Chapter 46: Indulging in Love
——The tenderness he gave her was honey, and the cruelty he gave to the world was arsenic.
The morning light filtered through the gauze curtains, casting tiny specks of gold on the carpet in the treatment room. Professor Klein spread out a detailed assessment report on the table.
"Your PTSD symptoms have improved significantly, but you still experience hyperarousal and flashbacks." She adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses and spoke in a calm and professional tone. "We will use progressive desensitization therapy combined with emotion regulation training."
Ruan Xingchen sat on the soft sofa, his fingertips gently stroking the silver ring, his eyes fixed on the treatment plan.
"How exactly should we do it?" she asked softly.
The professor smiled slightly. "Start with 'safety' and slowly rebuild your sense of control over the world. For example, right now—" She raised her hand and pointed out the window. "Can you hear the sound of pigeons flapping their wings? That means safety."
The first stage of treatment is more like a gentle trial.
Professor Klein picked up a soft cashmere blanket and gently placed it on the back of her hand.
"Close your eyes and tell me how it feels."
Ruan Xingchen's eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings as the cashmere fibers brushed against her skin. "It's very soft," she paused, her fingertips unconsciously curling, "like... the scarves my mother used to knit when I was a child."
The professor drew a small smiley face on the notebook.
When she changed to silk, the cool touch made Ruan Xingchen flinch, but then she relaxed: "It's like a stream flowing over my wrists. It's not cold, it's comfortable."
Her breathing didn't stop for half a second until the cotton and linen fabric touched her skin. The rough texture reminded her of the feeling of the cage floor rubbing against her palms when she was trapped in the 'dark night'.
"Stop." Klein immediately pulled away the fabric and handed over a cup of warm water. "We'll try this again tomorrow."
The second phase of auditory training went more smoothly. As the sound of rain drifted from the speakers, Ruan Xingchen's shoulders noticeably relaxed. She remembered the nights when raindrops would tap on the glass, and Mo Xiaohan would hold her in the rattan chair, watching the raindrops roll into thin lines along the transparent curve.
"Now, I'm going to add some fuzzy vocals." The professor adjusted the volume. "If you feel uncomfortable, stop immediately."
As the muffled chatter mingled with the sound of rain, Ruan Xingchen's knuckles left white marks on the sofa armrest. The clamor of the auction house suddenly crashed into his mind, and those words, like rusty nails, drilled into his ears.
But this time the voices were very far away, as if they were coming through thick glass, and were accompanied by the light sound of coffee cups clinking.
"You can continue." She heard her voice trembling, but she didn't stop.
At the same time, a completely different scene was taking place in the underground torture chamber of the manor.
"Please... I..." The man who was hung on the ceiling with iron chains could no longer utter complete words. His legs were broken at the knees, and the broken bones pierced the flesh and stood there. Blood dripped down the chains to the ground, and a few pieces of nails that had been cut off floated in the puddles.
Mo Xiaohan sat in the shadows, the cigar between his fingertips burning with a faint red light. The smoke drifted over his cold and hard profile, but did not dilute the coldness in his eyes.
"Atai." He suddenly said, "When will Xingxing's treatment end?"
"Eleven o'clock, Boss."
The screams suddenly rose in volume as the interrogator inserted a steel needle soaked in salt water into the cracks between his fingernails. Mo Xiaohan didn't even raise his eyelids, only glancing at his watch.
"Twenty minutes left, keep going." He crushed the cigar in the crystal ashtray and said in a calm voice, "Don't let him pass out. We can talk slowly when I come back."
The interrogator took the order and stepped forward. A hoarse whine erupted from the man's throat. His body twisted violently but was held tightly by the iron chain. He could only watch helplessly as the steel needle approached his other hand.
When Mo Xiaohan stood up, the collar of his black shirt was slightly open, revealing the pale pink teeth marks on the side of his neck - that was where she bit him with a smile when she was lying in his arms and acting coquettishly last night.
The heavy iron door of the interrogation room closed behind him, shutting out the wailing within. He hurried along the corridor, pausing deliberately in the restroom until the faint, fishy odor was diluted by the cold water before continuing toward the treatment room. The hostility surrounding him gradually faded with each step, as if the person surrounded by blood was just an illusion.
Mo Xiaohan stood outside the one-way glass of the treatment room, his eyes fixed on Ruan Xingchen. The coldness and cruelty he had shown in the interrogation room just now now turned into softness as if he was immersed in warm water.
Artest tiptoed over and reported in a low voice: "Boss, Zakun sent someone last night..."
"Quiet." Mo Xiaohan raised his hand to interrupt, his eyes fixed on the figure on the other side of the glass, not moving at all.
It wasn't until Ruan Xingchen pushed the door and walked out of the treatment room that he stepped forward and put his hand on her cheek: "Are you tired?"
She shook her head, the corners of her lips slightly raised: "Not bad."
Mo Xiaohan lowered his eyes and gently brushed his thumb under her eyes - there was a trace of fatigue there.
"Reduce the afternoon treatment time by half an hour." He gave the order directly to Professor Klein.
The professor raised an eyebrow and said, "Mr. Mo, the duration of treatment is scientifically determined based on her tolerance."
"Then adjust your tolerance." His tone was unquestionable. "She doesn't need to force herself."
Ruan Xingchen gently tugged at his sleeve: "I want to try."
Mo Xiaohan was silent for a moment, and finally compromised: "...It's up to you."
In the afternoon, before the door to the treatment room closed, Ruan Xingchen took a deep breath and gestured "OK" to Mo Xiaohan outside. She insisted on coming as scheduled. Although Mo Xiaohan did not object, he stayed in front of the treatment room without moving a step.
After the treatment, Ruan Xingchen walked out of the room with a somewhat unsteady step and a pale face, but she looked up at him with a bright smile: "Look, I did it."
Mo Xiaohan's eyes softened, and he stepped forward and picked her up horizontally, his tone carrying a subtle distress: "Well, my star is the most powerful."
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