The doctor's surname was Lu, and he had worked for Luyu for many years. Even though it was late at night, Dr. Lu was still very dedicated and came to the door in person. He gave Chen Fu a simple examination, while Lu Xiaomi stood aside with her arms crossed, waiting.
"It's nothing serious."
This result finally relieved Lu Xiaomi's tense nerves. Dr. Lu, Chen Fu, hadn't been resting well lately and had been worrying too much. She had just been too emotional and had a nosebleed. It wasn't a serious illness; she just needed a few days of rest and to calm down, and she would recover completely.
A knot in one's heart.
Lu Xiaomi chewed on those two words with frustration. Of course, she knew Chen Fu had a knot in her heart, but she really couldn't figure out what that knot was. Chen Fu had heard all the torment and harassment over the years; logically, nothing should be able to break her.
She wanted to ask Dr. Lu if Chen Fu needed to see a psychologist, but when she turned around, she found Dr. Lu playing happily with 0413. The little white fox, usually very outgoing, was terrified of Dr. Lu at first sight, trying to squeeze into the gap in the sofa. Dr. Lu grabbed its tail to stop it from running away and pulled it firmly back into his palm.
"Need not."
Upon hearing this, Dr. Lu smiled faintly and said that it hadn't reached the point where she needed to see a psychologist; he could just spend more time with her.
"However, if you want Chen Fu to recover faster, it would be best to send this little guy away first."
As if she understood what Dr. Lu said, 0413 immediately cried out in fear and pain.
The scene before them suddenly became eerie. Dr. Lu seemed to be speaking with a hidden meaning, and Lu Xiaomi asked him suspiciously why.
Dr. Lu smiled and pinched 0413's pointed lips.
"Patients need to rest quietly, and keeping a living creature around them would probably be too noisy."
*
It was already midnight when Dr. Lu left. Before leaving, Dr. Lu prescribed some basic sedatives for Chen Fu. He advised Lu Xiaomi that it would be best to take Chen Fu to the hospital, since he was not as authoritative as the doctors specializing in psychiatry at the hospital.
Lu Xiaomi thanked her and nodded in agreement. Chen Fu was already fast asleep in bed. Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, Lu Xiaomi's heart suddenly softened.
She hugged Chen Fu, holding her waist and speaking softly. She asked what was wrong, what had happened, and why she was unhappy. She had subtly inquired with several of Chen Fu's assistants, and they all told her that Chen Fu's work had been going smoothly lately and that she hadn't encountered anything unpleasant.
0413 nestled at her feet and slowly moved closer. Lu Xiaomi carried it to the guest room.
"What exactly has Chen Fu been through recently?"
The gloomy mystery weighed heavily on her, making it hard to breathe. Lu Xiaomi sat wearily on the ground, and 0413 broke free from her embrace, jumped onto the bed, and licked the white fur on its paws.
The fox cub replied dismissively, "How would I know about such things? My God-like perspective is too advanced for me to access." Lu Xiaomi grabbed its tail and pinned it to the bed. As the pressure increased, 0413 finally cried out in pain, "I'll tell you! I'll tell you, okay?"
"0505 knows much more than I do..."
0413's hesitant attitude aroused Lu Xiaomi's suspicion. She pulled the fox cub into her arms and asked in confusion what this had to do with 0505.
"It's nothing..."
Seeing that it was about to lose its way, the fox cub wriggled its big tail sheepishly and said that 0505's authority was much higher than its own, so 0505 could freely activate its God-like perspective.
“Host, if you really want to know, I can arrange for 0505 to meet with you.”
0413 put on a fawning smile.
Lu Xiaomi felt that 0413's words were incoherent and untrustworthy. Just as she was about to investigate further, she heard a soft rustling sound coming from inside the room.
The person in the master bedroom had disappeared. Chen Fu had woken up at some point. Lu Xiaomi followed the folds of the carpet to look for her. Chen Fu leaned against the huge floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, quietly looking out the window.
Lu Xiaomi threw away the 0413 in her hand and slowly walked to her side.
*
"Why don't you go to sleep?"
Her hesitant question went unanswered, and Chen Fu stared intently at the scene outside the window. It was 3:30 a.m., and the deep winter night was always exceptionally long, so the view outside the window remained a somber, dark expanse.
Lu Xiaomi followed Chen Fu's gaze and looked out the window. Chen Fu's apartment was on a high floor in a great location. From the large floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, one could see most of Weicheng in the distance. The city at night was not as drowsy as Lu Xiaomi had imagined. On the contrary, thanks to the constantly flashing lights, everything in the city continued in an orderly manner.
Chen Fu pointed out the window and said, "Look at these streets, they look just like a big net when they're put together."
Indeed, countless lights form a giant net, and the city, built of steel and concrete, is a silent, trapped beast beneath it, with everyone living within it held captive by this net.
No one can escape it.
Chen Fu said.
