After Becoming Roommates with an Obnoxious Wealthy Heiress - Chapter 25

What on earth has she been through to have such severe psychosomatic symptoms?

“Drink it, you’ll feel a little better.”

His tone was as gentle as if he were coaxing a child.

Qin Shuyue’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. Unlike before, when she had remained indifferent no matter how Gao Yin jumped around, she obediently took a sip. She gripped the paper cup tightly, her fingers curling and involuntarily scratching at the outer wall of the cup.

Xu Lian stood up with downcast eyes and explained to the bewildered Gao Yin: “She has severe somatization.”

He arched his finger and pushed up his glasses. The high bridge of his nose cast a shadow under the light, and his mouth thinned into a straight line. His tone was somewhat stern. “She is only a freshman; how can she have such severe psychosomatic symptoms?”

Gao Yin looked completely dazed, his face screaming, “I have no idea.”

He waved his hands hurriedly. “I don’t know. I’ve only met her once. Today is the second time… The first time I saw her, she was cold and didn’t say a word. Later, Sister Zhu chased me away, and she still didn’t say anything, just passed by Sister Zhu and left the cafeteria. Later, I saw her bumping into Sister Zhu in a panic and running away again… Anyway, this Qin Shuyue is very strange. Her way of thinking seems different from others… I couldn’t be bothered to talk to her.”

Xu Lian lowered his eyes, appearing lost in thought.

Then he looked up and asked Gao Yin, “Did she experience any stimulus tonight?”

Gao Yin shrugged. “You’ll have to ask Zhu Lingyi about that. She didn’t seem this dazed and foolish when she first entered the room.”

“And…” Gao Yin suddenly became energized. “You have no idea how popular Zhu Lingyi is! Sometimes I can’t understand why so many eyes are fixed on Sister Zhu. If you say the people at the old family residence have bad intentions and want to fight for the inheritance, fine—but even in school, there are so many petty people lying in wait around her.”

“Sister Zhu feels for those students from poor backgrounds. Didn’t she donate Heqing Court? To provide them with jobs, she arranged service staff and hired catering managers… Actually, Zhu Lingyi doesn’t need to hire those people at all, she has no use for them, but she still gave them a chance.”

“Weren’t there a few chefs before who tried to sneak into her bed and were kicked out by Sister Zhu to work as cleaners? If you ask me, people like that should be kicked out directly. Why give them a chance to turn over a new leaf? If you don’t give them a real lesson, those people simply won’t take it seriously.”

“Sister Zhu has been so good to them, yet they still want to secretly make a move on her. Are they out of their minds?”

Gao Yin truly couldn’t understand why there were such shameless people in the world.

“If you want to fly to the top of the branch and become a phoenix, you have to see if you’re even a sparrow first! Those toads are just dreaming all day long…”

Amidst Gao Yin’s excessive chatter, Xu Lian finally picked out a few key points.

“Was Zhu Lingyi drugged again?”

As he said this, his gaze shifted to Qin Shuyue.

Xu Lian had noticed earlier that Qin Shuyue’s clothes and hair were disheveled, but he hadn’t thought deeply about it. But combining what Gao Yin just said… The stimulus Qin Shuyue received, couldn’t it be…

“…Sister Zhu wouldn’t have, because of the drug’s effect, done that to Qin Shuyue…”

He didn’t even have the courage to say the rest of the words out loud.

If that were truly the case, then Qin Shuyue’s current state could be well explained. The next thing to consider was how to handle Qin Shuyue… After all, if it was a one-night stand initiated by Zhu Lingyi, whether she stays or goes would be up to Zhu Lingyi.

Gao Yin also seemed to realize the implication of Xu Lian’s words. He hadn’t expected that either and slumped onto the sofa, his eyes full of shock.

He suddenly covered his eyes as if losing all energy, his tone regretful. “If the people at the old residence get wind of this, Zhu Lingyi…”

But halfway through the sentence, he suddenly stopped.

“Wait, that’s not right!” He bounced off the sofa again.

“Zhu Lingyi didn’t take much of that drug. If she doesn’t get an IV, she actually just needs a night’s sleep to be fine, though it’s a bit uncomfortable in the middle. But the problem is…” Gao Yin stared wide-eyed at Xu Lian. “I gave her medicine! That medicine is similar to Ibuprofen; it basically works within ten minutes! It shouldn’t be… and besides… Sister Zhu wouldn’t be that fast, right?”

By the end, he seemed to have found reliable evidence and continued to solidify it.

“Right! If Sister Zhu really… would Qin Shuyue have come out that quickly? And…” Gao Yin walked up to Qin Shuyue and scrutinized her carefully from head to toe.

“Impossible.” He affirmed his guess once more.

Except for some looseness in her top, Qin Shuyue’s clothes showed no other signs of forced interaction.

Thus, the hypothesis Xu Lian just proposed did not exist. Xu Lian followed Gao Yin’s line of reasoning as well. Once the two of them determined that Zhu Lingyi had not acted recklessly under the influence of the drug, they finally felt relieved.

“Then, she was kicked out by Sister Zhu.”

Before Gao Yin spoke this hypothesis, the possibility had already crossed Xu Lian’s mind. Only… if she was simply kicked out by Zhu Lingyi, why didn’t she just leave? Why go back and squat at the door? Even if one were thick-skinned, they should know when to retreat.

