After returning home with the child, her ex-husband knelt down and gently coaxed her.

"peaceful!"

Lu Xiyan's voice rang out not far behind her.

Just as she closed her eyes, preparing to sink to the bottom of the sea, her arm was suddenly lifted up, splashing seawater everywhere, and she was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace.

The embrace I fell into was wet and warm, with the salty taste of seawater.

"It's alright...it's alright!"

Lu Xiyan's heart pounded, his breathing became heavy and labored, and his voice trembled, as if he were comforting An Ning, or perhaps speaking to himself.

He held the person in his arms tightly, seawater mixed with sweat dripping down his forehead in large drops.

His fingers trembled uncontrollably as he stroked her damp hair, pressing her against his heaving chest. "Ningning, you always said that no matter what happens, I can hold onto you, but this time, I'm really afraid I won't be able to..."

Fortunately, he caught it.

He pulled her back.

Perhaps it was because his body temperature was too high, but An Ning's cold body slowly warmed up in his arms, and she gradually regained her senses.

Her damp eyelashes fluttered, and a tear fell.

Then two drops, three drops...

She pressed herself against his chest and sobbed softly.

The sobs gradually became unbearable, turning into urgent and aggrieved whimpers.

Finally, she burst into tears.

She buried her face in Lu Xiyan's shirt, which was soaked with seawater, clutched his shirt tightly, and burst into tears.

His thin body trembled, and his scalding tears almost burned through Lu Xiyan's shirt.

He placed his hands on her back and held her tightly.

Heartache, self-blame, and the joy of regaining what was lost—all these emotions surged up at once. Lu Xiyan tilted her head slightly, but still couldn't hold back the tears that streamed down her face.

"Ningning, I'm here, I've always been here."

......

After crying her heart out, An Ning lost all her strength and fainted in Lu Xiyan's arms.

When Lu Xiyan brought her back to the Yuhe Duke's Mansion, he had only one thought—it's good that she's alive.

The private doctor came twice, took my temperature and did some tests, only saying that I had caught a cold and was a little emotionally unstable, but there were no other health problems.

But Anning slept from noon until night and did not wake up.

Lu Xiyan stayed by her bedside, staring at her pale face, which resembled a flower branch that had just been transplanted and had not yet taken root and sprouted.

At 10 p.m., the Yuhe Duke's Mansion received a phone call from the gatekeeper.

Li Quan gently knocked on Lu Xiyan's door, glanced at the woman still asleep on the bed, and whispered, "Young Master, there's a Mr. Xu at the door looking for Miss An."

Lu Xiyan's brow furrowed. "Permission?"

He said his name was Xu Zhijun.

......

The gatekeepers were notified and opened the main gate.

A black Bentley slowly drove into the Yuhe Duke's Mansion.

After driving a few hundred meters, we arrived at a magnificent and expansive villa.

Xu Zhijun got out of the car, looked up at the residence that was beyond his sight, and suddenly sighed softly, feeling that he understood a little better.

In Jinghai, a place where land is incredibly valuable and in such a prime location, to have such a castle-like Chinese villa, the people who live here must be extremely wealthy and powerful, and of very high status.

No wonder...

Those years were so hard for her.

I was led into the villa. The interior was exquisitely and elegantly decorated, spacious and grand, with every corner and even every ornament exuding grandeur.

Xu Zhijun looked up and saw that any mural hanging on the wall was quite valuable.

Anning, however, lived a life of poverty and hardship in Jining City.

In the living room, a young man dressed in simple home clothes sat on the sofa in the main seat. When he looked up, his eyes revealed an undisguised sense of oppression.

"Mr. Lu, we meet again."

Xu Zhijun was gentle and polite.

The last time they met was on An Ning's birthday. The Mr. Lu he saw then did not exude the same chilling aura as he does today.

Lu Xiyan's eyes held a sharp edge, but his expression was gentle and refined. "Mr. Xu, please sit down."

"Mr. Lu seems to have some misunderstanding about me." Xu Zhijun sat down and smiled at the man. "I came here today simply because I was worried about Anning and wanted to check on her condition."

Judging by the time it takes, she should have finished her medication. He had instructed her not to arbitrarily increase or decrease the dosage, nor to suddenly stop taking it.

If his condition improves and he needs to discontinue medication, he must undergo a new psychological evaluation.

