DLRAS Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Huo Niansheng’s object of pursuit

The news about He Jiajun made a stir online for two days, then gradually died down.

Social news stories came one after another. A later report said that the He family had paid a sum of money, and the waiter had agreed to settle the matter privately.

After that, there was no more follow-up. Chen Wengang did not find that especially surprising.

This society had its bright side, and it had its dark side. Whether good or bad, every day it simply kept moving forward like that.

This day was the one he had scheduled to see the doctor, but the weather refused to cooperate. A torrential rain had begun the night before.

By morning, the rain had finally lessened, but it showed no sign of stopping.

He did not want anyone to know he was going to the hospital, so he took an umbrella, hailed a taxi, and slipped away quietly early in the morning.

Dark clouds pressed over the city as if they meant to crush it. The weather was terrible, yet the number of patients was not reduced in the slightest. The hospital was packed shoulder to shoulder, like crucian carp crossing a river.

The Zheng family had a family doctor, and they also used a regular private hospital. But going there would mean no privacy at all—one bill check and people would know exactly what department he had visited. Naturally, seeing a psychiatrist was not shameful, but he still did not want others to know.

The psychiatric department had been separated out into its own building, where the patient density was a little lower.

Even so, by the time all the examinations were done, going up and down all the floors had consumed the entire morning.

The doctor seeing him was in her fifties. She listened patiently to his account and spoke with a kindly, benevolent expression.

“Panic disorder is generally triggered by anxiety. It may occur for no particular reason at all, or because certain situations make you nervous. Quite a large number of patients have also experienced a loved one becoming seriously ill or dying, and under long-term psychological pressure they develop a fear of death and of losing their support. You said your father passed away ten years ago, so we can’t rule out a connection to that. The trauma from back then may have hidden itself in your subconscious, and it’s entirely possible for it to suddenly surface after you’ve grown up.”

Chen Wengang placed his hands on his knees and smiled faintly.

This was really a familiar refrain. After being ill for so long, he was almost his own doctor by now, and had heard it countless times.

He had been too young when his mother died.

But when his father died, that was when he learned what it meant for the sky to collapse.

Even so, back then he had still had the courage to look forward. There had still been a sunrise in his life, not just a broken ruin.

Huo Niansheng had been the last straw he lost.

The doctor flipped through his examination reports again. “What you have is autonomic nervous system dysfunction, not an organic disease. If you’re still worried, you can also go to cardiology for another check. In my opinion, if you don’t want to take anti-anxiety medication, that’s fine. You can take some oryzanol and vitamin B1, and I’ll also prescribe you a bottle of alprazolam. Just take one tablet during an acute panic episode. But the most important thing is still the same advice—maintain an optimistic mindset and healthy routine, avoid cigarettes, alcohol, and coffee, and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Since you’re actively seeking treatment, I believe you’ll recover very soon.”

Chen Wengang stood and thanked her.

When he stepped out of the hospital gates carrying the small plastic bag of medicine, the rain had finally stopped, though the sky remained gray-white and the air carried a slight chill.

Whenever it rained, the fragile drainage system of the old city district was always on the verge of collapse. Puddles collected along the roadside, reflecting the hurried footsteps of passersby, none of whose faces showed much expression. No patient liked lingering at the hospital for long.

He crossed the pedestrian crossing and went over the road just as a car drove past.

Caught completely off guard, Chen Wengang was splashed with water over half his body.

It was only because he had such a good temper that he said nothing at all. He merely stepped farther inward from the road and wrung out his soaked clothes.

The road conditions in the old district were bad to begin with, and there was not much to be done. On rainy days, the moment a car passed, it became like a curtain of water.

But the offending vehicle unexpectedly came back, slowly reversing toward him.

The window rolled down, revealing Yu Shanding’s grinning face. “Brother Chen, I’m really sorry! You came to see a doctor, huh?”

Boss Yu was a practical man: when someone had money, he called him “sir”; when he didn’t, he called him “brother.”

Chen Wengang found it almost funny.

He walked over. Yu Shanding had one thick arm hooked casually over the window frame.

On the front passenger seat there was a large bag of medicine. The hospital bag was semi-transparent, so the boxes inside could only be seen vaguely by color and size. But they were not hard to identify—most of them were prescription drugs for chronic illnesses in the elderly.

Yu Shanding glanced toward the bag in Chen Wengang’s hand, but could not make out what it contained.

“This whole soaked mess is on me,” Yu Shanding said with a broad grin. “Where are you headed? I’ll give you a ride.”

“It’s alright. No need.”

“Come on, get in. I have to take responsibility, don’t I? You’re not going to have an easy time hailing a cab looking like that. A rude driver might even refuse to take you.”

He made no move to clear away the bag of medicine in the front, so Chen Wengang went around to the back instead.

But the moment he pulled open the rear door, he froze.

