The aromatherapy-scented psychological consultation room had a fresh cup of warm water placed on the coffee table.
Cheng Mingjiao sat cross-legged on the soft sofa, his imposing aura as if he were seated at a negotiation table: "What did you two talk about just now?"
"Sorry, Mr. Cheng, but that involves patient confidentiality. I can't tell you." The doctor smiled.
Cheng Mingjiao narrowed his eyes: "Don't forget who it was that brought you here."
"Apologies," the doctor said again, neither humble nor overbearing, "I have my own bottom line as a person. That has nothing to do with who brought me here."
Cheng Mingjiao: "I'll add another million to your consultation fee."
The doctor looked at him calmly.
Cheng Mingjiao: "Two million."
The doctor remained unmoved.
Cheng Mingjiao uncrossed his legs and leaned slightly forward: "Ten million."
"I'm truly sorry, but no amount of money will change that." The doctor finally spoke.
Cheng Mingjiao stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly leaned back into the sofa with satisfaction, his entire demeanor so relaxed it was a complete contrast to his earlier aggressiveness.
"Good, you've passed my test," he declared with pride. "We can talk now."
The doctor: "…"
"You start first." Cheng Mingjiao urged when he saw the doctor sitting still.
The doctor gave a light cough: "Mr. Cheng, how has your physical condition been since returning from the mountain?"
"Pretty good."
"And your sleep?"
"Also good." Cheng Mingjiao answered again.
The doctor: "Do you occasionally experience…"
"Anxiety? Panic? Unease?" Cheng Mingjiao interrupted him. "There was a little on the day I first woke up, but I minored in psychology in university. Though I never got certified, I have a rich reserve of psychological knowledge. With reasonable self-guidance, I didn't develop any psychological trauma."
Having said that, he stared at the doctor.
The doctor paused, then probed: "Mr. Cheng is quite accomplished."
Cheng Mingjiao wasn't bothered by the compliment and maintained appropriate modesty: "I suppose I'm alright."
"Since you have no psychological trauma, why did you book a consultation?" The doctor asked humbly.
Cheng Mingjiao glanced at him, then at the tightly shut door.
"It's already locked. No one will disturb us." The doctor quickly explained.
Cheng Mingjiao nodded and sat up slightly straighter: "Although I have a rich reserve of psychological knowledge, I'm still slightly inferior to you in experience. So there's something I'd like to ask you, to see what the most reasonable solution would be."
"Go ahead." The doctor indicated he was all ears.
Cheng Mingjiao: "There's a patient with acute stress disorder who likes me. How should I, under the premise of pretending not to know, make her completely give up without causing her too much heartbreak?"
Acute stress disorder—the target was quite obvious.
"You're very afraid of hurting her?" The doctor asked in return.
"Not exactly," Cheng Mingjiao answered instinctively, then showed hesitation when meeting the doctor's gaze. "She… she's quite nice. I genuinely don't want to hurt her."
The doctor nodded, and the consultation room suddenly fell quiet.
After a long moment, the doctor asked: "Are you sure she likes you?"
Cheng Mingjiao: "Of course."
The doctor: "How are you sure?"
So Cheng Mingjiao repeated to the doctor what he had told Guo Fengnian, and by the end, he summarized with considerable distress: "She likes me way too much."
The doctor smiled kindly and asked: "Have you noticed that in your description, there's more of your own perception than her actual thoughts?"
"You think I have erotomania?" Cheng Mingjiao, with his rich reserve of psychological knowledge, saw through his conversational trap at a glance.
The doctor soothed him unhurriedly: "I didn't mean that. Just casual conversation."
"A psychologist who earns my approval wouldn't have a single casual word." Cheng Mingjiao raised his chin.
The doctor: "First, thank you for your approval. Second, I think since you came to me, there's no need to be too defensive. After all, you want to solve the problem too, right?"
Cheng Mingjiao fell silent.
The doctor smiled: "Then let's continue…"
"Do you think she likes me?" Cheng Mingjiao wasn't easily brushed off.
The doctor paused for a moment, then said: "My opinion doesn't matter. What matters now is how you and she think."
In response to his euphemistic answer, Cheng Mingjiao remarked: "Your skill level is mediocre."
The doctor: "…"
Cheng Mingjiao felt there was no point in continuing the conversation. He casually said goodbye and turned to walk out.
Zhang Xiyue, sitting on the bench, heard the door open and immediately put on a smile: "Mr. Cheng, you're done so quickly?"