Her surging emotions made her smile wide, her body trembling uncontrollably. Chen Fu laughed hysterically, saying, "Whether it's you or me, no one can escape it."
"Give up, all of you, none of us can escape."
Chapter 33 CP33
These words, along with Chen Fu's expression, were deeply etched into Lu Xiaomi's heart.
She rarely saw Chen Fu lose her temper. Shock and shock left her frozen in place. After a three-second silent stare at Chen Fu, Lu Xiaomi immediately grabbed Chen Fu's arm and dragged her to the room. She pulled out her phone and frantically dialed her contacts—there was no way to find a therapist available at this hour. Chen Fu's hysterical emotions had also affected Lu Xiaomi. She held Chen Fu's hands down and pressed her firmly onto the bed.
Lu Yu has extensive connections in Weicheng, and each number has a detailed note about the owner's family background and profession. Previously, Lu Xiaomi would only marvel at these numbers, but now she skillfully searches for numbers that can help.
She didn't know the relationship between the number owner and Lu Yu, so she could only imitate Lu Yu's tone and exchange pleasantries with the group one by one, and then subtly get to the point, asking them if they knew if there were any psychologists in Weicheng who could come to her home at this time.
The request was rather demanding. Lu Xiaomi made several calls, but all she received were negative answers. She frantically fiddled with her phone with one hand when suddenly a soft sob came from beneath her.
Chen Fu's expression had returned to normal at some point, two lines of tears streaming down her face and onto her neck, her disheveled hair clinging to her cheeks. She looked at Lu Xiaomi through teary eyes, as if waking from a dream.
She said it hurt.
"it hurts..."
Tears mingled with strands of hair, clinging to her face. The bedroom light was on full blast, making Chen Fu's tearful eyes appear even more shimmering. Her nightmarish, murky emotions vanished, and she seemed to have no recollection of what had just happened. She softly asked Lu Xiaomi why she had been holding her down like that.
Lu Xiaomi froze on the spot. The hands binding Chen Fu instantly loosened, and sure enough, a deep red mark was left on Chen Fu's wrist, starkly visible against her porcelain-white skin. Lu Xiaomi felt a pang of heartache, inwardly cursing herself for being so cruel.
The bedroom lights were finally dimmed to a warm yellow, and the tense atmosphere softened as the lights went out. The phone screen showed that it was four in the morning. Lu Xiaomi wearily pressed the power button and pondered why things had developed to this point.
*
The next morning, Lu Xiaomi made an appointment with a psychologist, but Chen Fu refused to go to the hospital or see the doctor no matter what. Lu Xiaomi could only relay Chen Fu's situation to her. Since the doctor had not seen the patient in person, he could not make a direct diagnosis. He only said that Chen Fu was very likely suffering from anxiety caused by excessive stress, and if possible, he could take her away from her current environment, the farther away the better.
Lu Xiaomi nodded slightly and said, "I understand."
Chen Fu's current condition does not allow her to continue working, so all of her work has to be put on hold. Lu Xiaomi also considered taking Chen Fu away from Weicheng to another place to relax, but the current conditions do not give her the right to be willful—the brand that stood her up is constantly arguing with the legal department, and the project that Lu Xiaomi is following up on has officially entered a bottleneck period.
The doctor's advice was that the situation had to be postponed indefinitely. Lu Xiaomi was worried about leaving Chen Fu alone at home, so she asked her assistant to help take care of her. Chen Fu's condition fluctuated; when she was in good condition, she was no different from before, but when she was in bad condition, she could only fall asleep with the help of Dr. Lu's sedatives.
Chen Fu's unhealthy emotions also affected Lu Xiaomi, who became irritable and easily angered. She would lock herself in her office in frustration whenever things didn't go her way at work. This irritability reduced her work efficiency, forcing her to compensate by staying up late, which made it difficult for her to concentrate in meetings... This gradually created a vicious cycle.
During her breaks, she often leans against the floor-to-ceiling window in her office and looks down. No matter what time of day it is, the city turns silently like a giant gear, with its dense streets forming a vast net that traps and binds everyone inside.
"None of us can escape."
She still remembered Chen Fu's expression when she said those words that day, a mixture of hysteria and bitter helplessness.
Chen Fu is right.
She found herself increasingly able to empathize with Chen Fu's feelings, and coupled with the recent surge in stress, Lu Xiaomi suspected that she might also be suffering from anxiety. Dr. Lu, however, was unimpressed and jokingly remarked that Lu Xiaomi and Chen Fu were truly a match made in heaven, even their thoughts were perfectly aligned.
"Don't overthink it. Chen Fu's emotional outburst was caused by excessive worry. Mental illnesses require a period of accumulation. You haven't experienced any major setbacks before, and your life has always been smooth sailing. Slight stress and anxiety are normal for adults. You are perfectly healthy now."
No, that's not it.
Lu Xiaomi gave a faint "hmm" on the other end of the phone and then hung up.
