At 3 a.m., the landmines in front of the station

"You're already helping him up."

"..."

Jiang Nai was horrified to discover that Su Che was incredibly light at that moment.

Like a feather, or a puzzle piece that could break at any moment.

His body had very little muscle; he was completely unhealthy and sickly.

He meant that he couldn't walk anymore, and even with his support, he had lost the ability to move. This was clearly not a joke.

—[It seems he's experiencing a somatization episode.]

"I... let's go sit over there!"

Jiang Nai looked around and immediately spotted the phone booth she had just passed nearby.

"That place is nice. There's even a seat inside. Let's go and rest for a while."

Using all her strength, she supported his body and struggled to carry him, who could not see the road clearly, to the phone booth.

"It's a familiar place."

Su Che slumped in the chair, looking at the dim light on the pavilion roof, feeling the cramped space of less than one square meter around him, and a twisted sense of security arose within him.

"Xiao Che, your condition is so serious, why didn't you tell me sooner? Why did you insist on playing in the band with them? This... this shouldn't have happened."

Jiang Nai felt a little flustered.

Although I had long suspected that he might not be in good health

But in his current state, he probably hasn't even seen the other cats he lives with, let alone himself.

Outside the pavilion, the two women inside the black Lexus were also startled by this scene.

"Sister Ningning, what happened to A-Che! Was he poisoned by Teacher Jiang Jiang?"

"...Nonsense, he didn't eat or drink anything she gave him, how could he be poisoned?"

Ning Ye shook his head helplessly and said based on his judgment, "He's having a symptom flare-up. I know he sometimes gets confused, but I didn't expect it to be this serious."

"symptom……"

Yuan Xiao's face was full of worry. Upon hearing these two words, she immediately reacted, "Oh right! I accompanied him to the hospital a while ago! But the doctor said he wasn't sick, and he himself said he was much better! But..."

The child didn't quite understand.

Recalling the events of that day, he wondered if Ah Che had encountered a quack doctor.

Ning Ye seemed to be deep in thought:

"The course of his illness can change depending on his surrounding environment."

When he worked at my shop before, he lived a simple life, going between home, work, and home every day. He didn't have many worries, except for occasionally showing off his suppressed emo. His condition was stable.

But ever since he met you and the other stray cats… he probably couldn't take it anymore. I suspect a relapse is inevitable, but he's holding on while he's at the shop.”

"...What...what can we do? How can we help him? Is there any effective treatment for this disease?"

Children think too simply, believing that to cure an illness, one must take medicine, and that taking medicine will cure the illness.

Little did they know that many intractable diseases in the world have no cure.

Faced with the situation not far away, Ning Ye thought for a moment, and, uncertainly, gave a subjective answer—

"Yes. But it might be... very cruel."

"Huh? What is it?"

"All mental illnesses often stem from cluttered and disordered thoughts. The most direct way to alleviate his somatic symptoms is to make him forget that he is in pain, and to completely deprive him of his attention—"

Her words were a bit difficult to understand, and Yuan Xiao only vaguely comprehended them.

However, the child's conclusion left Ning Ye with a rather interesting expression...

"In other words, he has too many choices, and if someone could lock him up and make him behave, he might not be so miserable, right?! So this is what Teacher Jiang is going to do with him tonight?"

……

……

Chapter 127 Even if you want to do something, I'm powerless to fight back, right?

Su Che took a short rest and managed to recover some of his energy.

Supported by Jiang Nai, they walked slowly towards home.

Her home is not far away; it's located in the central area of ​​Riverside Street.

However, given Su Che's condition, it would be difficult for him to even walk 500 meters home without being carried.

Then, Ning Ye appeared with Yuan Xiao, saying he would drive them back.

Seeing this, Jiang Nai knew that tonight's plan was going to fall through.

After all, his physical condition is very poor, and forcing him to take something would probably not be effective.

It's better to treat him gently, take good care of him, alleviate his problems first, and then leave a good impression. There's plenty of time in the future.

"Okay, then thank you for your hard work."

After weighing the pros and cons, she accepted Ning Ye's offer.

