Lu Heng burst into 'Baichuan' in a rather sorry state. Even Chen Fei was taken aback; this was the "difficult client" who was hard to get in on a perfectly sunny day, yet here he was, ahead of schedule on a stormy one, clearly having braved the downpour, completely drenched.

"Oh, Mr. Lu, why didn't you bring an umbrella? Look at you…" Chen Fei genuinely felt bad.

Before she could finish, Lu Heng cut in, "Is Jian Ming in?" He seemed utterly oblivious to his soaking wet condition.

"Yes, your appointment is in twenty minutes. Do you want to go to the restroom to dry off first?" Chen Fei offered kindly.

"Oh, no need." He walked directly towards Jian Ming's office, stopping at the door. He wiped the rainwater from his face with his not-quite-dry hands, then shook his head before raising a hand to knock.

"Come in."

Water still dripped from the ends of Lu Heng's hair, tracing small rivulets down his face, from his forehead to his chin. A black and white hoodie clung tightly to his broad, muscular frame. His jeans, though less obviously so, were almost completely soaked.

Jian Ming had half-expected him to arrive looking like a drowned rat, but seeing him standing there, he still felt a pang of regret for not making that phone call.

"You didn't take a cab?"

"Traffic was terrible. I was afraid I'd be late, so I ran the last two blocks. Didn't realize it was getting worse," Lu Heng offered a slightly awkward smile, hovering at the doorway, unsure whether to enter or retreat.

Jian Ming was somewhat speechless. He checked the time, shook his head in resignation, then rose and went to the filing cabinet. He opened the innermost drawer, pulled out a crew-neck shirt and a towel, and walked towards Lu Heng.

"Go change. I'll wait."

Lu Heng stared at him, bewildered.

"It's clean. I keep it here. Don't worry," Jian Ming explained.

"Uh, no, I'm not worried." Lu Heng suddenly realized, and started to pull off his wet clothes right there.

Jian Ming nearly dropped his glasses, quickly stopping him. "Whoa, wait. Go to the restroom, dry off, then change." He pressed the clothes and towel into Lu Heng's hands, gesturing for him to turn left at the door.

When Lu Heng returned, he still held his damp hoodie and towel. Jian Ming handed him a prepared bag.

"Thanks." Lu Heng put everything into the bag, a bit self-consciously. "I'll wash it and return it."

"It's fine, have a seat." Jian Ming deliberately avoided looking at Lu Heng wearing his shirt. The crew-neck seemed to feel entirely different on him than it did on Jian Ming himself; it was noticeably snug around the shoulders and arms, but it emphasized a rugged sexiness. Jian Ming took a sharp intake of breath after just a fleeting glance.

"Did you take the day off today?" He opened the computer on his desk, looking at the screen as he asked Lu Heng.

"Yeah, coming here counts as an assignment, so it's easy to get leave." Lu Heng sat opposite Jian Ming, looking at the eyes hidden behind his glasses, thinking how beautiful and perceptive they were.

Jian Ming felt a gaze on him. He tapped his fingers on the desk, diverting the other man's attention. "Lu Heng, I've created a new file for you. I might need to ask some questions again. Is that okay?"

"Mm." Lu Heng actually didn't want Jian Ming to ask questions so rigidly, but he didn't refuse, thinking to himself that since he trusted him, he should overcome these discomforts.

"Alright, how have your diet and routine been for the past two weeks?" Jian Ming shifted his gaze from the screen to Lu Heng. "Roughly is fine."

Lu Heng was silent for a moment, then sighed. "Usually two meals a day, if I remember breakfast, I eat it. Food-wise, just the unit cafeteria, small restaurants near home, KFC, whatever. I'm not picky." His brows slowly furrowed. "I still go to bed late at night, but I don't have insomnia all night… The nightmare was last week; after taking the medicine, I haven't had it again."

Jian Ming tapped on his keyboard periodically, then asked, "Do you have any activities outside of work? Like gatherings with friends?"

Lu Heng's brows tightened further. "…No, no friends."

"No friends?" Jian Ming looked up at Lu Heng, confused, remembering the phone call he'd taken here that day, clearly disbelieving.

"Well, maybe one. A colleague from work. Haven't had any contact outside of work."

"Mm, and how's that relationship? Very good?" Jian Ming's eyes returned to the screen.

The other side was quiet for a long time, then he said with some impatience, "It's alright. He knows about my problem."

"Did you tell him yourself?"

"He saw me… saw me have an episode once, and helped me get medicine." Lu Heng struggled to continue, glaring at Jian Ming. "What's the point of asking all this? What does it have to do with my treatment?" The arrogant, violent glint in his eyes reappeared.

Jian Ming detected his loss of control. He released the keyboard, slowly turned back, and looked at him. "Every question I ask is related to your treatment. You just need to answer. Is that so difficult?" He tried to elicit the reason for Lu Heng's resistance.

"You…" Lu Heng's face flushed crimson, but Jian Ming's retort left him speechless.

"Officer Lu, can we continue?"

Lu Heng had entertained many assumptions and hopes before coming, but none of them left him as disappointed and discouraged as this. The Jian Ming before him was no different from old Counselor Jiang. The desk separating them felt like it had brutally severed their relationship into two halves: he was the doctor, and he himself was the patient.

"Whatever. Ask what you want." Lu Heng clasped his hands together in his lap, his eyes dull and lifeless.

Jian Ming leaned back in his chair, not touching the computer. "Do you have any hobbies?"

"No. Does playing with guns count?" Lu Heng's voice was chilling.

"No, and you probably can't play with them now, can you?" Jian Ming pressed on, his tone filled with provocation.