It's one in the morning. Lu Xiaomi woke up from a nightmare. She dreamt that Chen Fu couldn't think straight and jumped off a building, but she was restricted by the system's OOC (Out of Character) rule and couldn't move. She watched helplessly as Chen Fu died in front of her.
The vividness of the dream terrified Lu Xiaomi. However, such nightmares had been bothering her for quite some time. If nightmares are a common sleep disorder and normal for adults, then what about hallucinations? What are hallucinations?
It's one in the morning. For some reason, the room lights suddenly turned up to their brightest setting, and the quartz clock on the wall suddenly started spinning backward. Lu Xiaomi's phone, tucked under her pillow, rang. Hundreds of calls came in non-stop. Annoyed, she threw back the pillow and saw her secretary's face on the screen. The video call connected automatically. The secretary said, "Ms. Lu, why haven't you arrived at the company yet? The meeting has been going on for ten minutes."
"Today's meeting is particularly important, as you have missed it many times before."
Lu Xiaomi sneered and threw her phone hard onto the ground.
As expected, there was no sound of the screen shattering.
Chen Fu knelt on the ground and steadily caught the phone.
Lu Xiaomi looked at Chen Fu and said lightly, "You've arrived."
*
The person in front of her walked towards her barefoot, step by step. Chen Fu raised her hand and silently returned the phone to Lu Xiaomi.
Lu Xiaomi sat on the bed and after a long while said thank you.
This wasn't the first time she'd seen Chen Fu in her hallucinations. Ever since their last parting, Lu Xiaomi had been extremely worried about Chen Fu, but she was tied up with her own affairs and found it difficult to find time to see her. The unpleasant experience of their separation filled Lu Xiaomi with guilt towards Chen Fu; she dared not see her, afraid that Chen Fu would resent her and look at her with such cold eyes.
Excessive worry and longing caused her to occasionally hallucinate. Sometimes she would see Chen Fu, perhaps in the office, perhaps at home, perhaps right now. Every night after waking up from a nightmare, Chen Fu would gently stroke the top of her head and ask her what was wrong and what had happened.
The person in front of me looked exactly the same as when we first met, with gentle yet firm eyes.
Lu Xiaomi breathed a deep sigh of relief.
"nothing."
She took out the work SIM card from her phone, held it in her hand for a moment, and then casually tossed it into a corner.
"I think we really need to find a time to talk this out privately."
*
Finding time alone together in a busy life is not easy. Chen Fu is currently in the prime of her career, and an indefinite suspension of all work would undoubtedly be a devastating blow to her career. Lu Yu's father also expects his daughter to make a name for herself in the group. If Lu Xiaomi were to quit at this critical juncture, she would certainly face restrictions from both her family and the system.
She racked her brains to find a suitable solution and happened to see a travel reality show. The show had been very popular in previous seasons. The travel format could not only allow Chen Fu to relax, but also ensure her exposure to a certain extent. When the production team learned that Chen Fu was interested in participating, they were very happy to accept it. They did not have any request, but they hoped that Lu Xiaomi could also participate.
For no other reason than that the relationship between artists and their bosses has always been a recurring topic in the Chinese entertainment industry. If Lu Xiaomi and Chen Fu could appear on the same show, it would definitely generate a lot of buzz for the program.
Before Lu Xiaomi could even agree, the matter had already displeased the group. Lu Xiaomi's project wasn't finished yet, and abandoning such a big business to travel and have fun with one of their own artists sounded rather crazy. However, Lu Xiaomi was currently focused on improving her relationship with Chen Fu, so she spared no effort in explaining the benefits of her decision to her father. She said she really enjoyed the entertainment group's operations and that Chen Fu was an artist she greatly admired; these jobs were essentially an investment in her, and this investment would soon yield returns many times over.
Upon closer examination, this statement is riddled with flaws, but it is the best explanation Lu Xiaomi can come up with right now.
Fortunately, her father didn't make things difficult for her. Lu Xiaomi told Chen Fu about her plan and promised to take her to the show if she was willing to control her emotions. Hearing this, Chen Fu finally agreed to see a doctor. With the intervention of medication and counseling, Chen Fu's emotions gradually stabilized.
Lu Xiaomi asked the doctor in detail why Chen Fu suddenly fell ill. The psychologist's answer to her was that Chen Fu had most likely suffered some kind of trauma.
The doctor wasn't entirely sure what the stimulus was.
"Medication and intervention can only improve her current condition. If we want to eradicate her illness, we still need to figure out what exactly triggered her."
The doctor's words left Lu Xiaomi feeling utterly exhausted.
*
The first episode of the show was filmed in an unknown town in Europe. Before the trip officially began, the confirmed guests had a meal together, which served as a preview of the entire season.
Chen Fu had been suffering from illness for some time and had lost a lot of weight. Her cheeks, which had finally gained weight, had become thin again, which made Lu Xiaomi feel very sorry for her.