Su Yiran thought for a moment, considering how to put it.
“Ting-ge, I think your condition hasn’t been quite right these past few days. Depression can relapse, so how about we see a doctor tomorrow?”

“…I feel fine. The other day, I just had a nightmare, which made me lose control of my emotions a little. There’s no need to see a doctor.”
Gu Yuanting instinctively resisted the idea of seeing a psychologist. His explanation was a bit stiff, but he hoped to convince Ranran.
“Ranran, I’m fine. How about we go to your dessert shop tomorrow? We haven’t been there in a while.”

He knew very well that he had too many secrets.
Last time, when he saw a psychologist for “postpartum depression,” the doctor’s focus had been on the period before and after the baby’s birth—on his mental state and behavior. The tests he took were specifically for postpartum depression.

If he went again this time, it would be different.
He feared that under the psychologist’s observation, he might accidentally reveal his secrets.

Su Yiran wasn’t persuaded. He shook his head.
“There’s nothing urgent at the shop. No rush. Ting-ge, your mood has been unstable several times in the past few days. Be good—let’s go see the doctor tomorrow. I’m really worried about you.”

Meeting Ranran’s gaze—full of concern and care—Gu Yuanting paused, then finally nodded in agreement.
“Alright.”

---

The next day, Su Yiran and Gu Yuanting went to the hospital to see Dr. Sun.

Beforehand, Su Yiran had already spoken to Dr. Sun on the phone and briefly described Yuanting’s situation.

When Dr. Sun heard that Gu might be having a depression relapse, he immediately became vigilant. After all, the last time Gu was diagnosed with postpartum depression, the results showed a moderate level—not mild as Su Yiran had thought—so the situation might be more serious than described.

Dr. Sun first spoke with both of them to learn more, then asked Su Yiran to wait outside while he had a one-on-one session with Gu Yuanting.

This time, the tests Dr. Sun administered weren’t just for depression—they covered all aspects of Gu’s mental state, not limited to postpartum depression like before.

Looking at the questionnaire in his hand, Gu Yuanting frowned.

Meanwhile, under a nurse’s guidance, Su Yiran went to wait in a small tea lounge outside. The lounge had fruit, tea, and newspapers to pass the time.

About two hours later, the lounge door opened. The nurse led Gu Yuanting in and smiled at Su Yiran.
“Mr. Su, Dr. Sun would like to see you.”

“Alright.”
Su Yiran stood, smiling politely at the nurse, then looked at Gu.
“Ting-ge, how was it?”

Gu didn’t feel great. Being probed into by outsiders always made him defensive and resentful. Still, he smiled casually at Ranran.
“It was fine. The doctor said there’s nothing wrong.”

Nothing wrong?
Su Yiran studied his expression but found nothing unusual. He didn’t press further, just smiled back.
“Rest here for a bit, I’ll go talk to him.”

Following procedure, after a one-on-one with the patient, the doctor would also talk to the family to confirm relevant matters and discuss the patient’s condition.

As Su Yiran left, the glass door closed with a soft click. Gu watched Ranran’s back through the glass, his gaze darkening.

---

Su Yiran arrived at Dr. Sun’s office. The door was open. The doctor sat behind his desk, looking at a stack of documents.

Su Yiran politely knocked twice—thunk thunk—but Dr. Sun didn’t seem to hear, eyes still on the papers.

“Dr. Sun?” Su Yiran called once, then again after stepping inside.
“Dr. Sun?”

“Huh? Oh—Mr. Su, you’re here, please sit.”
Dr. Sun snapped back to himself, hurriedly closing the file in his hand. He seemed a little absent-minded, but gestured for Su Yiran to sit.

Only then did Su Yiran realize the doctor had been lost in thought, so much so that he hadn’t even heard him come in.

“How’s Ting-ge’s condition?” Su Yiran asked.

“Pretty good,” Dr. Sun replied immediately—but then, realizing his answer was too quick, he added, “Mr. Gu’s mental state is fine, no signs of depression.”

He handed Su Yiran a mental health score sheet.
“As for the recent low mood you mentioned—well, that’s normal. It happens to everyone.”

His mental state is fine?
Su Yiran glanced over the score sheet. Each item’s rating fell within the normal range.

Relieved, he was about to say something—but then he remembered the doctor’s earlier absent-mindedness, Yuanting’s recent depressive behavior, and the dark history Gu always tried to hide.

A thought flashed through his mind.

Su Yiran hesitated for a moment, then decided to probe.
“Dr. Sun, actually, I noticed Ting-ge’s expression just now wasn’t right. After I pressed him, he admitted the truth to me. I’d like to know how bad it really is—you can tell me honestly, don’t worry about anything.”

His tone was sincere, his expression open. Having been with Ting-ge so long, he’d picked up some of his tricks—when he wanted to hide something, it was nearly impossible for outsiders to read his real thoughts.

Still, Su Yiran’s heart thumped nervously. If his guess was wrong, this would be rude.

Dr. Sun froze for a moment, lips moving as if to speak—but then he seemed to recall something, and closed his mouth again.
“…Mr. Su, are you joking?”

Su Yiran had already noticed the doctor’s reaction, and his heart sank. He knew he was probably right.
“No, Dr. Sun. I’d never joke about Ting-ge’s health.”

The doctor studied him carefully. Seeing only sincerity, he began to waver.

Gu’s warnings and veiled threats still echoed in his mind—but thinking about Gu’s severe condition, Dr. Sun knew that without Su Yiran’s help, recovery would be impossible.

So he struggled. He was a respected, responsible doctor with strong professional ethics. In the end, the desire for his patient’s recovery outweighed fear of the warning.

What a headache… Dr. Sun silently wiped imaginary sweat from his brow.

Finally, he looked at Su Yiran.
“Mr. Gu’s condition is… rather serious.”

Su Yiran’s attention sharpened, and he listened intently.
With each word Dr. Sun spoke, his heart grew heavier.

The tests fell into two types—one for depression, one for other mental states.
From them, Dr. Sun saw that Gu’s “concealment index” was extremely high—meaning he had given many false answers, was highly guarded, and reluctant to cooperate with assessment or treatment.

Dr. Sun pointed this out and urged Gu to answer truthfully, for the sake of his health and family. Gu eventually agreed and retook the tests.

This time, the credibility improved; the concealment index dropped, though still higher than normal. Knowing it takes time to open up, Dr. Sun didn’t push for a third attempt.

Based on the answers and follow-up questions, Dr. Sun’s preliminary diagnosis was:

• Moderate to moderately severe depression
• Antisocial personality traits
• World-weariness
• High scores in paranoia, neurasthenia, and mild hypomania scales

By this point, Su Yiran’s heart ached unbearably. His face went pale, lips pressed tight, eyes stinging red. The thought that his closest companion’s mental state had deteriorated to this degree—and that he had only just noticed—filled him with guilt.

His hands clasped tightly on the desk, knuckles turning white. He took a deep breath to steady himself and continued listening.

Dr. Sun handed him the real test results.
“Other than the confirmed depression, the rest are still preliminary. We’d need more contact, observation, and communication for final conclusions.”

Su Yiran quickly took the papers, reading each item carefully. The more he read, the deeper his pain grew.

From the retest onwards, Gu had been more cooperative—clearly he also wanted to recover—so the assessment went smoothly. But at the very end, Gu warned Dr. Sun not to tell Su Yiran anything, insisting he pretend everything was normal.

Dr. Sun concluded by noting one positive fact—Gu had no suicidal tendencies and still harbored many beautiful aspirations for life. His condition hadn’t yet reached the most severe stage—it was not severe depression.

Beautiful aspirations…