Chapter 91: He Admits Defeat

Chapter 91: Chapter 91: He Admits Defeat

Li Hanchen understood. His face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

"Others might not know my situation, but you? Don’t you know perfectly well?"

"I would never do something like that in my life."

If he had kept his mouth shut, it would have been fine. But the moment he spoke, Shen Songyao’s eyes locked onto him.

Li Hanchen was driving with his hands on the wheel, so he could only raise an arm to cover himself.

But the more he tried to cover up, the more interested Shen Songyao became. Her lips curled into a grin, like the cat that got the cream.

Li Hanchen’s perpetually stoic face instantly turned beet red.

Hearing her sweet, wicked laugh, he sighed inwardly.

’If I keep covering up like this, I’m going to be the one who overheats first.’

He moved his arm away and gently pressed his fingertips to Shen Songyao’s forehead, turning her head toward the window.

Shen Songyao turned her head back, refusing to look outside.

"What’s so interesting out there?"

"My husband isn’t out there!"

The tips of Li Hanchen’s ears flared red, and his entire face felt hot.

"Yaoyao..."

His throat felt tight, his voice low.

Shen Songyao blinked, a look of pure innocence on her face.

"Go on, Hubby. I’m listening!"

Li Hanchen stared at her act and rolled his eyes internally.

’Forget it. I give up.’

He braced himself and endured the assault of her gaze for the entire drive, finally dropping her off on the sidewalk in front of the mall.

She unbuckled her seatbelt, pushed the door open, and turned to wave at him.

Li Hanchen turned the car around and drove back to the psychologist’s clinic, where he sat across from the doctor.

The doctor pushed up his glasses and asked.

"Was it inconvenient for the rest of the family to come with you?"

Li Hanchen shook his head, pausing for a few seconds before speaking.

"If she doesn’t take medication or receive treatment, what will happen?"

"Will her health deteriorate?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the doctor’s relaxed demeanor vanished, and his expression grew solemn.

Li Hanchen’s heart sank. He already knew the answer.

Sure enough, the doctor sat up straight, his tone heavy.

"She might seem lively now, but this state is extremely dangerous. It’s like a candle flaring brightest just before it burns out. If this continues, her emotions will only become more and more uncontrollable."

"For example, eating a lot, eating indiscriminately, tossing and turning at night, unable to sleep..."

Li Hanchen immediately cut in.

"Her appetite has been ridiculously good lately. She used to barely touch her food. Now she can eat two savory pancakes and a bowl of soy milk for breakfast."

"Then that’s a symptom. A sudden change like that is a clear signal."

Li Hanchen nodded. He didn’t ask any more questions, but he committed the information to memory.

The doctor quickly added.

"Don’t be frightened by the term ’mental illness.’ With proper treatment and consistent medication, people can live perfectly normal lives—go to work, fall in love. Many patients remain stable for five or ten years, getting married, having children, getting promotions and raises without any interruption."

Li Hanchen nodded again.

The moment he left the clinic, he jumped into his car, floored the accelerator, and sped toward the spot where Shen Songyao had set up her stall.

It was just past ten in the morning when he arrived, and the sun was pleasantly warm.

Shen Songyao’s small stall was already surrounded by a thick crowd.

Li Hanchen leaned against a wall by the roadside and waited until the crowd dispersed, leaving only a few scattered customers browsing.

By then, it was almost eleven-twenty, and the trinkets left on her stall could be counted on one hand.

Shen Songyao looked down, rummaged through her goods, and counted just over ten yuan’s worth of items remaining.

’Just another half hour,’ she thought. ’I’ll pack up at twelve on the dot.’

Without even lifting her head, she called out.

"New hair bows, little pearl earrings, silver hair clips! Starting at three-fifty! Returns and exchanges guaranteed!"

She glanced up and saw Li Hanchen standing there.

"Hubby!"

Her eyes instantly lit up, and she broke into a sugary-sweet smile.

Li Hanchen cherished this side of her from the bottom of his heart.

But as much as he cherished her, he couldn’t ignore her illness. His conscience wouldn’t let him.

"You’ve almost sold out?"