As a result, two more people came to visit our home.

-

……

As a professional makeup artist, Jiang Nai is not short of money, and her teacher's wife will help her solve any financial needs.

Therefore, the apartment she rented was a 60-square-meter one-bedroom apartment in the style of the All Seasons Hotel, which cost 9000 yuan a month. It was the perfect size for one person.

"Wow! Teacher Jiang, your house looks like a hotel... What's that big round purple balloon? Can you sit on it?"

"Don't ask, little kids."

Jiang Nai opened the door and led everyone into the house, where Yuan Xiao immediately noticed the strange arrangement.

A fully equipped vanity, an oddly shaped sofa chair, and a pink chewing gum box peeking out from under the pillow.

And the transparent bottles and jars that were faintly visible in the drawer.

Children don't really understand, so they're just curious at most.

But Ning Ye was a mature woman after all, and she understood at a glance what kind of big thing Jiang Nai had planned.

"We've dropped the person off, we'll sit for a bit and then leave."

She had no intention of interfering with the succubus's plans, but she needed to confirm whether Su Che's body could withstand such a major ordeal.

Otherwise, if we get ruined and can't go to work the day after tomorrow, what will we do?

"No rush, Xiaoye, it's alright to have a cup of tea."

Jiang Nai exchanged a few polite words.

She wasn't opposed to the arrival of outsiders, after all, she knew that Ning Ye was the proprietress of Ye Ling, and thus Su Che's superior.

Yuan Xiao was even more special; he was his prized apprentice and also his bandmate. Such a relationship would be quite formidable anywhere.

If we can take this opportunity to obtain more information, it will be beneficial to us.

"Please sit here for a while, I'll go help him back to his room and then make you some water."

As she spoke, she led Su Che into the bedroom, took off his coat and pants, and tucked him into her soft blankets.

Jiang Nai's boudoir follows an extremely minimalist style, with a black and gray color scheme that perfectly matches Su Che's aesthetic.

In daily life, I try to declutter as much as possible.

Don't buy unnecessary things or acquire unnecessary items. This will help you throw away less stuff when you move, reducing internal friction and anxiety.

"Xiao Che, you should rest for a while. If you get sleepy, just go to sleep. It's okay. I'll come back to keep you company after I finish entertaining the guests."

She whispered something in his ear.

After confirming that he was too sleepy to respond, she turned around with peace of mind, raised her bare arm, and turned off the light.

It seems that not drinking today can achieve even more noticeable results than a hangover.

She sighed at the numerous wounds on his body, then returned to the hall to boil water.

The apartment has a living room, a bedroom, and a bathroom, but no kitchen because cooking is not allowed in the apartment building.

Jiang Nai took out cold brew coffee from the refrigerator and simply prepared two cups of iced coffee for the two women sitting on the sofa.

"Didn't we agree to make tea...?"

It was 1 a.m., and Ning Ye looked at the cold brew with a troubled expression.

"Sorry, we're out of tea leaves at home, just some small drinks to keep us alert. Please don't mind."

Jiang Nai smiled but didn't explain further.

Yuan Xiao accepted all offers without hesitation, immediately taking the cup and toasting.

"Little Yuanxiao, if you drink this, your eyes will stay wide open like copper bells until dawn," Sister Ningning warned.

"It's okay! I'll practice the piano when I get home anyway! It won't affect anything!"

The child was quite honest; he gulped down half the cup in one go and exclaimed how delicious it was.

Jiang Nai also came over with an iced glass, took a small sip with her, and then sat down opposite her on the sofa with her worried expression still unchanged.

"Xiao Yuanxiao, Xiao Ye, did you already know about his problems?"

She glanced back at the dark room, then, still uneasy, steered the conversation back to business.

"Yes, when he first started working at my shop, he was able to pretend to be a normal person. I didn't expect that he would break down in less than half a year."

Ning Ye sighed softly and glanced into the inner room:

“Once I saw him behind the bar holding a strip of medicine and hesitating. He stared at the pills for a long time, and then stared at the instructions for a long time, as if he was struggling with whether or not to take them… In the end, he chose not to take them.”

"..."