Dr. Ou’s Psychotherapy - Chapter 8

Domestication and Handling

Surprisingly, Yi Zhize was quick to agree: “Okay.”

Ou Tingyun moved closer to him: “Zhize, don’t you want to ask me what compensation I want first? If I were to make some excessive demands…”

“You wouldn’t.”

“How do you know I won’t?”

“Intuition.”

Ou Tingyun laughed: “Zhize, aren’t lawyers supposed to be rational? It’s not a good thing to trust your intuition. Many times, it can deceive you.”

Yi Zhize spoke frankly, “Since I have agreed to do this, I have my own considerations.”

“What considerations?” Ou Tingyun paused for a moment and then said, “I see. How I propose it is one thing, how you implement it is another. You’re a lawyer, you’re best at playing word games.”

Yi Zhize smiled faintly, “Dr. Ou, you are really mentally enriched.”

“Of course, it is my profession.” Ou Tingyun stared at his smiling face for a while: “Zhize, my request is simple, just treat me to a meal.”

“Okay.”

“You have to cook it yourself, and I have to go to your house.”

Yi Zhize said helplessly, “Director Ou, what if I don’t know how to cook at all?”

Ou Tingyun’s tone was rather roguish, “I don’t care, if you don’t know how to, you will have to learn now.”

“Learn now, sell now, do you dare to eat what comes out?” (Angel: Learn now, sell now is an idiom that means to show off what you just learned.)

“Why wouldn’t I dare?”

“Professor Ou,” Yi Zhize looked over at him, “is this how you act as a teacher?”

“It’s called the spirit of fearless adventure, what’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing.” Yi Zhize parked the car in the hospital’s underground garage, “We’re here.”

Yi Zhize accompanied him to the surgical department and registered. As soon as the doctor sitting at the clinic saw Ou Tingyun, he immediately exchanged pleasantries, “Director Ou, how did you manage this? It’s quite a deep wound.”

Ou Tingyun said, “There was a small situation, I’m sorry to trouble you.”

The surgeon teased, “Was it a heroic rescue?”

Ou Tingyun’s eyes smiled, “That’s right, it was a heroic rescue.”

After saying this, he deliberately glanced at Yi Zhize, who coughed lightly and looked away uncomfortably.

After the wound was treated, the two of them came out of the clinic.

In the corridor, Ou Tingyun asked, “Zhize, will you promise me or not?”

“What?”

“Cooking something for me.”

“En.”

“Then it’s a deal.” Ou Tingyun said, “This evening, send me your home address.”

“Okay, later.” When they parted, Yi Zhize said softly, “Thank you, Tingyun.”

———

At seven o’clock that evening, Ou Tingyun arrived at the appointed place. With great patience, he knocked gently at the door.

A few minutes later, Yi Zhize opened the door for him.

It was a rather neatly laid out apartment, decorated in a Japanese style, clean and pure yet bright and profound.

Yi Zhize asked, “What would you like to eat?”

Ou Tingyun was in a good mood: “Anything.”

“Is there anything you don’t like to eat?”

“Yes,” Ou Tingyun said, “I don’t eat fish with spines, beef or lamb with a strong smell, chicken or duck without skin, or vegetables such as eggplant or pumpkin.”

“That’s quite a lot to ask.”

“But,” Ou Tingyun changed his words, “if you cooked it yourself, all of this would be tolerable.”

Yi Zhize opened the fridge, picked out some ingredients and said with an expressionless face, “I’m really flattered.”

Yi Zhize took the ingredients into the kitchen and Ou Tingyun followed him and asked, “You live alone?”

“En.”

“Not in a relationship or anything?”

“No.”

“No cats or dogs either?”

“No.”

“Don’t you get bored by yourself?”

“Isn’t it the same at Dr. Ou’s house?”

Ou Tingyun sighed softly, “I actually quite like pets.”

“Then why don’t you have one?”

Ou Tingyun smiled, “Domestication is a lot of work. If you put too much emotion into it and it still ends up in ruins, then it’s better not to make the connection in the first place.”

“Mr. Ou,” Yi Zhize said, looking at him, “it’s called giving up food for fear of choking.” (Angel: Giving up food for fear of choking is an idiom that means to stop doing something because of a little fault or fear of a problem.)

“It’s just avoiding wasting emotions.”

“I thought that, as a psychiatrist, you would be good at manipulating emotions.”

“In a way, that’s true.” Ou Tingyun leaned against the glass door, “But the parts that can be manipulated are often irrelevant. The true feelings of human nature have always been difficult to grasp.”

“And because it’s difficult to grasp, you don’t even try? That’s too negative.”

“I just don’t want to have a pet, so why don’t I just try it all?” Ou Tingyun lowered his voice: “For example, with you, I’m willing to try.”

Yi Zhize paused as he washed the ingredients, “Have you always been so ambiguous when speaking to people?”

“No, it depends on the person.”

“You should have had a lot of girlfriends.”

“Quite the opposite, no.” Ou Tingyun’s tone was flat: “I have no interest in women.”

Yi Zhize said, “I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“This is your privacy.”

“It’s not really private, and I’m not interested in men either.”

“You just haven’t met anyone your heart desires.”

“Oh?” Ou Tingyun looked at him with a smile, “So there’s a story, Zhize?”

“No.” After a moment, he added, “A hunch.”

Yi Zhize finished cleaning the ingredients, took out his silver knives and handled them meticulously.

Ou Tingyun watched from the side, not the least bit helpful, “Zhize, the way you look now reminds me of an interesting image.”

“What?”

“A doctor with a scalpel.”

Yi Zhize put the chopped ingredients on a plate, “This morning, when you held that blade, I also had an image in my mind.”

“What?”

“The sword of Damocles, the symbol of judgement.”

Ou Tingyun laughed quietly: “So, you’re more like a doctor than I am, and I’m more like a lawyer than you are?”

Instead of continuing the conversation, Yi Zhize asked him, “Do you know how to cook?”

“No.”

“Turn on the rice cooker, put the rice in, and add water.”

“No, I won’t.” Ou Tingyun said, “How about some wine instead of dinner? Do you have any here?”

“Yes.”

“In the fridge?”

“En.”

“I’ll go and get it.”

“Okay.”

For the next hour or so, Ou Tingyun opened a bottle of wine and drank it for his own amusement while watching Yi Zhize cook.

Nothing was said between them, only the silence of the night and the smell of wine filled the air.

After the delicacies were brought to the table, Ou Tingyun opened a bottle of wine for Yi Zhize: “Drink a little?”

“I’ll get a glass.”

“There’s no point in using a glass.”

“I’m a light drinker.”

“You can go from light to heavy, I’ll teach you.”

According to his usual character, he would never have agreed.

But for some reason, in this situation, he just wanted to do something a little more unusual: “Okay.”

Yi Zhize raised the bottle of wine and gently clinked it with Ou Tingyun.

The aromatic wine entered his throat, stirring up a burning sensation.

He couldn’t remember when he had gotten drunk.

The mole at the corner of his eye looked particularly attractive against his flushed cheeks.