Yaxi leaned aganst the wall, steadying her nerves, waiting for her heartbeat to calm before exiting the elevator and surveying the floor.
The area was sparsely populated, brightly lit, and quiet.
Walking from the back, she reached the reception desk.
The person behind it wasn't dressed as a nurse but wore a white lab coat.
She approached and inquired, "Hello, I'm Yaxi, here for my 6:00 PM appointment with Dr. Zhou Tao for psychological counseling."
The receptionist, previously engrossed in typing, looked up at her.
She's so beautiful, Yaxi thought, her hands clenched tightly.
She usually didn't pay much attention to handsome men, but meeting a stunning woman made her uneasy.
Jealousy flared, consuming her confidence and making her feel timid.
"I'm sorry," the woman said softly, "I'm not the reception nurse. She's gone to the restroom and will be back shortly. Please wait a moment."
Her face was petite, with cool-toned fair skin. Her chestnut-colored long curls were tied back with a simple black hair tie, giving her a minimalist yet elegant appearance, reminiscent of a Korean drama heroine.
Her French bangs framed her cheeks, and under the light, she appeared delicate and graceful.
Her peach-blossom eyes shimmered faintly, her smile both intoxicating and warm as she looked at Yaxi.
Those eyes... they reminded Yaxi of Chen Ling's.
Surprisingly, Yaxi didn't feel any aversion toward her. In fact, she felt an immediate sense of goodwill.
This was exactly the image of the wealthy older sister she had in mind.
It was thanks to this "wealthy sister" that Yaxi had been able to secure the appointment with Dr. Zhou Tao.
The woman had pulled strings and waited for a week just to snag this afternoon slot for Yaxi. Feeling indebted, Yaxi had taken time off to come here.
"It's fine," Yaxi replied politely. "I came early anyway."
Twenty minutes early, to be precise.
The nurse soon returned. The beautiful woman yawned and said, "I'll leave her to you. I'm off. Internship is exhausting, and covering shifts is even worse."
"I was only gone for three minutes, Chen Weihang!" the nurse scolded lightly. "Hurry up and get back to recording patient info. Don't slack off and ruin our image, affecting doctor-patient relationships."
The beautiful woman waved her hand dismissively and slipped away.
Then the nurse turned to Yaxi with an apologetic expression. "Ms. Yaxi, right? Dr. Zhou Tao is still upstairs but will be down shortly. Let me take you in first."
Yaxi nodded and followed her through a long corridor, passing through a sliding glass door before entering the consultation room.
The room was spacious, less like a clinical setting and more like a lounge.
Two large, plush sofas faced each other, with the patient's sofa placed against the wall.
The nurse brought her a blanket and placed a cup of hot tea on the coffee table.
A floor lamp stood beside the sofa, casting a warm glow that made the room feel cozy and inviting.
Yaxi covered herself with the blanket, feeling drowsy under the light.
Just as she was about to drift off, her body sank slightly into the sofa, and she opened her eyes.
The door opened, and a kindly-looking man walked in. "Ms. Ya, sorry to keep you waiting."
Through the gap in the door, Yaxi caught a glimpse of a suit jacket—the same fabric as the one worn by the man in the elevator earlier.
He must have come down from the top floor.
Dr. Zhou Tao noticed her tension. "That's my nephew," he explained casually. "Excuse him. He's also here for a consultation. I told him not to disturb me and sent him to wait next door."
Dr. Zhou's mild annoyance as he criticized his nephew actually helped ease the distance between him and Yaxi.
He's here for a consultation too?
It seemed that no matter one's status, everyone fell ill at some point.
Yaxi felt reassured.
Dr. Zhou Tao sat down, without a notebook or laptop, only a few sheets of white paper and some drawing tools on the table.
He smiled warmly, his wrinkles adding to his charm. He started with casual conversation. "Have you eaten?"
"No," Yaxi answered truthfully.
"Judging by your school uniform, you came straight from school, right? Will you eat at home later?"
Yaxi nodded. "Someone's cooking at home."
Dr. Zhou's smile grew even kinder. "Is it the boy who helped you make the appointment?"
Boy? Yaxi frowned. It was probably the wealthy sister's friend.
Dr. Zhou leaned forward, intending to push the pen and paper toward Yaxi, but accidentally dropped the pen on the floor.
As Yaxi bent to pick it up near the wall, she said calmly, "No, it's someone I have a crush on. His family went bankrupt, and his father was arrested. I picked him up from the trash heap and brought him home. Now, it's like... I'm keeping him captive? But he's happy to cook."
The girl in front of him, though young, spoke with a striking calmness. Her words were shocking, yet she delivered them matter-of-factly.
Dr. Zhou was no stranger to hearing about the twists and turns of others' lives, but this girl was unusually candid and unique.
"You trust me so much that I don't even need to ask questions to break the ice or go through the usual introductory formalities," Dr. Zhou responded in an equally straightforward manner. "Everything patients say here is strictly confidential. So, do you really like—or love—this person you have a crush on?"
Yaxi thought for a moment before answering. "I used to love him deeply, but it was mostly on a conscious level. I had a pure, almost sacred affection for him, even bordering on worship. Later, that purity gradually gave way to a desire to possess him completely, sexually. When I brought him home and we started living together, I found him even more fascinating than I'd imagined. So now, I really like him."