Cheng Mingjiao stared at her for a few seconds, then asked: "Where did you go just now?"
Zhang Xiyue's heart skipped a beat. She played dumb: "What?"
"You went out?" Cheng Mingjiao frowned. "I was in there for my consultation, but you went out."
Zhang Xiyue: "…Aren't I right here?"
Cheng Mingjiao: "Waiting the whole time and sneaking off halfway are not the same thing."
Zhang Xiyue: "…"
His Majesty really was a high-maintenance baby.
Although she wasn't sure how he could tell she'd been outside, there was no need to lie about such a trivial matter, so Zhang Xiyue explained simply, "I really wanted ice cream just now, so I went out."
"I can see that," Cheng Mingjiao said, pointing at her short-sleeved shirt. "Your clothes wanted some too."
Zhang Xiyue followed his finger and saw a smear of ice cream on it.
That was from when she'd bumped into that boy earlier and accidentally gotten it on her.
The boy's face surfaced in Zhang Xiyue's mind again—how she'd hurriedly apologized and even offered compensation, but he'd only given her a cold glance before turning and walking away.
She'd instinctively taken two steps after him, but when she saw the bandage on his arm, she stopped.
Seemingly cold and aloof, yet unexpectedly magnanimous, not one to hold grudges.
That was Zhang Xiyue's impression of the boy, and then she thought of someone else.
If her ice cream accidentally poked someone like that…
Zhang Xiyue shuddered, and when she looked up, she met Cheng Mingjiao's probing gaze.
He seemed to have noticed her mind wandering.
Zhang Xiyue pretended to have a sudden realization: "So you figured out I went out based on the stain on my clothes—President Cheng, you're so attentive to details!"
Cheng Mingjiao withdrew his probing look. "Mm-hmm."
"I'll be on my way now." Zhang Xiyue turned to leave.
Cheng Mingjiao: "Come back."
Zhang Xiyue came back.
Cheng Mingjiao: "Why are you leaving?"
"My clothes are dirty, afraid they'd offend your eyes." Zhang Xiyue explained humbly.
Cheng Mingjiao gave her a strange look. "It's just a small stain—why would it offend my eyes? In your view, am I the kind of boss who can't tolerate even the slightest thing?"
Zhang Xiyue once again recalled being abandoned in the parking lot at Yunxi Temple and gave a fake smile. "Of course not."
Whether Cheng Mingjiao believed her or not was unclear—one hurdle passed, and another appeared. "You went to buy ice cream, why didn't you buy one for me?"
"You want one?" Zhang Xiyue was surprised.
That man, though he claimed to never be picky about food, was extremely particular when it came to eating—he only ever ate healthy things and never touched drinks or desserts.
Cheng Mingjiao: "No."
Zhang Xiyue: "…Then why ask?"
Cheng Mingjiao: "Whether I want one is my business, but whether you think of me is yours."
Zhang Xiyue: "…"
Being an executive assistant is really tough.
Cheng Mingjiao glanced at her sidelong, seemingly looking for more faults to pick.
Zhang Xiyue couldn't conjure up a lemon-flavored candy for him right now, so with a mental sigh, she pulled something out of her pocket.
Cheng Mingjiao was already used to her producing all sorts of things at any moment, but the moment he saw her movement, his expression instantly shifted to one of indifference.
Like an office worker when a colleague is handing out snacks—eyes fixed on the computer, keyboard clacking away, but all their attention actually on the other person.
"President Cheng." The colleague had reached him.
Cheng Mingjiao immediately looked over and saw her holding out a small box.
"I know you don't eat ice cream, so I didn't buy you one, but I was still thinking of you, so I brought you this instead." Zhang Xiyue explained earnestly.
Cheng Mingjiao took it and only then saw that the box was a medicine box, with three large characters stabbing into his eyes like little knives.
Hemorrhoid ointment.
Cheng Mingjiao took a deep breath, and his speech suddenly sped up: "I exercise year-round, never sit for long periods, have a regular and healthy routine, and show not the slightest sign of anything like that. You bought this for me…"
"I didn't buy it," Zhang Xiyue reminded him gently. "I picked it up casually. There's no medicine inside."
Only then did Cheng Mingjiao notice the box was too light, as if empty, and he reluctantly opened it.
A small purple wildflower appeared in view.
The flower had just been picked and was well protected by the box, looking fresh and beautiful.
Cheng Mingjiao stared at the flower for a long moment, then looked back at Zhang Xiyue.
