Cheng Yue immediately regretted biting down, but it was too late to back out. His impulsive decision led to feelings of embarrassment and unease.
For Cheng Yue, the feeling of unease was predominant.
“Alright.” Ji Xu patted Cheng Yue, who had been holding onto his neck, “Do you really think you’re a dog?”
Feeling Ji Xu’s hand on his waist, Cheng Yue’s tension slowly eased, but after releasing his grip, he didn’t know where to look.
“Why are you sweating so much?” Ji Xu reached out to touch his hand, but ended up with a hand full of sweat.
Cheng Yue lowered his head and remained silent.
Ji Xu grabbed his chin, half-forcing him to look up. As he was about to say something, he was startled by Cheng Yue’s pale face.
Duan Changsheng, seeing this, no longer smiled, stood up, and poured a cup of warm water, handing it over. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing. He had a fever last night.” Ji Xu took the cup of warm water and handed it to Cheng Yue. “Drink some.”
Cheng Yue hid his trembling hands behind his back and slowly drank a few sips.
“You should still see a doctor.” Duan Changsheng squinted at Cheng Yue’s hands, which he thought were well-hidden, and gave Ji Xu a look to indicate he should check it out.
While Ji Xu was feeding Cheng Yue water, he cast a sideways glance at Cheng Yue’s trembling hands hidden behind his back.
Something wasn’t right.
Ji Xu frowned and observed for a while. After Cheng Yue finished drinking the water, he helped him up.
“Alright, I’ll just hand things over to Tang Jing directly.” Duan Changsheng smiled. “I was actually going to find him. I need to talk to you.”
“Okay, I’ll head out first.” Ji Xu nodded, pulling the confused Cheng Yue out of the café and directly into the car.
“Where are we going?” Cheng Yue tilted his head, looking at Ji Xu, who had already started the car. “To school?”
“To the hospital.” Ji Xu handed him a few tissues. “Wipe your sweat.”
“Oh…” Cheng Yue wiped the sweat from his forehead and then asked, “Why are we going to the hospital?”
“To have a doctor check the injury on your stomach.” Ji Xu answered briefly.
“My stomach doesn’t hurt anymore.” Cheng Yue smiled, lifted his T-shirt, and poked it himself. “See, the color looks like an oil painting.”
At that moment, Cheng Yue seemed to be his usual self, smiling and joking around.
Ji Xu watched him smile, his concern easing slightly.
At the hospital, Ji Xu immediately scheduled a full physical examination. Cheng Yue didn’t notice anything unusual and followed Ji Xu around while drinking a box of yogurt Ji Xu had bought for him.
Watching Ji Xu discuss things with the doctor, Cheng Yue subtly pressed on his chest, feeling all his anxiety dissipate.
He didn’t know why he often felt inexplicably nervous and uneasy, but he realized that as long as Ji Xu was around, he felt…
How should he put it? Cheng Yue pressed on his chest, thinking.
Maybe it was reassuring.
After several hours of various procedures, Cheng Yue was exhausted and dozing off in the chair when he finally got the test results.
“Everything is normal.” The doctor handed the results to Ji Xu. “There are minor issues with the stomach, but it shouldn’t be caused by irregular eating. It seems to be due to excessive emotional stress, anxiety, and tension. Is he about to take the college entrance exam?”
“He often has fevers.” Ji Xu glanced at Cheng Yue, who was sleeping not far away.
“His frequent fevers are due to his constitution. Some people do experience high fevers, stomach cramps, and vomiting due to intense emotions.” The doctor added that the results were very good, using technical terms to emphasize this.
“His health is good. You should take him to see a psychologist. The situation doesn’t seem too serious, but the stress of senior year is significant, so it’s important to pay attention to his mental health.” The doctor concluded.
“Thank you.” Ji Xu frowned as he took the results and called Cheng Yue awake.
“…All done?” Cheng Yue rubbed his eyes.
“Yeah.” Ji Xu patted his head and led him out of the hospital.
Once they were in the car, Ji Xu pondered over what the doctor had said about the pressure from studying.