"Damn it!" Lu Heng pushed off his feet, standing up abruptly, the chair behind him clattering to the floor.

"Lu Heng!" Almost simultaneously, a sharp voice behind the desk called his name.

Their eyes locked for several seconds. Jian Ming covered his mouth and coughed, then stood back, straightened his clothes, and walked over to Lu Heng.

"Tell me, why are you so angry?" Jian Ming stopped very close to him.

Lu Heng's expression shifted slightly, but he said nothing, turning away and stepping back, trying to create distance between them. Jian Ming reached out and grabbed his wrist, pulling him back with force, pinning him against the edge of the desk. The distance between them shrank even further.

"Tell me, why?" His voice was hoarse. Jian Ming had no idea why he was acting so spontaneously; it was purely an instinct not to see Lu Heng avoid and evade.

Lu Heng couldn't tell if the liquid tracing down his face was lingering rainwater or sweat. Looking at Jian Ming, so close, that face that women would envy, a sudden urge to touch him arose. But instinctively, he merely removed Jian Ming's glasses.

"You're the doctor, shouldn't you be telling me why?" Lu Heng gazed at him. Compared to the rigid questioning at the start, Jian Ming's current slightly angry, slightly flustered way of asking questions secretly delighted him.

Jian Ming snatched his glasses back and straightened up. They stood facing each other, looking into each other's eyes until their own began to ache. Lu Heng started to move, but Jian Ming pressed down on his shoulder, then suddenly asked, "What have you been dreaming about?"

Lu Heng's body stiffened noticeably. He uncomfortably tried to move away. The person in front of him was too assertive; he wasn't used to, nor willing to, discuss such things at this proximity.

"Counselor Jian, can I smoke in here?" He held up his pack of Zhongnanhai cigarettes.

Jian Ming walked to the window, pushed it open a crack. "Stand over here and smoke."

Lu Heng lit a cigarette as he walked towards the window. "Just this one." He knew Jian Ming was making an exception for him.

Jian Ming leaned against the desk, watching him quietly, seemingly waiting for him to open up.

Lu Heng furrowed his brow, beginning to recall the nightmares that had tormented him for three years, his gaze fixed on the rain outside, drifting far away….

"Are you saying you're a child in your dream?" Jian Ming heard him recount his dream with difficulty, trying to find the core issue in his descriptions.

"Mm, I'm always… a 5 or 6-year-old child in my dream." The cigarette in Lu Heng's hand had burned down to his fingertips. Jian Ming handed him his water glass. Lu Heng looked puzzled, but seeing Jian Ming's persistence, he tossed the cigarette butt into it.

"Besides that, everything that happens in your dream is a re-enactment of that day, right?"

"Mm… not exactly… it's strange. My mom didn't say anything at the time, but in the dream… she keeps screaming… 'Save her… save her…'" Lu Heng's expression tensed, as if the scene was replaying before his eyes. He clutched his head and slid down the wall, squatting on the floor, muttering to himself.

Jian Ming generally understood the issues reflected in Lu Heng's dream. He didn't want to ask any more questions; the man before him seemed unable to withstand another. But he also didn't interrupt Lu Heng. Instead, he walked over, squatted down, grasped Lu Heng's hands that were covering his head, held them tightly, and slowly pulled them down. Lu Heng looked up, his expression agitated, his breathing quickening. He tried to pull his hands back, deliberately dodging. Jian Ming was certain he was afraid of something.

"Alright, we'll stop here for today. Don't think about it anymore. How do you feel?" Jian Ming exerted a bit of force, not releasing his hands.

"I don't want to lose control. You… move away…" Lu Heng's reaction was clearly directed at Jian Ming.

"Why?"

Lu Heng didn't want to say he was scared—scared of clinging to Jian Ming like a drowning man to a straw, scared that Jian Ming's proximity would shatter his strong resistance, scared that layer after layer of his protective shell would slowly… turn into him.

Jian Ming moved a little closer. Lu Heng stumbled backward again, retreating towards the corner. Jian Ming could see his deliberate avoidance. In truth, for two men, this distance was already far beyond normal standards, but he simply didn't want to stop. He knew he was subtly pressuring the other man, but he didn't want to stop; he wanted to indulge himself.

"Why are you afraid of me? Hmm?" Jian Ming asked softly, his voice low.

"…Why are you so close?" Lu Heng finally managed to squeeze out a sentence after much effort.

"I want to know why you're avoiding me. Is it because of last time?" Jian Ming pulled him up, not wanting him to evade, forcing him to face the issue directly.

"Jian Ming, do you treat other patients like this?" Lu Heng felt a strange sense of loss when Jian Ming kept his distance.

"Like what?"

"…Just… like last time…"

"I only treat friends like this." Jian Ming smiled, gently brushing Lu Heng's slightly damp hair.

Lu Heng was somewhat stunned. Suddenly, his heart felt like melted marshmallow, soft and warm. He didn't know where the impulse came from, but he asked, slightly trembling, "Why… why do you consider me a friend?"

Jian Ming smiled at him. "Because you don't have any friends." He finished his light teasing, then turned to the side of the desk, closed his laptop, and picked up his bag. "It's raining hard outside, I'll give you a ride back."

"…Oh." Lu Heng slowly moved, casually closing the open window. He couldn't describe his current mood. He knew Jian Ming hadn't directly answered his question but had grown accustomed to his evasive style, that subtle mockery beneath his understated remarks.

Jian Ming's lips curved slightly upward as he covertly observed Lu Heng. This little officer, he thought, is quite cute.