Zhang Xiyue: "…I thought it was pretty, so I wanted to give it to you."
The truth was she'd done it on a whim out of boredom, and on the way back she'd kept wanting to throw it away but hadn't found a suitable trash can.
Cheng Mingjiao pressed his thin lips together, looking somewhat serious.
Zhang Xiyue felt uneasy, wondering if—though she always managed to fool him—this time she'd gone too far.
Before she could open her mouth to apologize, Cheng Mingjiao had already turned and gone back into the psychological consultation room.
He closed the door and locked it.
He shoved the box with the flower in front of the doctor. "She gave this to me."
The doctor's eyelid twitched.
Cheng Mingjiao: "She just went out to buy ice cream, and she still brought me a flower. Do you still think I have erotomania?"
The little flower in the medicine box was the kind you'd see anywhere by the roadside, and the words "hemorrhoid ointment" on the box were prominent and conspicuous. If one had to use a single word to describe this gift, it would definitely be "perfunctory."
The doctor looked at the smug and satisfied Cheng Mingjiao, considered for a moment, and said gently, "I really didn't mean it that way just now, and you don't have symptoms of erotomania. If my words caused you to misunderstand, I apologize."
He wasn't lying—Cheng Mingjiao's symptoms truly didn't resemble erotomania.
As for whether it was something else, that would require a detailed examination to determine.
Cheng Mingjiao wanted exactly those words from him. After hearing him say it aloud, his evaluation of the doctor rose from average to passable.
"I already made things clear with her at noon, but judging by her current behavior, she doesn't seem like she's about to give up. What do you think I should do?"
The doctor thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you like her?"
Cheng Mingjiao was taken aback.
The doctor: "If you do, why not try expressing your feelings to her?"
"Impossible," Cheng Mingjiao's face showed displeasure. "Do you know how busy I am every day? I have to monitor R&D progress, coordinate with upstream and downstream manufacturers, manage a company of over five hundred people, and also…"
"That's your career. What does it have to do with your love life?" The doctor interrupted him.
Cheng Mingjiao grew somewhat impatient: "I have several companies alone. If I got married, just the equity division would take forever, and I'd have to notify the board in advance, disclose family information, hold press conferences—all of these things are extremely troublesome, and I also…"
"From confession to marriage, there's still a long road ahead," the doctor said with a smile, interrupting again. "You really don't need to think that far ahead."
Cheng Mingjiao fell silent abruptly.
After a long moment, he found his voice and his ability to think again: "I don't like her, so why would I confess?"
The doctor raised an eyebrow.
Cheng Mingjiao: "I've been single for twenty-eight years, and I'm perfectly satisfied with my current state. I won't accept anyone invading my life from every angle. Romance? That's just habitual huddling for warmth when humans who fear loneliness can't find their direction—an act of submitting to instinct, a symbol of cowardice. Someone like me doesn't need to do such things, and never will."
He delivered his entire opinion with arrogance, then demanded the doctor provide a reasonable solution that would both make Zhang Xiyue give up on him and avoid hurting her feelings.
Throughout his request, he held the hemorrhoid cream box in both hands, the little flower inside resting peacefully, without the slightest bump or bruise.
The doctor pondered for a moment, then said, "Why not take it slow?"
Cheng Mingjiao's heart stirred.
The doctor: "Her current mental state isn't actually very good. President Cheng, why not first observe how things develop? Once her condition recovers, then think about all this. Perhaps by then she'll have figured things out on her own."
Hearing this, Cheng Mingjiao also felt that Zhang Xiyue's psychological trauma was the most important thing right now.
Thinking that he wouldn't have to deal with this matter for the time being, the heavy stone pressing on his chest instantly flew away. He felt this doctor really did have some insight.
His judgment, as always, was excellent.
Outside the consultation room, Zhang Xiyue was still waiting.
She had never quite figured out why Cheng Mingjiao had suddenly gone to see the doctor after receiving the flowers.
Could it be that the hemorrhoid cream box and roadside wildflowers were too casual, and had given him psychological trauma?
She was idly pondering when a cute face suddenly appeared before her.
"Auntie Xiyue!" Liang Youyou hugged her teddy bear, tilting her head and greeting her loudly.
Zhang Xiyue smiled, pulled her between her legs, and looked up to ask Liang Xiao, who was following behind: "Dr. Liang, what brings you two here?"
"Looking for Mingjiao," Liang Xiao glanced at the closed door. "How much longer will he be?"
