Attention Sir, I Have Your Heart Handcuffed!-Chapter 565 - 412. No matter how difficult the time, it will eventually come to an end (1st update)

Chapter 565: 412. No matter how difficult the time, it will eventually come to an end (1st update)

Du Songlin wasn’t surprised, and Huangfu Huazhang wasn’t surprised by Du Songlin’s lack of surprise either. This meeting between the two was something both had anticipated.

Du Songlin’s attitude, however, was not courteous. He remained standing without taking a seat: "If you have something to say, please say it quickly. Once you’re done, I need to hurry back home."

Over the years, Huangfu Huazhang had invited him several times, and this was not the first time Du Songlin had come to meet him. Both were aware of this, yet it had not reached the level Huangfu Huazhang expected.

As a psychologist, Du Songlin knew well that everyone, at some point, grapples with inner demons, so he wasn’t surprised to have his heart demon exposed and threatened. Yet, precisely because he was a psychologist, he despised anyone exploiting one’s inner demons for such threats.

Du Songlin, it seemed, remained the same. Huangfu Huazhang, unsurprised, gave a faint smile: "You’re rushing home to not miss dinner with Doctor Huo, right? Anyone can understand, after all those years of living alone due to that incident, you finally fulfilled your wish to marry Doctor Huo, and naturally, you’d want to cherish every beautiful moment together."

Huangfu Huazhang’s words seemed harmless, but Du Songlin, involved, naturally understood his underlying implications.

Du Songlin couldn’t help but rebuke, "It’s been so many years, Huangfu Huazhang, don’t push too far!"

"So many years?" Huangfu Huazhang curled his lips, laughing mockingly: "Shouldn’t it be said that you’ve never stopped harboring resentment against Tang Mingyi all these years? On closer reflection, the divorce of Huo Danru and Tang Mingyi back then, and the swift acquaintance and romance of Shen Wan and Tang Mingyi, indeed were aided by you quite significantly."

Du Songlin closed his eyes.

He couldn’t deny that this was indeed his heart demon. Although it wasn’t intentional, he allowed things to take their course.

Hence, he dared not let Huo Danru know about this matter. He didn’t dare before marriage, and certainly wouldn’t after they were married.

Huangfu Huazhang gazed at Du Songlin. He knew well that while Huo Danru could threaten Du Songlin, it was not enough to make him submit. Otherwise, Du Songlin wouldn’t have remained defiantly opposed to him over the years.

He lowered his head, seemingly making a digression: "Doctor Du’s life seems successful, though he faced difficulties in his previous marriage, it left him with a remarkable daughter, An Cheng, who serves as an inspection officer."

"Having dealt with An Cheng several times in court, I must admit she indeed stands out among women."

Du Songlin tensed inside: "What do you intend to do with An Cheng?"

"No, no." Huangfu Huazhang laughed: "Doctor Du, don’t be tense, why would I do such a foolish thing? An Cheng is not only your daughter, she’s also an assistant district attorney. If I do anything to her, wouldn’t I be challenging the district attorney’s office again?"

He paused, his gaze wrapping around Du Songlin: "I was just wondering, An Cheng and Tang Yanxi have had mutual feelings for each other for years, but why has An Cheng rejected Tang Yanxi all this time? Sure, her reason is obviously your relationship with Huo Danru. You married, making her and Tang Yanxi legally siblings."

"But that’s just an excuse, isn’t it? After all, with one being a lawyer and the other a prosecutor, they certainly understand that such non-blood relations pose no real obstacles."

Du Songlin squinted his eyes.

Huangfu Huazhang smiled mockingly: "I wonder, given An Cheng’s intelligence, did she sense from years ago your deceit towards Tang Mingyi? That’s why she doesn’t feel worthy to be with Tang Yanxi, not daring to expect ever marrying into the Tang Family, hmm?"

These words staggered Du Songlin.

It was something he hadn’t anticipated. His love and his daughter’s love colliding had been a longstanding issue for him, puzzling over why his daughter was stuck on this. He used to think it was because she couldn’t forget about her mother, and due to her temperament, she’d always clash with Huo Danru... but hearing Huangfu Huazhang’s analysis now felt like being struck by a weighty hammer.

Perhaps, it was indeed so?

