Don't Lie to Your Therapist—She Already Knows Your Fate

"Officer, this is a private matter for the Hou family, isn’t it? You shouldn’t be arresting us just because of what that Doctor Wen said, right?"

"Private matter? A matter of life and death is a private matter? Breaking the law is a private matter? It seems you Hou Family people are really used to being arrogant."

"Of course! You could say the Hou family runs Ping City! There’s nothing we don’t dare to do!" Hou Yaowen said smugly.

"Can you shut the fuck up!"

Hou Yaojun really couldn’t take it anymore.

’Is this idiot going to be the ruin of the Hou family?!’

Seeing Hou Yaojun’s fury again, Hou Yaowen didn’t fall silent like before. Instead, he looked at him.

"Why should I shut up? Haven’t you always protected me? How could you bear to see me sad? How could you bear to see me get hurt? Little brother, look at me. I’m older than you, but I look so young. You’re younger than me, but you look so old. Don’t you hate me for it? Or do you know there’s no need to hate me? After all, I exist because of you, don’t I?"

Hou Yaojun’s eyes widened as he stared at Hou Yaowen. "What nonsense are you talking?"

"Heh, nonsense?"

*

Xu Jiali sat beside Wen Ying, looking at her in astonishment. "Doctor Wen, so Hou Yaowen really isn’t Hou Yaojun’s biological brother? And the Hou family only took him in to act as a shield against disaster for Hou Yaojun? Just because Hou Yaowen’s birth time matched what some ’master’ said, he’s been living in this web of lies and deceit?"

Xu Jiali’s worldview was constantly shattering and reforming.

’How could such terrible people exist in the world?’

’The human heart is too complex, too terrifying.’

"Doctor Wen, Hou Yaowen was kept in the dark and raised to be this useless person... he seems a bit innocent in all this. It seems his entire life was destined for sacrifice for the Hou family. They only gave him that lavish lifestyle because they were using his life, right?"

"The man is both foolish and pitiable."

Xu Jiali’s mood soured for a moment, as if she’d remembered something.

"Lili, do you think Hou Yaowen knew about this or not?"

"He probably... didn’t know... right?" Xu Jiali’s voice lost confidence as she spoke.

At first, she had been firm in her belief that Hou Yaowen didn’t know. But after Doctor Wen’s question, her conviction strangely began to waver.

"If he knew, would he have been willing to do it?"

Xu Jiali didn’t understand. No matter how great wealth and money were, you had to be alive to enjoy them.

If you lose your life, what’s the use of all that stuff?

’Could anyone really not care about their own life?’

Xu Jiali thought it was impossible. As the old saying goes, a bad life is better than a good death.

"Perhaps some people are willing. In this life, there are all sorts of people; no two are the same, and no two think the same."

Xu Jiali’s jaw dropped, clearly stunned. "So Hou Yaowen knew all along but pretended not to, just to enjoy all of this? And the Hou Family thought they had him fooled, so they used him to ward off disasters with a clear conscience? But according to common sense, if he’s the one taking on the misfortune, shouldn’t he be the one getting older while Hou Yaojun stays young? Why is their situation the opposite?"

Xu Jiali felt this situation didn’t quite match her idea of what it should be like for someone acting as a misfortune shield.

"Lili, don’t just look at the surface of things, and don’t be fooled by appearances."

After saying this, Wen Ying didn’t explain any further. Xu Jiali was curious but didn’t press the issue.

’But she couldn’t help but wonder, could it be that the old-looking one is actually Hou Yaowen?’

’And the young one is Hou Yaojun?’

’Is it makeup, or some kind of disguise technique?’

’Do such advanced disguise techniques even exist in this day and age?’

’Obviously, the Hou family doesn’t have a Great Immortal on their side, so what are they relying on?’

Sitting in the car, Xu Jiali’s mind wouldn’t stop racing, constantly overturning the theories she had come up with just a minute before.

’ARRRGH, this is so frustrating! Why was I born with such an annoying brain?’

Wen Ying reached out, squeezed Xu Jiali’s hand, and asked with concern, "Are you all right?"

Xu Jiali, who had been on the verge of venting, suddenly calmed down. She shook her head. "I’m fine. I just feel so stupid, I can’t figure anything out."

"The Hou family’s business has nothing to do with you; you don’t need to torture yourself over it. They threatened you, but haven’t they been taken away? If the Hou family falls from its high perch, will you still have any reason to worry?"

Xu Jiali stared blankly at Wen Ying. "Doctor Wen, are you saying the Hou family is finished this time?"

An image of the two mysterious figures who had taken Hou Yaowen and Hou Yaojun away surfaced in Xu Jiali’s mind.

’As expected, Doctor Wen’s backing is even stronger.’

The color returned to Xu Jiali’s face, and her thoughts became clear again.

"Doctor Wen, when we see the director, I’m not going to get yelled at, am I?"

Looking at Xu Jiali, who was about her own age and worrying about one thing after another, Wen Ying smiled. "Don’t worry. I’m here."

"Thank you, Doctor Wen."

"Doctor Wen, can I call you Sister Yingying? Calling you Doctor Wen feels a little distant," Xu Jiali asked cautiously.

"Call me whatever you want."

Wen Ying wasn’t particularly bothered about things like titles.

"Sister Yingying!" Xu Jiali called out cheerfully, a smile on her face.

"Sister Yingying, is Immortal Xiao Bai asleep?"

Hearing Xu Jiali’s words, Little White, who had his eyes closed, opened them to peer at her.

Xu Jiali, "..." was slightly embarrassed.

"Immortal Xiao Bai, sorry, I was just curious..."

Xu Jiali pressed her palms together in an apologetic gesture toward Little White.

Little White glanced at her and closed his eyes again. ’The people in this car are so boring. Everyone’s just endlessly scrolling on their phones. No one is talking or chatting.’

"Don’t talk to me. I don’t know anything about Immortals and Buddhas either."

Little White suddenly muttered with his eyes still closed.

If Xu Jiali hadn’t been staring at him, she probably wouldn’t have realized that the one who had just spoken was the fox in front of her.

Or rather, the fox doll.

Little White had turned back into a doll.

[Host, do you wish to know about Immortals and Buddhas?]

The system’s voice, which had been silent for a long time, rang out once more.

Wen Ying immediately refused. "No. I used all my reputation value to pay off debt."

[Host, you currently have over fifty thousand reputation value. As for the matter of Immortals and Buddhas, even if the Host wishes to know, it would cost five million reputation value. Obviously, this System cannot extend five million in credit to the Host, so—]

"Shut up."

[Host, you are so heartless and cruel. This System only spoke up because it saw the Host was bored. In any case, you’ll have to pay this five million someday. Why would this System be in a hurry?]

Hearing the system’s words, Wen Ying couldn’t help but let her mind wander.

’According to the system, I’m definitely going to spend five million reputation value to exchange for information about this world’s Immortals and Buddhas?’

’Why would I do that?’

’What do those legendary Immortals and Buddhas have to do with me?’

If it was a mandatory exchange, then a frightening thought appeared in Wen Ying’s mind.

’Could it be... that Immortals and Buddhas truly exist in this world?’