He had not expected Huo Niansheng to be in the car too.

Huo Niansheng was dressed very much like a businessman today: a dark, almost black director-style suit, a dark tie, as though he had just stepped out of a company meeting. A tablet lay across his knees, dense with text. Chen Wengang consciously moved his eyes away.

Huo Niansheng was in the middle of speaking with a subordinate on the phone, but he did not stop Yu Shanding from taking the initiative.

Chen Wengang hesitated a moment, then still got in beside him and closed the door.

Today Yu Shanding was not driving Huo Niansheng’s flamboyant Rolls-Royce. He asked Chen Wengang where he was going.

Chen Wengang hesitated again, but it was not the Zheng residence that he named. Instead, he gave the address of a law firm.

It was a famous law firm in Jincheng, and the lawyer he was going to see was Zheng Bingyi’s personal attorney.

This kind of top lawyer was usually extremely busy, and it was rare for time to be arranged. To change it at the last minute would clearly be inconvenient and troublesome for others.

Only then did Huo Niansheng finally hang up the phone and smile in greeting at Chen Wengang, as if they were merely giving an ordinary friend a casual ride.

“Did you and Boss Yu just finish discussing some big business deal?” Chen Wengang asked.

“Actually, it’s like this. Some time ago, he and I made a bet. He lost, so he’s honoring it by being my driver for a month.”

“I’m also helpless, you know.” Yu Shanding laughed heartily. “A few years ago my business failed and I was on the verge of bankruptcy. At the time, Mr. Huo was the only one willing to invest and pull me back up. That’s how I managed to rise again. So I had no choice but to deliberately lose to him.”

Huo Niansheng laughed and cursed him lightly. “Save it.”

Chen Wengang cooperatively revealed a small smile.

Yu Shanding was a natural at familiarity and went on joking and chatting for a few more rounds.

Yu Shanding had a sturdy build and fierce internal heat to match. Although it was cool outside, he still turned on the cold air in the car as if no one else mattered. Huo Niansheng, dressed neatly in his suit, naturally did not mind. But Chen Wengang had half his clothes drenched through, sticking to his body and drying only by his own temperature. The wet cloth felt cold and heavy.

He was also not used to Yu Shanding’s car. Without noticing, even the unfamiliar leather smell of the genuine leather seats began to make his stomach churn.

Chen Wengang leaned back against the seat and listened distractedly as the other two continued chatting.

Huo Niansheng sat to his left like some untouchable heat source, a faint trace of woody cologne lingering at the edge of his senses.

Outside, thunder began to roll, though it was not raining yet. The thunder rumbled overhead, as if a train were passing through the sky.

The gloomy weather and the body chilled through and through made everything feel strangely familiar.

For a moment, Chen Wengang was almost dazed. Every element around him seemed to pull him back into the memories of his previous life.

Back to that bitter, wind-lashed evening. He had hidden under a bridge, smoking, and then gotten into Huo Niansheng’s car just as bedraggled and miserable.

Huo Niansheng suddenly asked, “Cold?”

Chen Wengang said, “I’m alright.”

Huo Niansheng told Yu Shanding to turn off the cold air, scolding him for wasting resources when it was not even hot outside, and then began taking off his suit jacket.

But the moment the fabric had barely touched him, Chen Wengang pressed down on his hand and called out, “Yu Shanding—please stop up ahead.”

His voice was very low, sounding somewhat weak, and after saying that one sentence he tightly shut his mouth.

Yu Shanding quickly pulled over to the roadside. “Whoa—are you alright?”

Chen Wengang had already pushed the door open and gotten out. In the roadside bushes he vomited so violently it felt like heaven and earth had turned upside down.

At this point, whether he looked presentable or not no longer mattered. Leaning against the rough cement brick wall, he was covered in cold sweat, his fingers trembling, his heartbeat racing wildly. Somewhere behind his head a nerve throbbed. He fumbled at his clothes—the alprazolam he had just gotten was still in the car. He had forgotten to bring it with him.

It was hard to say whether this was a panic episode coming on, or simply motion sickness. He adjusted his breathing, only for another wave of dry retching to come over him.

Huo Niansheng got out and followed him over, patting his back. “Still feeling bad?”

Chen Wengang shook his head. His eyes were shut and he could not speak. In truth, what he hoped most was that Huo Niansheng would not come over. Why did he have to witness such an embarrassing scene?

Huo Niansheng fetched a bottle of mineral water from the car, unscrewed it, supported Chen Wengang with one hand, and held the bottle to his mouth with the other. “Rinse.”

The cold water entered his mouth. Holding the bottle steady for him, Huo Niansheng let Chen Wengang rinse twice, then Chen Wengang spat the water into the dirt.

When he took the bottle from Huo Niansheng’s hand, something heavy settled over him—warm with body heat. Huo Niansheng had forcibly draped the suit jacket over his shoulders.