However, Anning did not ask him to prescribe new medication during this period, which worried him. He called her but she did not answer.

When we arrived at her house, the nanny finally told us what had happened to her in the past few days.

Xu Zhijun anticipated that her condition was not good, so he drove from Jining City to see her.

He spoke frankly, and Lu Xiyan looked at him with a smile, "What misunderstanding?"

Hsu Chih-Chun is a psychologist who can clearly understand the underlying meaning in the other person's tone of voice.

It's not just about asking questions.

It also carries the implication of asserting sovereignty.

"Mr. Lu doesn't think An Ning is with me, does he?"

Lu Xiyan raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

Xu Zhijun looked at the tea in the cup in front of him and smiled gently. "My relationship with her is not what Mr. Lu thinks. I am her doctor and she is my patient, nothing more."

"A patient?" Lu Xiyan frowned slightly, suddenly remembering that Xu Zhijun was a psychologist. "You mean, An Ning is mentally ill?"

"Is she here now?" Xu Zhijun asked seriously. "May I check on her first?"

......

In the bedroom late at night, a dim floor lamp was lit, making the person on the bed look even more haggard and pale, with hardly any color in their face.

Xu Zhijun sat on the edge of the bed and gently pulled An Ning's fair and slender wrist.

Just as he was about to lift his head, Lu Xiyan reached out his hand.

He remained silent, his eyes sweeping across the room like a lion protecting its prey.

Xu Zhijun smiled and said, "Let me take your pulse."

"Mr. Xu is not only a psychologist, but also a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner?" Lu Xiyan was skeptical, but did not stop him further.

"I've learned a little." Xu Zhijun felt An Ning's pulse, his eyes falling on her haggard face, his expression slightly somber.

A dozen seconds passed, and he still hadn't let go of her hand.

Lu Xiyan frowned and pulled An Ning's hand away, hiding it under the thin blanket.

"What's the problem?" he asked.

Xu Zhijun stood up. "Let's talk downstairs."

After coming downstairs, Xu Zhijun sat back in the same spot, picked up the slightly cooled tea, took a few sips, and pondered for a moment. His expression was no longer as composed as when he first arrived.

After a long pause, he looked at Lu Xiyan and asked, "Mr. Lu, are you familiar with the term 'damaged heart vessels' in Traditional Chinese Medicine?"

Lu Xiyan frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Traditional Chinese medicine says that a person lives actively because of a strong will in their heart, but this will dissipate. When a person has gone through a period of great pain and setbacks, it may seem like they have overcome the hurdle, but in fact, subconsciously, a part of them has died, and that will dissipate."

He looked at Lu Xiyan's tightly furrowed brows and said, "Damage to the heart meridian can be understood as a person experiencing great sorrow, pain, setbacks, illnesses, or any insurmountable obstacle, which will damage their heart meridian."

Lu Xiyan asked, "You mean, that's how Anning is?"

"That's right." Xu Zhijun nodded. "A person whose heart meridian is damaged has their vital energy and spirit depleted. She doesn't like socializing, doesn't like going out, and often feels exhausted, as if all her strength has been drained. She has no aspirations for life, or even any goals. Such a person is just hanging on by a thread."

"This feeling might be related to a person or a thing. So she has to work hard, live, and struggle for someone or something, but in reality, she is already very, very, very tired."

He gave a bitter smile. "A good spirit is a very elusive thing. Once it's gone, it's hard to get it back up. She seems to have let go, let go, become indifferent, and moved on, but in reality, her heart has withered."

Lu Xiyan frowned. "How can we make her better? By giving her medicine?"

"Medicine?" Xu Zhijun's tone was somewhat mocking. "Hasn't she taken enough medicine already? Do you even know what the real cure is?"

He looked at Lu Xiyan, "The only medicine for her is the one that makes her happy."

"Mr. Lu, you are the cure for her illness. It started because of you, and only you can cure it!"

Xu Zhijun's voice rose slightly, sounding a little excited.

Lu Xiyan's breath hitched, somewhat taken aback.

Xu Zhijun chuckled and looked at Lu Xiyan, "Let me use a Western medical term to describe it: damage to the heart meridian is also called—depression."

"Mr. Lu, are you aware that Anning suffers from severe depression and has a history of self-destructive tendencies?"