Tang Ning really wasn’t planning to go home tonight.
She went to Lin Zhi’s studio.
Lin Zhi’s counseling room was in the city center—quick drive, tucked away in a quiet spot amid the bustle, built inside a small garden.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the lingering sunset stretched on, with huge clusters of hydrangeas blooming vibrantly along the path.
“How have you been lately?” Lin Zhi poured her some tea. Seeing Tang Ning zoning out, she pointed at her forehead. “I mean here.”
“…Not great.” The other woman was very gentle. The counseling room wasn’t large, but it was bright and spacious, with soft light-colored sofas and curtains, walls designed to absorb sound. Still, Tang Ning felt a little uneasy.
The black tea was placed in front of her, steam curling upward in wisps.
She thanked her quietly and confessed: “A while back I was in a car accident. I forgot a lot of things and a lot of people… including you.”
Lin Zhi nodded: “You mentioned some of it on the phone last time. How are you feeling now?”
“Now… I still can’t remember. Sometimes fragments flash through my mind, but they’re very brief.” Tang Ning sounded uneasy. “Can I ask you—what exactly happened to me in the past five years?”
“Which aspect?”
“My unhappy marriage.”
Lin Zhi was amused by her wording: “You think your marriage is unhappy?”
“Isn’t it…?” Tang Ning looked lost. “I don’t exactly look like someone in a happy marriage, do I?”
What kind of happy marriage only thinks about solving fights with the unspeakable?!
“Whether the past five years were happy or not isn’t for me to decide.” Lin Zhi looked at her steadily, voice gentle. “You started coming to me for counseling five years ago. Back then you were still in university. You weren’t married yet.”
Tang Ning blinked in surprise: “I came to you before I got married? Why?”
“At the time, it seemed like something happened in your family.” Lin Zhi chose her words carefully. “You were under a lot of pressure—very anxious, couldn’t sleep. You told me you’d gone to some close people and your father’s friends for help, but none of them gave you real support.”
Tang Ning stared at her blankly.
“Then later, you got married.” Lin Zhi tried not to label it. “During that period, your anxiety and insomnia improved a lot.”
But then it came back in cycles.
“So…” Tang Ning thought for a moment. “Did I talk about him a lot? I mean… my husband.”
“At first, yes.” Lin Zhi said. “But honestly, later on, hardly ever.”
Among her clients, Tang Ning was one of those with an extremely strong self-protection system—highly disciplined, terrifyingly efficient. Almost by the second month of their counseling relationship, Tang Ning had read through all the basic introductory psychology textbooks, even parts of the counselor’s code of ethics.
Sometimes Lin Zhi felt like she was the one being observed in their dynamic. Tang Ning was very careful, extremely cautious, treating the maintenance of their relationship like a game of strategy.
But the Tang Ning now was like a curious little bird: “Did I badmouth him a lot to you?”
Lin Zhi laughed: “No. The most you ever said was—if only you could go back to your teenage years.”
—If I could go back to seventeen, I’d just die at seventeen.
Tang Ning froze.
The session was almost over. Lin Zhi made a note in her counselor handbook: “No matter what, I hope your body recovers soon.”
“Lin Zhi.” Tang Ning was silent for a while, then suddenly called her name. “I heard that in psychology, hypnosis can sometimes unlock this kind of ‘partial amnesia.’ Can you help me recover my memories?”
“Theoretically possible, but not guaranteed to work—and it would need to be discussed with your family.” Lin Zhi thought for a moment and decided to remind her: “Human brains have evolved very powerful and sophisticated self-protection mechanisms. ‘Forgetting’ is a choice your own mind made. Maybe your body thinks it’s not a bad thing.”
Tang Ning looked even more confused.
“I have one last question.” The black tea in the cup had gone completely cold. She lifted her head. “Did I ever tell you why I married him?”
“I don’t know all the detailed reasons… but you did mention you two had an agreement.”
Lin Zhi recalled: “He promised to help you out of your predicament, and in exchange, you paid the corresponding price—by marrying him.”
By the time she left Lin Zhi’s studio, the sky had turned completely dark.
Jian Wei was waiting for her outside. Seeing her boss get in the car still looking dazed, she quietly asked, “Should I take you home now, or somewhere else?”
“…Not home.” Tang Ning lowered her head to buckle her seatbelt. “Anywhere is fine.”
“Then… back to the company?”
