Today, I’m meeting Teacher Ning again.
Xia Fanxing got up early, took a shower, and went out for a warm breakfast before driving to the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
As he drove out of the neighborhood, he ran into Li Xing at the gate.
"You bought a car?" Li Xing, looking sleepy, sat in his car.
When a brand new bright yellow Ferrari drove out of the neighborhood, it was so dazzling that he couldn’t help but look twice.
Upon realizing it was Xia Fanxing in the driver’s seat, half of his drowsiness vanished.
"Yeah." Xia Fanxing said energetically, gripping the steering wheel.
"Whoa." Li Xing glanced at the luxury sports car through the window, "Cool, this car."
"Thanks." Xia Fanxing replied with a smile.
"I recently opened a bar. It’s opening next Thursday. Come by if you have time." Li Xing seemed quite pleased for him.
"Sure."
After a brief chat, they drove off in opposite directions.
...
Driving all the way to the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The bright yellow sports car attracted a lot of attention along the way.
Especially under the gloomy Beijing winter skies, seeing such a dazzling sports car felt like spotting the sun.
After entering Ning Youguang’s office.
She said to him, "Xia Fanxing, this is our last session."
"I know." Xia Fanxing said, "Not having to come for therapy anymore should be a happy thing, but I feel a bit uneasy."
Ning Youguang smiled and asked, "Do you know how long we’ve been in therapy?"
"I went through our session records and realized I’ve been in therapy for over half a year. It feels like a long time." Xia Fanxing sighed, "Like I’ve lived through two lifetimes."
"Isn’t that a sign our therapy was successful?" Ning Youguang’s eyes were bright with a cheerful smile. "Seeing you so spirited, I feel energized. You must have been a charming socialite before, right?"
"Who says not?" Xia Fanxing mused.
He was indeed in great spirits today, eyes shining brightly, and despite wearing thick clothes, he looked radiant.
He had gained some weight, appearing taller and more robust.
His new clothes were all current-season styles, showing his excellent taste.
"How have you been feeling lately?" Ning Youguang asked with concern.
"Pretty good, with a good appetite, normal sleep, going to bed early and getting up early, regularly visiting the swimming pool and gym. It’s completely different from my previous lethargic state, even different from before I got sick. Why is that?" Xia Fanxing asked, puzzled.
"It’s hard to pinpoint a specific reason. Overall, you were in a state of depression linked to your inner fears. When you fear, anxiety constantly invades your consciousness, preventing you from relaxing and maintaining a good state."
Ning Youguang handed him a cup of hot water.
She held a cup herself.
The rising steam from the cup made her delicate features look somewhat dreamy.
Xia Fanxing lowered his eyes slightly and took a small sip of hot water.
"That’s probably true. Now I feel full of energy, not just physically, but mentally as well. For a long time, I didn’t want to do anything, but lately, I really feel like doing things, as I told you before."
"Yes." Ning Youguang said, "Have you decided what you want to do?"
"In recent years, with the decline of manufacturing, some of our family’s factories have been shut down. Those old factories haven’t been torn down or repurposed. They’ve just been locked up, despite being in decent locations. I went to inspect them and plan to refurbish them into a creative base."
"A creative base?" Ning Youguang asked with a smile, "Is it the kind that is planned out, then converted into unique little shops selling all kinds of interesting things?"
"Right." Xia Fanxing grinned, "Didn’t expect Teacher Ning to know about such places."
"Who doesn’t have a bit of an artistic soul?" Ning Youguang raised an eyebrow, "I believe in you. Go ahead and do it. I’ll come to support you when it’s done. I love art, and if your creative base needs support from artist friends during the renovation, I know some interesting artists I can introduce you to."