

The reason for this grand assembly was simple: the night before, Chi Zhihan had sent Dr. Zhao a WeChat message asking if she could tell Qi Cheng that she liked him.

Upon receiving the message, Dr. Zhao reportedly checked the calendar to confirm whether it was April Fool’s Day.

And thus, the situation became rather awkward.

Sitting in the visitor’s chair, Chi Zhihan felt as though she was undergoing a formal inquisition. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

She felt embarrassed. After all, liking someone was a private matter. She had struggled with it, wavered back and forth, even tried to give up. But in the end, she couldn’t resist the pull of Qi Cheng’s moist, expressive eyes.

Because of his illness, she had no choice but to consult his doctor about these feelings.

And this doctor, clearly feeling unable to handle the situation alone, had rather indiscreetly brought in everyone involved.

“You didn’t call all these people here just to diagnose me with Stockholm Syndrome, did you…?” Unable to bear the oppressive silence, Chi Zhihan spoke first, unsure whether to make light of the situation or maintain its solemnity.

After speaking, she sniffled slightly and shifted in her seat again.

“Xiao Chi…” Dr. Zhao cleared his throat, pushed up his glasses, and took a sip of water.

Those three words were followed by nothing but an ominous string of ellipses.

Sweat began forming on Chi Zhihan’s nose. If this continued, she might actually spiral into depression herself. “What’s the matter? If I’m not allowed to tell Qi Cheng, just say so directly.”

“It would be painful, but his health is what matters most. I understand what’s urgent and what’s not,” she added, her voice rising with frustration. “Or just tell me directly that I shouldn’t have these feelings and that I’m fired. I won’t object.”

She was the one who had crossed the line. Having brought it up, she was prepared for any outcome.

Sending that message had simply been to find out if she could confess to Qi Cheng.

It was a precautionary measure, worried that one day she might blurt it out uncontrollably, and not wanting to harm him through ignorance.

Was such a question really so difficult to answer?

“Let me speak,” came Qi Ning’s voice from the phone. With a six-hour time difference between Turkey and China, it must have been midnight there, very quiet in the background. “Before answering Miss Chi’s question, there are several things we want her to understand.”

“Qi Cheng has undergone anti-depression treatment for over a decade, taking medication for ten years. Anti-depressants have side effects. Qi Cheng has problems with his digestive and immune systems. His immunity is low, and he’s had intermittent low-grade fevers for nearly seven years. His digestive system is disordered, and he’s prone to allergies. These side effects might gradually improve after he recovers and stops medication, but for now, I can’t give you that possibility.”

“There’s another side effect that would concern Miss Chi, which is…” Qi Ning paused, then continued in the same professionally calm tone, “some of his medications have the side effect of reduced libido. This can improve after stopping medication, but again, I can’t guarantee that.”

Chi Zhihan’s face reddened, but she remained silent.

“Big brother only recently told me about Qi Cheng’s suicidal tendencies, but I must tell you that in a sense, I can understand. He wants to leave simply because he’s truly too exhausted and wants relief, both psychologically and physically.” Qi Ning finished in one breath, then sighed. “So, this isn’t about whether we approve or not. We never dared hope that Qi Cheng could marry and have children. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

She understood.

But she was speechless.

“Actually, you’ve already saved Qi Cheng’s life once,” came Qi Peng’s voice, accompanied by the sound of a lighter flipping open and closed, as if he was smoking. “This acute pancreatitis attack—if it had happened when he was in his previous psychological state before you appeared, Qi Cheng might not exist in this world anymore. Your appearance gave him the will to live.”

“So the Qi family already owes you a lot. You don’t need to and shouldn’t sacrifice yourself too.” Qi Peng seemed to laugh slightly, so bitter it made Chi Zhihan’s heart ache. “Given Qi Cheng’s current condition, being a boyfriend might be a bit too difficult.”

Chi Zhihan lowered her head, and the office returned to dead silence.

She had still thought things too simple.

“Is there anything else I need to know?” She heard her own tone matching Qi Ning’s now—calm, controlled, utterly devoid of emotion.

“If you do start dating, breaking up would be very difficult. You would need to wait until his mental state is completely stable before breaking up, otherwise…” Dr. Zhao answered her, fond of ellipses today, his whole person mysteriously resembling one.

Chi Zhihan felt her current mood was also becoming as complex as an ellipsis.

