Chapter 108: Chapter 105 Membership Fee Chapter 108: Chapter 105 Membership Fee …

Sheng Xian hung up on Zhuang Chen’s call for the third time, leisurely climbed the stairs to the second floor, and strolled along the Japanese-style wooden floor to the end, where he pushed open the door of the private room.

“Damn, playing hide-and-seek with me again—”

As Zhuang Chen’s voice, bordering on table-flipping anger, filled the space, Sheng Xian’s phone in his pocket vibrated for the fourth time.

This time he didn’t ignore it. Leaning against the doorframe, he took out his phone, answered the call, and casually switched on speakerphone.

“Asheng, are you standing me up again—”

No sooner had Zhuang Chen finished his sentence than his voice came from the doorway.

He started, and after a couple of seconds lifted his head with dissatisfaction to address the person in the doorway, “If you’re already at the door, why the hell are you still taking the call?”

Sheng Xian walked in, took off his coat, and hung it on the rack nearby.

Zhuang Chen poured Sheng Xian some tea with a face full of resentment, “I called you three times just now, why didn’t you answer any of them?”

Sheng Xian took a sip of his tea, “Didn’t hear them.”

“… Fuck.” Zhuang Chen flung the menu in front of Sheng Xian, “Order something!”

Sheng Xian glanced through the menu briefly, “You choose.”

Zhuang Chen called over a waiter and ordered several dishes.

As the waiter was about to take the menus away, they politely inquired, “Is there anything you don’t eat?”

Zhuang Chen was just about to say no, when Sheng Xian, who was sitting across from him with droopy eyelids, indifferent to what dishes had been ordered, staring at his phone screen and tapping away, suddenly listed off a string of demands, “No onions, no ginger, no garlic, no chili peppers, no soy sauce.”

“…”

Zhuang Chen almost choked on the word “no” that he hadn’t managed to say.

It wasn’t until the waiter left the room that Zhuang Chen came back to his senses, “Since when did you become so picky?”

Sheng Xian lifted his left hand, wrapped in bandages, “Dietary restrictions.”

“Oh, come on, you’re bluffing, you had appendicitis surgery and you didn’t give a damn about dietary restrictions.”

Sheng Xian scrolled absentmindedly on his screen, “Yeah, you’re right.”

It took Zhuang Chen a solid three seconds to realize that Sheng Xian had replied to his “you’re bluffing” comment.

He was about to retort when a realization stopped him mid-sentence.

He scrutinized Sheng Xian intently for a while, “Asheng, I feel like you’ve changed from before.”

The Sheng Xian from the past wasn’t this bad—well, not that he was really bad now.

What he meant was that in terms of speaking, Sheng Xian wasn’t this bitter-tongued, nor did he enjoy snapping at people before.

In conclusion, he found the current Sheng Xian to be more vivacious, not as distant as he used to be, like a flat character living in a two-dimensional world.

Sheng Xian flicked his eyelids, “What’s different?”

See, asking that question alone shows a big difference from before!

The Sheng Xian of the past would’ve, at most, just shot him a silent glance.

“You seem more approachable now, and you’re actually joking with people.”

Folks with avoidant personality disorder often lacked attention and love from their parents or caregivers as children. Over time, they subconsciously want to avoid love because by avoiding it, they wouldn’t lose it.

At the start of treating Sheng Xian, he wasn’t very confident, because Sheng Xian was very resistant, with a deep-rooted kind of resistance. He didn’t want to tell him about his past, the situation at home, or the shadows that his childhood had cast on him.

He even thought that maybe Sheng Xian’s condition might never be cured in his lifetime. Psychological illness highly depends on the patient themselves; it can only be resolved if they are willing to come out from it. However, to his surprise, in just a short two months, Sheng Xian had changed so much.

The situation was unexpectedly good, and Zhuang Chen was quite happy, happy enough not to hold a grudge against Sheng Xian for the earlier teasing. Raising his tea cup, he made a toast with Sheng Xian’s cup, “All in all, it’s a good sign, but I’d appreciate your cooperation. Take this time, for instance, if I hadn’t pushed you, you wouldn’t have come to me for treatment.”

Sheng Xian finally finished replying to his messages and set his phone aside, “Busy.”

Zhuang Chen, “Busy? What are you busy with? Your school’s out for break, it’s nearing year-end with no major cases in court; what could you possibly be busy with?”

Sheng Xian drank half a cup of tea, remaining silent.

Zhuang Chen, his curiosity piqued, resorted to mixing personal with professional under the guise of treatment, “Don’t forget, we are in a session right now, a session.”

Sheng Xian tugged at the corner of his lips, “Really want to know?”

Zhuang Chen grew impatient as he waited for a response, “No shit!”