The appointment with the psychologist was scheduled for Saturday morning. Originally, Xia Xiaoling had intended to take only Wu Menghan.
To her surprise, Vivi clamored to join them as well. With no other choice, she brought both of them to Xia Yu’s coffee shop.
As soon as they stepped through the door, they saw Xia Yu’s signature move—a long, lazy stretch.
Hearing the commotion at the entrance, she looked up, glanced at them, and said nonchalantly, “You’re here. Have a seat first; she hasn’t arrived yet. What would you like to drink?”
The group found a random table and sat down, glancing at the price list on the surface.
It featured various strange packages, usually consisting of small desserts paired with coffee drinks, with prices ranging from 70 to 300.
Such prices might not be considered expensive in a large city, but the Old Town was merely a small county. Even if it had once been glorious, that was in the past.
Wu Menghan was not the type of girl to spend money recklessly; these prices were quite steep for her. If she ate frugally, 70 yuan could cover her meals for three days.
Quickly withdrawing her gaze, Wu Menghan stopped looking at the menu and turned her eyes toward Vivi.
‘Well, Vivi is much better to look at than the menu.’
Xia Xiaoling noticed Wu Menghan’s reaction and knew she was reluctant to spend money. However, based on what Xia Yu had said, it was clear that the drinks would be on the house this time.
She spoke up softly, “Two lattes, please. Oh, Vivi, what do you want to drink?”
Turning her gaze toward Vivi, she saw the girl didn’t seem to have a preference. Vivi shrugged indifferently. “Anything is fine.”
“Alright then, Sister, make it three lattes.”
“Teacher Xia, this…”
Wu Menghan hesitated, clearly feeling a bit embarrassed. It was already enough of a burden to ask for help; now she felt guilty about getting free coffee on top of it.
“Oh, it’s fine, it’s fine. My sister only opened this coffee shop because she was bored and wanted something to do,” Xia Xiaoling said.
Hearing this, Wu Menghan’s lip twitched. It was the first time she had heard of someone opening a coffee shop just for fun.
‘Hmm… Could it be that she has some strange hobby, which is why she opened this maid café?’
At that thought, Wu Menghan looked at the nearby staff, her gaze wandering over them.
‘It actually looks quite nice. I wonder what it would look like if Vivi wore one. If I remember correctly, Vivi used to work here, right?’
She suddenly felt a strong desire to see what Vivi would look like in a maid outfit. ‘Should I let the other Vivi out for two days?’
As she pondered, the bell at the door rang again. They turned to see a very elegant woman.
She looked to be in her 30s and was quite tall—a classic mature lady type. She scanned the interior of the coffee shop but didn’t see Xia Yu.
“Welcome. What can I get for you?”
A staff member in a maid outfit approached with a slight smile, giving off a very warm and welcoming feeling.
The woman smiled back and waved her hand. “Is your store manager, Xia Yu, in?”
“Oh, you must be the psychologist the manager was looking for. They’re over there.”
The girl pointed toward Xia Xiaoling and her group.
“Alright, thank you.”
The woman nodded, walked over, and sat down with a professional smile.
“Hello, I am the psychologist Xia Yu invited. You can just call me Dr. Xu. Which one of you needs psychological counseling?” Her voice was gentle with a hint of sophistication, making people feel at ease.
Xia Xiaoling looked at the woman. She was beautiful and seemed very capable. She appeared to be someone easy to get along with.
“Dr. Xu, both my student and I need some counseling.”
Xia Xiaoling turned her gaze toward Wu Menghan. Dr. Xu followed her lead, identifying the person in need of help.
She nodded and took several documents out of her handbag.
“In that case, I’ll speak with the two of you individually later. Don’t be nervous; just think of it as a normal conversation.”
“Mm, okay.”
Just as she finished speaking, Xia Yu walked out carrying three lattes.
Seeing the newcomer, she looked pleasantly surprised. “Sister Xu, you’re here! Look at the timing. If you’d arrived a bit earlier, I would have prepared one for you too.”
Dr. Xu looked at the coffee she was holding with a bit of disdain. “Don’t start with that. I don’t drink coffee.”
Xia Yu laughed and didn’t say anything else. She was very familiar with Dr. Xu and naturally knew her personality; the offer was just a bit of banter.
“Alright, who’s first?”
Xia Xiaoling looked at Wu Menghan, signaling for her to go first.
Wu Menghan nodded and spoke up. “Dr. Xu, I’ll go first.”
“Alright. Wu Menghan, right?”
“Yes.”
“Follow me.”
The two of them left. After placing the two lattes on the table, Xia Yu followed Dr. Xu into a small room.
The small room was where Xia Yu usually stayed. It was very cozy and designed to help people relax.
Xia Yu silently placed the coffee in her hand on the table and then stood to the side to watch the proceedings.
Dr. Xu sat across from Wu Menghan, her face still wearing a professional smile.
“Miss Wu, don’t be nervous. We’re just having a very ordinary chat.”
“Mm, okay.”
Wu Menghan nodded. She was actually a little nervous. After all, she had never experienced anything like this before and didn’t know the specific process.
Dr. Xu placed the papers on the table, looked into Wu Menghan’s eyes with a gentle gaze, and asked softly, “Has anything been making you feel pressured or uneasy lately?”
Wu Menghan froze for a moment, searched her memories, and then nodded.
“Yes, I suppose there has been.”
“Mm, good…”
Dr. Xu took out a pen to record something and then asked, “What is the source of your pressure or unease?”
“Well…”
As time passed, Wu Menghan gradually relaxed.
She felt like her conversation with Dr. Xu was like talking to an old friend she hadn’t seen in years—relaxing and comforting.
In the coffee shop, Xia Xiaoling and Vivi sat facing each other. Vivi’s face was full of hesitation. She was wondering if she should also see the psychologist.
‘After all, another version of myself appearing every now and then is pretty scary.’
After a period of hesitation, Vivi finally made up her mind and asked softly, “Teacher Xia, I want Dr. Xu to see me as well.”
Hearing this, Xia Xiaoling raised an eyebrow. She scanned Vivi’s face before asking, “What’s wrong? You seem quite normal to me. I don’t think there’s any need to see a doctor.”
“Um… well, I’m just a little curious about how a psychologist works.”
The reason was a bit forced, and she wasn’t sure if Xia Xiaoling would agree.
Xia Xiaoling reached out and patted the little girl’s head, saying gently, “Don’t fill your head with such idle thoughts.”
Just then, the door to the room opened, and the group walked back out.
“Miss Xia, it’s your turn.”