Zhang Xiyue: "I don't know. He came out once earlier, then went back in. Seems like he has something to discuss with the doctor."
Liang Xiao checked his watch, then looked at the closed door again.
Zhang Xiyue: "Dr. Liang, is it something urgent with President Cheng?"
"Nothing urgent on my end—it's Youyou who needs to see him," Liang Xiao explained. "She has quite a bit of homework today, and I wanted to take her home early. If Mingjiao is going to be a while longer, we'll head off first."
"No! I want to wait for him!" Liang Youyou said urgently.
Zhang Xiyue found it amusing: "What do you need him for?"
Liang Youyou hemmed and hawed, unable to say it out loud.
Zhang Xiyue didn't press her. She patted her head, then patted the teddy bear's head.
The bear had been washed clean. Zhang Xiyue had no idea what method Cheng Mingjiao had used, but it was washed exactly as it had been before—not a trace of mud left behind.
Lately, Zhang Xiyue seemed to be constantly revising her impression of Cheng Mingjiao.
Just when she thought he was a genuine pervert, he'd go out in the middle of the night in the rain, into the mountains, to find an old stuffed toy for a friend's child—a toy that held no value whatsoever in the eyes of society.
Just when she thought he had some redeeming qualities, he'd go on and on about holding the toy hostage to control Youyou.
Just when she thought he was childish enough to go through all that trouble finding the toy just to win against a little kid, he wiped the toy clean with his own clothes, carefully and preciously tucked it into his pocket, and even when he was nearly starving to death in the mountains, he never once suggested throwing the toy away.
And now, he had washed the toy clean and returned it to Youyou in perfect condition.
Zhang Xiyue recalled that a few days ago, when Zhou Ce came to visit her, he had mentioned that old lady Zhao Yuzhen at Yunxi Temple.
"She's the matriarch of the Chen family. After falling ill, she's been living at the temple. Usually, only her grandson comes to visit her regularly. I don't know how President Cheng and I managed to offend her, but every time we go to the temple and happen to catch her during one of her episodes, she throws mud at us. We're just unlucky like that."
Perhaps it was because she had spent so much time with Cheng Mingjiao that she had become more perceptive. Amidst a pile of meaningless complaints, she precisely caught the word "every time."
Her first reaction at the time was: "So you guys didn't actually intend to hit her that day?"
"Huh?" Zhou Ce didn't understand, his eyes innocent.
That was when she realized she had misunderstood things greatly.
So this yandere Cheng Mingjiao wasn't actually as malicious as she had thought.
At least he hadn't actually done anything like murder for money yet.
Zhang Xiyue pondered, reaching out a finger to poke the little bear.
Liang Youyou laughed and poked the little bear too.
The two were cuddled together playing happily when Cheng Mingjiao suddenly came out of the room.
Liang Youyou immediately scrambled out of Zhang Xiyue's arms: "Uncle Cheng."
Zhang Xiyue's eyes flickered slightly.
Having known Youyou for so long, this was the first time she saw her greet Cheng Mingjiao obediently. It seemed that after the little bear incident, their relationship had been getting better and better.
Zhang Xiyue felt somewhat gratified for reasons she couldn't quite explain. When Liang Youyou looked over, she immediately encouraged her with her eyes.
Liang Youyou let out a soft breath, hugged the little bear, walked up to Cheng Mingjiao, and called out again: "Uncle Cheng."
Cheng Mingjiao was holding the hemorrhoid flower and nodded at her.
Liang Youyou's expression was solemn, carrying a maturity beyond her years, as she bowed seriously to Cheng Mingjiao.
"I was wrong. I won't put salt in Uncle Cheng's water anymore."
"I was wrong. I won't put salt in Uncle Cheng's water anymore."
"I was wrong. I won't put salt in Uncle Cheng's water anymore."
Zhang Xiyue: "…"
Each of the three apologies was more sincere than the last, and by the end, Liang Youyou's face was flushed red.
Cheng Mingjiao was still nitpicking: "Your bow today wasn't deep enough."
Liang Youyou bristled in an instant: "You…"
Cheng Mingjiao's tone carried a threat: "Little bear…"
"…I'll pay attention tomorrow." Liang Youyou said with suppressed frustration.
Only then was Cheng Mingjiao satisfied, signaling that she could take her leave.
Zhang Xiyue watched this farce speechlessly, then silently looked at Liang Youyou's guardian.
The guardian looked helpless, indicating that ever since Cheng Mingjiao woke up, this kind of morning greeting had begun.