Chen Wengang stared at him blankly.

Then something touched his lips. Chen Wengang instinctively parted them and accepted it. Sweetness filled his mouth.

It was a coffee milk candy Huo Niansheng had unwrapped for him. Smiling, he said, “Picked it up in the bank lobby while handling some business.” He patted Chen Wengang on the back. “If you’re really uncomfortable, we can just take you home first.”

Chen Wengang pushed the candy to the roof of his mouth with his tongue, and that awful feeling slowly began to ease. “It’s okay. I’m much better.”

“Don’t push yourself.”

“I’m not.” He gave Huo Niansheng a small smile. “Thank you.”

The two of them got back into the car one after the other. Yu Shanding had been waiting inside the whole time and thought nothing more of it, assuming Chen Wengang was simply carsick.

Huo Niansheng, however, laughed and criticized his driving for being uneven, all stop-and-go with terrible skill, and in the end simply switched places so that Huo Niansheng took the wheel.

As for the person suffering from motion sickness, naturally he should sit in front—so Yu Shanding and his bag of medicine were banished to the back seat.

Wrapped in Huo Niansheng’s jacket, Chen Wengang looked out the window.

This time they arrived smoothly and steadily beneath the law firm building. His appointment time was almost up. He had originally planned to stop by a clothing store and buy something in an emergency, but now there was no time. A fine rain had begun falling again, and people entering and leaving the building were holding umbrellas in every color.

Huo Niansheng found a temporary parking spot by the roadside. “Go on, then. About how long will it take?”

Reflected in his eyes, Chen Wengang answered, “About an hour… no, half an hour should probably be enough.”

Huo Niansheng told him not to hurry. “Don’t worry. Today Boss Yu and I are seeing the Buddha all the way to the end.”

Watching Chen Wengang’s back disappear through the building entrance, Huo Niansheng pulled out the in-car lighter and lowered his head to light a cigarette.

Yu Shanding had almost fallen asleep in the back seat. Since the steering wheel was no longer in his hands, there was nothing for him to do but follow along.

Bored from waiting, he took out his phone and played a match-three game. A notification popped up from his secretary asking when he would return to the office. Only then did he remember he had forgotten to cancel the rest of his schedule. But he could hardly just dump both the car and the person here, so he replied that he would not be coming back.

Then his eyes fell to the side.

Chen Wengang’s medicine was still on the back seat.

It wasn’t illegal to take a look, was it?

Yu Shanding did not touch it with his hands. He just curiously peered at it, then searched on his phone: “What is alprazolam used for?”

The internet answer said: “Used to treat anxiety, depression, and insomnia; can serve as an anti-panic medication; can relieve acute alcohol withdrawal symptoms.”

Yet it was as though Huo Niansheng had eyes on the back of his head. Without even turning around, one hand lifted into the air.

Yu Shanding paused, looked at the phone and then at the medicine, and understood. He picked up the entire box and plastic bag and handed it over.

Huo Niansheng did not take the medicine out. He only looked through the plastic bag long enough to read the text, then set it back on the seat, never asking what exactly it was for.

After hesitating a little, Yu Shanding still took the initiative to mention it.

It was not that he particularly cared about Chen Wengang. He himself was not gay, and he already had more pretty girls to pay attention to than he could handle, let alone a man.

It was only that Huo Niansheng had previously told him to investigate Chen Wengang, and he really had done so. The materials had shown no history of psychological illness.

And now, by sheer coincidence, they had run right into this today—

Yu Shanding neither wanted it to look like he had done sloppy work, nor could he tell whether Huo Niansheng minded this issue.

All signs clearly pointed to Chen Wengang being a target of interest for Huo Niansheng’s flirtations. But no one hunted for romance aiming specifically at mental illness. It was not about discriminating against patients—but when someone’s mental state was unstable, most people would be wary at some level. If there really were depression, alcohol dependency, or something like that, who could entangle with them so lightly?

Yu Shanding, who let wine and meat pass straight through him and did not much care whether Buddha minded, silently recited Amitabha in his heart.

After hearing him out, Huo Niansheng only smiled and let his gaze drift once across the street outside the car window. “Poor little thing.”

Yu Shanding had not heard clearly. “What did you say?”

Looking out at the street, what Huo Niansheng was actually thinking of was that dazzling, crystal-bright chandelier.

Beautiful, and fragile.

The hand holding the cigarette rested on the car window. He flicked the ash with one finger. “You heard wrong. I didn’t say anything.”

Author’s note:

The content about panic disorder is the author’s own summary after consulting various materials, not copied directly, so it’s hard to list every source one by one, including Baidu Baike, Zhihu, and various medical websites. The section on alprazolam’s use is copied from Baidu Baike.

Yes, in this life, when he has episodes, Old Huo is indeed one of the direct sources of Wengang’s mental pressure. It’s all his fault.

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