"Of course! With so many people coming and going at this mall, who could walk past my stall without taking a second look? The girls absolutely adore my little trinkets!"

Shen Songyao puffed out her chest, smiling so broadly that the corners of her eyes crinkled.

"Are you tired?"

Li Hanchen asked, looking down at her.

Shen Songyao waved her hand dismissively.

"Not at all!"

’How could I be tired when my hands are numb from counting cash?’

Li Hanchen’s gaze swept over the scattered items on the ground, and he commented casually.

"I’ll build you a small, lightweight display rack another day, and a low stool to go with it. You can bring them with you. Your things will look nice hanging on it, and you’ll have a place to sit and rest."

Shen Songyao’s eyes lit up.

"Hubby! You know how to do that? You’re amazing!"

He knew perfectly well that her mind was muddled, yet he couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from turning up at her words.

"I saw a neighbor build a drying rack once and just copied what he did. It’s nothing special."

Shen Songyao immediately reached out and patted his chest.

"For a guy your age to be able to do hands-on work like this, that’s already top-tier!"

Li Hanchen glanced around warily.

Confirming that no one was staring at them, he quietly let out a breath of relief.

"Are you hungry?"

He asked.

"What do you want to eat?"

"I want to eat something you cooked. Is that okay?"

She took half a step closer, her toes nearly touching the tips of his shoes.

"Okay."

He said, squatting down to pack up the stall.

"We’re heading back already?"

Shen Songyao glanced at the street.

It was just past eleven, and the crowd had thinned to a few stragglers. Even the other stalls seemed to be dozing off.

"Let’s go!"

She said.

Li Hanchen picked up a few cloth bags.

She stuck close to his elbow, swaying leisurely as she walked.

"So... for dinner tonight, let’s eat what’s down below, Hubby~"

Li Hanchen nodded with a completely straight face.

"Oh, you want to eat noodles? Fine. We won’t steam rice, then. We’ll boil some noodles."

The words had barely left his lips when he caught Shen Songyao’s intense stare out of the corner of his eye.

He held up the woven bag in his hand to block her view and used his other hand to squeeze the nape of her neck gently.

"Watch where you’re going! You’ll trip."

Shen Songyao tilted her head, sneaking a peek at him.

"Ooh, are you really mad?"

Li Hanchen was internally exasperated.

’Where on earth did this woman come from?’

’The longer she’s sick, the more I fear I’ll be the one to go crazy first.’

Seeing that the roots of his ears were beet red, Shen Songyao only grew more brazen.

"Hubby, are we in a hurry to get home and boil some noodles?"

Li Hanchen’s mind automatically filled in the blanks.

’In a hurry to get home... to cook what’s "down below"?’

His hand went slack. He froze on the spot, standing ramrod straight.

Shen Songyao batted her eyelashes.

"Hubby, why aren’t we walking anymore?"

Her words were considerate, but her hand was anything but, reaching out for him.

"Hubby, your chest is..."

"Er..."

She stared with wide, sparkling eyes, feigning confusion as she looked at the flustered, red-faced Li Hanchen before her.

He just stared at her, his gaze heavy, with only a single thought running through his mind.

’Her illness. It really needs to be treated. Immediately.’

The tips of Li Hanchen’s ears were burning, and he found himself completely unable to repeat what Shen Songyao had just said.

At least today, she had only said these things to him.

But what if one day she started saying things like that to the old man selling tanghulu at the entrance, or the lady walking her dog downstairs...?

’What would he do then?’

’He couldn’t wait any longer. He had to act now!’

He clamped a hand over Shen Songyao’s mouth, leaned in close, and whispered negotiatively.

"I’ll let go if you promise not to shout nonsense, okay?"

Shen Songyao nodded immediately.

’A handsome guy was begging her so nicely. How could she refuse such a small request?’

But Li Hanchen didn’t dare to relax. His brows were knitted together as he stared at her without blinking.

Suddenly, Shen Songyao puckered her lips forward.

His palm grew hot, as if seared by fire, and he snatched his hand back.

The next second, he grabbed Shen Songyao’s wrist and strode quickly toward where he had parked the car.