Her hair flowed down in soft, straight locks, but the ends had been carefully styled to a slight curl.
The delicate lobe of her ear, a pale jade hue, was partially concealed by her hair, with a bright Silver Moon Earring dangling from it, glittering in the sunlight's reflection.
Atop her tall, straight nose sat a pair of gold-plated, thick-framed glasses, and her finely made-up face bore a graceful and soft smile that seemed to melt away the summer's heat with her pursed lips.
A pair of round, slender thighs peeked out from beneath her dress, radiating a holy light.
White, so damn white!
"Hello, is this Mr. Ke's residence? I am Wen Zhiyin, the psychological counselor you scheduled for last week."
"Wen only because?" Ke Jin couldn't help himself, his lips twitching slightly: "That name, is the author messing with me...?"
"Um... Only because? My name is Zhiyin, given by my parents who hope that I would be cultured and live as gracefully as lush grass. That's why they named me this way." Wen Zhiyin revealed a puzzled expression.
As a provincial-level psychotherapist, she preferred reading physical books from China and abroad and didn't quite understand some of the internet memes.
"Oh, right, nothing, Miss Wen, please come in." Ke Jin hurriedly made way, letting this elder sister, who appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six, enter the house.
He couldn't help but feel secretly pleased as he made way.
They who know me, my parents do.
Ke Jin had indeed heard from his sister that their parents were concerned about his mental state after the intensive job searching and repeated rejections and might invite a psychological counselor for a home visit.
But he hadn't expected this, not at all!
I mean, if you're coming, why bring along a family register?
Don't say anything else, the child shall be named Ke Zhiyin!
If there's a second child and it takes the mother's surname, it could be Wen Zhixin, 'renewing knowledge after reviewing the old.'
Tsk tsk, how meaningful.
"You must be Ke Jin, there's no need to call me teacher." Wen Zhiyin said with a gentle smile: "I'm only a few years older than you, and besides, psychological counseling works better when the distance between patient and therapist is closed, so there's no need to be so formal."
She smiled as she shrugged off her shoulder bag and settled on the couch.
Then, a sickly sweet voice came from nearby.
"Auntie, please have a cup of cappuccino."
Wen Zhiyin looked beside her and saw a 17 or 18 -year-old girl in an oversized loose T-shirt, her snow-white, lotus-like thighs visible as they couldn't hide under the shirt, whether she was not wearing pants because she was at home or because the T-shirt was too long. The girl was holding a tray, offering her a cup of hot coffee and milk tea.
"Uh..." Wen Zhiyin felt a bit awkward.
Not to mention it's a hot day; you're serving me a steaming drink.
And what's with the 'auntie'?
Your brother is 22 this year, and I'm only 25.
Before Wen Zhiyin could speak,
Ke Jin immediately scolded sternly, "What nonsense are you spewing! Who are you calling 'auntie'?"
Exactly, that's not how you talk. Wen Zhiyin thought.
"Say 'big sister'."
Wen Zhiyin: "..."
That's even worse than 'auntie.' At least 'auntie' targets the 30 to 50 age bracket.
The upper limit for 'big sister' is much higher; a 50-year-old person could still call a 70-year-old granny 'big sister.'
"Take it," Ke Jin said again.
"Huh?" Wen Zhiyin was taken aback again, not quite understanding Ke Jin's words.
From the moment she entered the door to now, she hadn't spoken much, yet she had been completely commandeered by the Ke siblings from start to finish for half a minute.
Could these siblings even play nice?
"I mean, ask her to call you 'big sister Jie,' not 'auntie.' This bear child just got to me, and I haven't straightened out my words," he explained.
Wen Zhiyin: "..."
Are you trying to be cryptic here?
"Oh, oh, no worries. She's your sister, right? I don't mind," Wen Zhiyin said with a light smile, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"I won't drink the tea. I have another patient scheduled soon, and I'm on a tight schedule, Ke student. Shall we start the counseling session now?"
"Here?" Ke Jin looked around the immediate environment.
The sunshine was blazing outside the window, the light reflecting off the glass and almost blinding.
Also, there was a troublemaker of a child nearby.
"How about, let's go over the fine details in my room. I also have some questions I'd like to ask Sister Wen," Ke Jin offered.
"Hmm... that sounds good. It's quieter in the room and better suited for treatment," Wen Zhiyin considered for a moment before agreeing.
"This way, please," Ke Jin got up to lead the way.
The two of them went into Ke Jin's room, one after the other.
Just as Ke Jin was about to close the door, he suddenly flung it open again.
As expected, he saw his little sister pretending to lean in and eavesdrop at the door's edge.
"I'm warning you, it's my time for a psychology class right now; don't mess around," Ke Jin said as he closed the door heavily after speaking.
Bang!
The gust of air nearly sent his little sister's bangs flying.
"Hmph, no fun." Ke Yu pouted, dissatisfied with a huff, and went back to the living room to continue watching her period drama.
————
Once inside the room, they chatted casually for a bit.
It must be said, as a provincial-level psychological counselor, Wen Zhiyin indeed had substance.
Her aura was gentle, her gaze warm, her tone just right, and the topics seamlessly transitioned from small talk to Ke Jin's condition, never stagnating or dominating the conversation.
It made one involuntarily want to confide deeply to her.
Wait, when did I get a condition?
"... I have heard about your general situation from Mr. Ke. The job pressure for young people is intense indeed, but you don't need to be too anxious." Wen Zhiyin comforted in a gentle voice, pulling out a notebook and pen, she adjusted her glasses and continued, "Let's do this, I'll start by asking you some questions, then I'll synthesize..."