The daylight outside passed in a flash. The temperature in Lanjing climbed higher each day. Though it wasn’t yet summer, people could already sense that scorching heat that parched the throat. On the streets, you could clearly see young women holding umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun. The light shone through the gaps between their fingers, turning the soft flesh of their fingertips translucent.
May 7th.
A quiet afternoon.
In front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of a building stood a man in a long-sleeved white shirt. His eyes were closed, and he was walking forward step by step on his tiptoes in a strange manner, like a clumsy dancer learning ballet for the first time.
But his body was stiff; he was definitely not cut out for ballet.
"Alright, turn around."
Just as the man’s forehead was about to touch the wall, a reminder came from within the room. It was a gentle voice, one so soft you could almost picture her face just by hearing it.
Erudite, wise, and full of understanding.
It was rare to hear such a gentle and reassuring reminder.
Chen Yuan obediently turned his head. With his eyes still closed, he began to walk slowly toward the other side.
"I can feel the pressure constantly. It’s been a month, and neither of them will talk to me. No matter what, even if they were smiling to begin with, the moment I show up, they put on this air of cold indifference that pushes me a thousand miles away. WHOOSH, and the smiles are gone."
"That’s understandable," the woman said with a nod.
"Every time that happens, all the confidence I built up the night before just vanishes. It feels awful, trying to be friendly to someone who’s giving you the cold shoulder. How am I supposed to keep going when I have no confidence? Sometimes I just don’t know what to do."
"Then you need to be more resolute. At the very least... more resolute than they’re being. That’s the only way you’ll have a chance of moving them. Otherwise, it’s all just talk. By the way, you didn’t finish your story last time. After the older sister left, what happened with the younger sister?"
"She was about to leave too," Chen Yuan said, taking a deep breath of air and smelling the sunlight. He felt a warmth spread through his body, and his mood lifted slightly as he recalled the scene. "But I shamelessly begged her to stay. Then we had another huge fight. She cried so hard it made me want to cry... She demanded to know why I had to make things so complicated."
"How did you answer?" the woman asked pensively.
"I didn’t answer. ’For a moment there, I started to doubt myself.’ But I avoided her gaze and just started cleaning the room. She hid in the guest bedroom and didn’t speak to me for several days after that. At first, she’d tell me to get lost the moment she saw me. Then, after a few days, that turned into sarcasm and taunts. Lately, her reactions don’t seem as strong."
"No reaction to the situation, or no reaction to you?"
"The latter."
"That’s very dangerous."
"What’s giving me an even bigger headache is that things with the older sister aren’t looking good either. Now, she won’t even let me touch her cup. I turned around and saw it in the trash can. Does she really need to have such a huge reaction?"
"The deeper the love, the deeper the hate. It’s understandable."
"So what should I do now, Doctor? Should I keep observing their lives like you said before? Seize every detail and be ready for battle at any moment?"
"Yes. And you must be strategic, tactical. You need to understand that the power of hate is formidable, not much weaker than the power of love. Let the older sister continue to hate you, then find your breakthrough with the younger one... Don’t be afraid of the fight. What’s more, this is a protracted struggle. You need an indomitable will to break down their defenses. An opportunity can arise at any moment, but only if you haven’t fallen by then."
"Thank you, Doctor. Your reassurance really makes me feel much better."
Just then, Chen Yuan opened his eyes, feeling considerably more relaxed.
Bright sunlight streamed onto his bangs. The dull look in his eyes from when he first entered the therapy room had been replaced by a rekindled sparkle. He turned his head to look at the woman sitting in the chair.
Even wearing glasses and a white uniform for her consultations, the woman’s charm was still overwhelming.
She had a mature aura, her hair tied up high. The nameplate on her chest read "Dr. Zhao."
"You’re welcome, President Jiang. After all, the fees you pay for therapy are enough to support our entire institution. It’s the least we can do. Also, congratulations on your promotion to Regional Director for the northern division of Jiang Energy."
"Dr. Zhao, how did you know?"
"Manager Pei told me earlier when you came in for your consultation."
"Getting promoted so quickly isn’t necessarily a good thing. My work is getting busier and busier."
"President Jiang is young and promising. To the able, go the labors."
"No need to be so formal," Chen Yuan said as he put on his jacket. "That’s all for today, then. I have to get back to letting the older sister continue to hate me. I’ll be back next Friday."
"This way, please—"
With that, Chen Yuan walked out of the therapy room.
...
After the argument that day, Chen Yuan’s life had been turned upside down.
His once-happy life was completely over. Every day, he had to face the two sisters’ cold expressions, a scene that made him desperately miss the past.
As expected, Jiang Ning didn’t run away. She took the next day off to compose herself and went back to work on the third day.
She adopted a policy of complete isolation, neither communicating nor interacting with Chen Yuan. She only did what was required of her and wouldn’t say a single word more.
If others were present, she might act a bit more normally, but once they were back in the office, her icy expression was enough to make one shiver.
But Chen Yuan insisted on trying to get close. Usually, when she became unbearably annoyed, she would issue all sorts of warnings. It had gotten to the point where Chen Yuan was starting to get a feel for the boundaries of her anger; he had become quite experienced.
Things with Jiang Yao were even less optimistic. However tolerant she had been of Chen Yuan before, that’s how harsh she was now.
Whenever he tried to make a gesture of goodwill, she would sarcastically say something like, "I don’t need that. Just go and appease my sister," leaving Chen Yuan completely helpless.
When pushed too far, she would even tell him to disappear, saying she didn’t even want to look at him.
That’s why Chen Yuan had been so anxious lately, under immense psychological pressure. Pei Youwen had noticed his state was off and recommended he see a therapist.
At first, Chen Yuan wasn’t hopeful. After all, his problem wasn’t purely psychological; the real issue that needed solving was with the two sisters.
However, the professional therapist, Dr. Zhao, was worldly and experienced. She claimed that as long as she was paid enough, she could solve ninety-nine percent of all psychological problems.
So, Chen Yuan decided to give it a try. To his surprise, Dr. Zhao actually provided some effective methods.
At the very least, it allowed him to vent his inner frustrations and adopt a stronger fighting stance.
When he talked about his suffering, he could feel the pressure draining away bit by bit. Thus, his weekly therapy sessions had become a positive habit over the past month or so.
Compared to the hardships of his romantic life, Chen Yuan’s career was skyrocketing thanks to Jiang Zhengfeng’s secret backing. First, he was appointed General Supervisor of Jiang Energy’s northern region. Then, three days later, he was approved by the shareholders’ meeting to become the Regional Director.
This was by no means a low position. He held real power in his hands, and his net worth was on a completely different level. According to some institutional assessments, it was now over a billion, a true quantum leap.