Vol. 1 - Ch. 156 - Help her

Kang Xin called out to HuMing, prompting him to stop in his tracks and look at her curiously."When did you meet Xia XiaoXi?"

"Oh, that? It was just an accident."

HuMing's casual reply made Kang Xin frown slightly. The relationship between him and Xia XiaoXi didn't seem as simple as he claimed.

Xia XiaoXi had said they'd known each other for a long time, but Kang Xin was certain that was a lie.

She had been by HuMing's side for a considerable time and had never heard of him knowing someone like Xia XiaoXi.

More importantly, Xia XiaoXi's attitude toward HuMing was far from what one would expect between ordinary friends.

The only plausible explanation was that Xia XiaoXi was lying for him. But what could HuMing have offered to make a star like her go along with such a fabrication?

Kang Xin couldn't figure it out for now, but she didn't plan on pressing the matter further.

She would find out the truth on her own.

For now, she had a more pressing question for HuMing.

"I thought you'd be gone for a long time before coming back."

Kang Xin's gaze was fixed on him. While she had always believed he would return, she hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

"There's something I need to do."

"Can't you tell me what it is?"

"This is something I can handle alone. You should focus on enjoying your school life."

HuMing genuinely wanted Kang Xin to live the life she wanted. Setting aside the original host's debt of gratitude to her, she didn't owe him anything.

Life would be so dull if one spent it living solely for others.

HuMin had told him those words.

"If you need me, I'll be there," Kang Xin said, her tone a bit stiff.

Yet HuMing had a nagging feeling she was upset about this.

...

"YunXi, how have you been feeling lately? Are the nightmares still troubling you?"

The female doctor in a white coat pushed open the door and walked into the room.

Han YunXi, seated in a recliner, glanced at the doctor as she entered.

To outsiders, it might seem surprising. At school, Han YunXi appeared entirely normal, with no hint of anything amiss in her interactions with others.

But for her, coming here had become routine.

It was only in the presence of her doctor that she found peace.

"They're still happening, but not as often as before," Han YunXi replied with a bitter smile.

Ever since HuMing went missing, she had been plagued by nightmares. After reading the remnants of his journal, her mind couldn't help but conjure scenes of him falling off a cliff.

The details of the dreams varied each time, but they always ended the same way---with HuMing's fall. Sёarch* The nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The nightmares haunted her, leaving her mentally and physically drained. At one point, she became so neurotic that it seemed as though her soul had been hollowed out.

It was during this time that Han LiTian personally sought out the psychologist before her---renowned as the city's best---to treat her.

"Dr. Xie, something strange has happened recently," Han YunXi said, deciding not to hide the matter of HuMing.

She knew that if this issue weren't resolved, it would become a permanent scar on her heart.

She recounted everything to Dr. Xie---HuMing's reappearance and the proof of his identity. The doctor listened attentively, her demeanor calm and receptive.

When Han YunXi finished, Dr. Xie rested her chin on her hand, her right leg crossed over her left, and spoke thoughtfully.

"You're saying a boy who looks exactly like your brother appeared, but his habits are entirely different?"

"Yes. A transfer student at our school, a well-known campus idol, even vouched for him. But even so, I can't shake the feeling that he is my brother. Do you think I'm crazy?"

Leaning back in her chair, Han YunXi closed her eyes wearily. Her mind replayed the image of HuMing shielding her at the orphanage, his back to her, protecting her from harm.

That scene was deeply etched into her memory.

"YunXi, I know it's difficult for you to accept this, but deep down, you understand, don't you? That person isn't your brother," Dr. Xie said softly, her voice as gentle as a feather brushing against Han YunXi's heart.

Those words shattered the fragile beliefs Han YunXi had been clinging to.

No matter how much she wanted to believe otherwise, the person before her wasn't the one she had been yearning for.

Instead of agonizing over whether he was HuMing, it would be better to face reality and treat him as someone entirely new.

"I know I'm lying to myself, but I just can't accept that he's gone," Han YunXi murmured, covering her face with trembling hands as tears slipped through her fingers.

The room fell into silence, broken only by the sound of her soft sobs.

...

The therapy session didn't last long. Dr. Xie understood that the knot in Han YunXi's heart wasn't something that could be untangled easily. Otherwise, she wouldn't still be haunted by nightmares.

Shortly after Han YunXi left, the door opened again.

Without looking up, Dr. Xie continued typing on her keyboard, documenting the changes in Han YunXi's psychological state.

"I don't recall having any more appointments today. Barging in uninvited isn't exactly polite," she said in a tone that sounded more like she was dismissing the visitor.

The intruder laughed lightly at her remark. Instead of taking the recliner where Han YunXi had been sitting, he settled into the sofa nearby, clearly not there for a therapy session.

"Can't an old friend drop by for a chat?"

"Old friend?" Dr. Xie raised an eyebrow, her expression dripping with mockery. "I don't recall having a friend who once contemplated jumping off a bridge because of stress."

"That's all in the past. Haven't I turned over a new leaf now?"

"So, what brings you here today?"

"That girl just now---is she the Han family's young lady?"

"Liang Feng, I have neither the right nor the obligation to disclose patient information. If you want to discuss this, you can leave."

"Relax. I'm just here on someone's behalf to ask you to do your best to help her walk out of her shadow," Liang Feng said, rising from the sofa as if he truly had no intention of staying.

His words, however, left Dr. Xie puzzled.

"Who is it?"

"Someone who pulled me out of the abyss. If not for him, I'd still be trapped in that hellhole for the rest of my life."

Dr. Xie's expression shifted to one of shock. She knew full well the state Liang Feng had been in back then---on the verge of a complete breakdown.

If not for the sudden collapse of the Lee family and Liang Feng seizing the opportunity to take control, he wouldn't be living as comfortably as he was now.

She stared at him, her voice laced with curiosity.

"Liang Feng, what exactly have you been up to all this time?"