“No.” Tang Ning had zero intention of sleeping in the office. She glanced around and her sharp eyes caught the “Xingchuan Pet Hospital” business card holder. Without hesitation, she instructed, “Go to Sheng Xinglai’s place. I’ll send you the address.”
“Okay.”
The car started and pulled away from the little hydrangea garden estate.
Tang Ning was a little lost in thought. Almost everything she’d learned from Lin Zhi lined up perfectly with her earlier guesses. She started hesitating—should she really go find Yu Mingyuan again?
To test if her suspicions were right.
“President Tang.” Jian Wei suddenly spoke up.
“Hm?”
“Have you… been in poor mental health lately?”
Tang Ning didn’t react right away: “Why ask that out of nowhere?”
“I… I’ve never seen you come here before.” Jian Wei sounded a bit awkward. She knew she probably shouldn’t ask, but the words slipped out anyway. “If… if you’re going through something, don’t keep it bottled up inside…”
Tang Ning paused, surprised, and for some reason felt a tiny, inexplicable wave of warmth: “I never had you drive me here before?”
“No.”
But she’d already been in therapy for five years.
Even Jian Wei didn’t know…
Tang Ning couldn’t wrap her head around it.
In the past five years, she seemed to have been completely alone—without anyone truly close to her.
“I’m fine.” Outside the car, light and shadow rushed by. After a long moment, Tang Ning closed her eyes. “Thank you.”
They arrived at Sheng Xinglai’s place shortly after.
Tang Ning had messaged her ahead of time, so Sheng Xinglai was already poking her head out the door, waiting.
“Dr. Sheng.” Then she saw Tang Ning standing there holding a furry bundle, face full of exaggerated misery. “Please, have mercy—take me in for one night, okay?”
Sheng Xinglai: “One night, eight hundred. Dry-cleaning fee extra.”
Tang Ning looked pitiful: “I have no money. My husband beats me. Me and the baby are gonna die.”
Sheng Xinglai laughed and cursed: “Can you stop bullshitting?”
She welcomed her best friend inside, got her slippers and toiletries ready.
North City was about to enter winter. Sheng Xinglai’s house had floor heating, but she still pulled out a pair of fluffy bunny slippers for Tang Ning. Tang Ning loved them immediately and squatted on the floor, refusing to get up.
Sheng Xinglai rummaged through cabinets for a new toothbrush: “You two fought?”
“Mm.”
“Over what?”
“He won’t let me keep a cat.” At the mention, Tang Ning asked, “Can I let my cat out?”
Sheng Xinglai had a big golden retriever, but it was currently staying at the pet hospital, not at home.
“Sure.” After setting out the toiletries, she came running back with an armful of snacks. “How old is this cat? You hungry?”
“About five months, I think.” Tang Ning opened the carrier. The little striped tabby had huge, bright eyes. First a pair of big ears poked out, then slowly the whole fluffy body emerged. Tang Ning rubbed the top of its head, beaming with joy. “Thanks, but I’m not eating. Jiang Linye pissed me off so much today I can’t eat. I’m going on hunger strike to prove a point.”
Sheng Xinglai was delighted by the novelty: “You actually lose your appetite sometimes? Fine, I’m ordering shabu-shabu takeout right now. You can watch me eat.”
“No no no.” Tang Ning quickly grabbed her arm, suddenly all sweet and coaxing. “Order for three. I want to eat too. Double portions for me.”
“…”
Half an hour later, the two of them sat at the dining table, happily devouring the bubbling hot pot.
“This cat is so well-behaved.” Halfway through eating, Sheng Xinglai glanced down at the little kitten quietly lapping goat milk at her feet without making a peep, and felt a little fond of it. “Mature and steady—nothing like the wild tabbies I’ve seen before.”
“Because I warned it,” Tang Ning mumbled through a mouthful. “If it starts yowling, Jiang Linye will drag it out and kill it.”
Sheng Xinglai: “…”
“What’s going on with you two? Weren’t things fine before?”
“He lost his mind. Not my problem. From the way you’re talking, were we actually that great together before?”
“At least not bad…” Sheng Xinglai thought for a moment. “Do you remember your pre-wedding single night? We went out drinking. You got wasted, cried all over my shoulder, and in the end Jiang Linye came to pick you up.”
Tang Ning’s head snapped up in shock: “That happened?”