And why did she get herself into this state?

Xu Lian frowned in confusion. However, looking at her, he sighed. “Qin Shuyue’s condition is very bad.”

Her somatization had not stopped.

Xu Lian knelt down in front of her again, demonstrating with his hands and guiding her in a gentle voice. “Follow me and take deep breaths. It will make you feel better.”

Qin Shuyue glanced at him blankly and slowly began to mimic his movements, breathing deeply.

“Breathe out slowly… Not like that, look at me, follow what I do…”

After following Xu Lian for an unknown number of repetitions, Qin Shuyue’s consciousness slowly began to return. Too many things flooded her mind—things she should think about and things she shouldn’t—all springing up uncontrollably like bamboo shoots after rain, crashing into her memory like wave after wave.

She didn’t want to think, but uncontrollably, these chaotic memories would pop up, like falling into a freeze in time, leaving her forever stuck in the past.

After regaining some awareness, she heard Xu Lian asking nearby, “Do you feel a little better?”

Qin Shuyue gave a small, obedient nod and whispered, “Thank you.”

Xu Lian nodded and stood up, looking back at Gao Yin. Seeing that Gao Yin was still scratching his head and hadn’t entered a professional state, Xu Lian decided not to consult him further.

He made the decision directly. “There are many guest rooms on the first floor. You can pick any room to sleep in; it won’t be too late to leave tomorrow morning. Even though it’s summer, the night wind can be chilly and you might catch a cold. So, be good and stay the night, okay? I’ll send you back tomorrow.”

Qin Shuyue also knew there was no better place to go. She didn’t want to sleep outside the door. She nodded, and under Xu Lian’s guidance, she chose a guest room to sleep in.

Just as she pushed the door open and was about to close it, Gao Yin suddenly braced his hand against the door. Frowning, he said, “I still have things to ask you…”

Before he could finish, Xu Lian covered his mouth.

Xu Lian smiled warmly at Qin Shuyue and said, “He had too much to drink today.”

“Mmph! Mmph! Who drank?!”

“See? He’s talking nonsense now.”

“I apologize for the scene.”

Xu Lian covered his mouth forcefully. If he didn’t have to deal with Qin Shuyue, he would have loved to toss Gao Yin aside.

Qin Shuyue didn’t pay attention to Gao Yin, whose mouth was being covered. Instead, she stood nervously behind the door, clutching the handle, and said somewhat bashfully, “Um… about my state today… I don’t want anyone to know.”

She had thought Xu Lian wouldn’t care, or would even feel disgusted and contemptuous of her abnormality today. But Xu Lian hadn’t; he had guided and helped her step by step. This caused her to feel a few sparks of liking and trust toward Xu Lian in her heart.

Xu Lian smiled slightly and said gently, “As a qualified psychological counselor, it is my duty to maintain patient confidentiality.”

Qin Shuyue looked toward Gao Yin uneasily.

Xu Lian pointed his other hand at Gao Yin, the warm smile still on his face. “The same goes for him.”

Only after receiving Xu Lian’s affirmative answer did Qin Shuyue feel relieved enough to close the door. Xu Lian dragged Gao Yin all the way back to the living room.

“Why did you cover my mouth again?!” Gao Yin was so angry he rolled his eyes.

“Were you trying to ask Qin Shuyue what happened with Zhu Lingyi just now?”

Gao Yin paused, then said, “Yeah! Of course I—”

“I advise you not to.” Xu Lian poured cold water on the idea. “Qin Shuyue’s state is very unstable. I even feel she’s reaching the point where medication is needed… doing that will do nothing but stimulate her and worsen her illness; it won’t help at all.”

“What does that have to do with—”

“You can choose not to care.”

From behind his sharp-edged lenses, two piercing gazes shot out. “But as a doctor, you must always care about the patient and put their health and safety first.”

These words left Gao Yin speechless.

Gao Yin pouted and sat on the sofa in a huff, giving in. “Fine, fine, I get it. I can never win an argument with you big scholars. Whatever, as long as Zhu Lingyi is okay.”

Xu Lian sat down on the sofa beside him.

“Didn’t you give her medicine? Don’t worry.”

Gao Yin was naturally relieved about that, but he had another layer of unease in his heart. “I’m just afraid that with so many eyes on Zhu Lingyi, something big might blow up again.”

“Soldiers will block the advance, and water will be covered by earth. We have to see what moves others make before we can respond, don’t we?”

After saying this, the two looked at each other and shared a tacit smile.

Gao Yin said, “Truly, that’s why I can hang out with you.”

Xu Lian pushed up his glasses and said in a scholarly manner, “Alright.” He paused and changed the subject. “Qin Shuyue’s matter must not be known by anyone. Both you and I must keep it a secret, understood?”

Gao Yin didn’t understand. He turned and asked, “What’s there to keep secret? Besides, I have so much going on every day, how could I possibly remember everything about her? It has nothing to do with me.”

Xu Lian naturally knew Gao Yin’s indifferent attitude, but he still added, “You and I will be practicing medicine in the future. We must abide by basic professional ethics.”

Gao Yin waved his hand impatiently. “I know, I know! Just as naggy as my dad! It wasn’t even my choice to study medicine, I’ve had enough!” Having said that, he stretched. “Alright, I have a 10 AM class tomorrow. After tossing and turning half the night, I’m going to sleep.”

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