Chapter 88 Stealing a Partner

The man sat down opposite Ruan Yi, ready to have a meal together.

After Ruan Yi ordered, she handed him the menu. Pei Lian simply said, "Just order the same as hers."

He asked with concern in a gentle and tender tone.

Have you been feeling unwell lately or having nightmares frequently?

Ruan Yi paused for a moment, then shook her head.

"No, since I came here, I seem to have very few dreams."

Pei Lian nodded gently, "I see."

His tone carried a hint of expected understanding.

Pei Lian lightly placed his fingertips on the edge of the dining table, his gaze falling on the girl's face, and then slowly spoke, his voice even softer than before.

"Come to my clinic for a check-up next time you have time."

The man leaned forward slightly, his eyelids half-closed, his tone filled with a gentle, almost seductive concern.

"No need for a major check-up, just a routine check-up to make sure everything is fine, that will put my mind at ease, okay?"

Pei Lian's tone sounded very sincere.

Looking into his eyes, Ruan Yi saw a concern that wasn't the professional care a doctor shows a patient, but rather the concern of a close person for her health. Clearly, he took this matter to heart.

"Yes, I should get checked. I will go."

When she first met Pei Lian, she always felt that his overly delicate face was too aloof, and his brows were cold, making people subconsciously feel that he was not easy to get close to.

But upon closer inspection, it turned out that it was just a facade.

The other person seems really gentle, like an overly gentle, charming, and warm-hearted guy.

The man's lips curved into a very slight smile, and then he continued with his instructions, his tone becoming more serious.

"If you feel unwell anywhere, even just a little bit, please tell me, okay?"

Ruan Yigang nodded and agreed.

"Speaking of which, I've been having some strange but very real memories lately. Unlike hallucinations that don't affect my daily life, they just... pop up suddenly, without any beginning or end."

"Could it be that I also have dissociative amnesia? Could it be... that I have other forgotten things?"

The man's gaze never left her face, and after a moment, he spoke softly.

"No, dissociative amnesia usually does not present as a fragmented distribution of amnesia."

"What you're describing sounds more like... integrating and restoring missing correct memories."

The man's gaze was as calm as a deep pool, and his tone maintained the caution of a doctor, yet carried a subtle hint of guidance.

"Are there usually some accompanying reactions, such as occasional headaches, or sudden mental confusion, or a feeling that one's cognition is disordered? Do you experience this?"

Ruan Yi was a little stiff, but her reaction was spot on; she was almost ready to recite her ID number.

However, she didn't quite understand. If it wasn't dissociative amnesia, why would she have other questions?

"What do you mean...that I remembered the correct memories? How could I be wrong?"

Pei Lian picked up the water glass, his fingertips gently tracing circles on the glass, his voice somewhat indistinct.

"Hmm...it's possible, but this usually happens when someone is under a certain psychological suggestion for a long time, or when they are exposed to some subtle external influences, which can cause their memory system to become disordered."

"As those influences gradually diminish and the real things emerge, they will clash with the previous 'absolutely correct understanding,' which is why people feel confused."

Pei Lian said a lot, but it seemed like he didn't say anything at all.

The problem is that she's not a big shot at all. What kind of lunatic would be so bored that they'd be giving her all sorts of trivial, insinuating things all day long?

Ruan Yi felt even more confused after hearing this.

"Dissociation and all this! Am I really out of my mind?"

The girl's tone was tinged with frustration and disbelief; she clearly couldn't accept these outrageous things.

Pei Lian looked at her slightly flustered expression and didn't say anything more, but his voice was so gentle that it sounded like he was coaxing her.

"That's why we need to do a check-up to rule out other possibilities. Sorry, I've said too much."

"Don't overthink it, figure it out first."

Ruan Yi sighed, propping her chin on her hand. She had a host of health problems for some reason, though she didn't have any bad habits, except…

Could it be that she really is like those "experts" on public accounts, staying up all night playing on her phone and ruining her brain?

As they were talking, the waiter brought over one of the dishes.

The man gently pushed the meal in front of Ruan Yi.

I picked up the disposable chopsticks next to hers, unwrapped the packaging for her, and handed them to her in a natural and considerate manner.

When Pei Lian looked up, he noticed that the girl's long hair, which was loose over her shoulders, had fallen to the edge of her plate. He then raised his hand to beckon the waiter and asked for a hair tie in a low voice.

He placed the rubber band next to Ruan Yi only after it was handed to him.

"Should I tie my hair up? It would be easier that way."

Ruan Yi glanced at the rubber band beside her, then at the chopsticks he had just set out; she noticed even these small, insignificant details.

The man seemed to remember something and looked at her seriously, asking the question.

"Speaking of which, I'm not just your doctor anymore, am I? We're... true friends now, aren't we?"

Ruan Yi was steered back to a lighthearted topic by him, and without hesitation, she nodded immediately, a cheerful smile spreading across her face.

"Of course!"

He's helpful and patient; where can you find such a good friend?

Ruan Yi lowered her head and ate a bite of food, when a wicked thought suddenly popped into her mind.

Unfortunately, she met Pei Lian through Fu Jingchen.

Ruan Yi glanced at Pei Lian and muttered to herself.

Isn't she trying to steal Fu Jingchen's girlfriend? Stealing his best friend to be her own best friend?

This is a very, very immoral and bad thing!

If it were her, she'd probably be furious if her friend was stolen, but the other person is Fu Jingchen...

Ruan Yi couldn't help but chuckle to herself. Oh well, the bad man deserved it.

With that thought in mind, the girl simply looked up, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Pei Lian, deliberately making a joke that wasn't too direct or awkward.

"Hey Pei Lian, why don't you stop hanging out with Fu Jingchen and hang out with me instead? Being friends with him is so boring!"

These amusing words came suddenly and were so straightforward, almost like something a primary school student would say, practically blatantly displaying the words "stealing someone's partner" on their little faces.

Pei Lian was taken aback at first, then chuckled softly, his eyes curving into a gentle arc, with an uncontrollable playfulness in them.

"Pfft... Okay."

A man should be exceptionally decisive and without hesitation.

"I couldn't have gotten it."

Ruan Yi was surprised that Pei Lian agreed so readily. She was stunned for a moment before realizing that he was probably just joking.

It seems the villainous female supporting character is ingrained in her very being; she fits the role quite well.

Stealing someone else's friend is already immoral, but he also harmed someone else and almost stole their partner.

The man opposite her looked at her expression, his smile deepening, as if he had already seen through the girl's adorable thoughts.

The snow-white little lop-eared rabbit, surrounded by a pack of lurking hungry wolves, frantically tried to fight back and escape.

She had simply stolen the bait that the hungry wolf had deliberately placed there to lure her in.

Because of this small act of "stealing", she held her head high and thought she was amazing.

"They're so incredibly cute."

"Just be patient a little longer, he'll get his taste."