“Yes.” Sheng Xinglai said it seriously, though her words were half-joking, half-true. “While sobbing, you asked me: ‘I’m so selfishly getting married, and Takuya Kimura is still waiting for me like an idiot. If he finds out about the wedding, will he be unable to accept it and kill himself for love?’”
“…” That really did sound like something drunk Tang Ning would say.
Tang Ning’s mood was complicated and hard to describe. She was about to say more when her phone suddenly buzzed.
A “Lin” flashed on the screen. Thinking it was Lin Zhi, she casually answered: “Hello?”
“Tang Ning.” A man’s cool, clear voice came through. “You’re at Sheng Xinglai’s place?”
Tang Ning nearly spat out the meat in her mouth: “When the hell did you escape my blacklist?”
(Of course, while she was asleep—he’d used her fingerprint to unlock her phone and remove himself.)
Jiang Linye had no intention of explaining: “Have you finished eating? I’m coming to pick you up now. I’ll be there in half an hour.”
Tang Ning: “?”
Her mind was a mess, irritation boiling over: “For what? Don’t come. There’s no place setting for you here.”
“Sheng Xinglai has a dog at home. You can’t stay the night there.”
“Fine then, come.” Tang Ning threw caution to the wind. “Anyway, I’m not opening the door for you.”
“No problem. I’ve already filed a police report and called a locksmith.”
Tang Ning: “…”
Tang Ning was baffled: “Can’t you just act like a normal person for once?”
Jiang Linye frowned slightly: “Then can’t you just behave a little?”
The moment his voice dropped heavier, she felt that familiar oppressive pressure again—unquestionable, like storm clouds gathering before rain.
“That’s exactly why I don’t want to behave—because of that attitude!” Tang Ning was furious and frantic. She threw her head back in frustration and—bang—hit the wall lamp. Like a small animal, she let out a short, sharp “Ow!”
Jiang Linye went rigid instantly: “What’s wrong?”
“I…”
Tang Ning suddenly blanked.
The call was still connected. On the other end, Jiang Linye breathed silently, waiting in silence.
The long night was quiet. The dining room light was warm yellow. The hot pot in front of them bubbled steadily.
The voice in her ear pulled far away, then snapped back. Without any warning, as if some switch had been flipped, a memory Lin Zhi had mentioned slowly surfaced in her mind.
Before the marriage, she really had signed an agreement with Jiang Linye.
He’d rushed back from abroad, snatched her out of Yu Mingyuan’s grasp, mocked her enough, then politely asked: “Do you want to be my mistress, or do you want me to marry you?”
Considering her father’s blood pressure, Tang Ning had chosen the latter.
That’s why on her single night, when she came home late, Jiang Linye had gone to the bar to get her.
Not being allowed to stay out alone overnight was part of their agreement.
In fact, she hadn’t drunk that much that day, but when Jiang Linye heard her mumbling drunken curses at him, his mood sank lower and lower until his patience ran out completely.
Back at the residence, he silently loosened his tie. Tang Ning whimpered and shook her head desperately, trying to push him away: “Let go of me… I have to get up early tomorrow… I have work to do…”
Jiang Linye held her tightly. The movements above her neck didn’t ease at all. She couldn’t struggle free. When he pressed too close, she cried out softly in pain.
“What work do you have, Tang Ning?”
Jiang Linye leaned close to her cheek in a cruel way, kissing away the tears at the corner of her eye while murmuring low:
“Isn’t your job right now just to make me feel good?”
The fatty beef rolls in the bowl had gone completely cold. The phone had been silent for a long time.
Tang Ning stared blankly at her phone. Sheng Xinglai thought she’d hit her head too hard and reached over to pat the little fox’s head.
Jiang Linye also sensed something was wrong. He sounded tense: “What’s wrong, Tang Ning? Are you okay…”
Are you okay? Do you want me to come over right now? I won’t pick the lock—I’ll knock.
“Jiang Linye.” The next second, Tang Ning took a deep breath and cut him off.
Her whole body was shaking with rage. She wanted to rush back right now and strangle him. But when the words came out, her tone was eerily calm: “I remembered.”
Jiang Linye froze.
He was about to speak when she continued, perfectly composed: “I’m not working tonight. I’m not working tomorrow or the day after. I’ll take one day off to handle the divorce paperwork, then another day off to throw a party with friends to celebrate being single again.”
“How about that.” She asked, “Do you feel good now?”