Chapter 956: Chapter 750: A Frightening Thought

"I think I don’t love my wife."

After stabilizing his emotions, Chen Lizhou began with this sentence.

He unconsciously rubbed his knuckles, then added, "No... I love her. But... that was a long time ago."

"I should say... it was later on, particularly in the past few years."

Chen Lizhou took a deep breath: "It feels like I don’t love her anymore."

Regarding this statement and Chen Lizhou’s current state, Nan Zhubin did not provide any [Empathy], [feedback].

He simply guided, "What makes you feel this way?"

The consultation room fell into brief silence.

After about five breaths, seeming to have organized his thoughts, Chen Lizhou slowly said, "I’ve been married to her for nearly ten years, and counting the time we’ve been together, it’s even longer, akin to a campus love marathon reaching its end. Being with her back then, our shared hometown was a factor in our decision."

From this sentence, the beginning of their relationship seemed quite serious.

"We both came from a small town, with poor family conditions. From an early age, I wanted to leave that small town, so when applying for college, I chose Beidu even if it meant exceeding the score, and after graduation, I stayed in Beidu."

"This choice back then had certain risks. Not to mention whether I could establish myself in Beidu, if time went on for long enough... perhaps our relationship would encounter problems."

Chen Lizhou looked into Nan Zhubin’s eyes: "But I still chose to stay in Beidu."

"I worked tirelessly, conducted business, socialized with clients, stayed up all night, sometimes going several days without sleep to secure a deal."

Chen Lizhou tugged at the corner of his mouth: "Back then, negotiating business was more... focused on personality than it is now."

Nan Zhubin cooperatively tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Several times, I drank with clients until I had gastric bleeds, yet even then, I didn’t dare rest."

"Eventually, I managed to establish myself in Beidu, acquired a home, a car, even helped Fangfang settle her job, later allowing our daughter to receive education in Beidu."

"I’m aware of the difficulties in studying in small places, so I don’t want our daughter to endure such hardships." Chen Lizhou emphasized when he reached this point.

The tone of these memories is relatively positive.

But looking at Chen Lizhou’s expression, Nan Zhubin thought if nothing unexpected happened, there would be a turning point soon.

"But Fangfang—her thoughts always differed from mine. This was true just after we graduated, and even after we settled in Beidu."

Indeed, Chen Lizhou continued: "At that time, she often mentioned to me that she wanted to return to her hometown, saying that staying in Beidu was too tiring, wanting family and friends back home, feeling that returning home would be easier."

"I felt... she was too naive then."

Chen Lizhou’s voice was calm, as if telling someone else’s story. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

But the cadence in his speech and the subtle facial changes were enough to reveal his mood.

"I brought us out from that poverty-stricken small town, settled down in Beidu. How many people dream of this? How many people would do anything to stay in Beidu, yet she insists on returning home..."

Chen Lizhou paused and said with difficulty, "I felt she... was blessed without realizing it..."

...

At this point, Chen Lizhou began trembling again.

[Eyebrows quickly tensed, showing signs of relaxing afterward.]

[Nostrils flared rapidly, but breathing was shallow.]

[Vision began to lose focus...]

Consistently observing the visitor’s facial micro expressions, Nan Zhubin promptly said, "No rush, let’s pause for a moment."

"Feel your breath, stabilize your state first. Do you remember the [Dissociation Blockade] training we did before? Let’s do it again."

Long-term consultation led Chen Lizhou to instinctively follow Nan Zhubin’s instructions and began taking action.

He extended his hand, pinched the webbing between his thumb and index finger, and pressed firmly a few times. A slight but sufficiently grounding pain made him involuntarily hold his breath.

It was these few pinches that gradually focused his gaze.

He lowered his head: "Shall I continue?"

Nan Zhubin nodded.

"I was saying earlier that my wife... doesn’t appreciate her blessings."

"Back then, my thought was that I had sacrificed so much, working tirelessly day and night, for this family and for her, I gave up a lot. Yet she didn’t understand... appreciation."

"Appreciation." Chen Lizhou nodded, "This... shouldn’t be a word appearing in a marital life."

Nan Zhubin did not respond to Chen Lizhou’s reaction.

"In short... we had a big fight then, a fierce one, it was the worst fight since our marriage."

"I told her if she insisted on returning home, she should go by herself. I wouldn’t go back, my career was here, I couldn’t give up years of effort."

"I also said if she didn’t appreciate the current life then... we shouldn’t continue it."

Chen Lizhou stopped rubbing his knuckles and began to unconsciously pick at the sofa armrest.

Seeing the pause in the visitor’s narrative, Nan Zhubin briefly guided, "Reflecting on this matter now, how do you feel?"

This question made Chen Lizhou think for a long time.

He raised his hand, showing Nan Zhubin—though Nan Zhubin had already noticed—his hands.

Those hands were uncontrollably trembling.

Yet, the expression on Chen Lizhou’s face was becoming calm: "It should be guilt."

After saying this, his breathing quickened and deepened.