When she first saw this trial-like setup, she thought she would be fired. Her mind had gone to melodramatic scenes of a poor girl falling for a rich family’s son. She had even mischievously imagined how to refuse with dignity if Qi Ning threw a check at her.

She never expected that this room full of hesitant people would tell her these things instead.

Even the usually playful Dr. Li now looked particularly doctor-like, silent and serious.

“A stable relationship can greatly alleviate the suffering brought by depressive moods, but most depression patients find it very difficult to maintain a stable relationship,” Dr. Zhao’s voice made the office atmosphere even more oppressive. “Your way of thinking about problems, your attitude toward adversity, and your personality are very beneficial for accompanying a depression patient like Qi Cheng, but once emotions are involved, especially if you invest feelings, things become completely different.”

“Depression patients are emotionally unstable, sensitive, insecure, and anxious. Add to that Qi Cheng’s severe social anxiety disorder—dating him means your boyfriend would be a pessimistic, insecure man who cannot take you into crowds.” Dr. Zhao looked at Chi Zhihan. “Your parents aren’t around, so I’ll thick-facedly act as your elder—this kind of romantic relationship is too abnormal and might even affect your mental health, so I don’t approve.”

“And what about Qi Cheng?”

Chi Zhihan didn’t know why she asked this question, but after asking, she realized she wanted to know.

“He would be overjoyed, and his depression symptoms might improve rapidly in the short term, but then he would develop self-doubt about the relationship due to his insecurities, leading to further deterioration.” Dr. Zhao paused, seeming to want to end the topic yet somewhat unwilling to let go. “Of course, if you’re strong enough to make him fully confident in this relationship, his improvement would continue, and once his bodily functions recover to a certain degree, his depression symptoms would lighten and become more treatable.”

…

Chi Zhihan keenly noticed that after Dr. Zhao finished speaking, Dr. Li’s expression matched her own.

Very… speechless.

“Don’t you think you’re going too far?” Dr. Li spoke before Chi Zhihan could. “Your trap-setting is too obvious.”

Indeed… he had always used this tactic.

But what was the reason this time?

“Qi Cheng will be sent to America after the Spring Festival. It’s all decided,” said Qi Ning. “Dr. Zhao’s plan hasn’t succeeded. I believe you know that Qi Cheng has developed feelings for you too. Continuing like this, there are too many unstable factors, so we want to abandon this plan.”

“Will sending him to America cure him?” After asking this, Chi Zhihan saw Dr. Zhao’s expression and felt… she had fallen into another trap.

“Qi Cheng needs a change of environment. Staying in one place for ten years hasn’t helped his condition, and America has more psychological treatment experts and more mature treatment plans.” After answering, Qi Peng sighed. “Of course, we know he’s very resistant to leaving, but this time, there really is no other option.”

“Or there’s what I just mentioned—giving him a stable relationship, letting his bodily functions gradually recover, then continuing treatment for depression and social anxiety,” Dr. Zhao interjected timely, quickly turning away after meeting Chi Zhihan’s eyes.

This doctor… honestly, Chi Zhihan found him hard to describe.

Undeniably, he was very professional, but sometimes he would use any means necessary. To cure his patients, his methods of persuading Chi Zhihan into his traps were always… underhanded.

This time was the most outrageous.

He still told her all the bad outcomes, letting her choose while pitifully telling her there might not be many choices.

Three times, each more inconceivable than the last.

“There’s still a month until Spring Festival, so we still need to trouble Miss Chi to complete this month. If you’re still interested, we can send you Qi Cheng’s progress updates via email, and perhaps when his condition improves, you can continue contact with him.” After speaking, Qi Peng sighed. “I still want to thank you. During his time in China, if it weren’t for you, he might not have made it through.”

“Regarding your mother’s whereabouts, we only know that after your father’s death, she initially went to Malaysia, then moved to Russia, where the trail ends,” Qi Ning also explained. “However, Qi Cheng’s father is in Russia, and the relevant information has been sent to him. We will do our best to find your mother’s whereabouts.”

All of it was farewell.

Besides her sudden message, their main purpose today was to say goodbye.

Only Dr. Zhao, still unwilling to send Qi Cheng away, kept stubbornly refusing to hang up the phone, tapping the desk.