Du Songlin raised his head again, his face pale: "What exactly do you want?"

Huangfu Huazhang raised his eyebrows, looking at his fingertips: "I heard you’re assisting Tang Yanqing with psychological intervention, and just an hour ago, Shen Wan personally sought you out. She entered in panic and left still saddened, yet clearly comforted somehow. I suppose you provided her with good advice to help Tang Yanqing navigate the current crisis, right?"

Du Songlin squinted: "What’s it got to do with you?"

Huangfu Huazhang shrugged: "Don’t be tense, I’m just asking what you intend to do."

Du Songlin reluctantly outlined the treatment plan.

If Yanqing forgets Shi Nian, perhaps objectively that’s also what Huangfu Huazhang wanted?

But unexpectedly, Huangfu Huazhang laughed exaggeratedly: "Forget? Why would I want him to forget? If he forgets, if his trauma is lessened, then what meaning would everything I plotted before have?!"

This game had increasingly slipped from his control, and he no longer wanted to continue playing.

It wasn’t that his plans weren’t meticulous, but who could’ve predicted disruptors of his plans weren’t the police, nor Tang Yanqing, but his little girl instead.

She refused to obey him, wouldn’t abandon her feelings for Tang Yanqing.

He had played the forgetting phase, but it turned out his little girl had the tenacity to slowly regain her memories, using her own deductive talents to piece together scattered fragments herself. Moreover, upon encountering Tang Yanqing again, their feelings were once more reignited, and they fell in love anew...

Therefore, the game had reached a point where forgetting alone was insufficient.

Knowing his intimate understanding of psychology, he realized that there was no truly eternal memory-erasing hypnotic technique. Events that occurred, memories that existed, merely stayed in the subconscious and wouldn’t truly vanish. Once conditions were right, they’d resurface.

So now what he needed to do was: eliminate whoever could trigger her memories.

If that person didn’t exist, then the memory loss induced by hypnosis would blend seamlessly with reality.

He was unwilling to explain further to Du Songlin, lowered his head, observed the light reflections on the table, and directly commanded: "Retract your treatment plan; don’t let him forget her. Maintain strict surveillance over his psychological state; I need his most authentic psychological records, and don’t be fooled by his facade."

Only by remembering her, only with longing turning to madness, would his heart be scarred and battered.

Only then would he resemble how Shi Haoran was back in those days.

After he finished speaking, Huangfu Huazhang left without caring about Du Songlin’s reaction.

Because he knew, Du Songlin dare not disobey.

.

A full 17 months passed by swiftly.

It felt as prolonged as the dawn of the universe, yet when looking back, it seemed but a snap of the fingers.

Despite Du Songlin’s exhaustive efforts, Tang Yanqing stubbornly refused to forget, forcing him into severe psychological barriers.

He started experiencing hallucinations, often while seated in his office, would suddenly raise his head and smile towards the door, rising to softly say: "You’re back."

He thought he was holding Shi Nian’s hand, not recognizing that he was casting tender looks upon a police monitor.

His office colleagues couldn’t bear to look on.

His thoughts began to fracture, often struggling internally. He appeared as if fragmented into two personas, entirely at odds, neither sparing the other, each refusing to let the other rest.

Given his current state, objectively speaking, he was no longer fit to serve as an officer.

Thus, when he meticulously tidied himself once more, appearing in front of the police monitor as handsome as ever for the seventh resignation attempt, even the monitor couldn’t bear to forcibly retain him.

If he remained in this quagmire any longer, it might lead to his complete ruin.

One could only hope as he removed his badge and uniform, he could truly let go of the burdens within his heart.

No one wished for crime in the world; no one wished to lose under the same sky those known or unknown. But alas, this world rolls on, not swayed by human will. So despite losing Shi Nian, all felt sorrow, understood his despair. Yet... the future remains vast, and he must live well, mustn’t he?

.

China.

Mo Ya Village.

Shi Nian took Jieyou to watch villagers dig lotus roots.

Withered lotuses stood desolate and greenish in the ponds, evoking a sense of melancholy. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Shi Nian gathered a few dried and withered lotus pods in his arms, planning to find a plain porcelain vase to arrange them in.

Thinking this, his mind inexplicably flashed through a few images. As if he had witnessed such a scene somewhere, at some time.