Someone had hired a lawyer to draft provisions, stipulating that the ownership rights of the little bear belonged to him. Whether or not it had legal effect, at the very least it intimidated an elementary school student.
Now Youyou had to come apologize to him every day, rain or shine, until Cheng Mingjiao was discharged from the hospital. Otherwise, Cheng Mingjiao would take back the little bear, separating them forever, never to see each other again.
Zhang Xiyue: "…"
Fine then. All the improved impressions she had formed of Cheng Mingjiao returned to zero, back to square one.
After all, who would have thought that he went through all that trouble, sparing no effort, truly just to get revenge on Liang Youyou for the salt incident.
What a truly consistent, say-what-you-mean, absolutely-no-hidden-motives grudge-holding yandere he was.
Having to apologize to Cheng Mingjiao every day seemed to have dealt a heavy blow to Liang Youyou.
She was listless, and after apologizing, she said goodbye to Zhang Xiyue and slipped away.
"She didn't say goodbye to me." Cheng Mingjiao found fault.
Zhang Xiyue: "…She did."
"No," Cheng Mingjiao frowned slightly, "I'm going to add a clause to our contract that she must say goodbye to Uncle Cheng, or the little bear will be confiscated."
Zhang Xiyue was surprised: "You have a contract?"
Cheng Mingjiao said with some pride: "Yes. Considering that documents signed by minors have no legal effect, I also had Liang Xiao and Wei Chengfang sign one. If one person breaches the contract, the whole family is held accountable—quite a deterrent."
Zhang Xiyue: "…"
If only he put all these schemes into work.
Speaking of work…
Zhang Xiyue followed him as he walked out, asking as she went: "President Cheng, since you haven't been going to the company during this time, will it affect the company's development?"
After saying that, she added, "After all, you're really important to the company."
When those words landed in Cheng Mingjiao's ears, they automatically reduced to just four words: "You're important."
Once again, he felt troubled by Zhang Xiyue's way of confessing through indirect means, thinking that if his Chinese score on the college entrance exam had been below 140, or if his IQ were a bit lower, then maybe he wouldn't be able to understand her subtext.
"…President Cheng?"
Why did he go silent again whenever work came up? Was he really that unmotivated?
Zhang Xiyue felt anxious about the capture progress that remained at zero.
Cheng Mingjiao snapped back to attention and gave her a faint look: "It's fine even if I don't go for three months."
Zhang Xiyue: "…"
Three months without going, and you'd become an unemployed, self-isolating yandere.
She stopped talking and walked silently with him toward the hospital room.
When they reached the door of Cheng Mingjiao's room, she adjusted her mood and was about to say goodbye when the caregiver delivered dinner.
Two portions.
She looked at Cheng Mingjiao.
"Eat." Cheng Mingjiao said calmly. Who had sent the two-person meal was apparently self-evident.
Zhang Xiyue had no choice but to stay for dinner.
She had originally only come to gauge Cheng Mingjiao's attitude, but from around 11 AM to 7 PM, apart from the time with the psychologist, she had hardly been apart from Cheng Mingjiao at all.
The high-intensity time spent with her boss left Zhang Xiyue mentally and physically exhausted, so she took her leave right after dinner.
Cheng Mingjiao said nothing and walked out with her.
It seemed she was seeing her to the door.
Zhang Xiyue was surprised by her boss's sudden display of social grace, but she didn't say much, letting him see her to the entrance… the corridor… the elevator… the hospital room.
When he stood at the door of her hospital room and said that he would sleep with her tonight, Zhang Xiyue could hardly believe her ears.
"…Say that again?" Her voice trembled.
Cheng Mingjiao glanced at her and frowned. "That happy about it?"
Zhang Xiyue: "…"
Cheng Mingjiao had no interest in the inner workings of an admirer's mind. He went straight to the bathroom after entering.
The sound of rushing water came through the door, muffled at first, then becoming clear again as the door cracked open.
Along with the sound of water came the boss's voice: "Go to my room and grab a change of clothes."
Zhang Xiyue: "…"
Perhaps because Cheng Mingjiao was so matter-of-fact about it, Zhang Xiyue's thoughts rarely stalled. By the time she snapped back to reality, she had already done as he asked.
At 7:30 in the evening, Cheng Mingjiao emerged from his shower smelling fresh, changed into a new hospital gown, and sat down on her bed, patting the spot beside him.
"Come here," he said.
Zhang Xiyue suspected that the world she had transmigrated into was a fantasy novel.