“…” Shu Nian thought what he said was very puzzling. Her round eyes widened slightly, her expression perplexed and strange, “I wouldn’t scold you.”
Xie Ru He put his phone back in his pocket without making a sound.
Shu Nian also withdrew her gaze, her head drooping as she pondered to herself, looking as if she was reflecting on something.
The two walked in silence for a while, neither initiating conversation. After some time, as if still unable to understand, Shu Nian couldn’t help but ask: “When have I ever scolded you?”
Seeing that she seemed to care a lot about this, Xie Ru He thought for a moment and rephrased: “You haven’t, but you would reason with me.”
“Oh.” Shu Nian recalled her previous interactions with him and felt this explanation was more acceptable. She was mindful of her image and nodded rapidly like a pecking chick, “Yes, reasoning with you, not scolding you.”
After speaking, Shu Nian deliberately emphasized once more: “I never scold people.”
Xie Ru He remained silent, but the corners of his mouth curved upward.
Shu Nian waited for quite a while but didn’t hear his response. This silence felt like a silent rebuttal to her words. She pressed her lips together, feeling a bit unhappy: “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Xie Ru He hadn’t yet spoken.
Shu Nian asked very directly: “Do you think what I said is wrong?”
Xie Ru He shook his head: “No.”
Shu Nian frowned and began to lecture him very seriously: “Then you should respond to me. I’m talking, and you’re ignoring me. And then you keep not saying anything, that’s not good, it’s very impolite.”
Xie Ru He was taken aback, looking at her tense face, even feeling as if he had returned to the past.
He stammered: “I’m listening to you.”
Shu Nian couldn’t quite accept his explanation: “It’s not like using your ears means your mouth can’t speak.”
Her words made Xie Ru He feel that his behavior wasn’t appropriate. He licked his lips, just about to properly apologize when Shu Nian suddenly added: “If you think what I’m saying is wrong, you can just tell me directly.”
“…”
Shu Nian’s tone was very serious: “I won’t get angry, I have a very good temper.”
Hearing this, Xie Ru He glanced at her again, feeling that she was already angry. He raised his hand to touch the back of his neck, hesitantly saying: “I don’t think what you said is wrong.”
Shu Nian made a sound of acknowledgment, muttering: “You can speak directly if you have something to say, I’m very reasonable.”
Xie Ru He stared at her, his expression thoughtful.
Her way of speaking was a bit different from usual, sounding strange. After saying a few words, she would start praising herself, and quite bluntly. Simple and direct, she seemed to be trying to brainwash Xie Ru He.
After a while.
Xie Ru He raised his eyebrows: “I can speak directly if I have something to say?”
Shu Nian nodded with a straight face.
He tilted his head slightly, his back arching as he looked at her at eye level. His eyelashes were thick and long, like two brushes, curled upward, his eyes bright and dark.
The bit of sullenness in Shu Nian’s heart instantly scattered far and wide.
She resisted her nervousness, maintaining eye contact with him for three seconds, but then couldn’t help but look away.
The next moment, Xie Ru He asked in a hoarse voice: “Can I kiss you in public?”
They arrived at the hospital.
Shu Nian released Xie Ru He’s hand, looking somewhat uneasy. She instinctively glanced at Xie Ru He, and after meeting his reassuring gaze, she finally summoned the courage to enter the psychology department.
Xie Ru He waited for her outside.
It had been a long time since she had seen Wang Yue.
Shu Nian sat in front of her and greeted her.
Wang Yue smiled at her, gently asking about recent events, her condition, and her symptoms.
Shu Nian spoke slowly, honestly summarizing.
Unwillingness to go out, easily startled by small noises.
Low mood most of the time, with sudden feelings of guilt.
Poor sleep quality, frequent dreams.
Negative mindset, repeatedly recalling very small details.
Resistance to others mentioning traumatic experiences, actively avoiding any triggers.
Difficulty concentrating.
Palpitations, chest tightness, accelerated heartbeat, difficulty breathing, a suffocating feeling of impending death.
Wang Yue listened quietly, occasionally providing some guidance, then reassessed and diagnosed Shu Nian, having her complete symptom self-assessment scales and an event impact scale measuring trauma levels.
The results were moderate somatization, moderate depression, and severe anxiety.
An hour later, Shu Nian left the department.
Xie Ru He was sitting on a chair outside, holding his phone, but most of his attention was focused in her direction. He quickly noticed Shu Nian coming out and stood up to walk over to her.
“How was it?”
Shu Nian handed him the items in her hand: “Need to get medication.”