"It's really you! I thought I was seeing things for a moment," the woman said, smiling cheerfully.
Chen Jin responded coolly, "Miss Zhang, hello."
"I've told you so many times, just call me Yun Yi," she replied, still smiling.
"That would be too rude," he said.
Lin Wan instinctively wanted to pull away from Chen Jin, but then she thought that maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to appear a little closer to him in front of this woman. So, without making it obvious, she subtly moved closer to Chen Jin. He, in turn, cooperated by casually putting his arm around her waist.
Zhang Yun Yi looked at Lin Wan and asked, "Who is this young lady?"
Chen Jin introduced briefly, "Her name is Lin Wan."
"Hello, Miss Lin, I'm Zhang Yun Yi, Chen Jin's…" she glanced at him, but he just stared ahead, expressionless. She chuckled and continued, "Good friend."
The pause and the awkward glance were more than enough to convey the message. Lin Wan smiled and said, "Hello."
Chen Jin, already losing his patience, responded dismissively, "You're busy, we'll leave now."
"Wait a moment, my uncle just had stomach surgery and is hospitalized here. I came to pick up some medicine for him. Would you like to come with me to check on him?"
"I wasn't prepared today, but I'll visit him tomorrow," Chen Jin replied.
"Well then, we'll see each other another time," Zhang Yun Yi said with understanding, and even made sure to say goodbye to Lin Wan.
Chen Jin, still holding Lin Wan's hand, led her through the lobby like a child, out through the revolving door. As soon as they stepped outside, Lin Wan immediately pulled her hand away. Chen Jin scoffed, "Done with the act? Want to stick close to me, and then just pull away whenever? Do you think I'm just a backdrop here?"
Lin Wan ignored him and walked ahead briskly. She nearly bumped into a chubby man coming toward her. Chen Jin grabbed her arm and bent down to say, "Watch where you're going. Be careful, you might get knocked over. Hey, look at the steps."
Lin Wan was irritated by his exaggerated actions. She felt like a frog that had been pulled from the warm water and tossed into hot oil, doomed to suffer a painful and tragic death. After they got into the car, she asked, "Was that your fiancée just now?"
Chen Jin, carefully reversing the car, didn't hear her clearly and asked, "Huh? What did you say?"
Lin Wan figured he was just brushing it off and muttered with disdain, "New love, old love, like a revolving door."
Chen Jin heard her this time, and with a slight chuckle, said, "I feel like there's a hint of jealousy in that."
"You're mistaken," Lin Wan rolled her eyes, realizing her words were poorly timed.
Chen Jin smirked, unconcerned, and said, "Love, love, whatever. I've got nothing to do with either of them."
"Chen Jin, before you get married, let me go. I don't want to be a mistress."
"Then if I never get married, does that mean you won't need to be let go?"
"…"
Lin Wan turned her gaze back to the window, not wanting to speak to him anymore. After a moment, she suddenly felt something was off and asked suspiciously, "Where are we going?"
"You'll know when we get there."
Lin Wan gave up on asking further, thinking it didn't matter where they were headed—heaven or hell, either, was fine at this point. But as the car turned several corners and stopped at an office building, she grew uneasy. She turned to look at the man beside her, her caution returning.
Chen Jin was also watching her, his gaze calm as water. After a brief silence, he asked, "Wan Wan, do you want to leave?"
Without hesitation, Lin Wan nodded.
"Alright, I'll let you go."
Lin Wan doubted her ears—how could he possibly be so kind? Then she heard him say, "But not right now." The flicker of hope in her heart instantly extinguished.
"Wan Wan, when you can be free depends on you."
"What do you mean?"
"Once you're well, I'll let you go."
"You… know?"
Chen Jin nodded, "So I can't let you go right now…"
"I'm fine." Lin Wan interrupted him, her voice a little agitated. "Once you let me go, I'll be fine."
Chen Jin sighed, "Wan Wan, do you think it's that simple? This isn't just about feeling down, it's depression. You know the severity of it yourself. You haven't really contacted your friends recently, have you? You haven't been to the Wang family's place either. You're afraid of them finding out about your condition, but by closing yourself off like this, it will only get worse…"
"Stop talking." Lin Wan raised her hand to cover her head, then her ears, her emotions spiraling out of control. Chen Jin, heartbroken, reached out to comfort her, but she pulled back, pressing herself against the car door, her head lowered as if shutting her eyes and ears would make her feel safer.
Chen Jin sighed and tried to gently coax her, "Wan Wan, don't be afraid. Actually, depression isn't the end of the world. If you open your heart, cooperate with treatment, and leave the rest to me... If you don't want to talk to Dr. Li, I can find someone else for you…"
Lin Wan ignored him, reaching for the car door. But it had already been locked by Chen Jin. Left with no other options, she slapped the door, then the window, frustration boiling over. Unable to watch her anymore, Chen Jin leaned over, pulled her into his arms, and said loudly, "Wan Wan, calm down. If you want me to let go of you, you first have to prove you can live independently…"
Lin Wan struggled fiercely in his embrace, shouting, "You're a liar! You don't want to let me go, you bastard…"
Chen Jin held her tightly, "Yes, I'm a bastard. So you have to defeat me. And that depression of yours? It's a bastard too, and you have to defeat it."
She wriggled in his arms like a wild animal, and Chen Jin, feeling exhausted, remembered the old saying: "Crazy people have great strength." It made him feel even more heartbroken. He grabbed Lin Wan's hand, holding it tightly with one hand, while using the other to gently lift her face to make her look at him. "Wan Wan, don't avoid it. Even if I let you go, you won't be truly free unless you face it—just like you're facing me right now."
Lin Wan finally quieted down, staring at his face. Chen Jin asked softly, "Am I scared now?"
He didn't know what expression he was wearing, but it wasn't one of fear, because his hardened heart had long been softened into a pile of mush. Once his heart softened, his face could no longer stay cold.
Lin Wan pursed her lips, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, like she wanted to cry but stubbornly refused. Chen Jin felt that mushy feeling in his heart dissolve into water, and with a bitter smile, he said, "I know you're a brave girl, so I know you can beat this, right?"
Seeing her lower her eyelids, his voice grew even softer, tinged with encouragement, "Now, let's take the first step, okay?"
Lin Wan didn't refuse. Finally, Chen Jin opened the car door, got out, and pulled her hand as they walked into the building. Lin Wan walked slowly, but he didn't rush her. They finally reached Dr. Li's consultation room door. Lin Wan stopped, turned to him, and asked, "Are you serious?"
Chen Jin, seeing her finally calm down, secretly let out a sigh of relief. He reached up and adjusted her disheveled hair, then said seriously, "Yes, I rarely show compassion, so you better seize the opportunity."
Lin Wan didn't reply. She simply pushed open the door and walked in.