Return of the Antagonistic Lady Boss-Chapter 577 - 551: Gamophobia and Resignation

It was probably because yesterday’s program touched on family affairs involving a third party that today almost all the calls were about such confessions.

What to do if your husband has a mistress.

What to do about the seven-year itch.

There was even one asking what to do if the husband snores and they want a divorce.

Qian was already well-versed in these issues; the late-night talk show is meant to listen to various emotional problems. People seldom think of seeking someone’s listening ear when they are in a good mood; it’s only during troublesome times that they think of calling.

And most of those troubles are related to family, which she had long become numb to, but the always accompanying Yu Minglang appeared somewhat pensive.

He somewhat understood how Mei’s premarital phobia came about.

She grew up in a special family where her parents’ relationship was fraught, causing her subconscious rejection towards marriage.

Even though Jia Xiufang did well after reuniting her family, Qian seldom went home. Her impression of home remained stuck in that quarrelsome childhood.

Growing up, she studied Clinical Psychology, encountering all sorts of troubled people, witnessing unhealthy families.

Her anxiety and fear towards marriage was also normal. Yu Minglang admitted that when she initially avoided marriage, he felt somewhat uncomfortable.

After he visited the bookstore to look up materials, that discomfort turned into distress, especially after just going downstairs to buy water and hearing the night-shift workers’ conversation, his distress became even more pronounced.

When Qian finished the program and came out, she saw him leaning on the door, lost in thought, and waved her hand twice in front of him.

"What are you looking at?"

"Resign."

"What did you say?" Qian thought she misheard.

The director at the side pretended to tidy up materials, while in reality, had perked up ears.

"Resign; if you feel embarrassed to talk to Mr Liu, I’ll go speak."

He didn’t want her to continue doing this.

Just listening for a while made him heartache for her; doing these things was only increasing her subconscious anxiety about marriage.

"What made you think of saying this?"

Qian was puzzled what triggered him; he was fine when they came, but after recording a program, he wanted her to stop?

"We’ll talk when we get home." Yu Minglang didn’t want to delve into this in front of outsiders.

On the way home, Qian asked about the topic again.

"Why did you suddenly want me to resign?"

"When I went downstairs to buy water, I heard two night-shift workers chatting, they said..." Yu Minglang’s face darkened a bit thinking of those conversations.

"What did they say?"

"They said a psychology talk show host on the radio had previously committed suicide."

"I’ve heard about it too; it was the host before the last one, a very good person, it’s a pity, still so young."

The suicide rate of hosts of psychology talk shows is quite high.

In fact, not only talk show hosts, but psychologists also have high suicide rates.

"Stop doing this; there’re so many other things you could do. You have to go out so late, disrupt sleep, and listen to people dumping emotional garbage every day." Yu Minglang didn’t want to interfere with her work initially, but hearing about someone committing suicide left him choked up.

He couldn’t imagine what he would do if it were Qian.

"You know what my major is, right? Clinical work involves being a listener for various emotional issues; the radio mostly deals with emotional garbage rather than psychological issues, so this is just an internship assigned by the teacher. The psychological consultations I’ll do later will be much more serious; if you can’t handle this, what will you do when I start my actual job?"

Upon hearing her say it’ll be more serious later on, Yu Minglang immediately imagined 26 suicide methods, turning pale and feeling suffocated.

Without thinking, he blurted out.

"Stop doing this, come home, I’ll support you."

Qian looked at him deeply, "Don’t bring up this matter in the future."

When Yu Minglang heard her tone, he realized he had been too clever by half.

"I’m just worried about you. If you are constantly exposed to negative information and it’s even affecting your own life, why keep doing it?"

"Then you should go home as well, and I’ll support you; can my job’s danger even compare to how busy you are? You’re so busy every day; why do you keep doing it?"

"This is completely different!" Yu Minglang said, somewhat exasperated.

"There’s no difference; the danger level of our psychologists’ profession is even higher. If we were really to be serious about it, many professions are high-risk. If everyone feels it’s too dangerous and stops, what about those vacant positions? If you think it’s dangerous, you might want to put me in a glass jar, but who will be the psychologist then?"

"Don’t twist concepts; what I’m saying isn’t even the same thing. I hope you are happy every day, with not so much pressure." Facing her eloquence, Yu Minglang felt some sense of defeat but insisted on his viewpoint.

"Where did you see from that I’m not happy? I don’t feel high pressure; I handle these consultations with ease. I won’t bring emotions from work back home, so you don’t have to worry I’ll end up with depression under pressure like those predecessors."

You aren’t depressed, but you fear marriage! Yu Minglang couldn’t say these words out loud, only anxiously held them within.

At home, he went to the supermarket; Qian thought he was buying protection again and wondered why when they had just bought it in the morning.

Oh, he must know the next day is the weekend, wanting to do it several times?

This thought made her a bit shy and anticipatory, as Yu Xiaoqiang wasn’t one known for single moves, rather a master of variety, surprising each time. Maybe this was a good way to relieve the current stress for Qian.

But her anticipation was in vain; when he came back, unlike the day before where they bathed together, Qian washed up early and lay down, waiting, but he didn’t react, seeing him standing on the balcony from the living room, pulling a small box from his pocket. But the box wasn’t protection; it was cigarettes.

Almost never seen him smoking, what’s caused him such heavy pressure?

Qian leaned against the bedroom door watching him, Yu Minglang supporting himself on the balcony railing silently smoking, yet thinking of her.

Qian thought about it and decided not to disturb him; she knew every man has a specific stage where they particularly enjoy solitude.

The biggest difference between men and women is that women’s first reaction to having a concern is to find a friend to confide in; men prefer returning to their spiritual world, a secret garden. Men don’t like confiding or needing comfort. When faced with difficulties, what they need is smoking alcohol and a space for solitude.

Qian gave up the thought of accompanying him, retreated back into the bedroom, lying down, she also needed a space for solitude now.

Perhaps what Qiuqiu said before is right, a strong T lives within Qian’s soul, sometimes her mindset is really close to men.

But on this night, although he lay beside her, the nightmare gone all day returned again. Qian, waking suddenly from the nightmare, sat up abruptly, finding Yu Minglang unexpectedly not asleep, with a deep contemplative look at her that she didn’t know how long had lasted.