Chapter Five: Androphobia!

"Grandpa Lin, this kind of thing really depends on fate, doesn't it? I think... Sister Lin is so outstanding and beautiful, there must be many men who like her. Besides, she might not even be interested in someone like me. Heh..." Qin Luo forced a stiff smile, his facial muscles nearly cramping.

Handing out a 'good person card' for the first time was not a pleasant experience.

Smack!

Lin Huanxi, who was quietly eating, hadn't expected the battle to shift onto her. She slapped her chopsticks onto the table and said, "Grandpa, what are you talking about? Who would want to marry him?"

Her delicate, jade-like face was flushed with red, and her enchanting eyes were filled with anger. The sight of her as an enraged, elegant woman was breathtaking.

"Huanxi, you're not young anymore. It's time to start thinking about these things," Lin Qingyuan said earnestly.

"You all go ahead and eat. I'm full." Lin Huanxi put down her chopsticks, stood up, and walked upstairs.

As her figure disappeared at the stairway, Qin Luo and Lin Qingyuan exchanged wry smiles.

"Sigh. Qin Luo, I wasn't joking. If you two were willing, I'd truly want to bring you together. But Huanxi..." Lin Qingyuan sighed heavily, unsure whether he was worried about his granddaughter's marriage or simply regretting that she had turned down his good intentions.

"Grandpa Lin, please don't worry. Every child has their own fortune. These days, it's only men who have trouble finding wives, not women who have trouble getting married," Qin Luo said with a comforting smile.

"Not worried? How could I not be worried, Qin Luo? Huanxi is already twenty-seven. In three more years, she'll be hitting the big three-oh. What's that term that's so popular in the papers? Right, 'leftover women.' How many girls her age are still unmarried?"

"But up till now, she hasn't even had a boyfriend. I tried introducing her to doctors from our hospital, but she refused. She has plenty of admirers at school, but she doesn't accept any of them. The students at school even gave her a nasty nickname. What was it? 'Iceberg Teacher.' Isn't that ridiculous? Her marriage is the only thing I worry about now."

Qin Luo gave a bitter smile. No wonder the old man started advertising his granddaughter to him on their very first meeting. He was just afraid she'd become one of those 'leftover women.'

After considering for a moment, Qin Luo decided to speak frankly: "Grandpa Lin, I suspect Sister Lin might be ill."

"Ill?" Lin Qingyuan raised his eyebrows.

"Yes. A psychological disorder." Qin Luo snuck a glance at the staircase, worried that the icy woman might suddenly reappear.

"Do you mean... she likes women?" Lin Qingyuan whispered.

"No, I don't think that's it. I'm referring to a psychological condition that causes a patient to be repulsed by men—even to the point of avoiding all contact with them. Medically, it's called androphobia." Qin Luo explained.

He had suspected as much from the look of disgust Lin Huanxi gave him. He wasn't expecting her to swoon over him, but such blatant disdain was a bit much, even for someone as pale and handsome as he was.

Hearing Lin Qingyuan's concerns only confirmed Qin Luo's suspicions.

Still, this was only his first time meeting Lin Huanxi; he knew nothing of her past. So he couldn't be absolutely certain.

Androphobia, as it's called in English, is the fear of men or masculinity.

Almost every patient has their own story, but generally, it traces back to an experience in adolescence, during the awakening of sexual consciousness. Perhaps they encountered some repulsive man during puberty, or saw the violent, crude side of men in films—or maybe suffered through a failed marriage or relationship.

The true cause can only be determined after interacting with the patient.

"Androphobia? Can you cure her, Qin Luo?" Lin Qingyuan asked anxiously, grasping Qin Luo's hand.

"I'll give it a try," Qin Luo replied.

"Qin Luo, I'm counting on you. Please help Huanxi," Lin Qingyuan pleaded sincerely.

After dinner, Qin Luo had the housekeeper prepare a bowl of tomato and egg noodles. He carried the steaming bowl himself to Lin Huanxi's room and knocked gently on the door.

Lin Huanxi opened the door to see Qin Luo standing there. "What do you want?" she asked coldly.

"I noticed you didn't eat tonight. I brought you some noodles." Qin Luo smiled as he handed her the steaming bowl.

"I'm not eating." With that, Lin Huanxi tried to close the door.

Bang!

Qin Luo swiftly pressed his hand against the door, stopping her from shutting it.

