4 p.m., Zhao Yanan finished her work and was rubbing her temples when she received a video call on WeChat.
It was her close friend, Zhou Xiaoruo.
"Xiaoruo."
"My beautiful friend, it's been a month since you've come over. Have you given up on treatment?"
On the screen was a woman in a black turtleneck sweater with her hair styled in a bun. She had a playful look, especially with her big, bright eyes.
Behind her was a wall with a golden plaque that read "Wenger Private Psychological Clinic."
"During the New Year, everyone's busy," Zhao Yanan said with a natural smile, a contrast to her usual cold demeanor. "Tsk, tsk… Yanan, have you been conquered by that dog of yours and no longer need my treatment?" Zhou Xiaoruo teased.
Zhao Yanan rolled her eyes. "Do you think that's possible?"
Zhou Xiaoruo laughed, "I actually hope he can conquer you. That would be a happy accident, fixing your problem."
"Xiaoruo," Zhao Yanan said with a hint of warning.
"Alright, alright, I won't joke around," Zhou Xiaoruo said, her tone serious now. "By this time, you must be done with work, right? Come over. I'll give you a treatment first. Tonight, let's have dinner with Liu Kai. Old rules: I pick the place, Liu Kai orders, and you pay."
Zhao Yanan smiled and suddenly thought of the strange behavior of Chu Yuxuan in the elevator that morning. "Alright, Xiaoruo. I also have something to ask you."
"Come on, come on. I'm not charging you, just craving your company," Zhou Xiaoruo joked.
"Perverted! You should get some psychological treatment for yourself too."
The two friends bantered for a while before ending the video call. Zhao Yanan instructed Xiao Wei on some matters and then left the office with her bag.
Half an hour later, Zhao Yanan arrived at Wenger Private Psychological Clinic.
Though it was called a clinic and sounded prestigious, it was actually just an apartment rented by Zhou Xiaoruo, where she lived and worked. After a bit of light conversation, Zhao Yanan made her way to the converted therapy room in the guest bedroom, while Zhou Xiaoruo prepared two cups of instant coffee.
"Xiaoruo, I have a question for you," Zhao Yanan said, holding her coffee cup. "If a normal person, trapped in a pitch-black elevator, suddenly becomes mentally unstable and shows intense fear, as if they've seen a ghost… what could be the reason?"
As a professional, Zhou Xiaoruo adopted a serious demeanor upon entering the therapy room. After hearing Zhao Yanan's description, she pondered for a moment and said, "A confined space and extreme darkness can cause intense fear… Initial guess would be claustrophobia, but I need to make a personal diagnosis to be certain."
"Claustrophobia?" Zhao Yanan mused.
"Mm," Zhou Xiaoruo nodded. "This psychological condition can sometimes be hereditary, but it's rare. Other causes include high stress, traumatic experiences in childhood, etc. The most common cause is psychological trauma from abuse, which is often irreversible."
"Abuse?" Zhao Yanan frowned, thinking of Chu Yuxuan's vague and trembling words in the elevator, such as "I beg you" and "I'm sorry," which made her heart shiver. It was likely Zhou Xiaoruo's guess was accurate.
But he came from a wealthy family. Even if he wasn't favored as a child and was often beaten by Chu Xiaotian, it shouldn't have caused such severe psychological trauma, right? Could something have happened during those eight years he was missing? What did he experience?
As Zhao Yanan thought, she recalled Chu Yuxuan's instinctive hand movement towards his waist when he woke up in the hospital, as if reaching for a gun.
Could it be? He didn't seem that sinister. Maybe I'm overthinking it...
Seeing Zhao Yanan lost in thought, Zhou Xiaoruo asked suspiciously, "Hey, what are you thinking about? The person you're talking about, is it someone close to you? Introduce him to me. I'm running out of money."
Zhao Yanan changed the subject. "Xiaoruo, analyze this for me: The character '王' means earth, work, master, scholar… what does it mean?"
Zhou Xiaoruo looked puzzled. "Is this related to what the patient said during the episode?"
"Yes."
Zhou Xiaoruo took out some paper and a pen, wrote the characters down while murmuring, and after a long moment, suddenly smacked the table. "I get it! Look, these characters either have one more stroke or one less stroke compared to '王'."
Zhao Yanan blinked. "So?"
Zhou Xiaoruo shrugged. "That's it. It's just finding a pattern."
Zhao Yanan: ...
The two stared at each other, and after a moment, Zhou Xiaoruo said, "Do you think I'm a miracle worker who can diagnose from a distance? If you really want to find out, bring him over. At least, for your sake, I won't charge him for the first visit."
Zhao Yanan pursed her lips, about to speak when a WeChat message popped up from Chu Yuxuan: "I'm following your advice and seeing a psychologist."
The message was visible to Zhou Xiaoruo.
"D*mn! You mean your dog of a man?" Zhou Xiaoruo jumped up from her seat, her eyes wide with shock. "How did the matchmaker end up joining two neurotic people together?"
Zhao Yanan gave her a sidelong glance and rarely replied to Chu Yuxuan with a simple "Yes," then said, "You're the one who's neurotic. Forget about him. Let's start the treatment."
Zhou Xiaoruo was stunned for two minutes before calming down.
"Yanan, get ready and relax. I'm about to start."
Zhao Yanan lay back in the chair, eyes slightly closed, and responded softly, "Mm…"
Five minutes ago, Chu Yuxuan had awoken from a nightmare, looking extremely pained and drenched in sweat.
After catching his breath, his phone on the bedside table suddenly rang.
"Mr. Chu, why didn't you come today? I missed you! Are you free tonight? Care to join me for a drink?" It was a well-known blogger from the influencer incubation base.
Since Zhao Yanan slapped Xia Zhu earlier, everyone at Qingya Media knew about Zhao Yanan's relationship with him, especially the agents, who strictly warned their artists not to mix with Mr. Chu unless they wanted to leave Qingya.
Therefore, those female celebrities who once dreamed of marrying into a wealthy family had to give up their fantasies and delete Chu Yuxuan's contact information, lamenting in their hearts, "Why was Zhao born and not me?"
Despite this, Chu Yuxuan still couldn't find peace. Many of the female influencers he recruited didn't know about his relationship with Zhao Yanan, and even those who did might not be afraid. After all, the influencer base was under Chu Yuxuan's full control, and Zhao Yanan couldn't interfere.
Chu Yuxuan, feeling confused, instinctively wanted to refuse but suddenly recalled what Chu Zhiqing had said in the morning. He frowned impatiently, then smiled and agreed to meet the blogger. Just as he was about to take a shower, he received another message from the second brother.
"Zhao Yanan is at a private psychological clinic called 'Wenger.' I checked, and she goes there often. The doctor there is her classmate, Zhou Xiaoruo, and they have a good relationship."
Chu Yuxuan seemed to have anticipated this. "What psychological issues does she have?"
Second brother: "No details. How about having the fifth brother install a listening device? It's easy."
Chu Yuxuan was speechless: "Some methods shouldn't be used recklessly. Send me the location."
Second brother, being straightforward, not only sent the clinic's address but also the phone number of Zhou Xiaoruo. After exiting the chat, Chu Yuxuan gave a bitter smile and said, "Two psychological issues. How do we date? Haha." He then sent Zhao Yanan a WeChat message: "I'm following your advice and seeing a psychologist."