ALL NOVEL Chapter 23: Overthinking Is an Illness That Needs Treatment!
Chapter 23: Overthinking Is an Illness That Needs Treatment!
Afterward, the two remained silent, each eating their breakfast, until Chu Hanting came down and broke the silence.
“This is Liu Yu. He’s the one who treated you yesterday,” Chu Hanting introduced, thinking Su Mu didn’t know him.
“No need for introductions. This young Master Su recognized me at first glance,” Liu Yu said, adjusting his glasses to explain.
Chu Hanting sensed an odd atmosphere between the two. Had something happened before he came down?
Su Mu put down his chopsticks and turned to face Chu Hanting directly. It seemed all of last night’s unpleasantness and awkwardness had disappeared. He showed no discomfort and still gazed at him with those eyes full of intense desire.
“I’m finished eating. Thank you for bringing me back yesterday and not leaving me to faint alone in the rain.”
“And Dr. Liu, thank you as well,” Su Mu turned to look at Liu Yu, smiling in gratitude.
His tone was neither humble nor proud as he thanked them both.
Liu Yu responded with a slight smile and nod, then continued watching as Su Mu turned back to exchange lingering looks with Chu Hanting.
This Su family kid really wasn’t treating him like an outsider!
He wondered if his friend could handle such direct advances.
Now back in his own clothes, Su Mu had returned to how he looked when they saw him at school yesterday.
Chu Hanting could sense that compared to last night when Su Mu’s rationality seemed on the verge of collapse, today’s Su Mu had regained his confidence.
He could actually reject Su Mu’s confession right now, but remembering how grief-stricken he looked yesterday, he preferred seeing Su Mu like this now.
Never mind, the kid was just recovering from illness – better not upset him.
“No need for thanks. Leaving you alone there wouldn’t have been gentlemanly.”
Su Mu could still hear the distance in Chu Hanting’s response, but it didn’t matter. As long as there wasn’t a complete rejection, he could continue pursuing him.
He would pursue him relentlessly until death!
“I need to go back to practice piano. Don’t forget about next week’s competition,” Su Mu reminded Chu Hanting again about coming to watch his performance.
“I’ll have Yang Hua take you home,” Chu Hanting avoided answering about the competition.
Afterwards, Assistant Yang diligently ensured Su Mu’s safe return to the Su residence.
As soon as Su Mu stepped into the living room, he ran into Su Ning.
“Brother?” Su Ning feigned surprise. “Why are you only getting back at this hour?”
“You were out all night. Did you stay at the dorms?”
“But I heard from mom that this semester you’ve been living at home unless you have classes, and yesterday was Monday – you didn’t have class.”
Su Mu looked at Su Ning, who seemed to be stirring up trouble again, and directly mocked him: “Su Ning, do you have histrionic personality disorder? You’re such a chatterbox. Even a pager doesn’t beep as much as you do.”
“Whether I stay at the dorms or not is none of your business. Focus on yourself and think about how to become useful to the Su family. Otherwise, don’t say I didn’t warn you – in the Su family, useless people get kicked out sooner or later.”
Su Ning noticed Mother Su coming downstairs, and his expression changed faster than a Sichuan Opera face-changing performer. Within three seconds, he broke into tears.
Covering his mouth, voice choked with sobs but deliberately raised to ensure everyone in the house could hear, “Brother, do you hate me? Is that why you stay at the dorms as soon as I come home? You just don’t want to see me.”
Before Su Mu could speak up to scold him, a sharp rebuke rang out from Mother Su.
She rushed down the stairs and ran over to stand in front of Su Ning with outstretched arms, like a mother hen protecting her chick. In Mother Su’s eyes, Su Mu was now a vicious eagle.
“Su Mu, you’re being completely unreasonable! How can you treat your brother this way? He just joined the Su family, while you’ve enjoyed wealth and privilege for over twenty years. Can’t you make room for your brother? How can you be so petty and unwelcoming? How could the Su family have raised someone so narrow-minded!”
Mother Su’s words reminded Su Mu of events from his previous life.
He had heard similar words before. Every time, even though he hadn’t done or said anything, Su Ning would pursue and pressure him relentlessly like an evil spirit.
Turning white into black, making something out of nothing.
It was the same back then – under Su Ning’s masterful performance, Mother and Father Su would always scold him without distinguishing right from wrong.
His explanations were futile; they wouldn’t listen.
After it happened so many times, he stopped trying to explain. He let them pour their dirty water over him.
Just enduring all their anger and venting, being their silent punching bag.
Thinking of this, his expression darkened. The anger accumulated over two lifetimes began to boil like water, bubbles rushing to burst forth, as if about to explode his body.
His lips curved in mockery, his voice naturally carrying anger, sharp and cold:
“I’m a student – isn’t staying at the dorms normal? I don’t come home for one night, and he imagines I hate him. If you’re this mentally fragile, will you drop dead the next time I spit while talking?”
“Overthinking is an illness that needs treatment. I happen to know a good doctor at Beijing Fifth Mental Hospital. Would you like an introduction, Su Ning?” Su Mu smiled at him wickedly.
Mother Su pointed at him, her chest heaving with anger, “You’re going to be the death of me! How can you talk about your brother like this!”
“I’m sick of hearing ‘brother this, brother that’ all day long. Aren’t you tired of it?” Su Mu said darkly.
“Do we even share blood? What kind of brothers are we? Besides, weren’t we supposedly born on the same day? How did I end up being the older one? So you just want to claim the title of ‘younger brother’ so your ‘good older brother’ has to give way to you at every turn, is that it!”
Su Mu shot a glance at Su Ning, whose expression had turned unpleasant.
“Brother, that’s not it, I never thought that way. I just hope we can get along and not cause trouble for the family.”
Su Ning made a show of wiping his tears, eyes brimming with water as he held Mother Su’s arm. “Mom, that’s really all I meant.”
Seeing Su Ning so wronged and nearly crying himself into a puddle, Mother Su felt waves of sympathy.
Patting Su Ning’s arm reassuringly, she said: “Of course Mom knows you’re not that kind of person. You’re always thinking about family harmony, unlike—”
She turned to glare fiercely at Su Mu, “This ingrate who never thinks about the family.”
“Yun Yanrou,” Su Mu called Mother Su by her full name, “I know you’re biased, but you don’t need to constantly flaunt your mother-son relationship in front of me.”
“You two are such good actors, I should set up a stage and invite you both to perform a play about maternal love and filial piety. It would be a full house.”
“Su Mu, so you think you’re untouchable now?” Mother Su was furious. “Starting tomorrow, I’ll have your father cut off all your living expenses. Take some time to reflect on yourself. When you understand, come apologize.”
At this threat, Su Mu gave a wicked laugh, casually brushing his bangs aside.
“Cutting off money is such a weak move. Why not just kick me out of the Su family right now? Since you can’t stand me, and I can’t stand you either, how’s that for a suggestion? Everyone wins.”
Mother Su certainly didn’t want Su Mu to stay in the Su family, and Su Ning felt the same.
But for now, Su Mu still had value to the Su family, so they had to keep him.
Fearing that continuing the conversation might actually make Su Mu leave home and cut ties with the Su family completely, and remembering Father Su’s instructions, Mother Su took Su Ning’s hand and led him away from the living room after throwing one last hateful look at Su Mu.
Su Mu called out to their retreating backs: “Cowards.”