After Zhao Yicheng followed the man in white into the psychological treatment room and began the session, Xu Yinsheng returned to her usual indifferent self.
She casually found a seat, took out the phone she had stealthily taken from Zhao Yicheng’s pocket, and started playing games.
About half an hour later, just as Xu Yinsheng was getting really into her game, the door of the treatment room opened from the inside.
Zhao Yicheng came out holding a stack of Sudoku puzzles, his expression neutral, and in Xu Yinsheng’s reluctant gaze, he took back the phone.
“Family member, please come in. I have a few words to say.”
The voice of the man in white came through the door, still as cold and clear as water.
Inside the psychological treatment room, the walls were simple and clean.
On one wall hung a single painting with calligraphy.
There were two chairs facing each other, a black nanmu wood desk with several stacks of files, a small potted shrub, a beckoning cat figurine, and a blue-and-white cat lying listlessly on the desk.
The man in white wore a neat white suit, a gentle smile on his face, radiating strong approachability.
As Xu Yinsheng took her seat, the man in white placed a document in front of her and said, “Family members sign here. This outlines the patient’s medication sources and usage; everything is legal and compliant.”
He paused, then continued, “Next, let’s talk about the patient’s specific condition.”
Having been burned before by shady part-time work, Xu Yinsheng carefully examined the document and, once certain everything was correct, finally took up the pen.
She instinctively wrote the character “讠,” then quickly crossed it out and signed with three big characters: “Mu Wanqing.”
She understood the principle—if you’re going to put on a show, you might as well go all out.
After taking the signed papers, the man in white smiled even more warmly.
He rolled up his left sleeve and began petting the limp cat on the desk, asking about Zhao Yicheng’s recent behavior: whether he showed any violent tendencies, if he often locked himself alone in his room, or if he became abnormally fixated on certain things.
Xu Yinsheng answered honestly.
After a round of questions, the man in white sometimes frowned, sometimes relaxed, his pen stopping and starting as he filled the notebook with notes.
He closed the notebook.
“All right, Mrs. Mu, your husband’s condition is gradually improving. However, considering his line of work, I suggest you both find ways to relax more—play some golf, go hiking, enjoy some sexual activity, and so on.”
“He’ll need to stay indoors for a few days. If anything abnormal happens during that time, you can contact me.”
He handed Xu Yinsheng a slip of paper with his phone number written on it.
Xu Yinsheng took it.
Next, the man in white handed over the psychiatric medications he had already packed.
But just as she was about to leave with the medicine, Zhao Yicheng, who had been doing Sudoku outside the door, suddenly called the man in white out alone.
They seemed to be discussing something, but Xu Yinsheng couldn’t hear through the walls.
Judging by their posture, they weren’t planning to come back anytime soon.
Xu Yinsheng turned her gaze to the blue-and-white lethargic cat on the desk.
“Yanqing Cat, do you remember me?”
Xu Yinsheng lifted her hand and lightly tapped the cat’s forehead.
This was the same cat on the island that had secretly relayed messages to her.
When she had reentered the manor, it was this cat that had found the secret cat hole for her.
“Meow~”
The Yanqing Cat glanced at her listlessly, then dropped its head again, looking utterly dejected.
For the first time, Xu Yinsheng felt such a humanlike sadness coming from a cat.
She knew this was the result of her own future self’s involvement—more elegantly put, “an immortal caressing my head, sealing me with eternal life”; more straightforwardly, the specialized term from fantasy novels: “enlightenment.”
“Little one, it’s me—the big sister from the island last time.”
“Meow~”
“Little one.”
Finally, gazing at Yanqing Cat’s inexplicable lethargy, Xu Yinsheng made up her mind.
She picked up the blue-and-white cat from the desk and went into the bathroom inside the psychological treatment room.
After confirming there were no surveillance cameras inside, she locked the door and enclosed both herself and the cat.
Xu Yinsheng reached up and rubbed the top of her head—and instantly, a pair of white cat ears popped out!
She placed Yanqing Cat on the washbasin and gently tapped its forehead again.
“Little one, can you understand what I’m saying?”
“Familiar scent… it really is the big sister.”
Yanqing Cat, previously so listless, suddenly became livelier upon seeing the pair of cat ears atop Xu Yinsheng’s head.
Its fluffy tail wagged excitedly behind it.
“Yanqing, what happened just now?”
Xu Yinsheng asked with concern.
A cat with self-awareness, connected to her future self.
Xu Yinsheng couldn’t help but care deeply.
Though she had seen her future self’s intimidating, wife-like demeanor, what if—just what if—there was a backup plan?
What if she could turn things around?
What if she wouldn’t repeat past mistakes?
As if hurt by the question, Yanqing Cat lowered its head and resumed its previous listless state.
After Xu Yinsheng’s repeated coaxing and comfort, it let out a few sobs, as if it had finally found an outlet for its emotions, and immediately buried its head in Xu Yinsheng’s arms.
“Wuwu~ Teacher doesn’t love me anymore~”
“Teacher doesn’t love me anymore~”
“Teacher has changed~”
“Not the way he used to love me~”
It cried so heartbreakingly that the tears flowed freely and endlessly.
Honestly, this was the first time Xu Yinsheng had ever seen a cat cry.
The last time she saw an animal shed tears was in a movie promotion, where a little black dog sat in the audience with tearful eyes.
She had no idea how the directors got the dog to cry on cue.
“Did your teacher abuse you?”
Xu Yinsheng comforted the sobbing cat in her arms.
As someone who appreciated cute things, she simply couldn’t resist adorable creatures.
“Wawa~ Teacher said I’m naughty and put a collar on me, wuwu~”
Yanqing Cat sobbed, face downcast and tearful.
“I’m no longer the free and happy Yanqing Cat I used to be.”
“That’s it.”
Xu Yinsheng was somewhat speechless.
Even when Zhao Yicheng locked her in a cat cage, imprisoned her, and forced her into submission, she never cried this much.
Now just wearing a collar, and this cat was wailing as if life itself had ended.
Cats’ stress tolerance had clearly plummeted.
After crying for a while, Yanqing Cat suddenly looked up at Xu Yinsheng, its big round eyes blinking adorably, looking utterly pitiful.
“Big sister, can you please speak up for me? Ask teacher to take this collar off.”
“You humans all have your owners who clean your litter, and yours even sends money to my teacher.”
Seeing Xu Yinsheng hesitate, Yanqing Cat wrapped its tail around her wrist and nuzzled her face, rubbing softly as it spoke in a gentle, pleading tone:
“Please, big sister~”
This trick was undeniably effective—soft, cute boy voice combined with a pitiful expression instantly melted every female heart.
Xu Yinsheng was instantly charmed.
Humans really were all about looks, utterly defenseless against cute creatures.
“I’ll give it a try, but I can’t promise it will definitely work.”
“All right, thank you, big sister.”
Yanqing Cat happily jumped up and planted a kiss on Xu Yinsheng’s cheek, instantly wiping away all tears and smiling.
“By the way, what’s your teacher’s name?”
Xu Yinsheng wiped the spot where the cat had just kissed her and suddenly realized that after all this time knowing the cat’s owner on the island, she still didn’t know his name.
“Meow meow, teacher’s name is Zhang…”
“Yanqing, where did you go?”
Suddenly, a voice called from outside the door.
“If you don’t come quickly, the little fish biscuits will be gone.”
Yanqing Cat’s eyes lit up when it heard “little fish biscuits.”
It jumped three feet high, disregarding Xu Yinsheng, and with a chirp, dashed out through the crack of the door.
Sure enough, cats all love little fish biscuits.