After driving for a while, Ji Xu cleared his throat and asked, “How’s your studying going lately?”
“Very well.” Cheng Yue perked up immediately at the mention of studying. “Teacher Chen has been praising me recently. I passed my math exam again.”
“You passed math again?” Ji Xu was a bit surprised. “When did you pass for the first time?”
“Uh… I forgot to tell you.” Cheng Yue rubbed his nose. He had been very happy waiting for Ji Xu to come back that day, but Ji Xu came back too late, and he fell asleep. Later, he forgot.
“Are there any subjects you really dislike? Ones that you don’t want to study or find uncomfortable?” Ji Xu tried to choose his words carefully.
“Nope.” Cheng Yue thought for a moment and then asked, “Why?”
“Nothing.” Ji Xu stopped the car at the school entrance and reminded him, “Next time, don’t skip school without a reason.”
“I didn’t skip for no reason…” Cheng Yue quietly protested, opened the door, and got out of the car. Just as he was closing the door, he was stopped and asked, “Are you picking me up today?”
Ji Xu considered his work schedule and nodded in agreement.
Cheng Yue immediately smiled, closed the car door, and stood still watching as the car slowly drove away.
Only after the car was out of sight did he turn and enter the school.
Ji Xu frowned and watched Cheng Yue in the rearview mirror. He then decided not to go back to the office and pulled over to make a call.
The call was answered quickly.
“Hello?” The surprised female voice on the other end said, “Lawyer Ji?”
“Do you have time now? I’d like to consult with you about something.” Ji Xu, with a serious expression, spoke into the phone.
“Of course.” Song Yi smiled. “Just come over to my office.”
With a positive response, Ji Xu drove to Song Yi’s office.
Song Yi was a former client and a well-known psychologist in the city.
If Cheng Yue’s anxiety and nervousness weren’t related to studying…
Ji Xu had some vague thoughts but quickly dismissed them.
When he arrived, he was directly invited into Song Yi’s office.
“I didn’t expect you to come to me.” Song Yi smiled as she poured a glass of water and handed it to him. “This isn’t exactly a pleasant place.”
“It’s a bit of a situation.” Ji Xu hesitated, not sure how to start.
Song Yi observed him for a while before shaking her head. “You don’t have a problem.”
“It’s not about me.” Ji Xu thought for a moment and then began to provide Cheng Yue’s basic information.
After listening, Song Yi smiled. “Such major changes can be overwhelming even for adults, let alone a minor. It’s normal for him to have some psychological issues, but it shouldn’t be too severe.”
Ji Xu frowned slightly, unconvinced. “It shouldn’t be a psychological problem. Maybe it’s just recent stress?”
“Are you usually busy with work?” Song Yi suddenly asked.
“Yes.” Ji Xu nodded.
“Does he have many friends? Or does he have friends at all?” Song Yi asked in a different way. “After all, he didn’t know anyone in China before.”
“Well…” Ji Xu thought uncertainly. “Maybe.”
“Has he ever mentioned seeing things blurry or blacking out, or having uncontrolled trembling, sweaty palms, or frequently feeling anxious or uneasy?” Song Yi inquired.
“He hasn’t mentioned seeing things clearly.” Ji Xu looked up at Song Yi with a slightly troubled expression. “But… other symptoms seem to have occurred.”
After evaluating, Song Yi said, “The issue doesn’t seem too serious, but with too little information, I need to see him to be sure.”
Ji Xu stared at her in silence for a while before saying, “I don’t want him to doubt his own normalcy without any confirmation.”
“It’s okay.” Song Yi smiled. “He doesn’t need to come to my office; a meeting will suffice. I know what questions to ask and what not to ask. You can trust me.”
“Alright.” Ji Xu nodded. “Let’s meet today and have dinner together.”
Song Yi was taken aback for a moment but then smiled and nodded.
After school, Cheng Yue quickly ran to the school gate, expecting to wait a while for Ji Xu to pick him up as usual.
He didn’t expect that as soon as he left the school gate, he saw Ji Xu’s car and Ji Xu standing by the door, waving at him.
