During the waiting period, Xiao Yanzhi unconsciously smoked a lot of cigarettes.
It wasn't until two hours later, as the doctor had said, that he went upstairs again. At that moment, the door of the psychological consultation room happened to open.
Jiang Li followed the doctor out. Obviously, she still felt a bit dizzy. After learning the examination results, her current mood was indescribable.
It turned out that she really was ill.
"Sir, the information you provided before was correct," the doctor said, nodding at Xiao Yanzhi when he saw him coming over. "According to the diagnosis just now, Miss Jiang does show signs of bipolar disorder and needs medication."
Hearing this answer, there was not much surprise on Xiao Yanzhi's face. The calmness between his eyebrows and eyes made it seem as if everything was within his expectation.
Listening to their conversation, Jiang Li felt a bit dazed.
What did he mean by the information provided before?
During the conversation between Jiang Li and the doctor just now, she also learned that this psychological counseling institution was very authoritative. If one wanted to come for a consultation, they had to make an appointment three working days in advance.
But she had only agreed on a whim. How could she have made an appointment?
Filled with doubts, Jiang Li followed behind Xiao Yanzhi. Watching him go through the procedures of getting the medicine and paying, she had an indescribable feeling.
It was as if he really cared about her.
When they got back in the car, Jiang Li seemed to gather her courage before asking, "Xiao Yanzhi, did you make an appointment for me at this psychological counseling center in advance?"
Xiao Yanzhi frowned slightly and admitted, "Yes. So what?"
Jiang Li was stunned. "How did you guess that there was something wrong with my mental state?"
This question sounded like a joke to Xiao Yanzhi. He curled his lips mockingly. "A normal person wouldn't have reacted the way you did that night after suffering a blow and trauma."
"So how would a normal person react?"
"They would cry, make a fuss, and vent their emotions."
Xiao Yanzhi curled his lips and looked at her. "They definitely wouldn't run around aimlessly and, without knowing what they were doing at all, be bent on seeking death."
It seemed that his analysis made a lot of sense.
Jiang Li gradually fell silent. She sat obediently on one side of the car and said nothing.
Xiao Yanzhi sat beside her without disturbing her.
She needed time to digest this fact.
The driver drove steadily. Just as the car was about to turn into the urban area of Huacheng, Jiang Li suddenly turned her head and impulsively made a request. "Can we go for a walk? The weather is really nice today."
Xiao Yanzhi raised his hand to check the time. It was almost six o'clock.
"Are you hungry?"
Jiang Li shook her head and said seriously, "I'd rather go for a walk first."
She paused for a moment and added, "Somewhere less crowded."
She still remembered what Sister Chen had told her. She had to be more stable recently and not cause any more trouble.
Xiao Yanzhi only thought for a second before instructing the driver, "Drive towards the national highway in the west of the city."
The evening breeze in Huacheng was very cool, especially in the suburbs. It carried the fragrance of flowers, making it natural and refreshing.
When the car reached a deserted area, Xiao Yanzhi told the driver to wait there. He accompanied her on a walk along the deserted road.
The long road seemed to have no end in sight. Occasionally, a few cars passed by them, bringing gusts of wind and the occasional honking sound.
In the distance, the setting sun was starting to sink behind the mountains. It was so red that it seemed to burn the connected clouds. After looking at it for a long time, one's eyes would even experience a temporary visual pause.
Jiang Li walked with her head down, and Xiao Yanzhi followed her at a moderate distance.
He suddenly had an impulse to hold her hand and walk with her.
Xiao Yanzhi felt a bit hot from walking. He raised his hand to unbutton his suit and draped it over his arm, looking at the figure in front of him.
She seemed to be in a fit of pique with someone and walked on as if there was no one else around.
She didn't know how long she had walked when she suddenly stopped.
There was hardly anyone around. Below the road was a Gobi Desert, looking extremely desolate and lonely.
It was empty.
She lowered her head and, like a child, kicked the small stones at her feet under the road. The small stones rolled down the slope until they disappeared from sight.
She turned around and looked at Xiao Yanzhi, who had been following her. "I never thought I would get such an illness. How could I be ill?"
Xiao Yanzhi just looked at her.
"The doctor told me that it was because I had been suppressing my emotions for a long time, which led to mental problems," Jiang Li murmured with her head down. "He said I should learn to cry, make a fuss, and vent my emotions."
"The crying children get the candy, but I've tried. It didn't work."
Jiang Li looked up at Xiao Yanzhi, who was a head taller than her, blinking. "Even if I cried as loudly as I could, no one would come to hug me, comfort me, or give me candy."
"They would say, 'You're the elder sister. How can you keep crying?' 'Don't be so weepy, you're a girl.' 'Girls are just a burden.' 'If you keep crying, get out of this house.'"
As she was speaking, a tear dropped from her eye. "But sometimes they would still call me Lili and say I was their good daughter and their pride."
She craved love so much.
So she polished herself in a sensible way, trying to become the kind of person everyone liked, thinking that she could get love in return.
Under the setting sun, the man in his shirt and suit pants looked extremely noble and elegant. He just stood in front of her, listening attentively to her confession.
Jiang Li put her hand on her face, and tears overflowed from between her fingers. "I thought I had worked hard enough. Why doesn't life give me a break?"
After learning that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, her first reaction was that this illness would affect her career and her whole life.
Just as Xiao Yanzhi had said, no production crew would accept an actor with a mental illness, and no brand would want a celebrity with a stigma.
It was just too risky.
Xiao Yanzhi looked at her with a meaningful look in his eyes. "Have you ever thought that the problem doesn't lie with you?"
There was no superfluous emotion in his eyes. "I mean, there are some people you can never please in your life."
Jiang Li looked blank.
"Some people just don't love you by nature and just despise and detest you. No matter how much you do, in their eyes, it's just groveling and seems like you're begging for mercy."
Hearing this, Jiang Li's heart skipped a beat.
So, was Xiao Yanzhi the same?
Did he not love her by nature and just despise and detest her?
Xiao Yanzhi paused for a moment and then said calmly, "Instead of trying to please others, you'd better try to please yourself."
"How can I please myself?"
"Accept the fact that you're not loved and your so - called pride."
Hearing this, Jiang Li curled her lips and gave a self - deprecating smile.
"But I don't have anything else except this."