"Honestly, with the way you've treated me, your refusal would make me quite happy. It'd feel like revenge," Qin Luo said with a cold smile. "But, for Grandpa Lin's sake, I have to help you when you need it."

"Help me? Why would you help me? What do I need your help for?" Lin Huanxi asked icily, unconsciously tightening her robe around her.

She had just showered, her hair still damp on her shoulders. She wore a purple silk nightgown. Though the deep red patterns covered most of her snow-white skin, her swan-like neck, sexy collarbones, and voluptuous curves were still enough to stir any man's imagination.

As Qin Luo righteously declared his mission to save this lost lamb, his eyes nonetheless couldn't resist sneaking a glance or two—or several.

Of course, in Lin Huanxi's eyes, this only deepened her disgust for him.

Men—none of them are any good.

"You're ill," Qin Luo said.

"You're the one who's ill."

"No, you really are ill."

"You're the one who's really sick. Get out. I'm closing the door," Lin Huanxi snapped, her anger rising. What was wrong with this man?

Running to someone else's room in the middle of the night with a bowl of noodles, only to declare they were ill. If anyone was ill, it was him.

"I'm saying you have a psychological disorder," Qin Luo explained, exasperated.

"You're the one with a psychological disorder. You're sick all over. Move, I'm closing the door." Lin Huanxi tried to push him away, but Qin Luo grabbed her delicate wrist.

He couldn't be bothered with politeness anymore. He pulled her into the room and, with a swift kick, shut the door behind him.

"What do you want?" Lin Huanxi asked, a hint of panic in her voice. This man... seemed genuinely angry.

Clang!

Qin Luo threw the bowl of noodles onto her dressing table and barked, "I'm here to treat you. As a medical instructor, haven't you noticed your own psychological issues? You're twenty-seven and have never been in a relationship. Do you really think that's normal?"

"I just haven't met anyone I like, that's all. What does that have to do with you? Why do you care?"

"It's not that you haven't found someone you like. You fundamentally dislike men. Haven't you realized this?"

"You—"

"Still denying it? Do you think your current state is normal? Don't forget, I'm a doctor too. I just helped Grandpa Lin deal with a serious medical incident. My skills are a notch above some so-called experts," Qin Luo said.

He wasn't boasting just to impress a beautiful woman—he needed to build the patient's confidence in him.

If a patient doesn't trust their doctor, they'd rather face their illness alone—or let it fester—than admit to it.

Why confess if you can't cure me anyway?

People here aren't open-minded; illness is seen as shameful. That's why so few people get regular checkups, compared to other developed or developing countries.

They're afraid of discovering they're sick. They're afraid of losing face.

Of course, for many, the crushing cost of healthcare is the bigger obstacle.

Lin Huanxi stared blankly at Qin Luo, at a loss for what to do.

She knew she had problems. She knew there was an indelible scar in her heart. But was she really supposed to bare herself so nakedly in front of this stranger? To lay herself open to a man several years her junior?

"As your attending physician, I need to know exactly what happened," Qin Luo said gently, his tone softer now.

"I..." Lin Huanxi wanted to speak, but didn't know where to start.

Qin Luo didn't dare relax for a second. He'd only just managed to break through her defenses by force; if she recovered, getting her to open up would be even harder.

"Who was he?" Qin Luo probed.

This was already venturing into psychology. Qin Luo had always been interested in this field, having read books like "Falling in Love with the Tango," "Abnormal Psychology and Psychotherapy," and "Neuropsychological Assessment," among others. So he didn't feel out of his depth.

"Guan Xu." Unconsciously, Lin Huanxi fell right into Qin Luo's verbal trap.

"Can you tell me his story?" Qin Luo asked.

Only then did Lin Huanxi realize she'd let something slip. She eyed Qin Luo warily and demanded, "What exactly do you want to know?"

"I need a reason. I need to know what it was that made you start to hate men. Do you want to go on like this forever? Worrying your family? This condition only gets worse—right now you only dislike strange men, but in the future, you might not even be able to get close to your grandfather."

"When that happens, what will you do? Live alone? Cut yourself off from all your family and friends?" Qin Luo pressed, half-threateningly.

Under Qin Luo's onslaught, Lin Huanxi's defenses finally crumbled. She squatted down, hugging herself, and began to sob uncontrollably.

She had been suppressing this for far, far too long.