Wei Yanqiu did not react immediately.

Her gaze first swept over the mess on the ground, her eyes filled with heartache.

Immediately, his gaze, like a needle chilled to ice, was fixed firmly on Bian Zhizhi.

"Butler Li, take the young master back to his room to rest and have the doctor come and take a look."

"Yes, Miss."

Butler Li immediately stepped forward. He had clearly dealt with similar situations before and did not attempt to help Wei Zixian up.

"Young Master, let's go back to our room."

Unexpectedly, Wei Zixian still kept his head down and remained curled up.

But after Butler Li finished speaking, he actually stood up unsteadily.

He didn't look at anyone, silently following Butler Li, stumbling out of the activity room.

He paused at the threshold without turning around, but Bian Zhizhi noticed his right hand.

The hand she had just held curled its fingers slightly, as if trying to grasp something, but ultimately fell limply to its side.

From beginning to end, he didn't give Wei Yanqiu a single glance, nor did he look at Bian Zhizhi again.

Now, only Wei Yanqiu and Bian Zhizhi remain in the activity room, along with a pile of broken pieces.

"Miss Bian," Wei Yanqiu took a few steps forward, her high heels clicking on the floor, each step like a tap on Bian Zhizhi's heart.

"I remember I clearly told you what the first rule was."

Her tone was calm, but the calmer she was, the more pressure she put on people.

Bian Zhizhi stood up; her legs were a little numb from squatting for so long.

She forced herself to stand up straight, meeting Wei Yanqiu's gaze, her heart pounding in her chest.

"I remember, Mr. Wei. No unauthorized physical contact."

"Then, how do you explain your behavior just now?"

Wei Yanqiu stopped in front of her, as if to peel away all her pretenses and see her true thoughts.

"I need a convincing reason; otherwise, I'm not sure if we can continue working together."

Bian Zhizhi took a deep breath. She knew that any explanation or excuse at this moment would be futile.

She had to demonstrate her professionalism and the necessity of her decision.

"Mr. Wei, I did not intend to break the rules."

However, at that time, the young master was in an acute anxiety attack. His breathing rate was too fast, and there was a risk of hyperventilation leading to alkali poisoning. His body was also stiff due to extreme tension.

A sudden change in the external environment, such as my brief absence, could be a trigger.

"In this situation, conventional drug intervention or forced reassurance may deepen his traumatic experience, causing him to establish a stronger connection between 'brief separation from others' and 'extreme pain,' which is extremely detrimental to subsequent healing."

She paused for a few seconds, observing Wei Yanqiu's expression.

The other person remained expressionless, but seemed to be listening.

"My choice to hum and...limited contact is based on previous observations."

The young master seemed to have a slight tolerance for my voice and the activities I was doing, which might even have had a potential calming effect.

Humming provides stable auditory stimulation, helping him to distract himself and regulate his breathing, rather than through forced skin contact.

Bian Zhizhi carefully considered her choice of words.

"In some cases, it helps out-of-control emotions find a realistic anchor and break the vicious cycle of panic."

I admit there was a risk involved, but at that moment, I believed it was the best option to prevent the situation from escalating further and to avoid causing him further harm.

After she finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Wei Yanqiu didn't speak, but just stared at her with a scrutinizing gaze.

She was trying to determine how much of Bian Zhizhi's words were genuine professional considerations, how much were excuses to absolve herself, and how much... might be a hidden test with ulterior motives.

After a full minute, Wei Yanqiu finally spoke slowly:

"Optimal choice? Ms. Bian, are you aware of the consequences if your 'optimal choice' fails?"

Zixian might have a complete emotional breakdown because of your touch, which could hurt himself, or even... hurt you.

"I understand," Bian Zhizhi answered honestly.

"But I'm willing to take the risk for my professional judgment. And, judging from the results..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear: Wei Zixian had indeed calmed down under her intervention.

Wei Yanqiu recalled the scene she had witnessed when she entered the room. Although her younger brother was in a terrible state, he had indeed gradually calmed down from the rage that was almost tearing him apart, thanks to the girl's humming and touch.

This is something that previous experts had never done before.

"You are very confident, Miss Bian."

Wei Yanqiu finally spoke, his tone no longer as cold and piercing as before, but still carrying a warning.

"But excessive confidence is arrogance. I hope you remember that no matter how noble your reasons are, rules are rules. If there's a next time, I won't let you off so easily."

She temporarily accepted Bian Zhizhi's explanation, but also drew a clearer line.

"I understand, thank you, Mr. Wei."

Bian Zhizhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief; a thin layer of sweat had already seeped out on her back.

Wei Yanqiu said no more and turned to walk towards the door.

Before leaving, she paused for a moment, without turning back, and simply uttered a few words.

"Clean this up."

After saying that, she left.

Bian Zhizhi stood alone in the activity room, looking at the broken porcelain shards and scattered books on the ground, and then felt a wave of fear and exhaustion.

She held onto the edge of the table, slowly calming her breathing.

The composure he had maintained during the standoff had deflated completely, like a punctured balloon.

She won this round, barely keeping her job, and also gained some trust from Wei Yanqiu based on her professional abilities.

But more importantly, she touched Wei Zixian.

It wasn't a physical touch, but rather... she seemed to have truly touched a genuine emotional fluctuation beneath his heavy armor.

That overwhelming panic, and the subsequent calm brought on by her voice and touch.

She crouched down and began carefully picking up the broken pieces on the ground.

As she picked up a sharp shard of porcelain with her fingertips, she suddenly remembered the icy touch of his hand when it was covered by his.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door of the activity room.

Bian Zhizhi looked up and saw the young maid who had brought her tea before standing at the door, holding cleaning tools in her hand, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"Miss Bian," the maid whispered, "Butler Li asked me to help you tidy up."

"Thank you," Bian Zhizhi said without refusing.

The maid began cleaning quickly and efficiently. She seemed to have mustered up her courage as she wiped the floor and spoke to Bian Zhizhi in a very low voice.

"Miss Bian, you...you're really amazing."

Bian Zhizhi was taken aback: "What?"

"I...I've seen you like this before, young master."

The maid's voice lowered, almost like a whisper.

"Every time, it's such a commotion, it takes several male caregivers to calm him down. No one has ever acted like you..."

The maid didn't say anything more, but the meaning in her eyes was clear.

There was something new in her gaze as she looked at Bian Zhizhi.

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