Cheng Yue’s eyes lit up as he smiled and ran over. “Why are you here so early today?”
“There’s nothing much today,” Ji Xu said, taking Cheng Yue’s backpack and wiping the sweat from his nose. “What do you want for dinner? We’ll go out to eat.”
Cheng Yue thought for a moment. “I want to have steak.”
“Alright.” Ji Xu nodded with a smile, then remembered something and grinned. “But no ice cream.”
Cheng Yue: “…”
“Just one bite,” Cheng Yue bargained.
“Not even a single bite,” Ji Xu said with a hint of helplessness. “You just got better from your fever yesterday.”
“But I’m fine now,” Cheng Yue said, placing Ji Xu’s hand on his forehead. “See?”
Seeing Cheng Yue’s insistence, Ji Xu found it amusing. “Alright, you can have one bite.”
“Two bites,” Cheng Yue said.
“Be quiet.” Ji Xu pulled him into the car.
After they got out of the car and entered the restaurant, Ji Xu turned to Cheng Yue. “Today, a friend of mine will join us for dinner.”
“A friend?” Cheng Yue asked, squeezing his palms. “The man from this morning?”
“Not him,” Ji Xu said, guiding Cheng Yue inside. “An… aunt.”
“Aunt?” Cheng Yue was about to ask more when he saw a woman waving at them ahead.
“Here.” Song Yi waved when she saw Ji Xu standing up, then took a closer look at the boy next to him.
Ji Xu introduced her, “Call her Aunt Song.”
Cheng Yue eyed the woman with some caution but still obediently called out, “Aunt Song.”
“Hello, Cheng Yue,” Song Yi greeted warmly.
Her smile eased Cheng Yue’s nerves significantly, and he smiled back.
After dinner, Cheng Yue felt that aside from asking a lot of questions, Aunt Song seemed pretty nice.
After finishing his meal and drinking some water, Cheng Yue said, “I’m going to the bathroom.”
“Okay,” Ji Xu nodded.
Once Cheng Yue went to the bathroom, Ji Xu and Song Yi’s eyes quickly met across the table.
“The situation is not as good as I hoped,” Song Yi said, frowning as she quickly analyzed. “He lacks a strong sense of security and shows mild anxiety.”
“I didn’t notice that,” Ji Xu said, a bit silent.
“Not only you, but he himself isn’t aware of his psychological issues. When he’s with you, he might unconsciously hide things. His subconscious tells him not to let you see his problems, so what you see is his well-disguised facade,” Song Yi smiled, giving some somewhat irresponsible advice.
“You might consider setting up a small camera at home to see what he does when he’s alone.”
“What’s the treatment for this condition? Is it serious?” Ji Xu asked.
“Anxiety disorders need targeted treatment,” Song Yi said, looking at him. “If I’m not mistaken, Cheng Yue’s anxiety is related to you. Right now, he’s showing only mild symptoms. You can opt for relaxation therapy, but if it worsens, medication will be necessary.”
Ji Xu frowned and began to tap his fingers unconsciously on the table. “Why is he experiencing this?”
“Sudden family changes and unfamiliar surroundings, people, and places can induce psychological anxiety and unease. It depends on individual resilience,” Song Yi explained. “Of course, the main issue is his dependency and possessiveness towards you. So if he perceives any sign that you might leave him or abandon him, he will become extremely anxious or act impulsively.”
Ji Xu pressed his forehead, recalling how Cheng Yue had skipped school this morning and bit his neck at the café.
“You need to make him feel needed, not redundant or easily discarded. This is part of the process of building security,” Song Yi said, noticing Ji Xu’s rare look of distress and trying not to smile.
“Cheng Yue’s psychological issues really aren’t too severe. Don’t worry too much. There’s a relatively simple and effective long-term solution to ease his current state.”
“What’s the solution?” Ji Xu asked immediately.
“Sleep with him,” Song Yi said.
Author’s Note:
I didn’t research thoroughly, mostly made up stuff. If any professionals see this, please don’t laugh at me.
Just know that Cheng Yue has a condition where he feels like he can’t live without Ji Xu.