“You’re all being ridiculous! Mark my words, Qi Cheng won’t survive flying to America. Before Xiao Chi came, I didn’t even dare prescribe him sleeping pills. Do you know how many sleeping pills he secretly hoarded?” The desk banged loudly. “His mental state has finally improved a bit, and you insist on disrupting everything. Xiao Chi can handle this well, I’ve guaranteed it so many times, why have you never believed me?”

“Why… can I handle it well?” Chi Zhihan finally asked.

Since learning Qi Cheng would go to America, she had felt heavy-hearted. It felt more real than knowing about his low immunity and weak libido—he couldn’t even go outside, how would he face a completely foreign country?

“I’ve set three traps for you, and each time you willingly walked in with clear awareness. Now everyone’s being so open, you still haven’t left and are asking if going to America will cure him.” Dr. Zhao spoke quickly and urgently. “Isn’t such an obvious answer clear enough?”

…Chi Zhihan swallowed, honestly not understanding.

“Don’t you care about Qi Cheng?” Dr. Zhao asked directly.

Chi Zhihan nodded.

“When I mentioned giving him a stable relationship, didn’t you already want to give it?” Dr. Zhao asked again.

Chi Zhihan hesitated, then nodded slightly.

“When we mentioned the side effects and consequences earlier, didn’t you feel they weren’t really real?”

…Chi Zhihan nodded.

“This is why I’ve always believed you could handle this well. From beginning to end, you never thought Qi Cheng was incurable, or to put it more absolutely, you never even thought Qi Cheng was sick.” Dr. Zhao’s face reddened with excitement. “This is why Qi Cheng’s mental state improves when he’s with you, not because you’re sweet-looking and typical, not because you’re always chattering happily like a fool.”

“He feels no pressure when he’s with you, so it’s natural that he became dependent on you and developed feelings for you. What I hadn’t expected was that you would develop the same feelings in return.”

Chi Zhihan’s face slightly reddened.

“We do usually advise depression patients to avoid romance—unstable relationships can be devastating to them. But your situation is special. First, you’re with him in a completely enclosed environment. Second, he accepted you after getting sick. Third, you signed a contract and were paid as part of the treatment plan.” After speaking, Dr. Zhao took a big gulp of tea to catch his breath. “With such good conditions, such a good opportunity, why not try? Why must he go to that ghostly place in America? I admit their Modified Electroconvulsive Therapy (MECT) is indeed professional, with many authorities, but you need to consider Qi Cheng’s physical condition. Ask old Li about the difference before and after.”

“Just because the suicide tendency indicator hasn’t moved doesn’t mean it’s a failure. Your family’s problem has always been being too rushed. These ten years, whenever there’s a bit of progress, you rush to see results. This is a psychological illness! After ten years, even if he recovers, he can’t return to his personality and character from before he was sick. You must accept this!”

By the end, he had completely ignored Chi Zhihan, passionately addressing the phone.

Qi Peng and Qi Ning remained silent, while Dr. Li held back the increasingly agitated Dr. Zhao, afraid he might jump on the table in his anger.

And Chi Zhihan, among all that was said, only caught the shocking term “Modified Electroconvulsive Therapy.”

Dr. Zhao was right—she had never treated Qi Cheng as someone incurable. She hadn’t experienced the ten years of his struggle; since she met him, Qi Cheng had been slowly improving, so she was full of hope.

“So you want me to date Qi Cheng?” In the heavy atmosphere, Chi Zhihan finally spoke, asking this rogue doctor who minutes ago had claimed to be her elder and wouldn’t allow her to date for fear of affecting her mental health.

“Dating is too stimulating—a stable relationship, that kind,” Dr. Zhao said without blushing under Chi Zhihan’s gaze.

Instead, it was Dr. Li who couldn’t take it anymore, pushed Dr. Zhao, and covered his face, not wanting to watch.

“If I agree, will his suicidal tendencies disappear?”

“Give me half a year, we can try once,” Dr. Zhao rubbed his hands.

Chi Zhihan closed her eyes. She would agree because she didn’t want Qi Cheng to go to America.

The Qi family would probably agree too—half a year versus one month, the time difference didn’t matter much to them.

She seemed to be sacrificing the most, having to invest emotions while worrying whether her own mental health would be affected by Qi Cheng.

But for some reason…

She believed in Qi Cheng.

She must be… crazy.