Chapter 16: Psychosomatic Part 2

“It’s simple. If it’s not a hardware issue, then it’s a software issue.” The doctor turned to Ming Li. “Do you suffer from insomnia?”

“Occasionally,” Ming Li replied.

The doctor followed up, “Do you ever have moments where you suddenly feel like you can’t breathe?”

Ming Li nodded. “Yes.”

The doctor set his pen down. “After the scans, go to the Mental Health Center and book an appointment. This is likely caused by excessive psychological stress. Exercise more, sleep early, wake up early, and maintain a healthy diet. It’s not a major issue. You’re young; your health is your greatest asset. Don’t overthink things.”

Hanxing was stunned. “A mental illness?”

The doctor: “…”

“No,” the doctor paused, explaining patiently. “Well, you could put it that way, but ‘mental illness’ is too broad a term. This is likely a simple case of somatic symptom disorder caused by anxiety. We’ll need the mental health evaluation and the scan results to be sure.”

The doctor remained calm and casual. It was clear from his expression that he didn’t view this as a terminal diagnosis.

Ming Li felt a weight lift from her chest, but Hanxing began muttering the moment they stepped out of the room. “That shouldn’t be right. You look perfectly healthy.”

“If anyone has a problem, it should be me. Between the all-nighters, smoking, drinking, and my chaotic schedule, I’m constantly worried I’ll just drop dead of exhaustion.”

“How are you the one with high stress? Who’s pressuring you? Gu Qingshuang? Damn it! It’s definitely the Gu family.”

“…”

Even with her mask on, Hanxing’s muffled voice didn’t stop her from venting.

Exhausted by the chatter, Ming Li covered Hanxing’s mouth and said with absolute stoicism, “Who in the modern world doesn’t have some sort of mental issue?”

The scan results came back quickly: Ming Li’s ears were perfectly fine.

Once she confirmed there was no physical damage, Ming Li felt inclined to skip the Mental Health Center, but she couldn’t withstand Hanxing’s nagging. “Whether there’s a problem or not, checking will give us peace of mind.”

“Mainly my peace of mind. Do you know how hard it was for me to get leave today? I practically had to get on my knees for the director.”

“It was only because Movie Queen Chun spoke up for me that I could leave. Just do it for me.”

“…”

Defeated by Hanxing’s persistence, Ming Li walked into the psychiatric consultation room with a nervous heart.

The consultation rooms in the Mental Health department were different from the others; they were spacious, cozy offices. Once Ming Li entered, she went through a simple Q&A. Then, the doctor handed her a questionnaire and a pen—and didn’t even spare Hanxing, giving her one as well.

The questions weren’t numerous, and Ming Li finished quickly.

After a while, the doctor kindly asked about her daily life while scribbling on a notepad. Hanxing was anxious for the results, staring at the doctor with wide, expectant eyes. The doctor decided to “deal” with Hanxing first.

“Miss Zhu, have you been suffering from insomnia, frequent dreaming, and waking up easily lately?”

“A bit,” Hanxing admitted. “My job is unique; my days and nights are often flipped.”

“Your psychological state is actually quite good, but you over-prioritize your work, which leads to mild anxiety symptoms,” the doctor said. “Moderate anxiety can drive you to improve, but don’t get too caught up in your career. Simply put: stop stressing so much.”

Hanxing: “…”

“So how do I fix it?” Hanxing asked.

The doctor replied, “My assistant will give you a list of recommendations later. You can follow those.”

Having finished with Hanxing, the doctor looked at Ming Li. There was a brief silence before she spoke. “Miss Ming, your situation is more severe. You have a somatic symptom disorder caused by major anxiety. Of course, this is a common condition nowadays. Exercise more, get more sunlight, and don’t feel the need to be perfect. For psychological issues, resolving the underlying ‘heart knot’ is usually the most effective cure.”

The doctor gave a few standard instructions, and Ming Li nodded in agreement.

As they left the hospital, Hanxing fell unusually silent.

Ming Li, conversely, felt fine. She had been terrified before the diagnosis, but now that the dust had settled, she felt it wasn’t such a big deal. The doctor hadn’t said it was incurable. She had caught the symptoms early; with medication and exercise, she would recover.

Once they were in the car, Ming Li buckled her seatbelt and rubbed her cold hands. “Since you managed to get out today, I’ll treat you to dinner. Tell me, what do you want to eat?”

Hanxing sat in the passenger seat, unmoving. Ming Li glanced at her. “What’s with that face? I wasn’t diagnosed with cancer.”

“Bite your tongue!” Hanxing snapped instantly. “Don’t say such unlucky things.”

“It’s the truth,” Ming Li said. “If I knew you’d act like this, I wouldn’t have called you.”

Hanxing suddenly wilted, a sight Ming Li wasn’t used to.

“Of course you should have called me. You did the right thing today. What are friends for? We’re here to step up and take a bullet for you in moments like this!” Hanxing declared.

Ming Li: “…”

Ignoring her friend’s dramatics, Ming Li set the GPS for Hanxing’s favorite barbecue joint.

The sweet, gentle female voice of the navigation system told Ming Li to turn left, but because she was busy looking at Hanxing, she turned the steering wheel to the right.

A moment later, the GPS notified her that the route had been recalculated. The new path had three fewer red lights and was two minutes faster. By a stroke of luck, she had stumbled onto a better road.

Suddenly, Hanxing spoke in a low, serious voice. “Ming Li, maybe you should just divorce her.”

Ming Li: “…?”

“Weren’t you only married to her to pay off your family’s debt? The debt is gone now. Even if you back out, Gu Qingshuang can’t do anything to you,” Hanxing argued passionately. “The Gu family is filthy rich anyway; they don’t care about the pocket change. If you were going to eventually take over the family or get shares, I’d say enduring a bit of mental illness might be worth it. But they clearly have no intention of letting you have any real power. You’re suffering all this for nothing.”

Ming Li paused. “I have a contract with Gu Qingshuang.”

“But I remember a clause in that contract,” Hanxing said. “Whether you fall in love with her or you fall in love with someone else, you can propose a divorce.”

Ming Li gave a faint hum of acknowledgement.

The car fell silent for a moment. Then, Hanxing said with sudden confidence, “Since you don’t want to admit to Gu Qingshuang that you’ve fallen for her… why don’t you just say you’ve fallen in love with me instead?”

Ming Li: “?”

The more Hanxing thought about it, the more she felt like a genius. She even let out a whistle. “I can take one for the team, Little Ming.”

Ming Li’s lip twitched. “Just shut up.”