Mind reading saves the whole family; I'm firmly in the role of a charlatan.

Chapter 79 Suspension Bridge Effect
Du Lianshuang's breath hitched, and she almost fainted again because she couldn't catch her breath.

Du's mother quickly realized what was happening and turned to ask the attending physician who had just treated Du Lianshuang, "Does she need to take medication for her condition?"

The attending physician was a balding male doctor in his early forties. He was taken aback by the question and hesitated for a while before stroking his chin and saying, "Heart problems can indeed be serious or minor. Have you had any X-rays done?"

"I've had it done, I've had all the heart tests done, and there's absolutely nothing wrong."

"Since there's no problem, the focus should be on conditioning the body; medication isn't necessary. Besides congenital factors, the causes of arrhythmia are often related to daily diet and lifestyle habits. For example, excessive consumption of coffee or strong tea, staying up late, drinking alcohol, strenuous exercise, and emotional excitement can all trigger it."

"First, regulate your diet, go to bed early and get up early. If you feel better after a few days, then you're fine. If you don't feel better, then you need to have other organ examinations done to see if there are any problems with other organs that could be affecting your heart."

"If I take medication to relieve the symptoms, what are the possible side effects and long-term effects?"

"Of course there will be side effects. It's just that different medications have different side effects. The most common ones are nausea and vomiting, dizziness and headache, insomnia and depression, especially propafenone hydrochloride tablets. Although they can control heart rate, if used improperly, they can stimulate the nervous system, leading to nerve misalignment and lethargy..."

The crowd ignored what the doctor said next, their minds filled with academic terms like "nerve misalignment" and "mental lethargy."

Recalling what Du Anrao had just said about mental instability, even though it was midday and the sun was shining brightly, the group still couldn't help but shiver.

Du Anrao didn't think too much about it; she was simply wondering, "Mom, does our family or Third Grandfather's family have any hereditary heart diseases?"

"No...right?" Du's mother turned to look at Du Lianshuang, unsure.

"No, there is no history of heart disease in our family."

"That's strange. Third Grandfather has asthma, and even if Aunt inherited it, she should have inherited the same disease. Why is she experiencing heart discomfort instead? If it's not congenital, then it must be due to acquired factors..."

"Yes." Du's mother quickly realized, "I remember you don't like drinking alcohol or coffee, and you only drink a limited amount of tea. You also rarely stay up late. Is it because you've encountered something recently and are under too much psychological pressure that you're feeling unwell?"

“There wasn’t much pressure, it’s just…” Du Lianshuang pursed her lips, carefully recalling what happened during that time, still feeling lingering fear, “A few nights before my heart started acting up, I kept having nightmares, dreaming that someone was knocking on my door in the middle of the night, and then I would suddenly wake up in a cold sweat.”

Du's mother and the others looked at each other, unsure how to comment on the matter.

Du Anrao unconsciously recalled a pilgrim who had brought a gyrfalcon up the mountain to worship a few years ago, and the method of training the eagle that he had mentioned to him.

To put it bluntly, it means not letting it sleep, constantly keeping it awake, and physically and mentally destroying its will, so that it will either die or be tamed in the end.

This is similar to some ancient punishments for interrogating criminals, where people are locked in a dark room, making them unable to distinguish between day and night. If they get sleepy, they are woken up by making noise outside, or even if they are asleep, they are woken up by splashing water on them.

If you endure this for a few days, your mind and body will both break down, and even the toughest person will have to beg for mercy.

"People say that what you think about during the day, you dream about at night, especially since you've been having the same dream for several days in a row, Aunt. Could it be because something similar happened in real life? That's why you can't forget it and dream about it frequently when you're asleep at night."

Du Anrao's words reminded Du's mother that the suspect in all the cases was Du Lianshuang's husband.

"You and Jueyan sleep in the same room at home, right? Was he beside you when you woke up?" "...Yes, I even asked him if he heard anything, but he said no."

Is it possible that he's the one who knocked on the door or banged on something in the middle of the night to wake you up? If you ask him that, of course he'll say no, otherwise why would he create a tense atmosphere that makes your heart race, your adrenaline surge, and make you mistakenly think you have a heart problem?

Du Lianshuang's eyes narrowed slightly. The thought of this possibility made her mind feel like it had been hit hard, turning into a complete mess.

In fact, after Du Anrao finished complaining in his heart, he was stunned for a moment.

This situation is somewhat similar to the suspension bridge effect that my second brother mentioned to me a few days ago...?

The so-called suspension bridge effect refers to the phenomenon that a person's heart rate increases unconsciously when they are feeling anxious or fearful.

If you encounter someone of the opposite sex at this time, you might mistake this racing heartbeat for attraction and develop feelings of love for them.

Thinking about it carefully, wasn't that how Du Lianshuang and Du Lianshuang first met?

At that time, Du Lianshuang had just joined the company and taken over the business while concealing her identity. She was unfamiliar with many things and was inevitably overwhelmed and stressed.

Cui Jueyan appeared at just the right time, standing beside her like a savior, helping her step by step up the ladder, giving her the illusion of supporting each other and fighting side by side. How could she not be attached and moved?
Now it's just the same old trick, designing hardships for her and then helping her overcome them, in order to gain her affection and trust.

When the time is right, let alone secretly feeding her drugs that cause mental instability.

Even if it were poison, as long as he coaxed her, Du Lianshuang would probably swallow it without any precautions.

Du Lianshuang's face turned ashen. She thought of those nights when she would wake up in a cold sweat, and Cui Jueyan would be there to comfort her, even holding her as they fell asleep together. Then she would be startled awake again, soothed again, and fall asleep again... in a never-ending cycle.

At that time, Du Lianshuang only felt moved and guilty, but now she can't help but feel terrified.

Does he truly consider himself human? Or rather, is he even human? Why is he more terrifying than those man-eating monsters?
The shock to Du Yunni and her brother was no less than that to Du Lianshuang. Anyone would suddenly discover that their father, whom they had admired since childhood, was not as gentle, considerate, kind, and reliable as he appeared on the surface. He had family members and a small family that he cared about, and he had even harmed his own relatives, killing their beloved grandfather.

Each and every one of these things was enough to cause their previously untouched little world to collapse, let alone all of them being laid out before them at once.

Du Anrao's attention was still on Du Lianshuang at the moment, and he did not notice the strangeness between the two, but Du Yuxi did.

She stepped forward and took their hands, silently conveying her support for them.

Just like when she suddenly found out she wasn't a child of the Du family, and was panicked and at a loss, her family members showed her unconditional trust and tolerance.

The atmosphere in the room was delicate when the two people who had been sent out to buy things finally returned.

"Lian Shuang, you're awake. You really scared me to death just now."

(End of this chapter)