Zhao Lifei listened with open ears and a patient smile, waiting for Yang Ruqin to speak again. Ever since the name was mentioned, there was a long pause. She turned to her side and rested her face upon her hands. She could see Yang Ruqin's conflicted expression, moist eyes rimmed with red. She had a vacant stare.
Zhao Lifei spoke up, "You don't have to talk about it if you do not want to."
"The first step of moving on is to acknowledge it." Yang Ruqin responded. She breathed in through her nose and let it out through her mouth. Breathe in. Breathe out. The words of her therapist rang inside of her thick skull. No one knew about this, not even Zhao Lifei, but Yang Ruqin had signed herself up for therapy when she began to realize the dark thoughts manifesting and harboring themselves into her head.
